Reflections on the State of the Union on Ash Wednesday

Plus, an invitation to our next LIVE conversation at The Convocation Unscripted

Last night, I made it through the 100 long minutes of President Trump’s speech. Today, I’m feeling the jarring juxtaposition of his pronouncements about the state of our union—so full of arrogance, lies, and hate—and the arrival of Ash Wednesday in the Christian tradition (Both BBC and CNN have long fact checks documenting the many lies).

There was little new in the speech—other than it being given for the first time by a twice-impeached convicted felon and clocking in as the longest in modern history. For much of it, my focus settled on the two self-professed Christians, one Catholic and one evangelical Protestant, in the camera shot just over Trump’s shoulders. Both JD Vance and Mike Johnson wear their Christianity on their sleeves. Both helped shape Trump’s speech and had advance copies of its final version. Both knew, well ahead of time, that it was filled with outright lies, misleading half-truths, and bigotry.

Screen grab of Donald Trump delivering speech to joint session of Congress on March 4, 2025, with JD Vance and Mike Johnson behind.

And yet, both sat with arrogant smirks and stood clapping like synchronized bobbleheads with fake expressions of incredulity as their Great Leader peddled his politics of disgust. On the Republican side of the chamber, there were some unsurprising fixtures such as provocateur Majorie Taylor Green who sported a red “TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING” hat. But I was even more troubled that I could not find, in any camera pan of the evening, a single Republican member of Congress—most of whom also proudly profess their Christian faith—who was not gleefully embracing the authoritarian propaganda, the demonization of their colleagues, and the flood of falsehoods.

Today is Ash Wednesday on the Christian liturgical calendar, the beginning of the season of Lent that leads to Easter. It is the inauguration of a period of contemplation, focused on self-examination and repentance. It is a time to reflect on the ways in which we miss the mark and the times when we fail to live up to the standards in which we claim to believe.

In these somber days, we attempt to be more honest with ourselves, to put away our self-delusions, and commit ourselves to the way of Jesus. We all, including me, have our own struggles. But I can’t help but wonder: Will not a single Republican member of Congress who claims the name of Christ come to the conviction that—whatever their partisan or policy leanings—following and protecting this dangerous, authoritarian liar requires both a betrayal of their oath of loyalty to the Constitution and an abandonment of their Christian commitment to honesty, love, and truth? If JD Vance or Mike Johnson or Marco Rubio kneel today to have the sign of the cross traced on their forehead in ashes, will they not feel the hypocrisy?

I’m afraid we know the devastating answer to that question. On this rainy Ash Wednesday in Washington, DC, I’m feeling the weight of its implications, both for our country and our faith.

As those of you who have been following my writing know, I work hard on the prose, but I’m not poet. Yet, last week, as I was thinking of our current situation and ahead to Lent, my thoughts came out in verse. In closing today, I’m sharing “Tired,” an Ash Wednesday meditation for my fellow white American Christians, below.

Tired
(An Ash Wednesday Meditation for My Fellow White American Christians)

Aren’t we tired of
The clenched fist, the squared shoulder, the set jaw,
The high-step march with its final resolution?

The nostalgia, the victimhood, the entitlement,
The red line with its policed border?

The insecurity, the outrage, the fear,
The steel wall with its razor wire?

The mocking, the disdain, the disgust,
The rapacious destruction with its wanton glee?

Better
An open palm,
A minor chord,
A table.

---

An Invitation

As a reminder, to keep up with what will be a challenging stream of news, and to help us all collectively sort out the signal from the noise, my colleagues (Jemar Tisby, Diana Butler Bass, and Kristin Du Mez) and I are conducting our Convocation Unscripted podcast conversations weekly for the first 100 days of Trump’s administration. We’re recording this week’s session of The Convocation Unscripted as a free live Zoom webinar. We’re hoping you will join us on Thursday, 03/06, at 5:00 PM ET.

Here’s how it will work. If you’d like to reserve a spot (it’s free but limited to the first 1,000 registrants), please click on the button below to register. Once you register, you’ll receive the zoom link for the event. Cameras and audio will only be on for The Convocation Unscripted team, but we’ll have the chat open for interaction, encouragement, and questions. We hope to see you there!

---

ICYMI at White Too Long