Linda and I just returned from an 18 day European adventure. We traveled to: Iceland, England, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Montenegro, Italy, and France. We like to mix our journeys between beauty and local, cultural, conversational, historical inter-actions. We are believers in the axiom: "Don't tell me how much education you have. Tell me where you have traveled", (or something like that). Why is travel important?
WE ARE NOT THE ONLY PEA IN THE POD. Instead of dealing in dollars you deal with the euro, the kroner, kuna and the pound. You deal with driving on the left side instead of the right. The music is different. The language is different. The politics are different. religious practices are different. The traveler must always deal with new systems and make adjustments. The world is a metaphor for the Body of Christ. Yet, we are all in the same pod even though we are different peas!
WE DISCOVER OUR COMMON HUMANITY. People work, have families, have fun, do holidays, buy things, go grocery shopping, depend on transportation, worship, rely on political structures, sit in parks and picnic, eat and drink together at sidewalk cafes, play chess and backgammon in public. In Komarovsky's classic phrase from "Dr. Zhivago": "We're all made of the same clay, you know!"
WE SHARE OUR STORIES: Story-telling is not lecture time. Stories are life's connecting links. Stories are the coffee, beer, and tea times in the Munich Hofbrauhaus, the Cafe' Maggots in Paris, the seaside restaurant in Vernazza, and lunch over looking the bridge at Mostar. We listen, we share, we connect. The owner of a Croatian B&B tells of his multi-year effort to build his own establishment, not taking out a loan, but building when he had the money, and then explaining how he fishes and sells the produce to a local eatery. The English engineer tells how he works with our science and pentagon people to prevent or respond to a nuclear terrorist attack. The University of Texas political science professor who tells us that Barbara Jordan is one of her heroes who opened the door for her as an African-American female to teach at the university, and the joy she felt when telling us that the U of T has commissioned a statue of Barbara Jordan on campus, the first ever statue of anybody on the campus. Stories are the great human connectors of life.
WE EXPERIENCE DEATH AND RESURRECTION. Linda and I have visited eight concentration camps. We have walked the beaches of Normany and been silenced by the Allied and German cemetaries. We have seen the destroyed buildings in Mostar. We have seen buildings riddled with bullet holes and a museum dedicated to the "200 Defenders of Dubrovnik". We have traveled the filthy waters of the Venice canals. Yet we have also seen a rebuilt Dubrovnik, a rebuilt bridge at Mostar, a rebuilt London. We have heard the stories of how Muslims, Orthodox, and Romans Catholic folks are living together peacefully in Bosnia-Hercegovina after Serbian aggression divided their living patterns. All nations struggle. All nations can rebuild.
WE EXPERIENCE A COMMON EARTH. The lush fields of France and England hold no second fiddle to our American farm lands. The Plitvice National Park in Croatia is a true gem of God's creation. The Dalmatian Coast is stunning with its clear water and convenient harbors. Lake Bled in Slovenia is an intimate Eden. Clear, clean water.
WE EXPERIENCE GREAT ART AND SCULPTURE. There are the Michaelangelos, the Rembrandts, the Monets, the Hals, and countless more creations. One is struck by the patience, the skill, the sensitivity it takes to create a work of art. It is also revealing that artists are not actively killing people or maiming the earth, even though their expressions may inspire such actions. Art expresses our inner passions, our hiddenness yearning to break free. We can realize that each of us has art within, passions within, yearnings within.
WE REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF POLITICS. I am bullish on democracy! I think there is a reason why the Western nations are generally more progressive and concerned about human rights than oppressive systems. Yes, we realize that all systems have their "warts", but there are more creative systems in place within a democracy to deal effectively with needed changes. I also think European style socialism with a good mix of capitalism is a more humane governing system. National Socialism, Fascism, Communism are not the dominant political forms within Europe today. The Balkan War of the 1990s put an end to regional dictatorship and the Balkan nations are emerging with democratic governments. Do we have the humility to learn from each other? Politics is meant to be a force for good. Power to the people!
WE REALIZE THAT GOD LOVES THE WORLD. For me, John 3:16 comes alive through travel. God's grace connects us as brothers and sisters. This means we need to work together to take care of each other and our precious earth. No one is superior. No one has a lock on wisdom. We are all one family.
