Requirements

a poem and a sign

I recently spent time with my dearest friend. She was my Sunday School teacher when I was a kid and has never ceased being a sage in my life. During 7^th grade I started to share my writing with this friend. On Sundays I would bring her a folder filled with hand written pages of poetry. The following week she returned the folder filled with her hand written responses.

There’s an old shoe box on my shelf filled with special notes I’ve received throughout my life. One is from a saint who was present the first time I ever preached. She sent a note sharing how my words inspired her to reconsider her own understandings of church and the bible. And she encouraged me to not lose my unique style in an effort to be accepted or approved.

In the summer of 2022 I was invited by a friend and colleague to preach at her church. She urged me to be creative in my words and my delivery. My message was different than any other I have ever given. I shared several carefully selected poems that connected to their current sermon series on the prophets. My aim was simple. To create space for people to think more deeply about God, Jesus, church, lessons we learned in Sunday school, and how our own story fits into the bigger story of creation.

I now recognize that day as one of revelation. A day when my love of poetry and preaching came together in an organically beautiful way. A sign that my ministry hadn’t ended, but rather was shifting into a more authentic and unique representation of who I am, all I believe, and how I want to live and be in the world.

I’m currently in a season of discernment and dreaming, and asking God what’s next and telling God what I’d like more of. And I know I want more poetry, more preaching, and opportunities to share stories, to offer hope and healing. I am actively designing new ways to do this, which I will share as soon as more of the details are fleshed out.

Below is one of the poems I shared that Sunday. I invite you to read the words and/or click the audio file to listen to them read aloud.

---

Requirements
Rebecca Wilson, 10 Camels
August 2022

some requirements are clearly stated
like the sign pasted on the party store door
no shirt, no shoes, no service
or the one they added for my young friends and I, only two students at a time
like being at least 48 inches tall to ride the demon drop at cedar point
like completing five minutes of treading water in the deep end and two laps of front crawl to use the diving board

other requirements are more subtle
like bring your own pencil to take the SAT
or your own plate to the potluck, and a mayo-based salad as your dish to pass
like wearing a slip under your dress and itchy tights to church
when all you really want to wear are basketball shorts and a jersey

I asked my grandmother once why girls are expected to wear dresses on sundays
she answered, you know, when I was young we were also required to wear frilly hats
and that’s when I really started wondering, what does god require of me
it’s got to be more than a dress and a frilly hat

I was wearing a baseball hat when I walked past the entrance to a pride event
I wasn’t out yet so I never intended to go in, I just wanted to see it and imagine it
what it would be like to live life free of others’ requirements
and then I saw this guy with a sign that said homosexuals repent
and another that read receive the gospel or burn in hell
and well, I just kept walking, wondering what god really required of me

I didn’t know then there was a scripture with an answer
micah wasn’t on my playlist or the memorization chart in sunday school
the first time I heard these words from a lectern I cried
what is required of you but to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with god?
nothing about wearing dresses or slips or itchy tights or being straight
just justice, kindness, and humility
what if we wore these requirements as decals on our hearts and sleeves
what if churches painted them on their doors
sang them loudly and unapologetically as responses to our enemies
and taught them to our children

over the years I’ve come to understand more about doing justice and loving kindness
yet tripped repeatedly over walking humbly
you see I thought humility meant meek and mild
as a child I learned to hide, to move without making a sound, to blend in with the crowd, to dim my light that others not feel outshined, to apologize for my very existence

the mother who birthed me used to say, I’ve never met anyone as pitiful as you
and then right on cue I’d say, I’m sorry
the mother who took me in and gave life to me says,
stop saying you’re sorry. why do you apologize for everything?

because I’d been taught that’s what walking humbly meant
holding your breath, living lightly so not to leave a footprint
and miraculously now I know that’s not it

let’s walk this in reverse
walking humbly means living intently and paying attention to signs
the clear ones and the subtle ones, the hate filled and the hope filled ones
noticing the little ones

like be patient with your server we are short staff today
like wear a mask and stay home if you’re feeling sick, we have high risk people here today
like black lives matter, please act that way
like climate change is real, please live that way
like immigrants are humans too, please behave that way
like reproductive rights are also rights, please vote that way
like assault weapons are not sacraments, please don’t worship them that way
like queer youth are beloved, please raise your voice and say ALL the gay
like god is love, please love that way

can you imagine what might happen if we just start walking humbly
the loving kindness we could stir up, the justice we could find
the beloved community that would shine
what’s god requiring today?
not shoes, not shirts, not slips, or frilly hats
just humility and willingness to read the signs
and take the first step in a new direction