Wednesday, June 3, 2020

White Privilege and Black Lives Matter

On Sunday Jan and I participated in a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Conway. For most of the time we all stood quietly on the sidewalks at a major intersection in Conway Village.  Many of the people driving by honked their horns in support. From  time to time younger members of the group would lead us in chanting “No justice, no peace “ and “Black lives matter .”

It was in more than one sense a privilege to be there. As a person of privilege in our society it was important for me to use that position of privilege to stand up for those who had far too often been pushed to the margins, ignored, oppressed, and  killed. By those enslaved them, by lynch mobs, and even by those whom we authorize to protect and serve.

Two days after the Black Lives Matter demonstration I read a letter to the editor in our local newspaper. After a brief nod to the sorrow so many of us were feeling after the murder of George Floyd, the writer criticized us at great length for failing to condemn the looting that had accompanied some demonstrations in other in other cities. I shouldn’t have been surprised. That kind of response is so common in our society. Unless we condemn all violence the writer seemed  to be suggesting we have no right to condemn police brutality.

I am assuming that the writer of this letter to the editor is white,  a person who is protected by the color of their skin from having a police officer kneel on their neck until they die.  know my white skin protects me from that kind of death.  I just hope that at some point the writer will come to understand white privilege, and that until black lives matter as much as white lives American democracy is threatened.
   

Saturday, May 9, 2020

Stalking Jesus

A reflection on John 14:1-17.





Saturday, May 2, 2020

Exile

Some thought about what we might learn from this time.


Monday, April 27, 2020

We Had Hoped

A reflection on hope in a time when our lives are out of sync.


Friday, April 17, 2020

Although You Have Not Seen Him

Here's my reflection on the Epistle for the Second Sunday of Easter, 1 Peter 1:3-9.




Thursday, April 16, 2020

The Way of Life

Here are my reflections on Peter’s sermon in
Acts 2.


Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Sent Into the World

I'm reflecting this week on the lessons appointed for the Second Sunday of Easter. I begin with the Gospel.


Monday, April 13, 2020

Waiting in Eastertide

Over the last year I’ve realized that I’m not disciplined at writing for this blog. Since the beginning of the pandemic I have participated in countless meetings on Zoom and have posted videos on Facebook. Here’s a video from Easter Monday.




Othering