Rick Steves, a good ELCA guy and the best travel man in the world, says travel changed his politics to one that is more humane, more committed to a social contract, more justice for all people, rather than supporting a system where everyone can do anything to succeed as long as it is good for them. He is a staunch supporter of PBS, NPR, and Bread for the World, and has done historical pieces on Luther and Paul for the ELCA. He concludes his travel pieces by saying: "Keep on traveling"! I think it is a great idea!
Peace!
Ron
Monday, June 14, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Come to the Table
Let's hear it for tables! I have been intrigued by the idea that the table should be the symbol for the Christian church instead of the cross. After all, if you were to bring the cross symbol up to date, why not show a gurney, or rifle, or electric chair, or gallows, or.... Would not a table be more relational, conversational, collegial, friendly, family centered?
Consider the Lord's Supper. We speak of coming to the "Table of the Lord". The altar is a "table" upon which the communion elements are placed, the liturgical book is opened, the sacramental candles shine. Communion, forgiveness of sins, community. Top that! And ALL are welcome! How's that for new concept? Eating and drinking together are church staples. Who would deny the tastiness of a pot luck? There are receptions for funerals, weddings, anniversaries, and groups. Then there is the work of the secretaries, financial stewards, teachers, students young and old, volunteers, and pastors. Remove the tables and life would be less, church would be less.
And there is more. Let's look at table as metaphor. Table is about "we". Remember during the Vietnam War when peace talks were trying to get underway? There was considerable discussion about the shape of the table. Eventually the table shape was decided to everyone's satisfaction, and eventually a peace deal was signed. How about the United Nations? Yes, I know, talk but no action. Too often true. Yet we cannot forget the successful work to stop the genocide in Bosnia, nor the humanitarian work throughout the world, nor the peacekeeping efforts in many countries, nor the always possible action by the member countries, nor that it is the one place in the world where all countries can dialogue, peacefully. There is a common table for all. There is always hope when people gather to talk. Talking is always preferable to shooting.
In the recent CHRISTIAN CENTURY, Miroslav Volf wrote an article entitled "Body Counts". He reviewed some of history's bloody Christian-caused history. You know, "In the name of Jesus Christ we go to war to save civilization". He writes: "...the scale of violence committed by Christians throughout history is mind-numbing". True. My response is that the message of Jesus Christ was prostituted, betrayed by a brew of ego, nationalism, and ideology. Don't blame Jesus for our actions.
But there is more. Volf tells the story of Ottoman armies led by sultan Mehmed II in 1453, brutally sacking Constantinople, the center of Eastern Christendom. Rome was next. The Europeans and the Western church had a choice: organize a crusade or engage in a dialogue. Pope Pius II pressed for the first option, and cardinal Nicolas of Cusa, the pope's friend and a Cardinal, pressed for the dialogue option. Why did Nicolas choose dialogue? According to Volf, Nicolas had a friend, John of Segovia, who knew Islam and Muslims. John said "...war could never solve the issue between Christendom and Islam". Nicolas' view won the day. Volf concludes: "What explains Western ascendency over the past six centuries is not the power of guns, but the power of ideas forged in vigorous dialogue". Table talk.
I dare say that families are held together more by what happens around the supper table and the Lord's Table than any other place. It is there that conversation happens and relationships are nurtured. Indeed, in our fast-paced world, eating and drinking together around a table is the best time for respite and reconciliation. I think of the times Linda and I have sat at a sidewalk cafe in Paris, the family gatherings at home, and the tables at church, to realize the power of table talk.
I suggest we sit and drink a latte' while munching a salad! And talk. Cry. Laugh. I think we'd have a better, more peaceful world. Come to the table.
Peace!
Ron
Consider the Lord's Supper. We speak of coming to the "Table of the Lord". The altar is a "table" upon which the communion elements are placed, the liturgical book is opened, the sacramental candles shine. Communion, forgiveness of sins, community. Top that! And ALL are welcome! How's that for new concept? Eating and drinking together are church staples. Who would deny the tastiness of a pot luck? There are receptions for funerals, weddings, anniversaries, and groups. Then there is the work of the secretaries, financial stewards, teachers, students young and old, volunteers, and pastors. Remove the tables and life would be less, church would be less.
And there is more. Let's look at table as metaphor. Table is about "we". Remember during the Vietnam War when peace talks were trying to get underway? There was considerable discussion about the shape of the table. Eventually the table shape was decided to everyone's satisfaction, and eventually a peace deal was signed. How about the United Nations? Yes, I know, talk but no action. Too often true. Yet we cannot forget the successful work to stop the genocide in Bosnia, nor the humanitarian work throughout the world, nor the peacekeeping efforts in many countries, nor the always possible action by the member countries, nor that it is the one place in the world where all countries can dialogue, peacefully. There is a common table for all. There is always hope when people gather to talk. Talking is always preferable to shooting.
