40 days

Belovedness: A Lenten Reflection by Rev. Marjorie Wilkes Matthews

Posted on by justlovehouston

The Lenten journey begins with a baptism – Jesus and John standing in the waters of the Jordan River and a voice that says, “This is my Son, the Beloved….”  It’s only after this declaration that Jesus is led into the wilderness where he embarks on a 40-day journey of drawing closer and closer to the spirit of the One who named him “Beloved.”

Some years ago, I convened a small gathering of African American women trained in the ministry of spiritual direction.  We were struggling to find the right language to explain the ministry of spiritual direction to African American folks who find the term “spiritual direction” off-putting.

One of the women in our group said, “For me, this ministry is about helping our people embrace their belovedness.”

A hush fell over the room as we all absorbed the beautiful truth of that statement.

In the recent rash of shootings of unarmed Black men, it has become chillingly apparent to many of us that the killers of Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and Eric Garner failed to recognize the humanity of these Black men and boys, much less the belovedness, the sacredness of these Black men and boys.

Even more tragically, beneath the day in and day out violence that plagues so many of our communities, the countless episodes of Black people shooting and killing other Black people, is a fundamental failure to recognize our own belovedness, our own sacredness, much less that of our sisters and brothers.

Just two weeks ago here in Oakland, California, a 30-year-old mother of three was caught in the crossfire as Black men tried to kill each other over God-only-knows-what.  Chyemil Pierce was shot in the head as she tried to protect her children from flying bullets.

During this year’s Lenten season, our focus scripture at Plymouth Church has been The Lord’s Prayer, a prayer that many of us learned as children, one that we often recite from memory but seldom pause to examine, much less interrogate.

Over the six Sundays of Lent, we’ve been unpacking it line by line with the help of resources like Neil Douglas-Klotz’s Prayers of the Cosmos: Meditations on the Aramaic Words of Jesus.

This past Sunday, we considered what are for many of us the most troubling words in The Lord’s Prayer: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Why would a God who loves us lead us into temptation?

Douglas-Klotz describes these as the most mistranslated lines in the prayer, explaining that a better translation of the Aramaic words (Aramaic being the language in which Jesus is believed to have actually spoken) would be:

Don’t let surface things delude us,
but free us from what holds us back
(from our true purpose).

We considered these words in conjunction with Nan Merrill’s interpretation of Psalm 51, in which the pray-er exhorts God:

Teach me, that I may know my weaknesses,
the shortcomings that bind me,
the unloving ways that separate me,
that keep me from recognizing Your life in me….

May this Lenten season bless us to recognize anew God’s precious life in us – God’s breath in us, God’s heartbeat in us, God’s blood in us.

May it bless us to seek anew the One who named Jesus – and names each and all of us – as “Beloved.”

May it bless us to embrace that belovedness – in ourselves and in others – that we may stop spilling God’s precious blood, that we may affirm in word and in deed that Black lives matter, that we may be freed from what holds us back in building the kin-dom of God.

Marjorie Wilkes Matthews serves as Pastor of Plymouth United Church of Christ, also known as “The Jazz and Justice Church,” in Oakland, CA. In addition to being an ordained minister in the UCC, she is trained as a spiritual director. Rev. Marjorie is a graduate of Princeton University and Pacific School of Religion. She is married to Rev. Bob Matthews.

“Come by here, my Lord, come by here. Oh, Lord, come by here.” by Elyse Ambrose Minson

Posted on by justlovehouston

At this critical time in the United States, race relations and violence are clashing in such a way that one could hardly escape the bold understanding possessed by many that “Black Lives Matter.” Many of us speak this through our bodies in protest and with our words. Across the U.S. and around the world, those who affirm this powerful message gather in solidarity with we who suffer and resist both state-sanctioned and interpersonal violence against black bodies. #BlackLivesMatter, according to the black and queer women who created the hashtag, “is both a call to action and a response to the ways in which our lives have been de-valued.” As the movement continues, death-dealing occurrence after death-dealing occurrence arises to refute this life-giving message. Some of these tragedies go largely unacknowledged, namely those committed against black trans women’s bodies. In this year alone, four black trans women have been murdered, with no widespread and resounding outcry for justice… no platforms, and speeches by national organizations that claim to be for the advancement of black people… minimal affirmation that within those black lives that matter, trans persons are included.

