A few months ago I had the pleasure of preaching at Pastor Alise Barrymore's church, The Emmaus Community in Chicago Heights, IL. Though I did not preach a justice-themed service, I still wanted to share a portion of it with you all. The sermon is titled "Risking Restoration" from the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5:1-14.  

May we all have the courage to Risk Restoration

Earlier this week, I wrote a post called Skipping Samaria. It is a challenge to our churches to continue taking care of our immediate communities and continue traveling to the ends of the earth, but to no longer skip over the under resourced communities around us.  I'd like to follow that post with a couple pointers on how to Enter Samaria. First I would point you to Christena Cleveland's blog post this week. She unpacks some of the class divisions that keep us separated, and gives practical advice for overcoming those divisions. Please take a moment to read, but promise you'll come back! 

Whether you are moving, visiting, or want to develop relationships inside Samaria, I want to share a couple thoughts with you. I hope this will help you enter Samaria well.  

1. Oftentimes when we go on a missions trip (near or abroad) we do so with the intention of "bringing Christ's love". There is often a desire to evangelize, to share the Good News, to be Christ's hands and feet in the world. Its a beautiful sentiment. But if not careful there can be an underlying assumption that Christ is not already there, with the people, in the people. Have you ever noticed how many churches are in poor communities!? If you go to Samaria, I would really encourage you to add one more word to the desire to share the Good News-- together. Let us share together the Good News. May there be room for every person present to share their faith. In its sharing may everyone be encouraged. May everyone be stretched. The sharing doesn't have to be unilateral.

Once upon a time, I worked for a short-term mission organization whose tagline is: See the face of God in the city. I love that. Go to Samaria. Be Christ's hands and feet right alongside others who are Christ's hands and feet. Participate in the good work already begun. May everyone's faith grow richly as a result.  

2. Talk through disillusionment. My husband works at a public high school in an under-resourced community. Every year, teachers fresh out of college arrive in order to have their loans forgiven, but also because they really want to have a positive impact on the kids. When they arrive and find it's not going to be an episode of Dangerous Minds or the Freedom Writers, disillusionment sets in. It is inevitable. Anytime we travel to a new space we have to bridge the gap between our expectations and reality. But talk through that disillusionment. Reflect on it. Don't let disillusionment turn into bitterness, anger, or even regret at going at all. We are human- in our beauty and in our brokenness. Don't let the brokenness stop you. 

3. Discover the whole community. Going to Samaria can be a great opportunity to move beyond the media coverage. Some of what you find will confirm the news stories, but at other times you will wonder why you've been exposed to so little. Spending time in Samaria will give you an opportunity to learn about white flight, high rises and redlining. But you might also learn about civil rights movements, church events, cultural festivals, and the public gems of the neighborhood. Being there is an opportunity to see how it has all come together, to appreciate its history and while working towards a beautiful future. 

Whether you are thinking about moving to Samaria, working in Samaria, or just visiting, I would ask that you not skip it. I would ask that you enter Samaria well- that you share your faith and allow the community to share, too. I would ask that you enter Samaria knowing that its possible disillusionment might hit hard, but that you can make it. You can adjust. You can handle the brokenness. I would ask that you enter Samaria determined to see it as a whole community, and hold both its stories of tragedy and triumph.

May we all grow as a result of entering Samaria.  

Before ascending into heaven in Acts 1, Jesus had some very specific words for The Way at verse 8, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." This is instruction we have largely taken very seriously. We are active participants in our Jerusalem- the communities where we've chosen to live. We are involved in local churches and the wider community. We do not forsake the gathering of ourselves together whether in worship services, small groups, or intimate gathering of friends. We volunteer. We run for local office. We attend school games.  We shop locally. We make sure our communities are safe, healthy, strong. We also have gone to the ends of the earth. We raise the funds for missions trips. We save up to go to conferences. We explore when out of the country for business. We make the world more than a little paint on a globe, we make it real, close. We are in Jerusalem. We travelled the world, but what about Samaria?

Are you skipping Samaria? 

You have been to many of our 7 continents. Some lands you've travelled to multiple years in a row. You have fallen in love with various cultures in places where you stick out like a sore thumb. You enjoy the food, the lifestyle, the learning, the people. But you travel over highways to avoid driving through the poor communities right here. You lock the doors to make sure you keep its elements out. You have been in dangerous communities around the world, but did you skip Samaria? 

You have lived in multiple countries, as a student and as an adult. You went there full of excitement. You were a listener and learner. You sought out mentors, teachers, and friends who would be willing to show you the ropes, explore the beauty, find the treasures. Yet, poor communities in your own backyard are shunned, ignored, visited only when in need of help, service, missions. The world has become a place of learning, but have you skipped Samaria? 

