Quote:
“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds
Have no fear for atomic energy
'Cause none of them can stop the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look?
Ooh, some say it's just a part of it
We've got to fulfill the book
Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
Redemption songs”
~Bob Marley & The Wailers, Redemption Song
My thoughts:
Easter used to be the highlight of the year for me while I was working in the church. Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday and ending with Easter a week later, was considered our Super Bowl. We would have high attendance, bring in hired guns for extra musical support, and deck the halls with flowers and tapestries.
In the Christian tradition Easter is the celebration of Jesus’ victory over death. His resurrection, theologically speaking, is a claim of redemption and a metaphor (that some interpret as literal) for what is achieved through atonement. If one BELIEVES that Jesus rose from the dead his sacrifice somehow releases the believer from the bondage of sin and death.
But what happens when one doesn’t believe that we are inherently sinful or that spiritual death is just a scare tactic to keep butts in pews and gold in the coffers?
Cynical, I know, but true nonetheless.
It was true 2,000 years ago in Rome and it’s true now in the modern Church.
Our freedom and victory over death has nothing to do with a spiritual event that happens later when we die and we go to heaven instead of hell. Our freedom is one that is found right now, on this earth.
This is what I believe now, and what I think the greats of liberation theology like Gustavo Gutierrez and James Cone, espouse. The story of the Christ is one that should bring freedom to the oppressed and marginalized. It is misused when marched in front of the greatest army in the world, like ancient Rome or modern day United States.
I have long stayed away from engaging religious talk on this platform, because I largely believe it to be unhelpful. And that, in and of itself, is the problem.
The gospel should be helpful. It should not harm. In the words of the late writer Rachel Held Evans, “It is a tragic and agonizing irony that instructions once delivered for the purpose of avoiding needless offense are now invoked in ways that needlessly offend, that words once meant to help draw people to the gospel now repel them.”
The STORY of Jesus should be an inspiration.
A subversive, inverted pyramid of power that tells the story of the meek inheriting the earth.
I truly hope we can get back to that time.
Intention:
Join me in this intention:
Today I will reach out to the marginalized and wounded and share the healing power of love.
Meditation:
Clipped wings, but dreams take flight,
Aching hearts, yet spirits bright.
Beyond the bars, a world unseen,
Where walls can't hold, where hope convenes.
For every voice unheard, a song,
A chorus rising, brave and strong.
Freedom's flame, though dimmed and low,
Burns fierce within, refusing to go.
Cultivation:
How do you create an ethic of inclusion and healing for the marginalized around you?
Within your limits and power you can:
Volunteer at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter
Keep necessities like water, crackers, and blankets to give to the homeless
Become a big brother or big sister in your community
Raise awareness and talk to your local government about challenges
Be consistent
So many more ideas abound, if you are able to do one or two it could make a HUGE impact!
Appreciation:
Similarly to the ideas for cultivation, this can be as simple as shining the light on organizations and people within your community that are doing good work. Support them financially or with time, if you can, but the least we can do is TALK about it.
Be the change you want to see in the world.