The Red Door
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"Let no one tell you we don't need a revolution. The old ways do not work. We need a Holy Spirit-birthed revolution, a revolution of goodness, a revolution of compassion, a revolution of love."
Listen to Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry give a sermon at Washington National Cathedral below.
Poems for Pride Month
Celebrate Pride Month by reading and sharing poems highlighting LGBTQ voices and experiences from Poets.org
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i love you to the moon &
not back, let’s not come back, let’s go by the speed of
queer zest & stay up
there & get ourselves a little
moon cottage (so pretty), then start a moon garden
Chen Chen is the author of When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities (BOA Editions, 2017).
with lots of moon veggies (so healthy), i mean
i was already moonlighting
as an online moonologist
most weekends, so this is the immensely
logical next step, are you
packing your bags yet, don’t forget your
sailor moon jean jacket, let’s wear
our sailor moon jean jackets while twirling in that lighter,
queerer moon gravity, let’s love each other
(so good) on the moon, let’s love
the moon
on the moon
Welcome Happy Morning
Culturally Responsive Teaching and Reflection in Higher Education is now available in paperback. The essays explore the challenges and opportunities in creating a socially just and inclusive learning environment in colleges and universities. Rather than a list of “right answers,” authors integrate personal reflections and questions to engage readers in a critical discussion of issues related to social justice and inclusion.
The book includes chapters by a diverse group of authors and a variety of perspectives. A valuable resource for learning and reflection for educators in many settings.
There has long been talk about reparations our country needs to make to “re-pair” the inhumanity and damage done to black people, beginning with over two centuries of enslavement and continual racist policies. What exactly are reparations? Why are reparations controversial?
Here are two contemporary voices that address these questions.
Anthony Bogues, from the Choices Program, Brown University
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, speaking at the Brookings Institute
St. John’s sponsored an enthusiastic team of walkers for the Louis D. Brown Walk for Peace, and raised over the pledged amount for this important local organization. In doing so, they reflected the original vision for Mother’s Day.
Julia Ward Howe, who wrote "Battle Hymn of the Republic," first imagined a “Mothers Day.” Her call, in 1870, after witnessing the brutality and pain of the Civil War, was to urge women to act for peace. She wanted women to come together across national lines, to recognize what women hold in common above what divides them, and commit to finding peaceful resolutions to conflicts. As she wrote:
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."
If we want to truly celebrate and honor women, we would do well to draw on the sentiments that led to the establishment of such a day—that all women are valuable, that women on various sides of political issues or on various sides of a border have more in common than they hold in differences. Such sentiments are core to the success of the annual Walk for Peace.
Learn more about the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute:
Darin Howell's Peace
Institute Story
How does the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute impact people's lives? Here the story of Darin Howell and why he walked to support the Peace Institute in 2018.
Darin Howell Shares his story
JOIN US FOR THE MOTHER’S DAY WALK FOR PEACE!
Mother’s Day is a week from this Sunday! It’s also the day for the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace. The St John’s walk team will be walking locally in small groups of family or friends. (Walking is encouraged, but not required.) You can follow this link to register (or make a donation to the walk as a part of the St John’s walk team):
When you register select St John’s Church Jamaica Plain from the “credit this event to a fundraiser” drop down menu at the bottom of the online registration form.
St John’s has set a goal of raising $1500 and we are about halfway to reaching our goal.
Those who register will receive information on activities they can do every day between now and Mother’s Day to support their mental health and to build support for the Walk and the Peace Institute.
We look forward to walking with you (virtually) and appreciate your continued support for the work of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute.
Signed,
Members of the St John’s Social Justice Team
Earth is the only planet for all of us, and is confronting the biggest crisis in our history. Communities of color, those poor and on the margins, living in spaces most endangered, require responses that are equitable, courageous, and compassionate.
Amanda Gorman captures the heart of Earth Day as she reads her poem: "Earthrise"
The Social Justice Group is sponsoring a Book Discussion focusing on Heather McGhee’s book entitled The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. Below are the details for the book group meetings, and following that, we’ve offered some links to more about the book, the author, and a link to the Reader’s Guide.
From the author’s website: “Racism…is the common denominator of our most vexing public problems, the core dysfunction of our democracy and constitutive of the spiritual and moral crises that grip us all. How did this happen? And is there a way out?” “…tallying what we lose when we buy into the zero-sum paradigm—the idea that progress for some of us must come at the expense of others.”
If you are not already on the book group mailing list from last time, and are interested in participating in all or part of this book discussion, contact the Parish Administrator at parish.admin@stjohns-jp.org so you can get the zoom link and further info.
Meetings will be from noon to 1:30 on the following Sundays:
Apr 25 - Chapters 1 – 4
May 23 - Chapters 5 – 7
June 27 -Chapters 8 – 10
There is a long wait list for the library book, so we encourage interested buyers to purchase it from: Frugal Bookstore, 57 Warren St, Roxbury, 617-541-1722; or Papercuts, 60 South Street, JP, 617-522-3404.
