“In the Dark” Luke 4:1-13 First of Lent March 10, 2019

Years ago, in the series “Touched by an Angel”, there was an episode where Monica, the centre of the story, loses her faith. She has seen the destruction of the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City  - the number of deaths and injured, especially the children. She falters in her beliefs, suddenly questioning why a loving God in whom she has believed can have allowed such a thing to happen. She runs away into the “wilderness”. And into the wilderness comes that adversary, in the form of the fallen angel who in our twisting of historical faith has become a ‘devil’ or Satan.  He arrives in the form of the actor Mandy Patinkin, a smiling, urbane and completely reasonable counter-voice who understands her pain – and he does, because he’s experienced it himself – and he tries to convince her that she doesn’t need God, that she can do all the things she needs to do on her own. He could help her of course.

The Gospel text this morning tells us Jesus is ‘led by the Spirit into the wilderness’ and ‘tempted by the devil’.  What does the text really tell us – it’s not just the simplistic interpretation of a real devil, but the old biblical understanding of ‘the adversary’. Who is the adversary? When does the adversary appear?

(clip  Movie Son of God OR Touched By An Angel Season 7 Episode23)

We don’t get told much about what happened with Jesus. We know that he was baptised, and the text tells us the Spirit then ‘led him into the wilderness, and that during these forty days he fasted and prayed.’ Now, did he really fast for forty days?  Doubtful. Nor do I think it’s very important how long it was. ­Forty is a pretty common figure in the Bible meaning “a long time”. Noah sat stuck on the ark for forty days and forty nights; the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years. So sufficient to say Jesus fasted and meditated. And one of the things which happens in deep meditation and fasting, is heightened awareness of experience and something akin to hallucinations.

For me this is one of the texts in which Jesus’ humanity is completely clear – both Matthew and Luke record the story – with the point that Jesus *was* human – and as a human, subject to all the things which would tempt any human. He’s just decided to be baptised, and in that moment had a deep spiritual experience, and he is literally alive and on fire with the power he feels. The Spirit now leads him into a wilderness, a dark place, where he has to face himself.

Now, Jesus has a strong sense of social justice  -  and in his sense of power which he can still touch even in this dark place, he hears a little voice saying “Turn these stones into bread”.  We know he would have been famished; but the ability to turn stones into bread has economic and social implications as well - there were a lot of hungry people around Palestine – if he could create food for himself, then he could do it for everyone, someone who gave free food could become very popular very quickly with a lot of people in need.  He had to deal with the temptation of being able to respond immediately to the needs of many people. The Adversary – the little voice in the ear saying ‘You can do this yourself.” Jesus’ response to this little voice in his ear is simple, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."(Deut. 8:3) 

 Now, the little Adversary voice inside him promises to deliver all the nations of the world if he only bows down in worship to this other part of himself. He has the power. Any one of us, being offered all the power of Caesar – would we take it?  Broad reforms, peace throughout the earth, a truly just society  - eliminate the dishonest and greedy rulers, change the course of human history - the realm of God in the here and now, and all done by him. But that’s not God's way – God’s way is for real change to begin at the grassroots and work its way up, not to come from the top and trickle down. Jesus catches himself again, and recalls the words "Worship God and serve God only." Note, Jesus never denies that these things couldn’t come about, he never denies the power to do them – but he rejects the means by which he could personally achieve these things. 

The third time the Adversary comes to Jesus, he is transported to the temple at Jerusalem. The place where his death will be plotted, and the religious centre of the Hebrew people. He can throw himself down from the pinnacle and the words in his ears are a direct quote from the psalms and assurances of God's protection.  One last time, however, Jesus calls up scripture and that little voice in his other ear says "Don’t test God!" 

And then the text says that the adversary departed from Jesus “until an opportune time”. For me this speaks even more to the humanity of Jesus – that there could be another time, a moment of weakness. Those moments come to us all. And that's part of the point here too. It's never just once.

