Video of Bishop Miller at the rally today:
. Thanks to Shannon Kelly.
I didn’t see Bishop Miller today. I was in Grace as the clergy assembled and my guess is he was either outside the church or couldn’t make it through the crowd.
One amusing note: clergy and protesters behave like everyone else when they enter a church. They crowd the back and leave the front half of the church completely empty.
I went up to the church this morning after learning that the steps of Grace Church would be a gathering point for another Interfaith rally. When Corrie and I got there, and realized how cold it was, we decided we had to open the church. I was there from 10 to 5. I made it out onto the steps of Grace for a few minutes to soak in the atmosphere. People came in to warm up all morning and early afternoon, but by 2:15, we had a crowd inside.
This is what religion looked like at 2:15:
Here a few Grace members:
Here’s what religion looked like at 4:00:
I didn’t follow the group as it went around the square. I stayed back at Grace, keeping our doors open for those who were looking for a warm space and somewhere to rest their feet.
We were a sanctuary. In the course of the day, I had interesting conversations with lots of people. It was a long, exciting, and rewarding day. Thanks to all of those Grace people who helped today.
The protests continued today. As the Interfaith Press Conference took place on the steps of Grace Church, correctional workers, members of the IBEW, and others marched into the capitol. After representatives from various faith groups spoke about the need for justice and for society to care for the neediest and most vulnerable, many of us walked across to the Capitol as well. Among the speakers were Bishop Miller of the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee and Bishop Burnside of the ELCA Synod of Southern Wisconsin.
Here’s what it looked like when we entered the rotunda:
Thanks to Shannon Kelly for the video.
There does seem to be a much more visible and numerous police presence, many of them from out of town communities. That makes things seem a bit more tense on the square, but spirits still seemed high in the Capitol.
We need to continue to hold in our prayers all those involved–the politicians, the protesters, the public sector workers and all in Wisconsin who are concerned for the future of this state and the society that we are building.
Not as many people on the square today as there were last week, but the weather was awful. Didn’t catch sight of the Daily Show’s John Oliver, who was said to be interviewing people on the square around lunch time.
The response to us opening our doors has been overwhelming. As a gesture it seems to have struck a chord in the community, and to some degree, more widely. There are concerns about security but welcoming people in, giving them space to warm up, reflect, and pray, is being hospitable. There haven’t been all that many people who have taken advantage of our space. Yesterday, for example, when I walked through the sanctuary to check on things, there were three people sitting in pews. They all looked exhausted. Later, a cop used our restroom; when he didn’t come back upstairs after quite some time, we went looking for him. He was relaxing on a couch in the undercroft. He needed a break.
Some might say to open our doors in such a way is to take a political stand on one side or another. To me, it’s being church. Because of our location, anything we do or don’t do, could be interpreted as taking a stand. Keeping the place buttoned up while 30,000 people are protesting outside our doors, sends a powerful message about who and what Grace Church is, just as keeping our doors closed during the Dane County Farmer’s Market (when similar numbers inundate the square) sends an equally profound message.
We did Evening Prayer last night during a rally. Praying, reading scripture, psalms, and canticles while all that is going on is jarring, but a profound experience. I was deeply moved as we said the Magnificat:
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
And as we prayed together:
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ, give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous, and all for your love’s sake. Amen
Holy God, Holy People
Seventh Sunday after Epiphany
February 20, 2011
Well, it certainly has been an interesting week here in Madison, and events continue to unfold. Emotions are high—there’s the exhilaration of participating in protests and sitting-in at the capitol as some of our members could attest; there’s concern among many who are state workers about what the future holds; and there is the anger that can flare up when the exchange of ideas turn into shouted arguments, when ill-considered protest signs offend, and when people who want to go about their daily routine are thwarted. Continue reading
Details are still being worked out, but an event organized by Madison Urban Ministries will take place at Grace Church beginning at 10:30 AM. I anticipate some sort of prayer vigil in conjunction with the Governor’s scheduled budget speech. Join us this Sunday for services! This week’s lectionary readings certainly speak to what’s happening on the streets outside of Grace.
A Letter from Bishop Miller to the Diocese of Milwaukee
February 18, 2011
Dear Friends in Christ,
Over the last few days we have witnessed freedom and democracy at work both around the world. I am pleased to report to you that our friends in our former companion diocese of Egypt are safe and that the missionaries of The Episcopal Church serving in Egypt are continuing their ministry in that place. I know you will join me in continuing to hold the people of Egypt and the rest of the Middle East in your prayers.
This past week we have also seen democracy at work in Wisconsin as thousands gathered in Madison in response to the Governor’s Budget Bill. Regardless of our individual positions on the bill before the Legislature and what steps are necessary to build a stronger and better Wisconsin, I believe we can all agree that our baptismal vow to “respect the dignity of every human being” is not served by a majority simply pushing through legislation because they have the votes necessary to do so. As Christians, it is our duty and call to make sure that everyone has a place at the table and every voice has the opportunity to be heard. Respecting the dignity of every human being requires taking the time to have honest and faithful conversation that respects the rights and freedoms of all.
