June 7, 2020
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Union, Illinois
Audio Link
In the
passage from Genesis we get the beginning. People were created, male and
female, in the image of God they were created, and they were good. Then, they
were disobedient. God sent them out of the garden; sweat and pain would be
their daily experience. They had a couple of kids, and then one murdered the
other. Now, whether or not you believe this is how the earth and stars and
everything were formed, Genesis has a lot to teach us about human nature.
We have
struggled from the beginning with morality, the discernment between good and
evil. Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we get it wrong, but we believe that
over the long run we are getting better. But are we? Long after Moses led the
Hebrews from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the promised land, good,
God-fearing people used the bible to justify slavery in America. People still
use the sacred texts as weapons against those deemed unworthy of the love of
God.
Jesus sent
them to make disciples of all nations. Not to conquer all nations. Not to force
people into submission. Not to demand obedience to a particular set of rules.
To baptize and to teach. To teach love, compassion, grace. Who sent them? The
Prince of Peace, the one whose body was broken and blood was shed so that the
grace of God would rain down like an ever-flowing stream. The one who commanded
“Love one another as I have loved you.”[2]
Have we
loved one another? Have white Christians really loved their black neighbors as
themselves? Growing up in Denver I rode the bus to George Washington High
School. As a white student, I was in the minority there. I had friends who were
African-American, Latino, Asian, and white. I considered myself to be “blind”
to a person’s race. When I moved to Chicago to begin seminary, my eyes were
opened a bit more. By learning from the experiences of my classmates I began to
see the world through the lens of the black experience.
And I have
continued to learn. Among other things, I have learned that it is not enough to
be color-blind. Not seeing race prevents you from seeing the persistence of
racism, which has become more covert and subtle over time.[3]
It is important to see how race plays a significant role in the life-experience
of non-white people. It is important to notice how others respond when a black
person enters the store, or the restaurant, or the classroom. It is vital to
understand that I do not have the same experience as someone who is black, even
if we have a similar background, and experience the same event.
I have what
is called “white privilege.” Now, hear me out. White privilege does not mean
you have it easy, that nothing in your life is hard, that everything is handed
to you. What white privilege means is that no matter how difficult your life
may be, the color of your skin is not one of the things making it difficult. It
means that the likelihood of my being assaulted, arrested, or killed is not
greater simply because of the color of my skin.
I also want
to explain what is meant by “Black Lives Matter.” If you’re tempted to say “All
Lives Matter,” you’re missing the point. Of course, all lives matter. But not
all people are being killed by police at the same rate.[4]
In Luke, chapter 15, we hear the parable of the lost sheep.[5]
There are 100 sheep, but one goes missing. The shepherd leaves the 99 and goes
after the one. The 99 say “But... what about us? Don’t we matter?” Of course
the 99 still matter! But they’re not the ones in danger. The one is. There is a
comic about black lives matter that I hope is helpful. I will post it on the
church Facebook page after worship today. Check it out.
So, it has
been a disturbing week. It has been 13 days since the killing of George Floyd,
a black man who died after a police officer kneeled on his neck for 8 minutes
and 46 seconds. Since that event, protests against police brutality and
discrimination have seen thousands gather in cities in every state and in many
countries around the world. Sadly, some of these protests which began with
peaceful demonstrations[6]
have escalated into violence. Police in riot gear have used pepper spray, rubber
bullets, and tear gas against protesters. Cars and buildings have burned. Store
windows have been smashed. Protesters and police have been hurt.[7]
I have seen
verified videos, photos, and stories of cruelty perpetrated by police[8]
against peaceful protesters of all descriptions,[9]
journalists,[10]
trapped crowds,[11]
people standing on their own porch,[12]
and even elected officials. I have seen buildings vandalized, looters running
off with stolen goods, and rioters battling with police. I have seen white
nationalists and other anarchists trying to use the protests to incite violence
and make people think that black protesters are to blame for rioting and
looting.[13]
I have also seen police taking a knee with protesters, march along with them,
and pledge to change.[14]
I have seen police trying to do the right thing, to protect people and
property, while they and their families are subjected to hatred.[15]
I have seen protesters protecting the police.
I say
verified, because I have done my best to research the source of all the things
I have seen and shared on my Facebook and Twitter accounts, and I have removed
items that have been shown to be hoaxes, Photo Shopped, or that mis-identify
place and time. This sermon is probably the most heavily sourced sermon I have
written, and if you would like to review my materials, I invite you to visit
the church website – stjunion.org – and click on the “Sermons” link next to my
picture.
