I’ll ABIDE in the church of a crucified rebel

photoDon’t you hate it when someone starts off their speech or article with the words “According to Webster the definition of some word is…” Well, I’m doing that today. I’m participating in #adventword http://www.ssje.org/adventword a daily advent devotional where you are assigned a word each day and you post an appropriate photo illustrating that word to Instagram with the the hashtag adventword and hashtag whatever the word is. Today would be #adventword #abide. An appropriate devotional is also provided by The Society of St. John the Evangelist.

Abide is to accept or act in accordance with a rule, decision, or recommendation. You remember, Mary said “Let it be”. The informal usage of the word, is to be unable to tolerate (someone or something.)

That’s where I am this advent, struggling between abiding or not abiding. Accepting or not accepting.

I’m struggling with the exhibition of blatant racism and subliminal racism. I’m struggling with being supportive of law enforcement and the justice system and seeing abuse of power. I’m struggling because I don’t know a lot of black people personally from work or school. I’m struggling because there has been a change in the demographics of my beloved church. I find I’m in disagreement with people I love and respect, with people I’m related to and people I have voted for. I’m in disagreement with members of my congregation on ways to act and react to community events. I’m struggling with the words “liberty and justice for all” and wondering if “liberty and justice for some of us” might not be more appropriate.

Obey, observe, tolerate, go along with, endure, bear, stomach, brook, suffer.

So here I sit between wanting to end racism and to bring about systemic change in our community and being perceived as anti-law enforcement. Or I can accept the actions of all law enforcement agencies and officials as being infallible and be perceived as racist. I know, it’s not that easy and I’ve probably already inflamed my readers. You can tell where I sit or stand.

I guess we call it the Ferguson Effect.

In 2013 my church assimilated an area PCUSA ,dwindling yet lively, congregation ( that means their members are now our members.) We always considered ourself diverse. Perhaps economically, politically and in our level of acceptance and tolerance and certainly in our Christology. But we were certainly not racially diverse. Suddenly, we are! (This is a good thing!)

On Sunday morning our congregation is now racially diverse. During the children’s sermon 6 young black boys under the age of 7 sit on the steps with the rest of the kids and smile out at the congregation. Four or five older black teens, male and female, periodically attend with mom, grandma, auntie, siblings, cousins or neighbors. (You know how teens are with church attendance.) Recently a neighborhood family of teenaged boys 13 and up have been playing basketball in our church gym after Sunday morning worship,under the supervision of a college student and a couple of other members, staff and their dad. Our white congregants are spread about the city and county. Many newer members live in the immediate neighborhood, many long time members have moved to the “burbs” through the years and generations. I consider myself a “Christian without borders”.

In the midst of all of this, our church recently called a new pastor. Fresh from seminary, fresh from Presbyterian Disaster work, fresh from the American Red Cross. Our pastor in a “parent-thingy” as she calls herself of an awesome teenage mixed-race young woman.

Her second Sunday on the job followed the death of Michael Brown. Her third Sunday on the job followed nights of violence competing with peaceful protests in the streets. And we go from there.

I admire our pastor as she engages and immerses herself as an advocate for peace and justice in our city through Metropolitan Congregations United and The St. Louis Clergy Coalition. She’s been on the streets of Ferguson and on South Grand with other south side women clergy, standing between the police and protestors, engaged in prayer and modeling peaceful protest.
When we searched for our new pastor the larger church was arguing about ordaining LGBT members as Teaching and Ruling elders and whether or not to allow pastors to perform same gender marriages or allow these marriage ceremonies to take place in our neighborhood churches. Some of these issues are a problem for segments of our congregation. We want everyone to be welcome. And we try not to offend anyone.

We did not imagine August 2014. Who could?

Really, the topic is still ABIDE. I think it’s about what I can live with, what my heart and soul can abide.

My favorite Bible passage is from Micah 6, “What does the Lord require of you: seek justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God.” I’m called to the work of peace and justice. In my youth it was the end of the Vietnam War and as I grew older it was equality for women. I confess that the end of racial inequities was not at the top of my agenda. I tried to model accepting and welcoming behavior in my classroom when I was a teacher and in my work with a local non-profit and at my church.

I can’t see doing anything else but support peace and justice. I can’t look at members of my congregation and not see the face of Michael Brown and his mother. Or the face of all the other young black or brown males who have met their untimely death at the hands of anyone, but especially at the hands of law enforcement. ( And for the record my heart breaks when anyone meets his or her death in an act of violence locally or globally.)

Yes, I see the police on the street risking their lives to protect our community and I see their families as well. But like any professional who works with the masses of humanity ( teachers, social workers, preachers, doctors, nurses and on and on). We/they have to be accountable when we/they are wrong. Yes, we/they have the right to professional organizations and legal assistance  who work to insure our/their rights are protected as well.

And my preacher, as a woman of faith, how else can she preach each Sunday morning with the faces of our congregation looking to her for wisdom, hope, and assurance of God’s love in light of the events occurring in our community and throughout the world. She has to preach peace and justice to be faithful to God and her call as a pastor.

It’s not the hot button issue I was ready for but here it is. Now how will we respond.

I want to close with an excerpt from “The Confession of 1967” from the Book of Confessions of the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America (PCUSA) ( Please note this is from the inclusive language edition of this confession.)

9.44 God has created the peoples of the earth to be one universal family. In his reconciling love, God overcomes the barriers between sisters and brothers and breaks down every form of discrimination based on racial or ethnic difference, real or imaginary. The church is called to bring all people to receive and uphold one another as persons in all relationships of life: in employment, housing, education, leisure, marriage, family, church, and the exercise of political rights. Therefore, the church labors for the abolition of all racial discrimination and ministers to those injured by it. Congregations, individuals, or groups of Christians who exclude, dominate, or patronize others, however subtly, resist the Spirit of God and bring contempt on the faith which they profess.

I abide with justice, kindness and humility. I abide in the church of a crucified rebel. That’s the direction I will strive to take.