Will there be Peace in Ferguson?

With the Grand Jury in St. Louis deciding not to indict the police officer who shot Michael Brown after a brief but deadly encounter back in August, we should not be surprised that the streets of this small inner suburb city of Ferguson are in flames.  Or should we? Was the violent response by some a foregone conclusion? Is this the new normal?  Clergy and others are calling for peace in the streets before the damage escalates even further. 

As I prepare for Thanksgiving Day on the beautiful Seacoast of New Hampshire this year, in many ways I am a world away from the events unfolding on the television screen.   What I see and read is being shaped by the media sources bringing me the news, and I also see and hear through the prism of my life and experiences.  I do not live in Ferguson.  As a white male, I have not had the experiences of some people of color of acts discrimination or profiling.  Sales clerks buzz me into their stores without hesitation and I am never shadowed by staff.  Taxi drivers stop to pick me up at night in the streets of New York City.  I never had “The Talk” with my son about how he should act or carry himself out in the world and especially when and if he were to encounter the police. 

On the day in question in Ferguson, Missouri there were no dash cameras to record what happened between Officer Darren Wilson and Michael Brown. Eyewitnesses came forward with their accounts of those few tragic seconds.

When I served as dean of the cathedral in Hartford, Connecticut I was asked weeks into my tenure to join other clergy protesting the actions of the Hartford Police Department in another race-tinged investigation. I chose not to sign the petition at the time because I wanted to learn more about the city and the people involved. I began to see how the Hartford Police would daily go into crime drenched neighborhoods to enforce the law and break up all kinds of domestic disputes, often putting their own lives at risk. My thinking was: I did not  want to make their jobs more difficult by making them second guess themselves if and when they as police officers are threatened in the moment. All the while, I hoped and prayed that there were no bad apples in the barrel of the department who might be racist, corrupt or using their authority to oppress at will. In all honesty: I wanted to have it both ways. Support the good cops and drive out the bad ones. Protect the law abiding citizens from those who might prey on their vulnerability. 

The family of Michael Brown can rightly cry out: “Where is justice?” Officer Wilson can also believe that he was simply doing his job and felt that his life was threatened.

We should all ask ourselves if we as a people could do better than the climate and structure of disparity that often leads to such encounters of hostility and fear. Police departments are stronger when they reflect the racial and ethnic mix of the population they serve. Elected leaders can show leadership in moments of unrest to calm fears. From an outsider’s view, Ferguson failed on many fronts. In my opinion, we as a society have failed on many fronts to confront racism.  

Society’s version of justice pales in comparison with God’s sense of justice -- where all of the God’s people can live into the fullness of their lives. Biblical justice implies a certain way of behaving.  We read in Isaiah 1:17  “learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” Biblical justice requires us to be willing to take sides. That is not always easy when the expectation is for justice to be blind. 

As the ashes of events on the ground in Ferguson still simmer, I hope that we will learn something from this tragedy.  And do something.  We should not be blind or turn away to the inequality of our world, from corruption, discrimination the list of –isms that dehumanize.

Pray and work for peace, justice and compassion. 

The Rev. Mark B. Pendleton

Rector

 

 

Thanksgiving in the Air

Thanksgiving, if I were honest, is a more enjoyable family holiday than Christmas for me. The over-consumption of Christmas has just chipped away at its seasonal magic. Grown children turned adults also have altered the day.  But, Thanksgiving is still special and valued.  

The Eucharist we share on Sundays is thanksgiving. Literally. It is what the word eucharist means. 

On this national holiday that unifies people of many faiths or no faith, savor the day and its meaning. If you are reading this post and live near Exeter, NH and do not have a place to gather, come to Christ Church where a meal is being planned. 

I include a reflection from my second favorite Jesuit, Pope Francis still number one, James Martin.

*****

Gratitude is hot these days. That's true in both the secular and religious worlds. A friend who is a psychologist (no, not my therapist) recently told me that the psychological community is paying more and more attention to thankfulness. While psychologists and psychiatrists have long examined what might be called the more painful emotional states, the school of "positive psychology" considers not only happiness but, more specifically, gratitude as a doorway to mental health. An even more specific topic is "savoring," spending time being consciously grateful for what one has.

None of this would have surprised the great religious figures from almost any tradition who, across the board, emphasized being grateful for the gifts that God (or gods, depending on which tradition you're talking about) has given you. Examples are almost too numerous to mention. Just look at the psalms, for example, a whole category of which are called by Scripture scholars "psalms of praise." Basically they're saying to God, "Thanks." Psalm 139 praises God just for the gift of being created: "I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

The psalmist is savoring his existence.

"Savoring" would not have surprised St. Ignatius Loyola either, the 16th-century founder of the Jesuit Order, who frequently used the words savor or relish (depending on the translation) to describe dwelling with a powerful experience in prayer. You return to a special time in prayer, and savor it, like you would a delicious meal.

