Dear People of Christ Church,
This morning, I was over with the Sisters of Saint Anne in Arlington. Like many things in life, the ones we most try to avoid can be the most life-giving-I didn't feel like coming up with something to say, being cheerful and leaving the house at 7:30 AM to fight Mass Ave traffic. Of course, God creeps up on us even more on our most petulant and reluctant days, and as I stepped into their quiet chapel, facing those 6 women (5 sisters and one retreatant), the Holy One patted me on the head and forgave me for my hard heartedness.
The Gospel was the story of blind Bartimaeus in Mark. Leaving Jericho, a blind beggar sits at the side of the road. Everyone tells him to be quiet, but he just yells louder. It's a familiar healing story-he gets his sight in the end, and follows Jesus. But until I read it out loud during the service, I never quite heard the most noteworthy thing in all of it: Jesus stood still. This is all the more striking since it's the Gospel of Mark, where everything is fast, fast, fast-it uses the word "immediately" more than any other Gospel, even though it's the shortest-but the writer is moved enough by Jesus' action (or lack of action!) to first describe him standing still.
Jesus stood still. When did you last stand still?
The other thing that was wonderful about hearing this Gospel this morning was the connection to all the things now happening in the world-maybe in direct contrast to standing still! Movements of people organizing from Wisconsin to Algeria, Ohio to Egypt, Washington DC to Libya. Whatever your political interpretation of events, it is an amazing thing to witness people rising up, reveling in the strength of their communities and the clarity of their vision. The more amazing thing is the way people's struggles are, if not linked in terms of the issues they raise, linked in terms of their shared humanity. A friend of mine on Facebook has posted a picture of a bulletin board in a pizza shop in Wisconsin that has been delivering food to the people camped out in protest. People from China, Finland, Costa Rica, Uganda, Iran, Sri Lanka, Egypt, and all fifty states have heard about the actions in Wisconsin and are offering support. What does someone in Iran have in common with someone in Wisconsin? You can't even make an international call except from a hospital, which someone snuck into in order to order the pizzas. A gulf (a solar system!) of privilege separates them. When your own government suppresses your rights as much as Iran's does, how could you possibly be bothered if someone thousands of miles away doesn't want to lose their union rights? But they are! Like blind Bartimaeus, people are crying out and people are hearing each other-standing still and listening, offering the support they can. Even though their concerns are different, even though they may not even agree with each other, they are listening and recognizing each other's humanity. Most of the people in Bahrain, Egypt, or Yemen, are not Christian. Probably a fair number of the Wisconsin folks are, but maybe not. A person camped out on the Libyan border does not have a lot in common with someone sleeping at the Madison statehouse. Still, all were created in the image of God, and all are drawing on that shared created nature as they support each other.
Stand still, shout out, pray-there are so many ways to give glory to God. On this clear cold day, offer a prayer of thanksgiving for all the ways God blesses you, and in thanksgiving for all the ways that others' love (which, of course, is also God's love) gives you life.
Blessings,
Sara+
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