On Our Knees

In the very first sentence of today’s gospel, Jesus says something pretty remarkable, but before we review it, let me set the stage. Jesus does something that got the disciples in an uproar – and it was the night before he was put to death. Do you remember what it was? It’s familiar to us but it was shocking to the disciples. He – Jesus – got down on his knees and washed the feet of the disciples. Outrageous! Jesus – their leader, their Lord and healer, the Son of God – got down on HIS knees and washed the dirty, dusty feet of the disciples. So that’s the scene.

Then after he’s done humbling himself like that he begins to talk and talk and talk and talk. It’s a really long talk, a long sermon, a long meditation – it would be like if you sat here and listen to me preach for over an hour. Can you imagine? So we’ve given it a name: “Jesus’ Farewell Discourse.” Farewell, because he gives this long talk the night before he is put to death. Should I try it? Preach for over an hour?

But that’s not all that’s remarkable. Near the end of this long sermon he actually says: “I still have many things to say to you!” Yes, he’s got more to say but he won’t say what because he says, “you cannot bear what else I have to say.” You cannot handle what else I have to say to you – so I’m not going to say those things now. You’ll have to wait. You’ll have to wait because you will need the help of the Holy Spirit when you hear the truth – the unbearable truth.

So what’s an unbearable truth that Jesus speaks today? What’s an unbearable truth that we need to face? Did you know that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – the ELCA – our church – is known as the whitest denomination in the United States? Did you know that truth? And did you know that there are very specific reasons for us being the whitest denomination in the United States?

For example, did you know as stated by the Latino Ministries Association of the ELCA that “in a single day, that is December 12, 2021 in Stockton, California the trust of the entire community of faithful Latine Lutherans was lost, and in a single day, the ELCA lost an entire vibrant community of young and diverse members.”

Now what in the world am I talking about? Last Friday I sent in our newsletter the 24-page “Listening Team Report Regarding the Actions of the Sierra Pacific Synod” of the ELCA that was commissioned by our presiding bishop, the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton. (Just to be clear the ELCA is divided up into 65 synods – like dioceses – across the country and each synod has its own bishop with the presiding bishop over everyone.) We are in the New England Synod. Stockton California is in the Sierra Pacific Synod. This listening report is a summary of racist actions by that synod’s bishop who finally resigned about a week ago and the actions of others that caused terrible pain to Latine individuals and their worshipping community and have caused a fire-storm across the church and this report was the main topic of discussion and debate at the New England Synod Assembly from which Rick and Zach and myself just returned yesterday. So we need to talk about the truth about the firestorm these events have caused across the church.

This is the truth we need to bear with the help and support and direction of the Holy Spirit. And we here at Holy Trinity need to be informed about what happened and we need to face the facts – that despite all our good efforts and all our good intentions over decades to become more diverse – the events in the last six months have shined a spotlight on one of the most serious sins of our church. The sin of racism by people in power – such as the bishop who has resigned – and the sin of racism by the institution of the ELCA which twisted itself in knots trying to respond through policies and procedures rather than simply and profoundly caring for the people who have been so hurt.

[E]vents in the last six months have shined a spotlight on one of the most serious sins of our church. The sin of racism by people in power – such as the bishop who has resigned – and the sin of racism by the institution of the ELCA which twisted itself in knots trying to respond through policies and procedures rather than simply and profoundly caring for the people who have been so hurt.

It’s a complicated story, but let me point out some of the most blatant acts of racism of that particular day – last December 12. Bishop Meghan Rohrer of the Sierra Pacific Synod was reportedly pursuing disciplinary action against a pastor who had been accused of misconduct in his former parish. That pastor was Pastor Nelson Rabell-Gonzalez. When those allegations surfaced Pastor Rabell- Gonzalez left his church and took with him the entire Latina community and began worshipping in another location.

The bishop decided to announce the firing of Pastor Rabell-Gonzalez and disband the congregation and withdraw their funding in a very public way. The bishop chose to show up with two staff members on a Sunday during their worship service to accomplish the bishop’s goals of announcing the firing the pastor (who had been told earlier not to show up that day) and disbanding the congregation, but the Bishop chose to do this on the most important festival day of the entire year for the Latine community – The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. With deep Mexican roots this festival had been planned for months and it included a Mariachis band, Aztec dance and other special features. Many family and friends and guests were gathered for this joyful festival. Choosing to carry out the bishop’s agenda by the bishop on that important day has been called at the least insensitive and at the most a blatant act of racism It is alleged that the bishop wore a bullet-proof vest which has been named by the Latine community and others as a blatant act of racism. During the service the bishop announced the firing of the pastor without explanation. It is alleged that the bishop then went up to the altar and yelled at a father and his son who were serving at the altar to leave and if they didn’t leave the bishop would call the police. That action was named by the Latine community and others as a blatant act of racism because of the fear such a threat causes to those in the Latine community seeking refuge in the United States.

If you take time to read the full report you will see that many actions and decisions made leading up to this awful day were insensitive, did not follow moral and ethical guidelines, violated policies and procedures and were carried out in such a manner that can only lead to the conclusion that white privilege ruled the day. And you will read that many of the actions or inactions by the larger church including the presiding bishop’s office have been less than adequate and peeled open the ugly truth that institutional racism is alive and well in our church. Let me sum it up with words directly from the report: “The actions surrounding December 12, 2021 – the Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe – that were traumatic for the community of Mision Latina Luterana in the Sierra Pacific Synod, were due not only to the mistakes, insensitivity, and errors in the judgment of a few individuals, but at a deeper level, the
actions were the result of a system of white power and institutional racism that exists throughout all expressions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.”

It goes on to say (by way of reminding us of the gospel message for today about bearing the truth after Jesus was gone): “We are called as followers of Jesus Christ to speak the truth, knowing that the truth will set us free. We are called to speak truth to power, but also to speak the truth in love. Therefore, we offer this report as a truthful telling of an instance where racism was the primary factor in harming a community of people who love and seek to live by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as do we all. And we pray that accountability, which is one of the deepest forms of love, will flourish in new ways among us…It is our hope that the tragedy of that day…will be a wake-up call for the ELCA to address its institutional racism in humility and in the power of the Holy Spirit.”

While he was still with his disciples, Jesus said, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” However, now we hear the truth. Now we know the truth. Now we feel the truth. While Jesus may have left us bodily, God sent the power of the Holy Spirit to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners. Perhaps this is one of those times when we the church confesses that we have the power to oppress, that we have the power to break hearts and that the Spirit has the power to set us free from our sin.

Perhaps it is our time to get down on our knees and wash the feet of our Latine sisters and
brothers. Amen.