The People We Are

A homily given with the people of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Oakland, California during a service following the results of the 2024 Presidential election.

Oh, friends.

I am so glad you are here. Whether this is your first time or your five-hundredth time in this place, you are welcome here. Whether you are with us in person or online, you are welcome here.

If you are a child of God (and you are all children of God) who is not welcome in other places (of worship or civic life), you are so very welcome here. In fact, this gathering would not be complete without you.

And that is not because (or just because) we are quote good people. But because we are a people who follow the ancient cries of the Prophet Micah, who tells us we are to “do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with our God.”

It is because we are a people who pays close attention  to the words of Jesus of Nazareth, who says it is the oppressed and the peacemakers who are blessed.

 It is because we are a people who follow a God who noticed, was in relationship with, spoke to, and healed those whom the authorities deemed untouchable. Unloveable, even.

And it is because that same Jesus of Nazareth was put to death by those authorities and, don’t ever forget it, rose from the dead and lived.

That is the improbable, impossible Easter hope. The hope of frightening times, that brings us together here.

We notice. We welcome. We proclaim God’s love for all of God’s people. That is what we have done. And, friends, it is what we will continue to do in this special place in community, together.

I know that many of us are scared. For ourselves, friends and loved ones. I also know some of us are grieving, not because “our team” didn’t win, but because so many people – some of whom we love – seem to have made a choice that contradicts our baptismal promises to “seek and serve Christ in all persons, love our neighbor as ourselves, strive for justice and peace among all peoples, and respect the dignity of every human being.”

And, as Bishop Shannon MacVean-Brown says, “anything that makes it harder for us to do the work of our baptism is a cause for mourning.”

So, today, we mourn. We feel the feelings. We rest. We hydrate. And we hold one another close. We share a holy meal together.

Tomorrow, we do the work God has given us to do. In community. In relationship. Across divides. Because that is simply the people we are.