Homily for 11.25.17

Scripture passages:

Ez 34:11-12, 15-17

1 Cor 15: 20-26, 28

Mt 25: 31-46

Christ the King.  This is the feast which we celebrate today.  Now, perhaps you like me don’t often use this title for talking about Jesus.  We as a church like to pride ourselves on not being hierarchical, and a title like King seems to support this hierarchical sense of power.  We like to use brother, or friend, but not often King.  However tonight I would like us to consider how this title of Christ as King might actually be Good News that we can claim and celebrate, by exploring who is Christ the King and where he is.  

I invite us to first reflect on our Gospel passage.  This is the last teaching of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew before the passion, so that shows us the importance.  This is Jesus's parting reminder and advice, and it sums up one of the central themes of Matthew’s Gospel: we are to love God and love neighbor which go hand in hand.  Typically the focus of the passage is on the sheep and goats, but tonight I want to focus on the King.

First imagine you are a first century follower of Jesus.  You are currently living under occupation by the Roman Empire.  You are subject to the whims and greed of the local King/Lord.  Only about 3% of people have any real power and wealth, and so you most likely either live in poverty or have a small trade that allows you to get by with the basics day to day.  You are heavily taxed, you have no voice or vote in governance, and little power to defend yourself against any verbal or physical abuses by the ruling elite and its army.    

What could possibly give you hope in such a desperate situation?  You have this story in your tradition, that you hear when you gather with friends to break bread and remember the promise of the one who was crucified, died, and rose again.  There is another Kingdom and another King, one who is mightier than all the powers of this Earth.  This King rules with justice and righteousness.  Not only that, but with all his power he chooses not to reside in a palace but on the streets, with the poor, hungry, and homeless.

Christ the King is not only present with the poor and marginalized, but has declared there will be consequences for those who fail to care for him in these spaces.  New Testament scholar Warren Carter says that “the judgment reverses the imperial privileging of elite interests by [prioritizing] the needs of the poor and powerless.  The vision reveals the imperial structures are not divinely sanctioned or “natural” but rather creations of and for the imperial elite - and under God’s judgment.”  This is incredible news for those living under these imperial structures.  None of this is God’s will, God is on our side, suffering with us under these current systems of oppression, and those responsible for my suffering will be judged accordingly.

Now perhaps your mind already jumped ahead, but given this ancient context and understanding for the early Jesus movement, it isn’t too hard to look at our world today and find some similar parallels.   We are living under a type of exploitative empire which keeps a very small percentage of people with exorbitant wealth and a great majority of people either in poverty or making just enough to get by each day.  This – let’s call them the 1% - in turn use their great wealth to influence power and control over the governance and laws of this country, which they use to maintain and expand their own power and wealth at the expense of the greater majority.

Meanwhile we see more families and young adults amassing overwhelming debt,

we see a growing despair that leads to drug overdoses or violence in our communities,

we experience increasing natural disasters and climate change fueled by extractive fuel and mining industries and increasing pollution and waste,

we hear stories about women being sexually harassed and assaulted on a daily basis,

families continue to be torn apart through deportation and unjust immigration policies,

and our Muslim and Jewish neighbors are the victims of hate crimes.

Where is Christ the King in the midst of all this?  The Gospel tells us that the King is present in the very people who are suffering under these unjust and exploitative economic, political, and legal systems.

A modern day telling of our Gospel might sound like this:

For I was undocumented and you offered me sanctuary.

I was targeted by systemic racism and police brutality and you joined me to advocate for accountability and protest in the streets.  

I was a refugee fleeing violence, drought, or flooding and you welcomed me.  

I was poisoned by living near a toxic waste site and you fought to protect funding for clean-up and ensured I had access to affordable health care.  

I was a victim of sexual assault and you believed me and supported me.   

Christ the King, our loving and powerful God, could choose to be anywhere, and they choose over and over again to show up in the people and places that the empires of this world de-value and cast aside.  

When the messages of earthly empires are telling you that you are nothing, you are worthless, you are not fully human, you don’t deserve the same rights and opportunities as others, to be able to know in your heart and say with confidence that they do not have any claim to your life, there is one mightier than them who not only knows you by name and calls you beloved, but is actually present with you in all you are experiencing and struggling with - that is good news!  