In the recent CHRISTIAN CENTURY, Miroslav Volf wrote an article entitled "Body Counts". He reviewed some of history's bloody Christian-caused history. You know, "In the name of Jesus Christ we go to war to save civilization". He writes: "...the scale of violence committed by Christians throughout history is mind-numbing". True. My response is that the message of Jesus Christ was prostituted, betrayed by a brew of ego, nationalism, and ideology. Don't blame Jesus for our actions.
But there is more. Volf tells the story of Ottoman armies led by sultan Mehmed II in 1453, brutally sacking Constantinople, the center of Eastern Christendom. Rome was next. The Europeans and the Western church had a choice: organize a crusade or engage in a dialogue. Pope Pius II pressed for the first option, and cardinal Nicolas of Cusa, the pope's friend and a Cardinal, pressed for the dialogue option. Why did Nicolas choose dialogue? According to Volf, Nicolas had a friend, John of Segovia, who knew Islam and Muslims. John said "...war could never solve the issue between Christendom and Islam". Nicolas' view won the day. Volf concludes: "What explains Western ascendency over the past six centuries is not the power of guns, but the power of ideas forged in vigorous dialogue". Table talk.
I dare say that families are held together more by what happens around the supper table and the Lord's Table than any other place. It is there that conversation happens and relationships are nurtured. Indeed, in our fast-paced world, eating and drinking together around a table is the best time for respite and reconciliation. I think of the times Linda and I have sat at a sidewalk cafe in Paris, the family gatherings at home, and the tables at church, to realize the power of table talk.
I suggest we sit and drink a latte' while munching a salad! And talk. Cry. Laugh. I think we'd have a better, more peaceful world. Come to the table.
Peace!
Ron
Saturday, March 27, 2010
The Price of Powerlessness
There is a price for powerlessness. The price is anger and hatred. Such is the state of America. Unemployment, foreclosures, high interest rates, depleted savings, a government that seems insensitive, a huge state and national indebtedness, personal debt, CEOs walking away with huge bonuses for driving their companies into the red or causing the financial meltdown, and.... People feel powerless.
So they start buying guns and clearing out ammunition shelves. Walking through the sporting goods section of a Fleet Farm store a while back, I checked the gun section and saw something I had never seen before: empty ammunition shelves. Then I read that gun sales are going out of sight! The SPLC reports that Nativist Anti-Immigration groups have increased 80% this past year, and patriot groups increased by 300% in the same time period since the Age of Obama.
Then there are the Tea Party folks. They are overwhelmingly White, evangelical Christians, and less educated than the average joe six-pack. And we must not forget Sarah Palin. Yes, here she is again. She shouts "We are the party of 'Hell no'!. She posts vulnerable candidates on a map of the Unite States and uses gun sights to indicate the states, and shouts "Reload"!
This is the 1960s redux. The significant difference is that it is the White population doing the marching. It is they who are feeling marginalized. The White power brokers have now taken to eating their own and people are realizing they have been had. It is not simply a question of Black vs. White, or Hispanic vs. White, but White on White. It is not supposed to be this way! So, let's revolt. Toss the tea into the bay! Don't tread on me!
It doesn't matter that 32 million more people will be able to have better access to health care, or that an insurance company cannot cast us off because of pre-conditions or because we get sick while on a policy, or that the "doughnut hole" has been significantly filled, or.... What matters is the old White power guard has been shaken and they are scared.
In this atmosphere of fear, violence erupts. The blame game is played. Blame the politicians who try to include the excluded, blame the other race, blame the illegal immigrant, blame the CEO, blame the liberal church. Lash out, curse, spit upon, throw bricks through windows, make threatening phone calls, cheer on the Glenn Becks of the world, salivate while listening to Sarah, lock and load.
The church needs faithful courage. We have a message of love and peace and justice. We have an opportunity to bring people together, to value points of view, to preach and teach nonviolence and common rights for all. We have a Christ who proclaimed liberty and justice for all. The Christ who came to do a new thing for all. The Christ who lived and died and rose to reconcile us to God and to each other. Jesus is riding into Jerusalem to confront the twin powers of the established religion and oppressive imperial power, not with violence, but with love.
