I remember quite well the foreboding pillars of smoke from angry fires, the epidemic looting and stony-faced National Guard troops in Washington following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis on April 4, 1968 – forty years ago today.  

I think some folks in the suburbs – our neighbors – worried that inner-city rage and violence actually was a threat to their detached observation of the world.  I’m not sure how the rioters were supposed to get to us, though.  There was no subway in Washington in those days, many of the people involved didn’t have the means to own cars, and I doubt they were going to look for exact change to catch a bus.   It was too far to walk.   

Shortly after King’s death, Resurrection City, a community of plywood shanties and tents for those participating in the Poor Peoples' Campaign, was slapped together on the national mall in the midst of persistent and inhospitable rain.  It became a muddy symbol of the plight of those who came to confront the rest of us, including the elect, who shakily tried to maintain the “good old days.”

What a time it was, and I likely will spend the rest of my life trying to understand it, attempting to piece together the dynamics and factors that thickened the air. 

A wealth of information about it all can be found here.

Recently, I sent a friend a birthday card that showed Al Gore on the cover asking, “You’re putting HOW MANY candles on your birthday cake?”  On the inside he continued, “What did the polar ice caps ever do to you?”

Of course, the former U.S. Senator and Vice President is known for his attention to environmental issues, especially global warming.  His work not only has raised awareness of the changing climate of our world, but earned him a share of a Nobel Peace Prize. 

Yesterday, Gore announced a huge undertaking:  a campaign to significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.  Through an intensive advocacy effort, to include “advertising, online organizing, and partnerships with grass roots groups,” Gore and the Alliance for Climate Protection intend to provide education on the related issues, encouragement in lobbying lawmakers, and practical approaches for individuals and organizations concerned with global warming.  It will be a bipartisan effort, highlighting the fact that, not only are we all in this together, but that some former skeptics finally are acknowledging the realities facing our planet.

The cost is high, some $300 million over the next three years.  Gore himself is throwing down in a big way, including his personal profits from the book and movie, An Inconvenient Truth, his Nobel cash, and a matching contribution from his own wealth. He and the Alliance believe many Americans are committed to the cause, and in making known his plans yesterday said, “When politicians hear the American people calling loud and clear for change, they’ll listen.”

Let’s hope so.  Kermit the Frog was famous for singing, “It’s not easy being green,” and while that may be true, what other choice does humanity really have?

Every now and then I run up against the notion that people admire those who are extremely wealthy.  Some think highly of Donald Trump, or Bill Gates.  Maybe the admirers see billionaires as role models of what they wish to become themselves, so they buy their books, monitor their movements and techniques, anything to get a clue as to how to join the club.

One time I was in a dentist’s chair when the man with the drill began professing his high regard for the late Jack Kent Cooke.  Cooke was the owner of the Washington Redskins who worked hard to build tremendous wealth in, I believe, communications industries.  He also had a resume’ listing broken marriages, strained family relationships, disgruntled former employees and associates, and an accusation of trying to force his then-wife into seeking an abortion when she became pregnant.  As the high-pitched squeal intensified in my ears, I responded with a simple, “I suppose it depends on who you ask.”

Ted Turner is joining up with Lutherans and Methodists to address the scourge of malaria in Africa.  He has money to contribute and is hoping to build upon some of the successes of church groups involved in international health and development matters.  But Turner had some ‘splainin’ to do when astute members of the media pointed out his previous disdain of Christianity.

In all fairness, Turner suffered the tragic loss of his sister at an early age, and because of this, decided that religion was of no perceivable value.  In fact, he was quoted as describing Christianity as “a religion for losers.”  He mocked employees who observed Ash Wednesday by having ashes placed on their foreheads (I did find his “they should be working for Fox” comment amusing).  But now, he offers intercessory prayers for suffering friends because “it doesn’t hurt,” and has dropped “agnostic” or “atheist” from his self-description.

Turner said, “As I get older, you know, I get more, you know, more tolerant.”  I’m not sure whether he has become more articulate, however.  But, at least he is using some of his wealth to address human needs. 

Turner apparently developed a response to the Ten Commandments, known as the Ten Voluntary Initiatives, and maintains that they guide him in his daily living.  Caring for the earth and people, limiting family size, and helping the poor are among the TVI’s.

