Dec. 29 2008
Mike, Sarabeth, Craig and David and extended family members our hearts go out to you at this difficult time. There are no words or gestures that can fill the void that Lynn’s death brings. We will make a vow to spare you the hackneyed sayings and platitudes. There are no words that adequately express our compassion and empathy.
In the Presbyterian Church, we refer to the memorial service as a witness to the Resurrection. As Christians we grieve and mourn the loss of loved ones, but we do so with some perspective. In this journey we are all on, we know that there are things that are more eternal. This is what matters most. From the day we were born, our name was in God’s book of life, and it’s a mystery only known to God when we will be called home. Our walk together is centred on building treasures in heaven, where no rust, moths or thieves can take away what God built through our lives and testimony to the Risen Christ.
The family chose this passage from 2 Corinthians for today’s memorial service. The Apostle Paul had his struggles with the churches he planted in his ministry. They struggled as jars of clay. In Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth he had to deal with a pressing issue. What’s going on? We thought Jesus was going to come back in our lifetime. "Our members are dying and still Jesus has not come back!" Paul had a pastoral challenge to resolve. Some scholars see his second letter to Corinth as part of his solution to this faith crisis.
Just as the early Christians in Corinth, we are fragile creatures, who have to come terms with our mortality. One of life questions for us is, “Did we live of quality or mere quantity?” Are we focused solely on our outer nature, and the number of candles on or cake, or are we centred in the growing of our inner nature being renewed day by day by God’s Spirit in us?
Lynn lived out her testimony of faith. She courageously confronted the reality that she was a jar of clay. She was a vessel for God’s spirit to dwell. Like Paul, she had a thorn in her flesh that presented many obstacles and challenges. She endured these burdens with grace and perspective. I can see that she and Mike lived life to the fullest because of this horizon that was always before them. One of the residual benefits of facing our mortality is that it pushes us to live life to the fullest.
One of my favourite movies that I suggested to Tom Kline who is battling cancer is the Bucket List. Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson are two terminally ill patients sharing the same room at the hospital. They set off on an adventure to check off their bucket list. The things that wanted to do before they kicked the bucket. Not many of us have the money to do all the things they did but in small ways we too should set out to live each day with a sense of purpose. Lynn has modelled for us how to confront life’s challenges and embrace our quality of life. To stay focused on our inner nature.
My sense is that Mike and Lynn along with many church family members were actively checking off their bucket lists with Lynn. I have heard great stories about your trips together. You are centred on renewing your inner natures, accepting that our outer nature would one day fade away. You cherished your time together and lived to the fullest because in life there are no guarantees.
We would have loved to see Lynn’s face on the Smucker's jar on the Today Show when she turned 100, but this was not to be. We embrace this eternal truth that it’s not only about the quantity but the quality of the life we have lived.
Did we love others with our whole hearts? Did we make a difference and embrace others with compassion and forgiveness? Part of the legacy Lynn leaves with us is her committed service to others. She pursued higher education to be more effective with the people she help cared for. She walked through the dark valleys with folks who needed a compassionate presence. All along our Good Shepherd was walking with Lynn. God has been with her since she was knit together in her mother’s womb until the very moment she was enveloped God’s light and received into his loving arms.
I have seen in both Mike and Lynn a remarkable testament to sacrificial love. Today, the wedding vow “In sickness and in health, till death do us part” may seem to have lost its deeper meaning. This was not the case with Mike and Lynn. Mike, you have been by Lynn’s side and she was blessed to have you as her life partner. May this be part of Lynn’s legacy for the other couples here? Her journey with her family is testimony of what it means to embrace our inner nature. Build your treasures in heaven together. May the light of sacrificial love in our lives be our testament to the life that Lynn lived so well.
We have many metaphors for God, but the one that seems appropriate today is comforter. God’s Spirit is present with us to bind our hearts burdened with grief. The shortest verse in the New Testament is, “Jesus wept.” Jesus understands what it means to lose someone you love. Our Comforter is the Good Shepherd who will always be with us when we walk through these dark valleys of grief.
Mike, Sarabeth, Craig and David, my hope and prayer is that you will discover that there are family and friends who too will walk with you through these months and years of bereavement. Let’s get off the hamster wheel and take some time to savour our quality of life together. Let’s be present to one another over these years ahead, to celebrate the life and legacy of Lynn Scantlin. A life well lived. Her inner nature remains with us always. That extra sparkle in her grandchildren’s eyes reminds of us her legacy of love.
Howard's Sermons and Article Clippings.
About Me
- Howard
- Im a Mainline protestant minister who loves serving in multicultural and urban contexts. I'm very interested in how liberation theology and existential-humanistic psychology are applied to the praxis of pastoral care and counseling. My most profound encounters with God come as we sojourn as brothers and sisters seeking the inbreaking of God's reign, here and now.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Baby Jesus, Light to the Nations
Sunday Sun. Dec. 28, 2008
Baby Jesus, Light to the Nations Luke 2:22-40
22When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), 24and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” 25Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, 29“Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; 30for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” 33And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” 36There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
Next Sunday, we will celebrate Epiphany Sunday. It’s appropriate then today that we hear this song from Simeon. He rejoices that Jesus, the promised Messiah has finally come to serve as God’s light to the nations. God has come to us with a Star above the stable to demonstrate that yes the light of the world has come to us a fragile Jewish baby born to Mary and Joseph.
I think the Nobel prize should be given to who ever came with the idea of placing day care centers next to senior care facilities. Have you ever been in the community room when these precious little ones are brought in and the elder residents play with them? I have this image in mind when Simeon and Anna see Jesus being presented in the Temple.
A promiment African scholar Malida Some tells of a tradition in Ghana. When a child is born they spend a lot of time with the elders in the village. There is a belief that the child has come from another dimension where their ancestors dwell. The child is communicating wisdom to the elder as he/she prepares to eventually join with the ancestors, the cloud of witnesses if you will. Some of our favourite pictures of our grandparents are them holding their grandchildren and great grandchildren. This circle of life will never be broke n.
Simeon and Anna are like Sara and Abram who had to wait a long time for God’s promise to be fulfilled. In the words of Dr. King “How long, not long, my eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” Simeon’s song resonates with a people who are extremely hungry for freedom and deliverance. God how it that your chosen people constantly seem to live under occupation? When the House of David be restored again?
Last Wed. we sang, O Come, O Come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel, who mourns in lonely exile, until the son of God appears. Rejoice, Rejoice. Simeon has been a faithful Jew trusting in God’s promises. He can rest these last days of his life knowing that he has seen the promised one. Like Moses, he will have to pass it on Joshua, but his soul is at peace knowing the light is shining bright through this baby named Jesus. Yeshua, God saves.
There are poignant parallels between what Jesus’ community was going through under Roman occupation, and what his ancestors were going through in the Book of Isaiah. Here God’s chosen people were faced with yet another occupation, this time is was the Babylonians. God’s chosen people have had to endure being kicked around many times over the centuries. The Hebrew people have grown weary and wonder if God’s promise will ever come to pass.
Many scholars have noted how this song of Simeon harkens back to the 40th chapter in Isaiah. We also see these parallels with Mary’s song and Hannah song for her son Samuel when he was presented to God as a servant in First Samuel. It is Jewish custom to present your first born son to God as a servant. Hear these words from Isaiah 42:6-7.
I am the Lord I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you. I have given you as a covenant people, a light to the nations , to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
Can you hear these parallels with what Jesus reads at the beginning of his ministry in Luke 4 when Jesus opens the scroll to Isaiah 61:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to preach Good News to the oppressed, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.
These are words of comfort for a people who are facing the crisis of a yet another occupation, this time it’s the Babylonians. Isaiah was trying to warn King Hezekiah what was going to come to pass. A popular Advent song, Comfort, Comfort O My people comes from this section of Isaiah.
Isaiah was being pastoral to a people very anxious about what the future would home for them. Will we be killed? Will our families be broken up as we are taken into captivity? Many Jewish families were taken into captivity. It was not until Cyrus, the King of Persia conquered the Babylonians that God’s children could return to Palestine and begin the process of rebuilding. Can you imagine the struggle they went through wondering if they could return home again? We get home sick at summer camp and when we off at college. Our Jewish brothers and sisters endured a lot but God’s light and promised remained with them.
The Jewish people of Isaiah’s day and Jesus time were hungry for the Good News of God’s promise to be fulfilled. They endured and thrived in spite of the oppressions heaped upon them. The voices of their prophet have carried throughout the generations. God let your light shine through your children, raise up your anointed one. The one who will lead the nations down your righteous path.
God’s chosen ones continue to lead us in this eternal song of peace and justice. In line with Isaiah, Hannah, Mary and Simeon, we sing of God’s promise to us. The Messiah has finally to come and bear his light to all the nations. May we continue to serve as vessels and instrument reflecting this light in the world.
Our Western Civilization is founded on the Judeo-Christian morals that the Hebrew prophets have taught us. We need to mine deep the wisdom and truth found in Hebrew bible.
God’s chosen people have endured far too many dark nights, but God’s light has always shined through. God’s love endures forever. As children of Abraham, we embrace our common calling to be peacemakers. We seek out we share common ground and roll up our sleeves to chop the wood, and carry the water together. Jesus was a good Jewish boy,and he stands on the shoulders of the Hebrew prophets who prepared the highway for him. They carried the torch until Jesus was ready to pick it up in Luke chapter 4.
Today, we heard from Rabbi Dworsky, the Jewish chaplain from Carelton College about the tradition of Hannukah, the festival of lights. During these eight days, the Jewish people remember how their ancestors heroically resisted the occupation by the Greeks during the Maccabean Revolt. God performed a miracle and kept the oil replenished in the menorah candles. God’s promise for his chosen ones to be lights to the nations was being fulfilled once again.
When I look at the work of the United Nations, and remember the words that are posted in the front entrance, I am very moved by how Christ’s light shines in their peacemaking efforts. If you are ever in New York visit the UN in midtown. There you will see a sculpture of a gun with a twisted barrel. In front of this are these words from Isaiah 2: “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks.” When you read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Millenium Development Goals you can see the light of Christ shining through their efforts to release the captives and bring sight to the blind fail to see the plight of their fellow children of God.
Our hearts and minds are warmed by the light of Christ shining in these darknest of nights. There is a lot of work to be done and our hearts can feel like they will break when we see the headlines. As Paul reminds the church in Phillipi, shine like stars in the world. When we follow the call of the prophets and embrace the stranger, the widow the orphan, Christ light shines through us. When we embrace the least among us and give voice to the voiceless, we shine as one of the spiritual descendants of Abraham. We are one of the stars God promised to Abraham.
Jesus was a child who brought immense hope to his people who longed for the day they would be free. Today, we are a nation that can truly like up to its calling to be a shining city on the hill. This is going take a lot of effort, and there will be resistance. These songs of old calling us to prophetic action do not promise peace and tranquility. No matter where we are and how dire things may seem God’s light will always shine. Like Paul’s account of his road to Damscuss experience, when Jesus tells him, “I send you to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light.” It takes courage, resolve and the constant dwelling in God’s Spirit to be able to bear the light of Christ in our world. God’s promise and the light of Christ will never fail us. The oil will never burn out. All of God’s children share in this festival of light. May the light of Christ burn bright in our hearts and minds. Baby Jesus, thank you for coming to show us the way. Shine, Jesus, Shine.
Baby Jesus, Light to the Nations Luke 2:22-40
22When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), 24and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” 25Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, 29“Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; 30for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” 33And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” 36There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
Next Sunday, we will celebrate Epiphany Sunday. It’s appropriate then today that we hear this song from Simeon. He rejoices that Jesus, the promised Messiah has finally come to serve as God’s light to the nations. God has come to us with a Star above the stable to demonstrate that yes the light of the world has come to us a fragile Jewish baby born to Mary and Joseph.
I think the Nobel prize should be given to who ever came with the idea of placing day care centers next to senior care facilities. Have you ever been in the community room when these precious little ones are brought in and the elder residents play with them? I have this image in mind when Simeon and Anna see Jesus being presented in the Temple.
A promiment African scholar Malida Some tells of a tradition in Ghana. When a child is born they spend a lot of time with the elders in the village. There is a belief that the child has come from another dimension where their ancestors dwell. The child is communicating wisdom to the elder as he/she prepares to eventually join with the ancestors, the cloud of witnesses if you will. Some of our favourite pictures of our grandparents are them holding their grandchildren and great grandchildren. This circle of life will never be broke n.
Simeon and Anna are like Sara and Abram who had to wait a long time for God’s promise to be fulfilled. In the words of Dr. King “How long, not long, my eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” Simeon’s song resonates with a people who are extremely hungry for freedom and deliverance. God how it that your chosen people constantly seem to live under occupation? When the House of David be restored again?
Last Wed. we sang, O Come, O Come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel, who mourns in lonely exile, until the son of God appears. Rejoice, Rejoice. Simeon has been a faithful Jew trusting in God’s promises. He can rest these last days of his life knowing that he has seen the promised one. Like Moses, he will have to pass it on Joshua, but his soul is at peace knowing the light is shining bright through this baby named Jesus. Yeshua, God saves.
There are poignant parallels between what Jesus’ community was going through under Roman occupation, and what his ancestors were going through in the Book of Isaiah. Here God’s chosen people were faced with yet another occupation, this time is was the Babylonians. God’s chosen people have had to endure being kicked around many times over the centuries. The Hebrew people have grown weary and wonder if God’s promise will ever come to pass.
Many scholars have noted how this song of Simeon harkens back to the 40th chapter in Isaiah. We also see these parallels with Mary’s song and Hannah song for her son Samuel when he was presented to God as a servant in First Samuel. It is Jewish custom to present your first born son to God as a servant. Hear these words from Isaiah 42:6-7.
I am the Lord I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you. I have given you as a covenant people, a light to the nations , to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
Can you hear these parallels with what Jesus reads at the beginning of his ministry in Luke 4 when Jesus opens the scroll to Isaiah 61:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to preach Good News to the oppressed, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.
These are words of comfort for a people who are facing the crisis of a yet another occupation, this time it’s the Babylonians. Isaiah was trying to warn King Hezekiah what was going to come to pass. A popular Advent song, Comfort, Comfort O My people comes from this section of Isaiah.
Isaiah was being pastoral to a people very anxious about what the future would home for them. Will we be killed? Will our families be broken up as we are taken into captivity? Many Jewish families were taken into captivity. It was not until Cyrus, the King of Persia conquered the Babylonians that God’s children could return to Palestine and begin the process of rebuilding. Can you imagine the struggle they went through wondering if they could return home again? We get home sick at summer camp and when we off at college. Our Jewish brothers and sisters endured a lot but God’s light and promised remained with them.
The Jewish people of Isaiah’s day and Jesus time were hungry for the Good News of God’s promise to be fulfilled. They endured and thrived in spite of the oppressions heaped upon them. The voices of their prophet have carried throughout the generations. God let your light shine through your children, raise up your anointed one. The one who will lead the nations down your righteous path.
God’s chosen ones continue to lead us in this eternal song of peace and justice. In line with Isaiah, Hannah, Mary and Simeon, we sing of God’s promise to us. The Messiah has finally to come and bear his light to all the nations. May we continue to serve as vessels and instrument reflecting this light in the world.
Our Western Civilization is founded on the Judeo-Christian morals that the Hebrew prophets have taught us. We need to mine deep the wisdom and truth found in Hebrew bible.
God’s chosen people have endured far too many dark nights, but God’s light has always shined through. God’s love endures forever. As children of Abraham, we embrace our common calling to be peacemakers. We seek out we share common ground and roll up our sleeves to chop the wood, and carry the water together. Jesus was a good Jewish boy,and he stands on the shoulders of the Hebrew prophets who prepared the highway for him. They carried the torch until Jesus was ready to pick it up in Luke chapter 4.
Today, we heard from Rabbi Dworsky, the Jewish chaplain from Carelton College about the tradition of Hannukah, the festival of lights. During these eight days, the Jewish people remember how their ancestors heroically resisted the occupation by the Greeks during the Maccabean Revolt. God performed a miracle and kept the oil replenished in the menorah candles. God’s promise for his chosen ones to be lights to the nations was being fulfilled once again.
When I look at the work of the United Nations, and remember the words that are posted in the front entrance, I am very moved by how Christ’s light shines in their peacemaking efforts. If you are ever in New York visit the UN in midtown. There you will see a sculpture of a gun with a twisted barrel. In front of this are these words from Isaiah 2: “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks.” When you read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Millenium Development Goals you can see the light of Christ shining through their efforts to release the captives and bring sight to the blind fail to see the plight of their fellow children of God.
Our hearts and minds are warmed by the light of Christ shining in these darknest of nights. There is a lot of work to be done and our hearts can feel like they will break when we see the headlines. As Paul reminds the church in Phillipi, shine like stars in the world. When we follow the call of the prophets and embrace the stranger, the widow the orphan, Christ light shines through us. When we embrace the least among us and give voice to the voiceless, we shine as one of the spiritual descendants of Abraham. We are one of the stars God promised to Abraham.