Perhaps the hidden grace within powerlessness is the transforming grace of the power of love. Indeed, powerlessness may open us to practicing the true power that changes the world: the love of God, the Christ.
Peace!
Ron
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Sarah Palin for President!
Shocking isn't it! Yet, if the political landscape doesn't significantly change, she will be our next president. Why? Several reasons.
1) She is beautiful. Her jaw is strong, her lips are full, her figure slender and fit, her hair full and stylish, her smile broad, her fashion chic, her glasses stylish. We are a visual culture. We are addicted to a Hollywood presence, to surface qualities. Studies reinforce the power of the visual, the influence of the pleasingly beautiful. All things being equal outside of physical attractiveness, who gets the job? Who gets paid more? Yes, there are exceptions, thankfully, but in this political climate we are not necessarily seeking brainpower, but gut power, native power, power that pleases. She plays to the superficial with her physical presence. Hence, beauty power. Palin has it in spades. Palin for President 2012!
2) Media savvy. She knows how to play to the camera. She seems to sense when she is "on". She doesn't overexpose herself. Her public moves are carefully controlled. She has learned to talk only in a restricted, crowd friendly environment, speaking only when she commands attention by the audience. No more Katie Couric interviews. Do you think she will appear with Chris Matthews? Rachel Maddow? Keith Olberman? Big Ed? No, her fare is the soft audience, the book tour, the tight world of the tea partiers. And be sure to restrict the liberal press. Palin for President 2012.
3) Palin is folksy. Her grasp of English is "diner friendly". She will not talk above the average folk. She can tell moose hunting stories with the best of them. Shooting moose from an airplane? Ya, I've done that! Catching fish with a huge net? Been there! Supporting the local turkey farmer who is wringing their necks in the background as she expounds her wisdom. Sure, I've done that! Hockey mom? You betcha'! Mother of a mentally challenged child? I love my baby, and I didn't abort either. I respect all human life! And I can see Russia from my window! Palin for President 2012!
4) Her angry, populist message. Her message is "I'm one of you. We need freedom! We need to take control our lives and not let Washington take away our country. We know what is best for America! Leave us alone! Don't take our money in taxes! Just let us have what we have earned and we'll be alright. We will keep our guns, thank you! Don't tread on me! Terrorists? Give them to us and we'll give them as much justice as they gave our God-fearing men and women on 9-11. Human rights? We have them and don't even think of taking them away. We give everyone their rights as long as they agree with us! Drill, baby, drill! Burn that coal because we have enough of it here in the good ol' USA! Jobs? We'll just stop corporations from going overseas and paying cheaper wages. We need to take care of ourselves first. Foreign aid? We need to take care of ourselves because we are in deep do-do. International cooperation and the United Nations? Only on our terms because we are America, the land of the free, the home of the brave, the Christian light to the world. And so on, and on, and on.... Palin for President 2012!
Do not underestimate Palin Power. Underestimate her at our peril. She taps into the visceral anger within our nation. Indeed, her power is anarchic and fascist. Democracy is at stake. The Constitution is on the edge. And now she has the Supreme Court behind her with the passage of a destructive campaign finance law giving more power to the corporations and less to the people.
The clock is ticking for President Obama, the Democrats, and all Constitution-loving Americans. We are at a crossroads. The Wasilla Tiger prowls!
Peace!
Ron
1) She is beautiful. Her jaw is strong, her lips are full, her figure slender and fit, her hair full and stylish, her smile broad, her fashion chic, her glasses stylish. We are a visual culture. We are addicted to a Hollywood presence, to surface qualities. Studies reinforce the power of the visual, the influence of the pleasingly beautiful. All things being equal outside of physical attractiveness, who gets the job? Who gets paid more? Yes, there are exceptions, thankfully, but in this political climate we are not necessarily seeking brainpower, but gut power, native power, power that pleases. She plays to the superficial with her physical presence. Hence, beauty power. Palin has it in spades. Palin for President 2012!
2) Media savvy. She knows how to play to the camera. She seems to sense when she is "on". She doesn't overexpose herself. Her public moves are carefully controlled. She has learned to talk only in a restricted, crowd friendly environment, speaking only when she commands attention by the audience. No more Katie Couric interviews. Do you think she will appear with Chris Matthews? Rachel Maddow? Keith Olberman? Big Ed? No, her fare is the soft audience, the book tour, the tight world of the tea partiers. And be sure to restrict the liberal press. Palin for President 2012.