So where does this leave us?  Maybe you fall into one of these categories of the marginalized or suffering, and can take comfort and hope in knowing that God is with you.  The powers of this world are nothing compared to the power of the Spirit that accompanies you and actually is present in you as you are going through your current struggles.

If not, I would hope that as Christians you have a desire at least to know Christ and be in relationship with him.  In order to build a relationship and grow in love and understanding, you have to spend time with the other person.  And our Gospel tonight tells us where we can find Christ the King, to engage in this relationship building.    

It is in our encounter with the poor, the homeless, the oppressed fighting for their liberation that we encounter Christ in a way that we cannot encounter him anywhere else.  We can’t fully know and love Christ, without knowing and loving the poor and the oppressed.   And when we know and love them, we make their struggles our struggles.  Of course we will share our food, our drink, our clothing, our comfort and presence, our resources and privilege, because that’s what you do for those you love.  

Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker movement has said that "it is love that will make us want to do great things for each other.  I do not know how to love God except by loving the poor.  I do not know how to serve God except by serving the poor."

Karen House, the Catholic Worker house here in St. Louis, continues the mission Dorothy Day started to foster loving encounter and transformation.  And we as a community have an opportunity to participate in this transformative encounter of love by preparing, serving, and sharing meals with the women and children who are currently housed at Karen House.  I have personally lived in the Karen House community and can testify to the power of getting to know Christ our King, present in those the world is quick to overlook or cast away, through something as simple as sharing food and conversation.

I want to close with some words of Pope Francis, from his address for the World Day of the Poor last weekend.  He made a beautiful connection between what we do in this space as we gather each week to remember and celebrate the Eucharist and what we are called to do outside this gathering within the larger community.  “If we truly wish to encounter Christ, we have to touch his body in the suffering bodies of the poor, as a response to the sacramental communion bestowed in the Eucharist.  The Body of Christ, broken in the sacred liturgy, can be seen in the faces and persons of the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters.”

May we, through a love and vision that is born in the celebration of Christ broken and blessed in the Eucharist, go out into the world to encounter Christ the King present in the broken and blessed spaces, and through this encounter grow deeper in love and actively participate in God’s kingdom breaking forth in the world.  Amen

Homily 11.2.17

(This was a homily I preached on 11/2/17 for my Preaching class at Eden to my seminary classmates)  

Focus Scripture: 2 Kings 2:1-15 

We are gathered together this morning on the feast of All Souls, which is a day for many in the Christian community to remember the great cloud of witnesses who accompany us and continue to inspire us in the life we live and the work that we do as faith leaders.  It is a day to reflect on our loved ones who have passed from this life, and yet continue to live on through the ways they touched our own life. 

It is a perfect day to reflect on this passage from 2 Kings – a journey of a student accompanying his beloved teacher as he prepares to leave this world, and then trying to figure out, – well now what?  I invite us to engage with this story of Elisha and Elijah today as a way to also reflect on our own mentors, teachers, and loved ones who we have accompanied, bid farewell to, and remember now on this Feast of All Souls. 

Our Scripture passage begins with this dynamic of accompaniment and farewell.   Throughout the life and ministry of Elijah, he has established these schools of prophets throughout the region, which he is now visiting one last time as he prepares to ascend into heaven.  Accompanying Elijah on this journey is one particular, chosen and beloved student: Elisha.  In each town they visit on this farewell tour, Elijah tells Elisha to stay behind, and he refuses.  The prophets in each town tell Elisha what he already knows, Elijah’s time is drawing to a close and he will soon be taken from him.  He doesn’t want to hear this, or be reminded, he just wants to spend as much time as possible with his beloved mentor and friend.

Perhaps you can relate to this dynamic of accompaniment and farewell, of not wanting to let go or say goodbye to a loved one.  Even as you know that their time is coming to an end, when others around you remind you that their days or hours are numbered you just want to shout back, like Elisha, “Shut up!  I know!  Just let me be.” 

I saw this dynamic play out when my grandma was dying.  It was obvious when she was getting close and her body was starting to shut down.  My grandpa continued to lovingly accompany her and care for her until she took her last breath. In those final months he didn’t want to hear from those of us who would remind him of what he already knew was going to happen, he didn’t want to waste any time preparing for the inevitable, he just wanted to spend every minute he could with the love of his life. 

