Dear Folks:
It has seemed like this new year has started off with roughness, rudeness, and ruthlessness. There is a cold going around that knocked out our office staff for a week. We are still waiting for snow to hit in Billings; the last snow we received was before Christmas, and I worry about the effect on our water for our agriculture. And then there is the news, which you can probably name as well as I can. The most painful of the latest events is the killing of an American citizen by government officials in Minneapolis, Minnesota, not far from where I served early in my ministry. This letter from the Minnesota Conference Minister Rev. Sadagopan is a place to begin healing. This video from her reminds us that we Christians are in it for the long haul.
We are watching as our American way of life is being eroded. The government is sowing distrust with misinformation and brutal bullying. We are hearing and seeing responses across our nation as frustrated and scared people join in marching and protesting. A work force pause has been called for Jan 23 in Minneapolis. The New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Hirschfeld has called for his clergy to be ready because a new era of martyrdom is upon us, and we Christians, especially clergy, can no longer simply speak out but may need to put their bodies on the front lines.
Over the last few weeks, several of us in Montana-Northern Wyoming have been preaching on the theme “(In)Justice in our Community” using the Epiphany Day text Matthew 2: 1-14 where the magi went home by another way. As we get these sermons, we will link them on mnwcucc.org website. I preached on this in Great Falls on Jan 4 and at my home church, Mayflower, on Jan 11, and in my preaching, I was reminded of the violence that Herrod used to maintain his power. Herrod built infrastructure like port cities and fresh water to Jerusalem, and he extracted huge taxes from the people to pay for these improvements. When things didn’t go his way, he resorted to violence to silence the people. The magi did not play into this scheme, and neither did Joseph, Mary and Jesus, as they were warned in dreams to leave the region.
Maybe you see parallels between Herrod and what is happening in America at the beginning of 2026. The violence of power and the power of violence are becoming increasingly commonplace on our streets. As new as this might be to many of us, it is not new to the world. Most of the world’s people today and in the past live under some kind of power-hungry regime that serves the wealthy and powerful while denigrating the poor and vulnerable. Many of us can go about our normal daily routines because it is not us being targeted. So how might we respond when it’s not our lives at stake? Are we ready, as Bishop Hirschfeld says, to become martyrs? Are we ready for the long-haul, as the Rev. Sadagopan says? Blessings as you discern your best response.
In peace and prayer,
Pastor Tony
