Is Anyone Listening?

O God, whose Son the Good Shepherd laid down his life for the sheep: We give you thanks for your faithful shepherd Janani Luwum, who after his Savior’s example, gave up his life for the people of Uganda. Grant us to be so inspired by his witness that we make no peace with oppression, but live as those who are sealed with the cross of Christ, who died and rose again, and now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Episcopal Church is commemorating the life of martyred Ugandan Archbishop Janani Luwum, who was killed by the Idi Amin government in 1977. You can read the background on ++Luwum at the Holy Women, Holy Men site.

The operative phrase in this collect for me is that "we make no peace with oppression, but live as those who are sealed with the cross of Christ..." Absolutely, and Amen! As I reflect on what is happening in Uganda today, I see these words as the food for the soul of all who are asserting themselves as God's LGBT children. It is sad to think that at one time, it was an Archbishop of Uganda who stood up for his people against a repressive regime, and paid for it with his life. Today, the one holding the office of Archbishop is aiding and abetting in the destruction of some of the flock. It is a corrupt system which has turned away from the gospel message that all are welcome.

When you live as one sealed with the cross of Christ, oppression of any kind becomes a foreign concept. Through Christ, we are liberated and the chains of the oppresssor, both internal and external, are broken. This doesn't mean you go through life with a holier-than-thou approach or "I'm right and you're wrong." But it does mean that you live and move and have your being as a person worthy of love. When that is what you feel in your core, that is what pores out of you as you encounter others and encourage them to also seek freedom from whatever is oppressing them. This, I believe, is the healing work that a Bishop Christopher Senyonjo does. Bishop Christopher, and others like him who are models of Christ's compassion, are encouraging the LGBT people to remain steadfast in their self-worth. His efforts were made evident in the defiant act of the woman who seized the microphone away from the oppressor at David Kato's funeral. That takes a courage that comes from the certainty of self-worth in the face of those who would deny it.

So on this day, when we are remembering Archbishop Luwum, let's all commit to standing against the oppression that denies love and life. Listen deeply for the word that guides us in our various ways, and grant us the strength and courage to persevere and be the people of God that we are called to be.