The Role Black Episcopalians should be playing in Becoming Beloved Community...(Part 1 of 2)
WARNING: First and foremost, this is written for Black Episcopalians & Anglicans. It’s not meant for White folk. And other Black Protestants don’t have the ecclesial structure for any of this to make sense. Additionally, if you were coming of age in the 1960s, and were active in the Civil Rights Movement, you will likely be offended by this critique…I understand the legacy and importance of the fight that was waged back then. Yet, nostalgia over things that happened 50+ years ago tends to cloud people’s vision of the present, and thus jeopardizes their future. And I believe – especially in these times of racial strife – Black Episcopalians have far too important a role to play in shaping the future of our Church and Country for me to mince words…
So my brother tells me this all the time…
Most priests have only one sermon!
It doesn’t matter what Scripture is being preached…it doesn’t matter what liturgical season…
Every preacher always preaches the same sermon…
If you listen closely enough – you’ll see it. It might not smack you in the face right away. But if you give it some thought, you’ll begin to find the common thread. #BelieveMe
My sermon is “reconciliation.”
Regardless of the context of the topic, I always find my way to reconciliation.
And I’m cool with that…
I think everything about the Christian faith comes down to reconciliation. The Ethiopians call it Tewahedo. Radical and holistic Oneness…
The Oneness of Christ – fully human and fully divine, invites us into the perichoretic relationship of the Holy Trinity…
…we become one with God, because of Christ.
And by our union with the Godhead, we learn how to and are made able to live in oneness – with one another, and with all creation – on earth as it is in heaven.
Oneness is of critical importance to everything I believe about Christ and Christianity.
And the way I think about that call of oneness is to consider facing the time of death…
As a priest, I see a lot of death. It’s part of the job. So, I consider a death I’ve seen…
He knew the time had come…
Death was imminent. And there was no avoiding it…
No keeping it at bay.
It was time to finalize things…to gather loved ones and say final goodbyes.
You know, there’s something interesting about dying and being present at the time of death…
Have you ever experienced that?
Well…certainly not the dying part – right?!?!
But, being around when someone you love is dying…
If you have…then you know this: there are beautiful deaths and ugly deaths…
I’ve seen them both.
Ugly deaths are tragic…those on their death bed being restrained because they want to fight and lash out at everyone – abusing those around them one last time.
Those who remain in the land of the living, are often missing in action… They don’t want to be around for the abuse. Or they’ve been hurt so bad that they can’t wait for the person to die and leave them alone in their unforgiveness.
It’s a terrible sight…
But beautiful deaths are praiseworthy…
People start making confessions. They forgive one another for the wrongs that have been done. There’s reconciliation between them.
And from that space of reconciliation, the dying person usually makes some final requests of those being left behind.
You know…
Do this…do that…
Make this right…Don’t forget to…
Those dying requests are taken seriously, right?
They are cherished. And people do everything in their power to honor those requests…
So, when He knew the time had come…
When death was imminent, and there was no avoiding it…
No keeping it at bay…
He knew it was time to finalize things…to gather loved ones and say final goodbyes.
Then, when the hour had come for Him to be glorified, He prayed for the disciples…those present and those who’d come to believe in the future…
He hoped they would be one…
that they all may be one, as You, Father are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
That was how Jesus indicated that the world would believe that He was sent by God…
…if we all could be one…
If we – as Christ’s ambassadors, could make our oneness be our evangelism…
That our oneness would be His appeal through us…
If the dying wishes of a mere human are to be honored and pursued with everything we have, how much more important should the dying wish of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be for us?
He died so that we could be one…
That’s what we believe, as Christians…
That’s not what the world believes. That’s not what those who don’t believe in Christ believe. But, we who claim to believe in Christ, also believe that Jesus died on the Cross so that we could be reconciled.
So that we could be made one with God…
So that we could be made one with each other…and with all others…
And since that’s what we believe, then certainly the Church should play a leading role in reconciling the divisions of this world…right? Certainly the Church should be the model for how reconciliation is done, right…right?
At least that’s what I believe…
…and what I believe is orthodox Christian faith.
So, it was great when at the 2015 General Convention, the Bishops and Deputies determined to make racial reconciliation and evangelism the two pillars for how the Church would live out its faith…
And that’s a beautiful thing…
It’s fitting and appropriate for the Episcopal Church to be committed to the work of racial reconciliation and evangelism. Actually, I would say that in these times of racial strife in America…
…racial reconciliation is evangelism.
Seriously, with vitriolic White supremacy resurging…with the agencies of State sanctioned White power killing unarmed Black men…with a raging White supremacist holding the highest seat of power in the US Government…
What news could be more good than proclaiming the way to healing the deep seeded divisions caused by America’s Original Sin?
What could be greater evangelism than showing America that we have found the solution to overcoming the racial strife that has plagued this Country?
So, yes…
It was awesome that Bishop Michael Curry was elected as the first Black person to preside over the Church…
That the Church had determined to submit to a Black man…
Well…that the Church was willing to pretend to submit to a Black man…
Even now, it seems quite odd that several moves of the 2015 & 2018 General Conventions – as well as some during the intervening period – have been designed to curtail the power of the Presiding Bishop…
There are all kinds of excuses and justifications…
Some say these moves were in the works before Bishop Curry became PB…
Funny how they seem to finally get enough traction when the Black man is PB, eh?
They’ll also say how these moves are “Justice Issues…”
Trying to convince you that they are your allies…fighting for you, while failing to fight on other far more important matters.
Again…funny how this movement for “justice” arises while the Black man is PF, eh?
Anyway…
I was there when Bishop Curry was elected…
I was elected to Executive Council that same occasion…
I mean, we were nearing the end of the Obama Presidency. And any Black person that would allow him/herself to have a critical eye would know – or at least question – what Obama’s two-terms in office ultimately meant for Black people…for Black issues, despite the rich and important symbolism…
I don’t completely fault President Obama. I mean…it ain’t like we – Black folk – actually held him accountable.
We didn’t form any institution/mechanism to really compel him to act in our best interests…
We didn’t form a vehicle that could protect him from the assaults of White supremacy if he did act on our issues…
And I was concerned that the same could happen to Bishop Curry…
That the pressures of the Institution would reign him in, so the Crazy Christian would end up tamed by the house that White supremacy built…
And three years in…
…into his tenure as Presiding Bishop…
…into my tenure as a Member of Executive Council…
I’ve seen some things that are an indictment on the Church, and a greater indictment on us – Black Episcopalians…
Things that will turn Becoming Beloved Community into another carcass in the graveyard of toxic charity that will further erode both our Church and culture if we don’t make a change…
If we don’t see how dangerous it is for us to depend upon White Liberals to lead the Church toward racial reconciliation…
We should know by now…
…we are going to see both micro and macro-aggressions when we leave White power unchecked and unbalanced…