You have lots of pictures of small dark children with dirty faces in far away lands on your desk, but are there any people of color in your wedding pictures? your family pictures? your Facebook pictures? your church pictures? Do you know children of color, but somehow missed developing relationships with peers of color? You have travelled the world and found people to love, but did you skip Samaria?  

Samaria is the place that has been historically rejected. It is the place full of "those" people- the ones who are unclean and impure. Samaria is filled with people who worship a little differently than you. It is the place that is unfamiliar, not because it's separated by an ocean but instead a highway, railroad tracks, or bridge. Samaria is the place you heard about growing up- the place you never want to go, where you don't belong, and no matter how 'low' you go- you never have to worry about ending up there. Samaria is the place that falls lower in our hierarchy of good and bad places to live.  In America, Samaria is usually defined by class and/or race. If the door was closed, just me and you, you could tell me where Samaria is in your small part of the country. 

Its true that Samaria is not a perfect place. Its vices are not well hidden nor well contained. But Samaria is more than the sum of its vices. Samaria is historical. It did not pop-up out of nowhere. Its community members didn't take a vote and decide only the poor and just one race are allowed. Poor communities around the world have a story and so does Samaria. It is rich with the stories of who we are as a people- a whole people who chose division. There are stores of pain, deception, violence but also of triumph, movements, and beauty.

Samaria is filled with real people, young and old, hopeful and tired, brilliant, educated and uneducated. It is filled with people who have dreams and those whose dreams have long died. It is filled with people who laugh and cry. It is filled with people who worship and seek spiritual guidance- some just as you do, and others very differently. It is filled with real people.

Samaria has an expertise all its own. It is not culture-less. It has a language, a being, s sense of self, an identity. It claims its space in the world. It has dance and music, language and clothes, hobbies and pastimes. It has a way of communicating, of celebrating, of mourning. It lives, moves, breathes. Samaria has something to teach the world, if the world would only listen.

God is in Samaria, at the margins, with people, and we can be a witness of all of this, if we would stop skipping Samaria.   

RHE "Ask a racial reconciler" continues!  

In September Rachel Held Evens asked me to be a part of her "Ask A..." series by answering questions about being a racial reconciler. There were many more questions than I could possibly answer in one post (which you can find HERE). So this is a second installment of "Ask A Racial Reconciler" using 3 more questions submitted to Rachel's blog. Hope you enjoy!  

Q: "I am trying to become a racial reconciler, but am finding it amazingly difficult to overcome my anger. I find that Christians, white and black, here in South Africa are averse to changing the status quo unless it advantages their race. I feel like there are only a few of us who want to actually reconcile. I want to go on the journey, but I am just so angry at everything and everyone whenever the subject of race comes up. I want/need help overcoming my feelings and turning these emotional swords into spiritual ploughshares, so tell me, how did you overcome your anger? 

A: I haven't! I still get angry all the time! The work of reconciliation is tough, and though I have never been, my guess is South Africa is not an exception to that rule. Its been my experience that anger is a natural part of the work of racial justice. 

The question instead becomes, 'how do we work through the anger?' And my first answer is, we share it. You need a community of people around you that will nod and say, "We understand," when you share your anger with them. If you don't have anyone around who is just as invested as you are, knows the anger you're experiencing and can say, "been there!" then you need to focus on finding that community. If you are so angry that you believe no one in South Africa (or your city) cares about this as much as you do, you'll start sounding like Elijah in his dark days; we don't want that! I cannot stress enough the need for community in this work. They should be people you can turn to who immediately help you beat that sword into a ploughshare before you cut someone (or even yourself!)

The second thing you may need to do is clarify the work God has called you to do. I think sometimes when we have a passion, we think we have to do it everywhere, all the time, for everyone. Not so. God has called you to many things- a church community, a family, friendships, etc. There is a time and place for the work of reconciliation, but if you are never stopping, always engaged, always going, always 'on', you may find that no one is going to measure up to that standard of investment. For your own sake, clarify the work you've been called to do- in the church, on college campuses, for girls, for educators, for government? Focus your attention on the spaces God has called you and put boundaries around the rest.  

Lastly, it might be time to take a break. Find a spiritual discipline that reminds you reconciliation is the work of the Divine. Reconciliation is not done in our own power, and most people don't move through it quickly. It is a life-long journey to which we are all still growing, still learning, still reading, still asking questions, and still wrestling with our own junk! We need to recognize how little we are in this work for our own spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health! Don't forget to keep using that discipline when you begin the work again.    

Q: Most of the members in my church are completely okay with the lack of diversity in our church and are blind to issues of privilege and systemic/institutional racism. What is the best way to begin a ministry of reconciliation in such an environment.   

A: 4 steps!

Step 1: Determine if God has called YOU to the work of reconciliation or your church to the work of reconciliation. I think there are a lot of angry reconcilers out there who really want their church, pastor, elders, etc to care about racial reconciliation but are finding themselves alone in this desire. Lets not assume that both you and your church have been called to reconciliation and multicultural ministry. God might be calling you to do this work elsewhere! Your first step is prayer! 