“Someone’s praying, Lord… Someone’s crying, Lord.”

In this period of Lent, we have the unique and sacred opportunity to slow down our lives, and reflect on the directions we are taking. I believe this cannot only be limited to removing certain foods from one’s diet, or adopting an attitude of sorrow for one’s wrongs. This is great for those who find themselves closer to God in these moments. Yet, one scripture causes me to think more deeply about what this season can mean.

Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed to free, and to break every yoke? Isaiah 58:6

This is a call for justice. This is a call to look beyond the self, and to seek the well-being of another. This is a call to turn, and change the way that we love our neighbor. Loosing the bonds of injustice cannot only mean committing oneself to seek justice, only within the comforting confines of respectability politics.  Undoing the thongs of the yoke, letting the oppressed go free and then, breaking the yoke that held them so that it is forever broken cannot only mean fighting for black cis-gender straight (primarily) men. We must pray for an end to violence exacted on black bodies. We must cry about, and cry out against injustice and oppression on black bodies. But, we cannot stop there. We must act with and on behalf of the slain women who experience patriarchal, classist, transphobic, and racist violence if we truly believe that all black lives matter.

 “Someone needs you, Lord, come by here.”

Lamia Beard.
Tyra Underwood.
Yazmin Payne.
Penny Proud.

Let us hear their needs as their blood cries out.

As followers of Christ, we are manifestations of the presence of the Divine on the earth. Often, when one is in need of God, they find God’s grace, love, and care through a person. We are not powerless against attacks on black trans lives. Even as we declare our need for God, we can recognize that God has placed God’s Spirit within us.

May God’s Spirit within us empower us to think more widely about who we think matters.
May God’s Spirit within us cause us to question and dismantle social norms that cause some to think it’s okay to exact violence upon others.
May God’s Spirit within us acknowledge that our own are in need of safety, unconditional love, and welcome, and that we have the capacity to meet the need.
May God’s Spirit within us give us love to speak their names as they have named themselves-Lamia, Tyra, Yazmin, Penny—and claim them as our own.
May God’s Spirit within us lead us to seek justice on their behalf because black trans lives matter.

“Oh, Lord, come by here.”

1. Home, BlackLivesMatter, http://blacklivesmatter.tumblr.com/.
2.  It is worth noting that Patrisse Cullors, one founder of #Blacklivesmatter, is seeking to ensure the centering of black trans persons in this affirmation of and call for the valuing of black lives. See Monica J. Casper, “Black Lives Matter / Black Life Matters: A Conversation with Patrisse Cullors and Darnell L. Moore,” The Feminist Wire, Dec 1, 2014, http://thefeministwire.com/2014/12/black-lives-matter-black-life-matters-conversation-patrisse-cullors-darnell-l-moore/.
3. Ibid.
Elyse Ambrose Minson is a candidate for ordained ministry as a Deacon in the United Methodist Church. She received her Master of Divinity in Ethics and New Testament Studies from Gammon Theological Seminary at The Interdenominational Theological Center (Atlanta, Georgia). Elyse is also a Ph.D. student at Drew University, studying Religion and Society: Christian Social Ethics, and concentrating in Women and Gender Studies.

