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“Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’ (Matthew 25:34-40)
Dear Friends,
This weekend the month of February begins, as does Black History Month. There has been a rash of news stories lately which are forcing federal agencies and even our military forces to deny the celebrations of holidays which honor those who have been marginalized in our society: people of color, women, LGBTQAI siblings, immigrants, refugees. It’s challenging to find energy to celebrate when rhetoric is primarily negative. There has been a recent flurry of ICE searches in communities, faith communities, and non-profits. This prompted us to share with you the guidelines about public and private spaces in churches and resulted in a flurry of phone calls and emails about interpretating what this means to our PNEC churches. It’s really a hard time for many of us.
At the risk of sounding more progressive than I usually do, there is a seed of fear among white Americans, that as they become the minority population in our nation, they are losing power and therefore are at risk. Coincidentally, it is the same risk that our oppressed neighbors have felt since the founding of this nation. What is a Christian to do? As an educated, middle class, cis gendered, heterosexual, white woman, I may be viewed as one who is safe from the fear of my Caucasian siblings. I am not. Women’s rights are at risk too. Health care is at risk. Reproductive Freedom is at risk. Medicare and Medicaid are at risk. The challenges abound.
We could let the differences in our opinions divide us. Yet, what if we truly listened to the concerns, the fears, the needs, and the opinions of those around us, even those with whom we vehemently disagree? What might change if we offered understanding, respect, and love to one another? Clearly Jesus spoke to empire, reminding the powers of his day to take care of the least among us, those with the greatest challenges of poverty, illness, imprisonment, homelessness. What if we lived out the call of Matthew 25, as quoted above?
As a means of offering a hopeful prayer, I offer you a benediction that Dr. Jin Young Choi shared in her letter to the Colgate Rochester Crozer community this week. It is from the book, From the Ends of the World: Prayers in Defiance of Empire, edited by Claudio Carvalhaes (p. 47).
"May the peace you experience here silence the sounds of conflict and weapons of warfare.
May the joy of knowing you are loved conquer hatred and mend broken relationships in the community.
May the love that surrounds you break down walls and barriers of political, social, and physical indifference.
May the Creator bless you richly with healing grace.
May we be a blessing to others, showing acts of kindness to our neighbor and all we encounter.
Believe, behave, and belong!"
Blessings, Bonnie
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