Now is the time . . .

Now is the time . . .

Recent events have taken my breath away as emotions of anger, grief, hope, and joy have waxed and waned with such force that my footing seems at times not on solid ground.

The murder of the nine persons in Emmanuel AME Church broke into our lives, broke our hearts, and breaks us out of apathy.

The Supreme Court Decisions this week regarding the Affordable Care Act and Marriage Equality breaks into our lives, breaks our resolve to restrict benefits of citizenship in these United States, and breaks us out of apathy.

Now is the time . . .

We who are religious leaders in the United States must be awake in this moment and lead in this space that has been hallowed out for us.  We are not staring into an abyss of despair; we should be looking into this space as a kaleidoscope of anger, grief, joy and hope.  We leaders must look into this kaleidoscope and remember that the design in a kaleidoscope changes as we turn it.  We leaders must choose to turn our kaleidoscope such that anger, grief, joy, and hope are ever being reconfigured in each moment of life—tragic or triumphant.

History has taught us that legal justice is necessary in order to address symbolic oppression, systemic discrimination and institutionalized racism, sexism, heterosexism, ableism, religious intolerance, etc.  But, as history and recent events teach us, laws and policies on the books are not enough for moral justice.

Now is the time . . .

We religious leaders must answer our higher calling to nurture hearts and minds for moral justice.  Our vocation as religious leaders is to be ministers of reconciliation.  Reconciliation is not solely an end to be sought, but it is a process initiated by the power of God’s love and justice for a creation gone awry, alienated and estranged from the source of its created goodness.  Reconciliation is a gift that we must accept and as with all good gifts, sharing it allows others to know and experience its goodness.

Now is the time . . .

We, people of many faiths and good will, must seize this moment, walk courageously into this space that has been hallowed out for us by forces and events that have broken into our lives.  This hallowed space is the space of the movement of the Spirit of our Creator and the encounters of our human spirits.  We religious leaders must be of service by continuing to open the space for authentic encounters one with another for doing ministries of reconciliation.

Now is the time . . .