It would be easy to criticize the U.S. Catholic bishops for the actions involving them in the health-care debate. I doubt that Jesus would approve of the use of lobbyists to forward His Gospel message. And yet, as a pastor in the United Church of Christ, if I point a finger at the Catholic Church for this, there are "three fingers pointing back at me". The UCC is well-known for taking positions on any number of issues.
Am I being critical of the actions taken or am I critical of the stance itself?
Religious leaders have a duty to raise concerns about the moral implications surrounding any number of issues. However, the role of religious leaders in government policymaking should be as the “prophetic voice” and not as the “coercive arm”. There is a fine line between speaking "with authority" as an "agent of Christ" and speaking or acting in ways that abuse the power of that role.
My husband and I have taken care not to abuse the power that comes from being the only pastors living and preaching in a town of 330 people. During last year's elections, while some may have suspected who we intended to vote for, only our children knew for sure. On the other hand, when there is an opportunity to preach and teach "progressive ideas" like: peace, the responsibility to care for Creation, or the worth of all people as part of God's Creation, we believe it is our duty to "speak the truth in love", as is pledged during the ordination service of the United Church of Christ.
Others, often at the level of denominations or organizations, have used more aggressive approaches. The Catholic bishops in this instance may have "pushed the envelope", but they did it legally. The same is true, just barely, of actions taken by other religious organizations and their leaders.
When one of my colleagues, both a UCC minister and a state representative, ran for re-election several years ago, a group affiliated with, but "separate from", one of the large conservative Christian organizations launched an aggressive campaign to try to ensure his defeat. Letters were mailed out to thousands of constituents, filled with half-truths about his voting record, and condemning his association with the United Church of Christ and for having performed ceremonies to bless same-sex unions, both supported and expected by his congregation.
This was "legal" because the group that pays for such activities is separate from the religious ministry, and funded by individual contributions earmarked for such. The leader who founded both organizations holds no standing in any denomination, but make no mistake, he is a "religious leader" in this nation. Perhaps if he held standing somewhere, he might be held to a "higher code".
Religious leaders, at least those in my denomination, are bound by promises made at ordination to preach and teach the gospel “without fear or favor” and to “speak the truth in love.” I would imagine the promises are similar in the Catholic church.
In the Christian faith, we look to Jesus as a model of religious leadership. Jesus had relatively little to say about the political leadership and policies of the day. “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what is God’s”. Still, when one considers that the daily lives of the Jews were governed more by religious law than Roman, one sees that Jesus did, indeed, speak out against injustices and in support of God’s love.
As a pastor, I have the duty and honor to speak out against injustice and in favor of God’s love.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Suffer the Little Children
I just returned home from my daughter's middle school. I've been there many times before... ball games, chaperoning field trips, accompanying the choirs and bands. But this time was different. This time, I was one of about 12 counselors, pastors and teachers, trying to help these young students answer the unanswerable "why?" Sometimes I listened, sometimes I gave little insights into how grief "works", sometimes I just sat with them as they held one another and cried.
There is no answer for them. There is no sense to be made of a senseless situation. One of them realized aloud, "You don't expect it be your classmate. A 90-year-old, yes, but not your classmate."
Another complained about the rumors that had already begun to surface. Yet another said she lived down the street and wondered if she would ever get the images of the flashing lights... the door being broken down... the screaming... out of her head.
My own daughter told another student that she has heard so many stories now, she doesn't really care to know "what really happened".
The reasons don't matter much anyway. Knowing what happened won't turn back the clock. I would imagine his parents are pointing fingers of blame at themselves and each other, or will be, when the shock wears off. That won't help much, either. Perhaps they could have done things differently, but perhaps they, like other parents, were "doing their best".
Jesus said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God." (Mark 10:14)
I heard more than one statement from adults in my community that "a child shouldn't have worries that big!" They are right. A child should not have to suffer. But they do. Sadly, they do. Whether their problems are real-- and some of them are-- or imagined, there are many youth who do not have adequate support systems in place to deal with those problems.
