Beloved and rebellious

I shared the following Saturday with a group of mostly women. But this is not for women only. My hope and prayer is for coming together in love and compassion to discover our common ground and transform our way of being in our communities and our country.

I thought long and hard about what to share with you today. I thought about the power of women, about women being invincible, about women’s perseverance even though we are tired. And the name Mary kept coming up. I find it interesting the name Mary means both beloved and rebellious. 

It was a Mary in the Christian tradition who with humility said yes to the labor of birthing love and healing into the world.
It was women named Mary – beloved and rebellious – who did not follow the crowed and run away but remained present to suffering, holding it as their own in the strong embrace of compassion women are known for. 
And after putting divisiveness and hatred to rest, it was a woman named Mary – beloved and rebellious – who was present to transformation and new life.
Women – beloved and rebellious – not conforming to divisiveness but healing and transforming divides.
Rebellious to say YES to the hard labor of bringing love into the world.
Rebellious to stand in solidarity doing the work of freedom and creating it for ALL in beloved community. 
You – all you all – in your beloved rebelliousness are anointed to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.

I close with the words of Lila Watson, an Australian Aboriginal beloved and rebellious woman: “if you have come to help me you are wasting your time. If you have come because your liberty, your freedom, is bound with mine then let us work together.” 
No matter what culture tells us, we are not free until all people are free. Let us work together! 

in this together…