NO KINGS

For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.

[Psalm 95:3]

Every so often I have to step away from reading all the junk that passes for journalism these days.

When I turn on my desktop and click on the browser I am at once bombarded with stories of every which kind, with misleading headlines designed to grab hold of one’s curiosity.

No matter how narrowly I filter my viewing preferences (religion, spirituality, sports), the nonsense still manages to find its way onto my screen.

Enough, already!

The vitriol over Bad Bunny being named the headline performer at the Super Bowl Halftime Show is beyond exasperating.

I don’t need yet another opinion on the merits of the life of Charlie Kirk, so NO! I didn’t watch the White House Medal of Freedom ceremony that honored him posthumously.

And, sad to say, I’m numb to the daily accounts of our corrupt, narcissistic, defiant would-be dictator and his latest executive order, his outrageous late-night rants, or his most recent unconstitutional mishandling of the military. (I pray daily that God would infuse his heart with compassion and his mind with wisdom. Seriously, I do.)

These are but a few of my litany of grievances.

Like most anyone else, I read the news through the lens of my own cultural bias.

I am Puerto Rican. Although my family emigrated to the continental United States when I was only seven years old, and I have no trace of an accent when I speak English, Spanish is still my first language.

I am also Black.

Therefore, I ache when I read stories of people being chased through the streets by masked marauders impersonating law enforcement, assaulted, and treated like animals simply because of the color of their skin or the accent with which they speak.

The opening verse above is from Psalm 95 and those who pray the Daily Office will immediately recognize it as a verse from the Venite of Morning Prayer.

I pray alone most mornings and when one prays alone, one can become very easily distracted. I confess that is my greatest challenge.

My mind tends to wander, and I struggle to avoid letting the problems of the world disrupt the task at hand, which is to pray and praise God.

But it’s hard.

At just about every point in the liturgy, whether the canticles, the scripture readings, or the prayers, a phrase will call my attention to all our offenses; the harm that we’re doing to our environment, to humankind, and all God’s creatures.

Today (Wednesday) for instance, we read the “Song of Zechariah” (Canticle 16). I was struck by the following words:

In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

[Book of Common Prayer, p. 93]

I long to trust those words.

I’d like to think that all that is happening will soon pass and things will go back to normal.

However, doubt is the constant companion that assails my hopefulness.

I recall a line from a George Carlin routine that went something like, “That’s why they call it the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.”

This weekend, people of this country will once again take to the streets in another “No Kings” protest.

Protest is the most visible vehicle for ordinary people to voice their frustration and dissatisfaction with all that they perceive to be unjust.

Throughout history the voices of dissent have helped shape society.

Lutherans will recall that it was the blessed Martin Luther’s protest in the XVI Century against the Roman Catholic Church’s practice of indulgences that led to the movement that became the Reformation.

The establishment of these United States was the result of a demonstration against the abuse of a monarch’s power.

Will the “No Kings” protest change government policy? It most likely will not – at least not in the short term.

But as ordinary people are attacked in the streets, insurance rates skyrocket, and the two major political parties seem unable or unwilling to reconcile their differences, I have nothing else to hold on to other than the hope that hearts will be moved and those in power will reconsider their reasonings.

We end with the following prayer:

O Lord our Governor, whose glory is in all the world: We commend this nation to your merciful care, that, being guided by your Providence, we may dwell secure in your peace. Grant to the President of the United States, the Governor of this State, and to all in authority, wisdom and strength to know and to do your will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness, and make them ever mindful of their calling to serve this people in your fear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

[Book of Common Prayer, p. 820]