Rev. Molly F. James, PhD
DFMS Noonday Prayer via Zoom
Boniface, June 5, 2020
May God’s Word be spoken. May God’s Word be heard. May that point us to the living Word who is Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your Name give glory; *because of your love and because of your faithfulness.” So begins our psalm today.
If you asked me for a list of my favorite psalms, I could name a few (139, 23, 46 to start), and today’s, 115, would not have been on my list. Until now. I think that verse may become a new favorite. It is a rather succinct summary, and it is often the reminder I need. One of the things I cherish about worship - about gathering in community, about hearing our Scriptures, about reciting together prayers that have been said for centuries by our ancestors in the faith - is that it is an experience which gets me out of my own head. It gently nudges me to remember that God and the world are so much bigger than whatever it is I am struggling with in this moment.
However it might be that I am stuck in my own pain or my own privilege, worship reminds me that it is not all about me. That is what we do when we are at our best as people of faith. We bear one another’s burdens. We hold the faith for each other when our doubt and our fear seem to overwhelm us. And - this is a very important “and” - we hold each other to account for our behavior and how we are living out our lives as followers of Jesus. We speak the truth to each other in Love. Our faith is not just meant to be a comfort in affliction. Our faith also calls us to live lives worthy of Christ. Our faith calls us to be our best selves.
This is a time when those of us who identify as white have some accounting to do. We have to reconcile with the realities of a white supremacy culture in America. We have to reconcile with the fact that we have benefited for centuries from systems and structures that privilege us. We have to reconcile the fact that we have been complicit in perpetuating injustice. We have failed our black and brown siblings. We have failed to live as we have been called. We have work to do. It is the hard and holy work of transforming unjust structures and systems. It is work that may feel costly to us, and it is also invaluable and absolutely necessary. We will lose our privilege, as we should. And we will be given the opportunity to actually fully, truly live into who we are meant to be - as the Church, as beloved children of God.
As we begin this work, we can see that structures of a white supremacy culture are far removed from God’s dream for the world. We can see that the path forward is one of love and faithfulness. Imagine that. Imagine a world where our lens is not that of competition and scarcity, but one that is firmly grounded in God’s abundance.
That’s the thing. White supremacy culture tricks us into thinking that there is never enough. That we have to fight each other for resources. That I can win or you can win, but we cannot both win. It tricks us into thinking it is all about achievement and perfection. It tricks us into hoarding and seeking after glory. But that is not God’s dream. It is not the world that the Scriptures or Jesus’ teachings call us to create.
We are called to build something beautiful together. We are called to join with God in the transformation of our world. We are called to join in the work of reconciliation and healing. We are called to bring about wholeness for all God’s people.
We can only do that good and holy work of healing creation, healing each other, together. English Missionary, Max Warren, said, “It takes the whole world to know the whole gospel.” Indeed. We need all our wisdom and experience. We can only know the fullness of God, the fullness of Jesus, the fullness of the gospel when we hear a variety of perspectives. The way forward is not found in my understanding or my answers, nor is it found solely in your answers. The way forward is found when we engage deeply, learn from each other and create something together.
My friends, God is calling us to bring the fullness of who we are, the fullness of our experience to our work. For that to be possible we have to be willing to listen and to honor that we do not all see or experience the world in the same way. And that is okay. The diversity we bring together only adds richness to our understanding. May God give us the gifts we need to be able to create the holy space that allows each of us to bring the fullness of ourselves. May we all have the tools and the grace we need to be about the work of reconciliation and transformation each and everyday.
AMEN.
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