By Bishop Ann Svennungsen

“Stay awake.” At the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asks the disciples to keep watch with him; to stay awake. In describing the life of discipleship, Jesus says, “Be alert. Many will try to lead you astray. Do not be distracted. Keep awake.”

Today, after the murder of George Floyd, we think nothing could distract us from our call to dismantle the sin of systemic racism.

How could we be distracted — especially after the events of last week?

  • On Monday, we observed the 100th anniversary of the lynching of three young black men in Duluth.
  • On Wednesday, we commemorated the Emanuel 9 and the fifth anniversary of the shooting of nine church members by a white supremacist in Charleston.
  • On Friday, we observed Juneteenth, the day news of emancipation reached Texas in 1865, a full two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

After spending a week reflecting on the horror and evil of racism so entwined with our nation’s history, we think we will never forget.

But, how quickly we do. What will our attention span be this time? How long will we stay awake? Engaged? Actively working for change?

 

MUCH HAS BEEN WRITTEN about our shortened attention span in the digital age. One article caught my eye. Three behaviors are key to the discipline of staying attentive:

  1. Set goals
  2. Get together with others
  3. Get out of your chair

Today might be the perfect day to set our anti-racist action goals for the coming year. What actions will we take? What books will we read? What legislation will we seek? What consumer habits might we change?

Today is also a good day to commit to relationships. Getting together with others is key to finding both support and accountability for paying attention. Finally, getting out of your chair improves blood flow and circulation, making the brain more attentive and engaged.

I like that list. Actually, I’d like to explore even more what it might mean for Christians to get out of their chairs. Could there be an even deeper meaning?

At Gethsemane, Jesus tells the disciples, “Stay awake.” They don’t. It is only Jesus who stays awake, that night and through the next day. Jesus is so awake, so attentive to human need that he enters into great suffering and death to redeem them.

And then, when the powers of evil finally put Jesus to sleep, there’s still One who stays awake. Almighty God, awake and alive in power and love, raises the Beloved. God overcomes that final slumber – out of love for the world.

It’s that resurrection power that Jesus breathes into the disciples. It’s that Spirit – the Spirit of the risen Christ – that fills them at Pentecost.

We aren’t on our own in this anti-racism work. We’re blessed with power beyond our imaginations. Power enough to raise us up and keep us moving.

When Rev. Osagyefo Sekou met with synod staff members last Saturday, they spent much of the time praying. He’s Pentecostal, after all. He’s also wise. God shows up when we pray – to fill us, connect us, empower us, and raise us up to more than we could’ve imagined.

 UPDATE: An earlier version of this blog incorrectly used the date 1965 instead of 1865 as the year Juneteenth was established.