The world is on fire, it seems.
The Covid 19 pandemic rages because of the selfishness and self-centeredness of leaders and followers who clearly care more about themselves and their reputations than about the people they know and love.
Because, seriously, how much does it cost you to wear a mask?
And how much has it cost us to not wear masks?
Yes, jobs have been lost. The economy has been deeply damaged.
But also, thousands of people, more than one hundred thousand people have died in this country.
The number of new cases is rising daily because people had to go to restaurants and the mall and mingle elbow to elbow. It was their right to be free.
Now they are free to get sick with the virus they have denied the seriousness of and share that sickness with others.
And it didn't have to be this way.
It didn't have to be this way.
And it doesn't have to be this way going forward.
What will we do? How will we go from here?
The pandemic of racism, of police brutality, of injustice, and of ignoring the truth of all of these things - that pandemic has been brought to our attention in ways that are opening the eyes and ears and hearts of a whole lot of folk who never had to care before. People who have benefited from blindness to and disinterest in the lives of those who have always been essential workers, but still cannot earn a living wage, get access to safe drinking water, affordable housing, a good education, or health care.
I am tired of listening to the same old excuses about protecting the fragile egos of those who don't want to hear and face the truth of our nation's horrific history (and it's not just our history; it is our current and ongoing way of life) while the lives of those with fragile health, fragile economic situations, and fragile prospects for a better future don't get the same protection.
I am tired of being expected to console white people when they tell me how sad they are to realize how hard life has been for Black people all these years.
I am tired of working so hard to bite my tongue, hold back my rage, and protect those fragile egos.
I am ready to smash some stuff. We have to get ready to smash some stuff.
We've got to smash the old ways of doing this community thing, this nation thing, this life thing.
We've got to smash the old systems that have kept far too few people in power and far too many people in pain.
We've got to grab the mic and speak the truth to those who have not listened for far too long.
We've got to grab the hands of those willing to do the real work of justice, peace, and healing - and press forward.
We've got work to do, my friends.
You've got work to do.
I have work to do.
So much work.
Start by educating yourself.
Go to Google. Do some research.
Go to Amazon. Or better yet - find a black owned bookstore or a local bookstore. Buy books. Read them.
Sign up for workshops. Take them. Take notes. Study.
Listen. Learn. Grow.
Then put your learning into action.
(No, I'm not providing links because we each have to do our own work!)
Speak up when Uncle Joe says something racist at the Fourth of July family gathering you SHOULDN'T be having.
Speak up when someone says something stupid and racist in your Zoom work meetings.
Speak up when people in your faith community say racist things.
Speak up when your partner, your spouse, your child, your neighbor, your parent shows their racist underbelly.
Speak up when that foolishness appears in your social media feeds.
And be willing to own and apologize when your racist underbelly gets revealed.
Don't be silent.
At the very least, ask questions for clarification.
"Do I hear you saying...?"
"Perhaps I misunderstood, but it sounded like you said..."
"Help me understand what that meant. I didn't think it was funny. Maybe I missed the point..."
Do your work.
Do your work.
Do more work.
Keep working.
Keep on working.
Sit in the discomfort of it.
Feel it.
Keep working.
Keep going.
I was going to write: "It's time to get started."
But that would be wrong. It's not time to get started.
This work for justice began a long time ago.
Centuries ago.
It's time to keep working.
Time to keep smashing and keep grabbing.
Two weeks ago, I preached a sermon called "Smash and Grab."
In the middle of that sermon, I articulated a few of the things I think we need to smash and grab.
This is that list.
"We’ve got to smash the whitewashed version of our history and grab the whole, messy, ugly, true story.
Smash ignorance. Grab a broad and deep education.
Smash lies. Grab truth.
Smash fear. Grab courage.
Smash hate. Grab love.
Smash apathy. Grab intentional involvement.
Smash complicity. Grab resistance.
Smash comfort. Grab discomfort - and sit in it.
Smash the addiction to easy and quick answers. Grab onto the truth that this is long term work.
Smash privilege and grab equity.
Smash greed. Grab generosity.
Smash poverty. Grab justice.
Smash worry. Grab faith.
Smash despair. Grab hope.
Smash isolation. Grab community.
We must also smash false martyrdom. Grab real self-care.
Smash frenetic action. Grab stillness."
If you want to hear the sermon, check out the video below.
The reading of the Scripture, done by a friend from Cameroon, begins at minute 34 and a half.
My sermon begins right at minute 38.
