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How Should We Act?
The Right Reverend Marianne Edgar Budde, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, delivered the sermon at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday, the day following President Trump’s inauguration. Here are some excerpts from an article by Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons, a senior director at the Interfaith Alliance.
Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde delivered a powerful and compassionate sermon at a national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday. While President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance sat in the sanctuary, the bishop challenged the new executive orders harming vulnerable communities, including immigrants and LGBTQ+ Americans. …
Her compassionate sermon does not represent some left-wing fringe of American Christianity.
Neither Budde nor her church should apologize for following Jesus. Despite President Trump and his allies attacking Budde, it’s important to recognize that her compassionate sermon does not represent some left-wing fringe of American Christianity. Budde’s words reflect the values held by a majority of American Christians …
“In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country,” Budde proclaimed. “And we’re scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families — some who fear for their lives.” …
A strong majority of U.S. Christians — including Catholics and evangelicals — support
nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ individuals, according to the Public Religion Research Institute. …
Bishop Budde also called attention to Trump’s executive actions targeting immigrants. “The people, the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants, and work the night shifts in hospitals,” she said. “They may not be citizens or have the proper documentation. But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues and temples.” …
But as with LGBTQ rights, the president’s virulently anti-immigrant actions are deeply
unpopular among American Christians, including Catholics and evangelicals. Followers of Jesus are going to have to endure the president labeling us the “Radical Left.”
Seventy-five percent of U.S. evangelicals support potential immigration legislation that establishes a path toward citizenship, according to a 2024 survey by LifeWay Research; 91% of them support potential immigration legislation that respects the God-given dignity of every person; and 70% agree that Christians have a responsibility to care sacrificially for refugees and other foreigners.
Budde’s message was a reflection of Jesus’ call to love our neighbors, to care for the
oppressed, and to seek justice for the marginalized. …
At a time when political and religious divisions threaten to tear the country apart, Budde’s voice reminds us of the power of faith to heal and transform. Her sermon did not criticize harmful policies but invited us to build a more just and compassionate society. For Christians across the nation, the choice is clear: to follow the path of fear and exclusion or to embrace the Gospel’s call to love boldly, act justly and stand with the marginalized. …
A call for us to bear the light of our faith in the public places of life.
Shalom.
Pr. Mark
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