And then whether we want it to or not, that moment finally comes.  We are separated from the one we love and look up to.  And even though we knew it was coming, it is still so incredibly hard to let go.  Our friend, our teacher, our family member, our beloved – is gone.  What are we to do now?   

When Elijah is carried up into heaven, Elisha responds with a great shout and tears his clothes in two – a symbol of deep, profound grief in the ancient world.  While the Scripture doesn’t clearly communicate how much time Elisha spent in that spot where he last saw Elijah, I imagine him being so overwhelmed that he stays there for a good while, sobbing, shouting, not knowing what will happen now and not wanting to move on too soon. 

Eventually he does get up, and picks up what is left behind of his beloved friend and mentor: the mantle.  What a perfect symbol right?  He literally picks up the mantel of the one who has gone before him, and returns to the water’s edge where Elijah with God’s help had parted the waters to allow safe passage.  He’s now alone and not sure what will happen. You see Elisha knew and felt that God was present in and through the life of Elijah, and now that Elijah is gone, there is a question – has God left as well? In this moment of anxiety and uncertainty he cries out: Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?  

Do we not also ask this question when we experience great pain or loss?  When we have to say goodbye to someone that we love?  Where is this good and loving God who is supposed to protect us and never leave us?  Where is the Spirit of God that was so active and present in the life of our loved one, which we experienced in relationship with them? 

Elisha’s question is answered in the parting of the waters.  The same Spirit of God that was with Moses in the parting of the Red Sea, the same Spirit of God that was with Elijah in parting the Jordan, now rests with Elisha as he crosses through the parted waters, returning to the company of the prophets who can see this truth and proclaim: “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.”  God hadn’t left, just because Elijah had departed.  God was still here with Elisha, ready to accompany him as he carries on God’s prophetic and healing work in the world.    

I hope and pray that you receive the same blessed assurance as Elisha when you cry out to God in moments of grief and despair – and know that God is here.  The life giving Spirit of God does not stop its prophetic work in the world when there is a death.  The life giving Spirit of God continues its work through you, and you, and me as we pick up the mantles of the prophets who have gone before us and continue their work in the world.  

 

I experienced this truth in a deep and profound way during the five months I lived in the beautiful country of El Salvador.  Archbishop Oscar Romero was a priest and prophet of God for the Salvadoran people, speaking out against the corruption, injustice, and violence of the State on behalf of the poor.  He was assassinated for this prophetic work by a military death squad while celebrating the Eucharist on March 24, 1980. 

You see, the government thought that they could stop the prophetic work of God in the world, by killing God’s prophet.  But they were so wrong.  Archbishop Romero said before he died, “If they kill me, I will arise again in the Salvadoran people.”  And he did.  I encountered his Spirit in the lives of the Salvadorans I had the privilege to know, who not only keep his memory alive but continue his prophetic work in the world for peace and justice on behalf of the poor. 

I am reminded of another of God’s prophets, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated on April 4, 1968.  The powers of white supremacy thought they could silence God’s prophetic voice and stop God’s prophetic work for justice and racial equity by tearing down one of its prophets.  But they too were so wrong.  Because the life giving Spirit of God does not stop its prophetic work in the world when there is a death.  There are those who pick up the mantles left behind, go out to the water’s edge, cry out to God, and find safe passage to continue the work until the time comes to pass on the mantle to another. 

Perhaps this doesn’t look so dramatic or public in our own lives. 

Perhaps we are reassured of the presence of God’s loving and liberating spirit when we offer the same kind of radical hospitality and loving attention that we were taught by a beloved grandparent. 

Or when we step into this seminary journey knowing that we are continuing the family business of Christian ministry, started by our dearly departed ancestors. 

Or maybe it looks like the inexplicable sense of courage and conviction that arises out on the streets, linked arm in arm, shouting “Free Our People,” knowing that Jesus is here, Moses is here, Romero is here, King is here. 

God’s life giving, liberating Spirit is here.  We do not walk alone, even when we say goodbye.

