A Voice In Ramah

For Mike Brown and God's Sake: Figure Out What Your Fury Looks Like

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Tue, 09 Aug 2016 12:39:00 +0000

*Trigger Warning*

They killed him and let his body lay in the street for just enough time for the world to see him as their trophy. They intended that we would feel what we felt when countless black bodies adorned trees - helpless, hopeless, paralyzed, fearful. Our hearts were broken - for him, Mike Brown - and all of those whose bodies were rendered "black, lifeless" before him. Our hearts were broken for our families, for the depth of the trauma we couldn't seem to name, for the way that our mouths always spoke these meaningless words to our loved ones, hoping they would be magic: pull your pants up, wear a longer skirt, cover up those tats, be good, be clean, be joyless, be respectable, be nice, be quiet, be invisible, stop being....

But...when young people looked up from their tears, they got up. For Mike Brown, for sure, but also with a fury (I think from God because God is furious) and a love that was adamantly intersectional, just like their leadership.

Yesterday, our SNCC giants implored Black Lives Matter activists to go on, run on, push this race, do it. We will follow. Do it the way you do it. Not the way it's always been done.

(Stop thinking that everyone was behind the early civil rights movement and all the churches and preachers and leaders were on "that bridge". Most of America, 64% - including Black folk - thought the CRM was an undisciplined movement of violence. They didn't want to be associated with it - and Baptist conventions even split over it. So, don't think that everyone sporting a Black Lives Matter T shirt right now even cares about all Black lives.)

For the rest of us, we still have to own the role we must play because freedom can't be won for us, it's not coming without us. And struggle is not a season, it's a way of life that empties itself of the timeless bloat that has always sent young people to war for old people's crap and privilege.

Friends - remember, pray, lift up, resource, bail out, house, advocate, amplify, hold leadership accountable, read more than the mainline newspapers, watch more than network news, pursue justice, weep loudly and refuse to be consoled because we are not.

Today - stop for 4 minutes. Think of Mike Brown. But, get up with what you will own for the cause of freedom.

Harriet Tubman on my mind....

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Sun, 30 Aug 2015 11:48:00 +0000

“I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say — I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.” Harriet Tubman at a suffrage convention, NY, 1896.

"I had reasoned this out in my mind; there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty, or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other; for no man should take me alive; I should fight for my liberty as long as my strength lasted, and when the time came for me to go, the Lord would let them take me." Harriet Tubman to Sarah Bradford in Harriet, The Moses of Her People1886

“…there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land; and my home, after all, was down in Maryland, because my father, my mother, my brothers, and sisters, and friends were there. But I was free, and they should be free.” Harriet Tubman to Sarah Bradford in Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman, 1868

“Slavery is the next thing to hell.” Harriet Tubman to Benjamin Drew, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, 1855

“I grew up like a neglected weed, - ignorant of liberty, having no experience of it. Then I was not happy or contented.” Harriet Tubman to Benjamin Drew, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, 1855

“..and I prayed to God to make me strong and able to fight, and that's what I've always prayed for ever since." Tubman to Ednah Dow Cheney, SC, 1865

“God’s time [Emancipation]is always near. He set the North Star in the heavens; He gave me the strength in my limbs; He meant I should be free.” Harriet Tubman to Ednah Dow Cheney, New York City, circa 1859.

Believe Me.

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 09:46:00 +0000

Believe me.

He took your breath away.
Even though you heard the whispers, in your eyes, he could do no wrong.
He was the reason you smiled.
He made you forget, if even for a moment, how much pain you were feeling on the inside.
When his light shined on you, you felt like you were not forgotten.
You felt like you were not alone.

Believe me.

He took my breath away.
Even though I heard your bold declarations of love for him, in my eyes, he was a monster.
He was the reason I had nightmares in the daytime.
His ease of access, the frequency of his visits,
the sound of his voice meant I could never forget just how unsafe I was - even when you were home.
When his light shined on you, you forgot about me.
I was alone.

Believe me.

"He is the only one who ever really loved me," you said.
That stronghold is a choking stranglehold - in its grip you can only breathe his shadows.
Strongholds can be broken. Shadows can be pierced.
Clouds can be rolled back.

Believe me.

Better yet, believe yourself.

#ReclaimHolyWeek #BlackLivesMatter

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 17:02:00 +0000

The Children Come

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Sun, 13 Jul 2014 02:36:00 +0000

The Children Come (By Carolyn Winfrey Gillette)

FINLANDIA 11.10.11.10.11.10

The children come, not sure where they are going;
Some little ones have seen their siblings die.
They’ve traveled north—a tide that keeps on growing,
A stream of life beneath the desert sky.
Their welcome here? Detention, overflowing.
O Lord of love, now hear your children’s cry!

The children come in search of something better;
They’ve traveled here with nothing in their hands.
On one boy’s belt, a number carved in leather
Leads to a phone, a brother here, a plan.
They come alone—or sometimes band together;
They bring a plea that we will understand.

O Christ our Lord, you welcomed in the stranger;
You blessed the children, telling them to stay.
Be in the desert, with the tired and injured;
Be at the border where they are afraid.
Be on each bus where children sense the danger,
As angry crowds are shouting, “Go away!”

