In Monty Python’s “Life of Brian,” Jesus is depicted giving his Sermon on the Mount. While he is in the middle of articulating The Beatitudes — “Blessed are the…” — the camera focuses on a group who are too far away to hear, and who are arguing and talking over one another. When Jesus says “Blessed are the peacemakers,” they mishear his words as “blessed are the cheesemakers,” and then they argue about what this misunderstanding is supposed to mean.

I find this scene to be unnervingly prophetic. We often distance ourselves from Jesus’ true message, and can’t stop in-fighting enough to be able to hear it correctly. This feels additionally poignant in a time such as this, in the dark shadow of an assassination attempt on our former — and possibly future — president, Donald Trump. What does it mean to be makers-of-peace when our nation — our world, our selves — is chaotic, angry, fearful, and anxious? Much more will be written about this moment, but allow me to offer a few thoughts for us at The Vine.

THE CHURCH IS AN IMAGE OF ANOTHER WAY

On Sunday, I spoke about Jesus’ Gospel work, “bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ” (Ephesians 1:10b). As Jesus’ followers, we are called to participate in this unifying work as well. When we do this, we image a different way of being human. St. Paul will illustrate this unifying power later in his letter, specifying that “Jew and Greek” can co-exist. He had previously written in Galatians that there is neither “slave nor free, male nor female, because you are all one in Christ” (Galatians 3:28). It’s not a stretch to extend this to say “Republican nor Democrat, Trump-supporter nor Biden-supporter (or supporters of neither).”

We accomplish this in our politically-charged moment by recognizing that our primary citizenship is in another kingdom — the Kingdom of God. We do this in at least three ways: First, remember we are emissaries, who are meant to seek the good of the place in which we find ourselves. This nation is not our forever-home, but it is our for-now-home, which we care deeply for. Yet, how to do that is often not clear. Second, look to the character of our King as a rubric. We also have the power of the Holy Spirit living in us, shaping us from the inside out, towards “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). What might it look like to engage in this and future moments, seeking to embody such character? Third, remember that unity is not uniformity. Being united in Christ does not mean we mind-meld our thoughts until there is no disagreement. In fact, diversity is a particular marker of what will be so beautiful about heaven and earth joining. Let us not ostracize one another for different beliefs, but let us hold them together, seeking unity in the likeness of our King Jesus, as God’s children.

PRACTICES FOR OUR MOMENT — THANKSGIVING, GRIEVING, PRAYING

Our nation was within a quarter-inch of catastrophe. How then might we respond? Three suggestions:

1. GIVE THANKS. Unequivocally, this was an evil act. Whatever we think of the man and candidate, we can simply say thank you that Donald Trump is ok, and was not murdered on live national television. Not only is any aggressive snuffing-out of life something that grieves God, but the turmoil we would be experiencing now would be seriously augmented even from what it is.

2. GRIEVE. Grieving a grievous situation is ok — see this article by David Powlison on the good of grieving. Today, we grieve the man who was killed at the rally, and the others who were injured. We grieve the decisions, and death of the shooter. We grieve the state of our nation and rhetoric, and that something like this is possible. We grieve when a moment for sorrow is met with politically-slanted responses. I have felt various and uncomfortable feelings over the last 48 hours — grieving means feeling those things honestly. For the Christian, it means doing so with Jesus while they are on your heart.

As you grieve, do it together. Talk about your experience with your family and friends. Go to that neighbor who you know supports Donald trump, and tell them you grieve what’s happened, no matter who you support. Grieving is part of healing — I have found that something William Shakespeare said continues to be true: “Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak whispers the over-fraught heart and bids it break.”

3. PRAY. You have the Spirit of God in you, uttering “groaning to deep for words” (Romans 8:26-27). Create space to listen, and pray as you feel led.

Also, in light of what’s happened, pray for our elected officials who have even greater power in this moment. Their voices can increase volatility, or dampen it. So as we do every Sunday, pray every day this week for our elected officials. Specifically, Donald Trump will have a platform perhaps like he has never had in his next speech — his first since the attempt on his life. The whole world will be watching. Pray for this man who has gone through something nobody ever should, and who is undoubtedly impacted in ways that are still unclear even to himself. Pray as he discerns in the midst of a jarring experience.

These thoughts alone are insufficient for the moment, which is momentous. Even as we seek appropriate responses as Americans, as Christians, and as individuals, let us seek the paths towards peacemaking in the image of our King.

God’s peace on your home.

PS. A prayer for the moment:

Oh God and King over all creation, heaven and earth, we thank you for the preservation of life during this week’s assassination attempt. We grieve with you at the loss of life, and the furthering of fear and anxiety in our world. Bless, we pray, the work of those who seek to bring peace, and bring to folly the work of those who seek unrest and self-promotion, that we might know a greater fraction of the peace you promise in the fullness of time, when you unite all things together in Christ. It is in his name we pray. Amen.

Photo by Paul Zoetemeijer on Unsplash