How to interpret the present time! We may have our various opinions, but it’s hard to dispute that the present times are turbulent—in our nation, and certainly in the world. Each day, the turbulence seems to increase—amplified by media reports of climate change, natural disasters and those of our own making; as well as political, social, economic, and technological transformations. Recently, I’ve found myself longing for moments of peace, and the church to be an island refuge in this sea change. Perhaps some of you may have too.
In this way, Jesus’s question, “Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth?” feels particularly jarring. So often we hear, “Peace be with you,” or think of him as the Prince of Peace. But peace at what cost? Jesus is pointing out that there can be no real peace without justice, and faithfulness to the gospel is likely to put us at odds with worldly interests and egos.(1) There will come a point where we must choose one or the other. Jesus also is trying to get his listeners to consider the deeper, spiritual question, “what do you stand for?” He calls us to reflect on the deeper purpose of our life and our faith.
Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we know that we have to take a moral stand, to say or do what is necessary for the sake of what we believe is true, right, or just, if we are to be at peace with our conscience and our faith convictions. In this regard, I often think of Bishop Mariann Budde, the morning after the Presidential Inauguration at the National Cathedral prayer service, when she addressed the President and others newly in power, speaking of the need for mercy and compassion to be considered and administered toward the most vulnerable, and those on society’s margins. A friend in the Church of England texted me that morning, saying, “she looked terrified.” Yet, as she continued her sermon, her voice was clear and calm, resonant with spiritual strength. She let listeners know that authentic religious faith is not a haven of peace devoid of justice or compassion.
How does one develop that strength of faith to stand calmly in the eye of turbulence? In the words of Bishop Budde, it means following our “north star” which, for Christians, means being guided by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.(2) She reminds us that the north star is that fixed point in the night sky that is constant when everything else is changing. It “guides us when we aren’t sure of the road ahead,” or feel disoriented, or overwhelmed. Spiritually, it gives light to the direction we need to take, and the inner surety for whatever we may face along the way.
In a lecture titled, “Following Our North Star in Tumultuous Times,”(3) she said that the response to her sermon had taught her that simply professing values that we strive to live by, was for some, “like water in the desert for parched souls.” For others, it was “a cause of [ ] anger and even rage.” This is an apt description of what Jesus meant in our Gospel. Simply living and professing the values that Jesus lived and taught, while intended to bring about peace on earth, also can bring sharp divisions to the surface.
The mean-spiritedness and hard-heartedness that grips many today is a sign of spiritual crisis, much as it was in Jesus’ day.(4) We need no reminder that it was the religious factions who wanted Jesus crucified. Then, as now, some of this outrage comes from those who profess to be very religious, but who fail to take seriously the parts of scripture that call for compassion, mercy, and sharing their abundance with those who have little to none; or those who insist that their viewpoint is the only valid one.
Jeremiah warns us this morning of the temptation to fashion our image or understanding of God in ways that fit our desires or interests. None of us can presume to know fully the mind of God; doing so creates a false god of our making that is contrary to the one true and living God.. A God of justice is never on our side alone.
Another motivation for persecution is fear. Jesus and the early church were victimized by fear that increasing political unrest would trigger violence from Rome, which ruled the region. That former republic had turned into a brutal authoritarian regime. But fear cannot be a strategy or justification—then or today. This past week, Bishop Budde along with nine other Christian and Jewish leaders issued a statement on the military deployment in Washington DC that used a pretext of defeating crime, when crime actually had decreased. Authoring the statement, she wrote, “We call on our political and civic leaders to reject fear-based governance and work together in a spirit of dignity and respect—so that safety, justice, and compassion prevail in our city.”(5)
So, how do we stand up to strategies of fear that defy a “spirit of dignity and respect” as a peaceable basis for problem solving? For Bishop Budde, it’s her spiritual north star. In her book How We Learn to be Brave she writes about the importance of having a daily spiritual practice that helps us stay connected with that north star, and to build spiritual strength. Jesus was constantly trying to seek moments in the wilderness to pray. His spiritually focus allowed him to do and endure all that he did.
