There's Room of North Carolina

As Easter has passed and we enter the season of Pentecost I have continued to think about the state of our community and the world. Like so many of you, my heart is heavy. I have spent much of my time pondering the ethics of God – what does it mean to serve a God that would let so much violence and destruction exist? So often when I bring up these questions, many respond that God doesn’t let these things happen, but that sin is why the world is so backwards. I have never subscribed to the idea of individual sin, but instead always understood sin as systematic failure. I am less concerned about the person who steals because their needs are not met, and more concerned with the society that lets someone need so much. These thoughts tumble in my brain on an almost daily basis. As a result, I am often left to wonder what is the role of faith in this moment? How can faith help us to grapple with the realities we and our neighbors face every day? What can the story of Easter and going into the season of Pentecost teach us?  

EASTER

Whether raised in church or not, many of us know that Easter is the story of Jesus’ death and his subsequently raising from this death as the ultimate sign of his Messiah status. As an open community to believers and non-believers, I am less concerned about whether folks believe Jesus is the Messiah or not. I do, however, believe that all of us can learn from his death. Depending how you were taught about Easter you might have been told that he died for humans’ sins. That he did it to save us. But the truth is Jesus was crucified for going against an empire, for teaching equality, for his humility, for acknowledging those others ignored. In this way, his death is less about a theological intervention and instead reveals to us something about disrupting systematic oppression.

As I’ve grown in my theology, Easter has become less about fulfilling Old Testament prophecies and instead an increased reminder that as we fight systems of oppression there will be consequences. His death is a reminder of our own mortality and asking us to consider what we will do with our lives as it pertains to being in contact with power. Easter is the uncomfortable reality that as we reflection on this moment in history, as we consider how we desire to interrupt power, that death might be a result.

This is uncomfortable to write and think about, but it is the truth. To do the true work of liberation, we will need to have the courage to see the death of institutions we have grown used to. To stand brave as relationships we thought we could count on blow away like vapor in the wind. To not buckle as possessions that brought us comfort no longer serve their purpose. As we do this work, we will have to ask ourselves, truly ask ourselves are these sacrifices we are willing to make? Are we ready to face the mortality of the world around us? Are we like so many of our comrades ready to face the possibility of our own material end?

For many of us, the answer is no. I feel no judgement if your answer is no. If you ask me, I too am not ready to die. Which brings me to my next point. If you are not ready to be like Jesus, to put your life on the line as an interruption to empire, then I implore you to be like his friends.

WITNESSING

If you cannot be like Jesus, then be like his family and friends. One of my favorite parts of the Easter story is the fact that he was not alone as he hung on the cross. He was not alone after he died, and he was not alone after he rose again. We know from John 19:25 that “near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.” That when Jesus saw his mother, he spoke to her and his discipline. We know from later in John 19 that after Jesus’ death a disciple named Joseph came and asked for the body.  

Jesus’ people – their presence is a reminder of the importance of witnessing the struggle of others. The importance of supporting them during and after the destruction of empire. That sometimes the powers in charge might feel too big to interfere with, but it doesn’t mean we have to look away.

We can be like Mary who came to visit Jesus and found his tomb empty. We can be like Mary who spread the word that “He has risen!” and honor the death of those the nation-state tried to silence. If she hadn’t stayed committed to Jesus, she might not have noticed he had risen. She might not have been able to inform the others. Her presence in his time of suffering helped others know that what seems dead might not actually be.

Likewise, we have an opportunity to be steadfast and recognize that what seems dead to us might actually be the beginning of something rising. That our lives, our relationships, our finances, our country, and our civilization might be going through a metamorphous.  If we can stand the pressure of witnessing the death of this current state, we can be around to see it all transform into something else.

We can see care for trans folks change. Care for immigrants change. Care for the unhoused change. What the church can be, change. What the role of faith is, change.

See the story of Jesus’ death – Easter – is really a story of life anew. It is the story of Pentecost coming to fruition.

PENTECOST

Pentecost is the longest season in the liturgical calendar. It is often thought of as the “birth of the church” because it marks Jesus leaving humans with the Holy Spirit. Rev. Jorge Ortiz notes that Pentecost is about “empowering us to live out our faith with meaning, purpose, and conviction.” It is an opportunity regardless if you believe in trinty theology to know that there is a piece of God in all of us. Again, I am less concerned with whether Pentecost is “true” but more concerned with folks knowing they have God with them. That we all have goodness, and the power to change the world, and to create, and the ability to transform ourselves and others inside of us because we are made in the image of God and are his co-creators.

I am more concerned with whether we can answer: what does it mean to embody a Holy Spirit mentality?

It looks like identifying the meaning in our lives. Reaffirming what we understand our values, morals, and beliefs are. It looks like connecting with our purpose. Tapping into the meaning – values, morals, and beliefs we have identified and figuring out the role we each play in bringing those things to fruition. It looks like moving with unbridled conviction. Asking ourselves what our plan is to ensure we stay the course when things get harder than they already are.

It is easy to type these thoughts out but in practice this is not simple. We live in a world that is designed to keep us isolated, individualized, and inconsistent. We must stay in community with others. We must take advantage of the opportunities presented to us to do the work together. We must be intentional with our time and prioritize the work of this moment. Our lives and the lives our neighbors depend on it.

I am proud to be in this community with you all and I look forward to continuing the good fight with each of you.

Stay vigilant, stay rested, stay regulated.

I look forward to seeing you on the otherside of liberation.

Ase and Amen.