Peer pressure, eating disorders, homework, teasing... My generation faced those problems, too. But my generation was more likely to have caring neighbors, stay-at-home moms, or grandparents who lived close by to help us get through our struggles. My generation was more likely to have someone... anyone... monitoring our activities after school and on weekends. My generation was more likely to have more of what the Search Institute calls the "40 Developmental Assets".
The more assets a child has from that list, the less likely they are to be troubled or "trouble-makers." Those assets include things such as:
· families that are supportive, communicate well and stay involved in their children's lives.
· caring neighborhoods and schools.
· a feeling that their community values youth.
· three or more non-parent adults with whom the youth have relationships.
· encouragement from family and teachers.
· a feeling of safety at home, school and in the community.
· opportunities to serve in the community, as well as to just be a part of it.
· clear boundaries from parents, school officials and neighbors
Those of us who are parents, as well as those who work with or care about the youth in their churches and communities can learn something from the tragedy that took me to the school today. Children can and do have problems that are so huge to them that they cannot imagine a way out of them. Whatever else we may do, we must listen to them. We must talk with them. We must build relationships with them. We must help them to trust as many adults in their lives as is possible.
We must, must, MUST "suffer" the children to come... hopefully, to Christ, but at the very least to us, so that the children are not the ones to suffer.
There is no answer for them. There is no sense to be made of a senseless situation. One of them realized aloud, "You don't expect it be your classmate. A 90-year-old, yes, but not your classmate."
Another complained about the rumors that had already begun to surface. Yet another said she lived down the street and wondered if she would ever get the images of the flashing lights... the door being broken down... the screaming... out of her head.
My own daughter told another student that she has heard so many stories now, she doesn't really care to know "what really happened".
The reasons don't matter much anyway. Knowing what happened won't turn back the clock. I would imagine his parents are pointing fingers of blame at themselves and each other, or will be, when the shock wears off. That won't help much, either. Perhaps they could have done things differently, but perhaps they, like other parents, were "doing their best".
Jesus said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God." (Mark 10:14)
I heard more than one statement from adults in my community that "a child shouldn't have worries that big!" They are right. A child should not have to suffer. But they do. Sadly, they do. Whether their problems are real-- and some of them are-- or imagined, there are many youth who do not have adequate support systems in place to deal with those problems.
Peer pressure, eating disorders, homework, teasing... My generation faced those problems, too. But my generation was more likely to have caring neighbors, stay-at-home moms, or grandparents who lived close by to help us get through our struggles. My generation was more likely to have someone... anyone... monitoring our activities after school and on weekends. My generation was more likely to have more of what the Search Institute calls the "40 Developmental Assets".
The more assets a child has from that list, the less likely they are to be troubled or "trouble-makers." Those assets include things such as:
· families that are supportive, communicate well and stay involved in their children's lives.
· caring neighborhoods and schools.
· a feeling that their community values youth.
· three or more non-parent adults with whom the youth have relationships.
· encouragement from family and teachers.
· a feeling of safety at home, school and in the community.
· opportunities to serve in the community, as well as to just be a part of it.
· clear boundaries from parents, school officials and neighbors
Those of us who are parents, as well as those who work with or care about the youth in their churches and communities can learn something from the tragedy that took me to the school today. Children can and do have problems that are so huge to them that they cannot imagine a way out of them. Whatever else we may do, we must listen to them. We must talk with them. We must build relationships with them. We must help them to trust as many adults in their lives as is possible.
We must, must, MUST "suffer" the children to come... hopefully, to Christ, but at the very least to us, so that the children are not the ones to suffer.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Walking the Via Dolorosa with Mary
I've been thinking about a classmate's observation about the character of Mary as portrayed in Mel Gibson's movie, 'The Passion of Christ". My classmate noted that his observation that "the mother can endure and nearly be indifferent to so much suffering also" was a bit unnerving. It made me pause because I didn't seen her in the this way when I watched the movie.
My husband and I discussed that, for both of us, the scene where Mary follows her son down the "Via Dolorosa"... shocked and helpless to do anything to stop what she is witnessing... with Satan matching her, step for step on the other side of the street... is the ONLY part of the movie that we resonate with.
