The Best of Times and the Worst of Times

Two Days in January

I confess that I haven’t read Charles Dickens’ classic, A Tale of Two Cities, but his opening paragraph describes what I felt this week.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way–in short, the period was so far like the present period that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

Read that again. Doesn’t it feel like a commentary on our times?

On back to back days we saw the best and the worst of who we are as the American people. We saw the contrasts between wisdom and foolishness, belief and incredulity, Light and Darkness. It was personified in the unavoidable contrast between a moment of death and a moment of judgement. Both days were the result of the democratic and judicial processes that are at the core of our national life.

Thursday: “The Best of Times”

On Thursday, the nation paused to honor the 100-year-long life of Jimmy Carter. I encourage you to watch the entire service. It’s also reminder of the magnificence of the National Cathedral and the beauty of the Episcopal funeral service.

We may agree or disagree with some decisions during his administration. That’s the way it always is, regardless of who is in the White House. But the service reminded us of some of the consequential events of his Presidency, including the Camp David Accords which continue to maintain peace between Egypt and Israel.

Whatever you think about the Carter administration, two things are beyond question and were the foundation for everything he did. One was his love for Rosalyn as evidenced by their nearly 77 years of faithful marriage. The other was the depth of his faith and the vitality of his relationship with Jesus Christ. If you want to know what a real Christian looks like, you can skip past the people to wave the Bible as a political prop (or market it to make a profit) but never demonstrate that they have actually read the Sermon on the Mount.

Jimmy Carter was not perfect, but he was, in Methodist language, “on the way to perfection.” He not only said he believed the gospel; he practiced it. He took Jesus’ words seriously:

“A good person produces good from the good treasury of the inner self, while an evil person produces evil from the evil treasury of the inner self. The inner self overflows with words that are spoken. Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and don’t do what I say?” (Luke 6:45-46)

Friday: “The Worst of Times”

And then came Friday and the sentencing of Donald Trump in the New York “hush money” case. Justice Juan M. Merchan gave Trump an “unconditional discharge.” He was clear that the rare sentence was “due the office of the President, not the man who will soon hold the title.” For the first time in our nation’s history, a convicted felon will be inaugurated as President on January 20.

In our weariness with Trump’s multiple indictments, the endless appeals and delays, and the slowness of the legal process, it could be easy to forget that this trial was about falsifying business records to cover up the underlying fact of marital infidelity which is a repetitious pattern in Trump’s biography. It’s also a glaring contrast to Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter’s marriage.

This trial about lying, which is another striking contrast. Jimmy Carter said, “I will never tell you a lie.” Trump never seems to tell the truth, except when he predicted, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters.”

“The season of Light, it was the season of Darkness“

 We live in a season of wisdom and foolishness, belief and incredulity, Light and Darkness. Both are a result of our democratic process. We choose our Presidents and our elected representatives. We get what we choose. They become the personification of the values, convictions, and choices of a majority of the voters, despite the Electoral College. We are all accountable to the judicial process, despite the questionable decision of the Supreme Court to give immunity to Presidents.

So, the question: What do our Presidents say about us? More specifically, how do we who claim to be followers of Christ take the gospel seriously in our choices?

In the best and worst of who are, our best hope is expressed John Adams’ words which were carved into the White House mantel during FDR’s administration.

“I Pray Heaven to Bestow The Best of Blessings On This House And All that shall hereafter Inhabit it. May none but Honest and Wise Men ever rule under This Roof.”

Grace and peace,

Jim