Thoughts, Prayers & Art

After the election, I spent a day weeping, another raging, and then found myself sitting quietly, listening to the cracks in my broken heart. In the depths of that heartbreak, a sobering truth emerged: it didn’t matter who was on the ballot, what their policies were, or even if it had been Jesus himself standing for election. America would have voted the same. This nation has chosen what lies within its heart, and that choice alone should give each of us reason to pause, to weep, and to reflect deeply. This is not a moment about party lines or political ideologies; it’s about the soul of a people who have turned toward fear, division, and exclusion.

As an empath and a priest, I feel the weight of this choice profoundly, and I invite you to journey with me as we sit with the sorrow, face the truth, and consider what this moment demands of us as people of faith and compassion.

In the wake of this election, it is difficult to look at the results without a deep, almost grieving realization: America has voted for the idols that reside in her heart. Beneath the headlines, beyond the candidates, and behind the policies lies a choice—one that reveals the values and convictions held most dear. This choice, painfully, seems to have prioritized power over compassion, division over unity, greed over generosity, and exclusion over welcome. It shows us a soul struggling, gripped by fears and resentments, turning to idols that offer the illusion of security but breed only greater chaos.

The unsettling truth is that, as a nation, we have cast our vote for idols like Racism, Hatred, Division, and Greed. We have chosen Homophobia, Xenophobia, and Misogyny, believing these lies could somehow serve us, that power and privilege could shield us. Yet in this pursuit, we have not only discarded the lives of our neighbors but have also distanced ourselves from the God who commands us to love them.

A Heart Divided: The Idols of our Age

We are in a moment when the divisions are more visible, the fault lines more exposed. But these are not merely political divides; they are reflections of our inner lives, of spiritual and moral choices. Scripture tells us, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). And so we must ask ourselves honestly: What is it we treasure? What is it that America truly values? Is it power? Security? Comfort, even at the expense of others? Is it a sense of superiority and privilege that must be defended?

The painful truth is that we are deeply ensnared by these idols. We cling to power, fear the loss of privilege, and resist accountability. But every idol we embrace distances us from God’s grace and God’s call to love without condition. When we choose idols, we reject God’s offer of true freedom—freedom not only from sin but from the fear that drives us to sin.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem… How Often I Have Desired to Gather Your Children”

In a moment of lament over his beloved city, Jesus speaks these words: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’” (Luke 13:34-35). These words were directed at Jerusalem, but they echo for us today.

How often has God desired to gather us, to bring us into His arms of inclusive, healing love? How often has God sent voices calling us back to the path of justice, mercy, and compassion? Yet, like Jerusalem, America has rejected this call. We have ignored the prophets, silenced the truth-tellers, and shut our ears to the cries of the oppressed. And because of this unwillingness, our house is left to us—to our own chaos, confusion, and division.

Until America puts God’s inclusive love above all else, we will continue to falter. We will see fires, floods, chaos and discord reign, not as punishments but as natural consequences of our choices. When we cling to idols, we distance ourselves from God’s protection, from the sheltering wings He longs to spread over us.

The Spiritual Crisis Beneath the Chaos

We look around and see chaos: violence, discord, inequality, and injustice. We see greed thriving at the expense of the poor, the immigrant, the refugee -division growing where compassion could heal. This is the spiritual result of our choices, of turning to idols instead of turning to God. We are reminded in Galatians 6:7-8, “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh, but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit.” America’s collective choices have led us to reap bitterness, isolation, and chaos.

But as bleak as this may feel, it is essential to remember that God’s arms remain open. God does not abandon us, even in our rebellion. Instead, He calls us back, offering us healing, forgiveness, and the path of repentance. As we face this crisis, let us hear the call to kneel—not in surrender to fear or power, but in surrender to the God who heals and reconciles.

A Call to Compassion and True Repentance

Repentance is not simply an act of saying we are sorry. True repentance calls us to turn around, to walk in a different direction, to choose a different way. It means letting go of our idols and placing our trust in God’s way of love, justice, and peace. It means seeing the humanity and dignity in every person, especially those who are different from us, those we might otherwise be tempted to overlook or even condemn.

Repentance calls us to confront the darkness within ourselves, to acknowledge our complicity in systems that harm others. It invites us to see where we have put self-interest above compassion, where we have chosen comfort over courage. But most importantly, repentance is about turning back toward God, about realigning our hearts with His love.

Even in these turbulent times, there are hopeful spaces where communities are gathering in resilience and solidarity, embodying the inclusive love God calls us to embrace. Across the country, people of all backgrounds are joining hands to build bridges, to protect one another, and to stand as one against the sin of racism, division, and hate. In churches, neighborhoods, and grassroots organizations, communities are creating sanctuaries of justice, compassion, and mutual support. They are feeding the hungry, sheltering the displaced, and offering solace to those who have been hurt or marginalized. These are the spaces where the spirit of God moves powerfully. The love of Christ is lived out in real and tangible ways here.

In these communities, we catch glimpses of what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We boldly choose to protect, uplift, and include one another. They remind us that God’s kingdom is not only a future promise but a present reality we are called to build here and now, a reality where love triumphs over fear and unity conquers division. These hopeful spaces are our reminder that God’s light is unquenchable, even in the darkest of times, and they inspire us to keep striving for a world that reflects His boundless love and justice.

Bending Our Knees to the Love of God

If America truly desires healing, it must begin on our knees, in humble surrender to the love of God. Not the love of God that is comfortable or easy, but the love that challenges us, refines us, and calls us to become better. This love is not simply an emotion; it is a commitment, a discipline, a way of life. It is the call to feed the hungry, to welcome the stranger, to clothe the naked, and to love our enemies.

The chaos we see around us will persist as long as we continue to worship idols instead of the living God. When we place our hope in power, in wealth, in control, or in dominance, we sow the seeds of discord and reap only emptiness. But when we bend our knees to the love of God, we find healing, we find peace, and we find unity.

The call to repentance is not meant to shame us but to save us. God does not seek to punish us but to bring us back into relationship, to restore what has been broken. And as much as we have failed, God’s grace is sufficient. God’s love is wide enough, deep enough, and strong enough to transform even the hardest hearts, to heal even the deepest wounds.

A Prayer for Our Nation

As we move forward from this moment, let us pray, not only with our words but with our lives. Let us pray for the courage to face our own hearts, to recognize the idols we have clung to, and to let them go. Let us pray for a spirit of compassion and humility, that we might see each other not as enemies but as brothers and sisters, each beloved by God. Let us pray for the strength to live out the radical love of Christ, to become the hands and feet of God’s justice in the world.

May we bend our knees not to idols, but to the God who created each of us in love. May we choose the hard, beautiful path of repentance, the path that leads to life. May we, as a nation, find our way back to God, so that we might become a people known not for our power or privilege, but for our kindness, our mercy, and our love.

In the end, we are not called to be a great nation by worldly standards, but to be a faithful people by God’s standards. And in that faithfulness, in that surrender, we will find our truest, most lasting peace.

The Rev. Allison Burns-LaGreca