A bridge collapses in Minnesota during rush hour.  Floods ravage numerous communities across the globe. Miners are trapped underground in Utah. Teenagers about to begin college are gunned down execution style in Newark.  GI’s are killed in Iraq.  Suicide bombers claim dozens of victims.  Wars we never hear about here destroy people and societies. On it goes, the daily dose of tragedy, destruction, terror, suffering and death.

Thanks to the never-ending flow of news reports, photos and transmitted video, one might have the impression the world is going to hell in a hand basket.   My personal opinion is that for the most part, there is no more trouble, conflict, or disaster throughout the world than during other periods of history.  We just hear about it faster and in more detail than ever before.  In my mind, the exception would be the violence and devastation of war.  Humanity has become more “advanced” and “sophisticated” in our ability to tear our world apart.  Please do not miss the irony of the words in quotation marks.

Sometimes, when we despair at the fear-inducing input of newspapers, television news reports and the internet, we are tempted to wonder, “Where is God?  Why doesn’t God DO something about the terrible things going on in our world?”  Surely, by now most of us realize that God does not manipulate events and people like a Grand Puppet Master, pulling the strings and controlling the movements of people and nature.   God’s love values human freedom more than that.  If and when God chooses to intervene specifically in someone’s life or in unfolding human dramas, that is entirely up to God’s discretion and wisdom.

But, I do believe God is present and active in other ways and at all times.

The other side of the effects of our 24-hour news cycle is that proportionally we rarely hear of good things that are being done to enhance lives, to strengthen communities, and to promote peace.  My belief is that this is the norm rather than the exception. 

Every minute of every day, healing occurs because someone cared enough about other people to study medicine.  Whenever there is an emergency, be it a flood, an earthquake, a tsunami, or a hurricane, there are people who respond selflessly to aid in rescue, recovery, and rebuilding.  Countless others are committed to helping those less fortunate than they, both near and far.  Some folks even take the time to prepare Sunday school lessons to facilitate spiritual growth and encourage faithfulness as disciples of Jesus Christ.  It is impossible to tally up the positive interactions and acts of kindness performed 24/7 by people whose names never make headlines.

I see the hand of God at work in these and other life-giving efforts.  Not all who do good are religious, church/synagogue/mosque attending folks, but as creatures made in the image of God, they/we bear the imprint of the One who creates and promises abundant and eternal life.  We can give thanks to God for each and every one.

To me, this is cause for hope.

While I was attending the General Assembly, I heard that a preacher who substituted for one of my colleagues that Sunday, because she also was at the assembly, preached a memorable sermon.  It wasn’t the kind of sermon appropriate to that or any other occasion.

He was a retired pastor known for his very conservative views.  The congregation at which he was a guest for the day is working through issues related to homosexuality among the church folk.  At least one of their elders is gay, and others in the church have gay or lesbian family members.  In his “sermon,” my esteemed retired colleague, who knew all of this, said something to the effect of “I know what is right and I know what is wrong.  Homosexuality is wrong according to God.”

Upon hearing that, a member of the congregation stood up and said, “I know what is right and what is wrong, too.”  And he walked out.  I’m told five other members walked out in solidarity.

So much for worship. 

The pastor soon heard what happened in her absence.  She was livid.  Her regional minister was livid.   I can only imagine the distress within the congregation.

Their journey on this issue has not been without bumps along the way.  Some folks decided they couldn’t continue in the fellowship, and that’s their prerogative, but my sense is some spiritual growth has occurred in the midst of the anxiety.

May that growth continue, in spite of the disruptive behavior of a misguided and out of touch preacher.  The pastor told me that maybe some good will come of this, after all.  She thought the folks were united in their resistance to the failed attempt at judgment of ones they love.

I’m not a beer drinker, but over the years I have enjoyed some of the commercials advertising beer on television.  Currently, Miller High Life has some ads that I find amusing.  Big guys from the distributorship show up at places where they feel the privilege of selling “the High Life” has been abused.  They raid the refrigerators and shelves, retrieve cases of the beer and load them back on the truck.   All the while, one of the men grumbles and complains about the misuse of the High Life.

