I read this article this morning and it hit me right in the gut.
Rev. Dr. Byron Anthony Wade* is a dear friend and colleague to me who preaches the gospel with his life and not just his very good words from the pulpit. Scripture to him is the Word of God, the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the pastor of the historic Davie Street Presbyterian Church and the recent vice-moderator of our denomination. He is Black.
And I wonder “How is it possible that this friend and colleague could experience the world in such a dramatically different fashion than I do? How can it be that he has to deal with these things?” Black parents have to remind their kids not to walk into a convenience store with a sweatshirt hood over their heads in order to buy sodas? It’s not like I didn’t know that the experience of people who are of colors different from my color is full of presumed distrust and assumed hostility and all sorts of prejudice. I do know this. But…
We Christians can get caught up in our own point of views so easily, and then make the move – one we don’t even notice – that our point of view is God’s point of view. This is sin, of course, what John Calvin would call idolatry. Not only is it sin because we equate our mind with God’s mind, but because we don’t heed Jesus’ teachings. Our actions preach the gospel powerfully, and we very often do not live out what we are called to do – and the way we are called to be – throughout scripture.
I must admit that it is painful for me to examine my own actions. Decades ago I worked in an old-fashioned department store right on the town square in Princeton, NJ, which is a wealthy town. A young Black boy, probably about seven or eight years old, came into the store holding tightly to a pack of dollar bills, and he was looking into our cases of scarves and whatnot. He was looking for a present for his mom: he said so. I happened to look up and saw shop door after shop door, open for the warm spring day, pulled tightly shut as far as I could see around the square. One of my co-workers found a “gracious” way to usher this boy out of our store. The doors started shutting when someone started the phone chain that warns other shops of shoplifters and other nuisances. I was very upset about this at the time, because the only way you could perceive this boy as threatening was if you were threatened by the color of his skin. All he was doing was looking for a present for his mom.
And all I did was be self-righteous.
I didn’t do anything at all to stop what happened, nor did I address the issue, nor, most importantly, did I relate to the boy personally by standing up for him or engaging him in conversation or helping him to find that present for his mom.
I was not an offering to God: “For we are the fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” (2 Corinthians)
And what kind of fruits of the Holy Spirit was I bearing? Did I bear “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control?” (Galatians 5)
No:
I was not loving (”love rejoices in the truth”);
I showed no joy in the generous child;
I made sure not to rock the boat, which is not at all the same thing as peace, which we know from scripture includes justice (Isaiah 11);
I was not patient, I just refrained from action;
I was not kind for I didn’t reach out to this boy at all;
I was not good because I did not act according to the teachings of God in Jesus Christ to love my neighbor as myself;
I was not faithful because I turned away from an unjust situation;
I was not gentle because I did not offer tenderness to the boy or my coworkers;
I was cowardly in my inaction, which is nothing like self-control.
Despite all this, I find myself encouraged this morning. Why? Because the Holy Spirit has been given to me by God, so I can bear these fruits, which means I can act differently. In any situation I can bear the fruits of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” This 48-year old can change her behavior.
This 48-year old can change her mind, or, rather, have her mind changed by God. I can present my body as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God. This can be my appropriate priestly service. I can choose not to be conformed to the patterns of this world, but instead I can choose to be transformed by the renewing of my mind so that I can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature. (Romans 12, CEB)
The more I bear these fruits that the Holy Spirit is nurturing in me, the more I discern God’s will instead of my own, the more sweet-smelling I will be in any setting, any community. We are salt and light and fragrance, all lovely things that display God wherever we go.
You are all salt and light and fragrance, you already are loveliness displaying God where you go. Isn’t it marvelous to consider how much more beautiful we can be? How much more beautifully we can behave?
Blessings to you all,
Michelle
*Rev. Dr. Wade gave permission to be included in this post by name.
Rev. Waters’ article is also an example of excellent writing, vivid and concise, which is why it is effective commentary.
“The greatest contribution we can make to the wellbeing of those in our lives is to have peace in our own hearts. When our hearts are filled with gratitude and our minds are brimming with enthusiasm, everyone we encounter leaves our space feeling a little bit lighter than when they entered it.” ~ David Simon
