Read Books By Black Authors
Hello Beloved Faith Lutheran Community:
February is here, and with it comes Black History Month—a time for us to reflect, to listen, and to take seriously our Christian commitment to justice and love. As a community of faith, we are called to participate in the ongoing work of equity and liberation. Many of my own Black friends have relayed to me that this month is an annoying one for them. They remark that they are only asked to guest preach this month, that they are only asked to perform this month, that they are only asked to be a guest speaker this particular month. This is a shame- because the message that is sent as a result of these actions is one that says that, on the whole, our Black siblings are still being treated as objects to be called in for a specific celebration during a specific time of the year as is convenient to White folks’ schedules.
One way predominantly white communities can engage meaningfully this month and do so without doing additional harm to our Black siblings is by making long-term commitments to anti-racism and anti-bias work. White supremacy is an insidious force, one that adapts and shifts in order to survive. This is precisely why we must remain vigilant, educating ourselves and growing in awareness so that we can be good tenants of God’s world and stewards of God’s blessings in the most just and equitable ways possible.
Jesus sets the example for us in Luke 4:18-19, when he declares:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
The way of Jesus is the way of freedom and life. It is an active, intentional, and ongoing work of opening our eyes to the (sometimes painful but always important) truth. These truths are often the very things that remind us that we do, indeed, need God. If we are to follow in the way of Jesus, we must be willing to examine our own role in systems of oppression and ask hard questions about our own motivations for service.
Too often, predominantly white churches engage in service work without deeply examining the power dynamics at play. Without careful reflection, our efforts to help can slip into a “white savior” mindset—one that reinforces white supremacy rather than dismantling it. The way of Jesus calls us to something different. It calls us into relationships built on mutuality, respect, and deep listening. It calls us to be aware of how we serve and why, ensuring that our service is not rooted in our own assumptions but in actual relationships and close listening to the people who are asking for help, and who are in need.
To help us in this journey of learning about how white supremacy tends to function, and how we can learn to detect it and help ourselves be better Christians and allies, I have compiled a list of twelve books written by Black authors, many of whom are contemporary voices speaking directly to the ways white supremacy shapes our lives and theologies. These books will challenge us, open our eyes, and equip us to be better Christian siblings. I can personally vouch for every one of them—they are excellent, and their authors are brilliant, prophetic, and necessary voices for our time. Let us commit to reading them, discussing them, and allowing them to transform us, so that we can serve in ways that truly allow for life-giving freedom and transformation to freely flow through all of us throughout God’s creation.
As we embark on this work, I leave you with the words of Audre Lorde, a Black feminist poet, and activist (and another of my favorite poets). I encourage you to look up her poem A Litany for Survival, and I leave you with her poem Who Said It Was Simple. I hope you’ll read this and reflect on the intersections of gender, skin color, and social class that clash here in her writing:
There are so many roots to the tree of anger
that sometimes the branches shatter
before they bear.
Sitting in Nedicks
the women rally before they march
discussing the problematic girls
they hire to make them free.
An almost white counterman passes
a waiting brother to serve them first
and the ladies neither notice nor reject
the slighter pleasures of their slavery.
But I who am bound by my mirror
as well as my bed
see causes in colour
as well as sex
and sit here wondering
which me will survive
all these liberations.
Let us take these words to heart. Let us do the work. Let us follow the way of Jesus toward true justice and liberation.
with joy,
-Intern Pr. Sam
The Book List— you can get these used almost anywhere:
My Grandmother’s Hands, Resmaa Menakem
Black History Saved My Life, Ernest Crim III
God Is A Black Woman, Cristena Cleveland, PhD
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity In A World Made For Whiteness, Austin Channing Brown
Jesus and the Disinherited, Howard Thurman
The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin
Stand Your Ground, Kelly Brown Douglas
This Here Flesh, Cole Arthur Riley
Unearthing Us, Joe Davis
Call to Allyship, Angela T. !Khabeb (Editor)
See Me, Believe Me, Yolanda Denson-Byers
Fierce Love, Rev. Dr. Jaqui Lewis
Bonus Book: Womanist Midrash, Rev. Dr. Wilda C. Gafney
Merry Christmas– yes, still!