· Reader’s Guide: https://heathermcghee.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/McGHEE_TheSumOfUs_HC_DiscussionGuide_Final.pdf
· Interview with Heather McGhee on Fresh Air: https://www.npr.org/2021/02/17/968638759/sum-of-us-examines-the-hidden-cost-of-racism-for-everyone
· Explore videos and presentations on Heather McGhee’s website: https://heathermcghee.com/
· Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/books/the-sum-of-us-what-racism-costs-everyone-and-how-we-can-prosper-together/9780525509561
At the this link, you’ll find resources that have been gathered to help individuals educate others, take action, donate, and more.
”Anti-Asian racism and violent attacks on Asian elderly have only increased in recent months. Since COVID-19 became news in the United States, hate speech and violence against the AAPI community has run rampant. In February 2021, attacks, particularly on elderly Asian Americans, have spiked. Unfortunately, many of these incidents are not being reported and are invisible to major media outlets. We hope to change this by offering the following resources with our community. Please join us in taking action whether it's by
educating yourself and others around you or donating to non-profit organizations.”
Here’s a local anti-racist action you might consider!
The Dorchester Food Co-op is a grassroots initiative to build a community & worker-owned grocery store. The website explains: The Co-op envisions a diverse inclusive community with opportunities for employment, ownership, and access to healthy food. As a food co-op, we will serve and reflect the wide variety of cultural, racial, and socio-economic groups that make up the neighborhoods of Boston.
Ellen Davis has been a member of the co-op for a couple of years and says, “They have made incredible progress in that time, moving from an idea to a relationship with a developer who is creating a building that has the store on the ground floor and affordable housing above. It is in Dorchester, which has historically been a food desert, and is accessible by public transit.”
Ellen continues, “Memberships is a one-time payment of $100 which can be paid in increments of $25 or $50. Members don’t have to volunteer (or even shop there). I see it as an easy way to support better food options and community development and support in Dorchester. They have about 946 members and the goal is 955 members by the end of March. They are also working on a community fund where you can purchase a membership for someone who cannot afford the membership.”
For those who want to do more than just joining the Co-op there are a number of volunteer opportunities.
https://dorchesterfoodcoop.com/
Dorchester Food Coop in the news:
https://www.dotnews.com/2020/food-co-op-urban-farms-seeding-sustainable-food-economy
https://www.edibleboston.com/blog/2020/6/24/the-past-and-future-of-boston-food-co-ops
I often turn to Howard Thurman, educator, philosopher, and poet, for inspiration and challenge. This poem seems especially appropriate for this season of Lent.
I Confess
The concern which I lay bare before God today is
My concern for the life of the world in these troubled times.
I confess my own inner confusion as I look out upon the world.
There is food for all - many are hungry.
There are clothes enough for all - many are in rags.
There is room enough for all - many are crowded.
There are none who want war - preparations for conflict abound.
I confess my own share in the ills of the times.
I have shirked my own responsibilities as a citizen.
I have not been wise in casting my ballot.
I have left to others a real interest in making
a public opinion worthy of democracy.
I have been concerned about my own little job,
my own little security, my own shelter, my own bread.
I have not really cared about jobs for others,
security for others, shelter for others, bread for others.
I have not worked for peace; I want peace,
but I have voted and worked for war.
I have silenced my own voice that it may not
be heard on the side of any cause, however, right,
if it meant running risks or damaging my own little reputation.
Let Thy light burn in me that I may, from this moment on,
take effective steps within my own powers,
to live up to the light and courageously to pay for
the kind of world I so deeply desire.
-Howard Thurman
The first anniversary of the death of justice-seeker and beloved Bishop Barbara C. Harris has just passed (March 13, 2 020) and we are reminded of her life and witness, and the times in which she served the Diocese of Massachusetts. She called us to be the church God dreamed of, committed to justice and honoring the dignity of all people.
As Bishop Michael Curry said at her funeral, “Bishop Harris was not large of physical stature. In fact, the opposite,” Presiding Bishop Michael Curry said. “But she was larger than life. She was larger than life because she lived it fully with her God and with us. She did it by actually living the love of God that Jesus taught us about. She did it walking the lonesome valley of leadership, paving a way for so many of us whose way had been blocked. She did it lifting her voice for those who had no voice. She did with a joke, a whispered word, a secret joy in spite of anything that got in her way, including death. No wonder she titled her memoir, ‘Hallelujah, Anyhow!’”
Just thirty-two years ago when Bishop Harris was consecrated, the Episcopal Church’s painful and ugly edges were in full display. Prior to the consecration, one diocesan newspaper published her photo on the front page with a black slash through it and she received hate mail and death threats. On the day of her consecration opponents to the ordination protested her election and she sat with a police officer behind her to protect her during the service. In a 2009 interview she spoke about her consecration, “The Boston police department offered me a bulletproof vest to wear that day, which I declined. I thought if some idiot is going to shoot me, what better place to go than at an altar.”
Despite attacks on her ministry, Bishop Harris remained faithful and hopeful about what the Church could be. Indeed, Christ’s witness of unconditional love was central to her ministry. In a sermon preached on “Women’s Day” at St. Thomas’s Church, she articulated the power found in this love, “that’s what Jesus is all about—making a difference in our lives, helping us to emerge into our full stature as children of God, not only women, but people of legacy, faith, and hope.” Her life and ministry were dedicated to honoring the full stature of all people.