God, let each one know justice, peace and welcome—
And may your gift of mercy start with me.
For unto such as these belongs your kingdom,
And in each child, it is your face we see.
May we, your church, respond in truth and action,
And with you, Lord, say, “Let them come to me.”

Biblical references: Matthew 25:31-46; 19:14-16
Tune: Jean Sibelius, 1899.
Text: Copyright © 2014 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved
New Hymns: www.carolynshymns.com Email: bcgillette@comcast.net
Permission is given for free use of this hymn for local church use by those supporting efforts to help these children and immigration reform now.

http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=b7910336803171dac3b01facd&id=09771f2d54

United Nations officials are pushing for many of the Central American children and families crossing the border to be treated as refugees fleeing armed conflict.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/immigration-border-crisis/un-makes-push-border-children-be-called-refugees-n150556

Driven to Tears....

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 00:22:00 +0000

It was the evening of April 4, 1968 - and I was almost five years old. Sometime that evening, with the news playing in the background I stood beside my mother's chair and stared into her face as she cried softly.

Martin Luther King, Jr. had been killed.

Was he a member of our family?

Did we know him?

Why did she look so sad, like "something good" had tragically ended?

Her tears were the earliest I remember arising from a sense of profound injustice.

I know tears. The summer before - summer 1967 - Newark erupted in a blaze of riots. I was four years old and I watched the rage of the circumstances play out on the faces of the adults around me. You do know that children growing up in trauma learn to watch the faces of the adults in their lives very carefully, don't you?

I remember gun-carrying national guardsmen; people hurrying to get to safety. I remember angry cries, raging voices....adults with broken hearts and tear tracks etched on their faces.

Tears mean something to me today. People driven to tears - the tears that roll on the heels of injustice, deep mourning, brokenness, or the tears that literally pour out because of pent up rage -- mean something to me because they mean something to God.

...he will wipe every tear from their eyes...(Rev 21:4) -- is God's promise that something will be done about the things that make us cry.

Today's Petition for Persistence

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 00:14:00 +0000

“Give us grace, O God, to dare to do the deed that we all know cries to be done.

Let us not hesitate because of ease,

or the words of men’s mouths,

or our own lives.

Mighty causes are calling us –

the freeing of women and men,

the training of children,

the putting down of hate and murder and poverty – all these and more.

But they call with voices that mean work and sacrifices

and death to our own will and way.

Mercifully grant us, O God, the spirit of Esther, that we say:

I will go unto the King and if I perish, I perish.

The prayer of our souls this day is a petition for persistence;

not for the one good deed, or single thought,

but deed on deed, and thought on thought,

until day calling unto day shall make a life worth living.

We want these young people to grow the grim grit of a people

who would never believe they’re beaten and would never own defeat;

May they snatch success and victory out of the teeth of failure

by keeping everlastingly at work, never giving up.

Give us, O God, to walk with the One who never turned His back

but marched breast forward,

never doubting that the clouds would break.

Amen.

From "Prayers for a Dark People"

W.E.B. DuBois

1909/1910

Do You Remember Why You Signed Up To Fight?

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 02:09:00 +0000

Some years ago, I was fortunate to serve as the Executive Director of Girls Inc. of NYC. It was an amazing experience. I am forever changed by the girls I met and the women who stood with me.

We did a project once where girls in our programs shared their stories of origin. They talked about their dreams for the future. I love the little publication that resulted from that project. I wrote something to introduce that project and reading my own words again after all of these years reminded me of my commitment to the struggle. Every now and then, we all need to be reminded why we signed up to fight.

What are you from?

Why are you in the fight?

Where are you going next?

Here is what I wrote for them many moons ago...

WHERE I'M FROM

I stand on a history that gave me

ground to grow in spite of

growing up in Newark, NJ --

the sixth of seven children born

to a single mother

who worked two jobs and still needed

public assistance to make ends meet....

I stand on a conviction that gave me

hope in spite of a community holding

low or no expectations

dreaming small dreams

rendering little girls invisible --

boxed in by bold black lines with reinforced corners

by the message of the day: "you can only reach as far as those around you."

WHERE I'M GOING

Deeper into the thick of the fight

grateful and humbled by the opportunity

to actively push a course of action

that ensures higher expectations

greater, more vibrant visibility

and shattered boxes

by the sheer force of a new message - the truth:

"You, little girl, can reach as far as you can dream - and then some."

How to Create More Hell on Earth for Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 11:29:00 +0000

Want to know how you can create hell on earth? Decide that you don't care whether children eat. And then, create more hell by shaping policies that determine what kids are worthy of school meals.

Schools and school systems across the United States regularly deny meals to children because the child/parent "owes money". When my daughter was in elementary school I paid for her school lunch through the school's online payment system. I set up a warning level so that I would get an alert emailed to me when the account reached a certain level. Whenever I got the low-balance alert, I would panic (yeah - I set myself up for this madness!) and rush to replenish the account. My fear was always that I would mess this thing up - miss the alert, some technological snafu or some other thing would happen and that would set off the "lunch lady" caricature I had in my head.