The facetious message is there is an obligation attached to being a retailer of this special brand of beer, and no pretense will be tolerated.  I know a lot of people take their beer seriously!

The furor over Barry Bonds and his pursuit of the baseball home run record shows the passion of many people for a sport and its heroes.  It’s entertaining to me to read the responses posted along with online articles about this and related topics.

In the current presidential election campaign the candidates and the voting public will articulate loyalties, beliefs, and priorities.  We’ll discover people’s commitments and how far they will go in backing them up.

What are the obligations of beer sellers, baseball players and their fans, political candidates and voters?  What is the role of passion in these and other pursuits?

When we ask the same questions of Christians we may find that a consensus is difficult to reach.  The expression of obligations and passions sometimes are difficult to read among people of faith, especially pertaining to worship attendance, the practice of spiritual disciplines, biblical literacy, and the distinctive quality of a Christian approach to life. 

Maybe we need the guys from the High Life to visit a few churches and check this out!

Enjoy the videos!

Video 1       Video 2

As a follow-up to yesterday’s blog entry, I wanted to share with you something I read about on the DisciplesWorld website.  It pertains to citizens taking action to bring about structural change.

Second-graders in Las Vegas were dissatisfied with the food on their school lunch plates, especially the green beans.  Apparently, frozen green beans sometimes were re-heated and served a second time after the original thawing.  One doesn’t have to tax the imagination to envision the distasteful experience of eating them. 

School lunches have a reputation of sometimes being less-than-palatable.  I can recall a few of the uncomplimentary descriptions my peers and I applied to some of the meals placed before us in school cafeterias, on a rotating, predictable basis.  The school “pizza” was especially ridiculed.

 The children in Las Vegas chose a constructive approach in lodging their protest.  They wrote letters expressing their dissatisfaction, but were careful to be polite in how they stated their views.  ``A little boy said, `Anything, anything, I'll even eat broccoli,''' said Connie Duits, the lunch lady. ``So that one touched my heart.''  Other letter-writers complimented the overall menu, but suggested that the green beans must go.

The class was inspired to undertake their campaign after reading a book in which the main character sought to arrange a boycott of the school cafeteria.  Their teacher led them through a discussion of the approaches and attitudes portrayed in the story.

The county schools’ food service administration took seriously the protest by the second-graders and visited the school to meet with them and discuss alternatives to the green beans:  “With a handful of reporters watching, two dozen students sat down Monday to a veritable salad bar of cooked, frozen and canned vegetables, from baby corn to cherry tomatoes, and filled out a survey.”  Carrots and corn were popular choices among the students.

When asked about other menu suggestions for the school meals, various ideas were shared.  One boy requested “chicken cordon blue” and “chocolate filled panda cookies.”  My favorite was offered by a girl named Viviann, who asked for future menus to include “stake.”

Officials assured the children that the menu at their school would be “tweaked.”

Power to the people!  Stake for everyone!

Somewhere along the timeline of my experience and work as a minister, I was invited to engage in a debate at a local community college.  The topic was “Faith and Politics,” so, even though I no longer recall, I’m guessing it likely was an election year.

During that period of time I was active in the community on a variety of issues considered by some as political.  Most of my efforts were in conjunction with other people of faith from a variety of traditions and largely dealt with a broad array of economic justice concerns.  We held workshops, staged press conferences, submitted to interviews on television and radio, wrote newspaper columns, and met with elected officials on local, state, and national levels.  My involvement in these efforts led to the debate invitation.

My “opponent” in the debate was a lawyer, and as I heard his opening remarks I knew I had the advantage.  He focused his comments on the issue of the separation of church and state, and became bogged down in mentioning court cases and precedents.  My approach was to describe how faith informed one’s concern with justice issues, including what the Friends refer to as “speaking truth to power,” i.e., dealing with elected leaders, and I mentioned some biblical examples.  It was clear from the reaction of the audience they preferred my approach to that of my attorney friend.  This is not to gloat, but to point out that many people look for relevance to life in our society and in the world in their faith and beliefs.

Over the last generation or so, though, I think many have become skittish in giving expression to their faith in the political arena because of the antics of the Religious Right.

