Rector’s Reflection - February
Description of Menzies’ Wallflower
Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out; judge righteously; defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31:8-9)
On a recent walk, I noticed the fresh yellow blooms of the Menzies’ Wallflowers in the dunes. They always cheer me on gray wintry days. Many of them have wire cages around them, to protect them from animals who would eat them and from people who would trample them. As I considered those meager protections, my heart broke, knowing that many equally flimsy governmental protections for some of the precious children of God – LBGTQI+ persons, immigrants, people of color, indigenous people, women, the disabled, the poor, the elderly (not a complete list and not in any particular order) – are being hastily dismantled.
Nature’s diversity is astonishing. The Menzies’ Wallflowers bloom for a couple of months every year, in two counties in California. And there are people who put up signs, who carefully place wire cages around them to protect them. Human diversity is also astonishing. And worth protecting. If we believe every human is created in the image of God, the imago dei, then to celebrate diversity and protect the vulnerable is to celebrate the expansiveness of God. And to disregard any person is to disregard God. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.”
I am heartened by the many voices in our congregation, in our cities and states and nation, who are speaking for those who cannot speak, advocating for the rights of all, defending the poor and the needy against cruel policies meant to dehumanize, marginalize, and silence them. Many are fearful in these days, and rightly so. If we are not fearful for ourselves, we are fearful for those we love, both friends and strangers. Let us not be overcome with fear but let us open our hearts to the love that overcomes fear, so we can speak out for those who cannot speak and defend the poor and needy.
Remember Jesus’ promise. “Do not be afraid. I am with you always.”