On this feast of All Souls, I invite us to close by speaking out loud the names of our departed prophets and loved ones in confidence that the Spirit of God which flowed through them and touched our lives, continues to flow through us as we continue and expand their work.  After each name please say together in confidence and affirmation: Present!  

(Since this was part of a class assignment, it was also filmed.  If you would like to watch the video of the Scripture passage being read as well as the homily preached follow this link:  https://youtu.be/NbNMGtVey3Q) 

Remembering and Reconnecting

"I have arrived.  I am home."

This is a mantra that is used for walking meditation in the Engaged Buddhism tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.  Instead of walking to get somewhere, walking meditation is about being present to each step, each breath, in the present moment, and realizing you've already arrived; you can be at home here and now.

I recently had the opportunity to do some walking meditation when I attended a local sangha's regular gathering because they had invited a special guest nun and dharma teacher with the Order of Engaged Buddhism, Sr. Ocean.  What made this particular walking meditation so special is that it took place at Eden Theological Seminary where I am currently a student.  There was something so satisfying and joy inducing to be in a sangha that follows in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh at the same place I am studying to be a Christian minister.  It was this beautiful coalescing of traditions that have shaped me.

This repeated phrase, "I have arrived.  I am home." was particularly moving as I slowly walked around the front quad at Eden, thinking about how I get to claim this place and space as a spiritual home, and I get to claim my arrival and presence here.  I have arrived.  I am home.

I also chose to do the walking barefoot, because part of being in the present is connecting to all that is around and within me, really feeling each step on the earth.  When was the last time you intentionally walked barefoot through the grass?  Re-connecting with earth, feeling the grass between my toes, splashing in the water fountains, delighting in the sun and flowers - what joy and thanksgiving!

I was reminded of a line from the Little Prince which I had just re-watched the day before: the problem isn't growing older, the problem is forgetting.  When did we forget how to be present and delight in creation?  Because kids know how to do this so well.  We have to remember.  We have to reconnect - to ourselves, to one another, to all living beings, the whole of creation, the Divine.  Slow down.  Breathe deep.  Be present.  Let joy overflow in you and through you.  Know that you have arrived right here, right now.  You are home.  And it is wonderful.

Remember.  Reclaim.  Reconnect.

Homily 9.8.17

Remembering we belong to one another, Re-membering the Body of Christ

Scripture Readings:

Ez 33:7-9

Rom 13:8-10

Matthew 18:15-20

Mother Theresa has a beautiful quote that says, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to one another.”  Our faith and tradition tell us that we belong to one another because we belong to God, the source of all life.  If the problem is we have forgotten, then the solution is to remember.  When we remember who we are and for what we are created we can re-member, that is put back together, the broken Body of Christ. 

Our Gospel reading this weekend is all about this idea of remembering and re-membering: naming and healing from the sin and conflict that separates the Body of Christ.  This is an incredibly practical topic for Jesus to teach on.  How many people here have ever had a conflict with another person before?  Every hand should be raised because if you’re alive and interact with other people it is guaranteed you’ve also experienced conflict.  This was no different two thousand years ago.  We know from the Scriptures that Jesus’ disciples were frequently arguing or in conflict with one another or even with Jesus himself.  So Jesus gives them a four point plan for how to respond when your brother or sister sins against you, which is really getting at how to repair and restore community when there is a break or divide. 

I want us to look at this idea of division and restoration on three levels.  The individual or interpersonal level, the societal and structural level, and finally in the whole of creation. 

So first on the interpersonal level.  We’ve already established that being in relationship with someone will most likely at some point involve a conflict, a disagreement, something that breaks apart the bond that was there. 

The first question is why do anything at all?  Why not just walk away and write that person off?  I don’t know about you, but I’m sometimes tempted to do that.  With our modern day social networks it is so easy to unfriend or block someone when I have been hurt or offended, rather than seek healing and reconciliation. 

But being made in God’s image means being made in and for community.  Where two or three are gathered, there too God is present.  Our second reading points to love as the greatest commandment, and love is inherently dynamic and relational.  God is love.  Love is lived out in community.  God/Love is present when two or three gather together in right relationship.  And so when there isn’t right relationship, when there is division and discord our faith compels us to seek healing and reconciliation. 

