“Then I said, “But Lord God, I don’t know how to speak. I am only a boy.” But the Lord said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I am only a boy.’ You must go everywhere I send you, and you must say everything I tell you to say.”  Jeremiah 1:6-7a

Jeremiah had a tough job. It would be challenging, difficult, and at times he would refer to himself as a laughing stock. There were moments he was downright angry with God. I would not have wanted to be Jeremiah.

Jeremiah was tasked with telling the truth to powerful people, who did not want to hear truth. In fact most of us, would prefer not to hear the difficult truth, when that impacts the way we live our lives . . . Or challenges our values, our attitudes and sometimes even our version of common sense.

We prefer our prophets speak to us with kindness, compassion, affirmation, and only tell us what we want to hear. We don’t want to have our plans questioned, especially by self-proclaimed truth tellers.

So one can understand, why President Trump, was so upset with Bishop Mariann Budd when she challenged him to compassion, to mercy and to a deeper love for all of God’s people.

This past week has been a whirl of activity, with executive orders, firing of long term civil servants, ICE raids in workplaces, along with  removal of protections for schools, churches and hospitals. There has been an upending of resources for non-profits and federal programs that affect state programs, resulting in chaos and turmoil.

Last week, Bishop Bud spoke truth to power. With gentleness and persistence she pleaded with a newly inaugurated President Trump to be merciful, even as he had experienced mercy with an escape from an assassin’s bullet. Her plea was simply to be merciful, to the immigrant workers so involved in the service industry, to be merciful to those that were afraid, to be merciful to  members of the LGBT community. It was indeed a gentle plea.

Showing mercy is a Christian value.  

Shakespeare wrote of mercy,
“The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
. . . And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice.”

The scripture warns those who refuse to show mercy, “There will be no mercy in judgment for anyone who hasn’t shown mercy.” James 2:13 CEB

I pray that President Trump takes to heart the Bishop’s plea, to show mercy and have compassion on those who struggle so hard in life.