We also are called to speak on behalf of the sick, the poor, the elderly, orphans, widows, and all those who live in the margins of our society. Matthew in his Gospel reminds us that in serving these we are serving the Lord Jesus himself. It would be a sin to balance our state budget on the backs of those who have the least.
As your bishop I ask you to do two things. First, contact your representatives and invite them to true leadership by taking the time to listen to the voices of all and provide a guarantee that the voices of all will be heard on the future. Secondly, pray for elected officials daily, by name. Leading is a difficult task that requires the prayer support of many. I know that I could not lead this diocese without the prayers of each of you.
May God continue to bless us his people that we may be a witness to the world.
Yours in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Steven A. Miller
Bishop
It certainly is strange to be in the middle of exciting events, and I mean, in the middle. Grace is at the corner of Carroll St. and W. Washington Avenue in Madison, directly opposite the State Capitol. Protests have been building all week but because our offices are on W. Wash., we’re not quite at the epicenter. On Tuesday, we could hear protesters coming up State St. to Capitol Square. Today, we decided to open the doors of the nave, inviting people into our space to take a break, catch their breath, pray, and relax. We will do it again tomorrow.
I walked all the way around Capitol Square today. It’s a festive mood, not unlike Farmer’s Market–no vendors, except for the food carts. People seem to be in a good mood; they are determined, but there’s also a sense of pride in what’s taking place. Police and other security who are on the scene are in equally good moods. When fire trucks drive through the crowds on State St., the firefighters cheer the crowds. I’ve not been inside the Capitol, but am told it’s quite warm inside, packed, and that folks could use water.
Underneath the excitement are other emotions–fear and foreboding among them. The concern and stress has been building since November as those who would be most affected by the draconian cuts wonder what life will be like. It’s not just state employees who are concerned. While businesses, especially restaurants, around the square are doing a bang-up business (the line for Ian’s pizza was half-way down the block on State St. at noon), they know that they may lose many of their best customers if the worst happens.
The crowd itself was amazing. UW students, of course, teachers and other state workers. But there were demonstrators from the Teamsters and other trade unions. Bagpipers played “America the Beautiful.” Young and old, racially diverse, it was a cross section of Wisconsin’s populace.
Being in the middle of it all brings special opportunities and special responsibilities. We need to reach out to everyone, on both sides of the debate, to offer hope and healing. Making our church available as a place of prayer for everyone is one important step. But alongside that hope and healing, we also need to be clear on the biblical call for justice–especially for the widow and orphan, the oppressed and alien. Tough week to be writing a sermon, especially with this week’s Gospel reading.
Pray for me. Pray for all of us
How should communities of faith, and specifically churches, respond to the current political conflict in Wisconsin?
I’ve had as a motto, ever since Sojourners Magazine first introduced it, “God is not a Republican or a Democrat.” I believed it then, and I believe it now (just as I also don’t believe God cared who won the Super Bowl).
But God does care about justice and mercy: “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24). To disenfranchise people, whether they are citizens of Egypt or of Wisconsin is wrong. To undo the rights of citizens, to fail to protect the needy, the poor, the widow and the orphan, is not just a political decision. It is an affront against the vision of society proclaimed by the Torah of Moses, the prophets, and Jesus.
I also know that people of good will and deep faith can disagree on matters of politics. We must be able to come together in prayer, confessing our sins, asking God’s forgiveness, and sharing in the Eucharist. To that end, we are making Grace Church available as a space of prayer and respite in these days of conflict, uncertainty, and turmoil. Many of us are worried about what is happening. We know our own perspective, the narrowness of our vision; we can also recognize the narrowness of our opponents’ vision; let us pray that God grant us the wisdom to enlarge our vision as well as that of those with whom we disagree, that together, we might create a more just and merciful society.
For another perspective, read this.
February 6, 2011
Let me repeat the last words of today’s gospel, in case your mind was wandering as they were being read: “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” There are some very hard statements in the gospels, things Jesus says that seem, if taken for face value, to offend us, challenge us, perhaps make us rethink everything we do. This is one of those statements. Spoken directly to the disciples, Jesus seems to be telling them that the Pharisees, who seek to keep the law as faithfully as possible, are exemplars of moral behavior for the disciples, that indeed, the disciples must do better than the Pharisees, or risk damnation.
When confronted by such texts, we are inclined to respond in one of several ways. We might discount it, giving reasons why it can’t mean what it seems to mean, that it can’t apply to us or our efforts. We might also take it as a challenge, seek to be more righteous than the Pharisees, to live as Jesus taught his disciples to live. A third alternative would be to worry that because we can’t be as good as that, it must mean we will one day burn in Hell. These are the sorts of questions that the Gospel of Matthew confronts us with, and will continue to confront us with, for the coming months. And in these weeks, we are in the heart of that challenge. At the same time, we all also need to confront our own emotional, intellectual, and spiritual responses to Jesus’ challenge. Continue reading
Preaching Grace on the Square 