July 30, 2020
"Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem
the soul of America." -- John Lewis
"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have
overcome the world." -- John 16, 33
Dear Friends:
Over the past few days, our nation has been confronted with the disturbing witness of John Lewis’ life. The integrity of his life “disturbs” us because he took his faith seriously enough to already “see” the fulfillment of our prayer. “Thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.” He was willing to embrace the rigorous “soul training”, the discipline of non-violence in the face of abuse and defeat in order to be true to the Gospel command, “Love one another.” He was willing to live his belief in the beloved community without compromise, reserve or condition...even anticipating forgiveness. “Suffering can be nothing more than a sad and sorry thing without the presence on the part of the sufferer of a graceful heart, an accepting, an open heart, a heart that holds no malice toward the inflictors of his or her suffering.”
John Lewis’ death meets us at a moment of profound global reckoning. Even as we cover our faces, our brokenness has been exposed, our complicity in the injustices and inequities of our society unmasked, our blindness revealed. Our choice is to turn away or to allow ourselves to be deeply troubled...to have the discipline and courage to stay in the discomfort...to engage in deep listening and prayerful humility...to welcome the grace of conversion. Bryan Massingale reminds us, “It’s only when we become agonized enough, angry enough...that we begin to be invested in change.” Perhaps this is the “good trouble, necessary trouble” that invites us to “get in.”
Cranaleith is offering some upcoming programs that hold us in that place of “holy disturbance” ...“good trouble.” Join us for a book circle to read
The Invention of Wings
and explore the story of women who bonded at the intersection of suffrage and slavery. Sign up for our program
Conversations That Matter: From Transfiguration to Transformation
and awaken to wisdom offered in this pandemic...the revelation of both our destructiveness and our sacred beauty.
Above all, know that we pray with you for healing and peace for one another and for our brothers and sisters.
The Cranaleith Staff
"In the bosom of every human being, there is a spark of the divine. So you don’t have a right as a human to abuse that spark of the divine in your fellow human being." -- John Lewis
