Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.—Martin Luther (1483-1546)
There is a beautiful passage from the liberal theologian Reinhold Niebuhr that I have found myself turning to lately. If you’ve never heard of Niebuhr (1892-1971), you have almost certainly heard his words. Niebuhr, who was once featured on the cover of Time, is the author of The Serenity Prayer:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can;
And the wisdom to know the difference.
That’s not the passage I’m referring to, however. It’s this:
Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope.
Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by love.1
And therein lies a salve for these troubled times. I think we would all like to see significant progress toward peace, liberty and justice for all in our lifetimes. I know I would; I call it The Everything Syndrome. Right now we are seeing a significant retrenchment instead, and it feels as if all our progress over the past 60 years or so has been for naught. Niebuhr’s words remind me that that is not how time or progress work. We who strive for justice are constantly planting saplings we will never see grow into mighty redwoods 30 feet across. We hope they will grow into those mighty redwoods, of course, but how are we to know? It can take centuries for a redwood to reach that size. But we must have faith that those who come after us will till the soil and water the ground, trim the branches and guard against blight. And those trees will grow toward the light, until one day they are majestic and unmovable, and their canopies provide shelter for all.
It’s worth remembering that if not for those prior generations who sat at lunch counters, marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, burned their bras, or rioted at Stonewall, we might not have seen the beginning of a dismantling of white supremacy and male patriarchy. And while both have seemed to come roaring back, seemingly with the backing of Jesus Christ,2 who would have been the first to sit at a lunch counter, remember this: Cutting down trees is no match for planting seeds. It’s surface stuff. Showy but ultimately inconsequential.
It is nothing to tear things down and destroy. It is everything to create. Yes, we need to fight to protect the innocent people who are being deported out of — let’s face it —spite. Yes, we need to rise up and fight the stripping away of our civil rights and the rule of law. Just don’t lose heart along the way. None of what is going on makes sense in the immediate context of history. In the long run, in the grand scheme of mystery, as long as we stay together, we will be saved by love.
Niebuhr, Reinhold. The Irony of American History.
The Project 2025 folks seem to think Jesus said, “Traumatize one another as I have traumatized you.”
I always need you and Niebuhr. I now say the Serenity prayer all day every day. Hope, faith and love are indeed the touchstones of every age; never more than now. The spirit that is ME today needs reassurance and ministering. I am horrified, disgusted and outraged in sequence daily -- it is not sustainable. Today is Easter. Perhaps we will have a new day - perhaps we will arise to the occasion. Thank you Rob.
Thank you, Rob. I needed you this morning.