As a kid, I couldn't have told you who Absalom Jones was. I couldn’t have told you he was one of the earliest priests in our church, the first man born into slavery and the ordained. I could tell you about a whole bunch of white men. I could list many of the presidents who were Episcopalian... Don't settle for a partial history, because sometimes you need the saints you didn't learn about in school.
I've heard a lot of talk this week about the need to work for "peace." I've heard a number of elected officials and church leaders call for reconciliation. I'm not praying for either of those yet. I'm not. One of the prayers our Prayer Book asks God to help us “fearlessly contend against evil and make no peace with oppression.” I’m not praying for reconciliation. I'm praying for conversion. I believe we need conversion before we can talk about peace.
Jesus worked for, prayed for, organized for the end of the world where the wealthy, the connected, the privileged thrived on the backs of the vulnerable. Jesus wanted that world to end in his day. God wants that world to end in ours.