3) Palin is folksy. Her grasp of English is "diner friendly". She will not talk above the average folk. She can tell moose hunting stories with the best of them. Shooting moose from an airplane? Ya, I've done that! Catching fish with a huge net? Been there! Supporting the local turkey farmer who is wringing their necks in the background as she expounds her wisdom. Sure, I've done that! Hockey mom? You betcha'! Mother of a mentally challenged child? I love my baby, and I didn't abort either. I respect all human life! And I can see Russia from my window! Palin for President 2012!
4) Her angry, populist message. Her message is "I'm one of you. We need freedom! We need to take control our lives and not let Washington take away our country. We know what is best for America! Leave us alone! Don't take our money in taxes! Just let us have what we have earned and we'll be alright. We will keep our guns, thank you! Don't tread on me! Terrorists? Give them to us and we'll give them as much justice as they gave our God-fearing men and women on 9-11. Human rights? We have them and don't even think of taking them away. We give everyone their rights as long as they agree with us! Drill, baby, drill! Burn that coal because we have enough of it here in the good ol' USA! Jobs? We'll just stop corporations from going overseas and paying cheaper wages. We need to take care of ourselves first. Foreign aid? We need to take care of ourselves because we are in deep do-do. International cooperation and the United Nations? Only on our terms because we are America, the land of the free, the home of the brave, the Christian light to the world. And so on, and on, and on.... Palin for President 2012!
Do not underestimate Palin Power. Underestimate her at our peril. She taps into the visceral anger within our nation. Indeed, her power is anarchic and fascist. Democracy is at stake. The Constitution is on the edge. And now she has the Supreme Court behind her with the passage of a destructive campaign finance law giving more power to the corporations and less to the people.
The clock is ticking for President Obama, the Democrats, and all Constitution-loving Americans. We are at a crossroads. The Wasilla Tiger prowls!
Peace!
Ron
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Engaging the Growing Edges
The Transition Team met last evening. The team consists of nine diverse members of the congregation where I am the lead interim pastor. The final outcome of this interim time is the calling of a new pastor. However, there is more, just as important work that needs to be done.
The "biggie" surfaced last evening. Analyzing the data from the latest survey, it was clear that working for peace and justice, entering the political realm, engaging crucial, edgy social justice issues as a natural part of congregational life, was the weakest "commitment" area of eight possible commitments. This was a definite "growing edge".
The congregation's story is familiar. We have never done this before. Lutherans don't do this. It is too controversial. It is too divisive.
Yet, we kept talking. I spoke of the major and minor prophets, how they addressed issues of injustice and called the People of God to account. I spoke of Jesus and the last judgment verses in Matthew 25. I spoke of Germany in the Nazi Era, and how the church, for the most part, went belly up. Interestingly, a member of the team spoke of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
We talked about ways to engage issues so that an "Us vs. Them" dynamic is lessened. We agreed there are healthy and unhealthy ways to have a justice conversation. We talked about making sure all points of view are part of the conversation, that there is a fairness doctrine where all points of view are respected. In all of this conversation, I began to notice a "thaw" in resistance. We were talking and listening, honoring each others' perspectives, accepting our fears.
This conversation was part of a larger conversation labeled "Beyond the Walls". BTW is a piece of the interim process where community leaders are invited in to address the issues their organizations face. These issues may become areas where the members of the congregation may be challenged to respond out of Christian concern. The message is: congregations are called to be intentional about addressing commuity issues.
Sunday evening, a group gathered in the parsonage for what we call "Fireside". People bring something to eat and drink, we sing, we pray, we chat, we engage issues of the time, we talk about what it means to be the church in this time and place. What ensued was a long, honest conversation about sexuality, homosexuality, calling a gay pastor, calling two gay pastors living in a committed relationship, you catch the drift. We talked Bible, the prophets, Lutheran theology. We talked and listened. We took the time to be together and risk being honest. Again, there was a softening.
Our congregation is helping lead a major food sharing effort called "Feed My Starving Children". The community will come together to pack 100,000 bags of food, much of which will go to Haiti. It will take $17,000 and 500 volunteers. No problem. The volunteers will show up and the money will arrive. Charity and generosity are alive and well! The church and community are partners in love.