It's how it has often been for us with our oldest son, as we watched him carry his own crosses, carefully crafted by his abusive birth parents, weighed down by his mental illnesses, sometimes driven by evil to act out and sabotage his future... all the while, we're anything BUT indifferent to his suffering. And equally helpless to stop what we are witnessing.
The movie came out shortly after our son had to be removed from our home to protect our other children. He refused the treatment that would have allowed him to stay in the home. Helpless to stop him from decisions that led to his placement in a juvenile detention setting, we grieved our powerlessness.
I cried through that whole scene, and it had nothing to do with the bloodied Jesus-- I was already numb to that thanks to Mel's violence. It was Mary I cried with, and myself I cried for.
As a Protestant, I have grown up keeping a "healthy distance" from the mother of Christ. Now that I am a mother, I find her quite comforting to have around from time to time.
My husband and I discussed that, for both of us, the scene where Mary follows her son down the "Via Dolorosa"... shocked and helpless to do anything to stop what she is witnessing... with Satan matching her, step for step on the other side of the street... is the ONLY part of the movie that we resonate with.
It's how it has often been for us with our oldest son, as we watched him carry his own crosses, carefully crafted by his abusive birth parents, weighed down by his mental illnesses, sometimes driven by evil to act out and sabotage his future... all the while, we're anything BUT indifferent to his suffering. And equally helpless to stop what we are witnessing.
The movie came out shortly after our son had to be removed from our home to protect our other children. He refused the treatment that would have allowed him to stay in the home. Helpless to stop him from decisions that led to his placement in a juvenile detention setting, we grieved our powerlessness.
I cried through that whole scene, and it had nothing to do with the bloodied Jesus-- I was already numb to that thanks to Mel's violence. It was Mary I cried with, and myself I cried for.
As a Protestant, I have grown up keeping a "healthy distance" from the mother of Christ. Now that I am a mother, I find her quite comforting to have around from time to time.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Jesus Would Insist Upon a Separation of Church and State
Dorothy Okray, on her website of church resources, poses a question for those of us preaching this coming week on "Christ the King" Sunday. Citing the corruption which took control of the Church in the Middle Ages, when the Christianity became the religion "of the state", resulting in a number of autrocities, including regrettably, the "Crusades" and the "Inquisition", Ms. Okray wonders:
"Do you dare preach about the corruption of power in the Christian Church... teaching its past...revealing the sins of the present? In fact, do you preach about the too familiar problem of the desire for power within the local churches? Remember, you can't fix a problem until acknowledge there is one. Think about it."
"Do you dare preach about the corruption of power in the Christian Church... teaching its past...revealing the sins of the present? In fact, do you preach about the too familiar problem of the desire for power within the local churches? Remember, you can't fix a problem until acknowledge there is one. Think about it."
Hmmm. She poses a good question. One that merits the "think about it" challenge.
As I did just that, a thought came to me that may not be unique, but it was certainly a new awareness for me. I suddenly saw the irony in "Christ the King Sunday" and "Thanksgiving Sunday" falling on the same week. The Pilgrims, who are credited with the first "Thanksgiving feasts", fled to this land to escape the "state religion" of England, and find a place where they were free to express their faith as they wished. The Pilgrims were Congregationalists, my "ancestors" (speaking of my church family, that is). My biological ancestors, however, did much the same thing when they immigrated by masses from Cardiganshire, Wales, to communities in Southern Ohio approximately 200 years later.
Dorothy Okray is right when she speaks of the injustices meted out by early Christianity, as evidenced in the records of history. Once it received the "sanction" of the Roman Empire, the power behind that support was often misused, as power over another tends to be. It is why I am uneasy when the United States government becomes involved at all in matters of the Church. It is all-too-easy for the power behind that support to be abused and misused.
It's why I believe that Jesus himself would have not only encouraged, but insisted, on a separation of church and state.
