By Rev. Chris Brouillard-Coyle
BACK IN JANUARY, Bishop A. Robert Hirschfeld of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire advised clergy to get their affairs in order acknowledging that this is a time when they may need to move beyond statements and use their bodies to stand between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable.
“Those of us who are ready to build a new world, we also have to be prepared,” he said. “If we truly want to live without fear, we cannot fear even death itself, my friends.” (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-hampshire-bishop-warns-new-era-martyrdom-ice-shooting-rcna254813)
Recently, posts have also been floating around social media advising clergy and people of faith about what to do if they are arrested. These posts proved timely for some as clergy who gathered for protests in Minneapolis were, in fact, arrested. (https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/clergy-members-arrested-minneapolis-st-paul-international-airport/)
Admittedly, for me as a clergyperson, it can feel surreal reading news stories and posts about clergy taking risks and making sacrifices in the name faith. It is hard not to feel a bit of angst over clergy who are being harassed, pepper sprayed, attacked, and arrested as they stand up for the vulnerable and challenge injustice. I knew when I took my vows that this was not a typical job, but what does the Lord require of us? Indeed, what does the Lord require of any of us, lay or ordained?
What does it mean to be a person of faith? On Feb. 1, the reading from the Prophet Micah explored this same question from the perspective of the Israelites. Fundamentally, the author wanted to know how to best worship God. The response? “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8) These words offer important benchmarks for us today inviting us to consider:
How are we doing justice? How are we standing alongside those who are vulnerable and fighting for the freedoms we enjoy? What are we doing to ensure all people have access to basic livability? To what extent do we recognise income inequalities and exploitation that are embedded in the capitalist system in which we participate? What support have we given for those who are being told to pull themselves up by their bootstraps even though they have no boots? What can we do better?
How are we loving kindness? How do we show kindness to minimum wage workers, unhoused people, people who are mistreated because of who they are or who they love? What do we do when we hear people repeat stereotypes, utter microaggressions, or put down people because of who they are? What would it take for us to intervene when we see someone being mistreated? What risks are we willing to take to show kindness and bring people out from the cold?
How are we walking humbly with God? As we walk through Lent, we prepare ourselves to enter into the mystery of Holy Week, a time that begins with the celebration of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem followed by a reading of the Passion – the story of the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus. Holy Week centres the journey to the cross, a story in which Jesus is demeaned, mistreated, and abused by people with power who are manipulating the circumstances for their own benefits. Jesus carries the worst of the world on the cross. Out of tremendous love he carries all of sin, to the point of death. In doing so, he shows a love that is more than we can ask or imagine. Jesus’ love is one that is revealed in service and sacrifice. As we seek to walk humbly with God, how is our love revealed in service and sacrifice?
We are blessed if we live in a world where we never need to risk arrest to act with justice. We are blessed if we live is a world where empathy and understanding makes it easy to love kindness. We are blessed if we live in a world where we don’t fear martyrdom as we walk humbly with our God.
As the world changes, may we perpetually have the courage to continue to embody these ideals even if the risks increase. May we trust that, just as God remained with Jesus through his Holy Week journey, God is always with us. May we trust that words of our doxology hold truth for us today: Glory to God whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church, and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen.
Rev. Chris Brouillard-Coyle is a co-chair of SEJH.
(Photo: Yayan Sopian/Unsplash)