pride and prejudice... and the Gospel

Several friends have asked how I’m reacting to the recent media coverage about demonstrations and social media trends following various police actions and grand jury decisions.  Other than pithy summaries of what I’m getting from Bible readings many Sundays, I don’t tend to participate in political banter on Facebook, so you won’t find a lot of reaction to stuff in the media on my page.   Having said that, here’s the punchline of a longer response I wrote to a family member today that represents what’s on my mind and heart these past couple of weeks:   What is potent in our progress on civil rights (heck, what’s essential to human dignity) is when people with more social power and privilege risk of some of that by standing in solidarity with those who feel (and might actually have) less… and to question why things are the way they are… and to hold each other accountable to offering relief, providing opportunities for repentance and reconciliation, and striving for restoration of our equal standing before God. That’s at the heart of what Jesus did in his earthly ministry. Perhaps I got a little preachy here, but for me this is more than just the particulars of what’s been in the media lately, this is about a way of life and the trajectory of our culture. I wonder if we're doing better with daily self-awareness, humility, and concern for others as God would have us be concerned for each other.


For the record, here’s a little more of what I wrote:  Because we take issue with any particular bit of someone’s argument doesn’t warrant us dismissing that person’s entire perspective or other points that person is making. I believe that’s some of what frustrates many people today – the degradation of civil discourse and loss of willingness and ability to engage in rigorous and critical debate without shutting down our minds and hearts because we disagree with some bit of what someone has said in context of a particular time and place. We seem to be too quick to simply agree or disagree… and jump on bandwagons of groupthink. I don’t support violent and destructive riots; nor am I debating the merits of a grand jury decision (I might take issue with the grand jury judicial process itself, but I wasn’t presented with all the evidence or legal considerations presented to these juries); nor do I believe it’s safe these days for any of us to wave a toy gun in public or to mouth-off to or aggressively resist police (even if we disagree in the moment with the attitude or tactics of officers confronting us). These have become flashpoints for more chronic frustration under the surface that is rooted in the avoidance of acknowledging and talking about, despite some social progress, how we (particularly white males of relative privilege) too often fail to acknowledge and challenge presumptions, prejudices, and stereotypes that benefit us and discount others. The subconscious generalizations that drive our behaviors are often based on prior life experience that threatened or harmed us. Parts of our brains hold on to bias and stereotypes for survival –it’s a more basic instinct. However, the opportunity we all have as we mature is to own up to our prejudicial tendencies that unfairly hold others back and support beliefs/systems that benefit us while diminishing other groups of people (and their perspectives and concerns). Though later life experience living and working amid all sorts of diversity (beyond what my mono-cultural suburban childhood exposed me to) has helped me keep check on some of my own prejudices and overcome them in my behavior with others, I still notice my instinct to give some people more benefit of the doubt, to avoid conversations with some people, to assume good things about some people, etc. all based on outward appearances. What is potent in our progress on civil rights (heck, what’s essential to human dignity) is when people with more social power and privilege risk of some of that by standing in solidarity with those who feel (and might actually have) less… and to question why things are the way they are… and to hold each other accountable to offering relief, providing opportunities for repentance and reconciliation, and striving for restoration of our equal standing before God. That’s at the heart of what Jesus did in his earthly ministry. Perhaps I got a little preachy here, but for me this is more than just the particulars of what’s been in the media lately, this is about a way of life and the trajectory of our culture. I wonder if we're doing better with daily self-awareness, humility, and concern for others as God would have us be concerned for each other.

First Sunday of Advent, Year B

awaiting God's tearing open of the heavens and coming down....

restore us, God....

strengthen us with your grace....

help us to keep awake.

"Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen." [Advent 1 Collect from The Book of Common Prayer]

Who/what has the reign? What/who are we subject to?

The Feast of Christ the King was created by Pope Pious XI as an antidote to the rising primacy of secularism in the 1920’s. 

Now celebrated on this last Sunday before we begin a new church year with Advent, the assigned readings for this feast day remind faithful Christians that the good news, charitable/caring mission, and coming judgment of Christ is to reign supreme in our hearts and minds, especially amid the rants of gluttonous commercialism, consumerism, and nationalism that demand our allegiance. 

How might we be surprised to perceive God’s ‘kingdom come’ with the eyes of our heart when caring for the vulnerable, hungry, thirsty, stranger, needy, imprisoned, and sick? 

It’s always a good day to re-cognize the systems and beliefs we support; 
who/what compels us to action (or inaction) toward each other; 
and to what/who we all are ultimately subject. 

[ref. RCL readings for Christ the King, Year A]

in the meantime...

Yes, we’re told the end times will include accounting and judgment... 

and we’re also warned against playing it too safe in the meantime. 

Humility, yes. Timidity, no. 

The timing of the ultimate day of reckoning is unknown. 

What is known is that we’re still alive this day. 

We are to remain alert and awake as children of light, 

rather than dwell in/on the darkness. 

During these days that we’ve been granted, 

how are we handling and investing the talents 

with which we’ve been entrusted?

[ref: RCL readings for Proper 28, Year A]

oil in our lamps

Faithful endurance and spiritual reserves
are fuel we build up 

through practice and perseverance. 

Though they’re not commodities that we can 

sell, trade, and loan to others in a pinch, 

we can (and should) demonstrate them 

as encouragement 

while otherwise sharing freely our 

hope-full instructions, 

patience-filled preparedness, and 

discernment-based disciplines. 

[ref: Matt 25:1-13 / Gospel reading for Proper 27, Year A]

living with the dead

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

Imagining faces in that divine crowd 

as we read names of our faithful departed 

and celebrate the mystery and promise of Communion; 

honoring the past, 

hoping for the future, 

and gearing up for the present.   

[ref: All Saints, All Souls/Faithful Departed, and Dias de los Meurtos]

the greatest of these is charitable love

At the heart of our calling are interdependent commands to love – love God and love others.  

How do we describe this love - what does it look and sound like in action (with God and with others)? 

How are we to generate/experience more of it? 

How might we overcome the obstacles to sharing it more freely? 

[ref: RCL readings for Proper 25, Year A]