In 2016, I spent three days in Chicago helping lead orientation for a group of 60 new students at Chicago Theological Seminary, where I worked and attended classes at the time. One crisp morning, we headed out to the 63rd Street Beach. It’s just a few blocks from the school. We stood in a long line, staring out at Lake Michigan and holding hands. As we watched waves crash onto shore, one staff member read from a list of privileges and disadvantages that many of us have encountered in life.
“If you have attended private school, take one step forward.”
“If you have been treated as inferior because of your race or sex, take one step back.”
“If you grew up with both parents in your home, take one step forward.”
“If there was ever a time when your parents could not afford to pay for food or utilities, take one step back.”
With each step that pulled us apart, we tried desperately to keep our hands clasped together. But there came a point when many of us could no longer hold hands with our neighbor. Our differences pulled us apart.
While this was just a thought-provoking activity that quickly faded to memory for some, its symbolism extends beyond the wake-up call it gave to a bunch of new seminarians on the sandy beach.
One new student, who happened to be a white male who moved to the front of the ranks of privilege in our exercise, noted that his privilege was a “guilty pleasure.” He wasn’t eager to give it up.
But the problem is that if we are not willing to compromise and sacrifice so we can reclasp hands with our neighbors, I don’t think we can truly call ourselves “neighbors,” “community” members or even “Christians.” More often than not, the privileges we enjoy are keeping us from ministering to the people we are called to touch.
In Matthew 19, Jesus tells the rich man to sell everything, give the proceeds to the poor and follow Him. In Luke, Jesus talks about the cost of following Him. In fact, I’ve failed to find much ground in Jesus’ ministry for any of the prosperity preaching that is so popular these days. It’s time to pull off the glasses that help us view the world through lenses of privilege. It’s time to get a little radical about growing and serving the Kingdom.
Galatians 5:13: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