It never happened and my child was not denied a meal. But other people's children are being denied school meals across the country. Every day. (Some of our schools are so overcrowded that kids don't even get a lunch period. I've had two children affected by this - and they were dependent upon "understanding" teachers who would allow them to eat in class because they didn't even have a lunch period. But that's a discussion for another day.)

But on this -- what is to be gained by refusing a child a meal?

What adult thinks it is good public policy to deny a child lunch - to humiliate and publicly shame them - because their parent or guardian has not "paid" their bill?

Who physically takes food away from a child and throws it away as the child watches?

What human being would agree to follow a policy that requires adults to throw away a meal rather give it to a child whose parent has an unpaid bill? (I mean, fight the power, people!!!)

I believe that the United States has the resources to offer free school meals to all public school students regardless of income - but we don't have the will. What we spend on the administration of the meals program and the effort to deny a seat at the table for the "unworthy of a meal" kids is probably a sin. I don't know - but I surmise that's where the waste is - bureaucracy.

It's never a waste of resources to FEED A CHILD!

But, why do kids need to eat anyway? And most importantly, why do poor kids need to eat? And what does all of this matter to me? I ate today.

It matters because, by our wrongheadedness and thoughtlessness, by our misunderstanding of what we owe our children, by our lumping children into categories of "worthy and unworthy" of our support and investment --- we are in effect supporting policies that are creating hell on earth for our children and for ourselves.

What in the world do you think is going on in the hearts and minds and spirits of the children who watched adults throw away the food that they were denied? What about the children who got to eat and watched their peers denied a meal for something they had no control over? Do you honestly think no damage was done to any of these children, nothing to see here, move it along?

Do you have any idea of how that experience -- and all of the other ridiculous and mean-spirited ways we publicly shame and call out children around their family's income -- communicates a message about what we value?

Here's the link to the story about how nuts adults can be - read it and weep. And then decide to stop creating hell on earth for kids.

http://news.yahoo.com/schools-starve-students-over-money-195000176--politics.html

First Day of Christmas: A Child Has Been Born

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Thu, 26 Dec 2013 03:29:00 +0000

First Day of Christmas: A Child Has Been Born

For a people who were struggling against an oppressive regime, one whose power and authority seemed far reaching, generational and never ending, their hope for just and merciful leadership became real with the birth of a baby.

Hope became real with the birth of a baby.

Not a military coup.

Not a plague visited upon their oppressors.

Not a violent war.

Not power and might and horses and tanks and drones -- but labor pains, child birth, swaddling blankets and anxious parents.

A child has been born.

Hallelujah.

Isaiah 9: 6-7 (The Message Translation)

For a child has been born––for us!

the gift of a son––for us!

He'll take over

the running of the world.

His names will be:

Amazing Counselor,

Strong God,

Eternal Father,

Prince of Wholeness.

His ruling authority will grow,

and there'll be no limits to the wholeness he brings.

He'll rule from the historic David throne

over that promised kingdom.

He'll put that kingdom on a firm footing

and keep it going

With fair dealing and right living,

beginning now and lasting always.

The zeal of God –of–the–Angel–Armies

will do all this.

Advent: The Season of WaitingWorkingWitnessing

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 10:51:00 +0000

Barbara Lundblad shares with us an alternative text for one of my favorite Advent Hymns - "O Come, O Come Immanuel". She captures in such a beautiful way the yearnings of Advent for us in real time:

We are hopeful...so hopeful...

We desire to be free from weapons...

To be liberated from despair and apathy...

To be used so that justice will be made real for the poor, for children - for all of us.

Advent is more than just a season on a calendar to me. It's an orientation, strategy - a lens.

We are actively "WaitingWorkingWitnessing" (I just made that word up, that's what preachers do when we can't find an existing word to fit what we are trying to say!) - waiting for God to dispel the night and working with God as a witness against every shadow, a witness for the power of God's big amazing restoring love to give us victory over every conceivable grave, to revive every "withered place".

That's the everyday work of advent messengers.

O come, O come Immanuel

And bless each place your people dwell

Melt every weapon crafted for war

Bring peace upon the earth forever more

Refrain:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Take heart and do not fear,

God's Chosen One, Immanuel draws near.

O come, green shoot of Jesse, free

Your people from despair and apathy;

Forge justice for the poor and meek,

Grant safety for the young ones and weak.

Refrain

O come, now living water, pour your grace

And bring new life to every withered place

Speak comfort to each trembling heart:

"Be strong! Fear not, for I will ne'er depart."

Refrain

O come, dear child of Mary, come

God's word made flesh within our earthly home

Love stir within the womb of night

Revenge and hatred put to flight.

Refrain

Words by Barbara K. Lundblad

December 1, 2013: Advent Promises - No More

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Mon, 02 Dec 2013 04:45:00 +0000

"But there will be no more gloom

for those who were in anguish..."

Isaiah 9: 1a (NRSV)

"But there'll be no darkness

for those who were in trouble..."

Isaiah 9: 1a (The Message Translation)

Whether it is gloom and anguish or darkness and trouble -- the coming of The Messiah means no more of it. No more gloom, anguish, darkness and trouble.

This promise is special to me. I used to think that I was in a battle against darkness. I used to fear that trouble would win the day because I was no certainly no match. But then, I was reminded that The One who is coming has already won the battle against darkness. Trouble has an expiration date. My job is not to win the battle but to stand as a witness.

