If Not Now, When?
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 82, 98; Malachi 3:1-5; John 3:22-30
This past week I listened to an interview by Kate Bowler with Angela Williams, the President and CEO of United Way Worldwide. When Kate asked her what her five year old self wanted to be when she grew up, she replied, “President and a nun!” She laughed saying she actually feels as though she accomplished both those goals. Not only is she president of a huge international non-profit but she's also an ordained minister. Kate asked her what had inspired her to be the highly accomplished woman she is today. Williams recalled a letter she found that her father had written in 1957 to the ministers in South Carolina. He said to these men of God, and yes at that time they were only men, that “Now is the time to be brave and courageous, to stand up for justice and righteousness.” Those words for her were who her father had always been. He was someone who saw the broken places in the world and rather than seeking recognition for himself, he sought healing. His letter was a call not only to act but to open their eyes to the inequity of economic resources and to be mindful of the injustices that repressed so many, based on race and class. Williams has chosen to work in areas where like her father, she could address inequalities. It wasn’t about achieving personal greatness but doing acts, God’s work, greatly.
Their conversation shifted to the continuing relevance of her father’s letter for today. Drawing from a theme from Martin Luther King, jr., she stated we have a choice to either continue living in chaos or recognize that within our myriad of differences were all tied by our humanity, we are all interconnected. So, the question is do we want to remain in chaos or live in community, as a community of brothers and sisters in Christ? My words not hers. Her father’s words reframed for today: “Now is the time to act.”
Today is a day on the church calendar that holds special importance. June 24th is the day which the church recognizes as the birth of John the Baptist. John was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin. Zechariah is approached by the angel Gabriel, who tells him that he and his wife will have a son who will be a great prophet and will go before the Lord "like Elijah." The Jewish tradition had been that Elijah would herald the coming of the Messiah, the chosen one of God.
John’s life’s work, his ministry was to prepare the way for the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. As Jesus comes on the scene and John’s followers begin to follow Jesus, John tells those who are concerned, "This is as it should be. My mission is to proclaim the Christ. The groomsman, the bridegroom's friend, who makes the wedding arrangements for the bridegroom, is not jealous of the bridegroom. No more am I of Jesus. He must increase, and I must decrease." (John 3:22-30).
John was preparing his followers, us, for an encounter with the chosen one. Thomas Merton once said, “True encounter with Christ liberates something in us, a power we did not know we had, a hope, a capacity for life, a resilience, an ability to bounce back when we thought we were completely defeated, a capacity to grow and change, a power of creative transformation.” As followers of Christ, Merton also said we must not be too sure we see the Christ in ourselves until we see the Christ in those who are the most different from ourselves. John claimed no self-importance, he only wanted us, his followers, the people who had ears to hear, to recognize the Christ and then to follow Christ, in community as the interconnected children of God we are. I believe John would agree, now is the time to recognize our places of brokenness, to move from chaos to recognizing our interconnectedness, our missed opportunities to act, and our miss-steps when we tried to act. If not now, then when?
Faithfully,
Sally+
Questions for Reflection:
What prevents us from speaking the truth, from speaking out against the wrongs of this world? How can we prepare ourselves to act? How do we encourage others to act? If we could pick one thing to try to change, what would it be?