by Marcia Mount Shoop
Matthew 15:10-20
“Watch your mouth! And pay attention to what is coming out of your mouth and why. Pay attention to what is not coming out of your mouth and why.
We can speak our truth without diminishing other people in the process. Holding people accountable does not mean taking them down a peg, it means honoring their humanity. And we cannot be co-conspirators in the work of mutual liberation and stay silent when white supremacy is being shored up and retooled right in front of our eyes.
Accountability is an act of love. But when it is not done with love, it can quickly become the opposite of accountability. It can become accusation, it can become anxiety driven attempts to discredit the person needing the accountability. It can become gossip, it can become slander, it can become mean spirited.
Watch your mouth! And notice what comes out when we are anxious, angry, afraid, or insecure. When we are prone to looking for the quick release of pressure instead of the slower more uncomfortable work of intentional discernment in these times. The slower work of healing the human family.
And then watch your mouth when you are grounded, prayerful, and compassionate.
It is much harder to dehumanize someone when we come from a deep and abiding belief in our own belovedness.”
Watch the full GCPC service on 8/20/23 here
(Scripture and sermon begin at 48:22)