Most days, standing takes everything I've got. But that's my one job! Witness and affirm...no more gloom...One is coming who will pierce the night forever.

Wait....

Battlefield Prayers

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Tue, 08 Oct 2013 14:50:00 +0000

We know that this world is no friend to children.

Many people answer the call to be teachers, youth leaders, doctors, social workers, lawyer/advocates, etc., taking all that they are to stand in the gap between the world's harsh intent and the hope represented by children's dreams. I am often overwhelmed by the passion of leaders who have made the bottom line measurement for the decisions they make in their careers not dollars made, but lives changed. They courageously live with the marginalization that comes with truth telling and the refusal to "just accept this check."

How difficult and demoralizing it is when those who are fighting for children realize that sometimes, they have to fight their own co-workers, families, colleagues, faith community members.

The sad truth is, while there may be "an enemy out there" in the world somewhere, our most vicious battles are fought with the people who walk beside us, who are supposed to be wearing the same team uniform we wear.

What do you do when you are afraid to turn your back in your own community because your own community is no friend to children?

You are demoralized because you see your own people nurturing violent streets and releasing bullets content to hit any target...

You are demoralized because you see your peer teachers transformed into "the jaded unwilling" - too jaded to try a fresh approach and unwilling to try and try and try and try again with a child and that child's family....

You are demoralized because the social workers who started with you now believe the "those people" narrative.....

You are demoralized because your peers seem clueless about what causes family breakdown, what creates pathologies, and how to see and build on strength that all people possess.

Pray for peers and colleagues.

It's easier to think some children are broken, deserving of their sad lot - and that they broke themselves, than it is to peep the cards of a system that depends on rampant brokenness to fuel job creation. At a conference examining the seven NY neighborhoods that send children and adults into the juvenile/criminal justice system, the question was asked: what would we need in community if sending people to prison was not an option? What would our community investments look like?

A hush came over the room. Some saw the question as idealistic and Pollyanna. After all, we'll always have poor people (Jesus said so, right?), always need prisons, always need a mammoth child welfare system, always need scores of youth prisons...always.

Really? So, you are not working for real change, because we'll always.....

Pray for peers and colleagues.

Friends, you stand in the gap for children. Check and re-check the assumptions and beliefs that called you to the gap. If you believe we'll "always have" brokenness, then your practice will reflect your beliefs. You won't be working to put yourself out of business, for sure.

Wolves are among us. Vicious wolves. These wolves work for another master and their job is to feed the voracious appetite of systems dependent on brokenness. They work to seduce you -- you precious leaders who are called to be Repairers of the Breach -- into abandoning your passion, giving up your hope and idealism, 'growing out' of your desire to be change in the world so that you will follow them.

Be on guard. Stay awake. Stay informed.

If you find yourself being a better priest to Caesar and power than you are to the children in your care -- this word is a reminder to you: God has poured something into you. God has not given up on you. It doesn't matter how you got seduced. What matters is that you can quit the seducer. God loves you, you have a part in God's plan for restoration, and God is not firing you.

Pray for peers and colleagues.

I'm praying God's refreshment in your life; God's power and God's love for you...I trust God for your turnaround, for your repositioning, for your wake-up.

There is a powerful wind blowing - sent by The One who really can meet every need in our community - through us. I'm praying that you get caught up in The Wind again....

Acts 20:29-32 (The Message Translation)

"I know that as soon as I'm gone, vicious wolves are going to show up and rip into this flock, (people) from your very own ranks twisting words so as to seduce disciples into following them instead of Jesus. So stay awake and keep up your guard. Remember those three years I kept at it with you, never letting up, pouring my heart out with you, one after another. "Now I'm turning you over to God, our marvelous God whose gracious Word can make you into what God wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends."

Priceless Blessings...

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 02:27:00 +0000

Little boys in church shirts

Eating church candy

Squirming in church pews --

The sweetest of God's blessings

for the church.

Little boys falling asleep,

Nudging each other before Momma sees

Laughing, squirming, bright shining stars

Straight from God's own canvas.

The sweetest blessings to the church.

A Promise from Isaiah 43

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Sun, 04 Aug 2013 00:17:00 +0000

When you're in over your head,

I'll be there with you.

When you're in rough waters,

you will not go down.

When you're between a rock and a hard place,

it won't be a dead end--

Because I am God, your personal God,

The Holy of Israel, your Savior.

I paid a huge price for you:

all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!

That's how much you mean to me!

That's how much I love you!

I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you.

"So don't be afraid:

I'm with you.

I'll round up all your scattered children,

pull them in from east and west.

I'll send orders north and south:

'Send them back.

Return my sons from distant lands,

my daughters from faraway places.

I want them back,

every last one who bears my name,

every man, woman, and child

Whom I created for my glory,

yes, personally formed and made each one.'"

A Reminder: God's Love Never Quits

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 22:22:00 +0000

What a week. What a season. What a God.

Psalm 136 (The Message Translation)

Thank God!
He deserves your thanks.
*His love never quits.

Thank the God of all gods,
*His love never quits.
Thank the Lord of all lords.
*His love never quits.

