Rector's Blog: Words and Deeds

"Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it." ~ Isaiah 55:6-11

Many of us are familiar with Isaiah’s assertion on God’s behalf that, “your thoughts are not my thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” We might see this as a way to remind ourselves that we are not God and God is not us. Sometimes, we use this phrase as a way to remember that we are not always going to understand what God’s up to. And while that’s true – we can’t always understand the what and why of God – this is not actually Isaiah’s point. His point arrives in the next sentence.

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

Isaiah’s not saying God is mysterious: He’s saying God is different from us because God’s words are never empty. For God, words are always married to action and impact. We humans are capable of talking a big game and not following through – we can say one thing and do another, we are sometimes all sizzle and no steak. But God is different. God’s words are effectual. They bring change. Like the rain that turns seed to flower and fruit, God’s very word nourishes and transforms. When God speaks, love, mercy, and justice happen. This is the difference between us and God.

Our words, our intentions, our stated beliefs, do not necessarily translate into action. We know this. We know this as Christians: We say Jesus is Lord, but regularly make so many things more important than following him. And we know this as Americans: We say we are a country founded in freedom and equality but have deprived millions of people of both throughout our history. Whereas God sees words as effectual, we treat them as merely aspirational.

The violent anguish of our country right now is nothing less than a full-throated indictment of the chasm between our words and our deeds. We, who love freedom, have the largest prison population in the world. African Americans, who make up a little over 12% of our country, comprise 38% of all incarcerated Americans. We, who trumpet equality, participate in a system in which the median Black household has a mere 1/10th of the wealth of the median White household. Even the distribution of devastation from the coronavirus pandemic reveals our society’s inequity – as 33% of all COVID related hospitalizations are African American.

Our words do not match our deeds. Our ways are not like God’s ways. God’s breath gives life, but our way of life takes away the breath of our Black siblings. We can’t keep on like this. So says the Lord.

But, my friends, we are not left to our own devices. We are not in this alone. Jesus is with us, always and unceasingly leading the way. The Holy Spirit is breathing new life into each one of us, inspiring and empowering us to embrace the inclusive and liberating love for which we were made. God is speaking powerfully and forcefully to us right now, reminding us that we belong to one another utterly. God’s words are not empty. They will be fulfilled.

Over the last year and half, the Church of the Redeemer has made a priority of learning our part in the work of racial justice, healing, and reconciliation. We have made a long-term commitment to the Episcopal Church’s Becoming Beloved Community initiative. We have done this because we recognize there is no room for racism and white supremacy in the Kingdom of God. We believe that God is present, active, and working for justice in this world right now. We know that the dismantling of racist structures is holy work, and when we engage in it, we are working alongside God for the healing of our church and our country. We, as a historically and predominantly White congregation, have come to understand that we will not be able to engage in this work authentically by only listening to White voices, only seeing White faces, only worshiping alongside White Christians.

We know we are only at the beginning of this work. And, though we don’t yet understand how, we do know that God’s word will change us: The word of Love that breaks down racial barriers has taken root in our hearts and it will not return to God empty: We will be transformed by the work God is doing within and through us in this extraordinary time in our shared life.

We have begun to intentionally and consistently speak the words of racial justice in our community. And since we belong to God, we now undertake the work of making our deeds match those words. Joining our words and deeds is not idealistic or aspirational. It is a daily practice of faithfully following Jesus, of participating with God in the work of love that restores us to fullness of life and reconciles us to one another. This is what loving our neighbor needs to look like right now.

I invite you to look at the Becoming Beloved Community pages on our and the Episcopal Church’s website. They are not exhaustive or complete. They represent the beginning of our intentional participation with God in the work of racial justice, healing, and reconciliation. What can you find there that will help you in your next steps? What isn’t there that God might be calling you to add? Where do you see yourself in this work? How might the ministries that already mean so much to you be transformed by your desire to become Beloved Community? You are a blessing. How will you bless this movement? You are loved, how will your love be shaped by this work? God is speaking words of love and transformation to you right this moment, and God’s purpose will be accomplished. Church of the Redeemer is being pulled off the sideline and onto the frontlines of the spiritual work of our lifetime.