Antiracism – Jennifer Ohman-Rodriguez

The congregation I serve, St. John’s Lutheran Church in Rock Island, Illinois, begins almost every worship gathering with some words. Part wording from Reconciling Works of which we are a Reconciled in Christ (RIC) congregation. Part stand against centuries of racism. Part land acknowledgement. These words continue to evolve over time with additions and refinements as we grow in awareness and understanding.

We call these words our centering statement. They differ from the beliefs we chant in our Christian creeds, the abridged origin story of the birth of Christianity. Words we sometimes question, embrace the mystery of, wonder about, balk at the embedded patriarchy of. The words of our centering statement that we gather with each week are who we want to be, who we intend to be. In a sense, an ideal. The best version of ourselves as individuals and a community following Jesus that we work toward and grow into word by word.

So, we assemble each week. Hear a few announcements (sometimes it seems like too many). Then sound stills and air shifts while in body and voice, one or all of us says:

Here at St. John’s, we create this place for all people by being a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) community which means we consciously work to publicly see, name, celebrate, advocate, and welcome people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. We also publicly support and work toward dismantling all minimizing and wounding isms including racism. In this ongoing work of full belonging for all people we acknowledge that the land we worship on this day was once the home to the first peoples of this area including the Sauk, Meskwaki, and Illini peoples. We acknowledge that their way of life was tragically altered and continues to be diminished.

Something then swirls in Spirit’s air. Surrounds us. Holds us. Sinks into our bodies as we begin breathing together. Inhaling in all we just said aloud and in our hearts. Exhaling out our daily sorrows. Three times before hearing music, the prelude. The part of our worship life that we (like so many congregations) tend to chat through. What we have just done though through word and breath allows us the space to absorb sound while we continue breathing, with our hands placed on our hearts or holding our shoulders in a hug.

This practice of saying, breathing, and listening connects us to ourselves, God, and one another. Reattached and restored, we enter our ancient, familiar, liturgical practices for the next hour. Concluding with being sent out into our human constructed communities. Hanging on to all of our words like anchors.

As with all liturgies, this confession and litany has a life of its own. The words printed here will shift and change voicing the needs of each context. If you use this confession and litany in any form I ask that you attribute the work to me even if you add or modify the work. The attribution may look like: “Our Confession and Litany today is based on a litany and confession written by Jennifer Ohman-Rodriguez.”

Please also let me know you are using it. Thank you.

The assembly prays using these or similar words.

We, white bodied, white raised, and whiteness perpetuating women confess to God, ourselves, and to all others.

We confess we have social privileges and advantages other women do not have.

We confess we ignore other women do not have what we have.

We confess we take for granted the gifts of these advantages.

We confess we unconsciously and consciously think we deserve what we have over what other women do not have.

We confess we buy into the view that what we have is scarce and cannot feed all women.

We confess we hoard life’s bounty and in doing so allow others to suffer.

We confess there is so much we do not know and do not see.

We confess all that we leave undone each day for the unity of all human beings.

We confess we partake in communal sins of omission.

We confess to you, God ,and to all women and in doing so ask to be released from these evils imploding within us and out into the world so that we take only what we need. Making sure all are fed. Joining in the work of bringing your love-in-action into reality for all women.

We confess.

We, white bodied, white raised, and whiteness perpetuating women lament to God.

We cry out and in doing so our tears follow the tears of women kept down, aside, and under in an ongoing parade of lament before God.

We wail and in doing so tell the world we create ourselves and all others in God’s image. Not in man’s. Not others’ gender norms. Not from others’ perceptions of beauty. Not in human-made values of class structure. Not in empire’s power. Not in colonialism’s tyranny. Not in racism, genderism, or faith-ism. We lament, cry, and wail and in doing so imagine who we can be and are not yet.

We lament and in doing so ask for courage and tenacity in bringing your kingdom to earth. We feel weak in the face of this work. We lament this untruth of our weakness allowing this lie to dissipate and disappear into the atmosphere. We seek then through you O, God, to manifest your goodness and love which can only be fully revealed when all of creation and all of creation’s people are seen, heard, valued, and healed.

We lament.

We, white bodied, white raised, and whiteness perpetuating women feel.

We feel the pings, pinches, and punches of our battered bodies.

We feel the words we have not been allowed to say screaming from our souls out into the world.

We feel compassion for ourselves and for what we have not been allowed to reveal.

We feel and embrace the heroic and lifesaving ways of our bodies.

We feel what we know, do not know, do not want to know.

We feel, holding hope for all women to heal.

We feel understanding all bodies are one. One in God.

We feel.

We, white bodied, white raised, and whiteness perpetuating women begin and continue healing.

We heal, transforming our pain, the pain perpetuating damage onto other women, into goodness.

We heal as a continuation of life itself.

We heal, health giving new birth to new life.

We heal, tending all new life as if raising our own beloved children.

We heal, each one of us healing so that healing becomes greater than hurting.

We heal, healing becoming a way of life, one eradicating the wounding of hiding, avoiding, and blinding the hurt of hurting.

We heal.

We, white bodied, white raised, and whiteness perpetuating women act.

We act by refusing to accept the story told to us from birth that we are somehow different and better than other women.

We act in ways of public compassion first feeling the sorrows and joys of all women everywhere while no longer remaining silent or still.

We act, learning day by day how to bring God’s kingdom to earth.

We act, each of us becoming justice in words, deeds, marches, votes, public service, and answering yes to where we are called to serve.

We act in prayer. Never stopping. Never ceasing. Always praying. Until all women are whole. All girls are never torn apart.

We act as love. Building love out of healing, compassion, respect, and willingness.

Together, we white bodied, white raised, and whiteness perpetuating women lift up these prayers to you O, God. Trusting in your infinite mercy, grace, and spirit-filled direction. Breathing in your transformative power. Allowing its infusion to build our courage for the work to be done in us, among us, and around us. Amen.

Image by CentrArredo from Pixabay

Category: Antiracism

Proclaiming Who We Want To Be

White Women’s Confession and Litany