God didn’t explain any of this to Philip beforehand. And God rarely explains things beforehand to us either. Being a Christian isn’t about explanations, plans or schedules, it is about our willingness to say “yes”, for it is when we say ‘yes’ that the ministry and the need appear and it is when we say yes that our ability to respond will manifest as well. (Lectionarylab.com). Like Philip we are called to open ourselves to everyone, not just to people we like, or people we can find sympathy for, or those who are inclined to thank us -NO, we are called to minister to everyone, no exceptions.
The Book of Acts is full of stories of boundary breaking. In Christ there are no longer Jews vs. Greeks, slaves vs. free, men vs. women, us vs. them. Our job is to cross and break down all boundaries. When we think we’ve done enough, when we’re tired, when we’re afraid, when we’re confused, when we’ve been thoroughly stretched and hung out to dry, we still need to be open to the voice that says “Get up, Go”.
In our 1945 mile journey last week we traveled along the Thruway, past acres and acres of vineyards. And we saw countless tangled branches staked to the wires they grow on. There is no such thing as a single, solitary branch in a vineyard. The branches survive and grow because they are connected to the vine and to each other. We survive and grow because we are connected; we survive and grow when we abide in prayer, and in worship, when we cut off what is not useful or healthy. (Bruce Epperly, patheos.com, April 25, 2015).
This week we have been reminded frequently, by virtue of the events in Baltimore that our vineyard, at least in terms of racism, is a mess. The death of Freddie Gray and the ensuing disruption of a city, the vitriol of news reporters that blame the victim and ignore the damage that systemic racism inflicts on us all point in the direction of a vineyard that needs both nourishment and pruning. Freddie Gray’s death is only the most recent event that highlights what happens when ignorance, poverty, hopelessness, and fear infect our vineyard.
The Rev. Dr. Canon Sandye Wilson (ube.org, April 30, 2015) writes that some say riots are the language of the unheard. “In this season of resurrection and hope we are called to prayer, commitment, engagement and discernment as we try to understand what the God of the streets, the owner of the vineyard, is calling us to be in our communities and in our relationships with our children, with each other, with the police and with our cities”.
The news is full of images of the disobedience and destruction of some protestors in Baltimore, and we all have opinions of what can and should be done in this situation. Canon Wilson reminds that in our Baptismal covenant we promise “To seek and serve Christ in one another, loving our neighbor as we love ourselves; to respect the dignity of every human being and to try to see the face of God in each other.” This means to see the face of God in Freddie Gray, n man not unfamiliar to police and wrongdoing, in the faces of those who picked up bricks to smash store windows and grabbed what they wanted, in the faces of the many police officers who have done no wrong and in the faces of those police officers who have harmed others with little regard for their humanity, in the face of the woman who attacked her son to prevent him from protesting and in the face of her son, in the face of shop owners who have suffered devastating losses and in the faces of politicians who have no idea of what to do next, and in the faces of wealthy residents of Baltimore who have no idea of the poverty over half of the city lives in.
Buffalo is not unlike Baltimore in many ways. Indeed, we are more similar than it is comfortable to admit. We have our enclaves of wealth and power. And, just a few blocks away from us we have one of the poorest zip codes in the area. We are separated by Main Street, we are separated by class, we are separated by race and this separation hurts us all, it weakens and sickens the vine. We are called to strengthen the vine, to tend the branches, to bear fruit. I ask those of you who are available to join me in being a human, physical icon of God’s church in our work at School 54. Next Friday, May 8th some of us will be meeting at the school at 9 am to sort books for the children to take home at the end of the school year. We will be helping them on their Flag Day walk to Forest Lawn and at their next Student of the Month breakfast. None of this costs us anything other than time and presence, but time and presence are priceless. One appearance at a time, one helping hand at a time, one show of support for children and families at a time will help us to do our part to lessen the boundaries that separate us. It’s not big, it’s not flashy, we won’t garner press attention or put new bottoms in our pews, but we will begin to prune away unhealthy branches, we will begin to strengthen the vine, we will bear new fruit.
“It’s complicated, these are complex times. We pray for the lives lost, businesses destroyed and dreams deferred by boundaries and separation.”(Canon Wilson) We pray and we must act. Our silence and our inaction will not nurture the vineyard, will not prune the unhealthy branches nor promote new growth. We are called to bear fruit. We are called to speak and act in ways that work toward justice, integrity, mercy and respect for all. We don’t go it alone. Baptism, grafts us onto the vine. God in three persons, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, gives us the grace and strength that we will need. And, here, at this table, we are nourished for the work we must do.
Like Philip, we will get up and Go. Like Philip we will strengthen the vine and we will bear fruit. AMEN.
No comments:
Post a Comment