Resistance to Resistance

 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
-James 4:17

(a bit of a detour from my normal lighthearted banter today)

As I get older as a trail runner, I've noticed that in order to be healthy, I need to do more than just run all the time like I've always done. More body care is required for my long term goals, and I need to become stronger in ways that I haven't been. Perhaps you could say that my fitness piece is fine, but there are other areas that have gone largely unaddressed.

So, we have these "resistance bands" at the house. There are a lot of varieties—each a different color.  Some provide light resistance, some provide heavy resistance, and some are in the middle. Different exercises and different bodies require different types of bands for whatever you're dealing with. Also, as the band stretches farther, the resistance becomes more noticeable. 

There are endless ways you can practice resistance. There are dozens of different exercises. Arms, legs, and couches can all be anchors. You can pull back or push forward, and you can use it to heal, to gain strength, or to increase mobility. 
But the reports are consistent, whether it's an elastic band or a weight bar: when there's injury or weakness in the system, resistance is a big way you get stronger. 

But I'm learning something about myself. I'm resistant to resistance, even when I know it's necessary. It's exhausting for me. I'd rather just run more miles and ignore that need because it requires a different kind of effort and it doesn't feel like it's making a difference in the moment. So I'm resistant to resistance because it costs me time, energy, and comfort. It's just not really my thing, you know? I'm a natural runner, not a gym rat.
 
Sometimes, though, there is such a deep injury—such a glaring weakness in the body—that you've got to do the resistance work and get uncomfortable, because you won't be able to be healthy otherwise. 

Humanity seems to be experiencing some deep injury and weakness right now. Resistance work is necessary.
It's time again for us Jesus followers to figure out what is ours to do, and not ignore what's needed just because it may not be the faith expression that comes most naturally to us. It's time for more of us to be unafraid to clearly resist the literal anti-Christ actions that are injuring our sisters and brothers. 

Years ago, I stayed overnight in a two-room-shed-turned-secret-house on the corner of a church property in Arizona. My gracious host was a sixty year-old undocumented immigrant. During that time, I realized that I (and most of us) knew almost nothing of the reality for so many in our country. The time we spent together, the hospitality that he offered me, and the stories my new friend told me helped me understand immigration in a new way. They helped me see a weak part of my discipleship. I really enjoyed loving people and being kind. But I was slow and nervous to explore a love that sometimes looks like real resistance. A love that sometimes could even mean challenging laws and policies that are inhumane or irresponsible. 

There's a nonviolent clergy march happening today in Minneapolis with clergy members from across the country, bearing witness to the constitutional and human rights violations that ICE is bringing into communities right now. This is happening because of a shared conviction that God has a moral center that doesn't include cruelty in our communities. I nearly joined them. I had practical reasons that I ultimately decided against it. But I'll tell you, my own comfort was one of them. This is not the faith expression I'm most comfortable in. But I'm learning that sometimes, resistance is necessary if we want the rest of our faithful living to have integrity. God is drawing me to strengthen those muscles during the time we're in.  

I saw a statement recently where someone shared that they'd become an "accidental activist." They didn't arrive there out of anger, but out of heartbreak. They didn't desire to cause a scene or be rebellious, but the need for resistance became overwhelming when they witnessed preventable harm in the lives of their neighbors.

I feel a lot like that. As a Christian first and as a pastor second, I'm overwhelmed by the treatment of children of God in our country right now. Personally, I know that it's time to practice resistance in more clear ways. I can't simply go about the other elements of my life of faith (prayer, worship, sharing deep community, learning, serving locally) while others are being terrorized. I can't simply say that I feel bad for those folks, and then go back to my previous scheduled faith routine. That doesn't square with the Jesus who spends most of his teaching helping us learn that God's kingdom looks out for the ones who are pushed to the outside. The witness of scripture is that if we want our worship to have integrity, it must be paired with justice. 

I don't believe that everyone needs to use the same resistance band or express faith in the same ways. Personality, gifts, life stage, and local situations will affect us each in different ways, but not as excuses to avoid doing what's right. I've been slowly learning practices of justice and advocacy in ways that sit right with my spirit, but aren't limited by fear. 

But when the dust settles from this sad era which lacks both truth and love, and my grandchildren ask me how I responded to those years of the masked people taking non-English speakers off the street into vans and the president saying that undocumented immigrants are "not humans, they're not humans, they're animals" — I don't want to say, 
"I didn't do much, because it didn't really affect me directly."

These are our kin, and what's happening is wrong. The evangelical agency World Relief just reported that the refugees they helped resettle in Minnesota— families who passed US screenings, arrived lawfully, and applied for green cards— are being detained by ICE this week, with more than 4,000 more terrified refugees at risk. This is all real.  
I believe that our baptism in Christ demands that we consider how to strengthen our damaged country through acts of neighbor-loving resistance. It must be peaceful, it must be led by love. But it must also be active. 

We are not all called to the same thing. But I believe this is one of those times where we are all called to do something, and it must look like love for all of our neighbors. 
Email elected officials. Check in on scared friends and acquaintances. Give to organizations that are supporting legal representation for those whose rights have been stripped. Show up to learn and demonstrate. Pray for those affected by name.
We overcome evil with good, not with good wishes.

Some of you have been practicing nonviolent activism and advocacy on behalf of the poor and marginalized for many years. But for some of us, it might feel like building new muscles, and that can be painful. I'm praying for courage for us, for creativity in knowing what's ours to do, and for a united Church that unequivocally calls out cruel and racist policies for what they are. The world is watching us. Jesus is with us.

Jesus, let our prayers lead our feet to the actions of mercy. 

Peace,
Keith ​