Jesus was a child who brought immense hope to his people who longed for the day they would be free. Today, we are a nation that can truly like up to its calling to be a shining city on the hill. This is going take a lot of effort, and there will be resistance. These songs of old calling us to prophetic action do not promise peace and tranquility. No matter where we are and how dire things may seem God’s light will always shine. Like Paul’s account of his road to Damscuss experience, when Jesus tells him, “I send you to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light.” It takes courage, resolve and the constant dwelling in God’s Spirit to be able to bear the light of Christ in our world. God’s promise and the light of Christ will never fail us. The oil will never burn out. All of God’s children share in this festival of light. May the light of Christ burn bright in our hearts and minds. Baby Jesus, thank you for coming to show us the way. Shine, Jesus, Shine.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Christmas Eve 2008 Homily Prince of Peace
Christmas Eve 2008
Prince of Peace Isaiah 9:2-7
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined. 3You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. 4For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. 6For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Homily
Have you ever noticed how contagious stress and anxiety can be? Where are you Prince of Peace? We need you right now. Many of us are still catching our breath from our run on this thirty day hamster wheel; Thanksgiving to Christmas. I have to admit I found myself getting testy at the Mall, “Come on where I can park, ” excuse, let me pass. Folks walk so slow when they are talking to other. “People, make room I’m shoppin over here.”
I’m hosting Christmas dinner and man does this bachelor need to upgrade on kitchen supplies. Three minutes in the microwave is not going to cut it! Yes there is a lot time and energy in the preparation, but when we see everyone gathered and the smiles and laughter reveberating through the room there is a sense of peace and gratitude as we share at the table together.
In the midst of all this hustle and bustle, there are special moments when we catch a glimpse of what this season is about. People are not just a little friendlier. This is more than a couple notches above Minnesota nice. There are extra measures of compassion extended to people struggling to make ends meet. Knowing that there are people out there who care brings us a sense of peace in the midst of the storms that life can bring.
Take a minute, what is your most memorable Christmas experience? When did you experience the presence of the Prince of Peace in your life in a special way? ....God’s peace is something that comes to us in both personal and corporate ways.
In our self help, pop culture sometimes we want to psychologize this sense of Jesus as our Prince of Peace. We narrow the scope of the meaning to mean: “me, my family and circle of friends.” This is understandable this is the common worldview in Western Culture. Part of the Spirit of Christmas is to widen this circle to include people that do not attend our parties and dinners. To remember the people tonight who have low expectations of what Christmas will be like this year.
It’s great that AHP participates in the Angel Tree program. There are so many families tonight who do not have Mommy and Daddy with them for the holidays because they are incarcerated. In seminary, I was a volunteer chaplain at San Quentin. I sat with many fathers in support groups as they poured their hearts out. They held each other accountable. “How we are going to step up as to make sure our children do not end up where we are?” Our brothers and sisters in prison need us to help them keep their kids on the righteous path. Helping to lift some of the stigma of being a child of a prisoner is one cog in this wheel that needs to keep rolling. Today in America, we have 2.3 million people in prison. We have more people behind bars than we have folks working in the fields. We need to stem this tide. Families are broken and children at risk seem to be moths flying into the flame.
There are thousands of children this week who will receive gifts from their mom and dad night through the Angel tree ministry. Let’s pray that these gestures make an impression on these young hearts and minds of kids who are very vulnerable to following in the foot steps of their incarcerated parent. We hold on to hope for grace and redemption.
Tonight we also remember our men and women serving in the armed forces. Their families have an especially hard time on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The USO and impromptu visits by politicians are nice, but it’s not the same as being home with your family. We pray for the one hundred thousand plus families tonight who are making personal sacrifices. It meant a lot to me my first Christmas away from home in the Army. The military families come together in a special way. We are all in this together. The circle of peace is wide enough to include everyone.
When I think of widening our scope of what it means to celebrate our Prince of Peace, I remember the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914. I know there have been many wars since then, but it’s hard for us to fathom how senseless WW 1 had become. The trenches were dug in, artillery shells and gas canisters were flying, and the machine guns were mowing people down left and right. Our brothers in arms were growing very weary and tired.
On Christmas eve 1914 in the Ypres region of Belguim the German troops began to decorate the trenches with trees and candles. An anonymous British soldier wrote:
This will be the most memorable Christmas I've ever spent or likely to spend: since about tea time yesterday I don't think theres been a shot fired on either side up to now. Last night turned a very clear frost moonlight night, so soon after dusk we had some decent fires going and had a few carols and songs. The Germans commenced by placing lights all along the edge of their trenches and coming over to us—wishing us a Happy Christmas etc. They also gave us a few songs etc. so we had quite a social party. Several of them can speak English very well so we had a few conversations. Some of our chaps went to over to their lines. I think theyve all come back bar one from 'E' Co. They no doubt kept him as a souvenir
The Brits must of have been taken back when they heard , “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman” carry across the no man’s land. Then comes the song that seals the deal, Silent Night. As a sign of the truce, the white flag of Christmas, the German soldiers lifted up their tannebaums and walked across no man’s land to celebrate Christmas with their enemies. Tonight let us lay down our arms and worship our Prince of Peace.
In some areas, this truce lasted all the way to New Years. During this Pax Christi they helped each other bury their dead. In journals and letters, we learn that together they recited the 23rd Psalm as they mourned together their fallen comrades. They exchanged swigs from their flasks, chocolate bars and even enjoyed some competitive soccer matches. Can you imagine what our world be like if we could just send our Olympic teams to compete and who ever wins, wins! On 11 November 2008, the first official Truce memorial was unveiled in Frélinghien, France, the site of a Christmas Truce football game in 1914. 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh (The Royal Welch Fusiliers) played a football match with the German Panzergrenadier Battalion 371. The Germans won, 2-1
Well you know these guys were in a heap of trouble when the brass heard about this. The next Christmas, British commanders ordered specific bombardments to ensure that this truce and fraternization would not happen again. German and French troops intentionally aimed away from their targets, and only fired at precise times. One letter records how one shell got too close and the German troops shouted “Opps, sorry that was a mistake.”
The next Christmas Eve, when the church bells range in the Village of Vosges the shells and rifles grew quite again. This time it was the French and German troops who made their ways through the tunnel system to trade wine, cognac and cigarettes for black bread, biscuits and ham. Can you picture these men gathering together to celebrate Holy Communion?
Tonight we sing and worship our Prince of Peace. Along with our pilgrim’s gathering tonight in France to remember the Christmas Truce, we will sing Silent Night. I hope this carries new meaning for us. The Christmas bells are ringing. May the peace of Christ bring calm on this winter night. May our hearts and minds be warmed and transformed. Our Prince has come to bring us peace. Peace on earth goodwill to all. Amen
Prince of Peace Isaiah 9:2-7
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined. 3You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. 4For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. 6For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Homily
Have you ever noticed how contagious stress and anxiety can be? Where are you Prince of Peace? We need you right now. Many of us are still catching our breath from our run on this thirty day hamster wheel; Thanksgiving to Christmas. I have to admit I found myself getting testy at the Mall, “Come on where I can park, ” excuse, let me pass. Folks walk so slow when they are talking to other. “People, make room I’m shoppin over here.”
I’m hosting Christmas dinner and man does this bachelor need to upgrade on kitchen supplies. Three minutes in the microwave is not going to cut it! Yes there is a lot time and energy in the preparation, but when we see everyone gathered and the smiles and laughter reveberating through the room there is a sense of peace and gratitude as we share at the table together.
In the midst of all this hustle and bustle, there are special moments when we catch a glimpse of what this season is about. People are not just a little friendlier. This is more than a couple notches above Minnesota nice. There are extra measures of compassion extended to people struggling to make ends meet. Knowing that there are people out there who care brings us a sense of peace in the midst of the storms that life can bring.
Take a minute, what is your most memorable Christmas experience? When did you experience the presence of the Prince of Peace in your life in a special way? ....God’s peace is something that comes to us in both personal and corporate ways.
In our self help, pop culture sometimes we want to psychologize this sense of Jesus as our Prince of Peace. We narrow the scope of the meaning to mean: “me, my family and circle of friends.” This is understandable this is the common worldview in Western Culture. Part of the Spirit of Christmas is to widen this circle to include people that do not attend our parties and dinners. To remember the people tonight who have low expectations of what Christmas will be like this year.
It’s great that AHP participates in the Angel Tree program. There are so many families tonight who do not have Mommy and Daddy with them for the holidays because they are incarcerated. In seminary, I was a volunteer chaplain at San Quentin. I sat with many fathers in support groups as they poured their hearts out. They held each other accountable. “How we are going to step up as to make sure our children do not end up where we are?” Our brothers and sisters in prison need us to help them keep their kids on the righteous path. Helping to lift some of the stigma of being a child of a prisoner is one cog in this wheel that needs to keep rolling. Today in America, we have 2.3 million people in prison. We have more people behind bars than we have folks working in the fields. We need to stem this tide. Families are broken and children at risk seem to be moths flying into the flame.
There are thousands of children this week who will receive gifts from their mom and dad night through the Angel tree ministry. Let’s pray that these gestures make an impression on these young hearts and minds of kids who are very vulnerable to following in the foot steps of their incarcerated parent. We hold on to hope for grace and redemption.
Tonight we also remember our men and women serving in the armed forces. Their families have an especially hard time on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The USO and impromptu visits by politicians are nice, but it’s not the same as being home with your family. We pray for the one hundred thousand plus families tonight who are making personal sacrifices. It meant a lot to me my first Christmas away from home in the Army. The military families come together in a special way. We are all in this together. The circle of peace is wide enough to include everyone.
When I think of widening our scope of what it means to celebrate our Prince of Peace, I remember the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914. I know there have been many wars since then, but it’s hard for us to fathom how senseless WW 1 had become. The trenches were dug in, artillery shells and gas canisters were flying, and the machine guns were mowing people down left and right. Our brothers in arms were growing very weary and tired.
On Christmas eve 1914 in the Ypres region of Belguim the German troops began to decorate the trenches with trees and candles. An anonymous British soldier wrote:
This will be the most memorable Christmas I've ever spent or likely to spend: since about tea time yesterday I don't think theres been a shot fired on either side up to now. Last night turned a very clear frost moonlight night, so soon after dusk we had some decent fires going and had a few carols and songs. The Germans commenced by placing lights all along the edge of their trenches and coming over to us—wishing us a Happy Christmas etc. They also gave us a few songs etc. so we had quite a social party. Several of them can speak English very well so we had a few conversations. Some of our chaps went to over to their lines. I think theyve all come back bar one from 'E' Co. They no doubt kept him as a souvenir
The Brits must of have been taken back when they heard , “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman” carry across the no man’s land. Then comes the song that seals the deal, Silent Night. As a sign of the truce, the white flag of Christmas, the German soldiers lifted up their tannebaums and walked across no man’s land to celebrate Christmas with their enemies. Tonight let us lay down our arms and worship our Prince of Peace.
In some areas, this truce lasted all the way to New Years. During this Pax Christi they helped each other bury their dead. In journals and letters, we learn that together they recited the 23rd Psalm as they mourned together their fallen comrades. They exchanged swigs from their flasks, chocolate bars and even enjoyed some competitive soccer matches. Can you imagine what our world be like if we could just send our Olympic teams to compete and who ever wins, wins! On 11 November 2008, the first official Truce memorial was unveiled in Frélinghien, France, the site of a Christmas Truce football game in 1914. 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh (The Royal Welch Fusiliers) played a football match with the German Panzergrenadier Battalion 371. The Germans won, 2-1
Well you know these guys were in a heap of trouble when the brass heard about this. The next Christmas, British commanders ordered specific bombardments to ensure that this truce and fraternization would not happen again. German and French troops intentionally aimed away from their targets, and only fired at precise times. One letter records how one shell got too close and the German troops shouted “Opps, sorry that was a mistake.”
The next Christmas Eve, when the church bells range in the Village of Vosges the shells and rifles grew quite again. This time it was the French and German troops who made their ways through the tunnel system to trade wine, cognac and cigarettes for black bread, biscuits and ham. Can you picture these men gathering together to celebrate Holy Communion?
Tonight we sing and worship our Prince of Peace. Along with our pilgrim’s gathering tonight in France to remember the Christmas Truce, we will sing Silent Night. I hope this carries new meaning for us. The Christmas bells are ringing. May the peace of Christ bring calm on this winter night. May our hearts and minds be warmed and transformed. Our Prince has come to bring us peace. Peace on earth goodwill to all. Amen
Thursday, December 18, 2008
St. Paul pastor won't let East Side victims of violence be forgotten
St. Paul pastor won't let East Side victims of violence be forgotten
Candlelight vigil tradition follows him from L.A. to East Side
By Mara H. Gottfried
mgottfried@pioneerpress.com
When the Rev. Howard Dotson was a pastor in Los Angeles, he vowed to hold a candlelight vigil for every homicide victim from his neighborhood. But in an area where there were once 15 homicides in 15 weeks, Dotson recalled it was almost too much for one person to handle.
Now, as interim pastor at St. Paul's Arlington Hills Presbyterian Church, Dotson has brought the candlelight vigil tradition to the East Side.
St. Paul doesn't have anywhere close to the number of homicides as L.A., a city with roughly 14 times as many people. There have been 18 slayings in St. Paul this year and 357 in Los Angeles, as of Tuesday.
Still, the need for vigils carries over to St. Paul, Dotson said. He said he plans to hold gatherings when there is a "traumatic act of violence" on the East Side.
"There is a spiritual component when the community comes out and says, 'This isn't going to be tolerated,' " Dotson said. "It does have an impact."
Dotson is planning a vigil today for the city's most recent homicide victim. Leon Dewaun May, 32, was fatally shot outside his girlfriend's home at 417 Jessamine Ave. on Dec. 11. Four people have been charged in the apparently drug-related case.
Sarah Banashak, who said she and May had been together for more than 10 years and have two children together, said she liked the idea of a vigil for May.
Of May's killing, she said, "This is definitely something he did not deserve."
Since Dotson came to Arlington Hills Presbyterian
on July 20, he has organized two other East Side vigils.
One was for Jaques Jamir Dortch, an 18-year-old woman who police said didn't appear to be the intended target of a fatal shooting. The other was for a woman named Tammie who was brutally beaten by strangers with baseball bats while walking around Lake Phalen in August.
Betty Brandt Passick, an Arlington Hills parishioner who lives in Oakdale, brought some youth from the church to Dortch's vigil. She normally wouldn't have attended, but she said she was glad she did.
"I got a firsthand experience of what it feels like to be living life in a more dangerous community, where gunshots are fired and people are trying to keep their children safe," Passick said.
At the vigils, there are "songs of peace," remembrances of the victim and biblical passages, Dotson said.
"It's not about proselytizing, but trying to reach youth that have some connection to the church and may have lost their way," he said. "If you were baptized in the church, you're called to be a peacemaker."
Dotson, who has master's degrees in psychology and divinity, has a particular interest in gang violence and helping victims of it. He said he's working on a doctorate of ministry through the San Francisco Theological Seminary about "how clergy can be empowered to be crisis counselors."
He is looking into how communication and response time can be improved between L.A. police and volunteer clergy councils and is assessing the benefits of a similar model in St. Paul and other cities.
Dotson, originally from Maple Grove, worked as a pastor in Los Angeles for three years. He was also an HIV/AIDS counselor in Kenya for a year.
Candlelight vigil tradition follows him from L.A. to East Side
By Mara H. Gottfried
mgottfried@pioneerpress.com
When the Rev. Howard Dotson was a pastor in Los Angeles, he vowed to hold a candlelight vigil for every homicide victim from his neighborhood. But in an area where there were once 15 homicides in 15 weeks, Dotson recalled it was almost too much for one person to handle.
Now, as interim pastor at St. Paul's Arlington Hills Presbyterian Church, Dotson has brought the candlelight vigil tradition to the East Side.
St. Paul doesn't have anywhere close to the number of homicides as L.A., a city with roughly 14 times as many people. There have been 18 slayings in St. Paul this year and 357 in Los Angeles, as of Tuesday.
Still, the need for vigils carries over to St. Paul, Dotson said. He said he plans to hold gatherings when there is a "traumatic act of violence" on the East Side.
"There is a spiritual component when the community comes out and says, 'This isn't going to be tolerated,' " Dotson said. "It does have an impact."
Dotson is planning a vigil today for the city's most recent homicide victim. Leon Dewaun May, 32, was fatally shot outside his girlfriend's home at 417 Jessamine Ave. on Dec. 11. Four people have been charged in the apparently drug-related case.
Sarah Banashak, who said she and May had been together for more than 10 years and have two children together, said she liked the idea of a vigil for May.
Of May's killing, she said, "This is definitely something he did not deserve."
Since Dotson came to Arlington Hills Presbyterian
on July 20, he has organized two other East Side vigils.