So step one is identifying that there has been harm done and going directly to the person who caused it with their words or actions. In movement spaces now a days there is language used about calling someone in, rather than calling them out.  I like this language in reference to people because we call out the harmful action, ideology, or structure but call in the person - call them back in to community, back in to their true selves, back in to their connection with us and with God. 

So we call in our brother and sister, and if there is repentance and reconciliation – great you’re done!  If not, step two.  Sometimes we can’t do this work on our own and we need to bring in a neutral third party who can help us mediate the conflict.  If that works – great, you’re done!  If not, it’s time to turn to the larger faith community.  Why?  Because we belong to one another and a division between two members of the community impacts the whole.  If the whole community in unable to bring healing and reconciliation to the person or persons who have caused the division, you are to treat them as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. 

Now this is my favorite part and I think the most challenging part of the whole passage.  What does it mean to treat them as you would a Gentile or a tax collector?  When I first read this passage I thought, ok here’s the part where Jesus is finally giving us permission to unfriend them and walk away.  Because Jewish society treated the Gentile and tax collector as the other, outside the community.  But Jesus is the one giving this teaching and Jesus lived and taught that even the Gentiles and tax collectors can be welcomed to God’s table and are part of the beloved community. 

This means that we always have to hold space for future repentance and reconciliation, to welcome back into community the one who has hurt and wronged us.  Sr. Helen Prejean who has spent most of her life ministering to those on death row, says that we are all more than the worst thing we have ever done.  If we really believe in God’s grace, that God’s love is big enough and powerful enough to forgive everyone, for everything, then it is our challenge to do the same as the living body of Christ in the world. 

So all of that is on the interpersonal level, but this dynamic is also played out on the societal and structural level.  There are deep divides in the Body of Christ not just because of what one individual said or did to another, but because of large, ingrained, systems and structures that have said some lives matter, and some lives do not; some people can image God, and some can not; some people can be called God’s beloved, and some can not. Entire groups of people have forgotten that we belong to one another. 

Addressing this level of division can take a similar formula.  We call out the oppressive system or structure, and call in the individuals caught up in it to repentance and reconciliation.  And I want to make sure we understand what causes division and what doesn’t, because in conversations I have often around the hurts and divides caused by structural oppression there seems to be some confusion. 

The act of calling out systemic and structural oppression is not divisive.  Naming structural evil for what it is, is not divisive.  It is the systemic and structural oppression which is already causing the divide, the break in community.  So calling out and naming white supremacy and racism as sinful is not divisive, white supremacy and racism are what is divisive.  Calling out and naming homophobia and transphobia as sinful is not divisive, homophobia and transphobia are divisive.  Calling out and naming sexism and ableism as sinful is not divisive, sexism and ableism are divisive. Calling out and naming xenophobia as sinful is not divisive, xenophobia is divisive. 

Not only is this act of naming injustice whenever and wherever we encounter it not divisive, it is actually required of us by the first reading.  The LORD says we will be held responsible for the harm done by our brother or sister if we do and say nothing.  Silence is violence, and we will be held accountable.  We have a responsibility to heal the divides caused by structural oppression, and we cannot heal what we will not first name.

These divisions in the body of Christ extend beyond just the human family to the whole of creation.  We are currently in the Season of Creation which lasts from Sept 1 – Oct 4, and it is a perfect opportunity to remember that not only do we belong to one another, but we belong to the whole of creation. 

The poet Mary Oliver has put it this way, “The farthest star and the mud at our feet are our family; and there is no decency or sense in honoring one thing, or a few things, and then closing the list.  The pine tree, the leopard, the river and ourselves – we are at risk together, or we are on our way to a sustainable world together.  We are each other’s destiny.” 

There currently exists a deep divide between humanity and the earth, reflected in the ways that we fail to even consider her part of ourselves and in the ways that we actively and passively contribute to her destruction and degradation.  Extreme weather events fueled by climate change are impacting millions around the world right now, and some still try to deny that we are one living organism that is intimately connected to everyone and everything, and as such our fate is intertwined. 

We are called to hold one another accountable to living in ecologically sustainable and responsible ways, to repent for the ways we fail daily to honor our interconnectedness to the earth, and to make changes in our daily actions and choices to protect and promote in the words of Pope Francis an ‘integral ecology.’

