6.18.15
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
By the time you have received this letter, it is likely that you will have seen and heard the news from Charleston, South Carolina today. At a prayer meeting last night, June 17th, a 21 year old white man entered a historically black church (Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal). This was on the anniversary of an attempted slave revolt by one of the original founders of Mother Emanuel AME Church; the suspected shooter (who is now in custody) has an established history of deeply racist beliefs and statements. After sitting for an hour in a prayer service, he opened fire on those gathered, killing nine church members, all African American, including the church’s pastor.
I imagine I would have found this tragedy deeply disturbing even if I were not a pastor, but especially as an ordained minister, this is the sort of violent event that shakes me to my absolute core. We consider our churches places of peace and safety; to have this peace and safety destroyed in such a horrific way is a truly unsettling matter for all of us in Christ’s Church regardless of our denomination, our geographic location, or our racial and ethnic identities.
It would be easy to dismiss this horrible event as a one-time tragedy – something so far removed from the happenings of daily life that it is viewed in isolation from history and context. To do so, however, would be to ignore its place in a broader narrative of racism and violence that has been a theme in our nation’s life and history since the early years of European colonization. It is true that many great strides have been made toward the full inclusion of people of color in our society and institutions. In the living memories of many people, we have seen the dismantling of Jim Crow and end to segregation, the extension of voting rights and greater access to societal participation to all people, and even the election of a person of African descent to the presidency. There is much to celebrate as we have come closer to God’s vision of a just society in many ways.
However, we are reminded today that these things do not equal an end to racism in our nation. Our nine sisters and brothers in Christ were not killed randomly or accidentally; they were gunned down in a deliberate act of domestic terrorism precisely because of the color of their skin. We cannot, as Christ’s Church in our day and time, afford to turn a blind eye to racism and the violence and injustice it creates and fuels. If, as we heard last week, we worship a God who does not look on the outward appearance, but on the heart, then our call as the ambassadors of God’s Kingdom is to learn how to do likewise while working for justice and peace. Ours is the ministry of reconciliation, the Apostle Paul tells us; as we have been reconciled to God in Christ, so we too are called to invite all people into reconciling lives and communities.
As we consider, as a community of faith, how best to respond, I lift up these suggestions as your pastor. First, let us commit ourselves to praying for the family and friends of those killed; for all members of the Mother Emanuel AME community; for the perpetrator as well as his family and friends; for the city of Charleston; for all people who are victims of racially-motivated violence. Let our prayers fill the air like incense, rising up to God ceaselessly. Let us also consider signage, pursuant to Illinois state law, that clarifies our commitment to the peace of Christ’s reign by asking people to refrain from bringing concealed weapons into our building. Let us also be vigilant in “calling the thing by its name,” as Luther would have us do, and naming instances of racism, violence, and injustice for what they are – sin and radical departure from God’s will.
Perhaps most importantly, let us begin a conversation as a about how we can live out a call as an anti-racist congregation, and as peacemakers in our community. Anti-Racism is not principally about learning how to move ourselves past personal prejudice, though that is one component. It involves some very challenging discussions around racism as a societal and systemic reality and how we can be not just “not racist,” but actively engaged in resisting racism as a power at work in the world. Similarly, the work of peacemaking is not just about personally refraining from violence, but about actively cultivating the attitudes and conditions necessary for peace in our congregation, community, and world. These are not things we will do overnight, and they must be done appropriately and intentionally. I encourage you all to be in prayer for how you might be led to engage with this work, and invite you to talk with me about what this might mean, or about any concerns you might have.
In closing, let us never forget that we worship a God who, in Christ Jesus, has himself experienced a violent, unjust death. Luther always pushes us to look to the Cross for our revelation of God in the world. In the cross, we see Christ asking God to forgive even those who are crucifying him and mocking him, for they know not what they do. Look to the Cross today – find hope of salvation there for all who die in Christ Jesus, even those gunned down in acts of senseless violence. Look to the Cross today – find the promise of forgiveness even for those we would rush to label hopeless sinners. Look to the Cross today – find the Living Christ, present in Charleston and in all of our lives, reconciling us to himself and to each other with a boundless love that does not look upon our outward characteristics, but upon our hearts.
In Christ,
The Rev. Kevin Patrick Baker
Pastor, Grace Church – Elmwood Park, Illinois
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