My wife and I attended a new church in Pottstown, PA called Open Table UCC, which my church has committed to support financially for 6 years. They just celebrated their 2nd anniversary and are doing some really great things in the community. Part of the service focused on our senses, and that the idea that there are only 5 is being disproved. In fact (it is a little controversial) there is some proof that we may have between 10-20 senses, which is an astounding number, but makes a lot of sense to me. The conversation included thinking about what being awake means; how are we, as people of God, awake to all that is around us? How do we sense the needs that people have and how do we respond? Or are we asleep at the wheel while life passes by, oblivious to the pain and suffering so many of us go through?
I know that wokeness is a scary thing for some people, and there are some extreme versions of that movement that cause me to have concern, but the concept of being awake to injustice is an old one, and it has always been a problem for the powerful and wealthy. To call out injustice – to awaken the conscience to the idea that things are not right in the world – challenges the status quo, and the status quo is great for those who are doing well. It is never great for those who are suffering under the weight of unfairness and inequality. Like Scrooge on Christmas Eve, some people have to be awakened to their culpability so they can repent and atone. Our church confesses every Sunday for just that reason – we need to be awakened to our participation in sinful behavior that goes beyond our own personal worlds. We have to wake up every morning and start over.
This is a problem with much of Christianity in America; too many of us are entwined with power systems that oppress the poor. Too many of us benefit from a system that is biased and broken. We worship the wealthy and look down on the poor, two things that Jesus preached against, warning the people of His time that these behaviors lead to God’s condemnation. Read through the prophets and you will see just how often they pointed fingers at injustice perpetrated by the rich and powerful rulers of their times. “Wake up!”, they begged, “before it’s too late!” It isn’t wrong to be rich, but it is wrong to be rich on the backs of others. And if you love money more than anything else, you are worshiping that which is the root of all evil.
Meanwhile, in America, we are at war with ourselves over how we should govern and care for one another. Neither party has a great answer, but both ideologies have value. Both are also wrong about much. A society should not judge itself by how many rich people it has, but by how it treats those who are oppressed and struggling. I don’t care if Taylor Swift and Elon Musk are billionaires, but I do care if they pay their fair share of taxes like the rest of us. Those taxes provide education and roads and hurricane relief for millions who are suffering. To ignore our interconnectedness is to be asleep at the wheel, and that always leads to crashing and burning. Wake up, people! There’s work to be done.
Prayer – Holy God, You tell us that when we care for the least among us, we are caring for You. May we do for others as we would do for You and ourselves. Amen.
Today’s art is “The Power of the People” by Charles Cham.