St. Paul's United Church Scarborough

Reflecting on Black History Month and Journeying into Lent

February 24, 2023

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” 
(Martin Luther King Jr.)
 

Beginning with George Floyd’s murder by a police officer and followed by other high profile deaths of black people caused by police and racist hatred in the U.S., the media coverage of Canada’s stories of racism and inequity began to finally reach “mainstream consciousness.”  (For example, CBC has been producing some excellent news stories under the banner of "Being Black In Canada.)  As faithful Christians, we are called to add Christian witness to that consciousness.
 
But first we must do our work to examine our own areas of prejudice, casual racism, and unknowing or unintentional support of systems that disadvantage “the other” in society.  Heather Beamish, an anti-racism education consultant, outlines several definitions of racism/anti-racism and the following are two I have chosen to contemplate:

Racism: 
Racism is different from racial prejudice, hatred, or discrimination. Racism involves one group having the power to carry out systematic discrimination through the institutional policies and practices of the society and by shaping the cultural beliefs and values that support those racist policies and practices.
 
Anti-Racist:
Activists and leading scholars have argued that it's not enough for allies to say they're "not racist." Instead, they have to actively adopt anti-racism, a set of beliefs and actions that oppose racism and promote the inclusion and equality of Black and brown people (BIPOC – Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) in society.
 
Jesus spent a significant amount of time in his ministry pushing against societal norms of oppression against the “other”. As I read the gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry, Jesus consistently tells the people he encounters, particularly those considered “lesser than” by society, that in God’s sight they are just as valuable and just as loved as the Roman rulers, the Hebrew kings, and the temple authorities.  Jesus teaches that God’s love is always inclusive.  He treats the outcasts and marginalized people of his society – women, children, people of other ethnic and religious beliefs, people with disabilities – with respect and love.  He also deliberately challenges those in power, particularly the religious authorities, to follow God’s commandments to love God and love the “stranger”.  (See Deuteronomy 10: 17-19)  As followers of Jesus, we are called to do no less. 
 
This Sunday is the last of Black History Month and the first Sunday of Lent.  As we prepare to make our Lenten journey toward the cross, may we be inspired and have the courage to take the lessons of Black History month and weave them into our way of living every day.  May we undertake this Lenten journey as a dedication of our ways of living to Christ’s Way, so that we can open ourselves to build up God’s beloved community on earth.
 
Rev Liz Mackenzie, Intentional Interim Minister