Loving Our Neighbor (Lenten Reflections #blacklivesmatter)

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“Love your neighbor as yourself….”  Mark 12:31; “Love is mankind’s most potent weapon for personal and social transformation.” Strength to Love, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The above words of scripture and those written by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are words of truth that have inspired millions of people.  They were true when they were written and they are true now. The sad thing is that love’s power is often overlooked in times of crisis and conflict.  Instead, racial stereotypes, prejudice and bias serve as guides for many when they relate to black and brown people in challenging situations.   As a result, people of color are seen not as human beings who deserve to live rich and full lives but as caricatures of who we really are:  expressions of God.

As I reflect on the question of what does “ Love Responding to Black Violence & Catastrophe” #BlackLivesMatter mean during this Lenten season, I repeatedly come back to Jesus’ and King’s fundamental point: we are all part of a unified whole and deserve respect and love. This is the point of the rallying cry “BlackLivesMatter.”

In “On Being a Good Neighbor” in Strength to Love, Dr. King explains Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick’s distinction between enforceable obligations and unenforceable obligations. Enforceable obligations are those “regulated by the codes of society and the vigorous implementation of law-enforcement agencies.”   They are obligations found in law books that have “filled numerous prisons” as King explains.  Unenforceable obligations are “higher law that produces love.” They are obligations that “touch the heart and souls of men [and women] so that they will come together spiritually because it is natural and right.” Those who embody unenforceable obligations are those who see that we all come from the same source and deserve love and respect.

Enforceable obligations serve as the justification for many of the recent deaths of black and brown people at the hands of law enforcement. They are also the reason for the mass incarceration of African Americans at much higher rates than during Dr. King’s life.  It is now time that we get beyond applying the law in ways that disadvantage blacks, often destroying any dreams of living a life of meaning and well being.

Law enforcement officers must learn to approach black and brown people with the same respect and compassion as they afford whites they encounter.   So often, I have noticed over the years that in incidents involving whites who commit heinous crimes, they are not killed but are instead arrested for their crimes.  However, African Americans who have committed no or a petty crime are gunned down before any questions are asked denying them the opportunity to tell their side of the story.   It is hard for me to believe that a white suspect would have experienced the same treatment as Michael Brown, Eric Garner or Tamir Rice, a twelve year old boy, did prior to their deaths.  How different things would be if they had been shown the same compassion offered to white suspects?

Lent is a time for prayer, meditation and giving up specific foods in preparation for what is seen by Christians and those who are inspired by the life of Jesus as the most loving act ever done.  When Jesus was asked what was the most important commandment, he said there were two.  One was to love God “with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”  The other was “love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love is the central commandment and message of Jesus.  As King says, love transforms us individually and collectively.

During this Lenten season, I encourage us to– as we stand in the truth that #BlackLivesMatter– live and act from a place where “love your neighbor as yourself” is the basis for what we say, think and do.  Individually and collectively, we can support a vision of society where loving our neighbor is no longer dependent on race, ethnicity, culture or religion.  Rather, it is based upon the truth that we and our neighbor are one in the same with the same right to dignity and respect although we may have different life and cultural experiences.  When we all model this truth in all that we say, think and do in support of justice and equality, there is no stopping the fulfillment of the vision of a just and fair society.

 Sheila Thomas is a licensed Practitioner at the Heart and Soul Center of Light in Oakland, CA, an affiliate of the Centers for Spiritual Living (formerly known as the United Church of Religious Science). Learn more about Sheila and her work by reading her blog http://www.sheilaythomas.com.

God’s Will is Killing Black People: Rethinking Antiquated Theologies

Posted on by justlovehouston

In the dust of the streets lie the young and the old;

my young women and my young men 

have fallen by the sword;

you have killed them in the day of your anger,

slaughtering without a pity.

Lamentations 2:21

When thinking about black violence and catastrophe, I am drawn to the book of Lamentations within the Hebrew scriptures. The Book of Lamentations is birthed out of a devastating moment in the life of Israel. A once thriving city has been burned and laid to waste as a result the violence of King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. For me, no better book reflects the pains and blues of black folk than this.

