Yesterday we received the challenge from Mark to be not afraid. We don't know what happened with the disciples, but we know what happened next. Across the sea, in the land of the Gerasenes, we meet a crazy man. Nothing can restrain him. He sits and yowls among the tombs outside of the town. There is so much wrong here...tombs, outside of town, crazy.
Jesus "calls the demon" out of him. When the town people come back, they find the man normal, sitting with Jesus, having a meal. Before...maybe they were curious? appalled? embarrassed? But when the man is "normal," they are afraid.
This week at a conference we were challenged to look squarely in the face of racism, caused by the need to preserve white supremacy. Ugly thoughts, that a historical emphasis on white supremacy continues today, but as I see it, it does.
As long as people of color are apart, keeping their "crazy" to themselves, we might be curious, appalled or embarrassed. But when they become part of us...really part of us...sitting with the Lord we worship having a meal...are we afraid?
Maybe because we lose our place...maybe because we just don't know how to sit with them and be normal...maybe because we don't what what normal is if they are not apart from us.
We are afraid to lose our place when others join the kingdom.
I wish we weren't. I wish we could sit down and feast together.
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