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| "Alt-right" members protest the removal of the Robert E. Lee Statue in Charlottesville, Virginia. |
What a week this has been! Earlier in the week, I was
reminded that on August 9, 1945 the United States dropped a nuclear bomb on
Nagasaki, Japan, killing tens of thousands of people. Three days before that,
the United States dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. That week, more than
100,000 people died instantly, and tens of thousands more in the following days
and weeks.
Then we heard that our president responded to North
Korea’s nuclear tests by threatening them with “fire and fury like the world
has never seen”--on the day before Nagasaki Day.
Of the roughly 15,000 nuclear bombs in the world, about
half of them are owned by the U.S. We have bombs that are 80 times stronger
than the Hiroshima bomb. Cumulatively,
the firepower of our nuclear arsenal is equivalent to 50,000 Hiroshima bombs.
It only takes 100 nuclear bombs to make the world uninhabitable — and we have
an estimated 7,000. Lord, have mercy!
Also, this week, we heard that the Dar Al Farooq mosque
near Minneapolis was bombed while worshipers were gathered for morning prayers,
in an “act of terrorism.”
Through the week, as we heard about North Korea and nuclear
threats, I thought that was where this sermon was headed. But now many of us
are lamenting what's been happening in Charlottesville, Virginia. I think a lot
of sermons got re-written yesterday.
In any case, I think a lot of us can relate to the fearful
disciples in the boat, as they were tossed about on a stormy sea.
In the fourteenth chapter of
Matthew, Jesus and the disciples have, in the face of apparent scarcity, miraculously
fed a crowd of more than 5,000 people and discovered that there was enough for
everyone. Then Jesus sends the disciples back across the lake and stays to pray
on the mountain.
As the
disciples are crossing the lake, a storm comes along. The disciples find themselves struggling
against the wind. The waves are
battering against the side of the boat and soaking them. They’re a long way from the safety of the
shore. They feel alone and helpless...
and afraid. Their fear would have had a lot to do with how people in ancient
times perceived the sea—as a place of chaos and danger.
As the
disciples anxiously scan the horizon, they see something coming closer and
closer to them on top of the water. What
could this strange apparition be?
They’re terrified! They holler at
each other in fear above the roar of the storm:
“What is it? It must be a ghost!”
But then they hear a familiar voice
speaking to them, saying, "Take heart. It is I. Don't be afraid."
Apparently, Peter takes Jesus at his word. He steps out
of the boat to walk on water toward Jesus. He discovers quickly that Jesus’
words of assurance didn’t mean the dangerous wind and waves had subsided.
Jesus doesn't calm the wind when he
commands Peter to come to him. He
doesn't calm the wind when he saves Peter from drowning.As biblical scholar Margaret Aymer wrote yesterday on Facebook, “In the face of the storms of white supremacy and racism, the church is commanded to walk on water, crying out for rescue when we need it. In the face of “make nice” culture and fear of offending, we are still required to face into the winds with the truth that racism is sin….”
Friday night, white supremacists assembled in Charlottesville, Virginia for a public demonstration of hate. They held torches and chanted phrases such as “You will not replace us!” “Jews will not replace us!” “White lives matter!”
Yesterday morning, there was a clear contrast between white supremacists who chanted “Blood and soil!” and faith groups gathering in churches and then walking quietly to Emancipation Park and gathering there, singing with arms locked together, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine….” [The congregation spontaneously joined with me in singing a verse of the song.]
I know that the term “white supremacy” is unpopular, and that a lot of people are really uncomfortable talking about racism. A lot of people think it only refers to racists who wear hoods and burn crosses. They think it’s too harsh to apply to them, the people they know, or the church. But, as Jemar Tisby wrote yesterday in the Washington Post, “we can’t change the white supremacist status quo unless we name it and confront it.”[1]
It isn’t easy. And we worry about offending or alienating people.
Some of us have been having conversations and reading books together, books that inform and challenge us to talk honestly with one another about tough topics. It’s hard but necessary work for those of us who are committed to working for a just and peaceful world.
More than 50 years have passed since Martin Luther King gave his “I have a dream” speech. Have we made progress since that time? Undoubtedly. But we need to be honest with ourselves about where we the people of the United States are and about our history.
