Hide or Standout? | No Kings Day

I just found out that a food I am eating is probably causing a symptom I dislike. It is both a relief to find an answer and sad to give up the particular food.

Which is part of my struggle in general. I always want both sides of the issue: to hide from knowledge and to know it all, to listen and to cover my ears, to take risks and to be safe. While in one minute we can do one thing, and in another chose something else, once we decide for risk we probably can't go a back to safety.

It's hard.

-Liz

Following Jesus is Risky

Most people are going to choose to be safe. The safest way forward for your congregation, or for you as an individual, is to keep your head down. Certainly don't do any harm, but keep out of the public eye. This is the choice most people make when their local or national government goes astray. Be careful of what you say and do.

For some, you do this because the challenges of acquiring the material resources you need takes all of your effort. For some, caring for your mental health is the most important task. Both of these override any other ideas about how to choose whether to be a visible part of changing the direction of our nation.

The fact is, while the economy may fall apart, I can probably keep safe through the worst of times. I am white, middle class, past my usefulness in the military, and cis-gendered (although using the word “cis” marks me as woke). Although I am queer, I am married to an old white man. I do not have visible disabilities, beyond glasses and hearing aids — and I could pretty easily hide that I need them. I live outside the city and I have enough food in my house for a year of no shopping.

The Nazis started their genocide with trans people, people with mental health issues, and people with disabilities. Basically, people that only their families cared about. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge started by evacuating the cities, sending urban people to the countryside to work as farmers. In addition to killing minorities, they also killed people who wore glasses! Stalin’s great purge started with politicians from the previous administration, and eventually those who served in the previous army.

So I can choose to be "safe." Obviously immigrants, trans people, government workers, Jews, Muslims, etc., do not have this choice.

But I do, so the question is, do I want to be quiet? When this is all over, what do I want to tell my niblings (male, female, and non-binary children of my siblings) that I did at this time?

The three big civil rights struggles that have happened in my life time are when black people rose up and demanded equality, when trans and cross-dressing people stood up for every queer person's rights — even though we weren't especially supportive of theirs — and when people with disabilities left their wheelchairs and crawled up the steps to the supreme court. We got the civil rights act, gay marriage, and the disabilities act out of the work of oppressed people who stood up for what they deserved.

A few other people marched, fought, and crawled with them.

My faith tells me that these are the people I need to be close to. Whoever is being targeted, I am to be standing near them. I am much like Peter, insisting he doesn't know Jesus while he is on trial, but it is clear that Jesus intends for us instead to take up our cross and walk beside those being attacked. My faith is dependent on the stories Jesus told, but we wouldn't know any of those stories if he didn’t decide to make a fuss in the crowd, to be seen, heard, arrested, and then put to death.

Jesus says to follow, to take up your cross, and to be not afraid. I'm going to try. I hope you will come with me.

What is your church doing, or thinking about doing these days? Reply to this email to let me know what's happening. ​
​

Standing Up For Racial Justice is asking faith communities, and others, to sign a pledge to agree to "resist and protect". Protection is really in our job description as a church. Check out the pledge and see if you congregation can sign.

​

Indivisible has a list of places to protest on "No Kings Day" on June 14. We have no King but Jesus! Check out whether there is a protest near you.

​

Please forward this email to others who might be interested. If you got this from someone else, use the button below to subscribe to the free Act! Be Church Now email newsletter.