Thank the miracle-working God,
*His love never quits.
The God whose skill formed the cosmos,
*His love never quits.
The God who laid out earth
on ocean foundations,
*His love never quits.

The God who filled the skies with light,
*His love never quits.
The sun to watch over the day,
*His love never quits.
Moon and stars as guardians
of the night,
*His love never quits.

The God who struck down the Egyptian firstborn,
*His love never quits.
And rescued Israel from Egypt’s oppression,
*His love never quits.
Took Israel in hand with his
powerful hand,
*His love never quits.
Split the Red Sea right in half,
*His love never quits.
Led Israel right through the middle,
*His love never quits.
Dumped Pharaoh and his army
in the sea,
*His love never quits.

The God who marched his people through the desert,
*His love never quits.
Smashed huge kingdoms right and left,
*His love never quits.
Struck down the famous kings,
*His love never quits.
Struck Sihon the Amorite king,
*His love never quits.
Struck Og the Bashanite king,
*His love never quits.
Then distributed their land as booty,
*His love never quits.
Handed the land over to Israel.
*His love never quits.

God remembered us when
we were down,
*His love never quits.
Rescued us from the trampling boot,
*His love never quits.
Takes care of everyone in time
of need.
*His love never quits.
Thank God, who did it all!
*His love never quits!

For All The Saints...

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 12:17:00 +0000

None of us can claim our "own strength" as the sole reason for our accomplishments. We all stand on the accomplishments of people who came before us. We stand on their struggles, their determination, their refusal to quit -- their power to keep going. We stand on their ability to see a future that was bigger than them -- one that included us.

We don't stand by ourselves.

We magnify the faith of our forebears with our own faith and strength. Indeed, we add to theirs -- and we create momentum, power, health and strength for the next generation.

Likewise, it is really critical that we who are living now own the charge to be "faithful, true and bold - fight as the saints who nobly fought of old..." -- because if we don't, we won't leave the next generation a worthy legacy. Every time I see people re-embracing the chains of slavery, the marks of limited personhood, the values of oppressors, I think -- "No. That's not the fruit of the battle fought by our mothers and fathers. That's not why they sacrificed, died..." That heartache pushes me to lift a broader, bigger, more liberating vision for my community. We all need to stretch -- not just for ourselves, but because there are little ones watching us, coming after us....

Even those of us who have had to conquer strongholds of pathologies that were passed on to us (with the blessings!) have to determine -- that part of the "tradition" stops with me. I will pass on power, strength, faith and health. No passing on unnecessary brokenness, trauma and smallness. I will not be sharing pain and destruction with my children. We don't "pledge" the next generation! Take whatever of this that was dropped in your lap and determine that you are bigger than whatever it is. Give it to God and turn that into testimony to fuel the next generation.

That is the way we become SAINTS.

Happy All Saint's Day.

1. For all the saints, who from their labors rest,

who thee by faith before the world confessed,

thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest. Alleluia, Alleluia!

2. Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might;

thou Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight;

thou in the darkness drear, their one true light. Alleluia, Alleluia!

3. O may thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold,

fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,

and win with them the victor's crown of gold. Alleluia, Alleluia!

4. O blest communion, fellowship divine!

We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;

yet all are one in thee, for all are thine. Alleluia, Alleluia!

5. And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,

steals on the ear the distant triumph song,

and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong. Alleluia, Alleluia!

6. From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,

through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,

singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: Alleluia, Alleluia!

Trusting God at the Cliff Edge of Doom

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 22:26:00 +0000

I'm struck by the simple smile on my face in this photograph. You would never know that I was sitting across from terror.

This photo is a reminder to me that sometimes, pain is hidden deep inside the smiles on children's faces. You never know until you know.

I find great strength in Psalm 46. I've stood fearless at the cliff-edge of doom. Certain doom. Yet, I was able to stand when I should have been counted out for no other reason than because in the depths of my soul, rooted in my bones - I knew I wasn't standing alone.

It "looked" like I was alone. It certainly "felt" like I was alone, but they tell me that looks and feelings are often deceptive. If I went on what I felt at the time that the ground gave way under me, the mountains shook and the seas of my life roared, surely, I would have crumbled and given up the fight. But instead of focusing on what I was feeling, grace gave me a chance to see what God was doing -- in me.

Back still straight, head still held high and songs still in my heart. God did that for me, to me.

You may find yourself one day looking out on the cliff-edge of some doom, too. If you do, I hope you know enough, trust God enough to just stand with grace. The ancestors rise up in witness: God fiercely loves you and will either catch you, or give you wings strong enough for trouble-conquering flight.

A Song of the Sons of Korah
Psalm 46
(The Message Translation)

God is a safe place to hide,
ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in sea-storm and earthquake;
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
the tremors that shift mountains.
Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

River fountains splash joy,
cooling God’s city,
this sacred haunt of the Most High.
God lives here, the streets are safe, God at your service from crack of dawn.

Godless nations rant and rave,
kings and kingdoms threaten,
but Earth does anything he says.
Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

Attention, all! See the marvels of God!
He plants flowers and trees all over the earth; bans war from pole to pole,
breaks all the weapons across his knee.

