The checkered lily is one of my favourites. It is a short-lived bulb which reveals its beauty early in the season. Unlike the neighboring tulips who stand at attention with their giant blossoms erect and pointed heavenward, these lily blooms appear melancholic, prayer-like in their posture. The finely checkered heads point downward like they are burdened under a weight.
Today, I am more like the lilies, as the heaviness I feel for my black brothers and sisters weighs on me. What can I, a white woman of privilege, living in a largely homogeneous town, say or do that could have any impact on the racism which we see in the news? I recognize this is not an American problem, but one which resides in all of our hearts. I may treat those with black or brown skin the same as one who shares my skin color, but what about those who are on the opposing side of the mask-wearing debate? What about those who believe in conspiracy theories? Do I treat them as less, demean them, as if I were a superior being? Anytime we create a hierarchy of value in humans, we are guilty of the same sin which led to the snuffing out of black lives in Minnesota and Georgia.
Perhaps what is needed most, or at least a beginning point, is to adopt the posture of the beautiful lilies in my garden; humble, repentant, and sorrowful. What if we chose to bow our heads in submission to the One who created all lives in His image, and surrendered the ways we have de-valued certain kinds of people? We pray along with the psalmist,
Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart;
Test me and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way. - Psalm 139:23-24 (AMP)
If we sit in this posture praying for God to reveal those moments where we have unwittingly or overtly treated others with less reverence than they deserve, it is a start. Even though we are tempted to run from the bad news, may God give us the strength to pay attention, to lament, to be moved with compassion for those who are suffering in our own town and across the world. Let’s read the stories, and say their names, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery - just the latest in a string of modern-day lynching of unarmed black people. Let’s get angry and may this spur us into action on behalf of any who are mistreated because of their skin color, religion, sexual orientation, or political views. There are people in my town, who are oppressed and need someone to stand with them, to fight for them, to amplify their voice.
Am I willing to search for and uphold the image of God in each and every human being I meet? Can I honor differences without feeling threatened by them? Can I lean in, seeking to understand another rather than dismissing or ignoring them? Instead of being silent in the face of bigotry, will I have the courage to speak and act on behalf of the one treated unfairly? These are questions to ask ourselves to determine if we are part of the problem or the solution.
May we seek to be like Jesus, who responds always with love. Who sees not only the outward person, but inside where the image of His Father dwells. We pray for eyes to see ourselves clearly, to confess honestly, and to live differently as we rely on the indwelling Spirit.
God have mercy on us, and make us people of mercy, we pray.
Amen.
