Two Truths and a Lie
[The disciples] saw Jesus walking on the lake. – John 6:19 (NRSV)
Truth One: Women are human beings. They are not more human than men or less human than men; they are human.
Truth Two: People of color are human beings. They are not more human than white people or less human than white people. They are human beings.
Lie: “There are no miracles.” There are plenty of miracles. Life itself is a miracle, along with birth—that exodus crossing the red sea and the waters of the birth canal. The disciples swore Jesus walked on water. And that an empty tomb traversed the river Jordan, a miracle that kept Jesus alive after some dehumanized and killed him.
And modern miracles abound: How about forty acres and a mall? Or the return of the Janes, the women who performed safe and illegal abortions? The truth and affirmation of humanity is a miracle.
A four-year-old said he got religion: “So, the pretend is true and the fake is not.”
Albert Einstein said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
Prayer
Disciple us to become walkers on the waters that drown and dehumanize us. Give us a miracle. Give the pretend a chance. Stop the liars. Amen.
About the AuthorDonna Schaper is Pastor at the Orient Congregational Church on the far end of Long Island, New York. Her newest book is Remove the Pews: Spiritual Possibilities for Sacred Spaces, from The Pilgrim Press.