Well, there are some threads I want to try to pull together here. Working with the notion of walking in the dark – being led into the wilderness, and having to work through some heavy spiritual stuff.  Did you know that the real meaning of the word ‘jihad’ in Islam is the spiritual war with one’s self? The story played out in “Touched by an Angel” depicts the same kind of entering into a dark place – the dark places right within ourselves, where we can’t see anything, and we have to walk in the figurative dark.  The jihad inside. We talk about the ‘dark night of the soul’. It’s something real.

Many years ago Norio and I had a friend who was a Representative to the State Legislature in Michigan, the Rev.Lynn Jondahl, now the Honorable Lynn Jondahl. We always thought he would be a wonderful governor, and tried to persuade him to run for that office. His response was that he’d thought about it, but he said “I’d have to sell off too much of myself, in order to do that. Any political position like that comes at a huge price. I’d rather stay here where I can do some good and where I can live with what I’ve sold of myself already.”

Jesus was fully human. He was faced with choices, all along the way. His great high from baptism also led him into a dark place and he could have given in to the temptations in the wilderness. I think the point here was that he had to wrestle with himself, that true ‘jihad’, the internal spiritual struggle. Who he would become was based on the choices he made, which also means that he must have been free to choose otherwise.

In the sermon “Entering the Dark Cloud of God” Barbara Brown Taylor says talks about entering that “cloud of unknowing” – which I see as a kind of dark place, where all senses are changed:  when you enter the cloud of unknowing you have to slow way, way down. All those things you prided yourself on outside the cloud—your speed, your agility, your ability to suss things out at a single glance—they won’t do you any good inside.  You might as well crawl like a baby; at least you can’t fall down when you’re already on the ground.  The good news is that slowness has a lot going for it. There’s time to use senses you don’t use when your eyes are working fine. There’s time to wonder where you think you’re going and why - none of your outside navigational tools can help you now. Good luck with that compass, that laminated map, that guidebook, that Bible.  If it’s not inside you, then it’s of limited use to you now.  The good news is that second-hand wisdom can only get you so far.  Once you enter the dark, it’s time to find out what your primary resources are - what gyroscope, what tuning fork, what insistent, sacred whisper you can learn to trust when you’re walking by faith and not by sight.”

In Monica’s story, she went into that dark cloud of unknowing, losing touch, being alone in the dark, even in broad daylight. She had to learn to find her way all over again. Jesus had to learn to trust that whisper which said ‘No, don’t do it.’ He had to learn to trust himself. Now, the way the story is related, it almost makes it sound like he just did it with no problem. But then there would be no point to telling the story at all. It was written as a ‘temptation’ for a reason. Perhaps that’s why the story tells us he was there forty days.  Essentially it’s telling us it was a long time, and it was a difficult time. Jesus was walking in the dark.

         And, Barbara Brown Taylor says, God does some of God’s very best work in the dark.

Sources:

1.      “Entering the Dark Cloud of God” by Barbara Brown Taylor.  Preached at the Festival of Homiletics, Denver, Colorado, May 2014.

2.      “Resisting Temptation”  a sermon on Luke 4:1-13 by Rev. Richard Gehring

“What Just Happened?” Transfiguration Sunday March 3, 2019 Trillium United Church Caledon Ontario

Exodus 34:29-35 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two Tablets of the Testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that God had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out.  When he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, the people of Israel would see that the skin of Moses' face was shining.  Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in again to speak with God.

2 Kings 2:1-12

When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” Elisha said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.”  Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.” Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.”  Elisha said, “As the  Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven.  Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” When he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

Luke 9: 28-36  About eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. While he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.

Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” - not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.  Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

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This isn’t the first time Moses has talked to God – remember he had an encounter with a burning bush and had to remove his sandals. But it is the first time he has looked at God – or so we are told. This time Moses has gone up the mountain, and spoken directly to God.  If we read more in Genesis we get a complete description of how God descends in a cloud at the entrance to Moses’ tent. So, in this text, Moses has been up there forty days and forty nights, as God gives the commandments for the people to follow. When he comes down, he has the tablets – but he doesn’t know that his face is glowing. The people see it right away and are terrified, and aren’t quite sure about Moses – but he is able to call them back, reassure them, and speak to them. After that, he covers his face, and the only time he removes the veil is when he goes back to talk with God.

