It's Our DNA

I have bought in to the World Cup this year as never before- literally I am wearing a Word Cup t-shirt as I write this, and tomorrow I will wear a USA soccer jersey ahead of their game against Australia! I have watched nearly every match, not all start to finish, since the tournament began. And I have taken to watching them in Spanish, even though I do not speak the language. Why? Three reasons:

1.        As I said in the first “The Crowd Goes Wild!” series sermon a couple of weeks ago: I don’t really get soccer, beyond kicking the ball in to the net; so since I don’t understand anyway, why not?

2.        Joy. Those announcers get in to it! Every GGGGOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLL, regardless of who scores, fires me up!

3.        Telemundo doesn’t play along on the silly “hydration breaks,” new this year, really just an excuse to break away for a commercial break. The feed stays in the arena, checking out the fans and players.

But aside from the matches themselves, it’s the vision of a unified humanity that is so compelling for me. The fans of both teams are singing their songs and enjoying one another. Fans of other teams are in the stands as well- just there for the action and the spectacle. Videos of travelers coming to Canada, Mexico or the USA, trying out new foods and experiences- it’s heartwarming and fun, and calls us to do more to bring people together rather than divide. 

As United Methodists, we understand our faith to be more than the individualized Christianity we experience from many churches. We emphasize the connection between social and personal holiness. We understand faith as a vehicle to bring into reality the world God envisions for humanity. This Friday marks the celebration of Juneteenth, a day to commemorate freedom and justice. If you are unfamiliar with this observance, now a national holiday, here is a summary from umc.org:

“By the time Union soldiers rode into Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of slavery, 2½ years had passed since the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.  The message of freedom had failed to reach a quarter of a million enslaved Black people. That is, until June 19,1865, the date that marked the end of government-sanctioned slavery in America, and that would become known as Juneteenth. Through the years, Juneteenth has been commemorated, primarily by Black Americans, with prayer events, families gathered around large meals and parades and festivals. In 2021, Juneteenth became a federal holiday in the United States, observing the date when news of emancipation was delivered in Galveston.

But in the words of Opal Lee, a Black woman from Fort Worth, Texas who is largely responsible for the national holiday becoming a reality, ‘None of us are free until we're all free, and we aren't free yet.’

The struggle for equality and justice—true freedom—continues. Inequity persists. As United Methodists, we vow to accept the freedom and power God gives us to resist evil, injustice and oppression. There is still much work for us to do.  As we seek to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, we do so in this context of persistent injustice and oppression.”  

The World Cup offers a vision of a unified, free humanity, but it’s a tournament that last only a few weeks. And it’s pretty insular- a sporting event taking place against the backdrop of the realities of the brokenness of the world. For example, after the Iranian team played its match in Los Angeles, they had to quickly return to their training site in Mexico, even as news broke about a possible ending of the war between the US and Iran.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14, New International Version).

I have had the great privilege of hearing Archbishop Desmond Tutu twice: once many years ago at the Festival of Homiletics, a nationwide gathering of preachers; the second at SMU, when he spoke with the Dalai Lama. Bishop Tutu always brings a great spirit of joy with him. He wrote this song, which appears in our Faith We Sing, the UMC hymnal supplement, #2219:

Goodness is stronger than evil;

love is stronger than hate;

light is stronger than darkness;

life is stronger than death.

 

Victory is ours, victory is ours

through him who loved us.

Victory is ours, victory is ours

through him who loved us.

 

As we commemorate Juneteenth, as we observe the utopian vision of the World Cup, let us be reminded that the work of freedom and justice is ongoing, and as United Methodists we care called to join in the effort. From a communion liturgy written for Juneteenth, we pray this paraphrased version of the Lord’s Prayer, written by the Rev. Mary C. Johnson is a retired member of the Baltimore-Washington Conference:

 

Our Deliverer who bought our freedom, holy is your name.

Your freedom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today the nourishment we need.

And forgive us when we harm others,

Just as we have forgiven those who have brought harm to our lives.

Keep us from returning evil with evil,

but help us to always respond with good.

For you have set us free, empowering us to set others free, bringing you glory forever.  Amen.  

It’s Our DNA!

Pastor Frank