We know and acknowledge that as we continue to walk with one another in our personal lives, in our faith community, and in our larger society, we will face conflict and are called to respond with earnest, loving invitation to repentance and reconciliation.  This is difficult work that we will fall inevitably fall short on, but the good news is we are not doing it alone.  God’s love and grace is greater than our shortcomings, and if we can keep remembering who we are and for what we are created, we can also go about this work of re-membering the Body of Christ. 

This is the charge and challenge I want to leave you with today to bring into the week to come: Rooted in God who is Love, may we have the courage and grace to call one another in to reject the ideologies and structures that keep us broken and separated, and work together to restore beloved community, incarnating – putting into flesh -  the truth that we belong to one another because we belong to the source of Life itself.

 

Amen

Anne Frank Lives

On July 9, 2017 I visited the house and secret annex where Anne Frank lived for two years with her family and where she wrote the majority of her diary which was later published first as The Secret Annex and later as The Diary of Anne Frank.  This is a short reflection I wrote immediately after my time there.  

It's hard to know where to begin with this reflection.  It was incredibly heavy to be in the actual space where Anne Frank lived and wrote her diary.  I could feel the fear and tension still present in that space, but I could also hear the laughter of those rare moments of joy.  

I first read The Diary of Anne Frank when I was a bit younger than Anne, and it had a profound impact on my life.  I loved Anne.  I saw myself in Anne as an aspiring writer who also kept a journal, had an older sister, was going through puberty, etc.  Seeing myself in Anne made me question - "Why would anyone want to kill her?  Just because she's Jewish?"  That was absurd and unconscionable.  I read many more books on the Holocaust after that, trying to understand, trying to learn.  

The challenge Anne presents me with is if I would risk my own life to save others?  What am I really willing to risk?  If they start rounding up Muslims tomorrow would I do all I could to save as many as I could?  Because they are human beings - with hopes, and fear, and dreams just like me, just like you.  Can you see yourself in those targeted by oppression today?  Maybe with more empathy things would be different... 

At the bookstore in the museum I bought a postcard of Anne at a desk writing.  I will add this image to my prayer altar at home, as a reminder and a motivator to keep doing the work.  

As I sit here and write this, people are passing by on the street, smiling and laughing.  The sun is shining.  They have not just had the same experience I did.  Do they not know what happened here?  That's what I want to shout at them.  "Do you not know!?"  How can you laugh and smile?  Do you not know the tragedy that happened?  

And then I am immediately transported to all these places of tragedy, all these spaces where life has been lost and people pass by unaware.  Those who knew, those who still mourn, they must want to scream at those of us who pass by, "Do you not know what happened here!?"  And we don't.  Or we do and then we forget.  Or it is hidden.  

How do the living honor the dead, remember the tragedy, share the stories, and keep living in the present in such a way that this same tragedy never happens again?  

Front of the House where
Anne Frank and her family hid.

Sign reads: Anne Frank House

Reflections on Ecumenical Advocacy Days 2017

“When Christians come together, transformation happens.”

These were some of the opening words at the 2017 Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) gathering in Washington DC, where hundreds of Christians from a variety of denominations came together to reflect on Martin Luther King’s message in his “Beyond Vietnam” speech 50 years earlier, warning about the giant triplets of racism, militarism, and materialism.  As we spent time with his prophetic words and reflected on our currently reality, we quickly realized that despite the passage of 50 years, racism, militarism, and materialism continue to infect our communities and world, challenging the realization of the beloved community. 

In a pre-conference panel sponsored by the National Council of Churches (NCC), these giant triplets of racism, militarism, and materialism were prophetically called out as nothing less than idolatry by the Rev. Dr. Shannon Craigo-Snell.  Idolatry denies dependence on God; it is putting our trust in something other than God and designating worth as coming from something other than God.  Racism and white supremacy create worth based on proximity to whiteness.  Materialism creates worth based on wealth.  Militarism creates worth based on might, force, and control.  She challenged us to address the idolatry that is fueling injustice, but make sure that we are not simply replacing one idol for another. 

