Affirm, Reflect, Go

This Sunday, we will celebrate the affirmation of baptism for ten ninth-grade students. For these students, this Sunday culminates three years of weekly classes, retreats,and projects. They have written a faith statement, designed a stole, interviewed their parents and a congregational mentor about faith lives and practices, taken a spiritual gifts inventory, and talked with the pastors. Beyond being a rite of passage into the Christian church, this day represents an affirmation of their baptism.

Baptismal promises are one of the most crucial and hopeful aspects of our faith. These promises affirm that we are granted new life in Christ, given the gift of the Holy Spirit, and reminded that the light of Christ dwells in us. Many of these youth were baptized as infants, through the gift of their parents. Now, they are affirming this faith for themselves, claiming it as their own, and accepting the roles and responsibilities of Christian adults.

But the responsibility doesn't end with them. As a congregation, we promise to support and help these youth in their walk of faith, relying on the help of God to do so. We make these promises to all who are baptized in our midst, and again to all who affirm that baptism, whether as youth or adults.

In your prayer/devotional/quiet/down time this week, I invite you to reflect on your own experience of baptismal affirmation, if you have done this. Were you a youth? An adult? Did you have a Bible verse or passage that was meaningful to you at the time? Did you write a statement of faith? What would such a statement look like now? Or what passage would you choose as an adult to represent that which is most dear to you out of our scriptures? Or is this something you would consider doing?

I leave you with a challenge. How is God calling you to support the newly baptized, those who affirm their baptism, and all those gathered in our midst? This is our responsibility, and a sacred promise we make to God and each other.

Wishing you blessings on your week. May you sense that you are loved, and remember that God gives us new life through water and the Spirit. May the light of Christ shine in you today and always. Amen.

Justice Without Prejudice

Earlier this week I wrote about the roadblocks to justice. Today I’m writing about justice itself.

In his book, Forgotten Among the Lilies, Ronald Rolheiser titles his 10^th chapter, ‘The Bosom of God’s Heart is not a Ghetto’. The word ‘ghetto’ has been used to define historic Jewish settlements, urban sections divided by race, economics, and ethnic origins. Looking at places like Sudan and the Middle East, the word ghetto might easily be defined.  Still, I think this word can yet be translated closer to home; to communities where there are homeless, prejudices, economic differences and power struggles.

We often refer to justice as a way of being or acting. And while this is true, I tend to think justice is more about relationships, about how we see and understand our fellow brothers and sisters. Reflecting on the fact that we are all created by one God, would it not follow that we are all brothers and sisters, regardless of our stories, our beliefs, our ethnic or cultural backgrounds, and/or anything else that might make us seem different or separate.

In his writing, Testament of Hope, Martin Luther King says, “What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love."

Each of us has a story, and most of us at one time in our lives have felt hurt or betrayed, either personally or communally. With the variety of widespread injustices in the world, it’s a natural thing to judge a perpetrator and empathize with a recipient. However, when injustice is derived by a previous injustice, regardless of the story, no one wins.

My experience has been, when an injustice has taken place which seems beyond my ability to forgive, I then need to put the one(s) who wounded in God’s hands.  Otherwise my own lens for justice becomes foggy.

Isaiah 1 speaks passionately about human injustice and God’s response. This call for justice is repeated throughout scriptures, in places such as Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and later on as he washes his disciples’ feet.  The necessity of being just, of acting with compassion and mercy towards one another, personally and communally, is God’s command and wish for us as a community. I have found that to be just or to seek justice cannot always be guided by our feelings or preconceived thoughts. Though, I’m pretty sure favorable emotions can come from seeking or receiving justice.

Perhaps practicing justice starts with the person next to us…no judgment, no avoidance, no gossip.                                 

Just as we ask God for grace and mercy, we are in turn being asked to offer the same to one another. What would peace at home and around the world be like?  What would it be like if very adult and child had enough food and shelter? And what would it be like if everyone was treated with dignity and compassion?  Thoughts to reflect on.