Step 2: Find a community. Set up coffee dates. Talk with your friends. Network within your church or community. Reach out to others who might also feel called to the work of reconciliation. Discern together how you might proceed as a team. This is not work that should be done alone, especially if your church has been resistant or uninterested. Find community! 

Step 3:  I don't think there is any one format that works universally for introducing a church to systemic injustice. Start a class. Plan a worship service. Bring in a speaker. Go to a museum. Begin a book club or movie night. Start with whatever already moves your congregation- are they moved by movies? Are you always swapping books? Do you have a regular class or Sunday school schedule? Take the format that people are comfortable using, and reformat to teach about systemic injustice! 

Step 4. Story time.  I personally don't know one person who started the work of tearing down systemic/institutional racism because they were moved by definitions, statistics, or historical documentation. All these can be powerful aides on that journey, but the beginning is typically through personal narrative.

As advocates of racial justice, once we've realized the power, reach and devastation of systemic and institutional racism, its extraordinarily difficult to still care about individualized racism. When you want people to care about how racism affects millions in the criminal justice system, you don't want to recount that time last week your black friend got pulled over by the police. When you want people to care about environmental justice, you don't want to talk about your best friend's kid who just got asthma because of the newly built trash incinerator in the hood. When you want people to care about educational justice, you don't want to talk about the one kid at the one failing school who could have really achieved something great.   

But you have to. People are moved by personal stories. Stories matter to us. Stories move us to investigate. Stories move us to dig for more. One story, leads to more stories, and those stories make the case for systemic injustice. Eventually you don't need new stories. You know them. You've heard them. You're convinced that the justice work you are doing matters. But think about when you started. Was it numbers that moved you? Was it a story that you just couldn't shake, that struck you, knocked you senseless? What was the moment when you thought, "I'll never be the same."? Maybe it was a story you were told. Maybe it was a story you lived. Maybe it was when you realized how different your story is from someone else's. But almost always, if you want to move people to care about systemic injustice, you have to start with the individualized injustices. Then increase the opportunities for engagement, experiences, education and, yes, the numbers, too. Like a snowball, start small and keep rolling! 

Q:  Is there a day when white folks get to stop apologizing for all the bad that has happened?

 A: Maybe in a couple hundred years? No, just kidding. Though not intended to be, this is a very loaded question, as can be seen by the conversation that ensued online! So I'd like to take a couple approaches in answering. First I'd like to bring some clarity to what it is that people of color want! For a long time we have used the idea of apologizing or saying "I'm sorry" to respond to instances of injustice. Congress apologized for slavery in 2009. Lifeway just last week apologized to Asians for offensive materials they've published in the past. Don Young had to apologize at the beginning of the year for using a racial slur while describing migrant workers. In 2012, Victoria Secret issued an apology to Native Americans for a culturally insensitive costume in a runway show.  Apologies are all around us! And sometimes when we are sitting in small groups, listening to people of color recount the many instances of injustice faced in America, it seems like white people are being set up to apologize… again.    

In the instance of Congress, Lifeway, Young, Victoria Secret and many others, an apology is entirely appropriate. But it is only a small piece of what people of color want. What we desire far more than an apology is repentance, justice, and sometimes reconciliation.

What we want is to live in an America that acknowledges our histories of pain, many of which were legalized (slavery, internment camps, stolen land, arbitrary citizenship changes, and the list goes on.) 

What we want is to live in an America that no longer subscribes to the supremacy of whiteness.

What we want is equity and equality.  

What we want is to be able to bring our whole selves to the table- our language, our culture, our ideas, our beauty, our community. 

What we want far more than an apology is a world that recognizes us as fully human. We want to live in a world that so respects us that Lifeway, Young, and Victoria Secret can't even conceive these offenses, let alone perpetrate them. 

I'm sure there is more we want, but perhaps this is a good place to start :) 

The second approach I want to take, is to suggest that stories of lament aren't always a set-up for an apology. I personally really enjoy talking about my history, even when its painful. I take great pride in recounting how much my ancestors had to endure from generation to generation. From the shores of Africa to those of America, from being packed in boats to packed in slave quarters to packed in ghettos, from no rights and 3/5 human to a President of the United States. I am proud. But when I recount the pain, I am not expecting an apology. Oftentimes, I am just sharing. I wonder how often white people mistake a desire to be understood with a desire for an apology. Now, I can't say that no person of color anywhere, ever wants an apology! And sometimes an apology is necessary, particularly when an offense has occurred between people. But in the moments of hearing someone share their pain, rather than jumping to the conclusion that you are expected to insert your apology [HERE]… just sit in the pain with them. Be honored that they trust you with their pain. Do something far greater than apologizing. Repent of the system of injustice and work to change it!