Even a simple practice that allows us to be fully present to God for a few moments each day is helpful. Our Collect this morning is one possible prayer to help focus on our north star. The first part of it reads, “Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life…”(6) We may not be called to his type of ministry, but we are called to live out his teachings in our life and work.
Occasionally, like Bishop Budde, we may be called into the fray, and may be forced to choose what we stand for. According to our reading from Hebrews, we can trust and rely on God’s power to do what may feel contrary to our desire to stay silent.(7) If we must stand alone, we find strength not only from our spiritual center but also from the great cloud of witnesses to God’s faithfulness, those who have gone before us, and whose lives reassure us that endurance is possible (Heb.12:1).
This past spring, Rev. Carter Heyward, one of the first 11 female priests ordained in 1974 spoke about that event at a colloquium on social justice. She and the other 10 women had different interests and ministries, but they committed themselves to standing together and upholding one another throughout the aftermath, enduring hostility, threats of physical harm, and seeing colleagues lose their jobs and their ministries because they had supported them. Reflecting on that experience and our present time, she said, “What gives me hope is that we are not alone.” She urged the audience to take “an issue that energizes you” and do something–but do it together, as a congregation or another group.(8) As our reading from Hebrews emphasizes, together we are even stronger than when we are alone.(9)
The church can help resolve the spiritual crisis of our day, as in Jesus’ day. The church can provide a place where others are accepted for who they are, and can help them locate the north star in their lives and be guided by it. The church offers a range of spiritual practices, including a community of prayer—where we can commune with God and pray for one another. It also helps us to live together in a spirit of dignity and respect, aligned with what our gospels teach. In a recent webinar from the Anglican Communion, a speaker from the troubled country of Mozambique spoke about the positive influence that people of his church were having in reaching others. He said, “When we live Christ, people ask for the church themselves.”(10)
Living Christ, guided by our north star, is something we all can do. We may do it in different ways, as we feel called. At the very least, all are able to pray and inspire hope in one another, and to treat all in a spirit of mutual dignity and respect. By living Christ, we can be agents of God’s compassion and love,
with spiritual calm in the eye of the storm.
What spiritual practice can help you see or sense your north star more clearly?
Where might you need it to guide you this week?
NOTES:
(1) Knox, John. “The Gospel According to St. Luke, Exposition Chs.7-12.” In The Interpreter’s Bible, George Arthur Buttrick, ed. Vol. 8, pp. 128-238. New York: Abingdon Press, 1952, p.235.
(2) Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde, “Following Our North Star in Tumultuous Times,” Inaugural Robert N. Bellah Lecture on Religion and Public Life, Graduate Theological Union, April 9, 2025. https://www.gtu.edu/robert-n-bellah-lecture-religion-and-public-life
(3) She gave it in Berkeley last April. See Footnote 2: Budde, “Following Our North Star in Tumultuous Times.”
(4) The New Oxford Annotated Bible. New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991, p. NT 102, note 12:56.
(5) Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde, “DC Religious Leaders: Fear Is Not a Strategy for Safety.” Statement. August 13, 2025. https://cathedral.org/blog/dc-religious-leaders-fear-is-not-a-strategy-for-safety/
(6) “The Collect: Sunday closest to August 17,” Proper 15, Year C, Revised Common Lectionary. https://www.lectionarypage.net/YearC_RCL/Pentecost/CProp15_RCL.html
(7) Cf. Purdy, Alexander C. “The Epistle to the Hebrews: Introduction and Exegesis.” In The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. XI, George A. Buttrick, ed. New York: Abingdon Press, 1955, pp. 577-763, p.731.
(8) “White Christian Nationalism and Abortion.” Episcopal Divinity School colloquium. February 13, 2025. https://www.eds.edu/programs/321/eds-colloquium-white-christian-nationalism-and-abortion
(9) Cotton, J. Harry. “Exposition: The Epistle to the Hebrews.” In The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. XI, George A. Buttrick, ed. pp. 576-763. New York: Abingdon Press, 1955, pp.737-38.
(10) “Mission and Evangelism.” Phase 3—Taking the Lambeth Calls Forward and Involving the Communion. Webinar. May 14-15, 2025. Lambeth Conference. https://www.lambethconference.org/phase-3/phase-3-resources/mission-and-evangelism/
