Devotional Messages

DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE

Proverbs 1:20-21 – Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice.  At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks. (NRSV)

Maybe you’ve seen it while driving around town: there are a lot of people on the streets these days.  I don’t mean our neighbors without shelter; I’m talking about our fellow citizens standing on street corners with signs and banners, exercising their freedom of expression about the issues of the day.  Even here in supposedly sleepy East County, there is an “action” happening almost every day of the week.

While I was on sabbatical, I spent time talking and chanting and praying and singing with some of these folks.  It was heartening to see how touched people were to see a faith leader join them on the sidewalk.  There are a lot of folks out there who have given up on the church standing and speaking out for justice.  So with my stole (and occasionally my “collar shirt”) identifying me as a pastor, I had a lot of conversations with people grateful to see a sign to the contrary.

Many of the folks at these protests are people who are passionate about justice, but also people who have been hurt by some part of the church.  So when I was invited to speak at an event, I always made sure to include words of confession about how the church has contributed to many of the challenges we are facing today.  A posture of humility goes a long way, if we’re trying to help people give Jesus a second chance!

It was also interesting to notice how many people were holding signs that reference faith – slogans like “Love Your Neighbor” or “Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness” were common.  I don’t know if those people were part of faith communities or not, but it’s clear that the general public does still know what Christianity is supposed to look like, whether we’re collectively as Church living up to it or not.

This experience made me glad I had re-ordered business cards right before Christmas, because I was able to share them with a lot of folks.  I don’t know if they will ever darken our door or not, but the chances increase with every interaction that proves our commitment to justice.  This witness will be even more compelling the more of us get involved.

I will be hosting a “Song Circle” tomorrow afternoon, for people who would like to learn some simple songs that will be shared at events all around the county on April 28.  You’re welcome to join us!  We’ll start at 3 in the Sanctuary.  This is part of an effort led by a group called Raise Your Voice San Diego that believes in the power of singing together to inspire action and help build community.  I will also be returning to the weekly vigil at the Otay Mesa Detention Center on Sunday after worship, to bear witness to those detained their, raise their spirits, and raise funds to make sure they can contact their families and lawyers.  Let me know if you’d like to go with me or make a donation.  I would love to have you alongside me, and maybe together, we can shift people’s impressions of Church!