“Step out of the traffic!
Take a long,loving look at me,
your High God, above politics,
above everything.”

Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

Rest A Little While...

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 02:17:00 +0000

Mark 6
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.
31 He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.
33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.
34 As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

REST A LITTLE WHILE

I have to admit this is an area where I am greatly challenged in my life. (Actually, a few areas, but this is the one I'm talking about right now!). It is so hard to "turn it off." Those who are also challenged in this way know exactly what I mean....I struggle with relaxation.

I might get a failing grade in 'just chillin'...after all, there are children to be mothered, powers to be challenged, young warriors who need encouragement, colleagues who need...

It just goes on and on.

But, this is my life. I don't live a "to-do" list. This is how I express my discipleship. I take my friendship with Jesus seriously. I go hard because He went hard for me.

No, I don't have a "super" or "messiah" complex - that would be too easy. I'm so aware that I'm not super. Really. I'm so aware that all I have to offer is the kind of brokenness that bears witness to "all things work together for the good."

Rather, it's so hard to turn off the "cry out for social justice spigots/mother all the children in my presence behavior" because I really am sold out. Totally. I believe the "stuff" I'm walking and talking about...I'm convinced of the power of the friendship we share, the efficacy of the path I'm walking and Who I am following....I just think this stuff is right.

Ah, but Jesus says that everybody needs to "rest a little while."

In Mark's Gospel, the disciples shared with Jesus everything they had been doing and Jesus' response was, "Whew, y'all take a break, hear?!" No protesting, no campaigns - "go away to a deserted place..."

Deserted places are good for us, especially when deserted in this case means places where we can rest, put "it" down, chill, take a break. Maybe take a moment to pick up something else that has nothing to do with anything.

What I also like about this account is that when the disciples take a break - Jesus steps up, meeting needs with compassion....

Jesus steps up. He's got "it" and us, too - all in his hands.

I am so humbled to be called his friend, so I've got no complaints about how he uses me for his purposes (that's actually kind of amazing and still renders me speechless.) But what's more humbling is to hear him say, "Hey, thanks friends, go get something to eat, take a break, I've got this." John's Gospel says it this way: "I no longer call you servants...I call you friends..."(John 15)

I'm planning a trip where I will be able to drink in the new scenery of God's majesty; walk hand in hand with my husband and just "be" out on the town; and, to put myself in someone else's hands for care and hospitality. I don't plan to blog, write, call, conference, check emails, preach, teach, present, give interviews or anything....cause, I hear Jesus loud and clear...take a break, Sis.

But when I come back, watch out 'cause I'm coming back hard for my Friend.

We Can Prevent Child Sexual Abuse

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 12:34:00 +0000

12 It is not enemies who taunt me— I could bear that; it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me— I could hide from them.
13 But it is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend,
14 with whom I kept pleasant company; we walked in the house of God with the throng. (Psalm 55:12-14)

One of the saddest of all Psalms (Psalm 55) sings the pain of one who was betrayed by a beloved close one. The psalmist writes that the betrayer was one who shared his journey of faith and the intimacy of worship. That's what makes the betrayal, in the mind of the psalmist, so hard to bear. A stranger is hard...but you? My beloved close one? I trusted you....

Children who are sexually abused most often know their abusers. In fact, 90% of abusers are known to the victim. (I trusted you...) The "stranger in the trench coat lurking in the park" might be dangerous, but maybe not nearly as dangerous as Mom's boyfriend, Uncle Junior, Cousin Willie or....Daddy or StepDad. Our children are encouraged to trust beloved godparents, aunts, neighbors -- and they should be able to. We cannot imagine that these beloved members of our families and communities would ever harm our children.

But it happens.

"20 My companion laid hands on a friend and violated a covenant with me 21 with speech smoother than butter, but with a heart set on war; with words that were softer than oil, but in fact were drawn swords."

Speech smoother than butter, but violent hearts....soft words delivered with sharp swords...

Screaming headlines bespeak the need for urgency in our communities to embrace public education and to call for common sense child protection practices and policies. No need for paranoia -- paranoia does not prevent harm.

Instead, we need to be awake, conscious....not afraid to ask questions, proactive in establishing norms and willing to learn what it means to protect the children in our midst. When we are proactive, we can also protect the adults - the many well-intentioned mentors, youth pastors, relatives, community members we depend on to stand in the gap for our children who need relationships with caring adults.

A few months ago, I went through training conducted by a national organization called Darkness to Light to become a certified facilitator for the Stewards of Children program. This workshop endeavors to teach adults that preventing child sexual abuse is our adult responsibility - and it is doable. I'm preparing myself to lead workshops to help people understand that we really can stop child sexual abuse; and I anticipate that the hardest thing for people to grasp will be understanding just how prevalent but preventable child sexual abuse is.

I want to do my part to raise awareness and to help equip the adults in my community with the tools they need to protect children.

Let us all pursue opportunities to bring healing to families. Let us all do what we can to deliver conscious adults to the next generation of children. Let us work to prevent child sexual abuse.

Remember Me!

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 10:13:00 +0000

What in the world would we do if God decided that the path for our entire lives would be determined solely by the stupid, wrong, hurtful and immature things we did before we were 16 years old?

