Barneveld Congregational

Every couple of weeks I meet my best friend at a Starbucks midway between our homes. Sometimes I am a little early and get there before my friend. In that case, I stake out the comfy chairs in the corner, use the ladies’ room, and read my book. I usually don’t order until my friend shows up. That way I don’t finish my snack before she has a chance to start hers. It feels friendly to wait and eat together. No one at Starbucks has ever bugged me about this.

That wasn’t the case for two black men in a similar situation at a Philadelphia Starbucks. They were waiting for a friend when the barista asked them to order something or leave. They did neither. All too quickly she called the police, who handcuffed them and arrested them. Other customers were appalled. Some videoed the encounter.

Starbucks is now forced to clean up a mess. A staff member seriously overreacted to a minor situation with two men, apparently because of the men’s race. After all, the guys were planning to buy something, they just needed a few minutes. The video of the arrest went viral and the Philadelphia store has been picketed.
In the past Starbucks has attempted to be part of the solution to racial prejudice and discrimination. They hire people of all ethnicities and racial backgrounds and they have tried to foster communication among staff and customers about racial divides. The coffee shops have a reputation for being a good place to work and welcoming of all their customers.

The firm’s CEO has apologized to the men repeatedly, including at an in-person meeting. In addition, Starbucks has agreed to review their customer service policies to prevent further incidents. Finally, on May 29th, the company will close all its stores for several hours in order to train all their employees about the dangers of bias and the importance of treating customers of all backgrounds fairly.

It’s a good response: a sincere personal apology followed by some real efforts to make positive change. Other companies that make similar mistakes would do well to follow their example. Closing the stores for training, which will be expensive, shows that the company is willing to put their money where their mouth is.

Racial discrimination is a sin because it involves bearing false witness against our neighbor. God loves us regardless of race or ethnicity. Discrimination says that there are some people who are more valuable than others—and some who can be treated with less regard. Racial discrimination steals everything from dignity to financial stability from its victims. There have been murders in the name of racial superiority. All of this is sinful. We honor God’s creation when we honor all of God’s children.

We, as Christians, believe in repentance and forgiveness. A Starbucks employee made a grievous error, even a sinful error. She no longer has her job. The company, by making apologies in public and in private has demonstrated repentance. They are working to prevent the error from happening again. I hope that customers of all backgrounds recognize this and forgive the company for its treatment of the two men. I hope the men accept the apologies and meet again at their local store for lattes and treats. I hope we can be a better nation for watching this drama play out and considering the nature of racial bias. And I am going to continue to meet my friend at our usual spot.

A few weeks ago, I gave a great sermon. It was deep and wise and thoughtful and I was very impressed with myself. Nobody heard it. A bat parked itself on the speakers at the peak of the ceiling, front and center, perfectly visible from every pew. So, everyone at church watched the bat to see if it would do anything entertaining like swoop around and threaten to tangle up in the preacher’s hair.

No such luck. This was a very well-behaved little bat. It slept through the service just like everyone else. A day or two later it disappeared. I don’t know if it left the building or just found a less public spot in the church to hibernate. Now, whenever it is dark in the church, I look around to make sure there is nothing soaring in the rafters.

Which brings me to the poinsettia leaf. Last Sunday there was a crumpled leaf on the floor near my office. But was it a leaf? It was the right size, shape, and color to be a folded-up bat. So, I prodded it with my foot and peered a little closer. There was a stem and no response to the prodding. Leaf it was.

I may not be thrilled with the bat in church, but I know its purpose is to praise God. Psalm 148 tells all Creation, from the sun and the moon, to all fruit trees and cedars, to all small creatures and flying birds, to praise the Lord. Humans are in the mix—princes and rulers of nations, young men and women, old people and children, are all told to praise God.

I think of Psalm 148 whenever I am tempted to pretend that I am separate from the natural environment. We are all part of the intricacies of Creation. I believe that part of humanity’s job, given to us when we were given stewardship over the earth, is to protect the ability of the rest of Creation to praise God.

How does a bat praise God? It praises God by being a good bat, a batly bat, a bat that doesn’t have a fungal disease, a bat that lives out its bat life the way God made it to. Right now, this is jeopardized by white-nose syndrome, a disease that has caused terrible harm to the bat population in North America. It appears that this disease came over from another continent. It can be spread when humans visit an infected cave and then bring it to another cave. It isn’t clear how much damage this disease will do in the end. Aside from being careful when hiking or spelunking, it isn’t clear how humans can protect the bats.

There is so much else to worry about. Children living in poverty, climate change, women who face violence, our democracy in tough shape. I pray that these woes, and more, will be healed. And I pray for bats. Because they eat mosquitoes. Because they pollinate plants. Because they are a necessary part of the eco-system. Because they are in danger. Because God made them and loves them. Because they need to praise the Lord.