Jesus said, "Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." (Mark 12:17)
Friday, November 13, 2009
Reclaiming Christmas as a Holy Day, Not Just a Holiday
No one really knows the exact date of Jesus' birth. It may not have been in December at all. Writings from the early church indicate that the nativity was celebrated on different dates in different places, and some of the patriarch's of the Church were opposed to celebrating his birth at all. But, for more than 1500 years, most Christian churches have traditionally celebrated his birth in December, and as early as 354 AD, the feast of Christmas was placed as December 25th on the calendar.
The name "Christmas" itself is derived from "Christ's Mass", the Latin for which was first used around the year 1063 AD. Ironically, most churches do not offer worship services on December 25th at all, instead celebrating the night before, on Christmas Eve. (The exception to that might be if Christmas falls on a Sunday, but not even that is a guarantee in recent years!)
Christmas is a holy day.
So, why is it that this holy day seems to have been shanghaied by the holiday?
Every year, the holiday gets more and more secular in nature. People who have no church connections or religious beliefs at all celebrate the holiday. True, some of our cherished Christmas traditions such as gift-giving, decorating with greenery and the use of a Yule log all have their beginnings in celebrations that honored various sun gods, but the "guest of honor" is NOT a "sun god", and Jesus is largely missing in many celebrations. One might say that everyone else comes "home for the holidays" except the One for whom the season is named.
Almost as great a concern for me, however, is that every year, the holiday season seems to get longer and longer, so that, by the time people arrive at the holy day, the focus seems to be on anything but the birth of Christ.
This year, it seems to be more extreme than I remember it ever being before.I am writing this blog on Friday, November 13th. I have just arrived home from Christmas shopping in the "big city". I do this early, not because I like it, but out of necessity. The weeks before Christmas are often so full of church obligations that I don't even get a day off! I am not-- let me repeat-- I am NOT in "the holiday spirit", and won't be until, at the very least, the day after Thanksgiving.
In fact, the only holiday I am concerned with right now IS Thanksgiving. It can't come soon enough! Since we will be spending four nights at our family cabin, I am very much in THAT holiday's spirit.
As I drove home today, I noticed a billboard on the side of the road in one of the quaint little suburban towns. It was an advertisement for a "Christmas Holiday Concert", and I thought, "Oh, I wonder when that is going to be." As I drove closer, I noticed the date. The Christmas Concert will be on November 21st!
I shook my head in disbelief and reached to push the button, turning on my radio. My disbelief turned to shock when the song, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" blasted through the speakers of my car. I quickly pushed the button again, and, in the silence, wondered how it got to this point-- that the season of Christmas has become as long as Lent! And Advent-- that blessed anticipation of the joy to come-- is all-but-forgotten in the merrymaking.
Christmas may be a holy day, but the holiday season has become anything but. "O Come, o come, Emmanuel!" Our hope lies in You.
The name "Christmas" itself is derived from "Christ's Mass", the Latin for which was first used around the year 1063 AD. Ironically, most churches do not offer worship services on December 25th at all, instead celebrating the night before, on Christmas Eve. (The exception to that might be if Christmas falls on a Sunday, but not even that is a guarantee in recent years!)
Christmas is a holy day.
So, why is it that this holy day seems to have been shanghaied by the holiday?
Every year, the holiday gets more and more secular in nature. People who have no church connections or religious beliefs at all celebrate the holiday. True, some of our cherished Christmas traditions such as gift-giving, decorating with greenery and the use of a Yule log all have their beginnings in celebrations that honored various sun gods, but the "guest of honor" is NOT a "sun god", and Jesus is largely missing in many celebrations. One might say that everyone else comes "home for the holidays" except the One for whom the season is named.
Almost as great a concern for me, however, is that every year, the holiday season seems to get longer and longer, so that, by the time people arrive at the holy day, the focus seems to be on anything but the birth of Christ.
This year, it seems to be more extreme than I remember it ever being before.I am writing this blog on Friday, November 13th. I have just arrived home from Christmas shopping in the "big city". I do this early, not because I like it, but out of necessity. The weeks before Christmas are often so full of church obligations that I don't even get a day off! I am not-- let me repeat-- I am NOT in "the holiday spirit", and won't be until, at the very least, the day after Thanksgiving.
