Many folks were moved by Damen’s sermon last Sunday, his response to UCC President John Thomas’ invitation for us to begin a Sacred Conversation about Race.

And it Lingers

Gen. 1:1-2:4a  and 2 Cor. 13:11-13

It seemed like an innocent idea. It was a Friday at the YMCA day camp in Duluth. I was working as a counselor and every Friday we did some sort of special event as a way of ending the week on a high note. This week the counselors decided to have a carnival with various stations. There was limbo, face painting, musical chairs, and pie throwing. I volunteered to let kids throw whip-cream pies at me. Only one other counselor was brave enough to volunteer for the duty. So she and I took turns letting kids throw whip-cream pies at us. We took our punishment for about and hour and a half. By the end of the time, my head, chest and arms were covered in whip-cream. The kids were amused, I was amused and I ate more whip-cream in an hour and a half than I ever thought I would.

The problem was that we didn’t have good way of cleaning ourselves off. I thought far enough in advance to bring an extra shirt but that about all the planning we did. After the festivities, my co-counselor and I worked feverishly with the hose to rinse ourselves off, but it was too late. My hair, no longer than it is today, had been cooked. Thanks to the mid-day sun and the liberal coating of whip-cream, my head was now infused with the smell of rotten milk. It followed me everywhere I went. Okay I thought, a shower and a little shampoo will fix this problem. Well, four showers later, the rotten smell still filled my nostrils. I tried to ignore it thinking that if it wouldn’t go away at least I could block it out of my mind, but it was no use. No book, movie, game, or tv show was powerful and engaging enough to keep my complete focus. It was never long before I was once again reminded of all that was wrong with my scalp.

By the third day and 12th shower, I thought the stench would be gone. But no, it lingered still assaulting my olfactory nerves. ‘When will this stench ever leave me?’ I thought. How long can it continue to linger? And so my friends, I must admit, that I thought the same thing when preparing for today’s topic. I thought that by now, we would be past this. During my life I have even thought that this was something that had been dealt with and was over. But it is too clear to me now, that this particular stench. This rotten aroma that demeans us all continues to linger and haunt us. How long, Oh Lord, will racism continue to divide and separate your children?

The community in Corinth was divided. After Paul’s initial visit and missionary work, the community had begun to split. Earlier in the letter Paul writes about false apostles who had come and deceived the group. They had subverted Paul’s teachings and caused turmoil amongst the believers. And in his closing, Paul urges them saying “Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace.” Paul is asking them to address the problems. As Herb Perkins reminds us in an article on the UCC webpage, “To put things in order must we not know in what ways they are out of order?”

This is why it is so critical to enter into a dialogue about race and racism. How can we possibly hope to truly be transformed, if we aren’t willing to be honest about who we are? As we enter into this sacred conversation it is vitally important to be honest not only to ourselves, but to others as well about views and understandings of race and racism. I wonder, where were you when you first learned the sad truth that it is hate instead of love, war instead of peace that too often holds sway in the hearts and minds of humans? Were you at the kitchen table when you heard you parents use derogatory language? Did you learn about it in a text book? Did you live the painful reality from the moment of your birth? Did you listen to your friends tell jokes and spread lies? It will not be possible for us to put things right and live peaceably with one another unless we are truly committed to sharing ourselves. Willing to pour ourselves out, with all the dangers that entails, in an effort to ask, ‘What is going on here?’

Where were you when you first heard that some folk belong and some folk don’t? When someone told you that certain people should be feared because they are different. When someone tried to teach you that having a particular skin tone, predisposes an individual to greed or hate or even love or peace.

You see first lessons are important lessons. They are the ones that smooth the way for the road to follow. First lessons prepare us for how we are to hear and interpret all of the following lessons. And so it goes with the first chapter of Genesis. The story of creation and God’s intention for the universe and life therein gives us clues as to how we should approach the rest of the Bible. No where in here does the story imply that some things belong and some things don’t. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Listen again to these 11 verses and see if you find a theme.

“So God created the great sea monsters and EVERY living creature that moves, of EVERY kind, with which the waters swarm, and EVERY winged bird of EVERY kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of EVERY kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of EVERY kind, and the cattle of EVERY kind, and EVERYthing that creeps upon the ground of EVERY kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness. So God created humankind in God’s image. God said, “See I have given EVERY plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and EVERY tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to EVERY beast of the earth, and to EVERY bird of the air, and to EVERYthing that creeps on the earth, EVERY green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw EVERYthing that God had made, and indeed it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

This is not a God who takes delight in monotony. This God embraces diversity, indeed creates and loves diversity. There is no hierarchy in this story. God delights in the novelty and originality of EVERYthing. There is room and space for the stars, the moon, the mosquito, the trees, the bears, and all the humans. Even nature loves diversity. It is a well known scientific principle that the more ecologically diverse, that is the greater the variety of plant and animal species, an ecosystem is, the healthier the ecosystem is. Diversity is not about silencing voices, it is rather about creating an environment where all will flourish. It is about opening space and learning from the strengths and weaknesses of one another.

Sadly we humans often fail to live into this vocation. We separate and isolate ourselves along racial lines. We hold irrational fears of one another. Minority candidates continue to struggle to find calls in the UCC. The populations of our prison systems do not reflect the population of the Country. Many of our schools remain segregated. Access to health care is not available to all. Migrant and immigrant workers remain invisible. When the time is taken to look around and face the reality. The foul stench of racism becomes obvious, overwhelming. It lingers. It follows. And when I am brave enough to force myself to stop ignoring the reality of my brothers and sisters and the truth of my own biased actions I can do little more than weep.

Perhaps someday we will be able to live into God’s vision for the world. Perhaps one day, we will live in a world where there is space enough for everyone. Where everyone has room to unfurl their wings and take flight. Where all are free to soar to the highest heights. Where we can watch one another with awe and amazement, fascinated and captivated by what each person brings to the world. Where we will no longer live in an uneasy truce, but in a loving embrace. This is God’s vision for the world, and I am confident that we can get there. But for now, let us be open and honest about where we are this day, on this path.

Damen Heitmann

First UCC, Northfield – 5/18/2008