There is an
un-healed wound in our nation. How may nails have been pounded into the fence
boards of black America? How slowly and painfully, and how few, have been
pulled out, leaving behind the scars of violence? Racism and violence against
people of color, and people of African descent in particular, has been part of
American culture for over 400 years. In late August of 1619 “a ship arrived at
Point Comfort in the British colony of Virginia bearing a cargo of 20 to 30
enslaved Africans. Their arrival inaugurated a barbaric system of chattel
slavery that would last for the next 250 years.”[16]
250 years of inhuman and immoral treatment of black Americans.
The
Declaration of Independence[17]
declared the self-evident truth “that all men are created equal.” Yet many of
the signers owned slaves, and the idea that slaves were neither free nor equal
was not a contradiction in their minds.[18]
The equality they declared was equality with the lords and royals of England,
not with the poor, the minorities, or the Indians. This inequality was formalized
by the Constitution, which defined slaves as 3/5ths of a person.[19]
The end of
the Civil War brought the Emancipation Proclamation. Ratification of the 13th
Amendment to the Constitution abolished slavery, and the 14th
Amendment established citizenship of all persons and the right to due process
and equal protection of the laws. Yet the Jim Crow laws[20]
enforced racial segregation and disenfranchised and removed political and
economic gains made by blacks during the Reconstruction period. “Separate but
Equal” racial segregation meant that facilities for African Americans were
consistently inferior and underfunded compared to the facilities for white
Americans; sometimes, there were no facilities for blacks at all. Laws were
passed making voter registration and electoral rules more restrictive.[21]
Poll taxes and literacy requirements disenfranchised most poor, uneducated
blacks.
Following
the Second World War, while white soldiers returned home to a hero’s welcome,
black soldiers faced continuing oppression, segregation, and violence. In 1946,
following his honorable discharge and while still wearing his U.S. Army uniform,
decorated World War II veteran Isaac Woodard was beaten and blinded by police
as he was taking the bus home.[22]
The Civil Rights
movement in the 1950s and 60s showed for the first time on television the
violent tactics used by police against black protesters. In Birmingham,
Alabama, the Commissioner of Public Safety, Bull Connor, “unleashed billy
clubs, police dogs, and high-pressure water hoses to disperse and punish the
young demonstrators with a brutality that horrified the nation.”[23]
Church bombings and assassinations took the lives of many activists and
innocents alike. Passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a powerful
affirmation of equal rights, would bring an end to Jim Crow laws, but it would
not bring an end to violence and discrimination against African Americans.
Some
Americans saw the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States as
a sign that the nation had entered a new, post-racial era.[24]
Yet, the rise of the Tea Party, the “alt-right”, and white nationalist groups
show that American society continues to experience high levels of racism and
discrimination.[25]
So, why now?
Why are people around the world, and in all 50 states, demonstrating now?
Police use of excessive force is not a new problem. Police killing and terrorizing
people of color is not a new problem. That’s precisely the point: it is still
happening.
Rodney King
was violently beaten by LAPD officers during his arrest in 1991, and nothing
changed. In the last week, LA police have used batons and rubber bullets
against unarmed, peaceful protesters, to the point that Police Chief Michel
Moore expressed concern about the incidents on Friday.[26]
Michael
Brown, an unarmed African American teenager, was shot and killed by a white
police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. The grand jury decided not to indict the
officer on criminal charges.[27]
Freddie Gray of Baltimore died from injuries sustained while in police custody
in 2015. No officers were held criminally responsible for Gray's death.[28]
In 2016, Philando Castile was stopped by police while driving and fatally shot.
The police officer was acquitted of all charges.[29]
Two months
ago, Breonna Taylor, of Louisville, Kentucky, was shot eight times by police when
police broke down the door to her apartment in an attempted drug sting, and
shot her in her bed. They were at the wrong house, and the suspect had already
been detained. The police officers involved have not been fired and no charges
have been filed.[30]
One recent
development, which makes these protests a bit different is that we all have
internet-connected video cameras. We would not know about many of the
atrocities taking place right now if we weren’t seeing them for ourselves
through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts. We know what happened to George
Floyd because we saw it happen. We know about the heavy-handed and sometimes
cruel response of the police because we’re watching it happen.
Right now,
we are witnessing the reality of deeply-rooted racist structures, the reality
that Black people and other communities of color face every single day. “As
those in the streets cry out for justice, we cannot pretend we are dealing with
a new or unique issue. These are conversations we’ve had, these are familiar
wounds, these are sins we continue to shelter and nurture.”[31]
Will we change this time? It is not enough to not be racist. The times in which
we live demand that we become anti-racist.
