Why I support the "occupy" movement...

The Rev. Deon K. Johnson

One of my friends from New York called me earlier in the week pretty upset. He lives in New York City and had a chance to go to the "Occupy Wall Street" protest area and was shocked that Trinity Episcopal Church, Wall Street, had opened its doors to the protesters. He could not imagine why a church would welcome those who were protesting and still be "followers of Christ."

"No right Christian would support something like that." I won't repeat what I said in response but it got me thinking about why the Episcopal Church, and me as a priest for that matter, would support the Wall Street protesters.

So here are three reasons why I support the "Occupy" movement…

1. It is what Jesus would have done! Actually it is what Jesus did! Throughout his ministry Jesus continued to put before the authorities of his time the poor, the widows and the marginalized. "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh." Luke 6:20-21

Those who were forgotten by his society were the ones Jesus lifted up as examples of those going into the kingdom of God. From the woman at the well to the man born blind Jesus primary care was for those whom society conveniently forgot or dismissed.

Those who are occupying the different cities throughout the world seek to remind us that there are many marginalized folks that are an inconvenience to our comfortable lives; the poor, those for whom opportunity has been taken away.

2. It is about equity and seeing our lives as being shared. One of the worst concepts that has crept into our society and vocabulary is "self made" or "I did it by myself." There is no such thing as "self made", it takes a community for any of us to achieve success and one of the things that Jesus tried very hard to remind the Scribes and Pharisees (and us for that matter) was that they did not create themselves.  It takes a village to get us where we are and the occupy folks are forcing us to see ourselves not in a vacuum but as an extended web of connection.  In God's view none of us are any better than the other we are equal receivers of divine love. Maybe we need to start living like it.

3. It's about Economic Justice. During a time of cutting back and downsizing, when people have lost their jobs and homes and livelihood it seems odd that a select few would benefit disproportionately while others are losing their shirts (literally).

One of the things that has annoyed me to no end, right here in Michigan, is our State Legislature's  plan to balance the state budget on the livelihood of the poor. Michigan currently pays $5.00 a day in cash assistance to those living below the poverty line. As a way of reducing the state's deficit there is a proposal not only to reduce that amount but to limit the length of the poor's eligibility for such aid, while something as simple as raising the beer tax by $0.05 would practically balance the state budget. [Correction...the Legislature has already passed the reduction of cash assistance measure AND made it retroactive. Almost 25,000.00 children will be kicked off the rolls of assistance in order to balance the state budget. I wonder how long it will take our conservative/fundamentalist sisters and brothers to get to Lansing to start lobbying for the rights of the widows and orphans that no longer receive assistance.]

As Christians we are to be champions on the side of the poor. The occupy folks remind us that we are to be the ones fighting for their cause because in the poor we encounter none other than Jesus himself. "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me."

We are called to witness in the tradition of Jesus to inequities in society and maybe for just that reason alone I support the "Occupy" movement.