Think about all the things you did - and you didn't get caught! Well, you think you didn't!

The psalmist says, "Don't remember the sins and transgressions of my youth -- remember me..."

God knows us. And, God knows that we are all more than the worst thing we have ever done.

The Psalmist says, "Don't just remember what I've done, remember me!!"

Take some time to see the young people in your life for who they are - young people, children....youths. Enough already about how foolish they can be. In fact, I have it on good authority that you (whoever you are now) were once foolish, too.

Here are some concepts you should make it your business to learn more about:

1. Restorative Justice
2. Peace Circles
3. Positive Behavior supports

There is a whole lot we can do to steer young people toward good. And the truth is - we all have to be intentionally "steered" toward good. We are all human, wrong, broken, sinful, stubborn and in need of mercy and grace. And yet, God sees beyond all of that and remembers who we are - God's children.

We will never outgrow the need for God's protection -- and so it's a good thing that God still reaches out the hand of mercy and forgiveness and provides us a place of "refuge."

********

Psalm 25

1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.
6 Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O LORD!

8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

11 For your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who are they that fear the LORD? He will teach them the way that they should choose.
13 They will abide in prosperity, and their children shall possess the land.
14 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distress.
18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20 O guard my life, and deliver me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all its troubles.

Christmas Still and Not Embarrassed....

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 11:50:00 +0000

It's July but my soul has been thirsty for the Christmas story. My children tease me and are prone to fits of embarrassment and anguish right now ---"OMG, really Mom?! Really?! Blasting Christmas carols in the car! In July?! Dad, get your wife, please!!" (Don't worry, I'm not intimidated. I remind them that they can control their own soundtrack on the B49 bus and are welcome to hop that baby at anytime!") But I digress...

I need a story to counter the heat of the world. I really like the one that begins with "Once, in Royal David's city stood a lowly cattle shed..." It then goes on to introduce us to a poor baby.

Those of us who know the backstory also know that he loved his mom; that Joseph gave him protection and cover and life skills...and that this poor child probably struggled against rumors of illegitimacy within his faith community. (Ah, the back stories....!)

The last three verses of the carol arrest my heart every time I hear the words, and by the last word I am in tears. Not because of sentiment or melody, but because I can see the amazing arc of a human life that has made all the difference in the world.

We can be like him:

"For he is our childhood's pattern
Day by day, like us he grew.
He was little, weak and helpless
Tears and smiles like us he knew.
And he feeleth for our sadness,
And he shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see him
Through his own redeeming love
For that child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above.
And he leads his children on
To that place where he has gone --
Not in that poor lowly stable
With the oxen standing by
We shall see him, but in heaven
Set at God's right hand on high,
Where like stars his children crowned
All in white shall wait around."
(last three verses of Once in Royal David's City)

I'm hungry for this narrative because I feel broken by the world's story. It tells us over and over again that children and poor people are not worthy of our best work - they have nothing to offer us. Of course, we don't come right out and say that. The title of the world's story may say one thing - but the chapters are filled with policy decisions, budget decisions, community actions and legislation that tell other stories.

Here's a counter to that.

This One broke into the world small, poor and helpless. He grew just like us and knew tears and smiles. His life was hard but meaningful, not because of what he earned but who he touched. He chose to associate with the vulnerable. He set children in the middle of one of his greatest lessons to adults. The "little things" he focused on were his generation's greatest issues. In fact, those little things still matter to us now a few thousand years later.

His death and the new Life he offers to us - rich or poor - says "no more" to the ways human beings hurt each other.

Our work in giving witness to this poor child's Way is not "destiny" -- it's laying claim to destination.

Let's not just be on a merry-go-round of work-madness. Our lives are headed toward a crowning. We need to be reminded to live our lives like they matter - as if the obstacles, hardships, joys, troubles, fights, battles and victories....children...people...along the journey shape us for the coming ceremony where we will exchange the stained clothes of struggle for a new garment; one fitting that celebration that is taking place around the Throne. (Another digression - about that crown thing: I've not worn hats, believe it or not. Not that kind of first lady! But I will get my big head fitted for this crown I've been hearing about...sounds like you need it for the celebration!)

I need - we all need to be reminded, even in the dog days of summer, that this child has given us an amazing gift of redeeming love. Who would have thought that could be the outcome of that stinky stable story?

Christmas carols will be on blast. I don't think these young people are going to be hopping the city bus. I am, however, hoping the story gets stuck in their heads and works it's way into their hearts.

Yeah, Mom's a little subversive....hehehehe.......

Not Alone in the Dark

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 21:48:00 +0000

I don't remember the last time I sat in a movie theater. I love movies. I hate the darkness. Let me rephrase that - I've been afraid to sit in darkness. Ridiculous. I'm a grown woman.

But I'm also a deeply wounded grown woman. A survivor, yes. But yet a wounded survivor.

The movie is pretty good. And as my eyes adjust to the darkness I am reminding myself -- I'm sitting in the darkness but not alone in the dark.

The one who made
the Pleiades and Orion,
and turns deep darkness
into the morning,
and darkens the day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea,
and pours them out
on the surface of the earth,
the Lord is his name...