Jesus and three disciples wend their way up the mountainside. Being alone with Jesus in a quiet place is a welcome change for them. Jesus had been talking a lot about his own death, and they had been getting exasperated. Maybe up here they would get some straight answers from Jesus, and clear their heads.  As they climb higher, the villages appear tiny; they can see all the way to the coast, and for miles around. They reach the top and sit down in the shade of inviting trees for a rest. Jesus lifts his prayer shawl to cover his head, and says the familiar words: “Sh’ma Yisrael, adonai eloheinu, adonai echad”. ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is One.’ How many times had they said these words themselves, and yet every times Jesus says them, they are new. They listen and try to imitate him in prayer, but after a long hike up the mountain they are soon asleep.

As he prays, clouds come in over the mountain, but the sun is still shining. Jesus feels that surge of energy, the sense of being fully alive and glowing from every pore, but something is different this time. He sees a reflection of himself, and with him Moses and Elijah. They talk, about the things which weigh on his heart, the things he believes he is called to do, and how difficult the end will be. They sit, together, shining in the cloud in the centre of a rainbow.

And the three stooges suddenly awaken. Today we get Luke’s version, in which they are ‘heavy with sleep’, but not yet gone. I suspect maybe Luke was being a bit kind.

Mark painted them as a couple of sandwiches shy of a picnic, and took a jab at how they went through life – sleepwalking.

Matthew has them falling n their faces on the ground, terrified. But not so terrified they cannot ask a question – so they ask why the law says Elijah has to come first, before the Messiah. Jesus responds that Elijah came and was taken up – but that Elijah has already come, was ignored and killed – and in the same way the Son of Man will suffer, They understand enough to see that he really means John the Baptist was the equivalent of Elijah.

Here was Jesus’ experience, opened to the universe, Jesus seeing himself and his role in it. Yet he tells them not to say anything about it until after “the Human One has been resurrected.” The appearance of Moses and Elijah is meant to validate Jesus as the culmination of the Hebrew prophetic tradition .

All the disciples see is the immediate - Jesus with Elijah and Moses. Peter  -  immediate, impetuous Peter - right away wants to freeze-frame the whole moment right there – immortalise it. He suggest they build shelters so that they can stay there with the prophets and never come down. A voice from the cloud says “Listen to him…” and then it’s over. The sky is blue again, and Jesus is alone on the mountaintop.

At the top of Haleakala Crater in Maui, you can see all the way to the coast, and often beyond. Depending on where the cloud layer is, you are on top of the peak in the bright sunshine but the island below is hidden from your sight. It’s windy up there, but the cold wind is exhilarating, and your body feels a surge of energy and life – literally you tingle.

When the clouds come in through the crater at exactly the right angle  -  and have the right amount of moisture in them, and the angle of the sun is about 82 degrees, you can experience what is called a “glory” - see your own reflection looking back at you, from inside a rainbow circle. It is a glowing, shining reflection of who you are.

Now, this phenomenon can be seen anywhere the weather conditions are right – but the mountaintop experience of the glory speaks to those rare moments in our lives when we step outside ourselves and into something transformational and transfiguring.

People who meditate regularly often speak of a ‘mountaintop experience’ – that exhilarating surge of energy and insight, the whole of the universe in its infinite depth and height opens up – you can see far out into space, you can see individual molecules, you can see how everything is connected to everything else. It is a wondrous experience. After such an experience, the hardest thing to do is to come back to the everyday world.

Spiritual experiences – we know they happen, and in our human history there are countless stories of mystics who had deep spiritual experiences.  A friend described an experience he had during meditation, suddenly finding himself sitting on a mountaintop, seeing the whole of creation spread out in front of him, and suddenly having a moment of complete understanding, yet coming out of meditation terrified, and afraid to speak about his experience. A friend of mine, a Buddhist priest who is also a United Methodist preacher and is part aboriginal, told me about his experience in the vision quest. Other people speak about sudden insights, sudden feelings of foreboding, or feelings of something imminent happening. I can identify with the terror the disciples felt. All kinds of people have experiences of many kinds,  that they are afraid to speak about. And for the disciples, far from getting their heads clear, they are more than ever confused.

