March 31, 2023
“Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.”
This weekend, during Palm Sunday processions, we will pause and pray the Collect above. Even as we parade together, with palm branches raised, we will remember that our King Jesus suffered pain and was an innocent crucified.
Each Holy Week, as we walk the Way of the Cross, we are not simply engaging in historical reenactment. We are also a people walking with fresh pain, new sorrow, grief not yet redeemed.
This past week, the news of the shootings at Covenant Presbyterian School in Nashville was another example of innocents suffering and dying in our land. Many of us have direct connections to the community at Covenant Presbyterian School. All of us mourn and lament that another school, intended to be a place of learning and belonging, has become the most recent example of the daily scourge of gun violence in our land. Along with praying for another community impacted by gun violence, let us continue to seek common sense solutions to bring an end to school shootings.
In our state, bills from our Legislature designed to oppress transgender and LGBTQ+ people are becoming law. As a people committed to “strive for justice and peace among all people,” these pieces of legislation divide us, spread misinformation, and leverage fear. Many members of the LGBTQ+ community have found safety and welcome in our Episcopal parish churches. So, while these pieces of legislation might not affect you directly, they do harm to your siblings in Christ. At our most recent House of Bishops meeting at Camp McDowell in Alabama, we reaffirmed our commitment to support the LGBTQ+ community. “We urge all in our church, in all the countries in which The Episcopal Church is found, to create safe spaces and shield all people from harassment based on gender identity, and to join in advocacy to protect them from discriminatory laws,” the resolution stated.
We are about to walk the Way of the Cross again. As we walk, we will remember the Suffering Servant, who called us to follow him, to walk with the suffering and the least of these, to welcome the children and the stranger, to be One as the Son and the Father are one.
In a culture that seeks to divide us from each other, let us be a different kind of people. Let us be the family of God for all the people of God, here and now.
Peace,
+ Brian