One was for Jaques Jamir Dortch, an 18-year-old woman who police said didn't appear to be the intended target of a fatal shooting. The other was for a woman named Tammie who was brutally beaten by strangers with baseball bats while walking around Lake Phalen in August.
Betty Brandt Passick, an Arlington Hills parishioner who lives in Oakdale, brought some youth from the church to Dortch's vigil. She normally wouldn't have attended, but she said she was glad she did.
"I got a firsthand experience of what it feels like to be living life in a more dangerous community, where gunshots are fired and people are trying to keep their children safe," Passick said.
At the vigils, there are "songs of peace," remembrances of the victim and biblical passages, Dotson said.
"It's not about proselytizing, but trying to reach youth that have some connection to the church and may have lost their way," he said. "If you were baptized in the church, you're called to be a peacemaker."
Dotson, who has master's degrees in psychology and divinity, has a particular interest in gang violence and helping victims of it. He said he's working on a doctorate of ministry through the San Francisco Theological Seminary about "how clergy can be empowered to be crisis counselors."
He is looking into how communication and response time can be improved between L.A. police and volunteer clergy councils and is assessing the benefits of a similar model in St. Paul and other cities.
Dotson, originally from Maple Grove, worked as a pastor in Los Angeles for three years. He was also an HIV/AIDS counselor in Kenya for a year.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Legislative Commission to End Poverty
Legislative Commission to End Poverty
in Minnesota by 2020
Mission Statement
Develop guidelines to end poverty. Prepare recommendation on how to end poverty in Minnesota by 2020.
The commission must be guided by the following principles:
(a) There should be a consistent and persistent approach that includes participation of people of faith, nonprofit agencies, government and businesses
(b) All people should be provided with those things that protect human dignity and make for a healthy life, including adequate food and shelter, meaningful work, safe communities, health care and education.
(c) All people are intended to live well together as a whole community, seeking the common good, avoiding wide disparities between those who have to little to live on and those who have a disproportionate share of the nation's goods.
(d) All people need to work together to overcome poverty, and this work transcends both any particular political theory or party and any particular economic theory or structure. Overcoming poverty requires the use of private and public resources.
(e) Alliances are needed between the faith community, nonprofit agencies, government, business and others with a commitment to overcoming poverty.
(f) Overcoming poverty involves both acts of direct service to alleviate the outcomes of poverty and advocacy to change those structures that result in people living in poverty.
(g) Government is neither solely responsible for alleviating poverty nor removed from that responsibility. Government is the vehicle by which people order their lives based on their shared vision. Society is well served when people bring their values in the public arena. This convergence around issues of poverty and the common good leads people of varying tradition to call on government to make a critical commitment to overcoming poverty.
Established by the Legislature in 2006. - Minnesota Laws 2006 Chapter 282, article 2, section 27.
Sec. 27. LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO END POVERTY IN MINNESOTA
BY 2020.
Subdivision 1. Membership. The Legislative Commission to End Poverty in
Minnesota by 2020 consists of nine members of the senate appointed by the Subcommittee
on Committees of the Committee on Rules and Administration, including four members of
the minority, and nine members of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker,
including four members of the minority. Appointments must be made by members elected
to the 85th session of the legislature and no later than February 15, 2007. The governor
may appoint two nonvoting members to sit with the commission.
Subd. 2. Guiding principles. In preparing recommendations on how to end poverty
in Minnesota by 2020, the commission must be guided by the following principles:
(a) There should be a consistent and persistent approach that includes participation
of people of faith, nonprofit agencies, government, and business.
(b) All people should be provided with those things that protect human dignity
and make for a healthy life, including adequate food and shelter, meaningful work, safe
communities, health care, and education.
(c) All people are intended to live well together as a whole community, seeking the
common good, avoiding wide disparities between those who have too little to live on and
those who have a disproportionate share of the nation's goods.
(d) All people need to work together to overcome poverty, and this work transcends
both any particular political theory or party and any particular economic theory or
structure. Overcoming poverty requires the use of private and public resources.
(e) Alliances are needed between the faith community, nonprofit agencies,
government, business, and others with a commitment to overcoming poverty.
(f) Overcoming poverty involves both acts of direct service to alleviate the outcomes
of poverty and advocacy to change those structures that result in people living in poverty.
(g) Government is neither solely responsible for alleviating poverty nor removed
from that responsibility. Government is the vehicle by which people order their lives
based on their shared vision. Society is well served when people bring their values into
the public arena. This convergence around issues of poverty and the common good
leads people of varying traditions to call on government to make a critical commitment
to overcoming poverty.
Subd. 3. Report. The commission shall report its recommendations on how to end
poverty in Minnesota by 2020 to the legislature by December 15, 2008.
Subd. 4. Expiration. The commission expires December 31, 2008.
in Minnesota by 2020
Mission Statement
Develop guidelines to end poverty. Prepare recommendation on how to end poverty in Minnesota by 2020.
The commission must be guided by the following principles:
(a) There should be a consistent and persistent approach that includes participation of people of faith, nonprofit agencies, government and businesses
(b) All people should be provided with those things that protect human dignity and make for a healthy life, including adequate food and shelter, meaningful work, safe communities, health care and education.
(c) All people are intended to live well together as a whole community, seeking the common good, avoiding wide disparities between those who have to little to live on and those who have a disproportionate share of the nation's goods.
(d) All people need to work together to overcome poverty, and this work transcends both any particular political theory or party and any particular economic theory or structure. Overcoming poverty requires the use of private and public resources.
(e) Alliances are needed between the faith community, nonprofit agencies, government, business and others with a commitment to overcoming poverty.
(f) Overcoming poverty involves both acts of direct service to alleviate the outcomes of poverty and advocacy to change those structures that result in people living in poverty.
(g) Government is neither solely responsible for alleviating poverty nor removed from that responsibility. Government is the vehicle by which people order their lives based on their shared vision. Society is well served when people bring their values in the public arena. This convergence around issues of poverty and the common good leads people of varying tradition to call on government to make a critical commitment to overcoming poverty.
Established by the Legislature in 2006. - Minnesota Laws 2006 Chapter 282, article 2, section 27.
Sec. 27. LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO END POVERTY IN MINNESOTA
BY 2020.
Subdivision 1. Membership. The Legislative Commission to End Poverty in
Minnesota by 2020 consists of nine members of the senate appointed by the Subcommittee
on Committees of the Committee on Rules and Administration, including four members of
the minority, and nine members of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker,
including four members of the minority. Appointments must be made by members elected
to the 85th session of the legislature and no later than February 15, 2007. The governor
may appoint two nonvoting members to sit with the commission.
Subd. 2. Guiding principles. In preparing recommendations on how to end poverty
in Minnesota by 2020, the commission must be guided by the following principles:
(a) There should be a consistent and persistent approach that includes participation
of people of faith, nonprofit agencies, government, and business.
(b) All people should be provided with those things that protect human dignity
and make for a healthy life, including adequate food and shelter, meaningful work, safe
communities, health care, and education.
(c) All people are intended to live well together as a whole community, seeking the
common good, avoiding wide disparities between those who have too little to live on and
those who have a disproportionate share of the nation's goods.
(d) All people need to work together to overcome poverty, and this work transcends
both any particular political theory or party and any particular economic theory or
structure. Overcoming poverty requires the use of private and public resources.
(e) Alliances are needed between the faith community, nonprofit agencies,
government, business, and others with a commitment to overcoming poverty.
(f) Overcoming poverty involves both acts of direct service to alleviate the outcomes
of poverty and advocacy to change those structures that result in people living in poverty.
(g) Government is neither solely responsible for alleviating poverty nor removed
from that responsibility. Government is the vehicle by which people order their lives
based on their shared vision. Society is well served when people bring their values into
the public arena. This convergence around issues of poverty and the common good
leads people of varying traditions to call on government to make a critical commitment
to overcoming poverty.
Subd. 3. Report. The commission shall report its recommendations on how to end
poverty in Minnesota by 2020 to the legislature by December 15, 2008.
Subd. 4. Expiration. The commission expires December 31, 2008.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Jews, Muslims plan joint memorial for Mumbai victims
December 5, 2008
Jews, Muslims plan joint memorial for Mumbai victims
by Nicole Neroulias
Religion News Service
NEW YORK -- In an effort to continue interfaith cooperation and prevent backlash against Muslims, Jews and Muslims are coming together here to memorialize the Jewish victims of the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India.
Imam Mohammed Shamsi Ali and Rabbi Marc Schneier, who recently appeared together in Manhattan during November’s national Jewish-Muslim “Weekend of Twinning,” will each speak this Friday (Dec. 5) at New York City’s Islamic Cultural Center.
On Saturday morning, the Consul General of India in New York, Ambassador Prabhu Dayal, will join them at the New York Synagogue for a second tribute.
“We don’t allow the terrorists to divide us and we don’t allow the terrorists to defeat us,” Ali said. “Terrorism doesn’t know God, terrorism doesn’t have any religion. All religious people are united against these terrorist attacks because all religions are enemies of terrorism.”
Mumbai’s Chabad House, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community center directed by Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, was one of the targets in the attacks in late November. The Holtzbergs were among more than 170 people killed in the Indian metropolis over the three-day period.
Ali and Schneier say they hope the joint tributes will help prevent grieving Jews, Hindus and others targeted in the Mumbai attacks from turning their anger towards Muslims, a major concern for Muslim groups in India and the United States.
On Dec. 2, the Muslim Public Affairs Council sent a letter to the Bush administration and the Obama transition team, calling on them to promote a message of tolerance and to encourage India to take precautions against a possible backlash against its Muslim minority, about 13 percent of the country’s population.
Schneier, who helped organize the recent Weekend of Twinning events involving more than 100 mosques and synagogues, said there have been several interfaith statements condemning the attacks, but he wasn’t yet aware of any other Jewish-Muslim memorial events.
As a Muslim cleric, Ali said he felt compelled to explain that terrorists, despite calling themselves Muslims, do not represent his faith.
“It’s very painful and sad to us whenever a Muslim commits terrorism and says it’s in the name of religion,” he said. “Terror and terrorism cannot be justified at all.”
Jews, Muslims plan joint memorial for Mumbai victims
by Nicole Neroulias
Religion News Service
NEW YORK -- In an effort to continue interfaith cooperation and prevent backlash against Muslims, Jews and Muslims are coming together here to memorialize the Jewish victims of the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India.
Imam Mohammed Shamsi Ali and Rabbi Marc Schneier, who recently appeared together in Manhattan during November’s national Jewish-Muslim “Weekend of Twinning,” will each speak this Friday (Dec. 5) at New York City’s Islamic Cultural Center.
On Saturday morning, the Consul General of India in New York, Ambassador Prabhu Dayal, will join them at the New York Synagogue for a second tribute.
“We don’t allow the terrorists to divide us and we don’t allow the terrorists to defeat us,” Ali said. “Terrorism doesn’t know God, terrorism doesn’t have any religion. All religious people are united against these terrorist attacks because all religions are enemies of terrorism.”
Mumbai’s Chabad House, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community center directed by Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, was one of the targets in the attacks in late November. The Holtzbergs were among more than 170 people killed in the Indian metropolis over the three-day period.
Ali and Schneier say they hope the joint tributes will help prevent grieving Jews, Hindus and others targeted in the Mumbai attacks from turning their anger towards Muslims, a major concern for Muslim groups in India and the United States.
On Dec. 2, the Muslim Public Affairs Council sent a letter to the Bush administration and the Obama transition team, calling on them to promote a message of tolerance and to encourage India to take precautions against a possible backlash against its Muslim minority, about 13 percent of the country’s population.
Schneier, who helped organize the recent Weekend of Twinning events involving more than 100 mosques and synagogues, said there have been several interfaith statements condemning the attacks, but he wasn’t yet aware of any other Jewish-Muslim memorial events.
As a Muslim cleric, Ali said he felt compelled to explain that terrorists, despite calling themselves Muslims, do not represent his faith.
“It’s very painful and sad to us whenever a Muslim commits terrorism and says it’s in the name of religion,” he said. “Terror and terrorism cannot be justified at all.”
Monday, December 8, 2008
Let s Go Down to the River and Pray Mark 8:1-8
Dec 7, 2008
Let’s Go Down to the River and Pray Mark 8:1-8
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
3the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
4John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
This has been a week of challenging weather. Last Sunday, we had a dramatic drop in attendance, due in part to our first snowfall. Then again, on Friday, we had to navigate the slippin and sliden to attend our Lessons and Carols. Folks were late but the Prince of Peace made his known presence in the proclaiming of his living word, in the testimonies and songs of praise. It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
With our shovels in hand and the blustering wind in our ears, it can be hard for us to fathom making a trek out into the wilderness. Are you kidding me, I want to stay here by the fire? Besides I have to make my Christmas shopping list. Where did I put those ads from the Sunday paper? I’m sorry, but there is way too much to done. I don’t have time to walk all the way to the Jordan to hear some locust eating, bible thumper, telling me what a sinner I am!
We have seen and heard these street preacher types in our faces with their their fire and brimstone rants, repent! repent! We just keep walking forward with our eyes on our feet to avoid engaging them. When I lived in New York, I got a kick out of watching the tourists in Times Square trying to get their plays without making eye contact. Yes, 42nd Street and Broadway attracts all kinds!
In all this hustle and bustle, we do need some prophets who point us back to what life is really about. In this time of Advent, are we on the hamster wheel, too busy to reflect on what it means that Jesus is coming to us a fragile baby in Bethlehem? Regardless of how crazy God’s messengers may seem, there is some truth in their message. Sometimes, even in spite of their methods.
What was John saying with his sporty camel coat and leather belt that led such an exodus of people out of the city into the wilderness? Surely the Spirit of God was anointing his efforts. Scholars suggest that both John and Jesus had connections to the Essene sect in Qumran. This group left the city to dwell in the wilderness away from the corruptions of the city. They were ascetics who wanted to live a life of simplicity apart from the Temple and religious authorities who were in bed with the Romans and the Herodians.
City folks knew all too well how toxic things had become under the Herodians and the Roman occupation. If they were to be faithful Jews preparing for God’s anointed one, they needed to resist the ways of the world. These temporal comforts and social pecking orders threaten to make us complacent, blind, deaf and numb to this prophetic hunger for peace and justice.
John the Baptist is still calling us out from the city to the shores of the Jordan, prepare the way! If John the Baptist was with us today, would we be willing to listen to him? Would we discount him as a mad man who needs to take his meds? The life of the prophet is not for the weak of heart. You have to be ready to face what the world throws at you when you speak the truth and shake things up.
Are we willing to listen to these men in orange reflective vests and triangle slow signs in their hands? “ Slow down, we are laying down God’s highway over here.” Will we stop and help them prepare the way? During this time of Advent, how will we slow down to appreciate how God’s reign is breaking in around us? Are we willing to make some personal sacrifices in order for the Good News of Jesus Christ to be heard and lived out?
The path of being a disciple of Jesus Christ will always have its wilderness moments. No, we won’t have to live off of locusts and wild honey. Most of us, however, have something in our lives that we need to wean ourselves off of . We need to let go some of these material trappings that interfere with our ability to experience greater spiritual maturity. Lent is not the only time when we should give something up. Advent is a time of waiting, where we can spend some time in the wilderness and detach ourselves from all this consumerism. Let us gather around the banks of the Jordan, and wade in the water. We hear again these words from prophets of old, Prepare the Way. Like those lyrics from Godspell.
Some scholars have struggled with this story because it presents a problem. Doesn’t this story make John look superior to Jesus? Isn’t this a baptism for the repentance of sins? What does this say about Jesus? Isn’t he supposed to be the spotless Lamb of God? In order to resolve this question, we need to appreciate the historical role of prophets among the Hebrew people.
Jesus is not repenting from his sins. Rather he is being anointed by the John the prophet as the Christ, the anointed one. Similarly, Saul, David and Solomon were anointed by prophets to legitimate their ascension to the throne . Jesus is God’s humble servant, who kneels in the Jordan to receive an anointing of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, Jesus will need the Spirit to strengthen him for his journey in the wilderness.
John’s followers at the Jordan readily understood how long ago, Moses crossed the Red Sea, but he could not take the Israelites all the way. It was Joshua who led his people across the Jordan into the Promised land. There is theological significance that it is here again, along banks of the Jordan that Jesus knelt down for his cousin John to anoint him as the promised messiah. Just as before this river is the marker for new beginnings. Jesus needs to leave Galilee and center himself in these waters before he embarks on his public ministry. The New Moses will be able to pick up where his predecessor left. After all, Jesus name in Hebrew is Yeshua (God saves).
As gentiles, two thousand years later, we need to put on the lens of a faithful Jew in Palestine longing for freedom. These folks understood what it meant for Jesus to start his public ministry in the waters of the Jordan. These people have left the city to gather at the Jordan to bear witness to the Promised One that John has been telling them about. Can you imagine their hunger and thirst for the Messiah to come and liberate them from yet another bondage? Finally, our Mighty Counselor and Prince of Peace has come! We have seen enough phonies, we want the real deal. Yes, we will walk this wilderness with you as you lead us into the promised land, again!
