Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes* for what is seen? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. –Romans 8:24-25
A week ago, more than 80 people from Framingham gathered for a sacred conversation about race– “Framingham Coming Together.” We were seated around tables in Nevins Hall, in the town Memorial Building.
Our Student Pastor Kate Byers was one of the panelists, and she shared a moving story about an early experience that awakened her to the reality and tragedy of racism. A priest, a police officer, a youth worker and a community activist shared equally powerful stories.
After the panel, we were invited to share in conversation around our tables. The suggested topic was our own experiences awakening to the reality of racism. The folks at my table went around the circle introducing ourselves. The first person to speak after the introductions expressed his frustration with the topic. “I don’t want to talk about our stories,” he began. “We’re all here because we care. I want to talk about what we are going to do to make Framingham a better place.”
There was a flurry of conversation as we tried to figure out where our conversation should go. Ultimately, we agreed to go back to the original topic. There were powerful stories shared–of being among the first families of color trying to buy a house in North Framingham, of a year-long pilgrimage to retrace the route West Africans took coming to this country as slaves, of the way someone with a disability is often perceived, of people passionate about transforming our justice system.
Through all this powerful story-telling, though, there was this unsettled feeling. What was the purpose of the conversation? How would it lead to a transformed town and a transformed world?
The unsettledness, for me, pointed to a tension that is real in sacred conversations. As people of faith, we are called to be instruments of peace, bringing hope and healing to our broken world. If we leap into action without building trust first, we can unintentionally do more harm than good. If we spend too much time talking and building trust, we might not venture from conversation to action. Finding the right rhythm of action and reflection, conversation and concrete movement–that is a huge challenge.
Bless us, O God, with the gift of discernment, that we might know when to listen, when to speak, when to act. Amen.