One family was nervous about bringing their kids to the Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Santa Ana on Sunday for their confirmation. They’d heard about ICE stopping people while driving, smashing car windows, dragging them out, and leaving their spouses and children behind, weeping. Another couple, one member an undocumented, taxpaying, family-supporting resident for 30 years, promised to let me know if Trump’s men came for him.
As they had just last weekend for Narisco Barranco. Not far from Messiah, masked government men drew their guns on Mr. Barranco, father of three United States Marines, as he did his landscaping work at a restaurant. They ran him down, claimed he assaulted them with his Weedwhacker, and beat him as he lay helpless on the pavement.
And yet almost everyone was in church – including the nervous family with the confirmation candidates. I was along to preside and preach in English at 10 a.m. and in Spanish at noon. We were over 200 strong all together. The Holy Spirit came and confirmed, received, or reaffirmed 30. Among those received was the former senior warden, Jack Miles, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “God: A Biography” and editor of the “Norton Anthology of World Religions.” When you think of all the traditions Jack knows about, realizing the Holy Spirit led him to us is further cause for optimism about the future of The Episcopal Church.
Messiah’s brilliant rector these 12 years, the Rev. Abel Lopez, a former president of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles Standing Committee, oversaw every detail of two beautifully organized liturgies while finding time to give me pastoral information about many of his members. Wherever people don’t speak English during worship in our diocese, they are living in fear of the federal government. Our parishes and missions are focal points of fraternal support as well as “know your rights” seminars and materials, and, should ICE seize a member or someone they love, legal and financial support.
A quarter century ago, I was a ministry intern at Messiah, where my mentors were the Rev. Canon Bradford L. Karelius, an institution–builder and desert theologian, and his associate rector, now the Rt. Rev. Diane Jardine Bruce, retired bishop suffragan in Los Angeles and bishop provisional in Western Missouri. It was a joy to see so many familiar faces from those days and scores of new ones.
Messiah’s charisms are a melding of commuter and local members as well as faith in action when it comes to God’s justice and the dignity of every human being. Steve Hively is a justice-minded accountant who graciously served as my chaplain for both services. At 10 a.m., he read out prayers of the people that were precisely focused on people and events needing special care from our God in Christ locally, regionally, nationally, and globally.
With the historic Messiah organ about a week away from being back in action after its restoration, Joyce Wright Dery was at the piano. David Sheridan, an historian and a college professor who serves as director of liturgy and music, led the magnificent summer choir. He’ll soon be off on a three-week research and restoration visit to Canterbury, London, and Paris.
After the first service, it was danish, fruit, and coffee; after the second, succulent pork in green sauce with all the fixings. Amid all the worry and wonder, such joy at the simple pleasure of being together in fellowship and solidarity. This spring and summer, I’ve visited most of our Spanish-speaking congregations. The visitation schedule didn’t know Trump was coming, but the Holy Spirit did. After church, I’ve never had richer conversations, so many opportunities to offer blessings and anointing, and so many hugs for the sake of hugs. If we are in lay or ordained leadership right now, this is our shared ministry. Our government has turned against God’s people. May they never have cause to believe that God has.