The official program kicked off with a powerful keynote by Tamika Mallory, one of the co-organizers of the Women’s March on Washington.  She challenged us to take an honest look at ourselves.  Are we really part of the problem, or part of the solution?  What kinds of conversations are we having in our families, in our churches?  Because the reality is an overwhelming majority of white Christians voted in this current administration.  And she reminded us that it is what we actually do, that speaks to what we really believe.  We have to get uncomfortable and be ok making others uncomfortable.  One of my favorite lines that she said was, “If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club.”  Powerful words for us to reflect on. 

In thinking about the work that predominantly white churches have to do, we listened to a powerful keynote from the Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer, current President of the United Church of Christ, on America’s Possessive Investment in Whiteness.  The UCC has developed a curriculum for churches to engage this topic and have the tough conversations, and it is free to download. 

A good portion of EAD focused on education around the president’s proposed budget and other important pieces of pending legislation such as the health care bill and tax reforms.  This was important information because on Monday, after two and half days of intense presentations and conversations, we went to meet with our congressional representatives and senators to speak to them about these very issues from our faith-based perspective.  We heard from lobbyists and policy experts about the negative impacts cuts to both local and foreign aid would have.  These cuts would impact the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world, and we have a moral obligation to speak up on their behalf.  One of the speakers from Bread for the World helped us make the connections between militarism, racism, and materialism in our foreign policy.  The US is more proliferate in selling arms to other countries than sending food and aid.  We ignore human rights abuses for profit from wars.

In addition to the stimulating conversations and powerful presentations EAD, being a gathering of people of faith, included multiple opportunities to gather together as a faith community in praise and worship.   I found this one of the most hopeful and moving experiences of the entire conference, to be able to gather together across denominations, recognizing our connectedness as Christians, and celebrate that faith in a unified way.  Together we sang songs of freedom, lament, and praise, received the Word through moving and challenging preaching, and placed our collective prayers for peace and justice before our God.  In these spaces and moments it didn’t matter what church we went to back home or what theological disagreements or dogma separated us; we were one family, centered in the love of God, and joining together around a common commitment to live our faith in a way that takes us one step closer to the kin-dom of God, the beloved community.  “When Christians come together, transformation happens.”  I saw and felt the truth of that declaration in the Spirit present at EAD.  This same Spirit called us forth out of that safe space and into the halls of power, meeting with our Congresspeople as a unified, faith-based voice advocating for the protection of the environment and the protection of all programs and services that support the most vulnerable. 

Besides the congressional meetings, two other prophetic actions many participants of EAD engaged in were a march to and prayer service at the Pentagon and a faith leaders press conference and march to the Senate building where a handful of leaders were arrested for civil disobedience.  At the Pentagon we lifted up our laments for the lives that have been lost or destroyed, and joined hands to pray peace into that space and commit to working for greater peace and nonviolence in our own hearts, in our communities, and in the world.  At the press conference faith leaders cried out for a moral budget that would support the common good, protect the vulnerable, and care for the environment.  They then led a march to the Senate building where seven faith leaders were arrested for participating in an act of civil disobedience.  

You can learn more about the 2017 EAD Conference on their website here:  https://advocacydays.org/2017-confronting-chaos/.  There are videos of the keynote speakers, photos, and you can also download their lobby day ask resources to add your voice to this ecumenical advocacy effort and contact your own representatives and senators about the issues we discussed.  

 

Grand Canyon Poems

I recently took a vacation to the Grand Canyon with my husband and wrote a few poems as I sat on the South Rim contemplating and soaking it all in.  Enjoy! 

Poem 1/ Prayer

A simple prayer
whispered into the wind
carried across the miles
that seem to separate
me
from you

"thank you"
hardly seems sufficient
but it is all I have

and as I breathe 
in and out 
I feel the wind
wrap me up
in your loving embrace
and hear you whisper back 

"for you my beloved child, 
everything." 


Poem 2/ The World Turns

The shadows slowly creep
as the day draws to a close.
Everything becomes more vibrant. 
The rocks are on fire. 
Light and Darkness
Earth and Sky
dance together 
in these final hours,
final minutes,
until the darkness
of the infinite abyss
consumes everything 

so that the stars 
can shine forth
in all their radiant glory

and instead of looking down
we look up.  