In the Gospel according to John, we hear Jesus saying, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”[6]
I believe the gospel has the power to set us free-- as individuals, as a community, as a society-- if we have ears to hear the good news… if we have faith to trust in God’s power to transform us and bind us together in Beloved Community….if we trust in the gospel’s truth to bring us through the storms…
I appreciate the way Jim Wallis talks about the power of the truth in his latest book:[7]
“To become more free because of the truth. To become more honest because of the truth. To become more responsible because of the truth. To become better neighbors because of the truth. To become more productive and contributing citizens because of the truth. To become better Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, people of other faiths, or people of conscience with no religion—all better because of the truth. To become a better and freer country for all of us because of the truth. To become better and freer human beings because of the truth.[8]
I agree with Jim when he says, “We can no longer be afraid of the truth about race in this country—past, present, and future—because our fears will keep us captive to all kinds of untruths.
Our faith teaches us that there is only one race: the human race. The other “races” are things that people have made up to justify dehumanizing other human beings and using and oppressing them. Our faith teaches us that every human being is created in the image of God and is precious in God’s sight. Our faith teaches us that we are required to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God.
In the Christian view, racism is a sin. We will always have sin in this world, on this side of eternity. But we are called to “speak the truth in love” and to fight against sin in all its forms. As long as the Church is in this world, God’s Holy Spirit will be working in and among us, leading and guiding and encouraging us, reminding us that goodness is stronger than evil and that love is stronger than hate. As long as we have breath, the Church--when the Church is truly being the Church--will not stop fighting for good.
There’s great resistance to this holy work. When a black pastor in the largest Protestant denomination in the country brought a resolution condemning the alt-right and white supremacy, a small group of mostly white pastors dismissed it out of hand, and it was initially defeated. It took the protests of other pastors, as well as backlash on social media, for the Southern Baptist Convention to pass a resolution condemning the alt-right and white supremacy at its annual meeting last June.
More than 50 years ago, the Rev. Martin Luther King wrote a response to white pastors after they sent a message urging restraint and gradualism in the civil rights movement.
In his
“Letter From a Birmingham Jail,” Dr. King said, “I felt that the white ministers, priests and rabbis of the South would be some of our strongest allies.
Instead, some few have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and
misrepresenting its leaders; all too many others have been more cautious than courageous and have
remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained-glass windows.”
So, here we are, in 2017. Dr. King’s words resonate
prophetically today. But in the midst of
the storms of life, we are still fearful. We may be afraid that there is not
enough for everyone-- that if those who are different or other have equity,
there won’t be enough for us. We may fear losing the privileges we have always
taken for granted. We may be afraid that the arc of the universe doesn’t bend
toward justice. We may fear being uncomfortable. We may fear change. We may
fear offending or alienating people we care about.As followers of Jesus, we need to speak the truth in love. We need to be very clear that racism, domestic terrorism, religious extremism, bigotry, and blind hatred don’t represent America. They don’t speak for the majority of white Americans. They do real harm to people who are our neighbors. But much more importantly, they are counter to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
There are times when we may feel overwhelmed with various kinds of problems or with the evil we see in our world, times when we may feel like we’re drowning. We might feel weak, broken, or vulnerable, or afraid of real dangers.
But the good news is that there is help and hope. During the storms of life, we hear Christ’s voice, calling to us, inviting us to step out in faith... to trust in God’s grace and power. When we do, we can accomplish what we thought was impossible--with God’s help.
We can hear Christ calling us, through prophetic voices, challenging us, as individuals and as the Christian church, to “take heart… and to not be afraid.”
Jesus is with us, in the midst of the storm, reaching out to us, ready to pull us out of the depths if our fears overcome us and we start to sink.
Thanks be to God!
Amen!
The Rev. Fran Hayes
Littlefield Presbyterian Church
Dearborn, Michigan
August 13, 2017
[1]
Jemar Tisby, “After Charlottesville, will white pastors finally take racism
seriously?” in the Washngton Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/08/12/after-charlottesville-will-white-pastors-finally-take-racism-seriously/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_trumpreaction421pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.9e9820461cec
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