Shalom,

Susan

What Do You Mean by Justice?

It seems most folks strive to live or act justly.. Yet seeking justice is a path many folks stumble over. What is it about justice that strikes a chord in many people’s hearts and minds, and at the same time leads many to act unjustly. From listening to people’s stories at home and across the globe, I've found defining what it means to act with justice broad in its interpretation and its outcomes.

For simplicity sake, let’s say to be just is to act fairly with compassion, doing the right thing (hmm) and following God’s lead.  What comes to your mind?   Any of these questions sound familiar?   
Why is there so much injustice in the world?   
And what does doing the ‘right thing’ mean?   
How can we help people in other countries when we can’t manage our own?                                                                                                   
Then where do we go to find a true definition of justice to cover our vast field of human diversity?  

I found myself this week reflecting on verses from the long and quite passionate Book of Isaiah. Isaiah covers much of Israel's history before, during, and after the exile. It also covers a broad range of God's frightening words of judgment and comforting words of promise. While the writings condemn complacency and the failure to act with justice for the poor, Isaiah also portrays God as both a powerful Creator and a Gentle Comforter, something like an earthly mother. This is a God who seeks to restore people who will act with justice for all humankind.

So can we say that true justice is loving, respecting, and treating our neighbors (near and far) as we would ourselves; compassionately, intelligently, with humility, by God’s grace and wisdom.  Then what is it that disables us from living justly?  Through conversations, here are three consistent detours which seem to block the way: fear, the struggle for forgiveness, and apathy.

Some thoughts to reflect on…

Fear: I have found courage to be the act of moving forward in the face of fear. There’s a magnet on my fridge which reads, ‘If you want God to lead, you better move your feet’. Our Creator can be the greatest cheerleader anytime we move through fear or uncertainty.

The Struggle for Forgiveness: Seeking to act justly with lack of forgiveness in our hearts may be a contradiction in itself.  How can we envision a fair outcome for all, where anger or hurt reside? Not an easy road, this is often a repetitive one in many people’s lives. A couple of thoughts come to mind. One we’ve heard before; how do we seek God’s forgiveness if we cannot forgive another. Where we struggle to forgive, just as the Holy Spirit can intercede in our prayers, this same Spirit can be our reliable champion.  Forgiveness can take place!

A second thought to chew on: We’ve heard that to forgive does not mean to forget. Perhaps forgiving also means ‘giving up the hope that the past could be different than it was’. To live with unforgiveness keeps us stuck in the past and can fog our lens when it comes to acting for justice.

Apathy often comes from a sense of entitlement, depression or feeling overwhelmed. One of the most effective means of moving through this wall is to visit or learn about adults or children struggling to stay alive. It can also help to seek out the company of another compassionate person.


More to come on Friday in part 2 of this blog.....

In the meantime, Shalom,

Susan

Just Do It

Play this while you read:

                              http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNCah0r27Tk


That’s the Micah 6:8 bumper sticker. It synthesizes great concepts into a single, easy-to-remember phrase. It’s also the tattoo on my right arm.

I read a young woman’s blog recently who interpreted the “Do Justice” part as her justification for harassing other young women at an abortion clinic. She went so far as to use it to justify violence. Are Micah’s words that trite that they can be used to justify anything we want in the name of justice? Can we self-define what justice is?

Perhaps Micah’s words are not three separate statements, but three questions that must be answered when we struggle with what we should do. Is it Just? Is is Merciful? Am I being Humble to God’s will? Perhaps it is something like the Rotarian 4-Way test – 1) Is it the Truth?, 2) Is it Fair to All concerned?, 3) Will it bring Goodwill, and 4) Will it be Beneficial to All concerned? It’s easy to see Micah echoed in those questions. But there is much more.

