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by Courtenay Willcox
We are stronger
together, and today, the interfaith community is standing up to many isms,
including racism, authoritarianism, consumerism, White Christian nationalism,
militarism, sexism, and antisemitism.
I am in awe of the
faith communities who are speaking up (hear our own Rev. Margaret Fox from
Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis) and standing with and
protecting residents who are marginalized, afraid, traumatized, dehumanized,
and singled out because of how they speak, the color of their skin, and even
the jobs they hold and the places in which they work.
I was moved by an interview
with Ahmed bin Hassan, who shared a video he took of himself being confronted
by ICE and Border Patrol while working as a ride-share driver, waiting in line
at the Minneapolis airport. When asked by an interviewer if he was afraid of
ICE, he said, “I am a Muslim man, and my faith tells me to fear God.” He went
on to say that he could have been startled or fearful, but he wasn’t because of
many past interactions with law enforcement in his American life. He said the
agents identified him as not being “one of us. You’re not an American, you
know?” because of the color of his skin and his accent. Hassan was unflappable,
and at the end of his interaction with Border Patrol, he said, “I kept on
recording, because even if I end up losing my life, this is going to show
people that law enforcement is getting used in a very weird way to dehumanize
people.”
I’m grateful to
people like Ahmed bin Hassan, who have a faith that compels them to act.
Activism is showing
up in our world in clear ways in Minneapolis, and it is also showing up in
Presbyterians for Earth Care as we work to stand up against the desecration of
the world God has given us to steward, because our faith moves us to action.
Activism and advocacy are involved in writing overtures that will go before the
General Assembly this summer so that we can better care for creation through
regenerative agriculture, to make amends for the harm humans have done to the
earth, not to mention calling on the PC(USA) to hold corporations accountable
for their actions through divestment.
Environmentalism
resists the degradation of creation and of the people who reside on this earth.
We are called to stand with each other and the environment that surrounds us.
Sometimes it gets complicated and messy, and we’re are required to exercise
discernment about our call. What is it that is ours to do, and how are we to
act as God’s people?
In this week’s
lectionary, the famous verses from Micah about doing justice, loving mercy, and
walking humbly, are paired with the Beatitudes, which mention longing for justice (Matt. 5:6), practicing mercy (v.
7), acting with authenticity and single-mindedness (v. 8), and making peace (v.
9). These are kingdom-shaping, kingdom-making practices, and here, we
have good instruction about our path to creation care, and against many of the
isms that we face in our world. It is my prayer for each of us that we are able
to hear our call clearly and continue to find faithful, thoughtful, and
creative ways to love our neighbor and the beautiful world that God has given
us to steward.
Courtenay Willcox is a transitional pastor at Northampton
Presbyterian Church, Moderator of Presbyterians for Earth Care, and a very
grateful Gigi to three remarkable granddaughters.