John and Jesus are always there waiting for us along the shores of the Jordan. These life giving waters of baptism bring us into the new reality of God’s reign. We no longer have to go the temple to cleanse ourselves in ritual baths in order to approach the holy of holies. We have been baptized once and for all in these life giving waters of God’s grace. Every Sunday, we see this font as a reminder of our own Jordan river initiation into the community walking onward from Jordan to the new Jerusalem.
During these days of Advent, let’s go down to the River and pray. We patiently await our coming Prince of Peace. May the white dove descend upon us and assure us that the storms are coming to an end. We continue to walk through the wilderness until Jerusalem has been restored. We join the prophets in their chorus, Prepare the way! One day the gaps will be bridged, one day all these wrongs will be made right. God will come to us again and the nations actually follow his counsel.
As we approach Christmas eve, we wait along the river and pray for renewal and restoration. May the Peace of Christ unite as brothers and sisters working to prepare the way. Just as Jesus did, we need these waters of Jordan to anoint our efforts. Every time we baptize a child of God, we have a respite from the wilderness. We pray and sing at banks of the Jordan, Prepare the way. We wait and pray, Come, O Emmanuel.
Let’s Go Down to the River and Pray Mark 8:1-8
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
3the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
4John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
This has been a week of challenging weather. Last Sunday, we had a dramatic drop in attendance, due in part to our first snowfall. Then again, on Friday, we had to navigate the slippin and sliden to attend our Lessons and Carols. Folks were late but the Prince of Peace made his known presence in the proclaiming of his living word, in the testimonies and songs of praise. It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
With our shovels in hand and the blustering wind in our ears, it can be hard for us to fathom making a trek out into the wilderness. Are you kidding me, I want to stay here by the fire? Besides I have to make my Christmas shopping list. Where did I put those ads from the Sunday paper? I’m sorry, but there is way too much to done. I don’t have time to walk all the way to the Jordan to hear some locust eating, bible thumper, telling me what a sinner I am!
We have seen and heard these street preacher types in our faces with their their fire and brimstone rants, repent! repent! We just keep walking forward with our eyes on our feet to avoid engaging them. When I lived in New York, I got a kick out of watching the tourists in Times Square trying to get their plays without making eye contact. Yes, 42nd Street and Broadway attracts all kinds!
In all this hustle and bustle, we do need some prophets who point us back to what life is really about. In this time of Advent, are we on the hamster wheel, too busy to reflect on what it means that Jesus is coming to us a fragile baby in Bethlehem? Regardless of how crazy God’s messengers may seem, there is some truth in their message. Sometimes, even in spite of their methods.
What was John saying with his sporty camel coat and leather belt that led such an exodus of people out of the city into the wilderness? Surely the Spirit of God was anointing his efforts. Scholars suggest that both John and Jesus had connections to the Essene sect in Qumran. This group left the city to dwell in the wilderness away from the corruptions of the city. They were ascetics who wanted to live a life of simplicity apart from the Temple and religious authorities who were in bed with the Romans and the Herodians.
City folks knew all too well how toxic things had become under the Herodians and the Roman occupation. If they were to be faithful Jews preparing for God’s anointed one, they needed to resist the ways of the world. These temporal comforts and social pecking orders threaten to make us complacent, blind, deaf and numb to this prophetic hunger for peace and justice.
John the Baptist is still calling us out from the city to the shores of the Jordan, prepare the way! If John the Baptist was with us today, would we be willing to listen to him? Would we discount him as a mad man who needs to take his meds? The life of the prophet is not for the weak of heart. You have to be ready to face what the world throws at you when you speak the truth and shake things up.
Are we willing to listen to these men in orange reflective vests and triangle slow signs in their hands? “ Slow down, we are laying down God’s highway over here.” Will we stop and help them prepare the way? During this time of Advent, how will we slow down to appreciate how God’s reign is breaking in around us? Are we willing to make some personal sacrifices in order for the Good News of Jesus Christ to be heard and lived out?
The path of being a disciple of Jesus Christ will always have its wilderness moments. No, we won’t have to live off of locusts and wild honey. Most of us, however, have something in our lives that we need to wean ourselves off of . We need to let go some of these material trappings that interfere with our ability to experience greater spiritual maturity. Lent is not the only time when we should give something up. Advent is a time of waiting, where we can spend some time in the wilderness and detach ourselves from all this consumerism. Let us gather around the banks of the Jordan, and wade in the water. We hear again these words from prophets of old, Prepare the Way. Like those lyrics from Godspell.
Some scholars have struggled with this story because it presents a problem. Doesn’t this story make John look superior to Jesus? Isn’t this a baptism for the repentance of sins? What does this say about Jesus? Isn’t he supposed to be the spotless Lamb of God? In order to resolve this question, we need to appreciate the historical role of prophets among the Hebrew people.
Jesus is not repenting from his sins. Rather he is being anointed by the John the prophet as the Christ, the anointed one. Similarly, Saul, David and Solomon were anointed by prophets to legitimate their ascension to the throne . Jesus is God’s humble servant, who kneels in the Jordan to receive an anointing of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, Jesus will need the Spirit to strengthen him for his journey in the wilderness.
John’s followers at the Jordan readily understood how long ago, Moses crossed the Red Sea, but he could not take the Israelites all the way. It was Joshua who led his people across the Jordan into the Promised land. There is theological significance that it is here again, along banks of the Jordan that Jesus knelt down for his cousin John to anoint him as the promised messiah. Just as before this river is the marker for new beginnings. Jesus needs to leave Galilee and center himself in these waters before he embarks on his public ministry. The New Moses will be able to pick up where his predecessor left. After all, Jesus name in Hebrew is Yeshua (God saves).
As gentiles, two thousand years later, we need to put on the lens of a faithful Jew in Palestine longing for freedom. These folks understood what it meant for Jesus to start his public ministry in the waters of the Jordan. These people have left the city to gather at the Jordan to bear witness to the Promised One that John has been telling them about. Can you imagine their hunger and thirst for the Messiah to come and liberate them from yet another bondage? Finally, our Mighty Counselor and Prince of Peace has come! We have seen enough phonies, we want the real deal. Yes, we will walk this wilderness with you as you lead us into the promised land, again!
John and Jesus are always there waiting for us along the shores of the Jordan. These life giving waters of baptism bring us into the new reality of God’s reign. We no longer have to go the temple to cleanse ourselves in ritual baths in order to approach the holy of holies. We have been baptized once and for all in these life giving waters of God’s grace. Every Sunday, we see this font as a reminder of our own Jordan river initiation into the community walking onward from Jordan to the new Jerusalem.
During these days of Advent, let’s go down to the River and pray. We patiently await our coming Prince of Peace. May the white dove descend upon us and assure us that the storms are coming to an end. We continue to walk through the wilderness until Jerusalem has been restored. We join the prophets in their chorus, Prepare the way! One day the gaps will be bridged, one day all these wrongs will be made right. God will come to us again and the nations actually follow his counsel.
As we approach Christmas eve, we wait along the river and pray for renewal and restoration. May the Peace of Christ unite as brothers and sisters working to prepare the way. Just as Jesus did, we need these waters of Jordan to anoint our efforts. Every time we baptize a child of God, we have a respite from the wilderness. We pray and sing at banks of the Jordan, Prepare the way. We wait and pray, Come, O Emmanuel.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Nov 30: Eyes Wide Open for the New Dawn
Nov 30th 2008
Eyes Wide Open for the New Dawn Breaking Mark 13:24-37
“But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 32“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”
It seems like just a few weeks ago we were in shorts and fishing at the cabin. The seasons have definitely changed and the first Sunday of Advent reminds of us where we are in the liturgical year. We see the purple paraments in the chancel and we can’t help but notice all the pipped in holiday music as we elbow our ways through the black Friday shopping spree.
As modern day Christians, it can be hard for us to stay centered in who we are and what this time of Advent means for us. Kudos to the Unity Church in St Paul who hosted a Black Friday service last Friday. I have to confess that I joined the masses but I went to thrift stores first before I hit the mall. I was kicking myself for missing out on all those doorbuster specials. This frugal Scottsman still got the door buster price at JC Pennys for my new Christmas tree!
It’s sad but true that these 30 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas can be some of the most difficult days of the year. Many of us have lost loved ones and see the empty chairs at the dinner table. Our matriarch or patriarch who helped hold the center is gone and the holidays are just not the same. Many of us had to revisit the family feuds and endure all those passive aggressive jabs that are thrown around. Like being part of a church family, we put up with the negatives to appreciate the fuller positive of belonging to a fellowship in spite of all the peccadilloes and shortcomings.
Many of our holiday gatherings are transformed when the next generation join us in the festivities. Have you ever noticed how a little baby or toddler transforms everything ? We can live vicariously through their joy and playfulness. Can you picture baby Jesus cooing and getting into mischief as little boys do. I feel guilty when I see Moms with their young boys and wonder how my Mom put up with me. Boys look more and more like energizer bunnies.
I am moved by the story of Elizabeth and Mary visiting together with John and Jesus growing in their wombs. Surely most moms lie in bed imagining what is in store for this precious child that is growing in them. Our Moms endure the pain and hardships of pregnancy because they know they have to wait until its time. She knows she can’t rush the process, for if the baby was to come to soon there will be complications, worse yet a still birth.
In the interest in of full disclosure I’m a bachelor and I have no clue what its like to be a young couple expecting a child. Friends tease me about my bad case of baby fever. Every time I see a baby, I need some time to hold this precious bundle beaming with hope and promise. It’s a critical vital sign for a congregation that they have young families with children. These babies in our midst help us keep our perspective. Our congregational vows to help raise these precious children of God centers us in what our mission is. Its’ sad that so many of congregations do not benefit from these precious little ones among them. Our children help us remember to major on the majors and not on the minors.
During this time of Advent, we remember that this a time of waiting. Like the expectant couples, we can get impatient and try to rush the process. We want Jesus to hurry up and come back. We strain ourselves trying to figure out what the tell tale signs are. Unlike the 9 month gestation calendar, our world is in labor but we will never know when it is time to make that frantic drive to the maternity ward. In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans he reminds us, “For we know that all the rest of creation has been groaning with the pains of childbirth up to the present time.” Romans 8:22.
When I was in highschool, I had a huge crush on Molly Ringwald. I kept her poster up in my room for years. I thought she had the prettiest smile. She and Andrew McCarthy starred in a movie For Keeps. The reviews were not friendly but Molly could do no wrong in my eyes. Molly plays a young expectant mother who struggles with the pressure of disapproving parents. The father of her child is a young man who is not as mature and stable as she hoped he would be. This dramatic character understood in some ways what Mary went through. It can be hard to wait with hope when the people around you are so disapproving and you feel judged.
During Advent, we remember this young Jewish mother in Palestine facing stigma and isolation in her community because they do not understand how God is working through her. We remember how Mary endured the hardships of pregnancy and gave her very body in order for Jesus to come to us as our Emmanuel.
Mary was patient and trusted that in God’s time Jesus would come. She may have known the ninth month time frame, but she had to wait and trust to see how the community would treat this child who came to them under a cloud of scandal. Would Joseph remain faithful and stay by her side? Being a single mother in this time was an incredible hardship. Mary faithfully waits with her eyes wide open to see how Angel Gabriel’s promise will be realized.
Many of us feel like we are constantly bearing the weight of a psychic pregnancy but are never able to get to the delivery room. One of my favourite metaphors for the psychotherapy is the image of a midwife. Our therapists and counselors walk with us on our journey to discover who we are and a fuller sense of meaning in our lives. We do not want to spend all this time and money on therapy just to tweak a thing here or there. In reality we are there on the couch to find at least on space and one person who can bear witness to us as we search within to discover a fuller sense of who we are as child of God.
Too many of us have walked through this psychic pregnancy in pain and isolation. We dismiss therapy as something for the weak and sick. In reality, taking the time to search within and learn more about who God has made us to be is as a sign of health and healing. For those of us considering therapy, I encourage to invest in yourself and invite a compassionate midwife to assist you as go through the birthing process of self discovery. Like the lesson of Advent, it will take a lot of patience and waiting. But the promise of self discovery and a fuller sense of God’s love and mystery at work in you is worth the wait.
The lesson of Advent has some valuable teaching points for us as we grow in our spiritual maturity. We don’t want to wait. We want quick fixes. The latest self help guru will do. A couple of tapes or a half day seminar is all I can fit in right now. Our life long journey of learning is like making a soup or stew. Would you rather have a mircowaved soup with cold pockets still here and there? Or, would rather let it simmer in its juices? We wait, with eyes wide open to see how God’s reign is at work in our lives and our communities.
Mark’s community was struggling with waiting for the second coming. Just as Jesus predicted the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. They were seeing the earthquakes and famines unfold around them. Surely Jesus is coming back and again soon. Mark’s community was struggling with an inferiority complex. If Karen Horney, a prominent psychologist, was to offer her analysis to Mark’s community she may have said that these false teachers and prophets were exploiting some of the disciples neurotic inflated selves. They were struggling with a PR problem. If Jesus is truly messiah why hasn’t he returned when clearly the signs are all around us? We need to remember this point when people are tempted to try to rush Jesus’ return.
God’s creation is still in labor waiting for that glorious day when God incarnate comes to us again. In God’s time, all the darkness will be dispelled and the mountains and valley will be made straight for God’s highway. Like some of our freeways, we grow impatient with the never ending under construction signs and fantasize just breaking through the barrier signs and driving free as a bird.
We gather for Advent knowing that Jesus fulfilled God’s promise and came to us as precious, fragile infant. We savour this expectant hope as our world waits for the promise of his glorious return. We don’t know the day or the hour, but we know God’s promise still stands.
We keep awake, with our eyes wide open to see how the glimmers and glimpses of God at work unfolds in our lives. We are a people charged to be a people of hope. In spite of the anxieties, fears and all the negative object lessons. We know that one day all that is wrong will be made right. God’s creation will finally deliver us into our new lives as citizens of the New Jerusalem. Just as a mom holds her newborn close to her chest, we will breath sighs of relief and appreciate that it was worth it all. We make the necessary sacrifices and wait with our eyes wide open. We will continue to take our Lamaze classes and keep our bags packed for the mad dash to the hospital. We wait, trusting in God’s time that one day this new dawn will come.
Eyes Wide Open for the New Dawn Breaking Mark 13:24-37
“But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 32“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”
It seems like just a few weeks ago we were in shorts and fishing at the cabin. The seasons have definitely changed and the first Sunday of Advent reminds of us where we are in the liturgical year. We see the purple paraments in the chancel and we can’t help but notice all the pipped in holiday music as we elbow our ways through the black Friday shopping spree.
As modern day Christians, it can be hard for us to stay centered in who we are and what this time of Advent means for us. Kudos to the Unity Church in St Paul who hosted a Black Friday service last Friday. I have to confess that I joined the masses but I went to thrift stores first before I hit the mall. I was kicking myself for missing out on all those doorbuster specials. This frugal Scottsman still got the door buster price at JC Pennys for my new Christmas tree!
It’s sad but true that these 30 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas can be some of the most difficult days of the year. Many of us have lost loved ones and see the empty chairs at the dinner table. Our matriarch or patriarch who helped hold the center is gone and the holidays are just not the same. Many of us had to revisit the family feuds and endure all those passive aggressive jabs that are thrown around. Like being part of a church family, we put up with the negatives to appreciate the fuller positive of belonging to a fellowship in spite of all the peccadilloes and shortcomings.
Many of our holiday gatherings are transformed when the next generation join us in the festivities. Have you ever noticed how a little baby or toddler transforms everything ? We can live vicariously through their joy and playfulness. Can you picture baby Jesus cooing and getting into mischief as little boys do. I feel guilty when I see Moms with their young boys and wonder how my Mom put up with me. Boys look more and more like energizer bunnies.
I am moved by the story of Elizabeth and Mary visiting together with John and Jesus growing in their wombs. Surely most moms lie in bed imagining what is in store for this precious child that is growing in them. Our Moms endure the pain and hardships of pregnancy because they know they have to wait until its time. She knows she can’t rush the process, for if the baby was to come to soon there will be complications, worse yet a still birth.
In the interest in of full disclosure I’m a bachelor and I have no clue what its like to be a young couple expecting a child. Friends tease me about my bad case of baby fever. Every time I see a baby, I need some time to hold this precious bundle beaming with hope and promise. It’s a critical vital sign for a congregation that they have young families with children. These babies in our midst help us keep our perspective. Our congregational vows to help raise these precious children of God centers us in what our mission is. Its’ sad that so many of congregations do not benefit from these precious little ones among them. Our children help us remember to major on the majors and not on the minors.
