Good Friday Reflections

– “Mama”
by Kelly Latimore
2020

The icon “Mama” was painted after the death of George Floyd. Many people asked whether the man in the icon was “George Floyd or Jesus?” The answer to that question is “yes.” This dualistic question (either/or) is fine for the simplification of conversation but not for the sake of the truth. It is Christ, but as St. Teresa of Calcutta said it is also “Christ in distressing disguise.” In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells us he is to be found in those who suffer, just as George Floyd did. The Christ figure in the icon doesn’t have nail holes in his hands because, unfortunately, the black man in America is lynched.

We bear witness to Christ present in all of the crucified people of history. Looking into the eyes of mothers who are continually losing sons and daughters who are chased and unjustly murdered by the state and angry mobs. Our hope for this image is that it will continue to guide our thought, and prayer, but most importantly, our action. “Mama” is currently installed at Holy Communion Episcopal Church in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.

– Mike Kinman
Rector at All Saints Episcopal Church,
Pasadena, California

The cross can heal and hurt; it can be empowering and liberating but also enslaving and oppressive. There is no one way in which the cross can be interpreted. I offer my reflections because I believe that the cross placed alongside the lynching tree can help us to see Jesus in America in a new light, and thereby empower people who claim to follow him to take a stand against white supremacy and every kind of injustice.

– James H. Cone
Excerpted from The Cross and the Lynching Tree
Orbis Books, 2013

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• He Called Mama. He Has Called Up Great Power
• Honoring George Floyd
• Out and About – Spring 2020
• A Very Intentional First Day of the Year
• Bearing Witness
• God’s Good Gift
• Remembering George Floyd on the First Anniversary of His Murder
• Rallying in Solidarity with Eric Garner and Other Victims of Police Brutality
• In Minneapolis, Rallying in Solidarity with Black Lives in Baltimore
• “Say Her Name” Solidarity Action for Sandra Bland
• “We Are All One” – #Justice4Jamar and the 4th Precinct Occupation
• Quote of the Day – March 31, 2016
• “This Doesn’t Happen to White People”
• Remembering Philando Castile and Demanding Abolition of the System That Targets and Kills People of Color
• “And Still and All, It Continues”
• The Problem Is Ultimately Bigger Than Individuals. It’s Systemic
• “This Has Got to Stop”
• Love, Justice, and Amir Locke