Sometimes, you just need to do it. Sometimes, in the midst of the uncertainty, the arguing, the fear—you just need to step into it. Into the uncertainty. Step in with the confidence that whatever transpires in the moments ahead… the extravagant welcome of the cosmos will draw you in. Hold you tight. So step into the Divine. God’s holy embrace.
Sometimes, when I read the headlines, see a social media post, a hashtag, or get and email, I am jolted. All I can do is pause and wonder, “What does THAT mean?” And sometimes, there are just too many “What does THAT means?” in one week. A day. An hour. And then I hear the writer in James ask, ‘Who is wise and understanding among you?” and I think, definitely not me. I mean, with all of the conflicts and disputes, who am I… how am I… supposed to respond to THAT?
This week, there was a shooting at a workplace in nearby Middleton. This is, was, and has been… too close to home. Some people in this congregation work in that building. Some have family and friends that were there. That same day, there was a shooting on a bus in Monona. And then all around us national headlines raged around the issue of sexual abuse. Public Theologian Susan Thistlethwaite wrote this week that “The power structure of American society, its sense that elites have the right to exploit those with less power and that they do not deserve to be heard or believed, is on display right now.”[1]
And then there are the election ads that are running as midterm elections approach on November 6. Members in this faith community are actively working to get out the vote. This same week Rebecca Malke and I participated with other faith and community leaders in Fitchburg in a discussion group focusing on issues of race and racial disparities in our this community. Three days later, television news reports showed a video of “…an officer responding to a tip from a 911 caller on Aug. 7 who thought State Assembly candidate Shelia Stubbs’ parked car looked suspicious.”[2] Stubbs is running for the 77th District, an area along Madison’s west side and downtown. If elected, she will be “the first black legislator from Dane County in the State Assembly.”[3] Her mother and 8-year-old daughter were in the car. The caller reportedly called 911 because they thought the people sitting in the car looked like they were waiting for a drug deal to go down. How do you explain that to your 8-year-old daughter?
The quote that I read to you from Thistlethwaite, she wrote in response to the #MeToo and #WhyIDidntReport movements. Yet her words resonate across power structures, so hear them again: “The power structure of American society, its sense that elites have the right to exploit those with less power and that they do not deserve to be heard or believed, is on display right now.”[4]
Here, in the life of the church, many of you have reached out to me saying that you are that you are tired of just talking about issues of racial injustices, economic disparities, the broken incarceration system, kids living in poverty, the needs of those living on a fixed income… and you want to do. There are others of us who gather here that are just… plain… tired. Tired of the conflicts and arguing in the news. In our families.
What do we DO with all of THAT?
And then it struck me. Through two stories. First, the story of Jesus gathered in the room of a house in the midst of all of the conflict. All of the infighting. All of the threats from the Roman Empire. Despite the belligerent talk of the elites that feel they have the right to exploit those with less power. Despite the fact that there are people in power that believe that there are some that do not deserve to be heard or believed. There, Jesus takes a moment. A one-on-one encounter with a child. A child, whom in Jesus’ day was thought of as the property of the male head of household. A child likely not noticed as the disciples gather in the tension simmering in that room which has been building as they argue. In the chaos, in the rumbling, in the texts, tweets, emojis, and loud voices, Jesus takes a child in his arms. Love in Action.
THIS is what we are to do.
This week the Rev. Cameron Trimble posted in her blog that, “It’s hard to differentiate our inner voices from the noise of our world. Take an hour a day… to separate the inconsequential from the valuable, distractions from what matters, real from unreal—until you once again hear the inner voice that guides your best life.”[5] Contemplative advocacy. Pause. Spiritually refresh. Rejuvenate. Let the extravagant welcome of the cosmos will draw you in. Hold you tight. So step into the Divine. God’s holy embrace. And then the response…something unexpected: Love in Action.
The second story happened here, last Saturday, in our fellowship hall. I took that hour, several hours, to separate the inconsequential from the valuable. I spent time with the families and youth that participate here, in our building, in the Music Makers program each Saturday. It just so happened that I was hanging out at a table where youth were sitting down, coloring. The three of them seemed to be around 9 or 10 years old.
Then a 4-year-old approached. As the older kids pushed and teased each other, and the Fellowship Hall was filled with other people talking, playing the bassoon, laughing, and just general commotion, the 4-year-old knelt on a chair at the table, reached across the large sheet of drawing paper the three 9-year-old were sharing, and grabbed a green crayon. She looked at me and confidently stated, “I am going to draw a giraffe.”
She proceeded to draw a long, thin, green oval on the page. OK, I thought. A giraffe has a long neck, this one has a long neck, long body, and… well… not much room for legs (the drawing started near an edge of the sheet of paper). The girl drew, and talked, her way through her artwork.
“These are the eyes.”
They were wonderfully large eyes, with eyelashes.
“These are the stripes.”
OK – a striped giraffe…
“Here are the legs…”
And she proceeded to draw 4, short legs at the bottom of the page. And then LOTS of other short, straight legs…
After awhile she looked directly at me and proclaimed, “IT’S A CATERPILLAR!”
A caterpillar. Something totally unexpected, but of course—that is exactly what it was.
A pausing. A spiritual rejuvenation. In the presence of a child. The welcome of the cosmos that holds you tight. Take time to step into the Divine. God’s holy embrace. And then the unexpected respond… Creative Love in Action.
Love in Action… THIS is what I believe we are to do; to become; to embrace. This is God. In the midst of all of conflict. Infighting. Threats from the Empire. Love in Action despite the belligerent talk of the elites that feel they have the right to exploit those with less power. Love in Action despite the fact that there are people in power that believe that there are some that do not deserve to be heard or believed. Kathy Dawson writes that “…in choosing to draw near to God, we are throwing off the power that earthly wisdom has over us.”
So come, Children of God. Let the extravagant welcome of the cosmos will draw you in this day. Hold you tight. Welcome the holy embrace. Step into the Divine. And in that sacred space, may we become God’s Love in Action.
Amen.
~Pastor Kris
Reflection on James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a and Mark 9:30-37 offered on September23, 2018.
[1] Contributor, Guest. “The Moral Imperative of #BelievetheWomen.” Patheos. September 19, 2018. Accessed September 21, 2018. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionnow/2018/09/the-moral-imperative-of-believethewomen-brett-kavanaugh-christine-blasey-ford/.
[2] O’Neill, Madalyn. “‘I Felt so Belittled’: Police Video Shows Stop That Has Black Candidate Speaking out.” WISC. September 22, 2018. Accessed September 22, 2018. https://www.channel3000.com/news/i-felt-so-belittled-police-video-shows-stop-that-has-black-candidate-speaking-out/798138931.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Contributor, Guest. “The Moral Imperative of #BelievetheWomen.” Patheos. September 19, 2018. Accessed September 21, 2018. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionnow/2018/09/the-moral-imperative-of-believethewomen-brett-kavanaugh-christine-blasey-ford/.
[5] “Piloting Faith – A Daily Meditation.” Rev. Cameron Trimble. Accessed September 22, 2018. https://mailchi.mp/59d77e3ce9bd/piloting-faith-a-daily-meditation-172765.