Rev. Rachel Lewis Cooley
“Prodigal Son”
Eastwood Christian Church, Nashville TN
November 8, 2020
Eastwood, Good morning. What a week it has been. What a fall it has been. What a year it has been.
I am humbled, and grateful, to be back with you this morning, THIS morning, after a week of waiting, watching, and praying for our country, our communities, and our neighbors within. Our neighbors have voted, protected and made possible the right to make our voices heard in this way, made calls and donations for causes and candidates they believe in, and maybe even had conversations with others about policies and hopes they have for the future. So many people were concerned for us and our other neighbors, especially given the things we have been unable to ignore this year: COVID and our interconnection in health, the history and continuing power of white supremacy, strengthening storms and fires from climate change. Many of us at different moments this year and before have numbed ourselves and looked to ignore the reality of these pressing concerns for all of us. This is only human, and yet we are called by God to make proactive choices to address those things which hurt our neighbors.
And so people have voted. They have organized and advocated, they have listened to others and found out more about these issues. Many, many people have done this! And I believe we must have a moment in gratitude for these folks and their actions if we are to appreciate the work it takes to make changes toward what you believe in, and the possibilities that work creates. I heard an organizer from Atlanta on NPR this week speaking about all the other organizers and volunteers and whoever felt the need to get involved, and what they did to register folks to vote, to create campaigns talking about issues, and empower folks to know the steps they can take. She emphasized that these teams don’t see their work as over with the conclusions of the elections this week. They’ve formed networks and practiced what it takes to connect with neighbors so that democracy becomes a tool for us to listen to and care for each other, continually. It’s important we have gratitude for the actions these and other neighbors have taken. This gratitude can become fuel to support them, get educated on the issues, and get involved, as we see what work for justice takes and how glimpses of justice and care are possible. What other glimpses may arrive?
With all this in mind about the voices and hopes of many neighbors, the future actions they and we can take, and the need for humility, non-violence, and peace now, as we and others adjust to the results of this election, I wonder what we might hear in our scripture this morning. It’s one I’m sure you’ve heard before, and it could be called foundational. What does it mean for us now, and into the future?
From Matthew Chapter 22, verses 34-40, in the Common English Bible translation:
34 When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had left the Sadducees speechless, they met together. 35 One of them, a legal expert, tested him. 36 “Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 He replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
Herein, we seek understanding, and inspiration. Will you pray with me, beginning with a brief time of centering, to arrive here in this moment, in our breath and our bodies, and with the presence of God. Sitting comfortably and closing your eyes if you’d like… and breathing deeply. God is as close as your breath. God nurtures the divine spark within you. The Spirit is moving among us, do you feel it? Jesus the Christ, compassionate teacher, is here too, calling us deeper into love, understanding, and peace. We can say yes.
With a few more breaths, coming into a moment of prayer.
Creator God, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be faithful to you and your continual call to us. May we allow ourselves to be transformed by your love; to be shaped by giving and receiving love from you, and from our neighbors, who co-create with you. It is in the name of your son, whom we wish to follow, that we pray. Amen.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. How do we do that?? I’m sure we’ve all had moments where we’ve felt love of God in our hearts, our bodies, our minds. But all at once? As a central piece of our faithfulness?
And then the loving our neighbor piece – I know we all struggle with that in personal interactions sometimes, in trying to channel empathy and understanding, in wondering how we can do justice and love in the world.
Maybe it will help to start with some of the things that keep us from loving God and neighbor. Brené Brown—y’all know I love her and her work, and if you don’t know that already, you’re about to in this sermon—often points out that we have to address the barriers to doing things we know are right. We know that loving is what we’re called to, and perhaps when we take steps to follow love, we learn more about what the next right thing to do in love is, but then there are stumbling blocks that hold us up and discourage us.
Ideologies we are taught, often constructed by powerful folks who have a vested interest to keep their power, may become stumbling blocks to love. Ideologies which tell us things are black and white, but never gray; always either/or and never both/and, keep us from using our critical thinking to empathize and wonder at how complicated things can be. Norms of perfectionism, and defensiveness which keep us from allowing and expressing our fully-human emotions, cause us to feel numb. When we feel numb, our ability to empathize with others and their feelings is also numbed. Idealizing individualism, whereby folks believe they have to solve problems alone and get credit alone, keeps us from working together toward shared goals.