In fact, the only holiday I am concerned with right now IS Thanksgiving. It can't come soon enough! Since we will be spending four nights at our family cabin, I am very much in THAT holiday's spirit.
As I drove home today, I noticed a billboard on the side of the road in one of the quaint little suburban towns. It was an advertisement for a "Christmas Holiday Concert", and I thought, "Oh, I wonder when that is going to be." As I drove closer, I noticed the date. The Christmas Concert will be on November 21st!
I shook my head in disbelief and reached to push the button, turning on my radio. My disbelief turned to shock when the song, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" blasted through the speakers of my car. I quickly pushed the button again, and, in the silence, wondered how it got to this point-- that the season of Christmas has become as long as Lent! And Advent-- that blessed anticipation of the joy to come-- is all-but-forgotten in the merrymaking.
Christmas may be a holy day, but the holiday season has become anything but. "O Come, o come, Emmanuel!" Our hope lies in You.
Religious Freedom Extends to Soldiers, Too
This week's question from the Washington Post's "On Faith" online section:
The Fort Hood shootings have raised questions again about how the military should handle the personal religious beliefs of its soldiers, whether they are evangelical Christians, Muslims, Wiccans, and so on. What is the proper role of religion -- and personal religious belief -- in the U.S. armed forces? Should a particular religious affiliation disqualify someone from active military service? How far should the military go to accommodate personal religious beliefs and practices?
As long as death and dying are part of the military, there will likely be a need for religious expression among the troops. What form that religious expression takes is a matter of personal choice, and indeed, personal freedom. It's one of the rights afforded all citizens under the US Constitution's Bill of Rights.
If the US military cannot protect the rights of its own soldiers, how can it claim to be protecting mine? Acts of intolerance by any soldier towards another human being, based on differences such as religious beliefs, race, gender, ethnicity, etc., violates the very freedoms that the military is charged with protecting.
The US military has a responsibility to protect the rights and freedoms of all US citizens. Those rights include the freedom to worship, or not, the god of one's own choosing. One would presume this also extends to those actively serving in the military.
The military does address religious needs. It provides chaplains, places to worship, and even religious supplies where needed. When the troops are isolated from public options for worship, a demonstrated effort is made to have worship services for the troops. To that accord, it would seem on the surface that the US military has made great efforts to provide for the religious needs of its troops.
Except for one thing: Protecting the religious freedom of the men and women serving in our armed forces requires more than just hiring military chaplains and providing a tent for soldiers to worship in while deployed. It requires, also, that those who purport to be on the battlefields, risking their lives to protect MY freedom, will, at the very least respect those same freedoms for one another.
It is too early to begin to know "why" the suspect of the Ft. Hood shootings did what he did. Reports coming out now indicate that religion may have played a role in the shootings, but not in the way some would think. Family members told reporters at CNN that the suspect had become increasingly frustrated by disrespect shown to him, which he perceived to be due to his religious beliefs. He was reported "taunted after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001."
In my daughter's school, "taunting" would be called "bullying", and there are consequences for those who do it. Those consequences protect the students. There should be consequences in the military, too.
The Fort Hood shootings have raised questions again about how the military should handle the personal religious beliefs of its soldiers, whether they are evangelical Christians, Muslims, Wiccans, and so on. What is the proper role of religion -- and personal religious belief -- in the U.S. armed forces? Should a particular religious affiliation disqualify someone from active military service? How far should the military go to accommodate personal religious beliefs and practices?
As long as death and dying are part of the military, there will likely be a need for religious expression among the troops. What form that religious expression takes is a matter of personal choice, and indeed, personal freedom. It's one of the rights afforded all citizens under the US Constitution's Bill of Rights.
If the US military cannot protect the rights of its own soldiers, how can it claim to be protecting mine? Acts of intolerance by any soldier towards another human being, based on differences such as religious beliefs, race, gender, ethnicity, etc., violates the very freedoms that the military is charged with protecting.
The US military has a responsibility to protect the rights and freedoms of all US citizens. Those rights include the freedom to worship, or not, the god of one's own choosing. One would presume this also extends to those actively serving in the military.
