BEYOND JOHN WAYNE
My interest in Native Americans began with John Wayne in the movie "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon". He played a near retired cavalry Colonel Nathan Brittles, riding out on one last campaign to settle down a tribe of Indians. Then came the television series, "Rin Tin Tin" with the dog, a boy, and Lt. Rip Masters, riding around trying to keep the peace while demanding the Indians "know their place."
Then came college. As a student at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota, I became active in a group who spent weekends on the Neegonee and White Earth Indian Reservations in north central Minnesota. I worked not with savages who needed to be tamed, but a people in poverty, stripped of culture and dignity.
Over time as camp director for 17 years, I developed ministries with the Native American people on the Upper and Lower Sioux Reservations in Minnesota, The Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, and Pine Ridge in South Dakota. At Sky Ranch, we were fortunate to have a Native American on our camp board, Joe Brown Thunder, who taught us the power and grace of the Talking Circle. We developed an area called Villore', consisting of tee pee poles from South Dakota, poles used as part of a Columbus Day demonstration of genocide on the Augustana College campus in Sioux Falls. In Villore' we told a part of the tragic story of this near annihilation of a people. Villore' means: Village of Reconciliation. Also, thanks to the efforts of a staff member, Erik Evenson, we developed an area of camp known as Oyateyamni, meaning "One Circle People".
And now, I am working with a great group of people concerned about Native American justice. We are part of the Joint Peace with Justice Committee of the two Twin Cities ELCA synods. Recently, we sponsored a Council of Conversation, bringing together Native American and White leaders. The purpose: TO GIVE VOICE TO ISSUES OF JUSTICE AND INJUSTICE WITHIN THE NATIVE AMERICAN AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES.
The theological foundations opening the council were: ""Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream", Amos; "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied", Jesus; "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for we all are one in Jesus Christ", Paul.
The Council of Conversation focused on the areas of: ISSUES, SOLUTIONS, PRIORITIES, and ACTION. The methodology followed the Talking Circle or Talking Feather style: people sitting around a table, one person talks for a couple of minutes with no interruption or discussion, then the next, until all have spoken, uninterrupted. The focus was on the dignity of every one's voice being heard and valued.
What did we learn? ISSUES: About 50 were mentioned, with the dominant being poverty, racism, tribal council corruption, the need to learn the history of the people and what happened, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, the need for education, equal justice under the law, and sovereignty.
SOLUTIONS: Learn the truth of what is happening, de-colonization, education, work with people already in the trenches, deal with corruption in tribal councils, fair allocation of casino money, fair employment practices on reservations, economic development on reservations, getting beyond POW feeling on reservations, fair wages for casino workers, teach truthful history, nurture spirituality.
PRIORITIES: Poverty, education, addressing tribal government, nurturing healthy people, directed funding, insuring genuine democracy.
ACTIONS: Develop grass roots leadership, form action team, have conversations on reservations to give more people voice, begin addressing PRIORITIES.
I recall two strong comments that seem to crystallize the morning: 1) When asked what happens to all the money generated by the casinos? Jim Randolph, former Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals said, "You don't want to know."; 2) After a passionate plea, during which Curtis said, "I've had enough of seeing my people die", he said, "Truth is the new hate speech."
It was heartening that of the 25 people attending, 50% of us agreed to sit on the ACTION TEAM. Now the real work begins.
I am grateful to people who have helped me move beyond John Wayne.
Blessings and Peace!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
Holy Week Ethics
Holy Week is about costly grace. Implied within the grace is the ethic. If one desires to understand the character of Christian discipleship, the events of Holy Week are seminal. Initiated by Jesus, Christ's actions serve as models for the actions of obedient followers.
The Gospel of Luke is most appropriate for laying open Holy Week ethics, because it is the most socially conscious, justice oriented Gospel. Furthermore, Luke is the dominant Biblical source for Liberation Theology, the theology which stresses social justice and societal transformation.