During this time of Advent, we remember that this a time of waiting. Like the expectant couples, we can get impatient and try to rush the process. We want Jesus to hurry up and come back. We strain ourselves trying to figure out what the tell tale signs are. Unlike the 9 month gestation calendar, our world is in labor but we will never know when it is time to make that frantic drive to the maternity ward. In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans he reminds us, “For we know that all the rest of creation has been groaning with the pains of childbirth up to the present time.” Romans 8:22.
When I was in highschool, I had a huge crush on Molly Ringwald. I kept her poster up in my room for years. I thought she had the prettiest smile. She and Andrew McCarthy starred in a movie For Keeps. The reviews were not friendly but Molly could do no wrong in my eyes. Molly plays a young expectant mother who struggles with the pressure of disapproving parents. The father of her child is a young man who is not as mature and stable as she hoped he would be. This dramatic character understood in some ways what Mary went through. It can be hard to wait with hope when the people around you are so disapproving and you feel judged.
During Advent, we remember this young Jewish mother in Palestine facing stigma and isolation in her community because they do not understand how God is working through her. We remember how Mary endured the hardships of pregnancy and gave her very body in order for Jesus to come to us as our Emmanuel.
Mary was patient and trusted that in God’s time Jesus would come. She may have known the ninth month time frame, but she had to wait and trust to see how the community would treat this child who came to them under a cloud of scandal. Would Joseph remain faithful and stay by her side? Being a single mother in this time was an incredible hardship. Mary faithfully waits with her eyes wide open to see how Angel Gabriel’s promise will be realized.
Many of us feel like we are constantly bearing the weight of a psychic pregnancy but are never able to get to the delivery room. One of my favourite metaphors for the psychotherapy is the image of a midwife. Our therapists and counselors walk with us on our journey to discover who we are and a fuller sense of meaning in our lives. We do not want to spend all this time and money on therapy just to tweak a thing here or there. In reality we are there on the couch to find at least on space and one person who can bear witness to us as we search within to discover a fuller sense of who we are as child of God.
Too many of us have walked through this psychic pregnancy in pain and isolation. We dismiss therapy as something for the weak and sick. In reality, taking the time to search within and learn more about who God has made us to be is as a sign of health and healing. For those of us considering therapy, I encourage to invest in yourself and invite a compassionate midwife to assist you as go through the birthing process of self discovery. Like the lesson of Advent, it will take a lot of patience and waiting. But the promise of self discovery and a fuller sense of God’s love and mystery at work in you is worth the wait.
The lesson of Advent has some valuable teaching points for us as we grow in our spiritual maturity. We don’t want to wait. We want quick fixes. The latest self help guru will do. A couple of tapes or a half day seminar is all I can fit in right now. Our life long journey of learning is like making a soup or stew. Would you rather have a mircowaved soup with cold pockets still here and there? Or, would rather let it simmer in its juices? We wait, with eyes wide open to see how God’s reign is at work in our lives and our communities.
Mark’s community was struggling with waiting for the second coming. Just as Jesus predicted the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. They were seeing the earthquakes and famines unfold around them. Surely Jesus is coming back and again soon. Mark’s community was struggling with an inferiority complex. If Karen Horney, a prominent psychologist, was to offer her analysis to Mark’s community she may have said that these false teachers and prophets were exploiting some of the disciples neurotic inflated selves. They were struggling with a PR problem. If Jesus is truly messiah why hasn’t he returned when clearly the signs are all around us? We need to remember this point when people are tempted to try to rush Jesus’ return.
God’s creation is still in labor waiting for that glorious day when God incarnate comes to us again. In God’s time, all the darkness will be dispelled and the mountains and valley will be made straight for God’s highway. Like some of our freeways, we grow impatient with the never ending under construction signs and fantasize just breaking through the barrier signs and driving free as a bird.
We gather for Advent knowing that Jesus fulfilled God’s promise and came to us as precious, fragile infant. We savour this expectant hope as our world waits for the promise of his glorious return. We don’t know the day or the hour, but we know God’s promise still stands.
We keep awake, with our eyes wide open to see how the glimmers and glimpses of God at work unfolds in our lives. We are a people charged to be a people of hope. In spite of the anxieties, fears and all the negative object lessons. We know that one day all that is wrong will be made right. God’s creation will finally deliver us into our new lives as citizens of the New Jerusalem. Just as a mom holds her newborn close to her chest, we will breath sighs of relief and appreciate that it was worth it all. We make the necessary sacrifices and wait with our eyes wide open. We will continue to take our Lamaze classes and keep our bags packed for the mad dash to the hospital. We wait, trusting in God’s time that one day this new dawn will come.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Howard's Christmas Letter
Happy Holidays !
After three years of urban ministry in Los Angeles, I’m back in the Twin Cities. I accepted a call to serve as the interim pastor at Arlington Hills Presbyterian Church in St Paul.
www.arlingtonhillspresbyterian.org
I feel right at home here with a multicultural church. Folks here have a heart for outreach in their diverse community. The eastside of St Paul has been an Ellis Island for the Midwest for many decades. We are proclaiming Kingdom of God with our new brothers and sisters who join us from many lands.
I made the long drive east after completing the first residential component of the Doctorate of Ministry program at San Francisco Theological Seminary. My dissertation project will explore how clergy can collaborate with local law enforcement in LA and St Paul so victims of violence can receive timely and effective pastoral care. My work in LA made it abundantly clear that far too many grieving and traumatized families were not receiving adequate emotional and spiritual care. The tears and sobs of grieving mothers have been seared into my heart.
The vigils for peace continue. We have hosted a of couple candle light vigils here in St Paul. Last summer, just three weeks into my new call, Tammie, a cancer patient, was attacked by three Asian gang members wielding bats. This was just a few blocks from our church. This outraged and grieved the community. With short notice, and much needed assistance from the St Paul police, a hundred of us gathered at the site of the attack to pray for Tammie’s healing. Our prayers, songs and candles push back the darkness of violence with the light of love.
Praise God, Tammie has recovered from her injuries and her cancer has stabilized for the first time since she was diagnosed. If you google (Lake Phalen and Tammie) you can see her amazing testimony on Fox 9 and Kare 11. She joined Mayor Coleman to flip the switch for the Holiday Lights in Lake Phalen.
I have brought the tradition of Lessons and Carols that I cherished so much at San Francisco Theological seminary to Arlington Hills. Several local church choirs and Eastside pastors will join us to help transform this British tradition into a multicultural celebration of our coming Prince of Peace. We are honoured that Tammie will be one of our readers. She is a poignant testimony that out of tragedy comes hope!
Another highlight this year was going to Haiti for the Haiti Mission Connection conference. Paul Farmer’s Partners in Health is an inspiration for many of us. Their healthcare model sets the template for our church partners. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. At times, I felt like I was back in Africa. I was surprised that the burden of poverty and political instability was more evident in the Haitian peoples eyes’ than my experiences in Eastern and Southern Africa.
After seeing many depressing houses, I will finally close on my new home next week. It’s a cozy three bedroom home just off of Payne Ave, the heart of the Eastside of St Paul. You all know me, I’m an urban dweller. Several shops and restaurants are within walking distance. It’s a reality check that this house is nearly a tenth of what the average house is going for in LA. Surely, having a house will enhance my eligible bachelor credentials.
Don’t worry folks I’m putting myself out there to see what the universe presents. I’m easing up on the speed dating though. It’s a real conversation stopper. “So what do you do?” When I was seminary, a group of us would go into the city for Karokee. We had rehearsed our answer to this question. “Well, I am a theological anthropologist.” The glazed over look bought us time to move on to another subject. In time she will know, but those first impressions and preconceptions really narrows the romance pool. Now that we have President-elect Obama, maybe I should just say I’m a community organizer!
After three mild LA winters, my veins are still thickening. I keep telling myself, “ It’s cold outside but warm in our hearts.” When I am not running on the hamster wheel, I steal away to the Fitzgerald to enjoy live recordings of Prairie Home Companion. I was thrilled that my shout outs were shared with my fellow SFTS alums and comrades in the First Cav. Division. I miss having an abundance of independent theatres. Part of my Sabbath is going to the movies once a week. The best movie I have seen this year was Changeling. Of course, I am biased because its showcases a prophetic Presbyterian pastor taking on the powers that be and keeping them honest.
I am so relieved that we have a new year upon us that promises to bring change and a greater possibility for peace and reconciliation. I’m looking forward to seeing my chosen families in LA (late Feb) and Bay Area (June). Hey, maybe we can have a Karaoke party. Remember, I’m a community organizer specializing in theological anthropology.
Sending psychic hugs and prayers for peace, Howard
653 Jessamine Ave St Paul, MN (612) 702-3151 hr_dotson@yahoo.com
After three years of urban ministry in Los Angeles, I’m back in the Twin Cities. I accepted a call to serve as the interim pastor at Arlington Hills Presbyterian Church in St Paul.
www.arlingtonhillspresbyterian.org
I feel right at home here with a multicultural church. Folks here have a heart for outreach in their diverse community. The eastside of St Paul has been an Ellis Island for the Midwest for many decades. We are proclaiming Kingdom of God with our new brothers and sisters who join us from many lands.
I made the long drive east after completing the first residential component of the Doctorate of Ministry program at San Francisco Theological Seminary. My dissertation project will explore how clergy can collaborate with local law enforcement in LA and St Paul so victims of violence can receive timely and effective pastoral care. My work in LA made it abundantly clear that far too many grieving and traumatized families were not receiving adequate emotional and spiritual care. The tears and sobs of grieving mothers have been seared into my heart.
The vigils for peace continue. We have hosted a of couple candle light vigils here in St Paul. Last summer, just three weeks into my new call, Tammie, a cancer patient, was attacked by three Asian gang members wielding bats. This was just a few blocks from our church. This outraged and grieved the community. With short notice, and much needed assistance from the St Paul police, a hundred of us gathered at the site of the attack to pray for Tammie’s healing. Our prayers, songs and candles push back the darkness of violence with the light of love.
Praise God, Tammie has recovered from her injuries and her cancer has stabilized for the first time since she was diagnosed. If you google (Lake Phalen and Tammie) you can see her amazing testimony on Fox 9 and Kare 11. She joined Mayor Coleman to flip the switch for the Holiday Lights in Lake Phalen.
I have brought the tradition of Lessons and Carols that I cherished so much at San Francisco Theological seminary to Arlington Hills. Several local church choirs and Eastside pastors will join us to help transform this British tradition into a multicultural celebration of our coming Prince of Peace. We are honoured that Tammie will be one of our readers. She is a poignant testimony that out of tragedy comes hope!
Another highlight this year was going to Haiti for the Haiti Mission Connection conference. Paul Farmer’s Partners in Health is an inspiration for many of us. Their healthcare model sets the template for our church partners. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. At times, I felt like I was back in Africa. I was surprised that the burden of poverty and political instability was more evident in the Haitian peoples eyes’ than my experiences in Eastern and Southern Africa.
After seeing many depressing houses, I will finally close on my new home next week. It’s a cozy three bedroom home just off of Payne Ave, the heart of the Eastside of St Paul. You all know me, I’m an urban dweller. Several shops and restaurants are within walking distance. It’s a reality check that this house is nearly a tenth of what the average house is going for in LA. Surely, having a house will enhance my eligible bachelor credentials.
Don’t worry folks I’m putting myself out there to see what the universe presents. I’m easing up on the speed dating though. It’s a real conversation stopper. “So what do you do?” When I was seminary, a group of us would go into the city for Karokee. We had rehearsed our answer to this question. “Well, I am a theological anthropologist.” The glazed over look bought us time to move on to another subject. In time she will know, but those first impressions and preconceptions really narrows the romance pool. Now that we have President-elect Obama, maybe I should just say I’m a community organizer!
After three mild LA winters, my veins are still thickening. I keep telling myself, “ It’s cold outside but warm in our hearts.” When I am not running on the hamster wheel, I steal away to the Fitzgerald to enjoy live recordings of Prairie Home Companion. I was thrilled that my shout outs were shared with my fellow SFTS alums and comrades in the First Cav. Division. I miss having an abundance of independent theatres. Part of my Sabbath is going to the movies once a week. The best movie I have seen this year was Changeling. Of course, I am biased because its showcases a prophetic Presbyterian pastor taking on the powers that be and keeping them honest.
I am so relieved that we have a new year upon us that promises to bring change and a greater possibility for peace and reconciliation. I’m looking forward to seeing my chosen families in LA (late Feb) and Bay Area (June). Hey, maybe we can have a Karaoke party. Remember, I’m a community organizer specializing in theological anthropology.
Sending psychic hugs and prayers for peace, Howard
653 Jessamine Ave St Paul, MN (612) 702-3151 hr_dotson@yahoo.com
All African Council of Churches Statement on HIV/AIDS
27 November 2003
All Africa Conference of Churches Yaounde, Cameroon
Covenant 1: Life and HIV/AIDS Prevention
• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that, the Lord our God created
all people and all life and created life very good (Gen. 1-2) We shall, therefore,
seriously and effectively undertake HIV/AIDS prevention for all people Christians
and non-Christiana. married u,, s single, young and old, women and men, poor and
rich, black, white, yellow, all people everywhere-, for this disease destroys life
and it, goodness, thus violating God's creation and will.
Covenant 2: Love and HIV/AIDS Care
• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that love is from God and
everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Those who say ‘I love God,' and
hate their sisters and brothers are liars, for unless you love your sisters and
brothers whom you see, you cannot love God whom you have never seen (I John 4:7-21).
We shall, therefore, do all that is necessary and within our power to encourage both
men and women to love, care, support and heal all those who are infected and
affected by HIV/AIDS in our communities, countries and continent.
Covenant 3: Treatment and HIV/AIDS Drugs
• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that the earth and everything in
it belongs to the Lord and that He has given it over to all human beings for
custodianship ( Psa . 24:1 &Gen. 1:29). We shall therefore, openly and persistently
undertake prophetic and advocacy role for all the infected who are denied access to
affordable HIV/AIDS drugs until anti- retrovirals are available to all who need
them.
Covenant 4: Compassion, HIV/AIDS Stigma & Discrimination
• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that the Lord our God, is a
compassionate God, who calls upon us to be compassionate, to suffer with those who
suffer, to enter their places and hearts of pain and to seek lasting change of their
suffering (Luke 6:36; Matt. 25:31-46). We shall therefore, have zero tolerance for
HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination and do all that is necessary to eliminate the
isolation, rejection, fear and oppression of the infected and affected in our
communities. We shall declare HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination an unacceptable sin
before God and all believers and in all our communities.
Covenant 5: Poverty and HIV/AIDS •
We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that the Lord our God, who
created all the resources of the earth, blessed both women and men and gave them the
resources of the earth for their sustenance (Gen.1:28-29). We shall, therefore, work
to empower all the poor and denounce all the cultural, national and international
structures, laws and policies that have condemned billions to poverty thus denying
them their God given rights and, in the HIV/AIDS era, exposing them to infection and
denying them quality care and treatment
Covenant 6: Gender Inequalities and HIV/AIDS
• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that the Lord our God, created
humankind in his image. In his image, he created them mal and female, he blessed
them both and gave both of them leadership and resources in the earth; he made them
one in Christ (Gen. 1:27 -29; Gal. 3:28 -29). We shall, therefore, denounce gender
inequalities that lead boys and men to risky behaviour, domination and violence;
that deny girls and women leadership, decision making powers and property ownership
thus exposing them to violence, witchcraft accusation, widow dispossession, survival
sex – fuelling HIV/AIDS infection and lack of quality care and treatment.
Covenant 7: Children and HIV/AIDS
• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that, Lord our God welcomes
children. He has given his kingdom to them and he is the father of all orphans (Mark
9:33 -37; 10:13 -16; Psa . 68:5 & Psa . 146:9). We shall, therefore, work to empower
and protect all children and denounce all the national and international structures,
cultures, policies, laws and practices that expose children to sexual abuse and
exploitation, HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination, dispossession and poverty thus
exposing them to HIV/AIDS infection and lack of quality care.
Covenant 8: Church, PLWAs and HIV/AIDS
• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that we are one body of Christ
and if one member suffers, we all suffer together with it; that the Lord our God
identifies with the suffering and marginalized and heals the sick (1 Cor . 14:26 ;
Matt. 25:31-46). We shall, therefore, become a community of compassion and healing,
a safe place for all PLWAs to live openly and productively with their status.
Covenant 9: Human Sexuality and HIV/AIDS
• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that the Lord our God, created
human sexuality and created it good (Gen. 2:18-25). We shall, therefore, test for
infection, denounce sexual violence, abstain before marriage, be faithful in
marriage and practice protected sex to avoid HIV/AIDS infection and plunder on life,
for all life is sacred and prevention should be seriously pursued to protect life.
Covenant 10: Justice and HIV/AIDS •
We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that the Lord our God, sees,
hears, knows the suffering of people and comes down to liberate them (Ex. 3:1-12;
Luke 4:16 -22). We shall, therefore, declare the jubilee and we shall proclaim
liberty throughout the land and to all its inhabitants (Lev. 25:10), for unless and
until justice is served to all people in the world, until justice rolls down like
waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream, HIV/AIDS cannot be uprooted.
