The Serpent Sheds His Skin
It’s the day after the inauguration of the 46th U.S. president and I feel compelled to write this site’s inaugural post. I find myself sitting with an image that has accompanied me in prayer these past few weeks. A serpent shedding his skin. In this country, and you might even say around the world, this inauguration, this initiation, was born out of and amidst death. The President’s own story is born out of grief and loss. We as a nation have lost 400,000 to the coronavirus. This is twice as bad as the 200,000 we saw as the scenario we hoped to avoid. We’ve also lost jobs, experiences, gatherings from the virus and a failure to respond collectively and proportionately to the danger. The inauguration event itself featured wreath laying, grave visits, memoriams to those lost to Covid. On the morning of the inauguration, the President and Senate minority leader even attended mass together, the central event is where we remember and partake of the death of Jesus. We’ve also seen the death of good faith partnership in our government. Far too many (1 is too many) of our national leaders perpetuated lies about the integrity of the election. Many deny the truths of climate change, racial injustice, class oppression, gender based oppression, and a host of other challenges to our shared collective life.
Part of what this ministry aims to do is tell the truth about these things. The denial of such things has led to a great spiritual sickness in the world and in the Christian church. Far too often the church community and the pulpit have been used to condone, placate, cover-up, soothe, and even endorse these lies that Christ calls us to resist. “Church as folk” begins with a commitment to tell one another the truth and to honor the truth within and among us all. This ministry doesn’t claim to have the answer but is built on the faith that if we tell one another the truth, extend Christ’s welcome to the world, and seek beloved community that we can find our way to a better world. This may lead to change and discomfort. This means that some of us who are used to getting our way and feeling represented may not get everything we want and that we must make space for others. It may mean a realignment and reorganization of symbols and priorities. It may mean death but remember that out of death comes resurrection and out of self emptying comes God’s exaltation.
Like the serpent shedding his skin, may we shed the constraining and confining death and move into the awkward, uncomfortable, exciting, and joyful wonder of growth, maturation, and new life.
