Altered through God’s Creativity

Lent 4 - John 3                                                                            Image from A Sanctified Art

In a way, you can empathize with the people of God wandering in the wilderness. Let’s admit it. Many of us like to complain. We certainly can dismiss our leaders and call them weak and ineffective. In fact, that might be one of our favorite ways to treat leaders in these times—elect them and then blame them for absolutely everything. So, we can understand people discouraged on the way—“there is no food, no water, we detest this miserable food…”

But it was another thing when their poisonous complaining became poisonous snakes all around them. They admitted their sin. Moses prayed for them. God provided a way out—look to the serpent and live.

 

In both Hebrew and Greek cultures, the snake around a staff became the symbol of healing medicine… and the ways that medicines can both help and harm.

 

Last weekend, I attended the triennial assembly of the European Descent Lutheran Association for Racial Justice triennial assembly. Since that name is confusing and a mouthful, at the assembly, the group changed its name to White Lutherans for Racial Justice. If you are wondering why a group named that would be necessary, it was founded about 15 years ago at the request of the ethnic associations within our church body. These are the African Descent, American Indian and Alaska Native, Arab and Middle Eastern, Asian and Pacific Islander and Latinx assocications—these 5 groups represent significant numbers of Lutherans but less than 10% of our official membership compared to over 90% white ELCA members. These associations asked for white Lutherans to organize and train to show support for BIPOC members of our church, and to speak and act against racism and white supremacy… and now, 15 years later, those of us who are white Lutherans are being asked to be even clearer about our solidarity and commitment in light of unfolding events in our country and church.

 

I know that members of our own congregation are experiencing the terrible effects of racism daily, and our neighbors are experiencing those things too. One of the Black local leaders shared her own family’s story of the death of her loved one in 2008—a death that resembled what happened to Emmett Till. Here, in St Paul… in 2008. That was years before George Floyd died in broad daylight.

So, our neighbors are asking for those of us who are white in the church to become even more activated in seeking out our neighbors’ stories, even more active in standing present with them in the truth that God so loved the world—including them.

 

I will share just a few details to give a sense of this… people within our congregation experience housing insecurity because of unethical landlords, people fear coming to worship because of anti-Asian violence in our community, some of our family members have been killed, jumped, threatened… do these things ever happen to white people? Yes. And, the systems, trouble and trauma that Black and brown people face are just too common, too much in this country—for those who are part of the global majority but who are considered minority here.

 

And then within our public life as a nation, we hear small numbers of white leaders with very loud voices saying horrible, hateful things about immigrants—words that sound very much like those that Hitler used on the way to World War II. This is toxic in so many ways. It fills people with fear and despair about the present and future.

 

But on Wednesday evenings, we have been hearing stories from others who might have caved in to fear and despair—the original people who lived on this land—whose stories might give us courage and wisdom to act with the kind of all-embracing love that Jesus calls us to today.

 

This past Wednesday evening, we heard about the prophet Smohalla of the Wanupum people of the Pacific Northwest. He had such a deep, protective love for mother earth and for people. Smoholla said, “God told me to look after my people—all are my people.”

Smohalla saw the land as his mother, not to be harmed, not to be sold. In view of this message that Smohalla preached, we wondered together if the earth is listening and waiting on us? Does the earth, who sustains our life, who holds our bodies in death, have something to say to us? 

 

The voice of Smohalla, the voices of scripture, the voice of Jesus are all calling for the same kind of love in action that is the antidote to fear, division and despair. It is like Moses’ snake on a pole—practice trust in God and you will live. It is like the life, witness, death and resurrection of Jesus—who came in love for the whole world, not to judge the world but to save us.

 

This is the antidote to the poison that swirls around and threatens to overtake us.

Love in action. Presence and solidarity with those who suffer.

Care for the earth and the whole creation.

 

Gathered as church community, we have so many resources to practice that kind of creative, love in action. On Wednesday evening, our consultant from Riverside Innovation Hub, Geoffrey Gill came to be with us, listen to us, share with us. He shared his own experience of being in the Boundary Waters for days and sitting on a rock. He described how his mind was so full of words. Then, words fell away and there was music. Still he sat on the rock for hours until finally there was silence and then he was able to be with the fullness of the beauty of creation around him. What a powerful story of connection—and example of how storytelling connects us.

 

So many of you have shared stories like this—the sighting of an owl, a powerful encounter in a kayak with a mother loon, a transformative hike or ski, an eagle along highway 36, deer wandering through your yard—you have witnessed God’s creativity in nature, right here in our neighborhoods and far beyond.

We have also witnessed places of destruction that miraculously have been able to mend and heal, grow and bloom again—with a little care and attention—as we love the earth as one of our closest neighbors, our beloved one.

 

God is so very creative—providing all we need, able to heal deep wounds—

even the evil we bring on ourselves and each other is not beyond God’s power to save.

We are invited into all kinds of God’s creative practices so that we can live like Jesus—with the words “God so loved the world” on our lips and in our hearts, remembering that God’s love never comes to judge but to save, like the very best medicine comes to heal, repair and bring us back to life.