I recently rewatched the Star Wars sequel trilogy (episodes VII-IX). They’re far from perfect, I’ll admit (what isn’t?), but they’re still fun. My favorite of these (and this might be controversial) is The Last Jedi. Many fans were vocal about their hatred of it, because it turned so many conventions of the Star Wars story on their heads. As an occasional contrarian, I like it for that same reason.
And I also love it because it’s the inspirational story about how the Jedi and the Rebel Alliance convert to Universalism. Or maybe not. But there was one line towards the movie’s climax that’s stuck with me:
“That’s how we’re gonna win. Not fighting what we hate, but saving what we love.”
In that one line are the seeds of a new strategy for the Rebels, who now call themselves “the Resistance.”
In the here and now, and not so very far away, we have spent the better part of this past year struggling with the idea of what it means to resist. Much of our resistance is fueled by outrage – and the outrage engines have been firing full-speed on all cylinders lately. But outrage can be exhausting. When there’s so much to be angry about, it’s hard to know where to start. Paralysis ensues. When our time is spent cataloging everything we feel called to stand against, it is easy to lose sight of what or who we are standing up for. Outrage gives us easy targets for our own instinct for hatred – and justice and hatred ultimately do not mix. Our own resistance to injustice and oppression in this world will falter if it is not grounded in a sense of love.
So much of the justice work we are called to in these times is rooted in a righteous anger. But while anger and outrage can point us in the direction of where our work for justice must follow, anger on its own is insufficient fuel for justice. It burns white-hot, and will consume us if we aren’t careful, blurring our focus, sowing seeds of hatred in our own souls and leading us away from the path of love. Anger and hatred lead to the Dark Side.
The wisdom of the world’s religions would tell us that justice must be coupled with love. Indeed, the root of our desire for justice comes from our ever-growing awareness of our interdependence as humans, from our experience of a boundless love. It is this boundless love that gives us true sustenance on the path to justice in our world. As Cornell West writes, “Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.”
The year ahead is destined to bring us more outrage. We will be angry. The structures of power will heap injustice upon injustice. We will feel called to make things right. May our anger nudge us in the right direction, but may it not consume us. May we remember that anger is itself an expression of love, stemming from witnessing the pain of the whole humanity we so deeply love. Our work is to protect those things our anger tells us we love so deeply.
“That’s how we’re gonna win. Not fighting what we hate, but saving what we love.”
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Our Covenant Team is ramping up the work in October. Team members will be hosting a series of small-group listening sessions over the next 4-6 weeks in order to get a sense of the congregations attitudes toward – and hopes and fears about – the components and process of building covenant. Sessions will be held in person and virtually.
Please keep an eye open for opportunities to sign up for a small group session and let us hear what’s on your mind.
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On my reading table:
On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World, by Danya Ruttenberg