The disciples, in that one moment, saw a “glory” – they had a glimpse of Jesus caught up in his experience; but they weren’t changed at all. With their own eyes they saw this ‘glory’, and totally missed the point. Instead their reaction to this incredible experience is to want to stay there, stay in it, hold on to the moment, freeze-frame everything.

Let’s hop back into the Hebrew Scriptures for a moment, and consider the story of Elisha. The people of Israel thought there could never be another Moses.  So we hear other stories -  about Joshua parting the Jordan, as Moses parted the Sea of Reeds. We hear of Elijah parting the Jordan with his cloak; he and Elisha cross on dry land; then Elisha repeats the parting of the Jordan to go back, using Elijah’s cloak. Elisha doesn’t really want to hang on to the experience – but he asks for a double share of Elijah’s spirit in order to be an effective prophet.  He does try, sort of, to hold on to Elijah, to deny that Elijah will die. He is also afraid, because he’s been to the mountaintop with Elijah, and now he has to come down and carry on. Moses, too – I’d wager – was terrified especially when he learned he glowed – but I’d also wager he was exhilarated by his experience. He had been to the mountaintop and seen – and that kind of energy transforms a person, momentarily. But then Moses had to come down the mountain again and deal with the regular and now maybe a bit boring people – who hadn’t had his experience, who were afraid, who wanted to go their own way.

What the disciples missed in that experience they had with Jesus, is that they had inherited the mantle of both Elijah and Elisha through Jesus; that was what he was trying to tell them. – the mantle of faith and leadership was being handed on. They would have to come down from the mountain top, from the exhilaration and excitement of a mountaintop experience, and go on to living with the regular folks again.

One of our former moderators, Peter Short, has a special gift for helping people see in new ways. Many people have been given strength and vision to carry on in ministry because of their association with, and learning from, Peter. He has been a prophet – someone who speaks wisdom to us in our time.  He has brought skills for pastoral care which are deep, sensitive, and always insightful. When Peter’s term as moderator was almost over, there was a sense among many to try to persuade him to stand for a second term.  It seemed to many of us that through Peter we had a glimpse of what ministry God might have for the church in the next forty years. And like the disciples and Elisha, we wanted to hang on to the moment, to lean on Peter for our strength and inspiration, to continue to learn more and more,  rather than pick up the mantle we’ve been given, and carry on. We see Jesus in the ‘glory’, the radiant rainbow cloud – so let’s build a temple, a church, something, where we can enshrine the moment, and keep coming back to look at it fondly – but without getting involved in the living of faith ourselves. Get the right minister who will be beloved by everyone, the right boss, the right leader – and go along for the ride.

But here’s the point of transfiguration. What if the ‘glory’ is God’s way of showing us what and how WE are intended to be.  If you went to a mountain top and saw yourself, shining inside the symbol of God’s covenant promise, what would that mean for you? Would it change how you live back here? Would it change how you treat the people around you? Would it make you face your demons, and set them aside, because you, we, all of us – are transfigured and transformed to be in ministry TO each other, and WITH each other, every day of our lives.  Isn’t that what the Jesus experience is???What if?

“I Am Because We Are” Luke 6:17-26 preached at Trillium United Church Caledon February 17, 2019 Black History Month

Jesus came down with the twelve apostles and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and be healed of their diseases; those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. All in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them. Then he looked at his disciples and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets."

But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your consolation.
Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets."

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Ubuntu  is an Nguni Bantu term from Southern  Africa meaning "humanity". It is often translated as "I am because we are," or "humanity towards others", but is often used in a more philosophical sense to mean "the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity".

Following the presidency of Nelson Mandela in 1994 the term has become more familiar through the ubuntu theology of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who was the chair of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

The term ubuntu appears in South African sources from as early as the mid-19th century. The simplest translation is “humanity” - "human nature, humanness, virtue, goodness, kindness".  As the decolonisation of Africa progressed, ubuntu was used as a term for a specifically Southern African kind of humanism found in the transition to majority rule.

