By Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan
I came across the photograph and exercise while reading Peter Gabel’s book, “The Desire for Mutual Recognition.” This is a book that I referred to several times in my sermon last week. The author asserts that our world problems are a result of what he calls “psychospiritual alienation” and that the answer will be found in something which he calls “social- spiritual activism.” This requires that we drop our facades and connect deeply and authentically with one another. 

In the book, Gabel uses a photograph to demonstrate the power of authentic connection. He asks the reader to look at the photograph. I’m going to have you do that now so that you can experience what I, and I’m sure many others, have experienced. 

Inside of your Order of Service is a black and white photograph of a woman, created by the artist Robert Bergman. 

I’ll give you time to find it. Now I want you to look at it for a moment. Okay. Now let’s do it again, this time for thirty seconds. Simply hold the photograph in your hands or on your lap and look at it. Go, and I’ll tell you when the 30 seconds is finished. 

What happened? 

If you’re anything like me, the first time that you looked at the photo, it looked like any other photo of a woman. She is thin. I noticed her freckles. What happened after I sat with it for thirty seconds, however, was profound. Somewhere in that time, I saw into her. It felt like I connected with her soul. Did that happen for you? I have found that once you connect with her, you can never see her as you first did. 

It is powerful, life changing, even. Imagine if we went through life taking the time to look at people, to see people truly. It’s interesting. As a preacher, I ask people to do a lot of things. I ask them to consider things like love, compassion, and evil. I encourage people to address issues of social justice and racial equity. I deal in big things, and do you know the thing that people tell me is the most difficult thing that I ask of them, more than anything else? It is when I have you look into another person’s eyes. Seconded only by holding hands. 

Looking into another’s eyes…more difficult than climate change, war and forgiveness. 

Let me tell you a little story. 

After I found this photo, I knew that I wanted to share it with you. A picture speaks a thousand words, right? However, I had a dilemma. Could I reprint this photo without the artist’s permission? We are, after all, a church. There are laws that allow this. I went back and forth for a few minutes about what to do. I didn’t want the artist to say no or not get back to me, once I asked. 

Do you know what pushed me into contacting the artist? You did. I thought of doing this exercise with you this morning, and I knew that one of you would come up to me at the end and say, “Did you get permission to use this photo?” See what community does for us? It holds us accountable. It makes us better people. 

I looked for the artist and could not find him. I did find the website that archives his work. The website makes it clear that you cannot communicate with the artist through the website. 

I asked anyway. 

Wouldn’t you know, ninety minutes later, I received a note back from the webmaster telling me that the artist, Robert Bergman, would be delighted for me to use his photograph. Michael, the webmaster, told me that they were thrilled and intrigued with what we were doing in the service with this. 

It didn’t stop there. Subsequently I heard from their attorney, and Peter Gabel, the author of the book in which I discovered the photograph. Now, Robert, Michael, Paul and Peter all wish us well this morning, are excited about what we are doing here, and want me to report back. 

Human connection.  

Toni Morrison, in her introduction to Robert Bergman’s book, A Kind of Rapture, says this about his artwork, which is a blend of photography and painting, says that it, like all great artwork, helps us to “recognize the human species and what we have to do to improve it.” She reminds us that there “are no strangers, only versions of ourselves.”

All great teachers teach us this. That we are interconnected. That the answer lies in loving one another and ourselves. When we don’t know what to do to help in this world, I believe that we are thinking too hard. We cannot let ourselves be frozen in isolation or overwhelmed by your thoughts  of thoughts. We must connect. We must pick up whatever is in front of us and do it. We can start by looking one another in the eyes. 

Go out into the world in peace my friends, share love, and return again in great joy. 

Amen and Blessed Be.