From the pulpit: Moving on

What can we say at a time when everything around us is so disordered? The COVID-19 pandemic has kept us in check for three months, and now, just as we’re beginning to be able to slowly open things up again, we’re recognizing an even bigger pandemic in our society – racial prejudice.

Humankind has always had difficulty with the “other”. Anyone who is different in any noticeable way is taunted, marginalized, treated with disdain, and even violence. To make matters worse, this behavior is trivialized or ignored by those who could do something about it. In the wake of recent events, the time for acceptance of this attitude must be over.

The community of faith must recognize that, when we have allowed ourselves to simply pass by on the other side of the street, to avoid engagement with this difficult situation, we are actually encouraging it! Even if we have never personally taken part in any prejudicial behavior, when we ignore the darkness swirling around us, we are giving it permission to continue.

So how do we move on? If we hold true to our beliefs, we can no longer turn away. We must see this great wrong for what it is, and join together against it. We need to open our eyes wide, and never turn away. We need to educate ourselves, so we can avoid continuing to perpetuate this culture of prejudice by our ignorance. And we need to examine our own hearts, to awaken our awareness of our own hidden prejudices. Only then will we truly be able to move on.

We are called by our faith to love others – all others – with the extravagant love that our Lord lavishes on us. If we can still be loved by our Lord, with all of our faults and foibles, how can we not do the same for others? Our judgment of others, based solely on what we see on the outside, is something that we need to let go.

COVID-19 has made us rethink many things. Although it has left us angry, frustrated, anxious, and bereft, grieving the loss of friends and loved ones, and often suffering the loss or limiting of jobs, it has also presented us with an opportunity – we have a chance to press the “reset” button!

As we begin to open the doors of our homes and businesses, let us open the doors of our hearts, and throw off the shackles of hatred! We now have an opportunity to start fresh in our attitudes and relationships with one another, and to usher in a new day. The time of discrimination and prejudice can be over, if we stand together against it.

Today’s challenge for the faith community is clear – we must not turn away from what we see. We must stand on the front line of change, with open hearts and minds. We must wake up to the wrong in our society, and within ourselves, and stay “awoke.”

Rev. Barbara L. Jean
Somerset Baptist Church