Amos 5:8

Battle Songs...

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 23:37:00 +0000

Harder yet may be the fight
Right may often yield to might
Wickedness awhile may reign
Satan's cause may seem to gain
There is a God that rules above
With hand of power and heart of love
If we are right, He'll fight our battles --
We shall have peace some day!
(Beams of Heaven, Charles Tindley)

Sometimes, it seems as if this mean old world is winning! Though many people try to do good, it seems as if "right yields to might" far, far too often.

How do you build the courage you will need to take on the hard fights -- the good fights where the overwhelming odds are against justice? How do you not become engulfed in cynicism? How do you stand taller than your fears that this may be the last fight in me...and I'm not winning.....? How do you not give in to the temptation to drink the bitterness. (You know, God can't do anything with bitterness.)

When we are talking about our children, the senseless loss of life and potential, and the ways in which those with power are given a free pass to "shoot and ask questions later" -- giving up is not an option.

Giving up is also not an option when we are called to face the never ending flow of illegal guns into our communities. We are being killed from within and without....

But...

I find strength and courage in the songs of the church. I am awed by the power of songs to give me the perspective I need to pick up the battle for one more day, and yet another day, and yet another day....

It may not seem like it, but "Beams of Heaven" is a battle song for me. It reminds me that I am on a journey; there is a destination, for sure. But the journey, if we are following Jesus, is characterized by wilderness, midnights, stars of hope and fights against injustice. "But this I know, if Jesus leads me, I shall get home someday."

When Harry Emerson Fosdick wrote a hymn "God of Grace and God of Glory" at the time when America was facing the Great Depression, an economic disaster that "drained the nation of life and hope." One of the lines of the hymn -- "Save us from weak resignation to the evils we deplore," reminds me that we cannot afford to think that any wrong doing or injustice has more power than The One who is All Powerful. We cannot give up so easily! God cannot be defeated -- therefore, God's children cannot retreat into safe spaces, waiting for the rough times to blow over -- because injustice unopposed does not blow over. We must face the hour -- but we do so with God.

Another battle song I sing was lifted first by the slaves in the American south. They were aiming for freedom and would sometimes become discouraged. So they sang to each other:

"Stay in the field, stay in the field,
Stay in the field - until the war is ended."

The verses of the song are directional and subversive -- providing clues for survival. I wish more of our contemporary songs provided clues for survival.

What keeps you going in the heat of the battle?

Sweet Little Jesus Boy

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Jordan-Simpson) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:35:00 +0000

Christmas at the House of Prayer Episcopal Church was my favorite time of the year when I was growing up in Newark, NJ and the Negro Spiritual, "Sweet Little Jesus Boy," had everything to do with that.

I didn't look forward to the gift giving. I still don't. Enough said.

It wasn't about snow or Xmas revelry. In fact, I always felt a little "odd" because there was nothing about the trappings of the commercial holiday that appealed to me. Surely, Christmas had to be about more....

The popular culture trappings obscured and hid and distracted...and I stood on many a soap box-turned-journey-pulpit trying to make plain, uncover, de-clutter, refocus on The Gift.

There was just something about "Sweet, Little Jesus Boy" that served as the antidote to all of the mindless Xmas songs I had to endure. And now, the season of endurance starts earlier and earlier as stores bypass Thanksgiving and move right into erecting their Christmas displays in September. It's October and I've only been in a few stores but I already feel assaulted by mindless Xmas clutter. Listening to Mahalia Jackson sing "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" tonight helped me to remember the work we have to do daily to battle the way popular culture obscures the truth about why God broke into human history, robed in flesh and "moved into our neighborhoods." It wasn't because we needed new jewelry, clothes or (why, Jesus?!) Chia Pets. If we really knew why, I'd like to think our response to the Gift would have been different....then and now. But maybe it wouldn't have been.

Popular culture turns hope and God's generosity into a product for profit. (And we should be mindful of the songs we pass down to our children. If we want them to be fit for the battles they will have to fight, we can't immerse them in mindless songs that accommodate the no-justice Empire. Just saying.) There is nothing about this song that makes you want to string lights. No hint of deer or jolly men. Its words are arresting, indicting, and convicting because in the manger is a baby (God's incredible gift to us), and looming on the horizon is our response to the Gift (the crucifixion).

Growing up, we sang it as a congregational song -- an incredible feat! I also remember a soloist or two who would sing it for us. I was captivated by the melody, but also by what the words brought about in me -- such clarity -- clarity about poverty, meanness, shortsightedness...and The One who gave us such a Gift of abundant hope, joy and eternal love.

We didn't know that Jesus was who he was. Unfortunately, that is why we treated him the way we did...and still do. We have no clue about the children in our midst...why God sent them to us and what God has for them to do. If we did, I like to think we would treat them better.

Sweet Little Jesus Boy

We made you be born in a manger

Sweet Little Holy Child

We didn't know who You was

Didn't know you come to save us, Lord

To take our sins away

Our eyes were blind, we could not see

We didn't know it was You.

You done told us how

when You were dying.

Master, You done showed us how

even when you were dying.

Don't seem like we can do right

look how we treated You!

But please, Sir, forgive us, Lord.

We didn't know it was You.