Last week at the Minnesota Conference Annual Meeting (UCC), Rev. Dr. Michael Malcolm was our keynote speaker and talked about using our voice. Speaking up and speaking out are the things we can definitely do as a church. However, the UCC, the Minnesota Conference, and our church and communities are mainly filled with people descended from Europe, and for the past 6 or 7 centuries, maybe more, we have been the dominant group on the planet. And Christianity has been a part of the dominance, giving kings, conquerors, and common men a sense of entitlement and power over other people, cultures, women, and the world. As Nancy Giguere stated in one of our breakouts, we generally don't see ourselves as the stranger, the one who doesn't have the power in the stories of the Bible.
So, in today's story, it is hard for us to see ourselves, as Americans, in this story. To travel without any means of money, an extra set of clothes, or any kind of protection or security, is right off the bat, a non-starter for most of us, if not all of us. Probably a few of us have experienced abject poverty, and it isn't something we would voluntarily want to try again. We live in a culture war right now, so maybe we can understand a little of Jesus talking about family turning on one another. Talking with a delegate over lunch at the Annual Meeting and she talked about how her mother was a tireless worker for the poor, but now she is watching Fox News regularly and condemning those she once poured her life out for.
As we talked about two weeks ago, the Bible stories were written in the context of what was happening during the writing and telling of the story teller or writer. As the first creation story of Genesis was written and shared during the Babylonian exile, added into the Pentateuch, the Five Books of Moses. As 1 & 2 Kings are basically the same stories as 1 & 2 Chronicles, just written down during different times of Israel's history, it's about context. Not only what was happening then, but what is happening during the telling and writing of the story. The Gospel of Matthew was written probably in the 80's, not the 1980's, but in the 80's about 50 years after Jesus' death and resurrection. It was in this time that Judaism and Christianity had now definitely split up and became two different religions, it was in this time that Christianity definitely was a religion of the poor, the dispossessed, and the marginalized. Though it did attract some wealthy people and those in power, all had to often hold their church membership in secret because Christianity was seen as a threat to the Roman Empire and to societal order. Just as today many of America's problems are blamed on immigrants, the poor, and minorities: crime, social unrest, financial uncertainty, and blaming LGBTQ+ for hurricanes, so back then, many things were blamed on Christians. While Jesus is sending out the 12 disciples and giving them advice, the author or authors of Matthew's gospel were writing to the situation that most early Christians faced of being persecuted and prosecuted and betrayed by family, because they are only trying to "help" them.
Jesus in sending out the 12, and in the Gospel of Luke the 70, was preparing them and the early Christians, and maybe even us, on what is the way of Christianity. When our youth and adults are going to Washington, DC, next month, we will have places to stay in hostels, we will be limited in the amount of clothes we can bring, but we will be fed, we will have our smart phones, and we will be welcomed to meet with our representatives and senators. There will be very little chance that we will be arrested, brought before tribunals or courts, or spit upon. It is good that we have enough clout to be able to meet with those in our nation's capitol. However, we speak from a place of privilege and a place of power.
Our Minnesota Conference is losing more churches than are joining and this trend will continue into the foreseeable future. 71% of our churches worship less than 50 people on a Sunday morning, so we are a small church conference. But we have lots of resources and our members are not denounced for their membership. After the Pride event of the drag queen story hour in March, a man from Lake County wrote a blog about how I was a wolves in sheep's clothing preying on children by promoting this event and saying being transgender was OK. I saw this as a badge of honor, but in all reality, it has not hurt me in any way threatening my job, where I live, my ability to live my life as I want to live. Though we are a shrinking denomination, we are not under threat to be jailed or run out of town or the state.
I cannot set aside my 'whiteness' when I speak up and speak out. I could give all my money to the poor, but I don't because I justify that then I would be poor and have nothing to retire on. But I can be present and allow others to lead, instead of sharing my view of the world. I can seek out voice and perspectives that don't look like me and give them an opportunity to teach us about the 'real' world. I can quit assuming that most people live like me or should live like me around the world. I can deconstruct my views, my theology, and assumptions about the world, about God, and those who are different than me. I can try to risk, at least some, for the kingdom, not just making sure I am comfortable, fed, and secure. I can work on making sure my faith is not used as a weapon to attack, but a shield for others at best, and maybe standing in solidarity in that some of the stones that are thrown will also hit me. Sharing peace, giving peace, and centering us in the peace that passes all understanding. May we seek this out. Amen.
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