Dear People of St. James’,
In so many of my conversations in recent weeks, questions about “moral authority” keep coming up. We are anxious for the release of statements that carry a “moral authority” from our leaders. We might like certain voices with moral authority to be louder than others. And this brings up questions: Who has moral authority? On what basis do we confer moral authority upon another? Is it a virtue of an office or does it have its foundations elsewhere?
When Jesus spoke people were astonished because he spoke as one with authority and not as their scribes.
Today, we do need those voices of moral authority to speak into our lives and to call us to repent of the sin of racism. And so we might deploy once again the words of those great and powerful voices of the Civil Rights movements of the 60s or we might quote The Rev. William Barber or Austin Channing Brown or Bryan Stevenson.
But today I want to acknowledge those, who are near to us and not distant, those who have been fighting the fight against the evils of racism all of their lives, who have been persistent and fearless in inviting others who have often been hostile (if not outwardly, then inwardly) to hear and to learn and to understand and to be in this conversation – and then to act as though they have been in it. Thank you. Thank you for speaking as one with authority, and not as our modern-day scribes.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about why, in my own preaching, I am so quick to appeal to the moral authority of those who are more distant. And I think it can’t possibly be that those renowned icons are more quotable than our own Riley Carruthers or Georgetta Bryant or Ora Houston or Scott Madison – I could go on naming names here, but if I do I am only going to get myself in trouble. I have probably already done that. Needless to say, you all are a highly quotable bunch, people of St. James’. I think, perhaps, I reach for the words of those distant icons because they can’t confront me with the misuse of their words in my speaking or in my living. Those who are near at hand can and very often will, and thank God for that.
If you are feeling weary and tired of speaking, I don’t blame you. I want to say thank you. What a tremendous gift that the Church has had your persistent voices leaping up from within all these years, chipping away at the hard granite of unrepentant hearts and institutions. Thanks be to God for you, who are icons of grace so near at hand. May the Church learn what you have again and again made yourselves vulnerable to teach. The Word has indeed been very near to us, and thanks be to God for that.
Rev. Eileen