Faith-full friends:
Merry Christmas! Yes, I mean it—Merry Christmas! While much of the world has moved on to fitness resolutions and Valentine’s Day candy displays, we Faith folks are still lingering in the glow of the manger and the miracle of God among us in human form.
The Christian proclivity to adhere to liturgical seasons that aren’t always in sync with what the rest of the world is doing reminds us that God’s timing is often (delightfully, if you ask me) out of sync with the world’s priorities. Jesus wasn’t born into a world ready and waiting with party hats; he came quietly, unexpectedly, on God’s time. Sometimes, being out of step with the commotion around us is the most faithful thing we can do to make space and listen for God.
As we step into a new year, I’d like to invite you into a simple spiritual practice: “One Word Prayer.” Instead of making long lists of resolutions or crafting complex prayers, take some time this week to choose one word to focus on in your relationship with God for the year. Your word might be “hope,” “peace,” “patience,” “joy,” or something deeply personal.
Once you’ve chosen your word, carry it with you. Write it on a notecard and place it where you’ll see it often—on your bathroom mirror, your nightstand, or even the refrigerator. Let it guide your prayers. When you feel scattered or unsure, whisper your word and ask God to meet you there. This practice can center you and keep your heart tuned to God’s presence in every season.
Thank you for being a faithful part of this church community. May 2025 bring unexpected blessings, quiet joys, and the deep assurance that God walks with us daily.
I leave you with a poem I recently encountered, that is giving me much to savor as I think about what I hope to cultivate in this new year:
Ligatures
Binary thinking leaves out so much. For example,
Reading only left to right, or up and down,
Ignores all our wishes for comfort, for circular motion,
All the ways that the happier letterforms seek the option
Not to stand alone. Their living space is ample,
Hot in June, cold in March, with pencil lines of frost
Along the stems and twigs in all their dewy, new-built
Nests. Some warblers build more than one.
Each feels tiny compared to thunderstorms, construction
Cranes, plate tectonics and how the past
Harms the present with its slush-avalanches of guilt,
And yet it made us—us. How little we know. How much
Knowing isn’t the point. We love how the letters can touch.
by Stephanie Burt, from We Are All Mermaids
with joy,
-Intern Pastor Sam
Advent Greetings & Christmas Updates
Advent Greetings!
With joy, this month I invite each of us (myself included)— to just take a breath, or at least a few minutes’ worth of them. The follow are a little pile of questions, and updates for this fun, but packed month:
Did you get the recent emails from me? I’ve started a semi-regular email newsletter, and the last one had links to a handful of excellent Advent devotionals and details on Advent Wednesdays at my place. If you’re not getting the emails, check and make sure I’m in your address book: InternPastorSam@gmail.com. Also, check your spam folder. It might be in there.
We’re doing things differently this Christmas, and I hope that I’ll see you there at one or both services. The details for both are below:
- Pay special attention to the December 24 service. Janice and I have been working on a fun surprise—- let’s just say… Comfort Ye, my friends. There are Good Tidings potentially being Tellest to The People That Walk In Darkness, and truly if this all shakes out there will be much Rejoicing Greatly in the end! Hallelujah! 🙂
- The December 25 evening service will be simple, but warm and full of carol singing. I know many people prefer to stay in with their families on Christmas Day, and if you are one of those people, do not feel obligated to show up. However, if you feel like closing out Christmas Day with a simple service might be up your alley, I hope you’ll be there.
Last but not least– the paraments for Advent, like our Advent worship aid covers, will shift and change throughout the season of Advent and into Christmas. I offer either a very quality bag of chocolate treats to the first three people who stop by and give me theological reasoning for why I would design these to grow and play off one another through the Advent season and into Christmas rather than just change to an entirely new set of paraments once Christmas arrives.
Happy December, Faith Lutheran! I’m so grateful to be blessed by your presence in my life and can’t wait to see what we do together and learn from one another in the coming month.
-Intern Pastor Sam