The congregation of St. Mark’s, Altadena, worshiping at St. Barnabas, Eagle Rock. Photo: Matt Wright
God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness. Gen. 1:26a
When you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. Isaiah 43:2
And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. John 6:39
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”
My siblings in Christ:
This Epiphany in the Diocese of Los Angeles, your love light shines bright. At St. Mark’s in Altadena and St. Matthew’s in Pacific Palisades, lay and ordained leaders, including those left homeless by the wildfires, have comforted and gathered the people of God, including hundreds more who have lost their homes.
St. Barnabas in Eagle Rock and St. Augustine’s in Santa Monica threw open their doors to their neighbors from Altadena and the Palisades. Love, prayer, and offers of shelter and food abound at some ten more missions and parishes where members lost their homes.
Hundreds of you have made donations to the One Body & One Spirit Annual Appeal, which now offers grants of up to $3,000 to institutions and individuals affected by the fire. Look for the application here. All Saints in Pasadena, where 72 individuals and families lost their homes, welcomed evacuees the first two nights and provided respite care for almost two weeks. All over the diocese, our members donated food and clothing, opened their homes to evacuees, and volunteered at outreach centers.
Your question over and over was the same: “How can I help?” It sounded like Isaiah: “Here am I; send me!” — unhesitant, unrehearsed, and unconditional. It’s what the people of our God in Christ always say when they behold the suffering of others and are in a position to help.
We understand it in terms of our worship of him who poured himself out on the cross for all creation. But the instinct precedes theology or doctrine. People want to help. People are designed to help. While the impulse of self-preservation is also strong, and plays its role in the divine plan, eventually, always, people reach out and help others. Thank you for all you have done for the glory of God and the sake of God’s people.
By the mystery of the working of the calendar, our regional catastrophe was prelude to a dramatic transition of power in Washington. It goes without saying that we all have our opinions. I write today not to persuade anyone one way or another except when it comes to the imago dei, the image of the face of God in each person, and Jesus Christ’s promise to gather in Paradise all whom his Father had made.
The values of love, justice, and inclusion we uphold are traditional, orthodox Christian values, and we express them by doing our best to push back against accustomed or convenient ideas about who belongs and who doesn’t. We operate according to the Rev. Dr. King’s proposition that liberty and justice are indeed for all and much work remains before our earthly realms worthily foreshadow the perfect unity and beauty of God’s house.
The most urgent issue of Dr. King’s time was the unrecognized equality of people of African descent. In ours, and in our diocese today, it is trans and nonbinary people and immigrant workers of color.
The radical equality of people without regard to orientation or identification is guaranteed in the canons and resolutions of The Episcopal Church. In the Diocese of Los Angeles, let us make all our siblings safe and welcome, and let us advocate for their God-given rights from the pulpit, in Bible study, at City Hall, and in messages to our representatives in government. Learn more about our diocese’s LGBTQ+ ministries here.
As for immigrant workers, the politicians have let the issue fester for their own sake. Our greatest civic sin is their failure to enact common sense immigration reform, providing border security while recognizing the rights of millions among us laboring in agricultural, construction, hospitality, domestic, and other settings.
Since 2016, we have been a sanctuary diocese. That means it is up to each of us to make a sanctuary in our heart for immigrant workers and their families, especially workers of color, and, if we are so called, to provide concrete assistance, including through political advocacy, as advised in the days and weeks ahead by our Sacred Resistance ministry. The Episcopal Church offers historical background, recommendations, and resources here. Learn more here about IRIS: Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Service, which has been caring for refugees, asylees, and migrant workers in our diocese since 2004.
Our trans and immigrant worker siblings were made for God’s purposes. They are instead being offered as living sacrifices for politicians’ self-interest. This moment in the life of our nation is, as all moments are, an opportunity for personal and community discernment about our individual and shared vocations at home and in the world, especially when it comes to ministry to those most at risk.
If at God’s first call, I don’t say unconditionally, “Here am I; send me,” it’s usually because I’m afraid of losing something or being forced to give something up. I invite the people of God to ask themselves how risky it really is to begin every conversation or reflection about immigrant workers, or someone different from us by orientation or identification, by returning to our baptismal promise to respect the dignity of every human being.
That doesn’t mean we have to change our views overnight or change them at all. And yet I always feel my heart grow a little lighter when I remember, as I do every day in this vexing yet beautiful world, that my God in Christ commands me to respect my sibling’s divine dignity and leave the work of judgment to God.
Again, my thanks, for your generosity and continued holy discernment. May your love light continue to shine bright. And may the safety and peace of Christ remain with you, this day and forever.
Yours in Christ’s love,
The Rt. Rev. John Harvey Taylor
VII Bishop of Los Angeles