A place where diversity flourishes

All cities have bad memories, traumatic things that should not be forgotten. To remember those moments in history people built museums, monuments, artworks among others.  If you look carefully around London you will find some of those memories. If you go to Fenchurch Street Station at the City of London probably you will find Fen Court, there is an artwork to remember the transatlantic slave trade. The artwork is a dialogue between a sculpture and a poem. The sculpture, created by Michael Visocchi comprises of 17 carved granite columns upon the form of growing sugarcane. Near to the “sugar canes” there is something similar to a pulpit where the poem “Gilt of Cain” of Lemn Sissay is engraved, an eloquent perspective of the slave trade. Not far away from there you can find St. Mary Woolnoth Church. In that antique sanctuary John Newton preached his anti slavery sermons. Once a slave trader himself, Rev. Newton passed through a process of transformation in his faith and consciousness. One of his great legacies to Christianity was the hymn Amazing Grace.

During these days (23^rd August) we will be commemorating the International Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. A good time to have a pilgrimage to Fen Court, a marvelous moment to recite “Gilt of Cain”, an ideal week to sing Amazing Grace and go to St. Mary’s Woolnoth Church. In doing so maybe we could remember that one of the causes of transatlantic slavery was the consuming attitudes of the societies of those times: the unfair trade of sugar. Maybe we could remember that transatlantic slavery was justified by wrong religious arguments and by misuse of the Bible. Maybe we also could remember that in the midst of inhuman situations like transatlantic slavery, God always sends his voices: Thomas Clarkson, William Wilberforce, Olaudah Equiano, Anna Letitia Barbauld, John Newton and others, to strive for those who are suffering. Maybe we also could embrace hope because eventually even when powerful systems sometimes support and commit injustice, life and love will prevail.

With that understanding and with that faith we are called today to end human trafficking, a reality in our times.  With those experiences we will learn to use religion and the sacred books to build bridges between people instead of destroying lives. With that hope we can change some of our consuming habits that are creating unfair situations around the world.  

“Cain gathers cane as gilt-gifts to his land

But whose sword of truth shall not sleep in hand?

Who shall unlock the stocks and share?

Brake the bond the bind unbound – lay bare

The Truth. Cash flow runs deep but spirit deeper.

You ask Am I my brother’s keeper?

I answer by nature, by spirit, by rightful laws

My name, my brother, Wilberforce.” 

 

Lemn Sissay, 2007

May God embrace us with tender love.

Rev. Margarita

 

 

Where I wander – You!
Where I ponder – You!
Only You everywhere, You, always, You.
You, You, You.
When I am gladdened – You!
And when I am saddened – You!
Only You, everywhere You!
You, You, You.
Sky is You!
Earth is You!
You above! You below!
In every trend, at every end,
Only You, everywhere You!

by Levi Yitzchak of Berditchov,

Jewish Mystic (1740 – 1810)

 

None of us would like to be sick or weak.  The reasons are obvious. All of us want to be like the rest of the pack.  Our societies adore in the extreme health and strength; so much so that most of the time ill or weak people are marginalized. Some people avoid being near those with a serious illness because they are afraid of death, or afraid to be in the same situation. It’s nothing to be ashamed of but we need to look it in the face. It is therefore not strange that people don’t easily talk about their conditions; it happens many times that they feel ashamed of their illness or angry with a body that “betrays” them.  

 

How can we cope with illness, keeping our spirit strong? Sometimes we don’t realize the healing power of honest dialogues. Dialogues about the illness of a friend or relative or talking about our own illness could help us to overcome our fears, to have empathy and give hope to the spirit and body. Isolation gives opportunity to our fears to grow big as giants. God has called us to live in community and it is in community that miracles of recovery, health, solidarity and love happen. Maybe we don’t recover physically but we will face the illness with a new spirit and experience death as a door that helps us to embrace love.  

 

May the tenderness of God embrace you all,

 

Rev. Margarita Sanchez De Leon

 

 

Note: Don’t miss the special worship for children this Sunday at 5:30 PM and the preview of our web site at 4:30 PM

God embraces you, be proud

Have you ever heard that God hates gays, lesbians, bisexuals and trans? Have you ever felt guilty for living your sexual identity? Many religious leaders use the sacred books to justify a discourse of exclusion and hate to lesbians, gays, bisexual and trans people. Many religious communities do not welcome LGBT people. In doing that they help in develop an ideology known as homo/lesbo/bi- and transphobia. The religious discourse should be to help people in their spiritual journey and not to condemn them for what they are.

For a long time religious ideologies have been used to justify racism. Regimes like Apartheid in South Africa looked for justification using the Bible. Also until not so long ago, inter-racial marriages were prohibited in different countries and this was justified with religious arguments. The exclusion of women as priests or as leaders of churches has also been justified by Scriptures and tradition.  When religion closes the door to people instead of opening it, it then turns into a dysfunctional system.

The main purpose of all the sacred books is to guide you to have a kind heart, to have compassion and love yourself and your neighbor. Only through those feelings we can learn how to love God. If you don’t love yourself or if you can’t love your neighbor you can’t love God. The first step for loving is to be proud of your identity and respect the identities of others.

God embraces all of us always, enjoy that unconditional love: be proud and love others.

Rev. Caroline celebrating - open hands for an open table

Note: On Wednesday morning, after more than two years struggling with cancer, Rev. Caroline Redfearn passed away. She was ordained minister into the

Metropolitan Community Church in 2001 and was the first black woman to be ordained at MCC in the United Kingdom. Her monthly reflections were a source of inspiration to all. She was a regular preacher for The Fellowship in the UK and also at MCC East London. She was an active member of MCC East London. She will be greatly missed.

 

You could send a note of condolence to her family to  oocolewilson@aol.com

Many times during my spiritual journey I try very hard to be a better person. I try to change my faults or bad things in virtues. It is a struggle with myself, because suppressing something that is part of you is not an easy task.  As time goes by and by reading different spiritual masters, I started to understand that the main purpose of a spiritual journey is to understand yourself and accept you as you are. All what I am, the good and the bad are there to teach me something. If you try to eliminate them you will never win the struggle and you will miss important lessons. Behind my desire of perfection is a very proud person. Now I rather try to observe myself to see what is behind my fears, my angers and aggressions.

But the question is: in our busy world, when are we going to take time to observe and reflect? I would say, with no fear, that many times most of us, including pastors, don’t have time enough to pray, or meditate. When that happens, we start to dry out inside. Recognizing that I am not a spiritual master, I will share some things with you that I often do to keep meditating during my busy life.

When I need to go to a place I avoid reading or listening to music. I try to keep in touch with my surroundings; I try to observe the feelings that people provoke in me without judgement. At the end of the day, if I have time, I review the experience.  From time to time, I keep my mind on one task, especially those that could be mechanical like washing dishes. To wash dishes with all your mind on it is not an easy task.  If the thoughts of the day come, receive them and watch them: what are you concerned about? At last from time to time I try to imagine how it is to be in another person’s skin. I try to feel like someone else for a moment or see life from the other’s perspective.

In our spiritual journey we need to embrace who we are and celebrate that. And to do that we need a lot of humility, because in the end real spiritual transformation is to recognize our “horns” and learn how to live with them with no harm to ourselves or to others.