A Letter from Bishop Chris (February 2025)

Dear brothers and sisters,

What should God’s people do when their foundations are being shaken?

It’s a question David asked in Psalm 11 during a particularly challenging time in his life. He wrote, “In the Lord I take refuge…. When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

David was in turmoil as King Saul pursued him and his men. He was in the wilderness. His life was being threatened. He was emotionally taxed, and his loved ones were not safe. It was a trying time for him with an uncertain future.

I know many members in our diocese, particularly those living in and around the Washington DC area who work within and around the government, are experiencing similar concerns as you face job cuts, an uncertain future, and the chaos and fear that currently prevail.

I remind you what David did during his crisis. He placed his faith in God who is both Sovereign and Present. He wrote, “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them. The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion. On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.”

David was confident in the Lord’s care and justice. He knew that God saw him. He knew the Lord is never surprised. Thus, he could be confident even in uncertainty. As Christians, we also must stand as David did when our foundations are shaking. We must be humble, confident, and faithful. It’s crucial that we seek the Lord, not merely for protection or relief from trials, but with the sure certainty that he has us where we are to be a light to those around us. We are called to be a living testimony to the living God.

Years ago, I worked for a mid-sized software company in the banking industry in Charlotte, NC. The company was being bought out, chopped up, re-organized, and downsized. For some employees it meant job loss and for others it meant moving to the west coast. No one was sure their job was secure. The atmosphere was tense. There was a lot of whispering, anxiety, gossip, anger, fear, bitterness, guilt, and grief. Very little work was accomplished.

One day while eating lunch at my desk (having just finished reading the Scriptures and saying my prayers) my supervisor burst into my office. She was a surly, worldly, faithless woman whose lifestyle and mine couldn’t have contrasted any more. God had given me grace to see beyond her exterior and I prayed often for her salvation. It was clear to me that I was in her life for the sake of the gospel, and she was in my life to make me pray more! She spit out at me, “What the $%@! is wrong with you? You’re the only one around here who isn’t panicking! Are you totally checked out?”

I took a breath and took a chance. I said, “No, B. I’m not checked out. I have a wife and a newborn, and we live on my salary. I’m concerned too. The difference is that I’m not walking through this crisis in my own strength. My life is yielded to Jesus Christ and He is ultimately in control. I trust Him with my future. He’s alive. He’s never left me, and He never will, no matter what happens to my job. He’s my strength and peace.”  She looked at me incredulous for at least 20 seconds; her mouth opened and closed, and then she simply backed out of my office.

I wish I could say B. came to faith in that moment or since. So far as I know, she hasn’t. What was clear to me was that I was given the opportunity to testify to the Living God, at the appropriate time and in an appropriate way. I prayed then, and I have prayed since, that a gospel seed was sown in her. I was able to do this because I was walking with the Lord and watching for the opportunities He put before me throughout that season.

Was it a hard time in my life? Yes, for many months. Did I walk it out with perfect faith? Hardly. However, during that crisis God was at work in me — my life in Christ, my assurance in the faithfulness of His Word, my nourishment in the Sacraments, and my experience of the Holy Spirit’s nearness grew exponentially. I listened deeply for His Voice. I prayed with my wife Catherine more deeply and intimately. I began learning to turn to my church friends for prayer and strength. And I discovered, in a way I couldn’t have otherwise, how to trust God in the storm.

Again, for all those of us facing the storms of life and the challenge, fear, and incredible disequilibrium they bring. For those in and around DC, and for all those weathering life’s challenges: I remind you that God’s call to His people in such times is to hold up and not fold up. We are not called to be passive nor are we to be cowed by fear. Instead, we are called to a living hope.

To a church amid trials, the Apostle Peter wrote, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade… In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Peter 1:3, 6-7).

Dear ones in the storm, remember that you are beloved of the Lord and He lives in you; therefore, draw near to Jesus and to His Church. Look for Gospel opportunities. You are called to a living hope. He sees you. He’s with you. He will empower you.

And for those brothers and sisters of DOMA who live outside of DC and are not so immediately affected by what’s currently happening, or for whom life is in a season of peace; I remind you of the New Testament admonitions to love one another, to bear one another’s burdens, and most especially, to pray for each other. Let’s be a people of sincere and deep prayer for each other.

With love for you in Christ,

+Chris