Bp Loya's Message 8.29.25

     Beloved in Christ,



At last night’s interfaith vigil at St. Mary’s Basilica in Minneapolis, Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman offered a moving reflection on the description of Rachel weeping over her lost children in Jeremiah 31. She called us to draw together across our faith traditions to join God’s project to build a world where there are no more Rachels weeping over their lost children. 

In the passage, the prophet’s poignant lament is, as ever, interwoven with a restatement of God’s promise to love and restore God’s people from their present devastation. Later, Jeremiah calls the people to “set up road signs, put up guideposts,” and take note of the highways” they will travel back to the promised land. 

Weeping with God over what is lost, remembering the promise, and posting signs to point the way is now, as it has always been, the work of the leader among God’s people. 

Now is a time for us as a church to do that work with clarity and courage. The plain truth is that we are creating many weeping Rachel’s by our refusal to pass basic gun control laws. The plain truth is that an authoritarian and xenophobic political movement is eroding our democracy, and clothing itself with the stolen name of Jesus. Now is the time for us to show up looking, sounding, and acting like the real Jesus in the world. Now is the time for us to remember that the stakes of the gospel are high, and that following Jesus asks something big of each of us. Now is the time to remember that the Eucharistic communities we serve are not nice gatherings offering maudlin spiritual comfort, but are in the business of subverting the world’s violence with God’s irresistible love. 

When we lead with clarity and courage, not everyone will be happy about it, and not everyone will want to come along. The inclusive gospel of Jesus also draws clear lines about what God does and does not tolerate. As you prepare to preach this weekend, remember that while it is not our job to appease people so they will stay on the journey, and it’s not our job to turn the liturgy into a political rally, it is our job to keep pointing clearly and unambiguously to what God promises, and to what God asks of us. It’s our job to put up signs on the road that point to God’s promised reign of peace, so that our whole church becomes sign posters, ushering the whole world into a future where Rachel weeps no more. 

I cherish each of you, and I thank God for you. 

Grace and Peace,Width12000Width3 Width6000Width3 Width6000Width3 Width6000Width3 Width5400Width3  Width12000Width3 Width12000Width3 The Right Reverend Craig Loya

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