“The love that stands in solidarity with the suffering of others has power no empire can withstand. Only love has the power to make us safe.”
Sally Howard and youth leader Sam Ankeny homilize #MarchForOurLives together at All Saints Church, Pasadena, on Palm Sunday, March 25, 2018. So proud of all our amazing youth!
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“When the night, has come, and the land is dark,
And the moon is the only light we’ll see,
No, I won’t be afraid, no, I won’t be afraid,
Just as long as you stand, stand by me.”
Today begins Holy Week, the most sacred week in the Christian tradition. It all starts with a protest march into Jerusalem. A protest march filled with God’s love and calling out an empire made rich by violence and weapons of war. Jesus, God’s beloved, rode in on a donkey and God’s love was in the people. It was an abundant love, an everlasting and inexhaustible love. The people knew that God was standing with them, and they couldn’t contain their joy.
Do we need to make it clear that Jesus’ march of love was a resistance march? A counter procession planned in advance? This thoughtful, committed public action was organized to call out and challenge all those leaders who aligned themselves with empire power. To call out leaders who had money in their pockets and blood on their hands. Jesus rode into Jerusalem knowing full well that through an opposite gate, another procession would come. It would be an imperial procession led by Pilate, riding the energy of oppression. It was also planned, a yearly military display at Passover, meant to remind the people that any hint of rebellion would be quashed. But Jesus wasn’t intimidated. Jesus knew that love that stands in solidarity with the suffering of others, has power that no emperor can even begin to imagine.
The energy of God’s love fueled Jesus and the protest movement he led into Jerusalem that day. Jesus had been showing the people the way of love all along, not claiming his privilege, but using his power for and with others. He had shown them that only love has the power to make things safe, and only love can strengthen what is broken, and only love can heal what is fragmented. They had experienced God’s presence living among them and standing with them in pain and darkness, so that they could learn to stand with each other. The people were filled with Love and they were so filled with the possibilities of living in a House of Love, that they weren’t afraid of the empire powers rattling their armor at the other end of the city. They waved branches of palms instead. But if they had had access to sharpies back in the day, I’m sure there would have been signs like we carried on the streets this week and into church this morning, and like the ones our youth left on the Whitehouse steps yesterday, for our president to read.
Now the House of Love, the kin-dom of God, was so compelling and attractive, that the protest march grew in numbers as Jesus moved through the streets. That’s the way it is with God, because God’s love is wonderful and it pulls you in and holds you close. God’s love was flowing through the people and flowing through the work of protest. People followed Jesus on Palm Sunday because of his passion for justice, and they followed him because they couldn’t turn away from the Love.
And then the night comes. And the land is dark. And the moon is the only light we see.
After the love flowing in the streets, Holy Week turns and becomes about dark land and dark times. Holy Week becomes a time where we try to be with Jesus, holding onto the Love that fuels life in the midst of darkness. Where we try with Mary of Magdala; Mary, the mother of James the younger and Joseph; and Salome to hold onto hope even when things seem hopeless.
No I won’t be afraid. No I won’t be afraid. Just as long as you stand, stand by me.
The dark times are the times when we need to stand with and by each other. They are times when we need to remember that we are always surrounded by God’s love that’s so big and is flowing so strongly that not even death can hold it down. In the dark times, it is good to be in community, with each other and the larger community in which we live-with our Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist sisters and brothers. So we can remind each other that Love that stands in solidarity with the suffering of others, has power that no empire can even begin to imagine. God stands with us so that so we can stand with each other.
And it is time to trust God in the way that Jesus did — to allow ourselves to be led by those on the margins. To follow Christ through the path of Holy Week is to seek out the stories of others and hear them in such a way that their pain diverts us and moves us and alters our choices. To follow Jesus on the path of self-offering love, is to amplify those voices that empire powers try to silence like — Young #BlackLivesMatter leaders working to dismantle racism and white supremacy; and young Dreamers leading the fight for just immigration reform.
— And in these last few weeks, it has been the voice and pain of young leaders calling BS on the gun lobby and challenging all of us to be the change that will set us free of the scourge of gun violence that plagues our nation. I am honored this morning to share the pulpit with one of our youth leaders: Sam Ankeny.
(Sam speaks)
Sally: As Susan Russell said yesterday from downtown LA, the truth that will set us free is that the world is changing! because thoughtful, committed young people, like Sam, and our other youth members, are refusing to accept no for an answer.
Will we join them? Will we stand by all of our young leaders-brothers, sisters, and gender fluid siblings—to set the world free?
Sam: We refuse to take no for an answer!
Sally: Hosanna!
Sam: We refuse to take no for an answer!
Sally: Hosanna!
Sam: We refuse to take no for an answer!
Sally: Hosanna!
Sam: The One who created us in Love, redeemed us in Love, stands by us, to sustain us in Love.
Sally: Especially when the night has come and the land is dark and the moon is the only light we see.
Together: Amen
