You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.
Matthew 5:14-15
Events of this week have brought us face to face with harsh, sad facts. The violence and distortions of white privilege coldly ended a black man’s life. The number of Americans who died of Covid-19 passed 100,000. In the face of such tragedy, what is our response? Jesus wept when he learned that his friend Lazarus had died. And then he went on to raise him to new life.
We are in an era of profound opportunity. The old biased, disconnected ways of human relating have run their course. Existing without awareness of the Divine has clearly revealed itself to be deadly and non-sustainable. We are meant for better things. There is life within us. We are called to raise it up, to let it shine.
First, we face facts. Then we honor our emotions. We ask ourselves what is within me that would keep me cramped and deadened? If I am a white person, am I open to continuing growth to release the last vestiges of unconscious bias and so increase my awareness of my true worth and oneness with all people? If I am a person of color, will I persist, even when it seems impossible, in connecting with trustworthy people and places to express my pain and be supported in authentic empowerment?
As we clear our consciousness of what has hampered us, we find the refreshing flow of the Divine moving through our lives in creative, live-giving ways. We see new ways to interact, inclusive ways to build community. We find new energy within ourselves. We make new friends. New opportunities for deep service present themselves. We are raising ourselves, our communities, and our country to new life. Empowered by the Christ within, each of us is the Light. We shine and together bring into being a world of love.
In the Love and Light of the Risen Christ,
Rev. Anna