PALM SUNDAY: Some call this moment Passion Sunday, preferring to read the texts covering the events forthcoming: the cleansing of the Temple, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday. However, Palm Sunday needs to stand by itself. On Palm Sunday, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, not a stallion. A donkey is a humble symbol, of an animal used by the common people for carrying loads and transportation, kind of like a pick-up truck or a car. Roman generals and political figures rode on stallions to trumpet their power and prestige, with a tinge of fearful respect. Not Jesus. The message is "I am with you. I enter your life. I share your burdens. I understand the common life."
Jesus confronts the politically and religiously powerful on Palm Sunday. Jesus does not avoid the powers. Jesus accepts conflict as part of his faithfulness. Jerusalem is the center of religious and political power. He has come to transform these powers with the power of love. He is not afraid. He stands up for reforming the world. Jesus enters the maw of the world. It is like MLK, Jr. going to Washington, DC with a message of freedom, or Gandhi walking to the sea to pick-up a pinch of salt in defiance of unjust laws. Jesus is not silent. Jesus has courage. What situations beg my courage? What places demand a visit from me? Am I willing to accept conflict as part of my witness? What people and places do I avoid, but which beg my response?
JESUS CLEANSES THE TEMPLE: Just as Luther believed the church needed reforming, so did Jesus believe the Temple needed reform. Jesus directly confronted the religious elite and their practices. The Kingdom of God is not about buying and selling your way into God's favor. It is not about having levels of holiness. It is not about specified holy places reserved for the professional holy men. On the contrary, the Kingdom of God is about what Christ has done for us, about all people being welcome and included, about loving God and your neighbor, about all people being part of the priesthood of all believers, about holiness being God's gift for everyone, about all people being created in the Image of God, about equality before God. Jesus came to reform and transform our relationship with God. Jesus confronted the religious leadership and challenged long-standing religious practices with a new message of grace and welcome. There are no more forbidden places in the Kingdom, no more hierarchy. We are ONE. How can I be a reformer? What needs to be said to our church leaders? What beliefs and practices of our Church need reforming? What or whom do I need to denounce? What or who needs my critical words? How do I feel about being critical? Am I an instrument of change? How can I become God's instrument for renewal?
PAYING TAXES: The religious elite try to manipulate Jesus into making a political error that would justify his being arrested and tried for breaking the tax laws. They wanted to send the I.R.S after him for tax evasion! Jesus' response? A degree of taxation is appropriate for the functions of the state, and so is generosity to the poor, to the specific ministry of the church. Share your wealth for the common good and the furtherance of the Kingdom of God, and do not try to hoard all earnings for your own pleasures and needs. Look outward to support wider responsibilities and needs. Jesus linked the purpose of government with the building of the Kingdom of God. Government has its proper place. Yet, Jesus also stressed our personal giving on behalf of Christ's ministry through the church, through each of us. What can I say and do about our nation's tax code? What is a fair tax? What constitutes a "just budget"? How can I hold the government accountable for who my/our tax money is spent?
THE WIDOW'S OFFERING: Jesus praises the generosity of the poor widow, contrasting her giving with the proportionally less giving of the wealthy. If you have more, give more. Be generous for the sake of the common good, that all may have enough. Wealth is for the good of all. Hoarding and greed are anathema to God and destructive to life. Do I tithe? How generous am I? How generous is our congregation?
MAUNDY THURSDAY: A time of service. Jesus washes the feet of the disciples and gives us the Lord's Supper. Jesus touches the dirtiest parts of the body. The leader, the teacher, the preacher, the healer, the one whom people have come to see and hear, is now, again, the servant to the least parts. Then, the ultimate gift of himself in the bread and wine: "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sin." Gifts. For us. For life. For love. Servant. No shame. All of us are worthy of grace. How can we serve? Who are the poor in our midst? How can I serve my family? Is my comfort zone too comfortable? Is it time to break out of my comfort zone?
THE BETRAYAL: The soldiers come to Gethsemane to arrest Jesus. One of the disciples takes his sword and cuts off the ear of one of the high priest's slaves. Jesus says, "No more of this." "[And Jesus] touched his ear and healed him." The Kingdom of God, the Reign of God is not about inflicting violence upon others, but accepting violence onto oneself. How do I inflict violence? What do I need to change? Is my Christian witness violent? How violent are my thoughts, words, and deeds? Do I need Christ's healing of my heart?
