The events of Wednesday, January 6, 2021 were a tragic failure not only of political leadership, but of moral leadership.
The First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, D.C., has existed since 1802, and has seen the nation’s capital survive the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish Influenza Pandemic, the Great Depression, two world wars, and 9/11 – but before Wednesday, our congregation had never seen violent insurrectionists, incited by our nation’s own president, breach the very seat of our democracy to ransack historic property and violently attack our nation’s elected leaders.
We, like most Americans, were shocked and dismayed – but, sadly, not surprised. The seeds of this violence have been sown not only for the two months since election day, or the four years of the current presidency, but for centuries. These seeds have lain deep in the soil of American history for more than 400 years: systemic racism, and the twin heresies of White supremacy and Christian nationalism.
These seeds bore bitter fruit this week, and we officially denounce them.
But we are a people of hope and a people of faith, and we believe in repentance and rising to walk in newness of life, empowered by the Spirit of God and guided by the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. In response to these horrific acts of treason, vandalism, and murder, we pray today:
for peace in our land and justice for all who reside in the United States;
for a greater resolve among the people of our nation to resist the sinful ideologies of White supremacy and Christian nationalism;
for a deeper courage among the people of our nation to acknowledge and confront all unjust and oppressive systems that enable and perpetuate the sins of racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and religious bigotry;
for the humility and courage to confront within ourselves the sins of racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and religious bigotry;
for the will to reject dehumanizing discourse and to confront one another without hatred, bitterness or indifference;
and for the resolve, as we endeavor to seek peace with our enemies and with those of different convictions, to resist every false peace undergirded by silence and the status quo.
Finally, we pray for an awakening of conscience in, and genuine repentance by, those who committed this assault on our Republic, and for the political and religious leaders who encouraged and enabled them.
Amen.