Dear friends,

Yesterday, August 20 was the 55th anniversary of Jonathan Myrick Daniels murder.  Jonathan's Christian faith and his training as a Cadet at the Virginia Military Institute impressed upon him the "joy of a purposeful life." He embraced what he called "living theology.  Today, August 21, I have taken the Black Lives Matter sign down not to silence those words, but to encourage us to live them.

Jonathan Daniels journeyed south to join Ruby Sales and others registering Black citizens for the vote.  About twenty of these workers were arrested and jailed on August 14, 1965. For six days Jonathan helped lead them in prayer and song. Shortly after their release from jail on August 20, assistant Deputy Coleman aimed his shotgun at 17 year old Ruby Sales.  Jonathan, grounded in God's love, took a breath and walked in the way of love to save Ruby's life.  Not because Ruby's life mattered more than his. But because Jonathan had come to understand that the value of his life was inseparable from Ruby's.  As Ruby Sales says, "Racism is not something that simply happens to black people.  It also happens to white people. Jonathan's journey south was not only an attempt to understand and connect with the humanity of others - it was also to connect with his own humanity."  Amazingly, Ruby Sales has continued to work for racial reconciliation for over 55 years. 

On the 50th anniversary of Jonathan Daniels murder Ruby Sales said she wept, "not for Jonathan because he answered the call of love and justice (but) for the depths of racism in the  21st century...for 2,000-plus black bodies the police have shot in cold blood...because we have settled to be much less than what we are. I weep because I hear Jonathan crying out in his grave, asking what happened to the dream Ruby?" Still, she insisted  on hope, "I didn't carry his death as a burden of guilt or as a weight - I carried it as a commitment." 

It took years of Christian commitment and Cadet training for Jonathan to develop the spiritual strength and awareness to journey south, to stay grounded in jail, to step into the path of that weapon, and for all of that to be understood as an expression of Christian love and hope.  It took training and practice for Ruby Sales to move forward without guilt to continue to live with purpose, joy, and hope.

It is so important for us to take heart from Jonathan and Ruby and to practice our theology.  Beginning with the practice of grounding ourselves in God's love.  Take time each day to ground yourself in the reality of God's love for you.  Breathe. Pray. Rest in that love. Learn: Look for God working in the world.  Ask someone else where they see God at work in the world.  Listen to them.  Look until you see what they see. And then  Bless: Bear witness to what you have learned and take a step into the way of loving others as God loves us all for the sake of Him who gave himself for the salvation of the world. 

Rockbridge Area Transportation System is celebrating 25 years with the 1

st Annual Mystery Tour virtual fundraiser. Participants in the fundraiser will look for clues online to solve a mystery. The mystery is a real, unique event in the history of RATS.

 

Several local businesses have agreed to be Mystery Tour Guides by placing clues on their websites or facebook pages. For a $25 donation to RATS, participants in the fundraiser will be given a Mystery Tour Map with the mystery and list of websites where the clues are hidden.

 

All detectives who correctly solve the mystery by August 31, 2020 will be entered into a drawing to win prizes. The grand prize is 3 nights at Sycamore Bend on the Cowpasture in Bath County. Other prizes are from Pumpkinseeds, Vinyl Cuts, Brew Ridge Taps, Pure Eats, Walkabout Outfitter, and Books & Co Toys Too!

 

RATS is a non-profit started in 1995 by Joan Manley who uses a power wheelchair as the result of being hit head on by a drunk driver. RATS provides transportation to people with and without disabilities to medical appointments, social activities, grocery stores, and more.

 

For more information about the Mystery Tour go to https://www.rockbridgetransportation.org/25th-anniversary,call the RATS office at 540-463-3346, or contact Terri Bsullak at tbsullak@yahoo.com.