In my travels around our diocese I see all kinds of political bumper stickers in our church parking lots. From those bumper stickers, it is obvious that we don’t all agree on matters of public policy. We are Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and others, all at prayer together.
What binds us together is not ideology, but that
by water and the Spirit we have been claimed as Christ’s own, forever.
We reaffirm this truth every time we renew our Baptismal Covenant. We do not all agree on the government’s role in providing healthcare for our citizens, but because we are “all in” on respecting the dignity of
every
human being, it’s not an option for us to turn a blind eye to those who cannot afford to go to see a doctor when they are sick. We do not all agree on what properly belongs at the federal, state, or local level in terms of caring for our neighbors, but we are “all in” on the fact that we have been commanded to not only love God, but to love our neighbor. Who is my neighbor you may ask? One day a lawyer asked Jesus that very same question. He responded with a memorable parable about a Samaritan who showed mercy.
Ours is not a pie-in-the-sky religion. The Baptismal Covenant grounds God’s faithful people in the work God has given us to do right here and now as the Reign of God breaks in on earth as it is in heaven. We strive together for justice and peace among
all
people and there is no debate in our congregations about whether some deserve to be treated with dignity or not. All bear the image of the living God. And all means all. Every means every.