But now there is the next step: asking the question "Why are people hungry?" This is perhaps the most difficult, yet it is the other side of the coin. The test of the church is to ask the question, answer it, and respond. It is like a comment I read a while back. "You can give the hungry a fish and they will live for a day. You can teach the people how to fish and they can support themselves. But you must also ask the question, 'Who owns the pond?'".
Now to risk engaging the growing edges.
Peace!
Ron
The "biggie" surfaced last evening. Analyzing the data from the latest survey, it was clear that working for peace and justice, entering the political realm, engaging crucial, edgy social justice issues as a natural part of congregational life, was the weakest "commitment" area of eight possible commitments. This was a definite "growing edge".
The congregation's story is familiar. We have never done this before. Lutherans don't do this. It is too controversial. It is too divisive.
Yet, we kept talking. I spoke of the major and minor prophets, how they addressed issues of injustice and called the People of God to account. I spoke of Jesus and the last judgment verses in Matthew 25. I spoke of Germany in the Nazi Era, and how the church, for the most part, went belly up. Interestingly, a member of the team spoke of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
We talked about ways to engage issues so that an "Us vs. Them" dynamic is lessened. We agreed there are healthy and unhealthy ways to have a justice conversation. We talked about making sure all points of view are part of the conversation, that there is a fairness doctrine where all points of view are respected. In all of this conversation, I began to notice a "thaw" in resistance. We were talking and listening, honoring each others' perspectives, accepting our fears.
This conversation was part of a larger conversation labeled "Beyond the Walls". BTW is a piece of the interim process where community leaders are invited in to address the issues their organizations face. These issues may become areas where the members of the congregation may be challenged to respond out of Christian concern. The message is: congregations are called to be intentional about addressing commuity issues.
Sunday evening, a group gathered in the parsonage for what we call "Fireside". People bring something to eat and drink, we sing, we pray, we chat, we engage issues of the time, we talk about what it means to be the church in this time and place. What ensued was a long, honest conversation about sexuality, homosexuality, calling a gay pastor, calling two gay pastors living in a committed relationship, you catch the drift. We talked Bible, the prophets, Lutheran theology. We talked and listened. We took the time to be together and risk being honest. Again, there was a softening.
Our congregation is helping lead a major food sharing effort called "Feed My Starving Children". The community will come together to pack 100,000 bags of food, much of which will go to Haiti. It will take $17,000 and 500 volunteers. No problem. The volunteers will show up and the money will arrive. Charity and generosity are alive and well! The church and community are partners in love.
But now there is the next step: asking the question "Why are people hungry?" This is perhaps the most difficult, yet it is the other side of the coin. The test of the church is to ask the question, answer it, and respond. It is like a comment I read a while back. "You can give the hungry a fish and they will live for a day. You can teach the people how to fish and they can support themselves. But you must also ask the question, 'Who owns the pond?'".
Now to risk engaging the growing edges.
Peace!
Ron
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
A Committed Life-A Report Card
Towards the end of his life, Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "I just want to leave a committed life behind". A young woman told me about her boyfriend, plaintively, pleadingly, and somewhat impatiently: "I'm looking for a ring"! She had been going with the young man for over three years. It seems she was looking for a high level of commitment! Then the song with the line: "What am I living for, if not for you"?
What are my commitments? What are focused commitments for the Christian? What commitments are worth the ultimate price? A man in our Tuesday morning Bible study put it this way: "There is a price to pay when you set your jaw".
In my work as interim pastor, through research and experience, I have formulated "The Fine Nine" characteristics of a committed life for personal and congregational renewal. Each person in the congregation is asked to take the inventory. I share it with you. For each category, give yourself a number: 1 is low, 5 is high.
CONNECTION: I socialize with others, friends, and neighbors: 1 2 3 4 5
FAMILY: I spend time beyond quality time, contributing to the nurturing of our
family: 1 2 3 4 5
WORSHIP: I worship as part of a congregation: 1 2 3 4 5
LEARNING: I read, study, educate myself: 1 2 3 4 5
WITNESSING: I bear public witness of my faith, inviting others to worship, to be part
of a faithful community: 1 2 3 4 5
VOLUNTEERING: I share my time to serve others: 1 2 3 4 5
CHARITY: I give money and goods to help the poor: 1 2 3 4 5
PEACE AND JUSTICE: I address the structures creating injustice and stirring violence,
by marching, writing letters, joining social change groups, being
part of a movement: 1 2 3 4 5
PHYSICAL EXERCISE: I regularly exercise, work out: 1 2 3 4 5
The character of our commitments reveal the quality of our lives. To all of us who are trying to live a Christian life, a bit of inventory and introspection may be helpful. I recall Paul in his letter to the Philippians: "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling"! Uffda! Sounds like commitment and reflection.
