There is a really big assumption in today’s scripture reading that I’m not comfortable with.
The reading assumes I have - or have had - a slave. “Who among you,” it says, “would say to your slave, ‘Come, take your place at the table…’”
Well, I wouldn’t tell my slave that, because I never have been, and never will be, a slaveowner.
It’s an offensive assumption!
And I know that, in the scripture, Jesus is speaking to a specific group of people, but he’s telling a parable, and through Luke Jesus is also speaking to us…to all of us… which means that assumption is made to all of us…
Who among you (I ask), likes being compared to a slaveowner?
I imagine that you are as offended by that assumption as I am. Or at least, I hope you are as offended by that assumption as I am.
I don’t even like it when someone suggests that my ancestors may have been slaveowners. I never heard any stories of any of my ancestors owning slaves. I’d like to think that they were against such evil, that my ancestors were morally opposed to slavery even when society at large was not.
But I really have no idea. It may be that my ancestors were just too poor to own slaves. Maybe they would have if they could have.
Or, maybe there were slaveowners among my ancestors, but those stories have been erased.
Only the stories we want to remember get passed down.
Whether it’s family history or national history, we tend to erase ugly truths and highlight only the stories that present a perfect, pure, unblemished narrative.
So, forgive me for not liking this scripture that assumes I’m a slaveowner, or that I can relate to being a slaveowner. And forgive me for never having preached on this scripture before.
The lectionary repeats every three years, which means I’ve had four or five opportunities to preach on this scripture since I first came here to Bixby Knolls Christian Church over fourteen years ago, but somehow I’ve always found one of the other lectionary scriptures to preach on, or a scripture from outside of the lectionary.
I always found something else to preach on, because I don’t like the assumption this scripture makes - the assumption that I, or that any of us, would know what it’s like to be a slaveowner.
But today, I am preaching on this scripture… because I’ve come to realize that maybe my focus shouldn’t be solely on the unpleasant assumptions this scripture makes about me. Maybe my focus should be on the unpleasant assumptions I make about others.
Assumptions that expose the racism that exists within me.
Yes, I confess: there is racism in me.
That’s a hard confession to make, because I know how very evil and sinful racism is.
And no, it’s not the kind of racism that would turn people into slaves, or would burn a cross while wearing a white hood, or anything like that.
But there are different types of racism, and some are more subtle and hidden than others.
When I substitute teach, I know my main job is to maintain discipline and order in the classroom. Some days that’s easier than others.
And it involves a lot of split-second decisions…
For example: a student wads up a piece of paper and throws it across the room toward the wastebasket. Do I enforce the rule about no throwing things in class? Or do I laugh and maybe make a joke about whether the student should, or should not, try out for the basketball team?
It’s a difficult decision on my part, especially since the teachers I sub for all have different rules. Some are extremely strict, while others have gone as far as to put a tiny toy basketball hoop over their wastebasket.
What if, on one particular day, I harshly reprimand one student for wadding up and throwing his paper, but not another? I start to wonder: Why? Why did I enforce the rules differently for two different students?
Was it the maturity level of the class?
Was it my assessment of how likely it was that things would get out of hand?
Was it how well the students were working in the moments leading up to the incident?
Often, those are things that affect my reaction, and all are reasonable. These or any number of other things might justify why I would react differently.
But a few times, I’ve found no justification for my reacting one way with one student, and another way with a different student.
Then I have to ask myself: Was it because of the students’ race that I reacted differently?
It is hard to know for sure, but there are times when I find it impossible to rule out racism as a reason. Somewhere deep within me, there is something that can lead me to treat one student differently than another student, because of how I perceived their race.
I made an assumption about one student, about their motives, their intentions - and I made a different assumption about another student - and I could not find any reason other than race to explain why my assumptions were different.
Believe me, I tried. I’d tell myself, surely there must have been some reason, some good reason, why I treated this student differently than that student.
But sometimes, I can’t find any good reason.
And that’s how I know that I am still not yet completely free of racism and prejudice.