All Africa Conference of Churches Yaounde, Cameroon
Covenant 1: Life and HIV/AIDS Prevention
• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that, the Lord our God created
all people and all life and created life very good (Gen. 1-2) We shall, therefore,
seriously and effectively undertake HIV/AIDS prevention for all people Christians
and non-Christiana. married u,, s single, young and old, women and men, poor and
rich, black, white, yellow, all people everywhere-, for this disease destroys life
and it, goodness, thus violating God's creation and will.
Covenant 2: Love and HIV/AIDS Care
• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that love is from God and
everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Those who say ‘I love God,' and
hate their sisters and brothers are liars, for unless you love your sisters and
brothers whom you see, you cannot love God whom you have never seen (I John 4:7-21).
We shall, therefore, do all that is necessary and within our power to encourage both
men and women to love, care, support and heal all those who are infected and
affected by HIV/AIDS in our communities, countries and continent.
Covenant 3: Treatment and HIV/AIDS Drugs
• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that the earth and everything in
it belongs to the Lord and that He has given it over to all human beings for
custodianship ( Psa . 24:1 &Gen. 1:29). We shall therefore, openly and persistently
undertake prophetic and advocacy role for all the infected who are denied access to
affordable HIV/AIDS drugs until anti- retrovirals are available to all who need
them.
Covenant 4: Compassion, HIV/AIDS Stigma & Discrimination
• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that the Lord our God, is a
compassionate God, who calls upon us to be compassionate, to suffer with those who
suffer, to enter their places and hearts of pain and to seek lasting change of their
suffering (Luke 6:36; Matt. 25:31-46). We shall therefore, have zero tolerance for
HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination and do all that is necessary to eliminate the
isolation, rejection, fear and oppression of the infected and affected in our
communities. We shall declare HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination an unacceptable sin
before God and all believers and in all our communities.
Covenant 5: Poverty and HIV/AIDS •
We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that the Lord our God, who
created all the resources of the earth, blessed both women and men and gave them the
resources of the earth for their sustenance (Gen.1:28-29). We shall, therefore, work
to empower all the poor and denounce all the cultural, national and international
structures, laws and policies that have condemned billions to poverty thus denying
them their God given rights and, in the HIV/AIDS era, exposing them to infection and
denying them quality care and treatment
Covenant 6: Gender Inequalities and HIV/AIDS
• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that the Lord our God, created
humankind in his image. In his image, he created them mal and female, he blessed
them both and gave both of them leadership and resources in the earth; he made them
one in Christ (Gen. 1:27 -29; Gal. 3:28 -29). We shall, therefore, denounce gender
inequalities that lead boys and men to risky behaviour, domination and violence;
that deny girls and women leadership, decision making powers and property ownership
thus exposing them to violence, witchcraft accusation, widow dispossession, survival
sex – fuelling HIV/AIDS infection and lack of quality care and treatment.
Covenant 7: Children and HIV/AIDS
• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that, Lord our God welcomes
children. He has given his kingdom to them and he is the father of all orphans (Mark
9:33 -37; 10:13 -16; Psa . 68:5 & Psa . 146:9). We shall, therefore, work to empower
and protect all children and denounce all the national and international structures,
cultures, policies, laws and practices that expose children to sexual abuse and
exploitation, HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination, dispossession and poverty thus
exposing them to HIV/AIDS infection and lack of quality care.
Covenant 8: Church, PLWAs and HIV/AIDS
• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that we are one body of Christ
and if one member suffers, we all suffer together with it; that the Lord our God
identifies with the suffering and marginalized and heals the sick (1 Cor . 14:26 ;
Matt. 25:31-46). We shall, therefore, become a community of compassion and healing,
a safe place for all PLWAs to live openly and productively with their status.
Covenant 9: Human Sexuality and HIV/AIDS
• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that the Lord our God, created
human sexuality and created it good (Gen. 2:18-25). We shall, therefore, test for
infection, denounce sexual violence, abstain before marriage, be faithful in
marriage and practice protected sex to avoid HIV/AIDS infection and plunder on life,
for all life is sacred and prevention should be seriously pursued to protect life.
Covenant 10: Justice and HIV/AIDS •
We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that the Lord our God, sees,
hears, knows the suffering of people and comes down to liberate them (Ex. 3:1-12;
Luke 4:16 -22). We shall, therefore, declare the jubilee and we shall proclaim
liberty throughout the land and to all its inhabitants (Lev. 25:10), for unless and
until justice is served to all people in the world, until justice rolls down like
waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream, HIV/AIDS cannot be uprooted.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Where Can We Find Jesus?
Nov. 23rd 2008
Where Can We Find Jesus ? Matthew 25:31-46
31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will
sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and
he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the
goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for
I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was
sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37Then the
righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you
food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you
a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that
we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40And the king will answer
them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are
members of my family, you did it to me.’ 41Then he will say to those at his left
hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the
devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and
you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked
and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44
Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or
a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45Then he
will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least
of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46And these will go away into eternal
punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
One of my favourite movie scenes comes from Dustin Hoffman in the Rainman. He is a
developmentally disabled man who is fixated on seeing People’s Court at 4 oclock.
Tom Cruise, his brother and conservator, is flummoxed by this need to schedule their
road trip to ensure they can see Judge Wapner at 4. We have many images of our
legal system as part of our entertainment. For one generation it was Perry Mason.
I’ve sat through many episodes with my Dad. I grew up with the comedy, Night Court.
Now we have Allie Mcbeal, Boston Legal and Shark.
What is our fascination with court room dramas? It's right up there with
hospital dramas. Perhaps this stems from an inferiority complex that we never became
the lawyers and doctors that society pushes us to strive for. These are not callings
for everybody, but we have a sacred vocation nonetheless. I treasure Dr. King’s
reframe of our sense of vocation. He highlights the dignity of being a street
sweeper. God calls us to making meaning relationships where we are. God can use in
might ways in the various stations of life where we find ourselves. God can use our
mustard seeds of faith and transform our world into arboretums and orchards.
We often like to see Jesus as our friend, our comforter. I like to joke about
some of the praise songs we call Jesus is my boyfriend songs. There is this tension
between the intimacy of God and the mystery of God’s grandeur. On Christ the King
Sunday, we need to remember that Christ Jesus is the Sovereign judge , and one day
there will be a reckoning for how our world has unfolded. Yes, Jesus is our
comforter but he is also our eternal judge. One day we will have to present our
case, were we are our brother’s keeper? God is all knowing. God sees how our
brothers and sisters are being treated and mistreated. There will come a time when
the sheep and goats are separated. This will be in God’s times and the decision
rests with God.
In our pop psychology era, we need to be careful not to domesticate God and make
our Triune God merely our best friend. Our parents have understood that they could
not just be friends with their children. There were times when they strictly needed
to be our fathers and mothers. They had to practice tough love, regardless of
whether what their preference was. God is our truest parent, holding us in
unconditional love but also holding us accountable. God is the parent who loves us
all uniquely and equally. But God also loves us too much for us to stay stuck as
goats when we were meant to be sheep.
When we look at our world as a family system, we see that we are siblings
trying to vie for God’s approval and blessing. Do we measure our relationship with
God based on our material wealth? Is this the only way God blesses our brothers and
sisters? I know many of us like to think we live in a post colonial world. Do you
think God was blessing the American, British, French, Dutch and Spanish slave
traders who denied our African Brothers and Sisters of their freedom and dignity? I
know and trust that the God of the Exodus and Empty was more present with the least
among us in shackles than the masters above aboard who considered themselves
faithful Christians.
We need to humbly confess that sometimes as a society we have presumed that we
are God’s favorites and trampled on our brothers and sisters who truly are the least
among us. Some of our ancestors may have been wealthy but they grew distant with God
when they oppressed the least among us. Our bigotry, prejudice and mental jujitsu
enabled folks to live with this lie. We need this gospel passage to remind us just
where it is we will find Jesus.
Our Gospel lesson presses the point that we need to broaden our definitions of what
constitutes a blessing from God. The next time you hear a politician say, “God Bless
America”, I want us to remember this point. We need to pray that God blesses us with
the spiritual gifts we desperately need to live out our calling. We are not God’s
favourites just because we have an abundance of comforts in this life. As Jesus has
taught us, we need to keep our eyes on the treasures of heaven, where no thieves, no
rust or moths can diminish.
Having been in several countries in the developing world, I have heard a unique
understanding of what Gospel message is for us. As I mentioned a couple of weeks,
this realized eschatology stresses that the kingdom of God is breaking in here and
now. We understand that ultimately the New Jerusalem will not be complete until
Christ the King is seated on his throne to separate the sheep and goats. If we are
to be faithful sheep of Christ’s fold, we need to commune with the least among us.
I am grateful to see that this congregation has an ongoing ministry in Haiti.
This is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. They have 75 %
unemployment. The average yearly income is only $ 440. Imagine. . . many of us make
more than that in just one week, or even a couple of days. 50 % of Haitians have no
access to drinkable water.
Recently, I spent three hours driving around Port Au Prince trying to find St
Joe’s Home for Boys. I felt like I was back in Africa. The most profound encounter
came when I visited the mothers holding their babies suffering from Spinal Bifida
and Hydrocephila. When I placed my hand on their children’s feet and prayed with
them, I sensed Jesus presence in a powerful way. In spite of the language barriers,
I could tell the parents were receptive to prayers. Yes, Jesus is truly present with
the least of among us, especially parents struggling to care for their sick child.
The least among of us are also here on our doorstep. We need to remember that
the Eastside has a history of different immigrant communities coming to America to
pursue our common dream. Many of the Swedes, Italians and Poles have moved on and
now the Hmong, African Americans and Latinos carry this torch of the making the
American dream a reality. Jesus is present with our brothers and sisters and their
struggle to make ends meet. Parents are having to work two and three jobs to be to
send money home and to still be able to put something on the table for dinner.
We are remembering the least among us when we collect food for our local
pantries and collect the shoe boxes for the children ministered to by Samaritan’s
purse. We find Jesus present with them as they realize that they are not alone, nor
are they forgotten. We stretch ourselves to move beyond mere acts of charity, and to
walk humbly with our brothers and sisters struggling for their daily bread.
In these difficult economic times, we realize that many of our families or only
paycheck or mortage payment away from dire straits. No one needs to feel they are a
charity case, or that our acts of kindness come with strings attached. We are not
waiting to see if you say thank you or demonstrate adequate appreciation. It’s
enough for us to know that God has used us a means to answer prayers and commune
with the least among us.
We serve a God who has a preferential for the poor. This is one of truths that
liberation theologians throughout the world have taught us. God is all knowing, and
God hear their cries for deliverance. Our faithful response is more than just being
a good person or the warm fuzzies we receive. In God’s mysterious economy, we
receive at the very same time that we are giving. God is waiting for us to encounter
the Spirit that dwells in our brothers and sisters on the margins. We let our
hearts and minds be softened so we can hold the pain and sorrows so many of us
carry.
As the holidays approach, we know there will be a lot campaigns and photo ops. As
sheep of the Good Shepherd, we will stay the course long after the holiday season.
Christ will be communing with our brothers and sisters these other eleven months of
the year. We will do our best to find ways staying connected. This is
where the rubber meets in our faithful witness to Jesus Christ. Bearing the light
and salt of Christ requires genuine relationships with people. We are called to be
more than another local non-profit cutting a check now and then.
May people continue to catch glimpses of the New Jerusalem in our ministries.
This is what makes us who we are. Our mission is reach out with love and compassion
to the people Jesus has been waiting for us to join all along. We don’t bring Jesus
to them, God has been there waiting for the sheep of his fold to catch up with him.
On that glorious day when Christ holds court as our eternal judge and King, I pray
that each of us will be among the sheep, side by side, with our afros of wool
touching. Our sheep wool grows, every time we witness to the Kingdom of God, and
fellowship with the least among us. Here, we find Jesus drawing us into his fold.
Where Can We Find Jesus ? Matthew 25:31-46
31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will
sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and
he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the
goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for
I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was
sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37Then the
righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you
food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you
a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that
we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40And the king will answer
them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are
members of my family, you did it to me.’ 41Then he will say to those at his left
hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the
devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and
you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked
and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44
Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or
a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45Then he
will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least
of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46And these will go away into eternal
punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
One of my favourite movie scenes comes from Dustin Hoffman in the Rainman. He is a
developmentally disabled man who is fixated on seeing People’s Court at 4 oclock.
Tom Cruise, his brother and conservator, is flummoxed by this need to schedule their
road trip to ensure they can see Judge Wapner at 4. We have many images of our
legal system as part of our entertainment. For one generation it was Perry Mason.
I’ve sat through many episodes with my Dad. I grew up with the comedy, Night Court.
Now we have Allie Mcbeal, Boston Legal and Shark.
What is our fascination with court room dramas? It's right up there with
hospital dramas. Perhaps this stems from an inferiority complex that we never became
the lawyers and doctors that society pushes us to strive for. These are not callings
for everybody, but we have a sacred vocation nonetheless. I treasure Dr. King’s
reframe of our sense of vocation. He highlights the dignity of being a street
sweeper. God calls us to making meaning relationships where we are. God can use in
might ways in the various stations of life where we find ourselves. God can use our
mustard seeds of faith and transform our world into arboretums and orchards.
We often like to see Jesus as our friend, our comforter. I like to joke about
some of the praise songs we call Jesus is my boyfriend songs. There is this tension
between the intimacy of God and the mystery of God’s grandeur. On Christ the King
Sunday, we need to remember that Christ Jesus is the Sovereign judge , and one day
there will be a reckoning for how our world has unfolded. Yes, Jesus is our
comforter but he is also our eternal judge. One day we will have to present our
case, were we are our brother’s keeper? God is all knowing. God sees how our
brothers and sisters are being treated and mistreated. There will come a time when
the sheep and goats are separated. This will be in God’s times and the decision
rests with God.
In our pop psychology era, we need to be careful not to domesticate God and make
our Triune God merely our best friend. Our parents have understood that they could
not just be friends with their children. There were times when they strictly needed
to be our fathers and mothers. They had to practice tough love, regardless of
whether what their preference was. God is our truest parent, holding us in
unconditional love but also holding us accountable. God is the parent who loves us
all uniquely and equally. But God also loves us too much for us to stay stuck as
goats when we were meant to be sheep.
When we look at our world as a family system, we see that we are siblings
trying to vie for God’s approval and blessing. Do we measure our relationship with
God based on our material wealth? Is this the only way God blesses our brothers and
sisters? I know many of us like to think we live in a post colonial world. Do you
think God was blessing the American, British, French, Dutch and Spanish slave
traders who denied our African Brothers and Sisters of their freedom and dignity? I
know and trust that the God of the Exodus and Empty was more present with the least
among us in shackles than the masters above aboard who considered themselves
faithful Christians.
We need to humbly confess that sometimes as a society we have presumed that we
are God’s favorites and trampled on our brothers and sisters who truly are the least
among us. Some of our ancestors may have been wealthy but they grew distant with God
when they oppressed the least among us. Our bigotry, prejudice and mental jujitsu
enabled folks to live with this lie. We need this gospel passage to remind us just
where it is we will find Jesus.
Our Gospel lesson presses the point that we need to broaden our definitions of what
constitutes a blessing from God. The next time you hear a politician say, “God Bless
America”, I want us to remember this point. We need to pray that God blesses us with
the spiritual gifts we desperately need to live out our calling. We are not God’s
favourites just because we have an abundance of comforts in this life. As Jesus has
taught us, we need to keep our eyes on the treasures of heaven, where no thieves, no
rust or moths can diminish.
Having been in several countries in the developing world, I have heard a unique
understanding of what Gospel message is for us. As I mentioned a couple of weeks,
this realized eschatology stresses that the kingdom of God is breaking in here and
now. We understand that ultimately the New Jerusalem will not be complete until
Christ the King is seated on his throne to separate the sheep and goats. If we are
to be faithful sheep of Christ’s fold, we need to commune with the least among us.
I am grateful to see that this congregation has an ongoing ministry in Haiti.
This is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. They have 75 %
unemployment. The average yearly income is only $ 440. Imagine. . . many of us make
more than that in just one week, or even a couple of days. 50 % of Haitians have no
access to drinkable water.
Recently, I spent three hours driving around Port Au Prince trying to find St
Joe’s Home for Boys. I felt like I was back in Africa. The most profound encounter
came when I visited the mothers holding their babies suffering from Spinal Bifida
and Hydrocephila. When I placed my hand on their children’s feet and prayed with
them, I sensed Jesus presence in a powerful way. In spite of the language barriers,
I could tell the parents were receptive to prayers. Yes, Jesus is truly present with
the least of among us, especially parents struggling to care for their sick child.
