“Teetering between despair and terror, alarmed by the perils that threaten the planet, defeated in imagining any real way to help, I’m tempted to turn away […]” (Late Migrations by Margaret Renkl)
“For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1)
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” (Matthew 5)
My dear siblings in Christ,
I read the opening paragraph today in the quietness of a new morning as the sun once again began to assert itself against the darkness. If you have ever had the experience of hearing an author say exactly what was on your heart and mind, you know how I felt.
It has been a challenging week, to say the least. In the midst of the usual demands of the work we do in the office of the Bishop, we have all experienced heightened attention to the changes planned by the new administration in Washington, controversy over the preaching of Bishop Mariann Budde, who urged newly inaugurated President Trump to “have mercy” and his subsequent demand for an apology. There is concern and fear for our immigrant neighbors. And so many other needs and urgencies pressing in upon us.
“I’m tempted to turn away,” writes Renkl. Who among us has not had the same reaction?! The rather dramatic decline in many of our churches as a result of Covid, accelerating a trend already present, has not seen recovery. On a weekly basis I hear of this decline, without much meaningful input as to how to prevent it. As we–you and I–try to hold fast to the faith and move the mountain forward even a fraction of an inch, the mountain keeps pushing back, threatening to overwhelm us. These are consequential times for the Church. What is our calling? When does “living like Christ in our communities” demand a bold stance in relation to the social issues of the day? How do we care for those referred to in that classic Hebrew Scripture expression of the most vulnerable among us: the orphan, the widow, and the stranger/sojourner in our midst?
Like you, I do not have answers to all of this. But I do believe the Holy Spirit continues to be active
through us for the sake of those in need. I encourage you to listen to your pastors and other leaders, to be thoughtful and prayerful as you engage these concerns, to “be little Christs to our neighbors,” as Luther puts it. I also encourage you to read and reflect on Bishop Eaton’s own pastoral message, found here
https://www.mnys.org/presiding-bishop-eaton-issues-pastoral-message/ on our website.
I also want you to know it is our responsibility and privilege to share guidance, encouragement and support, as we in this office have done and will continue to do. Of the many issues needing our attention, immigration is high on our list of priorities because of the people living on the territory of our synod and the fact that we are a sanctuary synod and denomination. Immigration resources are now first and foremost on our
mnys.org home page. This is part of the guiding principle of our Mission Forward vision to “ensure reparative justice and advocacy.”
Finally, as you discern both individually and in community how to “walk the talk” in these challenging times, what does the above passage from Second Timothy mean to you?
Of all the ways we are trying to help the Church be Church, not least of all, I am holding you all in prayer. I am grateful for you and the way the Spirit is working in you to help you not to turn away, to guide you to be disciples of Jesus, loving and fearless, living from a spirit of “power and love and self-discipline,” though shaky at times.
Keep the faith, my dear siblings. You make a difference—your light matters.
In Christ,
Bishop Egensteiner