“We grow accustomed to the Dark –
When Light is put away –
Emily Dickinson
Sometimes as I think about the way things are in our world, I remember the phrase above. We grow accustomed to sexism, racism, classism, and all the other isms that prevent humanity from coming together as the Beloved Community of God. Some where along the way even Christians have failed to heed the Light that came into our world in the person of a man named Jesus.
During the season of Advent it is our duty to name and face our dark history, and the darkness that still prevails in our country. What I have observed is that it is easier to face our history and the darkness of the world when I have others to help me discover it. If you have not read White Fragility by Robin DeAngelo, or Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, I recommend these books to you, and suggest your read these books with others. Another excellent book to read is 1491 by Charles C. Mann. What I realize is how the history presented to me as I grew up has been sugar coated, and most of it even hidden from me.
We cannot solve our problems if we are ignorant of what they are and how they developed. It is past time for us to grow up and face the kind of country we live in and recognize that there is a lot of work to do before we come close to being the country God would like us to become. Reading and discussing these dark things has been a wonderful way to spend Advent this year.
I can hardly wait for the days when the sun stays with us well into the evening. During the season of Advent, we light candles to remind us that the Light of Christ shines no matter how dark it gets in our world. We remember just how awesome the coming of Christ as Jesus was. Through this coming we are all empowered to become the children of God. Because the Word became flesh and stayed with us for a while, we now know what God is like. And we know what God wants.
God is like Jesus – this is the whole reason for the incarnation – to show us what God is like. God, like Jesus, is full of compassion, kindness, gentleness, and ready to forgive. What God wants is for us to pay attention to Jesus, follow him and be like him and continue his ministry to the world. Christ is the Light coming into our world to overcome the darkness, and we are called to be that light, too. God means to overturn the unjust systems of the world and bring heaven to earth.
My beloved ones, let us strive to be part of God’s solution for our world.
Bishop Kedda
Bishop Kedda 