The military does address religious needs. It provides chaplains, places to worship, and even religious supplies where needed. When the troops are isolated from public options for worship, a demonstrated effort is made to have worship services for the troops. To that accord, it would seem on the surface that the US military has made great efforts to provide for the religious needs of its troops.
Except for one thing: Protecting the religious freedom of the men and women serving in our armed forces requires more than just hiring military chaplains and providing a tent for soldiers to worship in while deployed. It requires, also, that those who purport to be on the battlefields, risking their lives to protect MY freedom, will, at the very least respect those same freedoms for one another.
It is too early to begin to know "why" the suspect of the Ft. Hood shootings did what he did. Reports coming out now indicate that religion may have played a role in the shootings, but not in the way some would think. Family members told reporters at CNN that the suspect had become increasingly frustrated by disrespect shown to him, which he perceived to be due to his religious beliefs. He was reported "taunted after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001."
In my daughter's school, "taunting" would be called "bullying", and there are consequences for those who do it. Those consequences protect the students. There should be consequences in the military, too.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Confronting the Religious Racism Within
The shooting incident this past week at Ft. Hood, Texas, has reawakened an awareness of what I must call "religious racism" in America. The reaction-- very human reaction-- of many to learning that the suspect is a Muslim, reinforces a fear that has been present since 9-11.
My heart has been so heavy since learning of the shooting incident at Ft. Hood, TX. I am going to conceded that I am still working out how to address the issue of religion, but one thing I knew going into the pulpit this past Sunday was that it must be addressed. In fact, God was almost screaming at me to do so.
So, here are a few thoughts that I included in today's message.
First of all, I have heard and read a number of troubling comments since this happened- comments that have linked all people of the Muslim faith into one big pile of muck. This is not a new development. Ever since 9-11, anyone who looks like they might be a Muslim has been distrusted, maligned and sometimes abused-- because we have decided, I guess, that all terrorists look alike, and that all Muslims are terrorists.
This simply isn't true. It's no more true than the fact that Timothy McVeigh was a terrorist makes all Catholics terrorists.
When we do this-- when we categorize any group of people as if we can know exactly who they are or what they are like based on what others with the same skin color or ethnic background or religious beliefs have done, we tread into dangerous territory.
If this were a valid way of looking at people, I wouldn't trust many of my congregants-- most of whom were born and raised in rural Indiana. That's because I have learned that, following WWI, rural Indiana was a center for a pretty strong segment of the Ku Klux Klan.
If this were a valid way of judging people, then my congregation shouldn't trust ME. Have you ever heard the word, "welch"? It means to cheat someone out of a gambling debt. In Southern Ohio, where my parents were born and raised, the word means to cheat anyone. If you back out of a debt or a deal, you are a "welcher". The word originates from a slang word for someone of Welsh ancestry. I am more than half Welsh. So, even if you trust me, perhaps you shouldn't gamble with me!
And most of us have heard enough of the scandals that rocked the catholic Church to know you can't trust a male pastor, right? Hopefully there is enough trust between us to know this is ridiculous.
There seems to be news coming out that religion did indeed play a role in the shootings, but perhaps not in the way that we would think. CNN is reporting that the suspect had been frustrated for a long time by how others-- both civilians and military personnel had treated him with disrespect, which he perceived as being because he is a Muslim. In mid-August, he found that his car had a religious bumper sticker that said "Allah is love" ripped from it and the car was "keyed"- scratching the paint. Imagine for a moment if a bumper sticker saying "Jesus Loves Me" was ripped from your car and it was keyed.
It's not an excuse to go ballistic, at least not in my mind. But then I don't know what it is like to be constantly watched, mistrusted, ridiculed or abused for being a Christian. I do not condone what this troubled man did. As a pastor, and as a person of faith, I cannot condone racism either.
My faith tells me that God IS love, and that Jesus loves, not just me, but all people. The God who knit me in my mother's womb, also knit those of different faiths and those of no faith whatsoever. Surely Jesus' Great Commandment did not include hating my neighbor, nor will we ever lead someone to know Christ through violence, prejudice or hatred.