Gratitude is hot in spiritual circles today as well. Several contemporary books point to gratitude as an essential element of a healthy relationship with God. Mary Jo Leddy's book Radical Gratitude strives to move readers from the "perpetual dissatisfaction" fostered by Madison Avenue to an appreciative awareness of what we already possess. One of the most compelling stories in her book recounts a conversation with a refugee who had just moved in with Leddy at the Romero Center, a community center in Toronto.

"Who lives in that house in the backyard?" asked the refugee. "What house?" said Leddy. "There's no one living in the backyard." "That house," said the refugee, and pointed to the garage.

For the first time in her life Leddy "saw" her garage, and realized in what an affluent society she lived--where she had, in essence, a house for her car.

And just this year Charles Shelton, a Jesuit priest and psychologist who teaches at Regis University in Denver, describes the virtue in The Gratitude Factor as a quality that brings a myriad of benefits to those who practice it: enriching love, contributing to both the individual and the community, fighting negativity, relieving stress and limiting our selfish desires. It is not only the doorway to a healthy emotional life but spiritual one as well.

Gratitude is also necessary to counteract our normal human tendency to accentuate the negative, to problem-solve relentlessly, to be hypervigilant about our troubles. This habit, behavior psychologists say, is simply part of our prehistoric brains, which naturally evolved to help us be alert to danger. In other words, while it would have been pleasant for the cave-dweller to enjoy his (or her) meal, it was far more important for him (or her) to be on the lookout for a predator. Thus, we naturally focus on the negative, thanks to evolution.

To paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld, "Not that there's anything wrong with evolution." But while our brain's hard-wiring is good for pointing out signs of danger, it's not so good at letting us enjoy what we have. So gratitude takes work.

Thanksgiving Day is a good time to revisit the virtue of, well, thanksgiving. But are there reasons to be thankful? Sometimes it would seem not. In the wake of persistent unemployment and endless financial woes, after a national election in which the country seems more divided than ever, in the midst of continuing violence in Afghanistan, in view of terrorist threats here and abroad, gratitude may seem not only inaccessible, but a ridiculous thing to suggest. To put it plainly, how can you be grateful if you don't have a job?

Yet in times of struggle gratitude is critical, lest we move into despair. And we need not deny the dark to see the light. Indeed, the darkness can make the light spots more evident.

For most of us, the causes for gratitude are highly personal. Even in difficult times we can be thankful for our families, friends and co-workers. For believers in general, the cause of the greatest gratitude may be the hardest to describe: our personal relationships with God. For those who participate in organized religion, we can relish the bonds of community, and the challenges that our religions call us to, when they are at their best: love, charity and hope All these gifts can be relished, too.

Savoring is an antidote to our increasingly rushed lives. We live in a busy world, with an emphasis on speed, efficiency and productivity, and we often find ourselves always moving on to the next task at hand. Life becomes an endless series of tasks, and our day becomes a compendium of to-do lists. We become "human doings" instead of "human beings." Savoring slows us down.

Thanksgiving Day is the perfect time to recall our blessings, not simply to add them to a list of things that we've seen or done; but to savor them as if they were a wonderful meal. We pause to enjoy what has happened. We stop to enjoy what we have. Deepening our gratitude to God reveals the hidden joys of our days. As the Indian Jesuit Anthony de Mello, noted, "You sanctify whatever you are grateful for."

As we savor the turkey (or turducken) and stuffing (or filling) and enjoy the cranberry sauce (homemade or in a can), believers are also called to relish the gifts that God gives us every day, and to savor the sparks of divine light that illumine the darkness.

Savor it all.

James Martin, SJ, is a Jesuit priest and the author.

A Potential Project for Us

I must admit that I am always on the lookout for a book or a resource that I can share in community that draws us closer to God and one another.  I believe We Make the Road by Walking by Brian McLaren does this. Looking ahead, I think this book would be a good project for the entire congregation to engage in next year. There is not right way to start, but the outline of the book invites a beginning point in late summer/early fall.  Order a copy. Start reading it with me and let me know your thoughts about the benefit of walking this road together. 

About....

From critically acclaimed author Brian McLaren comes a brilliant retelling of the biblical story and a thrilling reintroduction to Christian faith.

This book offers everything you need to explore what a difference an honest, living, growing faith can make in our world today. It also puts tools in your hands to create a life-changing learning community in any home, restaurant, or other welcoming space.

The fifty-two (plus a few) weekly readings can each be read aloud in 10 to 12 minutes and offer a simple curriculum of insightful reflections and transformative practices. Organized around the traditional church year, these readings give an overview of the whole Bible and guide an individual or a group of friends through a year of rich study, interactive learning, and personal growth.