The Christian Century has two thought-provoking articles about this.  Jan Linn, a friend and Disciples colleague, wrote about the recent forum sponsored by Sojourners/Call to Renewal, televised on CNN, in which Democratic candidates for president were questioned about their faith values and commitments.   He worried that the candidates fell into a trap of presenting popular religious views in order to round up votes.  Jim Wallis, Editor-in-Chief of Sojourners magazine, and leader of Call to Renewal responded to Jan’s concerns. 

They both are well worth reading.

After some vacation time, and attendance at the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), I have returned home, and will resume entries to the blog.

The General Assembly was held in Ft. Worth, Texas, and some 6,000 folks showed up.  I felt it was a very good assembly, and I was glad I went.  In addition to catching up with friends and acquaintances from across the country, I thoroughly enjoyed the music, led by choirmaster Bill Thomas of Van Nuys, California, and also appreciated the daily worship services.

My favorite preacher of the assembly was Rev. William Lee, pastor of Loudon Avenue Christian Church, Roanoke, Virginia, who also did a splendid job as moderator of the assembly.  He was patient, wise, welcoming, and loving as he shepherded the assembled church through our business sessions.  His sermon was based on the Road to Emmaus story in the New Testament.

Other highlights included the “State of the Church” presentation by General Minister and President Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins.  She lifted up the new congregations of our fellowship and, using the Feeding of the Five Thousand story, challenged Disciples to “Choose Life” in all aspects of our church and individual lives.   She continues to give fine leadership in a period of transition and transformation.  The staff members in her office wear “No Complaining” wrist bracelets as a reminder to maintain a positive attitude and approach to their work.  The bracelets should be standard-issue for all church members!

Jim Wallis of Sojourners preached on the final night of the assembly, calling on Christians of all ideologies and theologies to make transformation a personal journey, using his wit and prophetic presence to bring an inspirational conclusion to the assembly.

Two years from now, we Disciples will gather again – in Indianapolis, Indiana.

There’s a quote from the late Rev. William Sloane Coffin that sums things up in his typical fashion:  “I love the recklessness of faith.  First you leap, then you grow wings.”                                                                                               

The Letter to the Hebrews puts it this way in chapter 11:  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.  (NRSV)

Through faith, we know, but we don’t know.  Our heart is convinced, even when our head is not so sure.  When we want everything quantified, measured, and verifiable, we’re seeking control.  When we approach life with faith, God is in control.  Personally, I would prefer that God held the reins.

This is especially true for the life of the church.  Recently, the pope declared that the Roman Catholic Church was the only “true church.”  This comes as news to the rest of the world, not under his thumb.  Just because we’re beyond his control doesn’t relegate other Christians to “less than” status.

God’s heart is much larger, of course, and I’m not picking on the pope.  Others have made similar claims, based on the “purity” of their doctrine or practice, again trying to exert control.  Who wants to let such people be in charge?

To leap first and grow wings later means we trust that God’s call to love our neighbor, to seek justice, and to be generous and hospitable, is the proper response to the people around us, even when we’re not sure how it all will turn out.   It means we’re free to dream big, even when we can’t necessarily see how those dreams will be fulfilled.  It means that life is for living, confident of the abundance of God’s blessings.

Rather than narrow everything down to a manageable size, faith liberates our hearts and our minds, revealing a wide-open, unlimited future into which God bids us, all the while promising to bless us in ways we cannot imagine – or control.

A funeral home in a town where I was the pastor of a Disciples congregation usually sent to local clergy a huge gift basket at Christmas.  It was nice to receive, but I admit I wondered about the reason it was sent.  Was the owner, Bob, appreciative of pastors in general?  Was it an inducement to recommend his services to grieving families?   Was it a deductible business expense that gave him a desired tax break?  I don’t know.  I just remember being surprised the first year I received his gift. 

I also was surprised to learn from Bob a year or two later that when he changed his approach and instead made donations to a charitable organization in the names of the pastors, who were notified by the charity, he received negative feedback from some of my colleagues.  Bob seemed truly perplexed as he told me about it.  He thought he was honoring us by supporting a worthy cause.  I guess some of the ministers really wanted that basket of goodies. 

