A Message from Mother Anne
Beloved,
Our Baptismal Covenant requires us to make renunciations (we give up) and to make promises (we will do) about certain things. In all these things, we acknowledge that we can do none of it without God's ever-present help. In light of the death of George Floyd in police custody, and the resulting outcry around the country, I'm struck especially by our renunciation of all powers of evil, and our promise to respect the dignity of every human being. I'm a product of the Southern United States. I grew up painfully aware of the sin (though I didn't know to call it that) of white supremacy and racism. I have struggled and worked my whole life, and continue to do so, to listen to voices of people of color. I have a vivid imagination, so when I hear them tell their stories, I can imagine what it must be like to be them and live in a constant state of fear. However, as much as I can imagine it, I do not have to live it.
I'm still a beginner in understanding and supporting anti-racism and race relations. I think I always will be. But, as Kathryn Duncan pointed out to me, I do know Jesus. I know Jesus is and was a man of color. I know Jesus is God incarnate - sent to this earth to show us the enormous depth, breadth, and power of God's love for all of us. I know Jesus intentionally sought out the marginalized. I know Jesus made a point to listen to the stories of the people nobody else wanted to listen to. I know Jesus loved even when he did not understand. I know Jesus taught about open hearts and minds and souls to the power of love. And so I try to live that, and I fail every day, and God still loves me and gives me strength to try again.
There is so much to be heartbroken about. Over 100,000 deaths in the United States alone from COVID-19, isolation from people we love, financial ruin for millions of Americans, people of color consistently abused, feared, and killed, and a million other things.
There is also much to give us hope. God's love endures. God's love is greater than fear, sin, and death. God promises the Kingdom where all suffering will end. And we get to do our part to live that out today and every day as individuals, as the worshipping community at St. Gregory's, and as human beings. How each of us lives a life of love will differ, but isn't it a healing grace to know that we are all trying to do that? That we can all share our struggles, failures, and successes with each other? Knowing that we remain in conversation with each other, and with people who think and act differently gives me hope. God's love DOES prevail, and sometimes it even looks like that on earth. Thanks be to God!
I'm still a beginner in understanding and supporting anti-racism and race relations. I think I always will be. But, as Kathryn Duncan pointed out to me, I do know Jesus. I know Jesus is and was a man of color. I know Jesus is God incarnate - sent to this earth to show us the enormous depth, breadth, and power of God's love for all of us. I know Jesus intentionally sought out the marginalized. I know Jesus made a point to listen to the stories of the people nobody else wanted to listen to. I know Jesus loved even when he did not understand. I know Jesus taught about open hearts and minds and souls to the power of love. And so I try to live that, and I fail every day, and God still loves me and gives me strength to try again.
There is so much to be heartbroken about. Over 100,000 deaths in the United States alone from COVID-19, isolation from people we love, financial ruin for millions of Americans, people of color consistently abused, feared, and killed, and a million other things.
There is also much to give us hope. God's love endures. God's love is greater than fear, sin, and death. God promises the Kingdom where all suffering will end. And we get to do our part to live that out today and every day as individuals, as the worshipping community at St. Gregory's, and as human beings. How each of us lives a life of love will differ, but isn't it a healing grace to know that we are all trying to do that? That we can all share our struggles, failures, and successes with each other? Knowing that we remain in conversation with each other, and with people who think and act differently gives me hope. God's love DOES prevail, and sometimes it even looks like that on earth. Thanks be to God!
If you want to do something specifically about the outcry around George Floyd's death and the protests that have followed, here are a few resources:
Ways to help rebuild and financially support business that have been destroyed on the South and West side of Chicago:
Ways to help rebuild and financially support business that have been destroyed on the South and West side of Chicago:
Anti-Racism Reading and Resources:
God’s Peace, Anne+
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