THE ARREST OF JESUS: Have I ever been arrested for my witness? Is it about time to break the law? Do I do enough to be arrested?
JESUS BEFORE THE COUNCIL, PILATE, AND HEROD: If I were brought before religious and political leaders because of my criticism of some of their policies, what would I say? Pick a policy that would be counter the religious and political status quo. How would I defend my position? Would I remain silent and let the chips fall where they fall? When is it time to keep silent before authority, and when is it time to shout? Who are the councils, the Pilates, the Herods of today? What would I say to them?
GOOD FRIDAY: Death is good because it is not the end, only the door to life. Jesus giving his life for us. Our substitute. I will take your place! I will take your sin! I will forgive you even before you ask! I will welcome you into the Kingdom of God, simply because I love you. Your burdens and past will not exile you from my Kingdom. Be not afraid of death. As I give myself for you, now you give yourself for others, for me. For whom, for what, will I give my life? Is my life faithfully purposeful? Am I willing to incur the wrath of authority and suffer the consequences? Am I willing to be crucified for Christ's sake? I willing to forgive those who would do me harm? Who do I need to forgive?
Holy Week is about costly grace. Implied within the grace is the ethic. Jesus' actions are vivid examples, models of God's love for us. We can learn "how to" lessons of discipleship, ask deeper questions from Christ's most Holy Week, and be inspired to "do likewise." Yet, underlying the practical modelling, is the greatness and gentleness of grace. Discipleship is not easy. It is this grace that frees us to faithful, obedient living. It is God's grace in Jesus through the Holy Spirit that guides and provides. It is out of this grace that the Christ ethic bursts forth through each of us in surprisingly fresh ways, yielding to each day being one of endless days of endless Holy Weeks, making painfully real the Kingdom, the Reign of God.
Blessings and Peace!
Ron
The Gospel of Luke is most appropriate for laying open Holy Week ethics, because it is the most socially conscious, justice oriented Gospel. Furthermore, Luke is the dominant Biblical source for Liberation Theology, the theology which stresses social justice and societal transformation.
PALM SUNDAY: Some call this moment Passion Sunday, preferring to read the texts covering the events forthcoming: the cleansing of the Temple, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday. However, Palm Sunday needs to stand by itself. On Palm Sunday, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, not a stallion. A donkey is a humble symbol, of an animal used by the common people for carrying loads and transportation, kind of like a pick-up truck or a car. Roman generals and political figures rode on stallions to trumpet their power and prestige, with a tinge of fearful respect. Not Jesus. The message is "I am with you. I enter your life. I share your burdens. I understand the common life."
Jesus confronts the politically and religiously powerful on Palm Sunday. Jesus does not avoid the powers. Jesus accepts conflict as part of his faithfulness. Jerusalem is the center of religious and political power. He has come to transform these powers with the power of love. He is not afraid. He stands up for reforming the world. Jesus enters the maw of the world. It is like MLK, Jr. going to Washington, DC with a message of freedom, or Gandhi walking to the sea to pick-up a pinch of salt in defiance of unjust laws. Jesus is not silent. Jesus has courage. What situations beg my courage? What places demand a visit from me? Am I willing to accept conflict as part of my witness? What people and places do I avoid, but which beg my response?
JESUS CLEANSES THE TEMPLE: Just as Luther believed the church needed reforming, so did Jesus believe the Temple needed reform. Jesus directly confronted the religious elite and their practices. The Kingdom of God is not about buying and selling your way into God's favor. It is not about having levels of holiness. It is not about specified holy places reserved for the professional holy men. On the contrary, the Kingdom of God is about what Christ has done for us, about all people being welcome and included, about loving God and your neighbor, about all people being part of the priesthood of all believers, about holiness being God's gift for everyone, about all people being created in the Image of God, about equality before God. Jesus came to reform and transform our relationship with God. Jesus confronted the religious leadership and challenged long-standing religious practices with a new message of grace and welcome. There are no more forbidden places in the Kingdom, no more hierarchy. We are ONE. How can I be a reformer? What needs to be said to our church leaders? What beliefs and practices of our Church need reforming? What or whom do I need to denounce? What or who needs my critical words? How do I feel about being critical? Am I an instrument of change? How can I become God's instrument for renewal?
