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Today is Tuesday, Jan. 21, day two of the new Trump administration. Yesterday we witnessed the stark contrast between a holiday that honors Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and dream and the vision that President Donald Trump laid out in his inauguration speech.

In his speech Trump declared that “the golden age of America begins right now.” Through our faith-inspired activism we must work to ensure that this new age doesn’t become a gilded age that pushes our nation toward autocracy.

Since yesterday, Trump has quickly moved to undo his predecessor’s legacy and initiate sweeping, cruel policies that target migrant people, transgender people, our environment, and so much more.

We must anchor ourselves in our faith, including in 2 Timothy 1:7 which teaches “for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” We will need these gifts more than ever in the days ahead, and we will walk this hard road together in courage, mutual care, and most of all in love.

— Rev. Adam Taylor, Sojourners

In the News

Here’s what we know at the time of writing:

1) Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States yesterday and immediately signed a flurry of executive orders and other actions on a broad range of issues. Many of them are deeply alarming to those concerned with social justice and the defense of democracy. Some of those actions included an executive order challenging birthright citizenship (which triggered an immediate lawsuit) and several others targeting migrant people. He also moved to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization and (for the second time) the Paris Climate Agreement. Additionally, he attacked people with diverse gender identities with an executive order declaring only two, unchangeable genders, cut funding to federal DEI programs, and issued pardons or commutations for more than 1,500 people convicted or charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection.

2) Leading up to yesterday’s inauguration, thousands took to the streets of Washington, D.C., and other cities to march for women’s rights, climate change, immigration, and other issues they expect to be under renewed threat with Trump once again in the White House. For his part, former President Biden used his final hours in office to pre-emptively pardon Anthony Fauci, members of the Jan. 6 committee like Liz Cheney, and others Trump and his allies had previously threatened with retaliation, including Biden’s siblings and their spouses. Biden’s final acts in office also included a variety of actions that attempt to protect his legacy on the environment, immigration, and more.

3) After some last-minute delays, the ceasefire between the Israeli government and Hamas took effect on Sunday, with three Israeli hostages and 90 Palestinian captives released by Hamas and Israel, respectively. A total of 33 Israelis and 2,000 Palestinians are expected to be released in the 42-day first phase of the ceasefire agreement. The United Nations reports that aid trucks are finally entering Gaza in much larger numbers but also notes the extreme devastation facing Gazans attempting to return to their homes — the UN estimates that 92% of all housing units have been destroyed in the war.

Take Action

Fight back against cruel immigration policies. Between now and January 25, you can participate in an ongoing week of action organized by immigrant rights advocates around the country. This toolkit created by United We Dream contains resources for contacting your members of Congress, signing petitions, posting on social media, and a list of in-person actions around the country.

Help Sojourners build the Beloved Community. Now more than ever, we need to overcome evil with good and hate with steadfast love. Help us continue inspiring hope and faith-rooted action through our publication, mobilizing, and advocacy. Together, we can push our nation toward inclusive and just democracy and build a future where a passionate commitment to the biblical call to social justice becomes central to the Christian faith.

Deep Breaths

Today’s reflection comes from Andi Saccoccio, Sojourners’ director of congregational education and outreach.

The Lord said to Moses, “What is that in your hand?”

The story in Exodus 4 is a familiar one: God wanted to liberate the people of Israel and called Moses to lead the charge. Moses struggled to imagine that he, a simple shepherd, could do anything to make a difference for his kin, enslaved and abused by Pharaoh’s hunger for power and recognition.

When Moses saw the enormity of the task before him, he felt overwhelmed and unsure of himself, so God reminded him that it was really God who would do the heavy lifting: “I will be with you.” Moses, ever the pragmatic realist, presses God, “but look, they may not believe me or listen to me.”

“What is that in your hand?”

God takes what Moses has, a staff, and uses it to remind him that God’s power and imagination can work through even a shepherd’s tool. It is this staff that God uses to make a way through the Red Sea for the people of Israel to escape Pharaoh’s army. It is this staff that God uses to provide sustenance for the people on their journey through the desert. And it is this staff that helps Moses make the long journey to the Promised Land.

“What is that in your hand?”

The journey ahead may seem daunting, but we are not alone, and it is God who works through the simple resources we already have in our hands, whether a phone, a pen, a mixing bowl — you get the idea.

Take a deep breath. Take stock of what you have already that God can use to liberate the oppressed and resist evil. And remember that the God of our ancestors is at work in and through and around us. We are in good company.

The Truth and Action Roundup is compiled by Sojourners staff:
President: Rev. Adam Russell Taylor
Director of Racial Justice: Rev. Moya Harris
Senior Research Associate: J.K. Granberg-Michaelson
Senior Adviser and Director to the President’s Office: Elizabeth Denlinger Reaves
Senior Director of Campaigns and Mobilizing: Sandy Ovalle Martínez
Director of Congregational Outreach & Education: Rev. Andrea Saccoccio
Digital Communications Associate: Lexi Schnaser
Senior Director of Marketing: Sandra Sims