The least among of us are also here on our doorstep. We need to remember that
the Eastside has a history of different immigrant communities coming to America to
pursue our common dream. Many of the Swedes, Italians and Poles have moved on and
now the Hmong, African Americans and Latinos carry this torch of the making the
American dream a reality. Jesus is present with our brothers and sisters and their
struggle to make ends meet. Parents are having to work two and three jobs to be to
send money home and to still be able to put something on the table for dinner.
We are remembering the least among us when we collect food for our local
pantries and collect the shoe boxes for the children ministered to by Samaritan’s
purse. We find Jesus present with them as they realize that they are not alone, nor
are they forgotten. We stretch ourselves to move beyond mere acts of charity, and to
walk humbly with our brothers and sisters struggling for their daily bread.
In these difficult economic times, we realize that many of our families or only
paycheck or mortage payment away from dire straits. No one needs to feel they are a
charity case, or that our acts of kindness come with strings attached. We are not
waiting to see if you say thank you or demonstrate adequate appreciation. It’s
enough for us to know that God has used us a means to answer prayers and commune
with the least among us.
We serve a God who has a preferential for the poor. This is one of truths that
liberation theologians throughout the world have taught us. God is all knowing, and
God hear their cries for deliverance. Our faithful response is more than just being
a good person or the warm fuzzies we receive. In God’s mysterious economy, we
receive at the very same time that we are giving. God is waiting for us to encounter
the Spirit that dwells in our brothers and sisters on the margins. We let our
hearts and minds be softened so we can hold the pain and sorrows so many of us
carry.
As the holidays approach, we know there will be a lot campaigns and photo ops. As
sheep of the Good Shepherd, we will stay the course long after the holiday season.
Christ will be communing with our brothers and sisters these other eleven months of
the year. We will do our best to find ways staying connected. This is
where the rubber meets in our faithful witness to Jesus Christ. Bearing the light
and salt of Christ requires genuine relationships with people. We are called to be
more than another local non-profit cutting a check now and then.
May people continue to catch glimpses of the New Jerusalem in our ministries.
This is what makes us who we are. Our mission is reach out with love and compassion
to the people Jesus has been waiting for us to join all along. We don’t bring Jesus
to them, God has been there waiting for the sheep of his fold to catch up with him.
On that glorious day when Christ holds court as our eternal judge and King, I pray
that each of us will be among the sheep, side by side, with our afros of wool
touching. Our sheep wool grows, every time we witness to the Kingdom of God, and
fellowship with the least among us. Here, we find Jesus drawing us into his fold.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Howard's Dissertation Project
TITLE: Empowering Clergy to Serve as Crisis Counselors in their Communities
PROBLEM: What is the PROBLEM or AREA of STUDY you wish to explore?
In the North American urban ministry context, gang violence is claiming the lives of far too many young people. In the City of Los Angeles there are forty thousand gang members; most of whom were baptized in Latino Catholic and African American Protestant congregations. In the Rampart Division of LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) it has become evident that many of these grieving families are not receiving immediate pastoral care following a gang related homicide. This is due in part to communication gaps between the Police and the faith communities, but there is also the stigma of being the bereaved parent of a child who is presumed to be a gang member. Like the LAPD, many police departments have clergy councils that could serve as referrals and first responders to provide emotional and spiritual support for these grieving families. Many of the clergy representatives on these councils, however do not have adequate crisis counseling training to serve in this capacity.
PURPOSE: 1. Given the problem what do you want to CHANGE?
Improving the communication and response time between the Los Angeles Police Department and the volunteer clergy councils in Los Angeles, CA, where I've worked for 3 years. Such an arrangement of clergy councils will also be assessed with the St. Paul Police Department and the St. Paul, MN communities where I am slated to relocate within the year. My aim is to facilitate the ongoing training with LAPD Clergy Council members and assess the benefits of this model being replicated with the St Paul Police Dept. An increased number of clergy would be equipped with crisis counseling skills and training to decrease the psychological and social barriers that hinder traumatized and grieving families from gaining access to pastoral care and counseling.
2. What GROUP will join you in bringing about this change?
An interdisciplinary team of mental health professionals, civil servants and pastoral theologians will be enlisted to facilitate the teaching of the psychological, sociological and theological skill sets related to pastoral counseling in a situational crisis. Clergy representatives in both LA and St Paul will be engaged as well.
This program shall serve as a model that can be replicated in other police and fire departments.
3. What will you DO to bring about the desired change?
1. Survey representatives from the St Paul Police Dept and faith communities about the extent and quality of their interactions.
2. Recruit the LAPD trainers and volunteer clergy to attend the ongoing training sessions in Los Angeles.
3. Evaluate the program with the LAPD Clergy Council and revise the protocols for replication in other divisions of LAPD and other police departments.
4. Meet again with St Paul Police and clergy to consider the LAPD clergy council model as an enhancement to their community relations efforts.
METHOD:
1. What QUALIFIES you to do this D/P? (Experiences and/or involvement that have raised this issue for you and make it a current practical and academic concern)
Over the past three years, I have worked with the LAPD and the Mayor’s Crisis Response Team to provide pastoral care and counseling to dozens of grieving families following a gang related homicide in the West LA and Rampart Divisions. The City of Los Angeles and the City Attorney’s have presented several commendations for this work.
My new context in East St Paul does not have nearly the number of violent crimes compared to Los Angeles, but the community surrounding Arlington Hills Presbyterian Church (AHPC) has the highest crime rate for the entire city. The AHPC session has endorsed my community outreach to the Police Dept and the ecumenical community.
2. How is this topic related to YOUR MINISTRY?
Arlington Hills Presbyterian Church in East St Paul is committed to their ongoing transformation as an urban, multicultural congregation. Their surrounding community is comprised of many immigrant families whose children are at-risk of joining gangs. The police and clergy need to be prepared to respond quickly with compassion when there has been incident of gang related violence. We can’t wait until there is an emergency and then try to make a referral. There needs to be some intentional training to equip clergy to respond to these crises effectively.
3. SOCIAL ANALYSIS: What will you do to place the problem in its historical, cultural, and social context? What literature will you read and with whom will you interview or talk to about it?
In our urban centers, there is often mistrust and strained relationships between the community and law enforcement. Many residents are undocumented and they fear deportation if they cooperate with the police. Other family members fear retaliation from the gangs. Clergy often serve as liasons and bridges to the broader community. I will research the historical role of clergy in urban community organizing and examine some of the contemporary models and case studies. In particular, how clergy as crisis counselors can integrate the psychotherapy and sociological literature that addresses the anxiety and stressors associated with urban life and the increased incidents of violence.
To contextualize this problem, I will research the relevant psychotherapy, urban ministry and criminal justice literature.
4. THEOLOGICAL RESOURCES: What are the biblical/theological lenses you will use to examine this problem? Identify 3-5 writers who help you deal with this problem theologically. With whom will you discuss the problem theologically?
Many clergy still narrow their scope of pastoral care and counseling primarily to active members of their congregation. The definition of parish ministry in an urban setting needs to be expanded to include noncongregational members who do not have adequate pastoral care in times of crisis. I will explore how liberation theology and missional models of ministry inform this pastoral praxis in an urban context. Authors will include: Craig Van Gelder, Darrel Guder, Ronald Peters, Stephen Pattison, David Switzer and Howard Stone.
PROBLEM: What is the PROBLEM or AREA of STUDY you wish to explore?
In the North American urban ministry context, gang violence is claiming the lives of far too many young people. In the City of Los Angeles there are forty thousand gang members; most of whom were baptized in Latino Catholic and African American Protestant congregations. In the Rampart Division of LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) it has become evident that many of these grieving families are not receiving immediate pastoral care following a gang related homicide. This is due in part to communication gaps between the Police and the faith communities, but there is also the stigma of being the bereaved parent of a child who is presumed to be a gang member. Like the LAPD, many police departments have clergy councils that could serve as referrals and first responders to provide emotional and spiritual support for these grieving families. Many of the clergy representatives on these councils, however do not have adequate crisis counseling training to serve in this capacity.
PURPOSE: 1. Given the problem what do you want to CHANGE?
Improving the communication and response time between the Los Angeles Police Department and the volunteer clergy councils in Los Angeles, CA, where I've worked for 3 years. Such an arrangement of clergy councils will also be assessed with the St. Paul Police Department and the St. Paul, MN communities where I am slated to relocate within the year. My aim is to facilitate the ongoing training with LAPD Clergy Council members and assess the benefits of this model being replicated with the St Paul Police Dept. An increased number of clergy would be equipped with crisis counseling skills and training to decrease the psychological and social barriers that hinder traumatized and grieving families from gaining access to pastoral care and counseling.
2. What GROUP will join you in bringing about this change?
An interdisciplinary team of mental health professionals, civil servants and pastoral theologians will be enlisted to facilitate the teaching of the psychological, sociological and theological skill sets related to pastoral counseling in a situational crisis. Clergy representatives in both LA and St Paul will be engaged as well.
This program shall serve as a model that can be replicated in other police and fire departments.
3. What will you DO to bring about the desired change?
1. Survey representatives from the St Paul Police Dept and faith communities about the extent and quality of their interactions.
2. Recruit the LAPD trainers and volunteer clergy to attend the ongoing training sessions in Los Angeles.
3. Evaluate the program with the LAPD Clergy Council and revise the protocols for replication in other divisions of LAPD and other police departments.
4. Meet again with St Paul Police and clergy to consider the LAPD clergy council model as an enhancement to their community relations efforts.
METHOD:
1. What QUALIFIES you to do this D/P? (Experiences and/or involvement that have raised this issue for you and make it a current practical and academic concern)
Over the past three years, I have worked with the LAPD and the Mayor’s Crisis Response Team to provide pastoral care and counseling to dozens of grieving families following a gang related homicide in the West LA and Rampart Divisions. The City of Los Angeles and the City Attorney’s have presented several commendations for this work.
My new context in East St Paul does not have nearly the number of violent crimes compared to Los Angeles, but the community surrounding Arlington Hills Presbyterian Church (AHPC) has the highest crime rate for the entire city. The AHPC session has endorsed my community outreach to the Police Dept and the ecumenical community.
2. How is this topic related to YOUR MINISTRY?
Arlington Hills Presbyterian Church in East St Paul is committed to their ongoing transformation as an urban, multicultural congregation. Their surrounding community is comprised of many immigrant families whose children are at-risk of joining gangs. The police and clergy need to be prepared to respond quickly with compassion when there has been incident of gang related violence. We can’t wait until there is an emergency and then try to make a referral. There needs to be some intentional training to equip clergy to respond to these crises effectively.
3. SOCIAL ANALYSIS: What will you do to place the problem in its historical, cultural, and social context? What literature will you read and with whom will you interview or talk to about it?
In our urban centers, there is often mistrust and strained relationships between the community and law enforcement. Many residents are undocumented and they fear deportation if they cooperate with the police. Other family members fear retaliation from the gangs. Clergy often serve as liasons and bridges to the broader community. I will research the historical role of clergy in urban community organizing and examine some of the contemporary models and case studies. In particular, how clergy as crisis counselors can integrate the psychotherapy and sociological literature that addresses the anxiety and stressors associated with urban life and the increased incidents of violence.
To contextualize this problem, I will research the relevant psychotherapy, urban ministry and criminal justice literature.
4. THEOLOGICAL RESOURCES: What are the biblical/theological lenses you will use to examine this problem? Identify 3-5 writers who help you deal with this problem theologically. With whom will you discuss the problem theologically?
Many clergy still narrow their scope of pastoral care and counseling primarily to active members of their congregation. The definition of parish ministry in an urban setting needs to be expanded to include noncongregational members who do not have adequate pastoral care in times of crisis. I will explore how liberation theology and missional models of ministry inform this pastoral praxis in an urban context. Authors will include: Craig Van Gelder, Darrel Guder, Ronald Peters, Stephen Pattison, David Switzer and Howard Stone.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Guder challenges church leaders to help define, fulfill “missional”
Guder challenges church leaders to help define, fulfill “missional”
Written by Leslie Scanlon, Outlook National Reporter
Sunday, 26 October 2008 00:00
SNOWBIRD, UTAH –—Among Presbyterians, the word “missional” is as popular these days as “awesome” is for teenagers.
“The term ‘missional’ has become a cliché in an astonishingly short period of time,” theologian Darrell Guder told a group of Presbyterian leaders gathered at the Snowbird Resort outside Salt Lake City.
“I see the term ‘missional’ everywhere,” but can’t always determine what those using it mean,” Guder said.
Guder, the dean of academic affairs and Henry Winters Luce Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, was invited to speak to a joint gathering of the General Assembly Council and presbytery and synod executives.
This gathering Sept. 28-30, part of a marathon of meetings of Presbyterian leaders at Snowbird Resort, adopted a nautical theme of “Learning to Lead Together on the High Seas.”
Guder asked folks to place the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) into a larger framework of massive cultural change, a paradigm shift over the last century.
And Guder challenged Presbyterians to think more deeply about how the Western church has abandoned any understanding of mission as the very essence of what it means to be a church.
Guder said the church of today must confront “hard questions, uncomfortable questions, questions we would like to evade” but cannot. Questions, he said, that involve core theological issues, such as, “Who do we think we are as a church of Jesus Christ” and what should be our purpose in the large framework of God’s mission?
From its earliest history, Guder said, the church has used images of the sea, recalling when with followers of Jesus were tossed about in a little boat on rough seas, comforted by knowing that “the Lord of the church is in the boat and it will not sink. … He hears our prayers and he will restore peace and tranquility.”
But the church changed over the centuries, as it grew in wealth and power, Guder said.
The early church had a sense of being “followers of the way,” of being in pilgrimage, of being sent sailing out into the world with Jesus, Guder said. But the magnificent church buildings constructed over the centuries testify to the wealth, permanence, prosperity, and power of the church. The grand naves of cathedrals do not convey a sense of movement, of travel to a far harbor, but a sense “that Christians are in charge. This is our territory. We should be at the center of things, shaping our public life and culture.”
Over the centuries, the Western church has assumed a place of power, has turned to an inward focus on church members and their needs, he said.
What was for the New Testament church at the center of its calling — a sense of being called by God to be witnesses for the gospel in the world — has been marginalized and reduced over the centuries, Guder said. As a result, “mission is the missing theme in Western theologies of the church.”
In calling and equipping disciples to be sent out as apostles, “their purpose was not just the saving of souls,” but the creating of communities of witnesses whose mandate was to continue the apostolic mission, Guder said.
Instead of seeing mission as something Christians did in some other place, or as one activity among many at a church, “mission defines the church,” Guder said. “Because of God’s mission, there is the people of God.”
And God’s chosen people, ever since Abraham, are called to be a “flesh and blood demonstration in the world of God’s healing love,” to show a watching world what the world experiences because there are Christians in it.
“This is not optional,” Guder said. “This is not something we may or may not do. This is who we are and what we are called to do.”
He knows a congregation is beginning to understand that, he said, when people stop talking about picking that church because of what it offers them, and start talking about “this is where God has called me to be.”
Guder’s presentation sparked discussion and many questions.
Some asked about how North American churches can start to change — how Christians can engage with popular culture and yet unmask their own idolatries.Guder responded that “apparently in a lot of us the Holy Spirit is awakening a spirit of repentance,” and that “corporate conversion is possible.”
He encouraged Christians to recognize how captive we are to culture. For example, Guder said, when churches take other churches to court over property disputes, they violate Biblical teachings about the unity of Christ, and they affect the witness they give to the watching world. For the more powerful one to stand with the weaker one, to share the wealth, “is really counter-cultural,” he said.
North Americans who work with the global church, Guder said, will inevitably be asked how wealth is diluting the impact of the Christian message. “We are the diminishing part of world Christianity, but we still have most of the money,” Guder said. Christianity will be profoundly shaped, he said, by the voices of the non-Western church.
Written by Leslie Scanlon, Outlook National Reporter
Sunday, 26 October 2008 00:00
SNOWBIRD, UTAH –—Among Presbyterians, the word “missional” is as popular these days as “awesome” is for teenagers.
“The term ‘missional’ has become a cliché in an astonishingly short period of time,” theologian Darrell Guder told a group of Presbyterian leaders gathered at the Snowbird Resort outside Salt Lake City.
“I see the term ‘missional’ everywhere,” but can’t always determine what those using it mean,” Guder said.
Guder, the dean of academic affairs and Henry Winters Luce Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, was invited to speak to a joint gathering of the General Assembly Council and presbytery and synod executives.
This gathering Sept. 28-30, part of a marathon of meetings of Presbyterian leaders at Snowbird Resort, adopted a nautical theme of “Learning to Lead Together on the High Seas.”
Guder asked folks to place the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) into a larger framework of massive cultural change, a paradigm shift over the last century.
And Guder challenged Presbyterians to think more deeply about how the Western church has abandoned any understanding of mission as the very essence of what it means to be a church.
