"Love One Another!" Let's Try That!

We are now half way through the year, and I would be willing to bet that none of us could have predicted how this year would unfold. But unfold it has, and is still doing so. The challenges are many and varied, and they seem to just keep coming. The drastic measures put in place to reduce the spread of Covid-19 made a huge difference. Here in Montana the growth of new cases almost completely stopped for more than a month. But then the restrictions were relaxed, and now the numbers are once again on the rise. The problem of systemic racism has been with us for a long time, and this year we find ourselves confronted with it yet again, this time in ways which seem finally to be getting people’s attention. But still there is resistance and push back. These are but two examples. Some days it seems as if everywhere we turn there is some new challenge crying out for our attention. People everywhere are hurting, and all too often there don’t seem to be any good answers. But for those of us who seek to be people of faith, having no good answer need not stop us, because it is not just up to us to have all the answers or solve all the problems. We can only do what it is within our power to do, and trust in God to be with us in the process. It does mean, however, that we need to step up and do our part. As the sign I carried at the Human Rights Rally last week-end at the Capitol said, “Jesus said, ‘Love one another.’ Let’s try that!” Not just some mushy, feel-good love. We need to be about the business of whole-hearted, full-bodied love – a love that gets our hands dirty – a love that might make us uncomfortable. It means we are called to take the steps we can take to keep each other safe. Put on a mask (it’s to protect others from what you may unknowingly be carrying). Practice appropriate social distancing. Avoid crowds. It means we are called to listen to those who are hurting, and stand with them as they proclaim their truth. When I went to the Human Rights Rally (with my sign) I was prepared for a reporter to come talk to me (none did – but I was prepared). My response was going to be, and still will be at any future rally I attend, “I’m here to stand with, not to speak for. I encourage you to go find a person of color, or an indigenous person, or an LGBTQ person. Hear their pain. Listen to their story.” We are called to share the love of God through the living of our lives. As St. Francis once said, “Preach the gospel every day. If necessary, use words.” In these very challenging days in which we find ourselves, we cannot always (or ever) choose or control the challenges we face, but we can choose and control how we will face them. Love one another. Let’s start there!

- Pastor Roger

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)

To Be Faithful in These Challenging Days

These are challenging days to be alive in the world. The pandemic has upended so much of what was familiar and left us uncertain about the future. And now, long standing problems of racism and violence are erupting in ways that have become impossible to ignore. Anger, hurt, rage, and confusion are all playing out right in front of us, and even within us. It can be easy to become overwhelmed as we try to sort through all the conflicting images and information to discover a faithful path forward into a brighter future, not just for us but for all people everywhere. And we dare not look away. If we are not seeking to be a part of the solution then we are a part of the problem. Several millennia ago the prophet Micah offered these words regarding what it means to be people of faith. “God has shown you, O people, what is good; and what does our God require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8) Then in Matthew’s Gospel we find Jesus making it very clear how we are called to live. “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:37-40) In John’s Gospel the message is more succinct. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) Yes, these are challenging days to be alive, and figuring out the specific details regarding how to respond can be daunting, but the basic mandate is clear. It can be summed up in one word – Love! When people are hungry, feed them. When people are hurting, comfort them. When people are being ignored, listen to them. When people are being killed by systemic racism, transform the system. It is not a task we can undertake alone. It is not a task that will be quickly or easily completed. So we must come together and draw strength from each other. We must start with what is right in front of us. And we must begin now. In reflecting on the words from Micah, the Jewish Talmud puts it this way, “Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” The Sufi poet Rumi wrote, “As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.” So we begin. As God’s people we begin. As the Body of Christ we begin. As people of faith we begin. With our voices, with our actions, with each other we begin. Each of us in our own small ways, in our own little corners of the world, we begin. In these challenging days we begin. In love we begin.

- Pastor Roger

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)