Rightful Patience

As Rev. Sally Steele pointed out in the sermon on Sunday, throughout history ‘patience’ has been weaponized against those on the margins by those who benefit by the status quo. Listen, for example, to James Baldwin’s remarkable 30 second clip on ‘waiting for progress’. When used to put off those who are longing for justice, asking for patience is just another way to resist God’s best for the world.

And yet, patience and endurance are still the hallmarks of those who work for God’s justice. As the late Civil Rights leader has said, “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble” (Representative John Lewis).

So take heart as you read these words from James today. Maybe it’s a particular kind of justice that you are struggling for. Maybe it’s just the long, wearing work of surviving a pandemic. Or maybe it’s something else. But listen in to the Spirit as you read these words, and then pray out of them today:

Be patient, then, siblings, until the Lord’s coming.See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. - James 5:7-8