Hey, friends!
It’s been a while since I’ve been able to collect my thoughts enough to send out a Monday Musing – so thanks for opening up this one.
Today I have lots of tidbits to share with you that are related to Black History Month, and I hope you enjoy them! I have really been enjoying this month as a time for some focused celebrations of Black life & history, even though Black history (and culture and celebration) needs to be part of our lives every month of the year.
So often our celebrations of Black History Month are focused on the trials and tribulations and trauma of people of color in our country, but I want to make sure that we also honor black joy. So look forward to more of that coming your way as well!
peace,
Ann-Louise
Sea Change: Navigating Oppression from Fireweed Collective on Vimeo.
This short video (< 4 minutes) about navigating oppression has got me thinking about ways that we embody LOVE in the world. Far too often, I suspect, we focus on the interpersonal aspect of love and ways to better express love to our friends and families. But doesn’t our practice of love also have institutional and cultural applications as well?
If you missed our screening last night of this fabulous documentary, you can still watch it online (for free!) through the end of the month.
My friend & colleague, Matt Laney, has recently set himself up on TikTok – and he’s doing a great job! As a pastor of a UCC church in Georgia, he’s got lots of fodder to work with these days.
Click here to check out one of his recent posts.
Lent is right around the corner! Check out the Weekly News for information about our Ash Wednesday service on March 2nd, and to learn about our Lenten Study using the words & images of Vincent Van Gogh to explore the beauty of Lent.
If you’re thinking about taking something on for Lent this year – rather than giving something up – consider doing the 30 day challenge offered by The AntiRacist Table!
In yesterday’s sermon, I spoke of how loving one’s enemies does not mean we should go through life as a doormat, letting people (and systems) do to us whatever they want. I referenced how the examples Jesus gives of abundant love in the face of oppression – turning the other cheek, and giving up your shirt as well as your coat – are actually a call to acts of creative non-violence that expose the inhumanity of the oppressor and the oppressive systems within which they function.
But what I don’t think I said – probably because I got distracted by my encounter with our “surprise guest” – is that when you love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, you actually become a doorway through which more Divine Love can enter the world.
Hold that image with you as you travel through this week, my beloveds – see yourself as that open doorway through which divine love moves.
(Above photo by Trent Erwin on Unsplash)