And that’s the kind of racism that still exists within many of us today - probably all of us, at least all of us who are white or who get perceived as being white. It’s the kind of racism that is widespread in our society. It’s the kind of racism that even exists within our church.
That’s why, in 1967, the Disciples of Christ established its reconciliation ministry.
And it’s why, in 1971, we established Reconciliation as a permanent office and fund for working to support racial reconciliation and anti-racist projects.
And then, in 1996, the General Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) approved the formation of a church-wide process to discern the nature of racism in North America and to develop ways of helping congregations address racism. Out of this process, an Anti-Racism/Pro-Reconciliation initiative was established in 1998. The initiative is based on several premises, including:
Racism is a spiritual and theological dilemma as well as a social evil;
Racist practice exists throughout the life of the church and needs to be addressed. The church needs to get its own “house” in order even as it looks toward being a transformational agent in the larger world;
Racism is a systemic problem with historical root causes.
(This month, BKCC supports this reconciliation ministry by sending a portion of the offering money received to the reconciliation office…)
Every five years, I’m required to complete an anti-racism/pro-reconciliation training, in order to maintain my standing as a minister in the church. I think these trainings deserve much of the credit for my ability to seriously ponder how racism affects my own actions.
Because learning to see the racism within oneself is not an easy thing. It’s not something that happens just on its own, without serious intention or effort.
I feel like we almost need a 12-step program, like the ones addicts use, where people can go and confess that there is racism at work within them.
“Hi, I’m Danny, and I’m a racist…”
We wouldn’t introduce ourselves that way because we think racism is good…
And it wouldn’t because we are overtly or intentionally racist in how we treat people…
And it wouldn’t be because we want to be racist…
But the racism of our history and our society is so pervasive, that it’s impossible to not be contaminated by it; it is a “systemic problem with historical root causes…”
…and it’s impossible to break free from it…
…unless you start examining your own motives and assumptions, and start questioning why you make the assumptions you do, and why you treat people the way you do…
…which is difficult work.
And most people aren’t up to that difficult work.
Most people, horrified at the thought of slavery and of being associated with KKK-style racism, insist, “I’m not racist.”
Some will expand on that; they’ll say, “I’m not racist, but…” and what follows next usually exposes how racism is at work within them, in ways they aren’t willing to admit, or in ways they themselves aren’t even aware of.
And in many school districts and communities and states, teachers are being prohibited from even talking about how race is embedded in society, or how racism continues to shape society today. This push to deny reality comes not only from white nationalists, but also from people who just haven’t been able to open their eyes to how pervasive racism actually is.
If we refuse to talk about racism in our history and racism in our society, then it becomes even harder to recognize how racism affects our own actions, how racism influences our policies and our laws, how racism prevents us from living in a society of peace and justice and equality for all.
Just like the addict who doesn’t want to admit that they don’t have a problem, we don’t want to admit that racism has shaped our history and continues to shape our society and our lives today.
But God is calling us to open our eyes. God is calling us to see the truth. God is calling us, as a church, to be pro-reconciliation and anti-racism.
This is the path to healing.
This is how we achieve wholeness for our fragmented world. It’s how we unite with the entire human family and the one church of Christ which this day - World Communion Sunday - celebrates.
This is how we show love to our neighbor. It is impossible to fully love one’s neighbor if you do not at least question the assumptions you make about them.
This is how we find freedom from sin.
As a church, we are committed to taking a good, hard look at our own assumptions and prejudices, confessing our sin, and repenting, so that - as Christ’s church - we can help transform the world and bring God’s vision of wholeness to fruition.
Then, and only then, will we be free from our bondage to sin; and the Spirit will lead us to freedom. And when we are free from the sin of racism, when our church is free from the sin of racism, when our nation is free from the sin of racism, we will be able to say: we once were lost, but now we are found; we were blind, but now we see.
Because we will have finally uncovered what it is that kept us from fully loving our neighbor as ourself; and we will be able to love more freely, more completely. And the kingdom of God - where there are no distinctions separating humans from one another, but where all are one in Christ - will become real on earth. The kingdom of God - where the full image and presence of God is seen in every person - will become present within us and among us.
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