Howard's Sermons and Article Clippings.

Howard's Sermons and Article Clippings.

About Me

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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

Homily for the Lynn Scantlin Memorial Service

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.”

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.