Spiritual Practice: Activism
Anthony Ashley Cooper was 14 when he witnessed an event that would shape the rest of his life. Early one morning, while out for a walk, he heard and then saw, a group or rowdy drunken men stumbling through the streets carrying a flimsy wooden crate on their shoulders. At one point they stumbled, and half a corpse fell out of the crate before they stuffed it back in again and continued their journey toward the pauper’s cemetery. Ashely grew up in a physically abusive, emotionally distant, and spiritual vacant home, but as he watched this scene, he knew that is was not how it was supposed to be, no one should be carried to their grave like that.
The only happy experience he had as a child was through one of the servants, a woman named Maria. She told him about the gospel and the love of Jesus. It was through her love for him that he came to love the Jesus she loved. In 1826 he was elected to the British Parliament where he worked diligently for the poor and the outcast. Most of what he attempted should have failed. It was unpopular and he lacked the requisite political skills, but over the course of 50 years of public service he changed the lunacy laws, reformed asylums, transformed child labour practices, defended the rights of women, chimney sweeps, merchant sailors, factory, brick and textile workers, protected coal miners especially child miners. He fought for education reform, established sanitation, health and medical standards in London’s slums, he believed England as a Christian nation ought to be the standard bearer for the world and so continued to fight against slavery after Wilberforce died, he opposed British imperialism. He did not care whose toes he was stepping on, he felt a call to always fight for justice and righteousness, to live out his life in Christ. In 1851, at the death of his father, he moved to the upper house and was given the title the Seventh Earl of Shaftesbury.
October 1 1885: his daughter finished reading to him the 23 Psalm, he whispered “thank you” to nobody in particular, closed his eyes and went to be with his Master whom he had served his whole life. The government insisted his service be held at Westminster Abbey. Never before had there been such a gathering as on this day. While the inside of the church was filled with dignitaries and the well to do, the streets outside the Abbey were packed with the poor and the destitute, paupers and labourers, all those he served and loved, weeping and crying out, “Our Earl is dead”.
Prophets see and cry out, “This is not the way it is supposed to be!”. Activists see what the prophet sees and declares, “And it does not need to be this way”, and then they do something about it. Lord Shaftesbury stands with the likes of William Wilberforce, Florence Nightingale, Catherine and William Booth, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, and Jesus as people who saw wrong and injustice and then worked to do something about it.
Some people grow in faith and are formed through learning from and being with other people, others through the intellect or by serving, some come to grow and see by sitting and waiting with Jesus to see what he sees. Some though feel closest to Jesus by being his hands and feet. They are formed by feeling Jesus’ hand upon theirs as they wash feet, march against injustice, open soup kitchens or create organization to speak up for those society casts aside and refuses to listen to.
In these days of COVID we need not think about something that will change the world. Shaftsbury just took on one thing at a time saying, “It does not need to be like this”. Consider perhaps your elderly neighbour who is a bit worried about going to the store or who has not had a visitor for two months. Offer to shop, or just stand outside, each with a cup of tea and talk, or offer to do some yard work. Ask the Lord to help you see where things are not as they ought to be and then ask the Holy Spirit to tell you what you can do, what God is already doing, and to say and it does not need to be this way!
Amen.