This is my fantasy of what might happen if I chose anti-racism ministry as my focus. I’m letting my imagination go wild to explore the possibilities. I’m meeting in a restaurant to share with my friend, Carl. So I’m writing this as if I were looking back from the future.
Carl asks me to tell him what has happened these past five years.
I’m really rather stunned with what has happened, Carl. Five years ago, having met several clergy who were discouraged about how to engage in anti-racism ministry and not divide their church, I decided to offer a program I called ART or Anti-racism Resurrection Transformation. It would be a multi-part seminar to offer them some possibilities.
Five years later, I am astounded to say that over 1,000 churches from all over the country signed up. I charged $197 to participate and said I would give half of it to Presbyterian Disaster Relief. That means that in five years I was able to give over $100, 000 to help victims of disaster around the world.
The ART communities shaped their community worship experience to focus on the resurrection transformation that God made possible in Jesus Christ. Their focus is to live their lives seeking to reflect the image of God experienced in creation. Therefore, they begin with praise of God’s love of diversity reflected in all of creation. In word, song, and emotion, they seek to express their commitment to affirm that diversity with respect and love.
Then, recognizing the incomplete creation that God offers us, they confess their own imperfections as recovering racists who seek the support of God and their neighbor. They then turn to listen for the whisper of God’s guidance through both Scripture and inspired words that encourage them to receive God’s grace and recommit their lives to a world of resurrected creation.
Then they respond with thanksgiving and receive God’s blessing and encouragement to re-enter the world to seek and encourage signs of the Kingdom of God present all around them. Through technology, the ART communities have reconnected with communities of faith across the world through word, song, art, and sacraments.
Not only that, Carl, but a movie studio has decided to make a movie of the novel I wrote about this possibility. Shock and Awe: A Church Recognizes its Racism and is Awed by God’s Invitation will be released in the next couple of months. Profits from that movie will also go to disaster relief.
Remember, Carl, the despair and anxiety we felt five years ago. That appears to be experiencing a transformation and by God’s grace is seeing signs of God’s resurrection hope. Neighbors of all types are discovering they really like loving each other and benefiting from our diverse gifts. It all began SOwhen words were spoken five years ago when the world felt overwhelmed by chaos and the resurrected world began to express the image of God and the mountains began to sing for joy. Like Isaiah 55:12 says: For you shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
