Dear Beloved Friends in Christ,
No matter how you slice it, things in our country are pretty dire. News headlines focus on the revelations of men in power who were connected with a known pedophile, on American citizens being killed on the streets by federal agents, on the continued rise of costs for basic necessities, on the arrests of people with brown skin—citizens, immigrants, or refugees—by agents wearing masks and refusing to identify themselves. It’s a lot. But it’s not the first time in history when similar events have taken place. Sadly, we humans have a tendency to repeat the past unable to learn the painful lessons when those in power do anything they can to feed their insatiable desire for more.
During one such time, Dietrich Bonhoeffer expressed in a letter to Mahatma Gandhi that the issues of the day were neither political nor economic, they were spiritual. And he lamented that churches as a whole were not responding in a spiritual way. He wanted to find a community living into the values found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and he didn’t see that in Christian communities in Europe or the US. He believed that the best community living it was the one Gandhi had established in India, and Bonhoeffer wanted to see it in real life.
Friends, the issues of our day is neither political nor economic but spiritual. And spiritual matters need spiritual responses.
In less than two weeks, we’ll begin the holy season of Lent. On that day, our clergy will call us to a season of penitence and fasting. A time of reflection, repentance, prayer, and abstaining from food in order to be prepared for the Great 50 Days of Easter.
It seems that fasting has become disconnected from the call for contrition, almsgiving, and prayer. We give up things like chocolate or alcohol or pizza or meat—all well intentioned—but don’t connect it to spending more time with God or meeting the needs of the poor or in lament. The point of fasting isn’t to show our willpower or how spiritual we are. Rather, we fast to respond to God’s cry for justice and to grieve the ways in which we—and our country—have ignored the ills of our day which are spiritual.
I therefore invite each of us to observe with great devotion a time of fasting this Lent. Of giving up food or a meal daily throughout this holy season. There are caveats, of course, best described by our Muslim friends who fast throughout their holy month of Ramadan. Those who are pregnant or who have medical issues—including a history of eating disorders—or the elderly or young are all discouraged from this fast. We are not to do harm to ourselves in this. It is to draw us closer to God.
Additionally, I want to note that we are the only Abrahamic faith who does not practice their fast in community. Our Jewish neighbors gather with each other for a 25-hour fast from all food on Yom Kippur, and a traditional greeting is “May your fast be easy.” Muslims during Ramadan when they go without food or water during daylight hours will often gather each night with family and friends for an Iftar meal to break the fast together, including inviting non-Muslims to join with them. I wonder what that might look like in our congregations, of perhaps gathering for a simple supper and reflection each week so our fast is done in connection with others.
For those who wish to join with me, I will be forgoing lunch and snacks between a simple breakfast and dinner each of the 40 days. (And a reminder, Sundays are always feast days and aren’t included in the count for Lent.) During the noon hour, I’ll be praying the Jesus prayer—“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”—using a simple knotted prayer bracelet to focus my attention. Conversion always begins in our own lives.
Because the truth is that both we and our nation need to repent, to turn around. To experience deep transformation through the love and grace of Jesus Christ. For the issues of our day are not political or economic. They are most certainly spiritual.
Faithfully,
The Rt. Rev. Phillip LaBelle
Bishop of Olympia
The Rt. Rev. Phillip LaBelle
The Rt. Rev. Philip N. LaBelle is the Ninth Bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia. The Diocese elected Bishop LaBelle on May 18, 2024, and he was Consecrated and Ordained on September 14, 2024.
Bishop LaBelle previously served as rector of St. Mark’s Church in Southborough, Massachusetts. During his time in the Diocese of Massachusetts, Bishop LaBelle co-led the Mission Strategy Committee, served on Executive Committee and Diocesan Council, and directed the Fresh Start program. He co-founded Southborough Neighbors for Peace with Dr. Safdar Medina in their small town. The organization hosted peace vigils, began a community-wide Iftar dinner during Ramadan, established an interfaith Thanksgiving service, and sponsored other bridge-building events. Additionally, Bishop LaBelle served on the core team of Central Mass. Connections in Faith, an organization centered on fostering relationships and learning about other religious faiths through quarterly gatherings.
In June of 2024, Bishop LaBelle received his Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Seminary focused on Christian Spirituality. His thesis work explored the theology and practice of zimzum and how to make space in our overly busy lives for God, others, and the natural world. He received his MDiv from Yale University in 2004, along with a diploma in Anglican Studies from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. He holds a Master’s degree in composition and rhetoric from Northeastern University and a Bachelor’s degree in English with an additional concentration in theological studies from Gordon College. He has also received certificates in congregational development and religious fundraising.
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
The Episcopal Church welcomes you.