It will take
hard work to bind up the wounds of centuries of injustice. Anti-racism will
require years of effort to continue learning, acting, and speaking out against
racism beyond these moments. It will require learning how to de-fuse rather
than escalate tension between protesters and police. It will require holding
police accountable to a higher standard. It will take political will to examine
and modify police policies, practices, and culture. And we have to Stop.
Killing. Black. People.
It’s not
just an issue with the police. Systemic racism is built into all of our
American institutions—health care, housing, employment, education, and more. It’s
why the coronavirus is disproportionately killing Black Americans who comprise
more of our “essential” workforce, working in warehouses, delivery services, and
as janitors.[32] The
work of anti-racism requires solving systemic issues that cause poverty, crime,
and violence.
These issues
can be solved. The wound can be healed. And we can do the work of healing
because we are disciples of Jesus. More than anything else he did, in all of
his recorded deeds, Jesus healed. Jesus healed the sick. Jesus healed the lame.
Jesus healed the mute, the blind, and the paralyzed. Jesus healed the
hemorrhage, the withered hand, the lepers, and the demon-possessed. Jesus
healed every disease, and every sickness. Jesus even healed the dead! But Jesus
was not the only one who healed.
In the
middle of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus entrusts the disciples with this amazing
power. “Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over
unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every
sickness.”[33]
They were sent out to heal the lost sheep of Israel. These twelve rather
ordinary people were sent out with the authority of Jesus to heal. And at the
end of the story they were sent out again, the eleven who remained, and some
doubted. But even the doubters were not considered to be less worthy of the
Great Commission. They were all sent to make disciples of all nations, to
baptize, to teach, and to heal the wounds of life.
We have holy work to do. You and I are called to heal the
wound of racism, because we bear the image of God. We have the vision to see
that likeness in every black person, in every white police officer, and in
every mask-wearing protester. We have the power to welcome and love people no
matter who they are or where they are on life’s journey. And we are not alone. There
are millions of people who share this goal. There are people around the world
who are ready for repentance, healing, and change. Together, we are the body of
Christ, the healer of the world, and Christ is with us always.
Amen.
[1]
The scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard
Version Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of
the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission.
All rights reserved.
[2]
John 13:34, paraphrased.
[5]
Luke 15:3-6, paraphrased.
[9]
Amanda Williams, who lives in Columbus, OH, posted on June 1: “As CPD told us
to stay off the street, they continuously forced their way on to the side walks
with horses, forcing us to go in the street. We heard cries and screams down
the street and saw that CPD began spraying.”
https://www.facebook.com/amanda.d.williams.3/posts/10223470697300680.
Timothy
Burke, May 30: “Salt Lake City cops shove down an elderly man with a cane for
the crime of standing along the street.”
https://twitter.com/bubbaprog/status/1266908354821206016?s=20.
Rob
Bennett, May 30: NYPD drive into a crowd of protesters.
https://twitter.com/rob_bennett/status/1266894785375240193?s=20.
Overhead
view of the same incident:
https://twitter.com/rob_bennett/status/1266895719455248385?s=20.
CBS
News, posted May 30 by Kevin Cottrell Jr., Atlanta, GA: Police pull students
from car using tasers.
https://twitter.com/KCJ_Swish/status/1266913464234237954?s=20.
Same
incident, different angle, posted by Brittany Miller, May 31. Note the white
woman waving in the car ahead of them.
https://twitter.com/chimdesires/status/1267198829775990787?s=20.
Same
incident followed up on ABC News, June 2: “6 Atlanta police officers charged in
forceful arrests of college students in car”
https://abcnews.go.com/US/atlanta-police-officers-charged-forceful-arrests-college-students/story?id=71023836.
The
Washington Post, June 1, “Inside the push to tear-gas protesters ahead of a
Trump photo op.”
https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1267668253477920768?s=20.
Rev.
Dr. Emily C. Heath, Exeter, NH, June 1, “Rev. Rob Fisher is the Rector of
#StJohnsChurch. His best friend from seminary, Rev. Kurt Shaffert, posted this
on my FB and asked me to tweet it:”
https://twitter.com/emilycheath/status/1267650936928944131?s=20.
More
from Rev. Heath: “For full transparency, here’s the conversation with the
Rector’s seminary friend. I cut out responses from other FB friends that
weren’t relevant. I don’t know the Rector but have no reason to believe his
friend isn’t correct:”
https://twitter.com/emilycheath/status/1267666096401899520?s=20.
Brett
McGurk, Foreign Affairs Analyst @NBCNews, Palo Alto, CA, June 1: “Here’s how
this scene was viewed live in Australia. One of America’s closest and most
dependable allies. Rendered speechless. Just watch.”
https://twitter.com/brett_mcgurk/status/1267662905383596032?s=20.
