Nov. 7, 2024
Beloved of God in Massachusetts,
In the deluge of emotions and words after Tuesday’s election, it was a challenge to find more which might add meaning yesterday. Perhaps those of you pastoring congregations, schools, and other communities, church or otherwise, felt the same way. Please know that you have been in our prayers.
Some in our diocese may feel pleased at the outcome of the election. Many feel distress and even fear at the stated positions of the incoming administration. Likely all of us feel weary of the deep division and acrimony which threaten to continue to grip our nation.
In the midst of the changes and chances of this life, we follow the One who is unchangeable, steady, and true. God is still on the throne.
Moreover, we are one church, called to be reconcilers and peacemakers, belonging one to another. This is a time to gather together, to promote belonging and care, in the midst of isolation and anxiety.
At its essence, our work is unchanged, even as its context may intensify. In our baptisms we have promised to proclaim the Gospel of Love in word and action, to seek and serve Christ in all people, and to promote the dignity of every human being. We as a church, and as a diocese, will continue to stand with those who are most vulnerable in our midst—especially immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees, LGBTQ+ people, and women. We will continue our work to dismantle racism, in ourselves and the systems all around us. We will double down on our prayers that ours might be a country guided by compassion and justice, and we will work as advocates and instruments of those values when, as they often do, our leaders fall short.
It’s a hard time in our nation. Never has our church been more necessary. I pray that we all, individually and in our congregations, can be beacons of light and love in the midst of the turmoil of our times. In the face of white Christian nationalism, we must not shy away from the Cross, but reclaim and bear it as the standard of Christ’s unfailing love and justice for all.
Take heart, friends. We never do this work alone. We have one another, and we have our God, in whom, indeed, all shall be well.
God bless you.
With great love,
The Rt. Rev. Julia E. Whitworth, Bishop Diocesan
The Rt. Rev. Carol J.W.T. Gallagher, Assistant Bishop