Monday, June 8, 2020
The Rev. Nathaniel Bourne
Believe
Jesus said to him, “If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” – Mark 9:23-24
The Christian story is a story of the impossible being made possible. A virgin birth, miraculous healings, a man walking on water, the dead being raised, a crucified man who is also God being raised from the tomb after three days – to believe it is to let go of certainty over how the world works and to trust that things can be otherwise.
I witnessed belief in action this weekend. It was there on Friday night as we held a vigil at St. John’s and more than 50 people stopped by to light luminaries in honor of the victims of racial violence. I saw grandmothers teaching grandchildren about the legacy of racism in this country and the tragedy of lives lost, helping them to believe in a different future. At rallies and marches over the weekend I heard black men and women – from 11 years old to their seventies – share their belief that a more just nation is not only possible, but the only outcome of the movement they’re building. They defiantly refused to give into despair and invited the crowds to dream of a future in which Black Lives Matter so that some day all lives may matter.
In Mark’s Gospel we hear the father of a young boy possessed by an evil spirit say to Jesus “I believe; help my unbelief!” It’s a reminder that sometimes we aren’t able to believe on our own. This weekend, my unbelief was helped by those bold voices speaking to their experience and the experiences of their communities. It was helped by those who have every reason to doubt that they will ever see justice, but who refuse to stop fighting for it. I owe it to them to believe with them – and to not stop believing until their dream becomes reality.