I would like to say that I do not have a racist or prejudiced bone in my body... but the truth is I am human. It is within me to fear what is different. It is within me to judge negatively those whose beliefs are not my beliefs. I am challenged every day to face that truth inside myself.
Only then I can stand before God and ask for both forgiveness and the courage to grow in understanding as God would have me do.
Maybe then I can see Christ in the face of my brothers and sisters... including those whom I perceive to be my enemy.
Jesus had something to say about that, too. "You have heard it said to love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I tell you to love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you... and if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing that is any more than the others? Do not even pagans do that? be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:43-44, 47-48)
Perfect? I am not there yet, but O, God, I want to be.
My heart has been so heavy since learning of the shooting incident at Ft. Hood, TX. I am going to conceded that I am still working out how to address the issue of religion, but one thing I knew going into the pulpit this past Sunday was that it must be addressed. In fact, God was almost screaming at me to do so.
So, here are a few thoughts that I included in today's message.
First of all, I have heard and read a number of troubling comments since this happened- comments that have linked all people of the Muslim faith into one big pile of muck. This is not a new development. Ever since 9-11, anyone who looks like they might be a Muslim has been distrusted, maligned and sometimes abused-- because we have decided, I guess, that all terrorists look alike, and that all Muslims are terrorists.
This simply isn't true. It's no more true than the fact that Timothy McVeigh was a terrorist makes all Catholics terrorists.
When we do this-- when we categorize any group of people as if we can know exactly who they are or what they are like based on what others with the same skin color or ethnic background or religious beliefs have done, we tread into dangerous territory.
If this were a valid way of looking at people, I wouldn't trust many of my congregants-- most of whom were born and raised in rural Indiana. That's because I have learned that, following WWI, rural Indiana was a center for a pretty strong segment of the Ku Klux Klan.
If this were a valid way of judging people, then my congregation shouldn't trust ME. Have you ever heard the word, "welch"? It means to cheat someone out of a gambling debt. In Southern Ohio, where my parents were born and raised, the word means to cheat anyone. If you back out of a debt or a deal, you are a "welcher". The word originates from a slang word for someone of Welsh ancestry. I am more than half Welsh. So, even if you trust me, perhaps you shouldn't gamble with me!
And most of us have heard enough of the scandals that rocked the catholic Church to know you can't trust a male pastor, right? Hopefully there is enough trust between us to know this is ridiculous.
There seems to be news coming out that religion did indeed play a role in the shootings, but perhaps not in the way that we would think. CNN is reporting that the suspect had been frustrated for a long time by how others-- both civilians and military personnel had treated him with disrespect, which he perceived as being because he is a Muslim. In mid-August, he found that his car had a religious bumper sticker that said "Allah is love" ripped from it and the car was "keyed"- scratching the paint. Imagine for a moment if a bumper sticker saying "Jesus Loves Me" was ripped from your car and it was keyed.
It's not an excuse to go ballistic, at least not in my mind. But then I don't know what it is like to be constantly watched, mistrusted, ridiculed or abused for being a Christian. I do not condone what this troubled man did. As a pastor, and as a person of faith, I cannot condone racism either.
My faith tells me that God IS love, and that Jesus loves, not just me, but all people. The God who knit me in my mother's womb, also knit those of different faiths and those of no faith whatsoever. Surely Jesus' Great Commandment did not include hating my neighbor, nor will we ever lead someone to know Christ through violence, prejudice or hatred.
I would like to say that I do not have a racist or prejudiced bone in my body... but the truth is I am human. It is within me to fear what is different. It is within me to judge negatively those whose beliefs are not my beliefs. I am challenged every day to face that truth inside myself.
Only then I can stand before God and ask for both forgiveness and the courage to grow in understanding as God would have me do.
Maybe then I can see Christ in the face of my brothers and sisters... including those whom I perceive to be my enemy.
