Montreal Raging Grannies
The Montreal Raging Grannies. Photo their Facebook page.
Sept. 30, 2018
- Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22 and Psalm 124
- Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29
- James 5:13-20
- Mark 9:38-50
The little book of Esther is easy to pass over. Esther, a Jewish slave is selected by King Xerxes and made his Queen. Meanwhile the King’s Prime Minister convinces the King to issue an edict to destroy all Jews in the Persian Empire. Esther is able to persuade the King to rescind the order; the King does so and hangs his Prime Minister instead. To celebrate the saving of the Jewish slaves Purim, a symbol of heroic resistance against persecution, is established and celebrated to this day.
Within the Hebrew tradition, we often find the women standing up and standing out for justice. And they usually will outwit the King or other rulers. So Purim takes on a special meaning these days.
Some have been critical of this writing because there seems to be no language that connects the story with God. And for the most part, that is correct. But the actions and behavior of this woman speak louder than words. God talkis one thing—but God walkis another. We hear lots of talk these days regarding the state of our democracy. Indeed, the latest copy of The Atlanticis devoted to the fear of losing our way of life.
But then I ran across a copy of Jan’s music. My wife Jan is the choir director for the Raging Grannies, a group of older women who are part of WILPF (Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom), founded by Jane Addams, the mother of social work in America. The Grannies wear flowery hats and turn up wherever injustice is happening. It may be the local drone center to protest war, or the federal building on Tax Day to protest how tax dollars are spent for war. These women don’t make much God talk, but there is wonderful God walk. Usually I tag along when they have their meetings, because I know that the room will be filled with many Esthers, planning to show up to sing (or rap) the latest protest song. Here is a recent sample:
We’re the Raging Grannies and we’re mad as hell,
‘Cuz millions suffer while a few do well!
We are sick of watching people die
So the wealthy can prosper – we gotta ask why?!
We will not go gentle into that good night,
We will rage till all have seen the light!
Where there’s war, injustice, poverty, greed,
We are always there in the hour of need!
If you want to see a better day,
Mind your Grannies now and do as we say!
Make your voices heard – we’ll show you how
Just say it with us:
PEACE NOW! JUSTICE NOW! EQUALITY NOW! DEMOCRACY NOW!
Please note: The “other” Bill (Steward) will be writing the MEMOs for October. Enjoy!
The Rev. Bill Cotton of Des Moines, Iowa, is a retired clergy member of the Iowa Annual Conference. He sends Memo for Those Who Preach via email. To join the mailing list, email him at revcottonhill@hotmail.com.