"Ubuntu" as political philosophy encourages community equality, the distribution of wealth. This socialisation grew in agrarian communities where mutual sharing promoted the well-being of the community in both good and difficult times, and who have a vested interest in collective prosperity. Ubuntu induces an ideal of shared human subjectivity that promotes a community's good through an unconditional recognition and appreciation of individual uniqueness and difference.

And there is a "redemption" meaning in this word. The belief is that humans are born formless, so to speak and the community, as a whole, turns the child into a productive member of society.. imperfections should be borne by the community and the community should always seek to redeem.

In the Sermon on the Plain of Luke’s text, Jesus uses an old form of prophecy - prophecy being a speaking to the present time- the blessings and woes. Luke’s is the only Gospel which gives us both parts. We are so used to hearing the first part, the blessings - but we don’t hear the second. Yet prophecies were normally in this two-part form. Remember God saying to the people “I have set before you blessings and curses, life and death. Choose life.”

So Jesus says “Those who are suffering, hungry, cold, oppressed, enslaved, beaten, discriminated against, pushed aside - you will be blessed by God. Your time will come.”

And he says “Those who have caused others to suffer, who have oppressed, who have grown wealthy over the bodies of others, you have already had yours.You will be cursed. Your time will pass.”

It seems rather stark, and I cant help but cast the whole experience of both racism and bigotry into this text. Because it speaks not only to the state of what humanity was in that time, but what it still is; it speaks to the divisions set up in communities which seek to use and abuse others for their own gain and greed; and it speaks to what humanity could be, the realm of God where integrated, vibrant, collaborative community lives. It speaks directly to the meaning of “ubuntu” - I am because we are.

One of the philosophies which arose out of the StarTrek series was “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.” That seems to say that community always supersedes individual needs. But that philosophy also goes on to say “The needs of the one sometimes outweigh the needs of the many.”

Ubuntu says all humanity is bound up with all humanity - we are only at our strongest when we are together.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote about Ubuntu in the book  “No Future without Forgiveness”. He says: “Ubuntu speaks of the very essence of being human. We say "Hey, so-and-so has ubuntu." Then you are generous, you are hospitable, you are friendly and caring and compassionate. You share what you have. It is to say, "My humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in yours." We belong in a bundle of life. We say, "A person is a person through other persons."

A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed, or treated as if they were less than who they are.”
              
In this Black History month, I think this is the message which is most important. No one is free so long as some people are still seen as “other”. When others are pushed aside, oppressed, subjected to racism, diminished or used in any way - we are all chained. We are all held hostage.

In the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes the same. He was speaking about the church but in a wider sense he was speaking about humanity.

"The body is a unit, though it is comprised of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body......For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink."

“I am because we are”. What would our communities, our world be like, if we were able to think in such a way.     “I am because we are.” We are interconnected, all of humanity is interconnected. The realm of God is ‘ubuntu’, the time and the state when all humanity sees itself simply as one.  When everyone’s place is equal to everyone else’s.  May it be so.

Sources:
1, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_philosophy
2. Tutu, Desmond Mpilo. “No Future without Forgiveness”; Doubleday, a division of Random House. 1540 Broadway, New York 10036. 1999.

Free at Last? preached at Trillium United Church Caledon February 10, 2019

Psalm 138 (paraphrase) I give you thanks, O God, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down facing your holy temple, and give thanks for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you have exalted your name and your word above everything. On the day I called, you answered, you increased my strength of soul. All the kings of the earth shall praise you, for they have heard the words of your mouth. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me. Your steadfast love, O God, lasts forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

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Paul Robeson – “Nobody Knows”

Of course what you’ve just heard is the great Paul Robeson singing “Nobody  Knows the Trouble Ive Seen” -  nobody knows but Jesus….

This is black history month. Most of us have a general idea of the overall history of black life in North America – huge numbers of people literally stolen from their homes, and transported by ship mostly to the southern US. Christianity was used to justify immense violations, at the same time it was used to subjugate people and convince them that the Bible said they were inferior. We have a general idea of lynchings, murders, slavery – the civil rights marches, the struggle for equality.