Guder said the church of today must confront “hard questions, uncomfortable questions, questions we would like to evade” but cannot. Questions, he said, that involve core theological issues, such as, “Who do we think we are as a church of Jesus Christ” and what should be our purpose in the large framework of God’s mission?
From its earliest history, Guder said, the church has used images of the sea, recalling when with followers of Jesus were tossed about in a little boat on rough seas, comforted by knowing that “the Lord of the church is in the boat and it will not sink. … He hears our prayers and he will restore peace and tranquility.”
But the church changed over the centuries, as it grew in wealth and power, Guder said.
The early church had a sense of being “followers of the way,” of being in pilgrimage, of being sent sailing out into the world with Jesus, Guder said. But the magnificent church buildings constructed over the centuries testify to the wealth, permanence, prosperity, and power of the church. The grand naves of cathedrals do not convey a sense of movement, of travel to a far harbor, but a sense “that Christians are in charge. This is our territory. We should be at the center of things, shaping our public life and culture.”
Over the centuries, the Western church has assumed a place of power, has turned to an inward focus on church members and their needs, he said.
What was for the New Testament church at the center of its calling — a sense of being called by God to be witnesses for the gospel in the world — has been marginalized and reduced over the centuries, Guder said. As a result, “mission is the missing theme in Western theologies of the church.”
In calling and equipping disciples to be sent out as apostles, “their purpose was not just the saving of souls,” but the creating of communities of witnesses whose mandate was to continue the apostolic mission, Guder said.
Instead of seeing mission as something Christians did in some other place, or as one activity among many at a church, “mission defines the church,” Guder said. “Because of God’s mission, there is the people of God.”
And God’s chosen people, ever since Abraham, are called to be a “flesh and blood demonstration in the world of God’s healing love,” to show a watching world what the world experiences because there are Christians in it.
“This is not optional,” Guder said. “This is not something we may or may not do. This is who we are and what we are called to do.”
He knows a congregation is beginning to understand that, he said, when people stop talking about picking that church because of what it offers them, and start talking about “this is where God has called me to be.”
Guder’s presentation sparked discussion and many questions.
Some asked about how North American churches can start to change — how Christians can engage with popular culture and yet unmask their own idolatries.Guder responded that “apparently in a lot of us the Holy Spirit is awakening a spirit of repentance,” and that “corporate conversion is possible.”
He encouraged Christians to recognize how captive we are to culture. For example, Guder said, when churches take other churches to court over property disputes, they violate Biblical teachings about the unity of Christ, and they affect the witness they give to the watching world. For the more powerful one to stand with the weaker one, to share the wealth, “is really counter-cultural,” he said.
North Americans who work with the global church, Guder said, will inevitably be asked how wealth is diluting the impact of the Christian message. “We are the diminishing part of world Christianity, but we still have most of the money,” Guder said. Christianity will be profoundly shaped, he said, by the voices of the non-Western church.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Giving What is Due
Giving What is Due
Oct 19, 2008
Matthew 22:15-22
15Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 16So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” 18But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 21They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
I know many of us come on Sunday hoping for a feel good sermon that will side step politics and the hot button issues of the day. Our lesson today does not give us much wiggle room. What you said the T word, taxes ! We have all heard the line, “there are two guarantees in life, death and taxes.” We don’t have much control over when our number is up so we try to focus on at least staving off more taxes.
This is a populist hot button that politicians can’t resist. You don’t
want big government. Let us give you tax breaks to stimulate the economy.
We watch the deficit balloon into the trillions mean while we get our
tax rebates in the mail! This is a short term feel good that will cost us a lot
more in the end. I want to encourage folks to give their rebates to local non
profits that will offset the social services that are lost by looming budget cuts.
Whatever happened to our grandparents advice, “don’t live beyond your means”? We need our depression era elders to point us back to the frugal wisdom they have practiced so well.
When we will get fed up with politicians who seem more concerned with their re-election than our concerns? Worse yet, our voices seem to fall on the deaf ears of elected officials, who are more preoccupied with lining up their retirement plans, cushy seats on corporate boards and lobbyist firms. I’m not singling the Donkeys or the Elephants, this is a prevailing problem on both sides of the aisle. Who are the modern prophets of our day giving voice to the voiceless and the invisible among us? Can they be heard in the midst of all this political machinery?
We have very little control in how we are taxed and what it goes for. There are sacred cows that will always get their share of the feed. Our eyes bulge as we learn what defense contractors charge for hammers and toilet seats. Meanwhile, our soldiers putting their lives on the line do not have the precious armour they need to protect themselves.
We all have to give what is due, to God and Caesar. Are we as faithful to God as we are to Uncle Sam? Don’t worry you will not have the IRS of the church knocking on your door if you do not fulfil your pledge. We pay our taxes because we don’t have a choice.
Are we as faithful to God’s ministry as we are our civic obligations? When we give to church is this our giving back to God, or do we function like shareholders who expect our shares to produce dividends for us.
We all have choices to make with where our philanthropic gifts go. Does our decision depend more on emotion and the glitzy marketing materials than the ministry? Are we supporting as many Presbyterian related ministries as para-church organizations? Is it a matter of who gets to us first? We need to know our mission and vision before we allow emotions and sentiments to drive how we give back to God’s mission.
In recent years, the faith based initiative has raised some eye brows. Our taxes dollars have been underwriting worthy social welfare ministries. The government wants to out source some of these services back to the churches. After all, this has been our historical role to care for the least of among us. Have we been letting the government off the hook for responsibilities that truly belong to them?
Those of us who have worked or lived overseas realize how good we have it here in the US. There are many more safety nets here. Go to Kenya and stand in line for treatment at a government run hospital and you will appreciate your tax dollars at work. When I was there in 2003, they had to call in the police to quell a disturbance after people had waited over 24 hours to be seen in the emergency room.
What many people call “big government” seem to take for granted these services until their life situation changes. Things are different when we need emergency medical care, workman’s compensation or unemployment services. Do we feel that we get the services we need for all the money we see deducted from our paychecks? We want lower taxes and refunds but we also want our bridges to be secure and to see rapid responses when a natural disaster hits our community. We want to hear sirens within minutes after dialling 911.
Many years ago we had a tea party in Boston. People chanted, “No taxation without representation!” Our ancestors resented how the British throne disregarded our concerns. We felt our voices were not heard and our revolution took hold.
The Jews of Jesus’ day also thoroughly resented the head tax that Caesar
placed on his subjects. If you saw the movie Nativity you may recall how much resentment the Jews felt towards the Roman occupation and the head tax they were forced to give. If you could not pay the head tax you forfeited a third of your land, or one of your children was forced to work off your debt in a labor camp. We remember that Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem for Caesar’s census to ensure he was getting all of his head tax.
In our story today, revolution was in the air as people gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. When will our messiah come and deliver from us yet another Egypt? In our gospel lesson, Jesus was dealing with a tough crowd and the Pharisees were keen on trapping him.
The Herodians, Casear’s cronies were listening closely to this rabble rouser who had the audacity to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey!
Who does he think is? the messiah! If he is truly the Messiah then we stand to loose everything. The powers of his day were certainly not going to give up their seats without a fight. It is sad but true that if Jesus came today, people would try to seek to crucify him all over again. We should never blame the Jews for a reality that says more about our common humanity. There will always be forces among us that do want the light of God’s kingdom to be known. They will always be some who stand to lose their power and wealth when we practice our Lord’s prayer, “ on earth as it is in heaven.”
This question about taxes to Casaer was a clever way of pitting Jesus either against the pilgrims longing for freedom and the powers that be who would just love for him to say something that would warrant his arrest for sedition.
Jesus in his infinite wisdom puts it back on them, he asks, whose face is on the coin? Caesar, will then give it back to him. The Herodian rulers were Jewish and they knew they could not have a graven image on the currency. You might remember the money changing tables in the Gentile court. Jesus flipped over these tables because they were exploiting these poor pilgrims who needed to change their currency lest they carry in coins with a graven image on them. The Herdoians were already ticked off at Jesus!
Yes, the Casears of today may require unjust taxes of us. We have little choice but to accept that the IRS will come knocking if we do not give what is due. We have come along way since colonial occupation. Or have we?
Come to the African summit today and ask our brothers and sisters of developing countries if colonialism is over? Far too many people see their natural resources being depleted by transnational corporations. How do these indigenious peoples benefit from these resources coming out of their soil? Are these taxes being imposed on them by our globalized world order? Do they have any say over this? How do they feel represented? Are there American corporations fostering revolutions in other lands as they virtually collect these taxes without any representation? We have too remember our history and where we came from. We tarred and feathered folks for treating us this way.
When we give back to God what is due we enable the church to be the light and salt of Christ in our world. Sometimes people withhold money from the church because something was said that they don’t agree with. We must faithfully give back to God and rise above this temptation of withholding our pledge as a protest vote. If there is a vote at General Assembly that we disagree we must not withhold our mission giving in protest. It’s only God’s mission that suffers in the end. Who are we to micromanage what belongs to God. God’s Spirit leads us in common efforts in spite of the fissures and divisions that exist among us.
We need to be as faithful to God’s mission as we are to Uncle Sam’s coffers. It’s an act of faith to give back to God knowing that our voices will be heard. We are not shareholders in a corporation who can threaten to sell off our shares. As stewards of God’s mission, we can’t function like the ways of the world. We are stewards not shareholders. Our pledge is a faithful response of giving back to God.
I know we often get tax write offs for our charitable contributions. This is a bonus, but we must move beyond this pragmatic incentive. When you place something in the plate today you are not merely funding this congregation’s budget. You are giving back to God and these abundant gifts are shared with all of God’s children.
We give what is due in order for God’s mission to be known in our world. We cannot rely on our leaders in our city halls and capitol buildings to provide for the least among us. We need to keep the lights on so our voice can be known in a world that has lost its way. In these stormy waters we need many of Christ’s lighthouses shining bright to guide folks back to the promised land. We give what is due to God so the light of Christ can shine bright in every land, and along every shore.
Oct 19, 2008
Matthew 22:15-22
15Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 16So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” 18But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 21They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
I know many of us come on Sunday hoping for a feel good sermon that will side step politics and the hot button issues of the day. Our lesson today does not give us much wiggle room. What you said the T word, taxes ! We have all heard the line, “there are two guarantees in life, death and taxes.” We don’t have much control over when our number is up so we try to focus on at least staving off more taxes.
This is a populist hot button that politicians can’t resist. You don’t
want big government. Let us give you tax breaks to stimulate the economy.
We watch the deficit balloon into the trillions mean while we get our
tax rebates in the mail! This is a short term feel good that will cost us a lot
more in the end. I want to encourage folks to give their rebates to local non
profits that will offset the social services that are lost by looming budget cuts.
Whatever happened to our grandparents advice, “don’t live beyond your means”? We need our depression era elders to point us back to the frugal wisdom they have practiced so well.
When we will get fed up with politicians who seem more concerned with their re-election than our concerns? Worse yet, our voices seem to fall on the deaf ears of elected officials, who are more preoccupied with lining up their retirement plans, cushy seats on corporate boards and lobbyist firms. I’m not singling the Donkeys or the Elephants, this is a prevailing problem on both sides of the aisle. Who are the modern prophets of our day giving voice to the voiceless and the invisible among us? Can they be heard in the midst of all this political machinery?
We have very little control in how we are taxed and what it goes for. There are sacred cows that will always get their share of the feed. Our eyes bulge as we learn what defense contractors charge for hammers and toilet seats. Meanwhile, our soldiers putting their lives on the line do not have the precious armour they need to protect themselves.
We all have to give what is due, to God and Caesar. Are we as faithful to God as we are to Uncle Sam? Don’t worry you will not have the IRS of the church knocking on your door if you do not fulfil your pledge. We pay our taxes because we don’t have a choice.
Are we as faithful to God’s ministry as we are our civic obligations? When we give to church is this our giving back to God, or do we function like shareholders who expect our shares to produce dividends for us.
We all have choices to make with where our philanthropic gifts go. Does our decision depend more on emotion and the glitzy marketing materials than the ministry? Are we supporting as many Presbyterian related ministries as para-church organizations? Is it a matter of who gets to us first? We need to know our mission and vision before we allow emotions and sentiments to drive how we give back to God’s mission.
In recent years, the faith based initiative has raised some eye brows. Our taxes dollars have been underwriting worthy social welfare ministries. The government wants to out source some of these services back to the churches. After all, this has been our historical role to care for the least of among us. Have we been letting the government off the hook for responsibilities that truly belong to them?
Those of us who have worked or lived overseas realize how good we have it here in the US. There are many more safety nets here. Go to Kenya and stand in line for treatment at a government run hospital and you will appreciate your tax dollars at work. When I was there in 2003, they had to call in the police to quell a disturbance after people had waited over 24 hours to be seen in the emergency room.
What many people call “big government” seem to take for granted these services until their life situation changes. Things are different when we need emergency medical care, workman’s compensation or unemployment services. Do we feel that we get the services we need for all the money we see deducted from our paychecks? We want lower taxes and refunds but we also want our bridges to be secure and to see rapid responses when a natural disaster hits our community. We want to hear sirens within minutes after dialling 911.
Many years ago we had a tea party in Boston. People chanted, “No taxation without representation!” Our ancestors resented how the British throne disregarded our concerns. We felt our voices were not heard and our revolution took hold.
The Jews of Jesus’ day also thoroughly resented the head tax that Caesar
placed on his subjects. If you saw the movie Nativity you may recall how much resentment the Jews felt towards the Roman occupation and the head tax they were forced to give. If you could not pay the head tax you forfeited a third of your land, or one of your children was forced to work off your debt in a labor camp. We remember that Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem for Caesar’s census to ensure he was getting all of his head tax.
In our story today, revolution was in the air as people gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. When will our messiah come and deliver from us yet another Egypt? In our gospel lesson, Jesus was dealing with a tough crowd and the Pharisees were keen on trapping him.
The Herodians, Casear’s cronies were listening closely to this rabble rouser who had the audacity to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey!
Who does he think is? the messiah! If he is truly the Messiah then we stand to loose everything. The powers of his day were certainly not going to give up their seats without a fight. It is sad but true that if Jesus came today, people would try to seek to crucify him all over again. We should never blame the Jews for a reality that says more about our common humanity. There will always be forces among us that do want the light of God’s kingdom to be known. They will always be some who stand to lose their power and wealth when we practice our Lord’s prayer, “ on earth as it is in heaven.”
This question about taxes to Casaer was a clever way of pitting Jesus either against the pilgrims longing for freedom and the powers that be who would just love for him to say something that would warrant his arrest for sedition.
Jesus in his infinite wisdom puts it back on them, he asks, whose face is on the coin? Caesar, will then give it back to him. The Herodian rulers were Jewish and they knew they could not have a graven image on the currency. You might remember the money changing tables in the Gentile court. Jesus flipped over these tables because they were exploiting these poor pilgrims who needed to change their currency lest they carry in coins with a graven image on them. The Herdoians were already ticked off at Jesus!
Yes, the Casears of today may require unjust taxes of us. We have little choice but to accept that the IRS will come knocking if we do not give what is due. We have come along way since colonial occupation. Or have we?
Come to the African summit today and ask our brothers and sisters of developing countries if colonialism is over? Far too many people see their natural resources being depleted by transnational corporations. How do these indigenious peoples benefit from these resources coming out of their soil? Are these taxes being imposed on them by our globalized world order? Do they have any say over this? How do they feel represented? Are there American corporations fostering revolutions in other lands as they virtually collect these taxes without any representation? We have too remember our history and where we came from. We tarred and feathered folks for treating us this way.
When we give back to God what is due we enable the church to be the light and salt of Christ in our world. Sometimes people withhold money from the church because something was said that they don’t agree with. We must faithfully give back to God and rise above this temptation of withholding our pledge as a protest vote. If there is a vote at General Assembly that we disagree we must not withhold our mission giving in protest. It’s only God’s mission that suffers in the end. Who are we to micromanage what belongs to God. God’s Spirit leads us in common efforts in spite of the fissures and divisions that exist among us.
We need to be as faithful to God’s mission as we are to Uncle Sam’s coffers. It’s an act of faith to give back to God knowing that our voices will be heard. We are not shareholders in a corporation who can threaten to sell off our shares. As stewards of God’s mission, we can’t function like the ways of the world. We are stewards not shareholders. Our pledge is a faithful response of giving back to God.
I know we often get tax write offs for our charitable contributions. This is a bonus, but we must move beyond this pragmatic incentive. When you place something in the plate today you are not merely funding this congregation’s budget. You are giving back to God and these abundant gifts are shared with all of God’s children.
We give what is due in order for God’s mission to be known in our world. We cannot rely on our leaders in our city halls and capitol buildings to provide for the least among us. We need to keep the lights on so our voice can be known in a world that has lost its way. In these stormy waters we need many of Christ’s lighthouses shining bright to guide folks back to the promised land. We give what is due to God so the light of Christ can shine bright in every land, and along every shore.
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