Until we are reminded

It is the week to celebrate the independence of this country, our freedoms and our opportunities.  Because of the sacrifices of so many people over the course of American history, we have the freedom to express ourselves, experience the transformation from naïve ideals to more life experience that inform our world-views.  We have the freedom to choose so many things that many other people do not—from education to jobs, from travel to foods, from religion to media.  To comprehend that all these choices, these freedoms, these opportunities come from the sacrifices, innovations and infrastructures of people before us and the innovators of today is of monumental impact.  So often we take it all for granted.  Until we are reminded.  Until we know people who have lived in refugee camps who have risked it all to have even a fraction of the freedom we have.  Until we see a flag draped casket or drive past a national cemetery or listen to the lonely bugler play “Taps” at a funeral.  Until we receive a wedding invitation from a couple who have waited decades to be married.  Until we witness the ordination of the first Hmong Episcopal priest in the world.  Until we listen to the stories of soldiers, of immigrants, of hope and of risk.  

Dear Holy One, be with us as we shoot fireworks into the air, eat picnic foods, gather with friends and relatives to celebrate living in America.  Ground us, even as we “ooo” and “ahhh” as colors burst in the sky, to understand all the effort that was offered for this freedom.  Thank you for these reminders.  Amen. 

Clybourne Park

Some hard observations tonight about race and how we, as humans, mismanage our words while trying to develop relationships.  We try, all of us, to make ‘politically correct’ statements, to not alienate others, to keep our fears to ourselves, but we cannot.  We all bring our ‘social locations’ to every conversation we participate in.  We bring all our baggage and our experiences—those good and those that were not so good—and try to be in community with people who look or act differently.  We tell jokes that marginalize and put others down.  We describe others by race, creed, ability and sexuality.  We try to be inclusive and open minded, but, in reality, we fail; at least those of us who are over 25 years old seem to fail. Our kids are our hope.  Our kids, who have been exposed to many cultures, colors and traditions, who eat together and talk together and who, often, do not know of the segregation we older folks have experienced. 

We saw the Clybourne Park at the Guthrie tonight and left with some harsh realities that we have not come as far as we think we have regarding race.  Jeff and I cannot change the reality that we grew up in “white bread” communities, where people of color were extremely rare and where neighborhoods were still segregated, for whatever reason.  How are we still complicit in perpetuating discrimination?  And more important, how can we change the attitude of discrimination?  These are big questions, and watching this play, opened wide the conversation for us, probing us and making us take good long looks in the mirror.

Dear God of All, you put creative ideas in the minds of artists that provoke the rest of us.  We are challenged by the ideas that should not even be issues.  Issues of equality:  of race, of gender, of sexuality, are often subjects of various works of literature and art, and they poke us and send us seeking our deepest fears, driving them to the uncomfortable surface where we must dissect them to understand who we are and how we need to begin to see the opportunities we have to be instruments of change.  Help us to see in the mirror the image of acceptance, of intolerance towards bigotry and harmful discrimination, and become more open and welcoming to those who, in one way or another, live differently than we do.  Help us find opportunities to sit together and eat, sharing our traditions, our palates, our customs and dining habits that help us learn to become the heavenly family you created.  Amen.

Service with a smile

I’m on the leadership team for our church’s upcoming mission trip.  We will be joining two other West Metro Episcopal churches and another group from one of the eastern states up at Leech Lake to do odd jobs, like painting, for White Earth Reservation enrollees.  When Indians (this is an appropriate title, according to some of the White Earth folks we met last summer) live outside their reservation, it is difficult for them to get some of the services provided if they were living on their reservation, so we will help to provide some of the housing upkeep needs for a week in late July.  My task, with my trusty assistant, is to make sure everyone is fed with healthy food for the week.  It’s a great use of my gifts and talents and I’m really excited to organize menus, grocery lists and do what needs to be done!

I don’t know a few things, however.  Like, what cooking implements are available at the resort where we are going to stay?  We have two large cabins to house the 18 of us from our church, each with a kitchen and supplies.  I’m planning to bring some of my trusty tools to make the prep go more smoothly.  My assistant and I have come up with some unique meal ideas and some fun desserts!  Each morning the troops will get breakfast on their own and then belly up to the “build your own sack lunch” bar.  We’ll have homemade goodies as well as cut up veggies and packable fruits to go with their sandwiches.  Our dinners will include a typical tubular meat and hamburger BBQ, kabobs, walk around tacos, 2 kinds of lasagna and a salad bar with grilled chicken.  One night we think the folks from the tribe will host a meal and one night we’ll eat left overs.  Desserts will include homemade chocolate cake, flan and tiramisu.  I think they will be fed well and maybe spoiled a little bit too!  But they will work hard, so they deserve it!

Dear God, prepare us for the ministry we will be doing at Leech Lake.  Open our hearts and minds and make us willing servants.  Help us use the skills, talents and gifts we each bring, but challenge us to try new things and take risks.  Teach us to work together with people who are new in our lives; create new friendships and bonds that can guide us further in our mission for you.  Keep us light hearted and help us to laugh when under stress.  We trust you, O God, to guide us in this mission field, ever ministering to our individual needs as we open our hearts to minister to others.  Let us be taught by those who we are helping and use us all to be better stewards of our gifts to your glory.  Amen.