PAYING TAXES: The religious elite try to manipulate Jesus into making a political error that would justify his being arrested and tried for breaking the tax laws. They wanted to send the I.R.S after him for tax evasion! Jesus' response? A degree of taxation is appropriate for the functions of the state, and so is generosity to the poor, to the specific ministry of the church. Share your wealth for the common good and the furtherance of the Kingdom of God, and do not try to hoard all earnings for your own pleasures and needs. Look outward to support wider responsibilities and needs. Jesus linked the purpose of government with the building of the Kingdom of God. Government has its proper place. Yet, Jesus also stressed our personal giving on behalf of Christ's ministry through the church, through each of us. What can I say and do about our nation's tax code? What is a fair tax? What constitutes a "just budget"? How can I hold the government accountable for who my/our tax money is spent?
THE WIDOW'S OFFERING: Jesus praises the generosity of the poor widow, contrasting her giving with the proportionally less giving of the wealthy. If you have more, give more. Be generous for the sake of the common good, that all may have enough. Wealth is for the good of all. Hoarding and greed are anathema to God and destructive to life. Do I tithe? How generous am I? How generous is our congregation?
MAUNDY THURSDAY: A time of service. Jesus washes the feet of the disciples and gives us the Lord's Supper. Jesus touches the dirtiest parts of the body. The leader, the teacher, the preacher, the healer, the one whom people have come to see and hear, is now, again, the servant to the least parts. Then, the ultimate gift of himself in the bread and wine: "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sin." Gifts. For us. For life. For love. Servant. No shame. All of us are worthy of grace. How can we serve? Who are the poor in our midst? How can I serve my family? Is my comfort zone too comfortable? Is it time to break out of my comfort zone?
THE BETRAYAL: The soldiers come to Gethsemane to arrest Jesus. One of the disciples takes his sword and cuts off the ear of one of the high priest's slaves. Jesus says, "No more of this." "[And Jesus] touched his ear and healed him." The Kingdom of God, the Reign of God is not about inflicting violence upon others, but accepting violence onto oneself. How do I inflict violence? What do I need to change? Is my Christian witness violent? How violent are my thoughts, words, and deeds? Do I need Christ's healing of my heart?
THE ARREST OF JESUS: Have I ever been arrested for my witness? Is it about time to break the law? Do I do enough to be arrested?
JESUS BEFORE THE COUNCIL, PILATE, AND HEROD: If I were brought before religious and political leaders because of my criticism of some of their policies, what would I say? Pick a policy that would be counter the religious and political status quo. How would I defend my position? Would I remain silent and let the chips fall where they fall? When is it time to keep silent before authority, and when is it time to shout? Who are the councils, the Pilates, the Herods of today? What would I say to them?
GOOD FRIDAY: Death is good because it is not the end, only the door to life. Jesus giving his life for us. Our substitute. I will take your place! I will take your sin! I will forgive you even before you ask! I will welcome you into the Kingdom of God, simply because I love you. Your burdens and past will not exile you from my Kingdom. Be not afraid of death. As I give myself for you, now you give yourself for others, for me. For whom, for what, will I give my life? Is my life faithfully purposeful? Am I willing to incur the wrath of authority and suffer the consequences? Am I willing to be crucified for Christ's sake? I willing to forgive those who would do me harm? Who do I need to forgive?
Holy Week is about costly grace. Implied within the grace is the ethic. Jesus' actions are vivid examples, models of God's love for us. We can learn "how to" lessons of discipleship, ask deeper questions from Christ's most Holy Week, and be inspired to "do likewise." Yet, underlying the practical modelling, is the greatness and gentleness of grace. Discipleship is not easy. It is this grace that frees us to faithful, obedient living. It is God's grace in Jesus through the Holy Spirit that guides and provides. It is out of this grace that the Christ ethic bursts forth through each of us in surprisingly fresh ways, yielding to each day being one of endless days of endless Holy Weeks, making painfully real the Kingdom, the Reign of God.
Blessings and Peace!
Ron
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