The ideologies I’ve named here, though they may seem minor or typical, are also part of the structure of White Supremacy culture. The organization Showing Up for Racial Justice traces these and other characteristics of White Supremacy culture on their website, which you can find linked in our announcements document this morning. They describe cultural racism as the ways the dominant culture in the US shapes norms, values, beliefs, and standards to advantage white people and oppress People of Color. Cultural racism assigns value and normality to white people and whiteness to rationalize inequality and abuse of People of Color.
I’m just beginning to explore how these norms show up in my life, and how they prevent me from loving God and neighbor by dismantling white supremacy. Are there ways that my idealizing particular leaders, acting as though they can solve all our problems be a part of hierarchical thinking which prevents community work and change, which comes from the ground up? Could my feeling self-righteous at having voted for who the candidate I did or the ballot measures I did keep me from empathy and humility I need to connect with others so we can work together?
I want to be clear that I do think it matters who we vote for and the policies we call for. I also think it matters how we look to dismantle White Supremacy in all its forms. This is certainly not easy or simple, but we can start taking steps toward it. These steps could create a sea change away from cultural racism, which we desperately need to help protect and love our neighbors. I heard Dr. Ibram Kende, the author of How to Be An Anti-Racist share a helpful metaphor Brené Brown’s podcast this summer. He said that here in the US, it’s like white supremacy is raining down, all around us, with droplets of it hitting us and making us wet all the time, throughout our lives. So when someone says “hey, that norm supports racism” or “that belief you just expressed is related to a history of white supremacy in these ways,” it’s like they’re offering us an umbrella from the rain. We can choose to get defensive and say “I don’t need that umbrella – I’m not wet!” even though being wet is not entirely through fault of our own, as it’s pouring rain around us. Or we can try, with humility, to say “oh thank you, I didn’t realize I was wet,” and “I’m here to get it right, not be right,” as Brené would say. Putting up our umbrellas, and handing them out, are part of our loving our neighbors by seeking anti-racism. By loving our neighbors, we love God too because our neighbors contain the divine spark and God loves them too. In doing so, we put love of God and neighbor above love of ourselves, and love of the culture around us.
No one election is going to give us all umbrellas, or put up some giant, rain-proof roofing from the rain of white supremacy. Yes, it does matter that some folks have cast their ballots and encouraged others to vote against white supremacy in some of its forms – whether condoned by candidates or by ballot measures that seek to keep People of Color out of the political process. These folks are handing out umbrellas, through their votes and their voices and action in the world, and they will continue to do so. How can you as an individual find yourself an umbrella by consulting resources that talk about racism and white supremacy? Are there moments you can hand out umbrellas too?
Maybe there are relationships you have with family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and others where you can listen and learn with humility. Going back to my friend Brené once again, let’s explore for a minute the need for boundaries and accountability in order to show compassion and love to our neighbors. We can’t listen with love to folks when they’re walking all over us. If someone is going to hurt you—emotionally, physically, or spiritually—they certainly are not a person to seek or maintain relationship with. You can think about loving them from a distance…
But with folks who might listen to your requests that conversations do not devolve into name-calling, or hateful speech, perhaps you can walk into dialogue with them. Brown talks about setting expectations from the beginning, and then following through with them. “What if, by doing this, we could be kinder, but firmer? She asks. Is there someone you could set ground rules for conversation with, agreeing together that if the expectations are broken, you may have to walk away? If you set an expectation that someone not be hateful, but then they share a thought or ideology that seems soaked in hate but they don’t seem to realize it, maybe your expectation could then become a jumping off point to a conversation about how hate is actually showing up in sneaky ways.
Only you can know when you are grounded enough to have these conversations, and when they feel safe for you. It seems that we’ll have to have some of these conversations if we’re going to come together to move forward, though. They certainly may not be fun: I mean how many times have you heard folks complain or joke about the conversation they didn’t want to have coming up at a family gathering, or among co-workers? I think, though, that we also show respect to each other by walking into these conversations with others. Maybe we can respectfully disagree and converse with others, though, instead of writing them off as though they’ll never get it, while we know all the answers and are always “right.” As though there is always are clear-cut rights and wrongs anyhow. Even if we struggle to really feel we respect someone else, maybe by behaving respectfully and acting as though we really do, we can fake it till we make it. It seems to me this can be a way of showing love to our neighbors.
How can you set yourself up to love God and neighbor during this season? It will mean showing courage when you feel vulnerable, grounding in God through spiritual practices, offering yourself compassion and forgiveness, and receiving love from others.
May we do so, together and with the help of God, who loves us, and Jesus the teacher, who calls us on.
Amen.