It is hard to follow the news these days. Every story is stuffed
with partisan politics. The stakes could never be higher, just like we were
told last week and the week before that. It is exhausting to keep track of
every little thing when it feels like every little thing is merely meant to
elicit an emotional response out of you. From a temperamental climate, to the
crisis surrounding immigrants, to the closing of an important hospital in our
own city, you might feel pressed to have an opinion about what should be done,
and yet powerless to actually do anything.
If I am honest, my own news consumption has declined dramatically over the past year. I am privileged enough to be able to tune major crises out because most have little effect on my day-to-day life at the moment. As a person of faith, though, I am not called to use that privilege to shelter only myself, but rather to advocate for those who are not as fortunate as I am. Because the truth is, I am surrounded by people in my family, my church, and my community who cannot as easily ignore the reality of our rapidly shifting society. In baptism, I am bound to my neighbors in this community of saints, and I am called to share the love of God with those outside of our faith as well. As our hymnal Evangelical Lutheran Worship puts it, the covenant God made with us in baptism is:
“to live among God’s faithful people,
to hear the word
of God and share in the Lord’s supper,
to proclaim the
good news of God in Christ through word and deed,
to serve all
people, following the example of Jesus,
and to strive
for justice and peace in all the earth.”
I was recently reminded of a profound quote by Swedish theologian, Gustaf Wingren: “God does not need your good works, but your neighbor does.” When we advocate for our neighbors and strive for justice and peace, our goal is not to earn salvation for ourselves but rather to ensure that our neighbors can know the life-giving grace of God in their time on earth. This is the reason congregations like ours invest so much of ourselves into organizations like Mosaic and Habitat for Humanity, as well as our own outreach programs. We share what we have, we advocate for one another, and in so doing we cultivate justice and peace for our neighbors.
In the end, empathy is the answer to every issue that threatens the lives of others. Everyone needs medical care, but not everyone can afford it — especially children, the elderly, and those who live with disabilities. Everyone deserves a place to call home. Our children and grandchildren deserve to grow up in a world with as much natural beauty and stability as we enjoyed in our youth. Whatever the big news story of the day may be, I pray that our actions and responses are rooted in empathy, and that those in power strive for the justice and peace we know in our savior, Jesus Christ.
Peace,
Pastor Chad McKenna
