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Dear St. Thomas’ Beloved,
Former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry often said, “Love God, love your neighbor,
change the world.”
In my email response signature, I include a favorite mantra of mine by Martin Luther
King, Jr., "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot
drive out hate; only love can do that."
These powerful quotes make love the foundation and promote a way of being and
action that has a way of transforming hearts and making change that begins with
us and then propels us outward in our everyday living. Will we always get it right?
No. And being right isn’t the point; the goal is to be in relationship and be open
and available to learning and growing in the times we get it right and especially
when we get it wrong. It builds humility and the capacity for empathy for others.
Bishop Kara recently shared a pastoral letter that encouraged us “to use our privilege
to speak up when actions taken by our government do not stand up to the moral standards we profess as Christians; it is both our Christian and our civic duty to
speak and act.” St. Thomas’ community possesses agency and privilege, though sometimes circumstances seem so large and overwhelming that we think we can
not make a difference and that we do not have any power. When we experience numbness, a sense of feeling stuck and paralyzed, community becomes essential.
Our relationships can help remind us that we have work to do; we have gifts to share;
a voice to speak up for the vulnerable; a vote that counts; and others in our life to
share the responsibility and to be our companion to keep showing up.
Accountability can be uncomfortable, yet when practiced with love and grace, it is essential to cultivate healthy relationships, partnerships, and communities. This kind
of connection keeps us in touch with the need for humility and builds up the kin-dom
of God instead of finding the need to demean and hold others down. The marginalized in our community need us to speak, to show up, to advocate, to come alongside and resist the urge to be silent and look away.
So, keep staying current with the news, keep connections with family, neighbors,
and co-workers, keep talking as a community, keep writing letters, protesting, and working for the kin-dom of love that creates a humanity, a creation that can expand
our imaginations and raise the beauty of diversity up instead of demeaning and using
fear tactics to oppress.
Words matter and love guides us to find better ways of living and loving as we seek
to stitch the fabric that fits everyone, not just some.
Remember, if love hasn’t won, it is not over. Thanks be to God.
Faithfully,
Amma Leslie+
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