by The Rev. Craig Lemming, Associate Rector of St. John’s, St. Paul, MN
In the name of God’s love made flesh in Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today’s homily begins with a short game called, “Name that Love Song.” I’ll give you a random yet theologically significant line from three love songs, and you have to name the song titles and singers. Ready to play “Name that Love Song”?
Song Number 1
“‘Cause we’re living in a world of fools
Breaking us down when they all should let us be
We belong to you and me”
Yes! “How Deep Is Your Love” by the Bee Gees.
Song Number 2 has bonus points if you can name the two artists who made this song famous. Ready?
“I hope that life treats you kind
And I hope you have all you’ve dreamed of
And I wish you joy and happiness
But above all this, I wish you love”
Yes! “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton made famous by Whitney Houston.
Song Number 3. Third and final song. Ready?
“As long as I know how to love, I know I’ll stay alive
I’ve got my life to live, and all my love to give”
Yes! “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor.
Thank you for indulging my theology of love songs. But what does this have to do with the Gospel? I don’t know what you did to cope, but I retreated into old school love songs to survive last week. Many of us feel betrayed. Betrayed across lines of gender, race, and class. Betrayal hurts both the victims and the perpetrators. I cope with this pain of betrayal by overindulging in old school love songs. These songs remind me of our tender desire to love and to be loved. Our desire to be nurtured and protected; and to nurture and to protect others. When we or those we love are betrayed, trust is broken and love seems impossible. But love is the only way to heal from betrayals. And if we are truly sorry for the ways we are complicit in betraying others and ourselves, then our thoughts, words, and deeds must change. Changed behavior is the only evidence of true repentance.
Today we celebrate the life, love, dream, and vision that Martin Luther King, Jr. had for a reconciled humanity. In his last book, Where Shall We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? that our Thursday Book Group is studying, Dr. King writes,
The hope of the world is still in dedicated minorities. The trailblazers in human, academic, scientific and religious freedom have always been in the minority. That creative minority of whites absolutely committed to civil rights can make it clear to the larger society that vacillation and procrastination on the question of racial justice can no longer be tolerated. It will take such a small committed minority to work unrelentingly to win the uncommitted majority. Such a group may well transform America’s greatest dilemma into her most glorious opportunity.[1]
Perhaps this Episcopal Church is that powerful minority. Bishop Mariann Budde is proof of it. We vow to persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever we fall into sin, we repent and return to God. What changed behaviors show our repentant commitment to resisting the sin of racism in our church and in our world? Changed behavior begins deep within us. Our interiority must be healed in order for our exteriority to become a source of racial healing. Jesus says, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” We can do this if we love the enemies within ourselves. Do good and not hate ourselves. Bless and not curse ourselves. Pray and not abuse ourselves. So that we can love our neighbors and even love our enemies as ourselves.
Learning and teaching ourselves and others how to unburden our minds from the delusions of racist coloniality requires patience, gentleness, and perseverance. Psychotherapist Richard Schwartz observes, “you can’t grow up in the US or other countries with a long history of racism and not carry that legacy burden,” and that “no matter what your race is, no matter how much anti-racism work you’ve done, it’s still likely that there’s part of you that still carries that burden.” Schwartz says,
racism is in all of us. And if we respond to that part by shaming it into exile, we just create more implicit racism, which means even more blind spots and keeping the larger system of racism spinning. So, that’s the part I’m inviting you to look at – the racist. The one who harbors white supremacist beliefs and says nasty things in your head at times. I’ve done this practice with lots of people, and I find that even those who honestly aren’t aware of their own racism at first will find it if they are patient.[2]
Schwartz goes on to counsel,
The problem arises when you go to war against your inner racism… going to war against a part usually strengthens it. When you exile it and pretend it’s not there, usually you’re just doing it to feel better about yourself, making it much harder to unburden it and counter the potential harm it might do… [our racist parts] deserve to receive our guidance and love, rather than our scorn, shame, and abandonment.[3]
In today’s Gospel Jesus commands us to be merciful, just as God is merciful. We need to be merciful with our innermost, racist parts who desperately desire to be unburdened from carrying that hatred of others and ourselves any longer. But how?
Saint Paul redeems the image of a warrior putting on armor to do battle against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers, and spiritual forces of evil. Instead of literal armor, Paul calls us to fasten the belt of truth around us. To put on a breastplate of doing what we know is right. To put on our feet whatever makes us ready to proclaim peace. To take up faith as a shield. To take the helmet of God’s saving love and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We can only resist violent betrayals across lines of gender, race, and class by being truthful and tender. Truthful tenderness is practiced spiritually. Paul says, “Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.” Saints like Martin Luther King, Jr. call us to changing our racist behavior, in thought, word, and deed. Changed behavior is the only evidence of true repentance. People only believe what you say when they see what you do.What is one thing you will do to heal the wounds of racism you carry inside yourself? As we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly together with God, may the Holy Spirit of Jesus bless us as we return to spiritual practices that remind us how deep God’s love is for all people; that God will always love us; and that as long as we know how to love, we will survive. Amen.
[1] Martin Luther King, Jr. Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? (Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1968), 101.
[2] Richard C. Schwartz, No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model (Boulder, CO: Sounds True, 2021), 163.
[3] Schwartz, 165.