Ancient Text in Black Context
I cannot read the book lamentations without hearing the bewailing of Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin. The moans of Esaw Garner, widow of Eric Garner or the cries of the friends and family of Ty Underwood. I posit these Black bodies, cis and transgender, as well many more nameless Black bodies must be seen as the centerpiece of this ancient text. From this critical nexus one finds communities of people who have been left with mountains of grief as their loved one has been violently taken from them and much too often —- with impunity.

As the mind and soul attempts to process this overload of devastation one begins just as the ancient author of this text did, asking “ekha.” This is the Hebrew word for “How!” and is the Hebrew name of this book in the TaNaKH. Ekha tells the story of an ancient community attempting to reconcile how this painful moment in time has come. Throughout Lamentation the reader will find many places where the writer blames God for the tragedies the people are facing. This is not an uncommon theme within Hebrew scripture, where God is seen as the one who ordains violence upon God’s people often times out of God’s wrath. While I recognize this was an understanding in ancient communities, seeing God as the author of devastation. However, I say loudly and boldly Black folks cannot afford to continue adopt this antiquated theology lest we continue to die–mentally, physically and spiritually–leaving God as the scapegoat.

Thinking Theologically
I recall about 7 years ago having theological talk with a friend of mine who is an older white woman (it is important I name her race), whom I will call Mary. This conversation took place at a point where I was just beginning to wrestle with my own embedded theologies. I cannot remember the full context of our conversation but a portion of this dialogue, which I shall never forget, is when we began to talk about American chattel slavery. It was during this conversation I reconciled this horrific time in the history of Black folks as the “will of God”. Yes, I believed slavery was apart of God’s will for Black people.

I am a little embarrassed to confess I believed this at one point in time but I am clear that reconciling God’s will for tragedy is not an uncommon view in the 21st century. Mary looked shocked and asked me, “You believe God willed for Blacks to be enslaved”? This question caused me to rethink a God who causes/permits/wills violence and tragedy on my people, or any people for that matter. In retrospect I realize what I believed, no matter how theologically problematic, was because it was an easy fix for the complex question of “How?” Instead of doing deep analysis of white supremacy, I chose to put the blame on God’s will. I believe my blaming God was not only easy but removed the burden of responsibility from my having to engage the multiple ways white supremacy continues to impact the black community as well as my finding where I fit in to make a difference.

It is this errant theological thought which undergirds unjust systems and informs the likes of Zimmerman’s theology, as he states in regards to his murdering of Trayvon Martin, “ I believe that this was all part of God’s plan.” Sadly, we know he is not alone in holding this theological view.

Black Violence and Catastrophe: NOW
Our times set before us an urgency for Black folks who adopt an antiquated understanding of God’s will to begin to re-think ‘the punitive God’ for a God who love and loves the people of God—regardless. It is my fear our failure to do so will continue a perishing of Black Lives in the streets of this nation without question. For our own survival we must rethink God as the will-er of these manifestation of evil acts of violence.

Love Responding.
God–who is love–calls us in this moment to take action.

To resist oppressive theology which suggests that it is God’s will and plan for the list of Black lives which has been snuffed out due to racism and others isms—is to continue. Death at the hands of hate is not the will of God! Moreover, I believe we serve a God to whom #BLACKLIVESMATTER!!!! In these moments of human tragedy God is ushering us to take action against white racist systems that kill black bodies with impunity. God desires that we no longer become well adjusted to injustice and violence but that we rise and take action that ends this black catastrophe. The cries we hear in this ancient text as well as the cries of black lives in our current context are not caused or willed or planned by God. Rather, they are the result of evil systems that go unchecked and unchallenged.

Where is God in this? God is luring and empowering us to do something.

God may we do your will of Love!

Amen.

Darnell Fennell is the  Pastor of Just Love, a new community unfolding in Houston, TX.   He has recently completed his Master of Divinity from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA, and now looks forward to shaking things up in the lone star state.