A Timely Invitation - June 2
Today’s Readings - Ezek. 4:1-17; AM Psalm 89:1-18; Heb. 6:1-12; Luke 9:51-62
One of my favorite authors, Ken Follett, created an incredible historical fiction in his trilogy, Century. Follett takes his readers from 1911, the day of King George V’s coronation through the 1980s. The last book of this trilogy, Edge of Eternity, begins in the 1960s and culminates with the civil rights movement. At the beginning of the Civil Rights movement George Jakes, a bi-racial twenty-something, volunteers for a Freedom Ride. The Supreme Court decision Morgan v. the Commonwealth of Virginia had made the segregation of races on interstate public transportation unconstitutional. Some of the southern states were ignoring the decision, so, in the Spring of 1961, in an attempt to challenge the attitude of the southern states, an interracial group organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) prepared to ride a bus from Washington D.C. to New Orleans. In anticipation of the violence they would face, their preparation focused on nonviolent resistance, self-protection, and understanding potential resistance, principles inspired by Mahatma Gandi’s belief that social change could be achieved without using violence.
What ensued on their journey were some of the worst behaviors of which humanity is capable. At a stop in Alabama, they were met by crowds of angry whites, one of their buses was firebombed and as they fled from the fire they were attacked and brutally beaten. Some were arrested, and in some cases, no police protection was provided even with knowledge of the violence that was planned.
The attacks drew national and international attention to the civil rights movement. The nonviolent approach of the Freedom Riders was considered to be successful given the attention they had garnered along with the stark contrast with the actions of segregationists, highlighting the moral imperative of their cause. Ultimately, despite the personal cost, the Freedom Rides demonstrated that nonviolent direct action could be an effective way to achieve social change.
Christians for Social Action declared Gandhi the best modern disciple of Jesus' nonviolent teachings. Gandhi, trained in his native India as a lawyer, drew inspiration from Christian ideals embodied by Jesus Christ, particularly the Sermon on the Mount, which emphasizes nonviolence, forgiveness and love for enemies.
In today’s gospel, James and John’s reaction to their rejection by the Samaritans was to “command fire to come down from heaven and consume them,” much like Elijah’s response to the King’s messengers in 2 Kings. However, Jesus rebukes them. Again, he reminds them of the inevitable rejection they will face in his absence and of the nonviolent response they will need to practice by continuing to focus on their God-given mission to grow the Kingdom of God. It's difficult to read the accounts of the Freedom Rides without recognizing the similarities in the ideology of the rider’s training with the non-violent resistance Jesus taught his disciples.
Despite these examples and others, it seems that no matter how many times we see the aftermath of violence we continue to shake our heads in disbelief as if real change is beyond our reach. What if we were to take today’s gospel as a timely invitation to revisit these events, to reconsider the direction humanity is taking and our own role in challenging the continual violence our society seems to tolerate? Remember, every small effort is a worthy act, capable of creating a ripple affect.
Faithfully,
Sally+
Questions for Reflection – When have you been challenged to act on something you felt was unethical or immoral? As overwhelming as a solution may feel how can we realistically impart change? How might we emulate Jesus' example in our daily lives?