Let’s Connect Week of June 14, 2020

Center…breathe…invite the Spirit in…

How can I stand up before God and show proper respect to the high God? Should I bring an armload of offerings topped off with yearling calves? Would God be impressed with thousands of rams, with buckets and barrels of olive oil? Would [God] be moved if I sacrificed my firstborn child, my precious baby, to cancel my sin? But [God’s] already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don't take yourself too seriously - take God seriously.  - Micah 6:6-8 (The Message)

In a time such as this we need to focus, center and remember what it is we are called to be and do. Whether or not we are talking about the Covid-19 pandemic or the spike in the racism/white privilege pandemic we must focus and center.

Broken chain on the Statue of Liberty - symbolizing abolition

When I need to do this, I seem to return over and over again to Micah 6: 6-8. I especially like The Message paraphrase version above. I think that it reflects accurately what Jesus asks of us and what the Spirit has lead us to these many centuries. To summarize this passage: God isn’t looking for a correct liturgy, worship practice, or set doctrine. God is looking to how we engage each other and the world. As I have said many times, being a faithful Christian isn’t about orthodoxy. It’s about orthopraxy. It’s not about correct belief, it’s about correct action.

An African American friend has a simple request of we who are

white, sincerely, and honestly apologize for your privilege and how it has damaged others and the world and pledge yourself to using your privilege wherever and whenever possible to challenge racism and the racist institutions and allow for people of color to have access to the places and privileges we enjoy.

To that end I offer this lament and confession:

Repenting and Lamenting in Times Like These

You are the God who hears:

hear our prayer today for all who lament or repent.

For those among us who face discrimination every day

because of their skin color,

we lament.

For those among us with white skin who benefit

from racist systems sometimes even without realizing it,

we repent.

For those among us who have struggled and waited so long

for the Promised Land of freedom and equality,

we lament.

For those among us who have acted in racist ways

and have hurt people of color,

we repent.

For those protesting injustice who face police brutality

and a justice system rigged against them,

we lament.

For those who think racism is someone else’s problem,

and not a problem for humanity,

we repent.

God of hope, show us how to work for justice together,

standing up for what is right,

stepping in when something's wrong,

shouldering each other’s burdens,

holding each other accountable,

righting the wrongs we’ve done,

speaking truth to power.

We pray for change, lasting change,

for protection for protesters,

for a de-escalation of violence

and for government leaders who listen.

Deliver us from evil, within and without,

in Jesus' name we pray,

Amen

~ written by Carol Penner and posted on Leading in Worship. https://carolpenner.typepad.com/leadinginworship/