15 May Our Faith by Our Hope by Our Deeds
Dear Westwood Family,
Last week, I attended LA Voice’s leadership assembly and found myself in a crowd of people committed to pursuing justice and equity for their communities, this city, and the world. Sitting in the plaza at Dolores Mission Catholic church, surrounded by people of different faiths, ages, races, and backgrounds, I listened to pastors, rabbis, and people of faith from all over Los Angeles talk about what it means to embrace mutuality and seek justice in the city we all share. I witnessed a community of communities who believe in something bigger than themselves, not only because of the faith traditions they follow, but because of their desire to offer themselves to a cause that goes beyond those traditions and seeks equity, love, and justice for all people.
I often find myself struggling to embrace the “discipline of hope,” as Dr. Carter so wisely calls it, the choice to persist even as the oppression, grief, and pain of the world seems so vast and beyond my individual reach. Amid the existential dread I wade through in day-to-day life, some of the only places I am able to tap into real hope is when I am in spaces like the one in the plaza, places where I am reminded that I am not the only one who witnesses the pain and yet still wants so badly to create a different path forward. I feel a spark when I am in groups of people who are willing to speak honestly about the crises happening around us, who do not simplify or dance around the depth of the struggle, yet still insist on throwing themselves and their hearts into bringing their communities even a little closer to the ever-loving embrace of God’s love.
This past weekend marked one year since the first time I set foot on Westwood’s campus. When I think about the conversations I had over the course of that first weekend, I recall how inspired I was by the way the people here spoke about justice. I saw a place that was not afraid to have the hard conversations, a community with a lot of resources who wanted to put those resources into action. I have heard the same sentiments echoed in many of my conversations since then. I hear people who want to lean into the hardship they witness around them, who want to do something about the injustices they witness both in the city and in the world.
James 2:14-17 says “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” I revisit these verses and this message whenever I find myself struggling with despair. I remind myself what I believe, and I ask myself how I am living out that belief in my everyday life. When I explore the story of Jesus, I find the same message again and again: that all people are deserving and worthy of love, respect, and humanity. To follow the teachings of Jesus is, I believe, to extend grace and compassion to every person I encounter, and to work towards a world that will do the same.
This Sunday, my friend Nona, a representative from LA voice, is coming to facilitate a community organizing training at Westwood. It will be an opportunity for us to explore what our deeds and our collective vision for justice might look like going forward. As I’ve reflected on the last year of my life and work, I feel hopeful about this training, a future partnership with LA Voice, and the ongoing social justice work we will continue to engage in within and beyond the Westwood community.
When I think about and pray for the members of our community and the role we can play, I pray that we put our hearts and faith into building the kind of Los Angeles we say we are in favor of, that we love our neighbors in the way we are called to, that we make the sacrifices and commitments necessary to pursue justice and Christlike love for each other, our neighbors, and the world. I hope to see you on Sunday, to continue putting our faith into the words we speak, the work we do, and the community we build together.
Keep the faith, see you soon,
Everest