[10]
Michael Anthony Adams, New York, NY, Vice News, May 31 “Watch VICE reporter
@MichaelAdams317 plea ‘I’m Press! Press! Press!’ as he's thrown to the ground,
beaten, and pepper-sprayed directly in the face.”
https://twitter.com/YourAnonCentral/status/1267182086038773760?s=20.
Fontaine
Carpenter, May 31: “Journalists targeted/attacked by police:”
https://twitter.com/_nullifidius/status/1266979216865837057?s=20.
Molly
Hennessy-Fiske, LA Times, Houston, TX, May 30: “Minnesota State Patrol just
fired tear gas at reporters and photographers at point blank range.”
https://twitter.com/mollyhf/status/1266911382613692422?s=20.
[13]
Holly Dutton, a student of Pastoral Counseling at Wartburg Theological Seminary,
posted this on May 30 from her friend Jeff Forester who lives in Uptown
Minneapolis: “There are roving and highly organized bands of anti-government
neo-nazi white men cruising the city, breaking off plywood, looting stores, and
then setting them fire to the buildings.”
https://www.facebook.com/holly.dutton.80/posts/3275016595863804.
My
cousin, Melodye, who lives in Fremont, CA, wrote on my Facebook page June 1: “We
are having lots of demonstrations in the San Francisco Bay Area as well, and
the violence and looting going on as well are either from out-of-towners or
troublemakers who just want to steal from stores.”
https://www.facebook.com/dave.inglis/posts/10159030212527494.
The
Rev. Jane McBride, a pastor at First Congregational Church of Minnesota, UCC,
in Minneapolis, posted on June 1: “Jen and I awoke to siren after siren, and
message after message: armed white supremacists were being spotted everywhere.
Neighbors were finding gas cans in the bushes all around our neighborhood… these
events are happening miles and miles away from any protest.”
https://www.facebook.com/janeemcbride/posts/10157411168877215.
Trevor
Noah, May 30: “We’ve seen this in South Africa before. Beware of agitators and
instigators who use legitimate protests to ignite chaos between protesters and
police.”
https://twitter.com/Trevornoah/status/1266745462956208128.
Seth
Abramson, May 30: “It's now confirmed by state officials in Minnesota and
countless media organizations that much of what's happening in certain cities
is the work of outside agitators with anarchistic or far-right agendas and no
interest in peacefully protesting police brutality.”
https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/1266798372180111360?s=20.
TGIB,
Chicago, IL, May 31, “This white man had a gun to me and my friends face. He
was not w/ the police he was just out here instigating. If he had been black he
would have been thrown to the ground arrrested and beaten. But he was
peacefully tuned away. Because he’s white.”
https://twitter.com/taygang98/status/1267269447708028929?s=20.
Jeremy
Jojola, Investigative Reporter at @9NEWS, Denver, CO, June 1, “JUST CONFIRMED:
Denver Police seized these guns and tactical gear from two men who showed up to
the protest on Friday. One of them, Chevy McGee, tells me he didn't break any
laws. McGee is part of the ‘Boogaloo’ movement.”
https://twitter.com/jeremyjojola/status/1267602083508703233?s=20.
SatelliteHeart,
June 5: “Police officer tells Proud Boys to hide inside building because
they're about to tear gas protesters. The officer said he was warning them ‘discretely’
because he didnt want protesters to see police ‘play favorites.’”
https://twitter.com/Satellit3Heart/status/1268863536299675648?s=20.
[15]
A friend, Trevor Davis, Denver, CO, June 2: “Now some punks began to follow my
wife yelling f the police and saying f my daughter's hoping they die and hoping
I die.”
[18]
Edmund S. Morgan, American Slavery, American Freedom: The Ordeal of Colonial
Virginia (New York: W. W. Norton, 1975). Referenced in Heather Cox
Richardson, How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the
Continuing Fight for the Soul of America (New York: Oxford University
Press, 2020), 13.
[21]
Michael Perman, Struggle for Mastery: Disfranchisement in the South, 1888–1908.
Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001, Introduction. Also, J.
Morgan Kousser, The Shaping of Southern Politics: Suffrage Restriction and
the Establishment of the One-Party South, New Haven: Yale University Press,
1974.
[24]
“Dobbs calls on listeners to rise above ‘partisan and racial element that
dominates politics.’” Media Matters for America. November 12, 2009.
[25]
Lozada, Carlos (November 3, 2017). "Where the alt-right wants to take
America — with or without Trump". Washington Post.
[31]
Introduction to “How Long, O Lord? Essays and Resources Addressing Racism”
published June 4, 2020 by Ministry
Matters."
