For all that has been – thanks!
For all that shall be – yes!
These words from contemplative activist and United Nations General Secretary (1953-1961) Dag Hammarskjold are at the heart of my own spiritual activism and my appreciation for Charles Bayer’s work as pastor, activist, and writer, whose reflections inspired readers, colleagues, and congregants for decades. I last sat with Charles in January 2020, when none of us knew what would lie ahead in terms of pandemic, the impact of the death of Charles Floyd, the big lie regarding the presidential election, and the terrorist attack on January 6. At 90, he was vibrant, creative, and committed to being a change agent for a better world.
In the hustle and bustle of the cafeteria at Pilgrim Place, Claremont, California, I interviewed Charles for what was to become my book on clergy retirement, The Jubilee Years: Embracing Clergy Retirement. Charles shared some of his recent blogs as well as his deep, long-standing, and still intense commitment to the Beloved Community, the vision of Shalom, of ubuntu, in which we affirm one another as kin, regardless of - and grateful for - the wondrous diversity of human experience, race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual identity, and religious belief. In the years ahead, I hope to embody Charles’ great spirit – he was a mahatma! – in these editorials, bringing grace, affirmation, challenge, critique, and joining prayer with protest to seek God’s realm “on earth as it is in heaven.”
I believe that contemplative activism joins gratitude and hope. “For all that has been – thanks!” Meister Eckhardt once asserted that if the only prayer you could make was “thank you,” that would suffice. Gratitude roots us in the wondrous and diverse interdependence of life that includes Jesus and the world’s great spiritual sages, prophets and activists, mentors and teachers, the gifts of our nation of origin, not to mention the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and ground upon which we walk.
Gratitude inspires appreciation for the sacrifices that brought us to this place, and today I am grateful for “essential workers,” many of whom are undocumented, who care for us when we are sick, seek cures for disease, and harvest the food on our table. May they receive appreciation through a pathway to citizenship, living wages, and respect for their sacrifices.
Gratitude roots us in the efforts of those who spoke for justice, peace, and democracy, some known by name, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta. Others virtually anonymous, including those who courageously, and across party lines, did the right thing to preserve democracy in 2020-2021, standing up against the machinations of would-be tyrants.
Gratitude grounds us in the good earth. The non-human world, the seas and rivers, flora and fauna, and recognizes that we are challenged to be gardeners of creation, honoring the non-human world apart from human interest and combatting climate change for future generations of humans and non-humans alike.
Gratitude shines a light on the future. “For all that shall be – yes!” Our time is unique. Our challenges are unique. And yet, each generation – and the generations of those who worked for peace, justice, democracy, and earth care – faced unique challenges and were tempted to give up hope just as often are tempted to hopelessness as we confront powers greater than our current abilities. But the great “yes” of the future is stronger than the forces of division and destruction. The great “yes” is inspired by our dim but energizing vision of the moral and spiritual arcs that undergird the historical process. The great “yes” reminds us that change is possible, that Nineveh can repent and avert disaster, that Saul can encounter a blinding light and receive a new name and vision, that Dorothy Day can receive an answer to prayer and discover her vocation, that Mother Teresa can do something beautiful for God. The great “yes” is grounded in the One who was our help in ages past and is our hope for years to come.
I conclude this first column with gratitude and hope and words from Harry Emerson Fosdick’s hymn. A hymn that I suspect inspired Charles Bayer in his own contemplative activism.
Lo! the hosts of evil round us,
scorn thy Christ, assail his ways!
From the fears that long have bound us,
free our hearts to love and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
for the living of these days,
for the living of these days.
Set our feet on lofty places;
gird our lives that they may be
armoured with all Christlike graces,
pledged to set all captives free.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
that we fail not them nor thee,
that we fail not them nor thee!
Save us from weak resignation
to the evils we deplore;
let the search for thy salvation
be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
serving thee whom we adore,
serving thee whom we adore.
Grace and peace for the journey ahead. Let us claim our vocation as God’s companions in healing the world.
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Bruce Epperly is a pastor, professor, and author of over sixty books, including Prophetic Healing: Howard Thurman’s Contemplative Activism; Walking with Francis of Assisi: From Privilege to Activism; and Mystics in Action: Twelve Saints for Today, which includes a chapter on Dag Hammarskjold’s mystical activism. He can be reached at drbruceepperly@gmail.com.
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