Weekly Reflection - 1/13/2022

St. Mary's Reflection: Mike Stafford, Interim Associate Minister

This week we celebrate the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Just like us, Dr. King was a follower of Jesus, and in response to the love and grace of Christ, he looked around himself and saw the horrific and destructive toll that systemic racism was taking on the black communities around him. He saw the poverty that racism created; the fear, the resentment, the violence, the cruelty, the hatred that poisoned the hearts and communities of those affected by racism, those overtly perpetrating the racism, and those who believed themselves to be neutral but who were in fact perpetuating the racist system. And as a follower of Jesus, Dr. King felt an uncompromising compassion for everyone involved, and felt called to respond to the racism in radically loving ways, primarily by peacefully and resolutely breaking down the systems and laws that held the racism in place.

You and I are called through our baptism to strive for justice and peace among all people, seeking and serving Christ in all people. That means - like Dr. King - to start to pay attention to the suffering of the people around us, and contemplate our own roles in that suffering. We are called to have compassion on all those who languish from all the insidious forms of racism, and to take actively anti-racist actions to help break down the racist economic, political, and societal systems that perpetuate the violence, poverty, and lack of rights and opportunity that affect so many of our brothers and sisters of color. And we are called to have hope and patience throughout this process, knowing that God is the Master Builder and we are God’s workers.

In honor of Dr. King and in response to our baptismal covenant, I invite you to take crucial - and sometimes literal - steps towards this goal. Here are just a few ideas that might mark a beginning for this journey:

• Participate in a Sacred Ground racial dialogue circle through St. Mary’s, and invite family and friends to do the same
• Spend some time with the AntiRacist Roadmap, a guide on how we might focus our individual energies towards a more just and equitable society
• Read - and more importantly take to heart - the perspectives and life experiences of people of color
• The Interfaith Celebration, emphasizing Dr. King's vision of voting rights for all, will be aired virtually on Monday, January 17, 2022, at 11:00 am. To attend, you are kindly invited to register at:
  
  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0ufu2uqD0oG902dFrRgTp6IjS6b1dBdLRh