Parakalein

I go into a doctors office for treatment and I know that while all doctors were educated and passed a licensing test not all doctors were created equal.  I see a homeless person and I wonder about the story of his life and how he became homeless.  I realize that not all homeless people are equal.  the idea that we are all equal is quite absurd.  We are born into different families some with advantages some with other advantages.  I realize that what is an advantage in some ways can be a disadvantage in other ways.  There are inequities all around us and to blindly say that there are none and that we are all equal is absurd.

At the same time we all have a right and a responsibility to treat each other and be treated by each other with respect and care and we all have an equal and unalienable right to life, liberty. and pursuit of happiness.  We then have to be stewards of assuring all of God's creation has equal opportunities while we are not created equal.  We are all recipients of a body that we did not select, a family that we did not choose, a socioeconomic status that we did no select, and a religious orientation that was handed to us.

Where we are equal is in our rights to liberty, freedom,  and the pursuit of happiness.  Let us serve to help that become true for more people around us because ]we believe in that principle

I was driving down the highway and saw a bulletin board that announced, "after you die you will meet God".  I wondered the intent of the writer and dispenser.  Does it elicit fear or enhance faith.  I thought of an earlier time in my life when I thought of death and standing before God as a time of judgment.  After death the scripture does tell us there is judgment. "It is appointed to man once to die and after that judgment" (Paul).  I recalled a woman who I visited in the nursing home who had decided that she was ready to die which was upsetting to family and friends who wanted her to stay here on earth with them.  That was really more about them than her.  She said tome with eyes of excitement and anticipation, "I am ready to meet my maker".  I said to her, that I hear that her maker is a really neat person to meet.  We both laughed a laugh of genuine anticipation.

An evangelist once asked me, if you  were to die and go to heaven's gate and God were to ask you why he should let you into his heaven.  What would you say.  I would say, I cannot think of one good reason why you should let me k=into your heaven as I accept your judgment of me as being undeserving of heaven but I also have a part that understands that your heart is open to receiving me into your heaven so I trust in your love for me.

So I would like to amend the billboard for clarity, in honor of this nameless woman whose name is written in heaven.

After you die you will be welcomed by the God whose loving arms welcome everyone!"

Last Sunday we began a discussion group on this book and the topic of Economics and the Christian message.  As I sat listening to the presentations and discussions I mused about the four characteristics of the Puritans ideas on the relationship of economics and spirituality.

Adam Smith views on economic theory was discussed as the proponent of competition as the means of driving a developing economy forward.  The idea is that competition, good and healthy competition causes some to excel because of hard work, industry and initiatives.  However the result of Smith's drivers is to polarize society.   The rich and successful get richer and the losers get poorer and feel more a failure.  Competitions reward for the successful is wealth the punishment for the unsuccessful is mediocrity at best poverty at worse.  I wondered why there was not discussion of John Nash who years later introduced a more cooperative form of economic theory.  It suggested that when people work together for a common good or interest the "working together" drives the economy of everyone for everyone upward.  I sat there wondering why John Nash whose theory is more consistent with my idea of Christianity.  Namely, that which teaches us in  Philippians 2:4, "to look out for the interests of others without neglecting our won self-interests.  Cooperative interest sharing that pays mutually sustainable and sustaining growth in both the economic and social.  Cooperatively and collaboratively working together so together everyone profits is more Christian than a competition based model.  However the very idea that has produced fragmentations and fracturing of churches is that we all compete trying to say and maintain that while God loves everyone, "we are his favorite".  Competition is inherent in cultural Christianity but not in true Christianity.  there cooperation, collaboration and communion over rule the competitive model.  Working together we can make things better.

Perhaps that is the Puritans Gift. Working together pays higher dividends because it nurtures widespread interest.  The ethics of working hard and the ethics of working for everyones betterment are the ethics of the puritans.  Can it be that ethics of Christians in our day.

Cooperation, collaboration, and compassion create the web of and for community.

I received a letter from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Research Center.  I opened the letter that said "Thank You" for raising funds for Fred's Team and Cancer Research.  I love when people say thank you for something I have done.  Don't you!  There are not enough thank you's in our world.  The letter went on to ask for "more money".  I hate that.  They cannot just say thank you.  They have to say thank you can't you give more.  The UCC denomination that I am a part of has a slogan that says, "Do not put a period where God has put a comma".  I would add, "Don't put a comma where God has put a period."

Why can they not just say "Thank YOU" and realize that saying "thank you." would have a greater impact on getting more funds rather than thinking that you have to ask for more or you won't get more.
The power of gratefulness is great!

I love raising money for Cancer Research.  I have been a member of Fred's team since its inception.  I love doing the marathon to raise money for Cancer Research.  But I hate that it is never enough.  There cannot be just a "thank You".  That is not true.  There can be just a thank you but only if when shown gratitude we give as never before.

So put a period after :  "Thank You".  No thank you but, and, so on.

Thank you.

I woke up this morning in a dilemma. My respectful part told me to do one thing and my responsible part told me to do the opposite.  Truth is like that.  It is about being honest about the dilemma in a sense speaking truth from both parts to all other parts of me.  When I make a choice it negates a part of me unless I am honest about both parts of me.

In human interactions whether inside my own head or in relationship with others, truth is elusive.  All human interactions are governed by quadratic truth.  All truth has three other versions of truth that are not addressed or attended to that creates our, less than truthful, culture.

