Reflections
The student demonstrations over the last several weeks have surfaced for me memories that had long since been buried away in my scrapbook of youthful activities. I have begun to reflect on those earlier times in light of current events.
Long ago in a galaxy far away, I participated in several student demonstrations, first at Ole Miss, and later in Alexandria, Virginia while in seminary. The Vietnam war was the subject of my student era, and I, of course, was a part of the great cultural upheaval of the late sixties and early seventies. They were, for the most part, peaceful protests, with only a modest amount of direct civil disobedience.
They were exhilarating moments in which I chose to test the limits of freedom and order. I had several conversations with my father about such activity. He was supportive of my effort to find a moral response to the world around me, but was clear about the relationship between freedom and accountability.
In those conversations he consistently held up for me the model of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. whose willingness to disobey what he believed were unjust laws, were linked with his willingness to take the consequences of his actions. He freely chose to go to jail, and suffered violence without responding in kind. Freedom, conscience and accountability were united in a beautiful way in this remarkable man. I saw my father seek to shape his life in similar ways.
As I prepared for one of the demonstrations at the Pentagon, my father, a Navy veteran, said to me, “Do what you have to do, but if you violate a law, be prepared to go to jail.” Freedom, conscience and accountability.
Dr. King’s unique moral approach to civil disobedience soon fell out of favor as deepening frustration in this country led to more violent protests and a hardening stance toward “law and order”, but his teaching, communicated through my father, still shapes my soul.
This week our son, Peter, found himself in the midst of a student demonstration at the University of the South at Sewanee. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators climbed to the roof of All Saints Chapel and erected tents on the grounds of the chapel. As University Chaplain, Peter was caught in the middle of the conflict with the students and University administration. While I do not yet know all of the details, Thursday night, after three days of demonstrations the protests ended.
There had been gentleness and patience in the University’s response. The administration had listened seriously to the students’ concerns about its investment strategy ( the target of the protests) and had also been clear that the encampment was a violation of the school’s Honor Code and could ultimately lead to suspension or expulsion. Thursday night the students left of their own volition. No law enforcement was ever involved.
Freedom, conscience, accountability. Dare we call these three, even today, a holy
trinity of protest?
Other Matters of Importance
Where is the Missing Window?
When you arrive in church on Sunday you will quickly notice the absence of the Nativity window in the rear of the church on the south side. Our Junior Warden, Les Nichols, has contracted to have the window temporarily replaced, repaired and reinstalled in a new, more secure frame. Thank you, Les, for your loving attention to our facilities.
Sign up Sheets Need Attention-Opportunities to Serve
In a small church like Nativity the need for regular volunteers to keep the programs fully functioning means that folks end up doing more things more often than in larger churches. We have determined that having sign up sheets in the rear of the church seems to be the best way to keep things running smoothly. Don’t forget to check these sheets on a regular basis. Please note the ongoing need in these areas:
1.Coffee Hour-set up, refreshments and clean up responsibilities
2. Providing flowers for the altar-lots of openings on Sundays
3. Responsibility for overseeing the Blessing Box for a month
There are also ad hoc sign up needs for special occasions. There are two activities this month that we need help with.
A. Pentecost Sunday Luncheon ( May 19)- The Church will provide the meat dish and drinks, but members of the congregation will need to bring sides, salads and dessert. Signing up to bring a certain item will be very helpful for our planning.
B. Compassion Food Ministries (May 22 at 6:00pm. Now that Nativity is an official partner with Compassion Ministries, we have committed to helping pack food boxes 3 or 4 times a year for distribution to residents of Yalobusha County at the Compassion Ministries warehouse just north of town on Highway 7. Let us know if can help in this new ecumenical ministry by signing up.
Jail Ministry Meets May 8 at 1:30pm at Salt and Light
We will be meeting with Pastor Mitch Steen, chaplain to the Yalobusha County jail community. This will probably be our last planning session before the launch of this new ministry. All are welcome!
Pentecost Readers-May 19
Thanks to all who have signed up to read the Pentecost scripture passage in different languages. The passage read in a non-English language is Acts 2: 5-21.
I will be sending out a note the week before describing how we will be choreographing all of this with a suggestion that we meet a few minutes before the service to make sure we are all on the same page.
See you Sunday!
Blessings and Peace,
Duncan
(601)260-1937
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