January 2021

Prelude to conversation…

We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Love yourself; get outside yourself and take action.  Focus on the solution; be at peace.
– an American Indian Sioux Proverb

In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.      
– an Iroquois Saying

I hope that when we say…this is not us… we are not ignoring the experiences and events that make it look like this is us.  I hope we are saying that this is not the ideal of the American dream…I hope we are saying that this is clearly our failure to live the intent of the US Constitution.

The hard reality for many people…too many people… is that the current events of our collective living…what happened during the summer protests, the pandemic, the unemployment, and the violent trespass of our nation’s capitol, (just to name a few) reflect that too many of us…really all of us…do not experience the freedom and liberty which is the dream…the goal…the objective of our country.  In fact, some of us experience oppression, some of us experience prejudice, some of us experience injustice every day.  While sometimes all of us experience these things, some of us experience these things everyday.  When we say…this is not us… it flies in the face of what too many of us know on a daily basis.  This violence, this discrimination, this prejudice, this injustice, tragically, is us…or at least what too many of us experience too often.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

As you come to know the seriousness of our situation – the war, the racism, the poverty in the world – you come to realize it is not going to be changed by words and demonstrations.  It’s a question of risking your life.  It’s a question of living your life in drastically different ways.
– Dorothy Day

Or… as Jesus said…and also said by all of the great teachers…  love your neighbors.

Of course doing that is difficult.  But loving our neighbors…all of them… will change the world.
Loving our neighbors will change our country.  And loving our neighbors will lead us to a time when we can say…this is us…and everyone will be included.

Let’s get started.

Pastor Ted Anderson
District Assistant Superintendent