The Complexity of January 6th
When Christian Feasts and Political Events coincide, how can one celebrate?
January 6th is a complicated date for me.
For centuries it has been the date on which Western Christianity has commemorated when the child Jesus was praised and presented with gifts by the Magi. In our house this date sees our children wake up to a little gift basket from the Magi, and we reflect on what it means that Jesus Christ came as light to all the world’s people. We celebrate with special meals, activities, and games. As a Christian, January 6th is a good day for celebration. Not so much as an American, or as an American Christian.
That is because January 6th also marks the anniversary of the Donald Trump initiated insurrection against the U.S. Capitol. This event, the capstone of a months-long effort to overturn the results of the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, saw then-President Trump send a mob to attack a joint session of Congress in an effort to prevent the certification of that election. Members of that crowd broke into the Capitol, vandalized property, attacked law enforcement officers, erected a gallows outside of the Capitol, chanted slogans like “Hang Mike Pence” (and apparently entered the chamber within one minute of his evacuation), and set up improvised explosive devices at several nearby buildings including the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic National Committees. Five people died as a result of the event, including one rioter who was shot by law enforcement, three rioters who died of medical emergencies before paramedics could arrive, and a policy officer who later died to injuries he sustained. In the months that followed, multiple Capitol police officers who were present at the event committed suicide. This traumatic event was recorded live on news cameras and smart phone videos, was the subject of multiple federal investigations, and as of this writing has led to nearly 750 convictions of its participants. As of this writing, former President Trump and several other major players in that day’s events have not been convicted.
That day’s events were deeply disturbing to me as an American citizen. Seeing one’s democracy come perilously close to failure in real time was unnerving, especially after years of warning others about the inevitability of such violence during the Trump administration. But the event was also disturbing to me as a Christian, as footage of rioters smashing through doors and attacking police officers with fire hydrants also included banners and flags with Christian imagery. White Nationalist evangelicals present at the event waved signs that said “Jesus saves,” held crosses and blew shofars, and called this event a “Jericho March” against evil, all while violently assaulting others in support of a lie.1 I also recall footage of a man dressed in war paint and a buffalo hide who uttered this prayer from within the U.S. Senate chamber:
“Jesus Christ, we invoke your name, amen. [Crowd] Amen.
Hold on, let's say a prayer. Let's all say a prayer in this sacred space. Thank you heavenly father for gracing us with this opportunity. [indistinct] Thanks to our heavenly father.
[Man] Amen.
For this opportunity to stand up for our God-given unalienable rights. Thank you heavenly father for being the inspiration needed to these police officers to allow us into the building, to allow us to exercise our rights, to allow us to send a message to all the tyrants, the communists, and the globalists, that this is our nation, not theirs, that we will not allow the America, the American way of the United States of America to go down. Thank you divine, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent creator God for filling this chamber with your white light and love, with your white light of harmony. Thank you for filling this chamber with patriots that love you. Yes lord. And that love Christ. Thank you divine, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent creator God for blessing each and every one of us here and now. Amen. Thank you divine creator God for surrounding [indistinct] with the divine omnipresent white light of love and protection, peace and harmony. Thank you for allowing the United States of America to be reborn. Thank you for allowing us to get rid of the communists, the globalists, and the traitors within our government. We love you and we thank you, in Christ's holy name we pray.
[Crowd] Amen.”2
To this day, reading the words of that prayer with knowledge of the context in which it was uttered fills me with sadness. The prayer is filled with hatred, conspiracy theorizing, and white supremacist language. It praises Jesus, the one who said “love your enemies” and “pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44) for his support of a deadly political uprising.
The violent White Christian Nationalism on full display at this event is a deeply problematic aspect of American society, and one which is emboldened by successes within the American political system over the past decade. It is also a deeply sinful ideology built upon pillars of racism, sexism, xenophobia, and a general misanthropy that flies against the clear teachings of Jesus Christ. And unfortunately, it is all too present in American churches due to the influence of the theology of Dominionism3 and the prevalence of far-right cable news networks.
Those Walking in Darkness Have Seen a Great Light
But as my thoughts begin to spiral over my country’s deep slide into fascism, my heart returns again to that other event on January 6th: the Epiphany. The Revised Common Lectionary Gospel reading for this day is Matthew 2:1–12. I read in that text the words of the prophet Micah, who said:
And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.
Matthew 2:6 / Micah 5:2, NRSVue
And in reading these words I am comforted that God himself has appointed “a ruler” whose power is granted neither by election nor by mob violence, but by his upright nature. That he has appointed for me, and for all those who would eagerly seek him, “a shepherd” to stand beside, to guide, to comfort, and to correct me throughout this life and into eternity. Then I read further:
On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11, NRSVue
And I am reminded that true power, and the right to rule not just America, but all the cosmos, was given to Jesus Christ - the Son of God, yes, but also the son of Mary, a peasant woman living in a land subject to the hostile rule of Rome. That this king, raised by a poor family on the edge of the empire, and eventually crucified by that same empire, has been granted “all authority on heaven and earth” (Matthew 28:18). And then I recall some words from the start of this passage:
When King Herod heard this, he was frightened.
Matthew 2:3, NRSVue
Herod, granted immense earthly power by one of the greatest empires the world has ever known, was frightened of a child. Or, more accurately, was frightened at what would become of him if someone else had power over him. This is the fear of all kings, despots, and would-be dictators. The Herods and Donald Trumps of this world view reality through a “might makes right” lens, and will cling to power by any means necessary. Their fear over the loss of power prompts them to lash out in violence against institutions and against non-combatants, and to send others to do the “dirty work” of slaughtering children or hanging Vice Presidents.
But even the mightiest of kings and the longest lived tyrants faces the inevitability that power will one day slip from their fingers. Sometimes it happens historically, with the shift to other regimes. Other times it comes when their earthly life has ended and they go into the grave powerless. But ultimately, we shall all face Jesus one day, when we awaken to a world where power is not held by military or political might, but by the humble service of a Risen King.
There is, of course, work to be done before then. And the rejection of fascism in all its forms will be a task for American Christians for the foreseeable future. But when the shadow of political evil looms large, emblazoned with Christian Nationalist imagery, and carried out in God’s name, those of us who seek Jesus eagerly may rest (and work) in the knowledge that his ways are far better. Our humble king, our ruler and shepherd, is alive, and will one day rule with true justice and mercy and peace. And that is reason to celebrate this January 6th.
May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service. For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight.
Psalm 72:11–14, NRSVue
Emma Green. “A Christian Insurrection” The Atlantic. January 8, 2021. www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/evangelicals-catholics-jericho-march-capitol/617591
Luke Mogelson. “A Reporter’s Video from Inside the Capitol Siege.” The New Yorker. January 17, 2021. www.newyorker.com/video/watch/a-reporters-footage-from-inside-the-capitol-siege
Dominionism is a theological belief system which teaches that the United States must be “reclaimed” by Christians by means of political power with the end goal of establishing a theocracy and thereby receiving God’s blessing.