If we unpack Micah’s succinct words, there is much more depth and a deceptively simple credo that is MUCH harder to live by.  I am indebted to Bishop Munib Younan’s article in the Ecumenical Review for this bit of exegesis.

Do Justice 

 Mishpat is the Hebrew term for what is legally expected, that is --what rights individuals have as humans created in the image of God. Justice begins with the assumption that all people are created equal. We must recognize the humanity in each and every person. And, this is a command – to DO justice. That means when we see injustice we are called to step in to help rectify it. This is an obligation!

Love Mercy

‘achabat chesed.  The root of the first word means “to burn, kindle, set on fire” – Love as in “have a passion for”. Chesed means kindness or mercy. Kindness might imply merely civility, but Micah puts these two words together to say that this is a passion to go beyond what is expected (see Do Justice!). We are commanded here to do acts of compassion that are undeserved and beyond any expectation of right or repayment. “…give him your cloak as well”.

Walk Humbly with God

Hatznea lecet. Humbly walk.  If you were walking with God by your side through your daily life, your actions would be ethical to the extreme, you would be physically unable to be reckless or self-centered. Your defenses would be down, you’d be vulnerable and consequently open to the needs of everyone around you. You wouldn’t presume to judge anyone. Admitting you were wrong would come naturally -- as would forgiveness for those who wronged you. Again this is in the form of a command. We can’t just sit in our houses and be humble, we have to walk in the world. We are required to engage.

The bumper sticker doesn’t mean “ Oh just be nice to people”, it’s a call to action. To act justly and to speak up about injustices, to love everyone ( no exceptions!) and to be compassionate toward them beyond all obligation, and to engage in the world humbly yet firmly.  This is not an easy task. But it is, as Micah says, “ what the Lord requires of us”.

The three phrases are our test, our touchstone by which we measure how well our faith guides us. And that is why it is the tattoo on my right arm.


Paul S.

THE RISEN CHRIST....GOD'S GRACE, OUR HANDS

God's Call, Our Life

Christ is Risen Indeed!  Hallelujah!   Alive and Ever-Present…….of God and In the World!

Here at English, throughout our community and around the world, this weekend and every year millions of people worship and celebrate our Risen Messiah.   We are forgiven.  We are loved.  We are bound to the Grace and Mercy of God’s Covenant with Us….with You and Me.

I’ve been thinking about Rachel’s blog, calling Christian Adults to be present to our Youth……about Niki’s work and advocacy for our Children….about Cara’s fostering our Small Group’s….and our varied Education offerings.  I recall Pastor Melinda’s Easter message from last year about living as if we are resurrected in Christ, and Pastor Mark’s message this year about Christ’s call for us to live in community….to be God’s hands in the world.  

We have the choice to be Christ-like with one another…..to live our lives and mark our footprints as if our lives and the steps we take really matter.  We have the choice to do this with Grace and Humility.  

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We have the choice to shout out ‘Christ Has Risen Indeed'; as if God’s Gifts of Mercy, Grace and Love are alive in the ordinary every day steps of our lives.   We have the choice to be a Light to all our brothers and sisters in the midst of our hurting, hungry world. 

We have the choice to live our faith as a Thank You Card to God for this Gift of Love, Grace and Mercy….to be the Light God intended us to be in the very beginning. 

God’s Work, Our Hands.  Here and around the world, I pray we learn from one another, leaving judgment to God, living and reaching out in faith. May the Resurrected Christ Abide In Us. Amen.

Shalom (trans.:  May God Watch Between You and Me Until We Meet Again)

Susan

WAITING.....LONGING FOR LIGHT

                                           

                                        I encourage you to listen to this entire song.

Waiting.   You and I live in a society that dislikes waiting…waiting in line, waiting for the light to turn green, waiting for ‘my turn’, waiting for the weekend, waiting for some results, or an answered prayer. Just waiting for more, and as the waiting continues we may tend to grow impatient.  Sound familiar?

