Nebraska Synod ELCA

Beloved of God in the Nebraska Synod,

In the past week, Americans have witnessed both the true strength of our democracy and the potential for harm which can arise when injustice proceeds unchecked. On Monday, a peaceful transfer of power from one presidential administration to another was carried out, bounded by laws and customs which have ensured an orderly transition for generations. That peaceful transfer of power was followed by a series of executive orders which, in their totality, has created an environment of isolationism, mistrust, and fear, particularly for our neighbors who are immigrants, refugees, seeking asylum, or part of the LGBTQIA+ community.

The prophet Zechariah tells us what happens when we ignore the warnings of conscience and scripture and refuse to care for our neighbors:

The word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgements, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another. But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears in order not to hear. They made their hearts adamant in order not to hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. “Just as, when I called, they would not hear, so, when they called, I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and a pleasant land was made desolate.” —Zechariah 7.8-14—

Many of you reading this live in the pleasant, beautiful land we call Nebraska. Some of you are descendants of the first nations to call this land home. Some of you are descendants of people who came to Nebraska because they heard there was land where they could grow abundant crops in the fertile soil. Some of you are newly arrived, coming from all over the world to live and flourish in this unique state where opportunity beckons for those who are willing to work hard. Would we trade this pleasant land for desolation? Would we turn our backs on kindness and mercy, hospitality and goodwill? Would we harden our hearts and choose fear over faith, retaliation over refuge?

As Christians, we have a responsibility to speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves, to raise our voices in protest when people we have called neighbors and friends are  demonized and dehumanized. Now is the time to show the divine image that is all around us, so that this pleasant land might truly be home for all of God’s beautiful, diverse, blessed children. This is the vision toward which many of you are already working, a vision which has little to do with politics and everything to do with God’s grace and mercy being lived out in what you say and what you do. Let that vision guide your actions in the days, weeks, and months to come; a vision of justice, welcome, and advocacy. Stand up. Speak the truth. Your neighbors are depending on you.

With joy and gratitude,
The Rev. Scott Alan Johnson
Bishop of the Nebraska Synod