“Epiphany at the Capitol”
by Bart Garrett
Regardless of one’s creed, ethnicity, or political affiliation, Wednesday’s incited rioting mob at the nation’s capital put tears in the eyes, fear in the nerves, a knot in the pit of the stomach, and an ache in the heart. What has not happened since the British army’s siege of Washington in 1812, happened! The Capitol was stormed as Capitol police were attacked, barriers were broken, windows were shattered, the Capitol was occupied, all while a woman was shot and killed and three others died.
The morning of this siege, the President spoke for seventy minutes before a large crowd claiming to have won in a “landslide,” while referring to the “stolen,” “illegal,” or “fraudulent” election more than fifty times. Concluding his remarks, President Trump said, “We are going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue, I love Pennsylvania Avenue. We are going to the Capitol…I will be there with you. We are going to try and give our Republicans… the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.”
As the unthinkable and somewhat inconceivable has happened, many of us ask the question, “Where do we go from here?”
Wednesday’s events happened on the Day of Epiphany. For the church, this feast, marking the end of Christmastide (“the twelve days of Christmas”), acknowledges the Magi’s realization that Jesus, this baby in a manger, is God incarnate. It is this Christian tradition that has spawned expressions like “I’ve seen the light” or “it dawned on me,” and of course, “I’ve had an Epiphany.” Jews and Gentiles alike, in this moment over two thousand years ago, began to understand that God’s rescue and healing would not come from the Temple (religious salvation) or from the Capitol (political salvation), but from the Cross and Empty Tomb (Christ’s salvation). This salvation would be as individualized (the healing of hearts, the forgiveness of sins) as it would be collective (the healing of society, the hope of justice).
“Where do I go from here?”
My first suggestion: Do some introspection
Have you wrongly assumed that God’s rescue and healing would be political rather than theological? Have you wrongly assumed that God’s salvation would come from Capitol Hill rather than Calvary’s Hill? Has politics become your new religion or spirituality? Has your political party affiliation become more important than your brothers or sisters in Christ? Or, perhaps, if I might be so bold, there are some “other side of the aisle” questions of introspection to consider as well: Have you found yourself saying things like, “It’s just rhetoric” or “we don’t elect a pastor in chief but a commander in chief”? Or, “It isn’t about the President’s character; it’s not the person but the platform.” Would you be willing to admit before God that ideas have legs, that words matter, that character counts?
The Sunday after Donald Trump was elected President in 2016, I preached a sermon on James 3 and God’s commendation to “tame the tongue.” As a church, we were working through the Book of James so I did not feel a compulsion to shift gears and do a sermon on that election. But I did offer some counsel to Donald Trump in my sermon that day. I suggested that he “consider what a great forest is set on fire by a single spark” (James 3:5). I reminded him that words matter, that his words were demeaning and an abomination to God; that they did real damage to real people. That if he would not be willing to repent over things he had said, and would not consider shifting his rhetoric, then he just might set our country aflame.
I am not sure that Donald Trump opened himself up to that introspection, but I hope that you will. If politics has become your God, and partisanship your way of salvation, then repent! That means, confess your sins, tell God that you are sorry, and receive the forgiveness of Christ that will empower you to be free to live differently going forward. If you have underplayed the power of rhetoric or diminished the collateral damage that the corrupt character of one man can sow, then repent! That means, confess your sins, tell God that you are sorry, and receive the forgiveness of Christ that will empower you to be free to live differently going forward.
My second suggestion: Become a peacemaker
Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). What was Jesus after here? He was not calling us to become impotent, mealy-mouthed, disaffected people who sit back and vibe with some “peaceful easy feelings.” Instead, Jesus is calling us to action! PeaceMAKING is active! It doesn’t sit back, it leans forward. Peace, God’s Shalom, is the “weaving together of God, humanity, and creation in equity, fulfillment, and delight” (Cornelius Plantinga).
Christians are NOT surprised by people behaving badly. We understand that sin has caused us to divorce God and vandalize God’s good creation. We know that remaining passive in a fallen world is to allow entropy to have its way with us — to usher in more chaos. Instead, we actively inject Shalom into every nook and cranny, relationship and conversation, situation and circumstance that we find ourselves in. Martin Luther King, Jr., proclaimed that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Making peace involves bringing justice — goodness, rightness, equity, integrity — to bear as we leverage our talents, time, treasures, resources, vocations, marriages, and families to the tasks of relational and societal repair.
I have just offered a grand vision for peacemaking and so, in the interest of making it more accessible and attainable, let me suggest something applicable: Start somewhere!
If partisan divides are on your heart, then what might it look like to be a peacemaker in your family, on your street, or inside your church?
If socioeconomic disparity is on your heart, then what might it look like to be a peacemaker in your school, neighborhood, or city?
If racial division is on your heart, then what might it look like to be a peacemaker at work, in your relationships, and in charged conversations?
Again, start somewhere! I hesitate to recommend books because there are simply so many good ones and I fear I’d create an avalanche that might paralyze you, rendering you a reader and not a doer. However, I will suggest two recent reads that have much bearing on this moment. The first is entitled, Compassion and Conviction, by Justin Giboney, the founder of the AND Campaign. Justin just spoke at our church in November, and you can listen to his talk here. This book will give you some orientation around how a Christian is to engage civically. The second book is entitled, Divided We Fall, by David French. This book does a masterful job of articulating how “negative polarization,” uniting around a common enemy rather than shared convictions, is tearing us apart.
Editor’s Note: This piece was part of a letter written and sent to the congregation of Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church.
About the Author
Bart Garrett is Senior Director of Training and Partnership for City to City Bay Area and the Lead Pastor at Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church. Previously, Bart founded Christ Church East Bay in 2006, with locations in Berkeley and Oakland, and served as senior pastor for nearly fifteen years.
Bart has a passion to see church planters and pastors live as healthy and whole persons, and leads incubators, cohorts, and pastor-to-pastor groups with that end in mind.