The broader picture we know – but some of the finer parts of the picture we don’t. It really has not changed as much as we would like to believe.

All week Ive been reading material posted by friends, about the history of entire peoples – ripped from their homeland and brought to North and South America to be slaves for white Europeans. About the living and working conditions of those people; about the struggle to gain basic human rights, and then basic civil rights. About people who have had to fight twice or three times as hard to be recognised – and sometimes, whose work was often credited to someone else, who was white.

Here is one – the face of Franklin D. Roosevelt which ended up on the American dime, was done by black artist Selma Burke. She never received credit for her work.

A modern one -  a movie about a black marine who saved several people from the twin towers on 9/11. Except in the movie the hero is white.

Robert Smalls – born into slavery in 1839. He stole a Confederate military ship in 1862, disguised himself as the captain, managed to get past Confederate guard using their secret hand signs, rescued more slaves and their families, escaped to freedom, ran for Congress, and won.

Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson invented portable fax, touch tone phone, caller ID, call waiting.

Navigation devices or software like google maps – Dr. Gladys West, inventor of GPS technology.

Dry cleaning invented in 1821 by Thomas Jennings. Jennings was smart enough to get a patent – amazingly he got it.

Crest toothpaste, Folgers Coffee, Bounce Fabric Softener, Safeguard soap all created by Dr.Herbert Smitherman – PhD in physical organic chemistry. Pioneering executive and professional chemist.

Benjamin Banneker, a black architect who was a designer of the city of Washington, DC – hired by George Washington.

What about Canada? Who knows the name of Violet King Henry – the first black Canadian to get a law degree in Alberta, the first black person admitted to the Bar in Alberta, the first black woman to become a lawyer in Canada.

Or Jean Augustine – tireless worker for human rights and the first black woman elected to Parliament.

Viola Desmond -  a black Nova Scotia businesswoman who was arrested because she refused to leave the white section of a theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia – before Rosa Parks refused to give up a seat on a bus. Viola is now featured on our ten dollar bill.

Someone will say “But they did that even though they were black. They had opportunities.” I will answer they did it *in spite* of the fact that they were black, because they had to fight a system stacked against them based solely on the colour of their skin and a mistaken belief that white was superior.

Every one of these people in some way has a connection to white colonialism in history. Every one of them was more than likely raised in a church-going home, following the Christian faith which had been brought to them by white colonials. Religion, faith, has underscored and supported the experience of black culture, because it’s often been the only way to keep going.

Well, we can also find endless examples of current violence against people of colour – but I want to just touch on more subtle things, but which are all part of  a wider picture. 

For example, a black youth jailed for slapping a police officer, is labelled a *thug* by the media: those same media label a white mass shooter as a *teen*. Two people – one black, one white, same age. Is it deliberate? I don’t think so, but its still a subconscious delineation of difference based on skin colour.

A black male beaten by police during an arrest. The media immediately points out that he had a conviction for possession of marijuana ten years before, and suddenly he’s a criminal and the beating is justified – he deserved it.

Black woman jailed for twenty years for theft of food. White woman caught shoplifting an expensive jacket  gets a fine and probation.

And it comes right down to the ridiculous – driving and listening to the radio – a request show, with a request for a recording of “Nobody Knows”,  recognising Black History Month. The radio host played a recording of white Canadian opera singer Maureen Forrester singing that. As I drove I thought “Wait a minute…he picks a white singer?” Names run through my head -  Leontyne Price, Jubilant Sykes, Louis Armstrong, Eartha Kitt, Mahalia Jackson, George Shirley, Simon Estes, Marian Anderson, Canadian Measha Brueggergosman.  

And I knew it wasn’t intentional that it was done that way, but I am also quite sure there were other recordings available in that studio – so I asked my black friends if they thought I was over-reacting. They said no, not over-reacting at all.

As much as great strides were made in civil rights an human rights, we really  aren’t there yet. I read the Psalm and I can hear the voices of black friends  “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me. Your steadfast love, O God, lasts forever.”

On August 28, 1963, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King gave a famous speech in which he broke from his script and spoke about a dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. May it be so.