The next year, they got it. 

Gift giving can be a tricky business.  Meanings are attached to and derived from what is given, how it is given, its value, and the reciprocal expectations it may carry.  Many gifts are really tokens, items with no real function or use other than to let the recipient know they were remembered on their special occasion.  Sometimes it’s just easier to write a check than to put actual thought into what might be offered as a gift.   

Those who receive the gift may or may not express gratitude or appreciation, and the writing of thank you notes is becoming virtually a lost practice.  We have to admit, that although a gift honors the other person, our willingness to repeat the act in the future is tempered by the response we do or do not receive.  Human dynamics get complicated sometimes. 

Each day really is a gift from God:  the air we breathe, the sunshine or rain, food, laughter, opportunities, everything that comes our way.  It’s fortunate for us, really, that our level of gratitude, as expressed through our prayers or simply through the ways we use our time and interact with others, doesn’t determine whether there will be a tomorrow. 

God’s love is characterized by lots of patience, it seems to me.

There seem to be technical difficulties with this site, fouling up the guestbook and poll.  So, after wrestling with all of that for a while, I simply have deleted them.  We're back to only doing the entries.

You still can make it interactive if you post a comment by clicking the link underneath each entry, or by sending me an email at ghblog@yahoo.com.

Sorry about that!

Someone sent me a "Muslim, Jewish, Christian Prayer for Peace," published by Pax Christi USA/Fellowship of Reconciliation:

O God, you are the source of life and peace.  Praised be your name forever.  We know it is you who turn our minds to thoughts of peace.  Hear our prayer in this time of war.

Your power changes hearts.  Muslims, Christians, and Jews remember, and profoundly affirm, that they are followers of the one God, children of Abraham, brothers and sisters; enemies begin to speak to one another; those who were estranged join hands in friendship; nations seek the way of peace together.

Strengthen our resolve to give witness to these truths by the way we live.

Give to us:

Understanding that puts an end to strife;

Mercy that quenches hatred, and

Forgiveness that overcomes vengeance.

Empower all people to live in your law of love.

Amen.

In filling out a questionnaire for jury duty candidates, a man in Cape Cod named Daniel Ellis noted that he hated homosexuals and African-Americans, and also was a liar.  I admit I laughed out loud when I read this, but the judge didn’t find it to be so amusing.  “In 32 years of service in courtrooms, as a prosecutor, as a defense attorney and now as a judge, I have quite frankly never confronted such a brazen situation of an individual attempting to avoid juror service,” said Barnstable Superior Court Judge Gary Nickerson.  State prosecutors were asked to consider filing charges against Ellis. 

I never have been summoned for jury duty, but I don’t understand what is so terrible about it that it would lead someone to make such outrageous admissions on a questionnaire.  A person I know, a career military officer, claims he listed “Trained Killer” as his occupation on a similar form in another state. 

The whole affair brings to mind an episode of the television show Curb Your Enthusiasm.   Early in the program, Larry David observes someone fulfilling his sentence for a shoplifting conviction:  he is standing in front of the store wearing a sandwich board sign proclaiming, “I am a shoplifter.”    

Typically, Larry gets himself all flummoxed up throughout the unfolding story, and after taking some leftover food from a restaurant to his waiting limo driver, he returns to get the man a fork with which to eat.  The restaurant owner intercepts Larry on his way back outside, accuses him of an illegal act, and the police are called.  The final scene shows Larry in front of the restaurant, wearing a sign of his own: “I steal forks from restaurants.”  Naturally, several of his acquaintances happen to attend a banquet at the restaurant that same evening. 

So often, people and their character traits are not so transparent as the cases described here.  Perhaps it would make human interactions easier if they were.    But, a lot of us are pretty adept at disguising various aspects of who we are.  Sometimes we project onto others qualities, positive or negative, as we observe their behaviors and hear their words.   Probably, our accuracy rate could stand improvement. 

To me, it’s always instructive to hear what folks think about the church and those of us who are a part of it.  And I am forced to wonder, “How do they reach their conclusions?”