In the laws of motion (Newton) there is clarity of a responsive universe.  For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  Additionally there are auxiliary reactions.  What this means is for every decision and idea there are three other minority opinions that go unvoiced. An illustration is for any issue there are 4 positions of response, reaction, over-reaction, under-reaction.  Bill Moyers has an incredible influence on the issue of truth in his "Speaking truth to Power" program.  There is a crisis of truth in our day.  Speak truth.  What a simple statement.  Don't put a comma where there is a period.  Do you speak truth?  Do I speak truth?

When I resolve my dilemma by choosing one truth is that "my truth" or is it my choice to say no to three other alternatives all of which have value and worth.  Maybe if we could do that with out truth we could treat all people with value and worth as God created them.  All people are God's creation.  All moments of decision call me to be true to all my parts of view and then to live out my decision not just to make a decision but to be truthful about all parts of me that were in play in making that decision.

Make your decision to live in and out of truth from all sides.

I was at a conference a couple days ago and the focus was attempting to find a Biblical Lens on which to base law and policy regarding the control of our borders and the issue of fairness and justice.  While the speaker indicated a difference between cultural lens for policies verses a Biblical lens, no clear definition for Biblical Lens was given.  As I reflected on how the Biblical Lens idea has been used to subjugate and treat people unfairly I mused that we could develop an "Image of God Lens".  The image of God lens would look at all people as created by God with certain inalienable rights: like the pursuit of happiness, liberty and justice.  The border patrol between heaven and earth clearly represents an invitation for all to come and be welcomed but they must accept the terms and conditions of entry.  We are always to remember what it feels like to be un-welcomed and in the spirit of that welcome all people.  The image of God lens treats all people as having equal rights of entry and is fair and just.  The rules and roles of the organizing body must be consistent with the covenant of love and grace available to all.

I was trying to fit through a narrow opening this morning and thought about the "harder for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter heaven" passage.  I thought wow.  I realized that this passage often understood as anti-riches is not about that at all.  Living thinly is not about size or weight it is about baggage excess hurt and pain that we carry that we try to care for by getting things like money popularity etc.  They all get in the way of living on earth as beings live in heaven.  In heaven everyone is free from baggage.  I recalled the story of a rich man who lined his coffin with gold anticipating it s value in heaven.  When he arrived and St Peter asked him why he brought all this stuff with him.  He commented stuff this is gold!  Peter responded yeah I know we use it to pave the streets here in heaven.

Malcolm Gladwell talks about thin slicing as a way to size up people or situations or things.  Maybe we should live "thinly" with the same perspective.

Just saw the posting of an epic failing conference for pastors who love to fail successfully.  Well not exactly.  Fear of failure often has us all stay in our caves or cocoons.  We die there instead of breaking new ground.  this is breaking new ground idea that I applaud.  Way to go!  I look forward to going.

I have been in a deep depression for 18 months following the sudden deaths of my brother (62) and co-visionary in IFS and Christian Truth (52).  I felt a total failure for these 18 months and 4 weeks ago through a series of 7 things in seven days God helped me to see in the darkness of my depression the light.  I did not have to step out of the darkness just notice that while I felt alone and abandoned I was neither alone or abandoned.  He was in the darkness with me.  Ex 20:21.  I am renewed, restored, re-energized, and re-visited.  I have a story to tell.  the story is of God being present with me always even the most when known the least.  The Footsteps Story is changed for me.  There are times that God carries us through things (old version).    There are times when it is our footprints in the sand and we see that He is in us having never left us or forsaken us even in the darkness.  I learned and am learning.

A Day of remembrance and forbearance.   Some say, never forget the attack on NYC.  Other's say, you have to forgive.  The recent warfare of words about the Muslim site at "ground zero" is a good illustration of what forgiveness is and what it is not.

It is not about saying that it was okay that someone murdered intentionally thousands of innocent people.  It is not even about forgetting what happened that day.  Who can forget such a horrible day in human history.  It is about remembering that many people and nations, ethnic and religious groups, people all over earth and through out human history have been the victims and perpetrators of horrific acts.

What the world needs now is not a self-centered love that days, "God bless America" but a compassion toward all people of earth from the pitt of hell that 9/11 reminds us of we can speak God's love for all people.  When we can without prejudice but with open heartedness invite the Muslims and any other religious group and even the atheist group into a place a acceptance and embrace we are practicing the essence of the gospel.  Jesus loved those who loved to hear him and those who killed him.  He embraced the hatred of his enemies with love from and in his heart.  This did not mean he liked it approved and or welcomed it.  It did mean he saw beyond it to the hurt and aching heart of the perpetrator and offered that heart an understanding and compassion that was simply "open hearted".

This indeed will make us vulnerable to abuse and misuse as indeed Jesus received.  It will also open our hearts to understand that our enemies are us not them.  War will only cease when our hearts are not enraged by anger and fueled by fear.  Compassion does not condemn of condone anyone or anything.  Compassion lives the transforming power of love into the heart of the enemy.

9/11 is a call for us to shout, Forgive us our sins and forgive our enemies their sins against us.  It is a call to pray, God bless our World with love and peace.  Help us to live in peace and receive in love all peoples of earth.

This is a video of a sermon preached at the Mass Conference of UCC at which we were delegates.  It was inspiring not just for the content and delivery but for the clarity of what "Welcoming and Affirming" is all about.  Watch, see and learn the heart of the UCC message that "all are welcome" not just in words but in attitudes and actions of its membership.


Sermon from 2010 Mass. Conference Annual Meeting from Mass. Conference UCC on Vimeo.