During my trip to DC in 2018, I walked around the city on July 4th and visited most of the monuments and memorials. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial was one of my favorite stops. Taking time to reflect on his words and actions reminded me our work is never done.
One of his most well-known quotes is, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” In these words, King paraphrases words from a sermon delivered in 1853 by abolitionist minister Theodore Parker. Here are Parker’s original words…
“I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one. My eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by experience of sight. I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice.”
I think what Parker was getting at and what King meant and embodied was not that justice comes without effort, but rather that the divine flow moves in that direction and invites us to partner in its work.
We are invited every day to consider how we might do our small part in the grand story of creation to push against forces of oppression and evil and aid in bending that arc. We are neither the source of power nor passive observers; rather, we are partners in the ongoing work of bring forth goodness, justice, mercy, love…in a word, Shalom.
As we remember the life of Dr. King today, may we not just celebrate his life, his work, and his words; may we join in the efforts which existed long before him and will continue long after we are gone. May we do our part to help that arc bend towards justice.
Occasionally I see someone post thoughts on social media like “I miss the America I grew up in” or “I want to go back to the way things used to be.” The reality is we can’t go back.
We can never go back. The past is in the past. All we really have is the present. Even the future is not guaranteed.
But voices still call for our nation, the church, the world to return to some “better” past, nostalgia clouding our memories.
This is not to demean or belittle those desires. For many people they are noble calls to release the pain, discomfort, and disorientation of a challenging present and unsure future. People a hundred years ago who faced another pandemic, the First World War, and the Depression likely felt the same way. Those who survived the Civil War. Europe after the Black Death. On and on, history offers moments of pain and suffering where people were clamoring for relief.
While these calls seem ever present, they amplify in times like now. They are likely a primary catalyst for the “Make America Great Again” movement. They probably fueled Ronald Reagan’s campaign in 1980. Numerous other leaders echoed these sentiments over the years. They have been part of numerous movements, good and evil, throughout history.
If we are completely honest, every season, every era has its good and bad. As good as the 1950s were for white, middle-class Americans, they were equally as challenging for African-Americans. As much as the 1880s were a time of economic prosperity for many Americans, they were disastrous for Asian immigrants. While the war to gain independence from England and the subsequent creation of the United States was a pivotal point in human history, there was a small minority of people who primarily benefited in the years immediately following.
Typically, those calling for a return to “better” times are experiencing a loss of power or privilege, whether they realize it or not.
We are one people, both nationally and globally. We all share this planet, living on plots of land divided by invisible lines and governed by a variety of laws and leaders, a blend of capitalism, socialism, communism, fascist, and more. But at our core we are all alike.
When we live in such a way that one group benefits at the expense of another, there exists a disequilibrium which must be reckoned with. The course of human history illustrates this reality time and time again.
Today is no different. Racial inequity. Economic disparity. Consolidated political power. The strains of imbalance creating polarity and division, frustration and fear, anger and violence.
We cannot go back; we must go forward, leaning into the discomfort.
There are redeemable aspects of nearly every time period, lessons we can learn and questions we must ask. When we allow fear to drive us towards what used to be, we often miss out on seeing what could be.
Let us consider one final question. What can we do today in order to make tomorrow better for someone else? When we step out of our own shoes and walk in someone else’s, we will hopefully see the perils in going back and understand healing only comes from stepping forward with humility and openness.
It would not be a stretch to call what happened on January 6, 2021, at the United States Capitol an act of insurrection. Hundreds if not thousands of citizens – some with weapons – broke windows, injured law enforcement, and forcibly entered one of the centers of our government.
Today we wake up with a national hangover, recovering from an overdose of fear.
Fear, one of the major catalysts for the insanity we witnessed yesterday in the hallowed halls of Congress.
Donald Trump is not the first person to harness fear, nor will he be the last. Many of his contemporaries do it as well, just not as effectively or overtly. It has been used by people throughout human history to obtain power, incite violence, and oppress others.
Let this be a wakeup call for our nation. Let this act of domestic terror shake us and open our eyes to the reality of our shared humanity.
Fear is like cancer, infecting one person at a time, sometimes slowly and quietly, other times quickly and with intensity. Fear causes us to focus on limited aspects of those not like us, seeing them not as a complex human beings, but as a two-dimensional icons, labelling them based on how they are different.
Yesterday’s events did not come out of nowhere. Donald Trump did not create the fear which fueled yesterday’s attempt to intimidate or even overthrow our government. But he exacerbated it. He exploited it. He utilized it for his own motives, whatever they may be. We can try to guess, but only he knows why he stoked the fires of fear and hatred and quietly stood by and watched yesterday like Nero as Rome burned.
In less than two weeks, Donald Trump will no longer be President. No, I don’t hate President Trump. I have always hoped he would succeed as President. I wanted him to do right in his role as leader of our nation. Even in his waning days, I wished he would have changed his tone.
I do not write these words today to relitigate the election. That has been done enough. I am not here to debate whether or not the election was stolen. The evidence seems relatively clear. Regardless of which side of the argument one falls on, Joe Biden will be inaugurated as President on January 20, 2021.
Do we need to examine election procedures in our country? Yes. Every election includes a handful of irregularities and occurrences of fraud. We should always seek to improve as a nation.
But today, in the midst of a national hangover, let us reach into the proverbial medicine cabinet and grab the medication which has remained unopened for too long.
It doesn’t matter which side of the debate you fall on, extend an open hand, not a fist. Offer your heart, not hatred. Engage in discussion, not derision.
In 1 John 4, the author pens these words: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”
When we love one another, fear loses its power.
Love does not mean we avoid difficult discussions; it actually makes them more fruitful. Love does not mean we deny consequences; it calls for justice and mercy in dealing with others. Love does not mean we all agree; it provides a place for peaceful disagreement.
President Ronald Reagan once said, “Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” What we saw yesterday was not handling conflict by peaceful means. It was a crowd fueled at least partially by fear, wielding violence and coercion in an attempt to force their will upon others.
It is the morning after, America. Let go of fear. Love your enemy. Look out over a nation filled with millions of human beings longing for peace. We really aren’t as different as we seem. Let us come together, embracing our diversity and seeking the best for all people.
This morning the sun rises once again on this imperfect nation seeking to create a more perfect union.
Breaking Into Peace 