Poem 3/ Wrinkles 

Time has etched herself
into your face. 

I've never seen wrinkles
more beautiful. 


Poem 4/ Pachamama

The Earth is amazing. 
Nature is strong
and powerful
and healing
and wise
and generous
and fierce
and stop-you-in-your-tracks
take-your-breath-away
beautiful.
No wonder She's a woman. 

Pachamama
Mother Earth 

Teach me your ways.   

Dance Wisdom 4/17

image from Soul Dance facebook page 4/17

You were made for this. 
I was made for this. 
Just say Yes!
Be free. 
Be yourself. 
Love the you you hide. 
Love the you inside. 
You were made for this. 
Let yourself be overcome
with exuberant joy and love.  
Don't feel bad. 
Don't feel guilty.
You were made for this. 
Love this fullness of life
this freedom. 
Live it!
Enjoy it! 
You were made for this.

Dance Wisdom 4/10

image from Soul Dance facebook page 4/10

I am light. 
I am free. 
I am swirling spirit. 
I am passion and energy. 
I am a whirling dervish.
I am creating
and destroying
and creating
and destroying. 
I am essence
and presence. 

I am a world inside a world:
flowing rivers,
twinkling stars,
rising sun and moon,
dancing trees,
strong and sturdy mountain.
All creation rejoicing...

How good it is
to be Alive! 

Dance Wisdom 3/20 (2 of 2)

image from Soul Dance facebook page 3/20

It starts small
a wiggle here
a wiggle there
and then slowly
it grows
a little bigger
a little faster
a little higher
a little bolder
growing
growing
growing

until it is EVERYTHING

It is pure joy
and celebration
delighting in this mystery
this gift
of being alive
being embodied

I am movement
big
bold
and joyful
apologizing to no one
delighting in
my bigness
my power
my space
my freedom

I cannot be contained

Dance Wisdom 3/20 (1 of 2)

image from Soul Dance facebook page 3/20

I am here.
I am alive.
My body is good
and holy
and beautiful.

I am free
I am free
I am free

I feel deeply.
I move deeply.

I am fluid water
flowing
rushing
trickling
among the boulders that you are.

This is power
This is freedom
This is present moment
beautiful moment
only moment.

Dance Wisdom 3/13

image from the Soul Dance facebook page for 3/13

Women are everything that is good
and caring
and gentle
and bold
and powerful
and brave
and wise
and spiritual
and healing
and loud
and take your breath away
and fun
and beautiful
and active
and still

We are ALL of it! 

Soul Dance - an intro

I have been incredibly nourished, and challenged, and invited to grow and expand through a form of conscious dance called Soul Dance.  I went to my first class (although it feels weird to call it a class because it's the exact opposite of what "classes" traditionally are, in that it is very open and all about trusting the wisdom of your own body rather than following someone else or trying to do things a certain "right" way) in early March, and have been going back every week since that I've been able to.  For me, this has been a life shifting experience of really integrating body and spirit, allowing spirit to move in and through me, and trusting the wisdom of my own body when I really let her move and do her thing.  

The basics are: my friend Erin creates a playlist of music that lasts around 75 minutes moving from slow, to more energetic, and back to slow, and the space is open for each person to move in the exact way that their body needs to move or invites them to move.  There is usually a theme to help us center our thoughts and prayers that we want to bring into the space that evening.  There is some lose guidance and reminders to breathe and trust your body, but it's a very open and inviting space to experiment, try new things, and be as big and bold as feel called to.  That is one of the aspects that stood out most to me my first time - how I was encouraged to really take up all the space I wanted and needed.  This was such a powerful contradiction for me as a woman.  It was/is an incredibly freeing practice, to be in a judgment free zone of getting to just delight in all aspects of your body and have everyone doing different things and really embrace and celebrate that each person is trusting the wisdom of their own body, working out just what they need to.  And we get to do it together!  

Usually at some point during the dance, I take a break to write down the thoughts and feelings that are coming up.  I want to be more intentional about sharing these bits of my own body wisdom in this space, so the following posts will be catching up with the past few weeks of Soul Dance insights.  Enjoy!  And if you're in St. Louis, consider joining us on Monday evenings at 7:30pm at Big Bend Yoga studio.