Dear Friends,
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5).
This is surely one of the most beautiful lines in scripture and one that comforts us in dark times. Even in the dark, we can find light. In the dark, the light is even more brilliant.
It is a cliché now to reference Mr. Rogers and what his mother told him as a child when there was something frightening on the news: “Look for the helpers. There are always people who are helping.” That might seem a bit corny, but Mr. Rogers (from my hometown of Pittsburgh and surely a near saint) is corny in the way that holiness is corny. It takes courage to be corny in a cynical, frightening time.
And, so, I look for the helpers, and there are so many to find. As we look north to Minneapolis, we see not self-righteousness or ego but a beautiful display of “neighborism” as Adam Serwer describes it in The Atlantic. He points out that people are not coming out in the freezing cold to protest so much as to protect their neighbors, which Serwer dubs “neighborism”—“A commitment to protecting the people around you, no matter who they are or where they came from.” The light shines in the darkness.
There has also been a lot of singing these past few weeks, and people have formed, are forming choirs for solidarity singing and rehearsing resistance songs created out of the crucible of Minneapolis. The songs are easy to learn and meant for large groups to sing together as away to lift the spirits of those who are afraid and to strengthen people’s courage. Singing together connects people and invites joy and peace even in the face of fear and violence. One of you shared that there will be an event here in Chicago on Friday, February 13—Singing Solidarity: Songs from and for Minneapolis. The light shines in the darkness.
In difficult times, we should look for the helpers, but that advice was given to Mr. Rogers when he was a child, and he shared it with and meant it for children. The advice for adults is this: BE the helper, BE the light. This Sunday, we hear from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount that WE are the salt of the earth, WE are the light of the world.
Together, we can be neighbors, we can sing out, we can be salt and light.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
See you in church!
Faithfully, Suzanne+