Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and God’s love is perfected in us.–I John 4:11
Back in January, as part of a soup-making gathering, Grace Gamez and Rob DeLossa were planning to lead a conversation about Beloved Community. Ultimately, everyone agreed that chopping vegetables, while an expression of Beloved Community, did not create the right space for a circle discussion. The planned conversation, though, did inspire our Lenten theme. This poem, by adrienne marie brown, was one of the reading prepared for that day.
“it is our turn to carry the world”
we are each other’s safety
right now, and every day
decide who you will protect
yourself, your own, and who else?
it’s time to cover all that we love
land, creature, place, person
intertwine your roots with mine
in this way our lives become miracles
there will be strangers
they will become comrades
we will each say our needs
we will learn to let community come closer
every part of us is a shield
our words, our trust, our hearts
our bodies in action
and the freedom to think for ourselves
we are the adaptation
no oppressor can imagine
our love is water – form-shifting power, river, vapor, life
we flood each other with belonging
we are building our stamina
we dream of the real world
we carry god, and see god, in each of our faces
your holiness is not too heavy, not for me
our attention and courage
show us the next stand to take
the next hill on which to hold each other
and if needed, the next hiding place: survive!
our imagination and memory
find the wisdom of our ancestors
find our future in the rubble
find the seeds in our songs
we choose our freedom
we keep each other’s souls intact
safer than any cage of empire
we know something better is coming
we are each other’s safety
we see each other’s freest selves
we will hold on tight, in public, in private
over and underground
and we will never let go
we will never let go
we will never let go
we will never let go
–adrienne marie brown
O God, may we trust that you will never let us go. May we live our determination to never let each other go.
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