From the Rector

My Dear Family in Christ,
 
Bishop Matt recently shared the following, somewhat lengthy, quote from Ethics, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
 
“The church confesses that it has not professed openly and clearly enough the message of the one God, revealed for all time in Jesus Christ and tolerating no other Gods besides. The church confesses its timidity, its deviations [referring to nationalism], its dangerous concessions. It has often disavowed its duties as sentinel and comforter. Through this it has often withheld the compassion that it owes to the despised and rejected. The church was mute when it should have cried out, because the blood of the innocent cried out to heaven. The church did not find the right word in the right way at the right time. It did not resist to the death the falling away from the faith and is guilty of the godlessness of the masses.
 
“The church confesses that it has misused the name of Christ by being ashamed of it before the world and by not resisting strongly enough the misuse of that name for evil ends. . .
 
“The church confesses that it has witnessed the arbitrary use of brutal force, the suffering in body and soul of countless innocent people . . .
 
“The church confesses that it has looked on silently as the poor were exploited and robbed, while the strong were enriched and corrupted.
 
“The church confesses that it has coveted security, tranquility, peace, property, and honor to which it has no claim, and therefore has not bridled human covetousness, but promoted it.
 
“The church confesses itself guilty of violating all of the Ten Commandments. It confesses thereby its apostasy from Christ. . .”
 
These, my friends, are … harsh words, to say the least.  Perhaps their aggressive tone is mitigated somewhat by the fact that Bonhoeffer was writing in the context of the rise of Nazi Germany, and in particular of the complicity of many German churches in openly supporting the rise of the Nazis to power.  But as you can see, he was not only calling out the complicity of the churches which openly supported the Nazi cause, but also the silence, the passive “neutrality,” the refusal to oppose actively the clear evils of Nazism in that present moment.
 
Perhaps Bonhoeffer’s more famous quote on the subject is that “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil:  God will not hold us guiltless.  Not to speak is to speak.  Not to act is to act.”
 
Such talk can make many of us feel uncomfortable.  I’ll be honest ~ it makes me feel uncomfortable!
 
But there is something, I think, in the purity of this ethic, of this moral standard, that is not only compelling … but is also biblical.  It is also Gospel.
 
Consider Luke 10:25-37:
 
25 An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”
 
29 But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan while traveling came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, treating them with oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him, and when I come back I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
 
The story of the Good Samaritan is, as you know, a parable about mercy, empathy, compassion, and justice.  About what it means ~ in God’s eyes ~ truly to be a “neighbor” to our fellow human beings.  It makes concrete what love ~ again, in God’s eyes ~ actually looks like, feels like, sounds like, smells like, etc.
 
But we fail to grasp the full import of the parable if we do not also see that it is a scathing indictment of those persons ~ and institutions ~ whose supposed function and purpose it is to embody and enact the love and mercy of God in this world, yet which fail to achieve that purpose … or, worse, choose not to try.
 
Here at All Saints Episcopal Church, we have made a conscious choice and taken on a shared, intentional commitment to build and to be a community of Jesus followers that is welcoming to, affirming of, and safe for all persons.  That commitment guides the way we receive visitors, and also the way we treat and care for each other as members of this parish family, certainly.  But it also lays upon us an obligation to speak up and speak out, in our larger community and society, on behalf of and in solidarity with any and all persons who are marginalized; oppressed; suffering from injustice, bigotry, prejudice, and hatred; at risk of being denied basic human rights; or are targeted by people in power.  We are called to be a voice for people who have no voice, to use our place and our privilege in this society to work towards inclusion, affirmation, and justice for groups of people who are being excluded, dehumanized, and denied justice.
 
In other words, we must not only believe in and cherish the Gospel inwardly; if we really want to follow Jesus, we must also seek to embody the Gospel outwardly, actively, tangibly, in the world around us.
 
And this is not a new thing.  It was not a new thing in Bonhoeffer’s day, either.  It has been central to the witness and ministry of the Christian faith since Jesus himself became incarnate in real, human flesh and gave his life, a perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, showing us “the way, the truth, and the life.”
 
It’s a tall order.  It’s not comfortable.  It ain’t remotely easy.  Of course, Christianity was never meant to be easy.  It is meant to bring us ever more deeply into the joyful and abundant life God has always intended for us to have.  It’s as simple, and as difficult, as loving God, and loving people.
 
As 2024 begins to draw to a close and we start looking towards 2025, let us commit to seeking out, eagerly, new and bold ways to be, for Appleton and the Fox Valley, the active and engaged Body of Christ at work for God in this world.

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