The Rt. Rev. Budde and Whether Mercy is Biblical or Political
Hello to my (literal) handful of subscribers! After the election, I needed to step away for a few weeks to handle some personal issues and really just deal with my disappointment over the election. I wasn’t sure if I was going to return to writing this substack, or if I did, whether I would keep the same focus.
But the events of yesterday have brought me back. Thank you for sticking with me and continuing to read my postings.
If you missed it, yesterday (Tuesday, January 21, 2025) was the inaugural prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral. This is a traditional worship service that takes place at the Cathedral shortly after the inauguration of a President.
During the service, the Episcopal Bishop of the Washington, D.C. diocese, the Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde, addressed President Trump directly during her sermon. She asked the President to have mercy on those who disagree with him and are now scared of what he will do as President. She specifically mentioned the LGBTQ+ community, migrant workers, and children of immigrants who are afraid their parents will be suddenly taken away from them. You can read a transcript of this portion of her sermon here. You can also watch a larger segment of her sermon here.
As you might expect, President Trump and his MAGA allies did not react well to her sermon. President Trump disparaged both the Bishop and the prayer service, calling it “not exciting” and stating “they could have done much better.” He later demanded that Bishop Budde apologize to the public for her comments. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R – Alabama) claimed that Bishop Budde was one of many liberals who are “spewing hate” at President Trump. Rep. Mike Collins (R – Georgia) suggested that Bishop Budde should be deported (Bishop Budde is an American citizen since she was born in New Jersey in 1959).
And much of the MAGA world decried that a Bishop would inject “politics” into this prayer service rather than simply bless President Trump and otherwise keep her mouth shut.
I have two things to say to the people complaining that the Rt. Rev. Budde brought her politics into the sermon.
First, her comments were not a political statement; they were a biblical statement. Jesus spoke frequently about the need for mercy and compassion, especially for marginalized groups:
- “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)
- “But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; 28 bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you, and if anyone takes away what is yours, do not ask for it back again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive payment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 Instead, love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.[e] Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:27 – 36)
- “Then he took a little child and put it among them, and taking it in his arms he said to them, 37 ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’” (Mark 9:36 – 37)
- “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:31 – 40)
For Christians, this should not be a foreign concept. Jesus expects his followers to show mercy and compassion to the poor, the oppressed (including the LGBTQ+ community), the widow, the orphan, and the immigrant. I could also point to Old Testament and New Testament passages that expect the Lord’s people to do the same. Asking the President to show mercy and compassion to those afraid of his presidency because he has the power to oppress and persecute them is a biblical message.
If you insist on calling it a political message, then my second point is that the Gospel is political. The word “politics” comes from the Greek word “polis,” which means “city.” “Politics” therefore involves everything we do together as a community. And Jesus had plenty of things to say about how we live and work together as a community, including what we do for the least and lowest among us.
Unfortunately, too many so-called “Christians” are denouncing the Rt. Rev. Budde for her sermon. Some are complaining that she brought politics into the pulpit. Others are complaining that she is a woman, and women should never be Pastors, much less Bishops. Still others want to shout about the (alleged) sinfulness of the LGBTQ+ community.
Ultimately, what they are doing is trading the Lord for an idol. They refuse to hear a biblical message with political implications because the message does not support President Trump, the true object of their worship. In another context, someone commented that President Trump did not look comfortable as he heard this portion of the sermon; I responded by saying “Of course he didn’t look comfortable. He was there to be the object of worship!”
But treating people, especially the marginalized, the powerless, and those we label as our “enemies” with mercy and compassion is NOT a political message. It is a biblical message. If you cannot recognize that, then you have missed a significant portion of the biblical story.