I was invited to speak at our No Kings Rally this year. These are my notes…
| Bio: Rev. Jeff Williams has served the Greenville First United Methodist Church since July 2020. In his 36th year of ordained ministry in Michigan he has served a rural church, small town and city churches, campus ministry, and a new church start which has given him a wide view of the vitality and struggles of the Church. He knows the strength of being an inspired community committed to greater openness and welcome to all persons, especially in the LGBTQIA + community. |
Good afternoon and thank you for being here. I am grateful for the invitation andopportunity to speak. I hope to offer some brief helpful reflections on meeting this historical moment in our nation.
One day a traveller, walking along a lane, came across three stonecutters working in a quarry. Each was busy cutting a block of stone. Interested to find out what they were working on, the traveller asked the first stonecutter what he was doing. “I am cutting a stone!”
Still no wiser the traveller turned to the second stonecutter and asked him what he was doing. “I am cutting this block of stone to make sure that it’s square, and its dimensions are uniform, so that it will fit exactly in its place in a wall.
A bit closer to finding out what the stonecutters were working on but still unclear, the traveller turned to the third stonecutter. He seemed to be the happiest of the three and when asked what he was doing replied: “I am building a cathedral.”
All three stonecutters were correct in their answers, but the third had his big picture glasses on. He had an understanding of what his actions in the quarry were aiming at and that his contributions were part of something larger. In this case, a cathedral (https://engineeringmanagementinstitute.org/5-ways-to-get-big-picture-thinking/)
We could see ourselves today as individuals who have come to a rally with other individuals and we would be right, or we could see ourselves collectively as the Greenville No Kings rally and we would be right, or we could see ourselves as the local representatives of a nationwide protest in more than 3,000 places who belong to a movement to save democracy by protesting and resisting authoritarian leaders, policies, and actions that diminish and demean our humanity.
Thank God, you’re here. To witness and be a witness to the power of community in a threatening time. You are a sign of hope as we stand ON common ground and stand FOR common causes of democracy and community and justice.
When things are so wrong, we come together to remember what is right. When things are so broken, we come together to remember what heals us.
In my line of work, I read and study the Bible a lot. Regular appearances of Fear not…Do not be afraid… This is spoken to people having a divine encounter or about to be asked to do some really courageous things.
It appears so frequently because they felt afraid a lot, like we may we feel afraid a lot. One of the things I am drawn to today in your presence is encouragement — encouragement that I need and that I want to give.
So, there are people who take your heart away and there are people who give it back (Susan Scott, Fierce Conversations). Today’s rally is an encouraging sign of heartfelt commitments to democracy and fairness and justice. It’s even OK that we stand up with shaky legs and speak out with trembling voices.
And how we get here matters. I want to observe the adaptation from the last rally to this one of moving everything to the road.
You
who are on the road
must have a code (ethics)
that you can live by
and so become yourself
because the past is just a goodbye.
Teach your children well (Crosby, Stills, and Nash)
Along the road
Your steps may stumble
Your thoughts may start to stray
But through it all a heart held humble
Levels and lights your way (Dan Fogelberg)
In the wretchedness and swamp (Biblical miry bog) of cruelty, violence, bigotry, racism, sexism, homophobia, and ignorance, we resist and we protest for our own sanity and clarity and commitment. We seek what Rev. Dr. MLK, Jr. described as “tough minds and tender hearts.” What a great orientation for life on the road building democracy.
A good code to live by is found in Micah 6:8 — 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?
Do justice: Confront and stop harm; seek the good for our most vulnerable neighbors. Work on what’s most important. Jesus criticized the religious leaders for paying attention to very small things and neglecting the very big matters of justice and righteousness.
Love kindness: Kindness and love are close to one another. Love is patient and kind — 1 Corinthians 13:4. Loving kindness is not a side hustle or hobby or a part-time job. Kindness is needed more than that. We might consider it a fundamental life skill. And when kindness comes from (our hearts) God it is strong and wise enough to prevail.
Walk humbly with your God and neighbors: Only [two uses of the Hebrew word](Strong’s Hebrew: 6800. צָנַע (tsana) — To be humble, to be modest): here and Proverbs 11:2 (When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.) Humility is not about humiliation. It is about earthiness. Latin root: on the ground. Humus (hew-mus): essential to the fertility of the earth. So, it takes humility for justice and kindness to grow on the ground.
One effort we are making at Greenville First United Methodist Church is the opening of a Peace Vigil on the third Wednesday of each month from 6 to 7 PM in our chapel. I invite you to consider participating. It is offered as quiet time and space for those of us who are spiritually weary, grieving, or overwhelmed. We have flyers to share about it.
This code to live by impacts how we get places, how we show up here.
Tomorrow is Palm Sunday in the Christian tradition. We celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem at the time of Passover (a time of great tension and concern for the Romans) for what turns out to be the last week of his earthly life. Jesus enters Jerusalem from the east humbly riding on a donkey as a sign of peace. The Roman governor with the funny name, Pontius Pilate, and the Roman military enter Jerusalem from the west on war horses with signs and symbols of power and control. What a subversive contrast and not a neutral Bible story.
This leads me to think about how we enter situations of conflict or community life or national political life.
Thank God, you’re here. To witness and be a witness to the power of community in a threatening time. You (we) are a sign of hope.
Finally, remember our joy and creativity and artistry and community are kryptonite to leaders and administrations built on vengeance, control, arrogance, and fear. Let’s not be afraid as we rally, march, sing, and seek justice for our vulnerable neighbors. We are building our democracy after all, and carry on with glad and generous hearts. Peace be with you. Thank you for your witness.