A week ago I was awakened by red and blue fireworks outside
my bedroom window. There was music in the streets and cars zoomed by my home,
honking their horns. The Chicago Cubs had won the World Series. I remember my
eyes burning with tears of joy, disbelief, and I remembered my father’s loyal
chant, “…there’s always next year.” It was a game for the generations and one
that will long be remembered by the long-suffering fans of the Chicago Cubs. My
tears were for the many who faithfully longed for this incredible day.
Tonight, I am still awake in the early hours of the day and my eyes still burn with tears, but they are not tears of joy tonight, but tears of despair. Tonight America sold its soul to the
devil, and we elected a man who was running as President to stroke his
sick ego. We voted for a man who has no respect for minorities, women, or any religion. We voted for a man who represents everything I dislike, perhaps despise,
about America and whose personal behavior is contrary to the values of the Christian
faith that I have given my life and service for nearly 30 years. My heart is
broken, my hope dashed, and my good-will challenged. In the wee hours of
Wednesday morning, I am awake seeking to understand what has happened and what
this means for me, the people I love, and a nation that has sold out to snake
oil , empty promises, blustery noise, and insipid behavior that has no place in
a nation called to be a light to the world. Tonight we are an embarrassment to
the world.
Words cannot express what I am feeling this night. My heart
longs for a way out of this national nightmare that betrays my spirit. I
grieve for myself and I grieve for our once energized young people who believed in
Bernie Sanders, and in the spirit of unity followed Bernie’s lead and gave
their best support to Hillary. I grieve for the many women in our country who
were looking forward to a bright, capable, and reasonable woman to be our
president of the United States. I grieve for the Muslims and the Hispanics who will live their lives fear of deportation, abuse, and unfair treatment. I
grieve for our earth home that is suffering under the weight of incredible climate change and needs, more than any time before, the steady hand of leaders who cares
deeply about our fragile home. I care about the hard working laborers who blindly
believe that Trump will champion their cause. I grieve for the men and women
who fought hard for justice and now live in a very real fear that their rights
will be taken away with the stroke of a pen. Tonight is a night I never in my wildest dreams expected to live to write about.
I know, deep in my heart, that the result of this election
is a clarion call for the Church to be Church. I know what Jesus would do. He
would not allow the darkness of this night to change his message of justice for
all, unconditional love and grace, and the importance of forgiveness, and he
would find a way through the gathering storm. I know deep in my heart that my tears of anguish that I shed this night must be released into deeds and words of actions
that defy the evil that has taken place this night. Deep in my heart, I believe
that the progressive Church must not recoil from the task before us, but stand
together with people of all faiths, nationalities, and cultures to resist the
evil of this time. Deep in my heart, I know that I must lead, but for now I must
shed the tears of despair and figure out the best way to live as an alien in a
strange land. Christ, in your mercy, hear my prayer.