By the way, I am still working on my numbers!
Peace!
Ron
What are my commitments? What are focused commitments for the Christian? What commitments are worth the ultimate price? A man in our Tuesday morning Bible study put it this way: "There is a price to pay when you set your jaw".
In my work as interim pastor, through research and experience, I have formulated "The Fine Nine" characteristics of a committed life for personal and congregational renewal. Each person in the congregation is asked to take the inventory. I share it with you. For each category, give yourself a number: 1 is low, 5 is high.
CONNECTION: I socialize with others, friends, and neighbors: 1 2 3 4 5
FAMILY: I spend time beyond quality time, contributing to the nurturing of our
family: 1 2 3 4 5
WORSHIP: I worship as part of a congregation: 1 2 3 4 5
LEARNING: I read, study, educate myself: 1 2 3 4 5
WITNESSING: I bear public witness of my faith, inviting others to worship, to be part
of a faithful community: 1 2 3 4 5
VOLUNTEERING: I share my time to serve others: 1 2 3 4 5
CHARITY: I give money and goods to help the poor: 1 2 3 4 5
PEACE AND JUSTICE: I address the structures creating injustice and stirring violence,
by marching, writing letters, joining social change groups, being
part of a movement: 1 2 3 4 5
PHYSICAL EXERCISE: I regularly exercise, work out: 1 2 3 4 5
The character of our commitments reveal the quality of our lives. To all of us who are trying to live a Christian life, a bit of inventory and introspection may be helpful. I recall Paul in his letter to the Philippians: "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling"! Uffda! Sounds like commitment and reflection.
By the way, I am still working on my numbers!
Peace!
Ron
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Jeremiah 2010!
New Years Eve. The world needs hope. We need Jeremiah 2010! Some commentators are calling the first decade of this millenium one of the worst in American history. I would add this past year has been filled with more disappointment than expected.
First the worst. 1) A stolen election in 2000 and the inappropriate intervention of the U.S. Supreme Court which should have turned the process back to the Florida Supreme Court; 2) The invasion of Iraq, based upon a blind will to war and doctored intelligence; 3) Tax refunds of surplus funds and tax cuts which benefitted the upper upper classes the most and punished the middle and lower classes; 4) The failure to capture Bin Laden and premature pull-out in Afghanistan, both which led to the present surge into this "Graveyard of Empires"; 5) Inadequate regulatory efforts leading to the recession; 6) Greedy and risky bank mortgage loan practices; 7) Abuse of the Constitution, twisting its intention to justify torture and invasion of privacy; 8) The rich getting super rich and the middle and lower classes getting poorer; 9) Lack of prosecution of those who violated the Constitution; 10) There must be more! Let us count the ways!
Disappointments. 1) In too many instances, Obama's action failing to match his soaring rhetoric, particularly relating to his backing off from the public option and making a sell-out deal with the pharmaceutical companies which will cost the taxpayer more out of pocket expense; 2) Bailing out banks without getting them to sign-on to tough loan practices and adhering to restrictions on certain high risk transactions; 3) Favoring Wall Street over Main Street. There should have been funding for both; 4) Weak response to creating jobs and funding infrastructure projects; 5) Hiring Summers and Geithner to guide the economic recovery when their past actions helped create the problems we are sinking into; 6) Inadequate legal guarantees for detainees. Each needs to be given the right to habaeus corpus rights and prompt trials; 7) Inadequate regulatory reform actions, giving the banks and Wall Street too much freedom to engage in the practices that created this economic mess in the first place; 8) No significant help for people losing their homes due to mortgage defaults; 9) Inadequate jobs creation efforts; 10) Inadequate reigning in of corporate bonuses and salaries; 11) Lack of political courage to adopt a progressive environmental policy; 12) Troop surge in Afghanistan and seeming failure to make strict expectations of the Karzai government, with a tougher exit policy; 13) Timidity in getting into the health care fray, not insisting on a more progressive bill (he needs to be more Bush and LBJ like); 14) Failure to close Gitmo; 15) Democratic majorities buckling under corporate pressures, leading to a disjointed response to solutions; 16) The unjust power of corporations buying influence which hurts the American people. The increasing rise of an oligarchy; 17) The rise of Sarah Palin as a potential "answer" to all of our problems. Scary thought!; 18) Failure to adequately address GLBT issues; 19) Could there be more?
