Lisa Bowden
Friends,
Today in Mark* is one of the famed fishes and loaves stories where Jesus provides for thousands of hungry and sick folks.
Jesus and his disciples were tired from travel, so got into a boat to find rest and prayer, which is when they encountered the large number of unexpected “guests.” Jesus’ compassion for people’s needs was greater than his exhaustion. Five loaves of bread and two fishes, blessed by God, then turned into a multitude, enough to feed five thousand with leftovers to spare.
As an organizer, mother, and former cook, if I were faced with an unexpected “multitude” at my kitchen door, I’m not sure I could be so cool! I like to plan, and as my chef sister says, success is not about luck, it’s about preparation. So, I just have to remember God in my mise en place, too—the constant and abundant provider.
I wrote this reflection on MLK day, which also was the swearing in of a controversial president. As the new administration issued executive orders to deport undocumented immigrants at a historic scale and direct other immigration actions, I thought about our calling to care for the vulnerable.
I am also reminded what is “life giving” is more than what is on the surface. The disciples were focused on the problem of how to feed so many, instead of on God’s abundance. When faced with weighty, animal-panic type situations, what is not required is capitulation to despair as if our hearts were empty.
MLK focused on economic justice for everyone, addressing the triple evils of racism, militarism, and poverty. He told a story that did not foreclose on acting, did not foreclose on our accountability to do something, but asked to take up the discipline of actually building capacity to change things. He believed in the power of the people to shape the nation.
As Episcopalians, we are asked to engage in political realism, to be responsive and heart-centered as we go out and serve the world.
Yesterday, at the Traditional Service of Prayer for the Nation, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde used her moment to ask the president to show mercy to transgender children and illegal immigrants as he enters the White House.
As power changes hands, will we tend to those in need of our compassion. . . the hungriest, most precarious?
Nothing is impossible with God’s help.
—Lisa
Letter from Episcopal Church Leaders on Trump administration immigration executive orders.
*Mark 6: 30-46