During one childhood summer, as we travelled by bus to our destination, the camp counselor would lead us in song so we wouldn’t grow impatient while waiting to arrive.  Moving forward, last week  a man ushered me, with my 3 items, to move ahead of him in a grocery story line.  He doesn’t like waiting in line and thought he’d offer me this kindness.

Okay... let’s enlarge our scope from waiting for immediate desires, to waiting in fear and uncertainty, waiting amidst the devastation of tornados, floods, or loss, waiting in darkness;  looking for hope. Any of this sound familiar and/or depressing?  News reports, natural disasters and the chapters of one’s life has and will usher many people through these dark passages.  

Please don’t turn away.  I ask you to wait with me and read on.

One night earlier this winter, while working at a local shelter, a homeless couple asked me if I would pray for them.  Two single people, who had met while homeless, each working, holding onto hope for a better future.  Waiting in the midst of their uncertainty and the ruins of their past circumstances. Determined not to let their despair define their future, they sought to hold unto this Light they still saw in the midst of their darkness. They come to mind now as I reflect on what it means to wait….to not let go of hope…..to know even when we don’t see Light, it is still present. 

During the Passover Meal, as Jesus commanded his disciples to share the bread and wine, always, and in remembrance of him, he knew what was about to take place. Jesus knew he would be crucified. He knew he would be taking on all of our sins, all the ways we deny God’s commandments in our lives. He knew at that time no one understood. And he knew he would have to wait through the ridicule and torture thrust upon him.  Lastly, he knew the disciples and women would be waiting for something to come afterwards.  Longing for hope, lost in despair.

The God who formed you and I in the beginning, who still cries, angers, laughs.. and who died for us…..IS HERE.  No More Waiting Without hope. No More Waiting Without Light. 

As you remember Jesus' Crucifixion on this Good Friday, I pray you can sense this Deep and Eternal Love God holds for You. As you Wait for the Easter Vigil and Christ's Resurrection, I pray you will know through all the daily chapters of your life, God is ever-present for You  God’s Love and Light is and will remain alive in all the seasons of your waiting.

Amen.

Susan

Mandatum Novum

Mandatum Novum

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. – John 13:34

Some years ago, there was a series of flapdoodles about statues of the 10 Commandments that featured many reddened faces screaming at each other.

Today there is much media about a “War on Religion” which shares the same features.

Somehow all the well-meaning people on both sides of issues seem to have forgotten the New Commandment. Perhaps the prescription for remedying all the vitriol would be to have the participants wash each other’s feet before they spoke.

Washing someone’s feet is an intensely intimate act. It acknowledges the pain and grime that each of us encounters during each day. It brings us to our knees to remind us to be humble. It forces us see the human-ness of each person. It reminds us that the best leaders are the ones who serve.

What would happen to diplomatic negotiations, bargaining sessions, legislative hearings, political talk shows and presidential debates if, before anyone opened their mouth, they had to wash the feet of a colleague with whom they disagreed? 

After all, Jesus washed the feet of the one who betrayed him.

How hard could it be to wash the feet with someone who just sees things differently? Yeah. Pretty hard. But that’s what we have been commanded to do. The New Commandment may be the hardest one to follow because we need to check our ego. We need to let go of the luxuries of anger, self-righteousness, I-Know-Better-Than-You and all the rest.

 What we gain by this letting go, this kenosis – when we help others, when we “wash their feet” figuratively and literally, our own souls are cleansed as well.

When we gird ourselves for our daily battles, we should be sure to carry our towel and basin.

“And by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35

Origen’s Prayer by Matt Wright

Here as a slave, you sit at my feet and you pour

Make me holy

This is the way to fellowship, sweet, that endures

This and this only

To ask such a thing is more than too bold

But I need you too much to refuse

Wash my feet, Lord, wash away

It’s clear with each footstep that what I need is less of me

Wash away

Wash my feet, Lord, wash away

The stains from my footsteps, ‘til all they see is you in me

Wash Away

Wash Away