I enjoy supermarket shopping here in Ripon, especially in their last hour when it is quieter and I often get into conversations with the person on the till. Tonight, seeing this paper on the belt, the lady exclaimed “he’s going to ruin the world.”
I watched President Trump’s inauguration in full yesterday as I am an avid watcher of history and yesterday was history for sure. I wasn’t really prepared for the tirade of what is wrong with everything and the announcement one after another of things which were woop wooped by most of the crowd present as they will, the returning President said, indeed make America great again. I remember standing back in the summer of 2016 in Calvert church in Hastings and saying in a sermon I knew America would vote for Trump and some laughed at that out loud. But even I never ever dreamt he would return like this. I have never ever read the Daily Star (!) but its headline today was interesting…
Several things have struck me since watching the inauguration and seeing the executive orders and hearing the vision over the last 24 and a bit hours. First, God in all of this. I’m not sure the President put his hand on the Bible but he made it very clear that he had been saved by God to save his country, and he said we will not forget our God. Franklin Graham, son of Billy prayed in my view a horrific prayer that Trump back again after a dark time where he had been wronged is God’s will. Perhaps it is but I need God to explain a lot to me! The President and his team went today to Washington National Cathedral for a service of prayer. Bravely, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington while noting his conviction he had been saved by God, she said “in the name of God, I ask you to have mercy on the people in our country who are scared now.” She went on to name gay, lesbian and transgender children, undocumented migrants and their families and she said “they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals.” She asked the President to “ show mercy.” Watch the news and look at the President and Vice President’s faces. “The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list” wrote a supporter later on social media.
The scary thing - and I know some of my readers are in America and please tell me if I’m looking in from the outside and have it so wrong - the scary thing is in twenty four hours we can leave an agreement on climate change, we can leave the world health organisation, we can declare a national emergency on our borders, we can pardon all sorts of people who clearly did wrong. And we can whip up a crowd by making signing executive orders on a stage at a rally entertainment and throw felt pens into the crowd like some rock star. Haven’t we seen this before? It’s very dangerous. What also was very unnerving was the presence of very rich people around him, and a message that we will get richer at the expense of others. Elon Musk whether that was a Nazi salute or not, is a character who seems to want to create division and smile about it.
So what to do? We can only watch and pray and hope that a divided nation doesn’t become more divided. I have just found the liturgy today’s cathedral service used. Ironically it began with this hymn. I guess we see if this President really believes God is for all, or, as I suspect, for some…
For the healing of the nations,
Lord, we pray with one accord;
For a just and equal sharing
Of the things that earth affords.
To a life of love in action
Help us rise and pledge our word.
Lead us, Father, into freedom,
From despair the world release;
That, redeemed from war and hatred,
All may come and go in peace.
Show us how through care and goodness
Fear will die and hope increase.
All that kills abundant living,
Let it from the earth be banned;
Pride of status, race or schooling,
Dogmas that obscure your plan.
In our common quest for justice
May we hallow life’s brief span.
You Creator-God have written
Your great Name on humankind;
For our growing in Your likeness
Bring the life of Christ to mind;
That, by our response and service
Earth its destiny may find.
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