Jesus had something to say about that, too. "You have heard it said to love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I tell you to love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you... and if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing that is any more than the others? Do not even pagans do that? be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:43-44, 47-48)
Perfect? I am not there yet, but O, God, I want to be.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Talking About Options Prolongs the Quality of Life
This week's question at the On Faith page of the Washington Post asks:
Proposed health-care reform legislation includes a provision that allows Medicare to pay for "end-of-life" counseling for seniors and their families who request it. The provision nearly derailed President Obama's health-care initiative. Some Republicans still argue that the provision would ration health care for the elderly. Does end-of-life care prolong life or does it prolong suffering? Should it be a part of health-care reform?
The inclusion of provisions to pay for “end-of-life” counseling should be included in any health care reform packages. Erroneously called “death panels for seniors” by Sarah Palin, these provisions would facilitate conversations about life and death in general. As a Christian faith leader, that seems of supreme importance to me.
“End-of-life counseling” does not necessarily prolong suffering. It will not necessarily prolong life, either. But it can, and usually does, prolong the quality of life when it leads to discussions about life and death. How could it ever be a bad thing to talk with someone about their options for the end of life or harmful for a doctor to have a clear understanding of what a person’s personal wishes are?
“There are worse things than dying.”
This is the conclusion my 86-year-old mother reached during a recent discussion about her wishes for whatever time she has left in life. We had this talk when, following a serious heart attack, her cardiologist was insistent that she could no longer live alone. My mother was equally insistent that she is not ready to leave her community and live with me, four hours away from her friends. His grim-reaper warnings that the “next time could be fatal” fell on deaf ears. “There are worse things than dying”, she told me.
As a person of faith, I believe that she is right. I trust Jesus’ promise that “in my Father’s house are many rooms… I go now to prepare a room for you there.”
Ideally, a person would have a spiritual advisor to talk to- a pastor, priest, rabbi… But not all seniors have that benefit. Nor do all seniors come at death from similar perspectives.
While each person faces death in their own way, and different races and cultures may traditionally deal with these issues in slightly different ways, death does come to each of us.
“To everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a)
It has been said that some people live until they die, while others come to the end of their life, only to find they never really lived. To live until you die is to prolong the quality of life. Christian faith teaches us that we don’t have to fear death. My mother is right. “There are worse things than dying.”
It’s a conversation worth having.
Proposed health-care reform legislation includes a provision that allows Medicare to pay for "end-of-life" counseling for seniors and their families who request it. The provision nearly derailed President Obama's health-care initiative. Some Republicans still argue that the provision would ration health care for the elderly. Does end-of-life care prolong life or does it prolong suffering? Should it be a part of health-care reform?
The inclusion of provisions to pay for “end-of-life” counseling should be included in any health care reform packages. Erroneously called “death panels for seniors” by Sarah Palin, these provisions would facilitate conversations about life and death in general. As a Christian faith leader, that seems of supreme importance to me.
“End-of-life counseling” does not necessarily prolong suffering. It will not necessarily prolong life, either. But it can, and usually does, prolong the quality of life when it leads to discussions about life and death. How could it ever be a bad thing to talk with someone about their options for the end of life or harmful for a doctor to have a clear understanding of what a person’s personal wishes are?
“There are worse things than dying.”
This is the conclusion my 86-year-old mother reached during a recent discussion about her wishes for whatever time she has left in life. We had this talk when, following a serious heart attack, her cardiologist was insistent that she could no longer live alone. My mother was equally insistent that she is not ready to leave her community and live with me, four hours away from her friends. His grim-reaper warnings that the “next time could be fatal” fell on deaf ears. “There are worse things than dying”, she told me.
As a person of faith, I believe that she is right. I trust Jesus’ promise that “in my Father’s house are many rooms… I go now to prepare a room for you there.”
Ideally, a person would have a spiritual advisor to talk to- a pastor, priest, rabbi… But not all seniors have that benefit. Nor do all seniors come at death from similar perspectives.
While each person faces death in their own way, and different races and cultures may traditionally deal with these issues in slightly different ways, death does come to each of us.
“To everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a)
It has been said that some people live until they die, while others come to the end of their life, only to find they never really lived. To live until you die is to prolong the quality of life. Christian faith teaches us that we don’t have to fear death. My mother is right. “There are worse things than dying.”
It’s a conversation worth having.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)