| “It is Time” Saints, UFMCC Elder Velma Garcia delivered an amazing sermon, “R.E.S.P.E.C.T the Stranger”, to us on Sunday. I have watched it via YouTube again. To listen to her message, click HERE. The next day was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day, and I am so thankful for all her reminders of Dr. King’s spirit and heart. She began with SAWUBONA, Zulu for “ I see you”, a greeting that carries the recognition of the whole person, their dignity, their story, their ancestors, and their community. She reminded us of Dr. King’s teaching – that the first step toward love is to truly SEE one another. The core of anti-racism work must be the sacred phrase “I see you”, NOT I see your stereotype, NOT I see what I expect, NOT I see what makes me comfortable. Elder Garcia advised that “Our call is simple and just, equality, equal treatment , equal rights, equal recognition, respect and dignity that do not have to be begged for, justified or negotiated.” She then gave us an acronym to ground our spiritual practice of breaking the cycle of racism and injustice: R – REMEMBER who you are and where you come from E – EXAMINE the systems you participate in, the stories you have been told and the once you inherited S – STAND UP for those whose voices have been silenced, even when it costs you something. P – PRACTICE anti-racism daily, practice listening E – EMBRACE the fullness of God’s diverse creation C – COMMIT to transformation and commit to being uncomfortable T – TESTIFY to what God is doing and the power of Community. Resurrection, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) individuals and communities have endured discrimination, exclusion and inequity. Survival has become a skill they did not ASK to master. In a society where those with black and brown skin must carry two forms of ID to prove their citizenship, where protesters are murdered, and there is a gestapo like policing force without accountability, it is TIME to DO something. We must SEE each other. Only now – in my senior years, have I come to see the harm that white supremacy has caused in my own life. I was raised to subconsciously believe that others were “less than”, that the wealthy and successful were the same as “good people”, and to not see the humanity of my siblings. It is that same conditioning of white supremacy that caused me to be an embarrassment to my parents as a non-gender conforming female in the 1980s. The almost desperate need my parents had to conform to what power and greed said our family should look like reflected their own white supremacy conditioning and their fear of “others”. I didn’t know it then, but I do now, that power structures, white empire and the misuse of Christ’s message created a world in which I did not fit, and was considered “other”. Whether white people realize it or not, racism hurts us all. White supremacy forces white people to trade in their humanity for power and privilege. Unfortunately, this tradeoff is not even realized by most white people. Therefore, it is important to not see white people’s anti-racism efforts as “helping” others but rather as co-creating a world in which everyone lives in safety and thrives. According to Dr. King, we must face the hard facts before healing can begin. Truth telling ……is the doorway to transformation. Creative Tension is the holy discomfort that pushes a community toward growth. I ask you to examine your heart, your daily walk, your intentions, and hear the reminders that Elder Garcia gave us. “Dr. King warned against the myth of time, the belief that justice will simply arrive if we wait long enough.” “Archbishop Desmond Tutu said “if you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”” – she read this one twice. It is time Resurrection…… to make Collective Liberation, specifically anti-racism, a part of our Resurrection culture, part of our systemic governance, and part of our regular, collective and individual, deep spiritual practice. Join me this Saturday, January 24th for an all-day Collective Liberation Retreat from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Evangeline Weiss and Nicole Thomas promise to make this an enlightening time of discovery, soul searching, skill building and fellowship, as only Resurrection can do. Lunch will be available for $5.00, or you can bring your own lunch. To make sure we have food for you, please register on the Church Center App HERE. Let me finish with Elder Garcia’s closing remarks: “Dr. King believed that the moral arc of the universe bends toward justice, but only when people of faith put their hands on that arc and pull. Today, let us place our hands on that arc together!………..May our seeing become justice, our justice become love and our love become liberation for ALL God’s children.” Amen! and Amen! |
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| Jackie MarshallVice President, Board of Directors |
| View Last Sunday’s Service HERE |