Hopes. The disappointments are corrected.
In fairness to President Obama, he inherited a huge banquet of problems, but he is the main man responsible for the solutions. Also,he inherited a convoluted system which needs straightening. Furthermore, to his credit, he has begun to address many issues, and working with such a polarized Congress makes dramatic change difficult. I commend him for seeking to expand the scope of health care.
President Obama and the entire Washington leadership need our prayers, letters, phone calls, emails, and presence to demand righteousness for all. Especially we within the Colorado Confession, because I think we understand these issues enough to faithfully and intelligently address some aspects of the problems and posit solutions. We can take heart in Jeremiah's words in Chapter 31:7-14, when he speaks words of grace to a people in exile: "I will gather them [from exile],....I will let them walk by brooks of water,....I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and give them gladness for sorrow".
Hope abounds! Hopeful New Year!
Peace!
Ron
First the worst. 1) A stolen election in 2000 and the inappropriate intervention of the U.S. Supreme Court which should have turned the process back to the Florida Supreme Court; 2) The invasion of Iraq, based upon a blind will to war and doctored intelligence; 3) Tax refunds of surplus funds and tax cuts which benefitted the upper upper classes the most and punished the middle and lower classes; 4) The failure to capture Bin Laden and premature pull-out in Afghanistan, both which led to the present surge into this "Graveyard of Empires"; 5) Inadequate regulatory efforts leading to the recession; 6) Greedy and risky bank mortgage loan practices; 7) Abuse of the Constitution, twisting its intention to justify torture and invasion of privacy; 8) The rich getting super rich and the middle and lower classes getting poorer; 9) Lack of prosecution of those who violated the Constitution; 10) There must be more! Let us count the ways!
Disappointments. 1) In too many instances, Obama's action failing to match his soaring rhetoric, particularly relating to his backing off from the public option and making a sell-out deal with the pharmaceutical companies which will cost the taxpayer more out of pocket expense; 2) Bailing out banks without getting them to sign-on to tough loan practices and adhering to restrictions on certain high risk transactions; 3) Favoring Wall Street over Main Street. There should have been funding for both; 4) Weak response to creating jobs and funding infrastructure projects; 5) Hiring Summers and Geithner to guide the economic recovery when their past actions helped create the problems we are sinking into; 6) Inadequate legal guarantees for detainees. Each needs to be given the right to habaeus corpus rights and prompt trials; 7) Inadequate regulatory reform actions, giving the banks and Wall Street too much freedom to engage in the practices that created this economic mess in the first place; 8) No significant help for people losing their homes due to mortgage defaults; 9) Inadequate jobs creation efforts; 10) Inadequate reigning in of corporate bonuses and salaries; 11) Lack of political courage to adopt a progressive environmental policy; 12) Troop surge in Afghanistan and seeming failure to make strict expectations of the Karzai government, with a tougher exit policy; 13) Timidity in getting into the health care fray, not insisting on a more progressive bill (he needs to be more Bush and LBJ like); 14) Failure to close Gitmo; 15) Democratic majorities buckling under corporate pressures, leading to a disjointed response to solutions; 16) The unjust power of corporations buying influence which hurts the American people. The increasing rise of an oligarchy; 17) The rise of Sarah Palin as a potential "answer" to all of our problems. Scary thought!; 18) Failure to adequately address GLBT issues; 19) Could there be more?
Hopes. The disappointments are corrected.
In fairness to President Obama, he inherited a huge banquet of problems, but he is the main man responsible for the solutions. Also,he inherited a convoluted system which needs straightening. Furthermore, to his credit, he has begun to address many issues, and working with such a polarized Congress makes dramatic change difficult. I commend him for seeking to expand the scope of health care.
President Obama and the entire Washington leadership need our prayers, letters, phone calls, emails, and presence to demand righteousness for all. Especially we within the Colorado Confession, because I think we understand these issues enough to faithfully and intelligently address some aspects of the problems and posit solutions. We can take heart in Jeremiah's words in Chapter 31:7-14, when he speaks words of grace to a people in exile: "I will gather them [from exile],....I will let them walk by brooks of water,....I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and give them gladness for sorrow".
Hope abounds! Hopeful New Year!
Peace!
Ron
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