Perfect for home churches, congregations, classes, or individual study, each reading invites you to

• Cultivate an honest, intelligent understanding of the Bible and of Christian faith in 21^st century
• Engage with discussion questions designed to challenge, stimulate, and encourage
• Reimagine what it means to live joyfully and responsibly in today's world as agents of God's justice, creativity, and peace

If you're seeking a fresh way to experience and practice your faith, if you're a long-term Christian seeking new vitality, or if you feel out of place in traditional church circles, this book will inspire and activate you in your spiritual journey.

A good mediation for today: Trust

Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation Trust Peace of Mind? Thursday, October 30, 2014 To be trapped inside of your own small ego is always to be afraid, seeking some kind of control to settle the dust. To not have Someone that you can trust deeply is necessarily to be a control freak. Thus, great religion tries to free individuals from the tyranny of their small and fragile selves and introduce them to Someone-They-Can-Trust. Only if you trust such a “Someone” will you eventually know that you do not have to create all the patterns nor do you have to solve all the problems. You are in fact being guided. Also, you do not have to explain the failures or take responsibility for the fixing. Finally you know you are part of “the general dance,” as Merton calls it. What else would be the beginnings of peace? As long as you think you’ve got to fix everything, control everything, explain everything, and understand everything, you will never be a peaceful person. These things largely happen by endless ruminating and commentaries in the mind, which are usually negative. The Enneagram taught many of us that “fearful people” are actually “head people,” which was a great surprise to most folks, as we would have located the fear in the gut. The common phrase “peace of mind” is a complete misnomer. When you are in your mind, you are never at peace, and when you are at peace, you are never in your mind, but in a much larger, unified field that includes body, mind, soul, and others all at once! We called it the “communion of saints.” Adapted from Dancing Standing Still: Healing the World from a Place of Prayer, pp. 75-76

Ten Reasons for being a Reluctant Christian: Ten Reasons to Overcome them

This Wednesday evening ends our first session of our 'Living in Faith' series in the Chapel from 7-8 p.m. 

In the concluding chapter David Yount restates in his Growing in Faith: A Guide for the Reluctant Christian what many us know: there are many reasons why we should not believe, yet we do. Let me sum up the ten:

1. Don't let church conflict or disagreements turn you off. The root of conflict is difference. Find a community that speaks to you.

2. We do not prove God's existence: God affirms ours. We spend a life pursuing God while God pursues us. Slow down and allow God to catch you.

3. Don't let organized religion put you off. Clergy are more likely to bore you than scandalize you. (I like that one) 

4. For those who don't "join" groups: get over it. We all need to be connected.

5. Leaving our options opens. Allowing our children to choose their religion.  Hogwash.  Choose. Child can handle truth.

6. Speaking of truth: mixing religions makes for a bad recipe. Better than mix and match, allow each faith to be whole. You must choose (see the pattern?). 

7. God already sent you a personal invitation. Open your mail.

8. Christians will always let us down. Jesus gets that.

9. "The Wager": what if all of this is not true or real? Live a Christian life not as a bet for an afterlife but a way to live a full one here and now.

10. We may not always be happy: life is cruel. But we can all love and serve. And that is enough.  

Living in Faith: Creating a space mid-week

Last night seven of us gathered in the chapel of Christ Church as the wind and rain could be heard outside. 'Living in Faith' is the name of the time and place we have given to Wednesday nights between 7-8 p.m. (we begin and end at the hour). It is an intentional time for quiet (we enter in silence up to 15 minutes before, with chanting music often playing in the background). We try to not to visit and chat too much at first, but we acknowledge one's arrival and welcome them. Those who are nearby reading this blog are welcome to join us anytime. 

We begin our time with simple centering prayer.  Becoming aware of our bodies, minds and breath. The book we use is merely a guide for reflection and conversation. This not a book study. Most evenings we end with the ancient monastic service of Compline in our Book of Common Prayer.  

I believe we as a church are at a critical point when people are needing to find new places to explore preconceived notions and inherited beliefs handed down to them. What is it that I believe? Right now. After all I have seen and done in this life? 

We are doing the basics of Christian discipleship: we are learning and relearning how to pray. How to pray together. 

One of the prayers we shared with one another last week was this, written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer while awaiting execution in a Nazi prison:

In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help,
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
I me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;
I do not understand your ways, 
But you know the way for me.

Amen.  

Carin Ruff asks: "I'm 49 years old. Does the Episcopal Church care that I'm here?"

I commend this blog from Carin Ruff. Worth a conversation. 

She asks key questions about what it means to be 50ish in a parish today. 

What are the 50ish in our parishes really doing?

• Caring for elderly parents, or mourning their loss.
• Confronting their own mortality.
• Having existential crises.
• Changing careers, by choice or necessity (especially after the Great Recession).
• Sometimes struggling to do so. Sometimes discovering a vocation to ministry.
• Reordering their priorities.
• Wondering if it's too late to develop a purpose in life.
• Seeking a community that will support them following a midlife displacement.
• Seeking to form connections they can count on as they age without spouses or children to fill that role.

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