Photograph by Nathan Dumlao via Unsplash

The “Village Game” is a wonderful exercise I learned in 2022 at the Buttry Center for Peace and Nonviolence at Central Seminary as part of the Training for Conflict Transformation. It is an exercise that invites participants to learn to negotiate conflicts and nonviolent challenges as ideal communities are constructed, while they experience external forces deconstructing or stripping away rights by many means. The village game is one of the many tools I learned that summer in 2022 and has been added to my toolkit in this journey as a peacemaker, cross-cultural ministry coach, and retreat facilitator. The village game is one I choose to remember and revisit and to use as an anchoring tool in this season as I find myself at a unique crossroads with many clients and ministry colleagues as I accompany them to define and recalibrate authentic self-care in a polarized, divisive, chaotic world.

There is also a need to put in place sacred intentional soul-care practices as preventative measures for what is to be lived in traditional and non-traditional ministry settings for at least four years. Who would have thought we would be living deep turmoil in this season? As many of my preacher colleagues have been saying, all we are now journeying through is not new to God. It is important for us to find trusted communities, where trust is held in gentle, velvet gloves. Quaker activist, author and speaker Dr. Parker Palmer recently stated that “trust is what we must restore if we are to reweave and transform the tattered fabric of our common life.” How might we covenant to do so?

Our ancestors, whether of Taino, Yoruba, Moor, Roma, Iroquois, Yanesha heritage, just to name a few, have lived through human tragedies, atrocities for which we as descendants carry deep groans. Generational remembering is happening. How we decide to stand up while lamenting is up to us. The commandment to love neighbors as we love ourselves is found in all Abrahamic faith branches. We read it in Leviticus 19:18: “love your neighbor as yourself.” The Qur’an states in Surah An-Nisa, verse 36 to “be kind to parents, relatives, orphans, the poor, near and distant neighbors…” In the gospels: “‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:31 NIV). How might humans have forgotten to uphold this anchoring commandment towards humanity, given all the extreme divisive stances and narratives we hear?

I humbly offer that in the face of such deep emotional and physical deconstruction and disregard of humanity, we hold on to what we know to be true. We cannot avoid living deep laments, but however large the evil roars that surround us, we serve an almighty God who is greater and abounding in and with love. We may at times find Micah 6:8 a challenge: “He has told you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.” But we lean on one another for the journey forward.

We shall walk, march, sit at counters, speak truths, and spread God’s love with authority. We shall stand up for all who are forced to sit and silenced by new policies. We know stormy weather will come and Jesus modeled what we ought to do once we wake up, even with little faith. In the gospels of Matthew 8, Mark 4 and Luke 8, the synoptic gospels, we read that Jesus calmed the storm after a moment of rest. May we find our rest, our sitting with community in the lamenting. We have waded in the waters, we have parted seas, our north stars have journeyed to freedom. We have stood up to many Goliaths in this world.

I invite you to turn to Psalm 46, verses 1, 6, and 11 (NIV): “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble… Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts…The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” May these words center us, lower our rising blood pressure, and remind us who is in control. We stand up for humanity knowing whose we are.

I offer this prayer in closing:

“God, made in your image we stand at the altar of grace. Lord, in your mercy hear our cries, laments, groans. In your mercy, continue to direct our steps. You are our guiding light. In you, we trust. We pause to raise our hands to you and receive godly wisdom and be filled with your living water of love and hope. All these unthinkable evolving storms before our eyes, are not new to you. Let us pause at times with a trusted sojourner and be filled with your living water to quench our thirst for wrongs to be made right. Together we spread your love and support the many hats we wear. Your strength becomes our rod. Your clear eyes become our breastplate. Your calming hands become the love we learn to spread with authority, dignity, and intentionality bathed in grace. God, we give you the glory today and every day. Amen.”