“The religious community is huge and has a very good reputation for being able to mobilize resources,” according to Turner.  “Why not use them and be thankful?”

I guess that’s fair, since the church sometimes “uses” rich folks to help us achieve our goals, as well.

In doing any type of physical exertion or exercise, breathing is important.  In martial arts training, we teach people to inhale through the nose and to exhale through the mouth.  Inhaling helps to prepare, or “load up” for a kick or strike.  Exhaling provides extra force as energy is released.  In Tae Kwon Do we even insisted that people yell when executing a technique to further focus the energy released.

In Tai Chi training there is a set of forty-nine exercises designed to increase endurance, flexibility, and strength.  When we practice the exercises in class, our instructor reminds us of proper breathing, and on the exhale he says, “No ugly faces,” even though we are forcing the air through clenched teeth in order to sustain the energy and power needed for the exercises.

In our text for this coming Sunday (John 20:19-31), the disciples of Jesus huddle together in fear in a locked room following the crucifixion of Jesus.  It is the evening of the day of the resurrection and Jesus suddenly appears among them.  The disciples recognize him and he greets them, “Peace be with you.”

Then, as Jesus tells the disciples he is sending them out, just as God sent him, Jesus breathes on them saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

While Jesus directs the disciples to receive the Holy Spirit, there is, I suppose, the option of not receiving it, at least for today’s disciples.  But it seems that proper breathing among followers of Jesus is vital. 

The gift of the Holy Spirit was promised by Jesus to his followers, and indeed, in another Biblical account (Acts 2), the Holy Spirit arrives in dramatic and life-changing fashion.  The effects are immediately evident as Peter finds his voice in a new way, and the hearts of his listeners are touched deeply.  Three thousand unsuspecting by-standers become believers in one day.

We breathe in the Holy Spirit though the practice of spiritual disciplines, such as worship, prayer, study, service, giving, and more.  Our spiritual intake enables us to prepare, or load up, for a release of energy through ministry in the name of Jesus.  It might be volunteering to rebuild storm-damaged homes; it may entail joining together with Christians of various backgrounds to seek responses to hunger or poverty in one’s community; it could be sitting and listening to someone who suffered a devastating loss sort through his or her feelings, anxieties, or confusion.  The Holy Spirit was promised and given, and it sustains our energy and exertion when we endeavor to be faithful.

Proper breathing is essential, and ugly faces are to be avoided!

Martin Copenhaver wrote an article in The Christian Century that I found interesting.  In Handshake Ritual:  Ministry at the Church Door, Copenhaver described the interactions that occur between pastor and congregation at the conclusion of worship as the people depart the church building.  I sometimes wonder how this practice started, with the minister standing at the door to greet everyone as they leave.  Some want to shake hands, others require a hug, and still others leave without a word or even eye contact.

Copenhaver shared the reality of the stress of the ritual.  The concentrated conversations run the gamut of emotions, from the few seconds one has to digest and respond to a bit of bad news or trouble a congregant mentions that he or she is experiencing, to deciphering comments about the sermon, to reacting to requests for information not immediately at hand or on the pastor’s mind, to welcoming and getting acquainted with newcomers, to putting up with the same old jokes told every week.  As Copenhaver put it, “No wonder I come home from worship ready for a nap.”  I know the feeling.

Copenahaver shared some of the memorable exchanges he had at the church door over the years, saying all ministers have their own stories.  I recall one preacher who shared that when he was young and new in the work, an older member made the following comment to him as she left the worship service:  “I just love your sermons so much.  They don’t require us to think at all.”  One I remember from my experience occurred long ago when a man who fancied himself as humorous said, “I have a book at home that has every word of that sermon in it.”  I just looked at him blankly for a few seconds until he continued, “It’s called the dictionary.”  Cue the uproarious laughter.

I have known a preacher or two who reveled in admiration, and the compliments from those admirers, but it always seemed to me it would be more important for church folks to be leaving the sanctuary thinking and talking about God rather than about the preacher. 

Copenhaver had the same observation, relaying a memorable comment from one of his professors:  “We have too many preachers who want to hear their parishioners say, ‘What a great preacher we have,’ and not enough who long to hear them say, ‘What a great God we have.’”

Sheri Klouda teaches Hebrew and Aramaic.  She lost her job a couple of years ago when her employer, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, elected to not renew her contract.  The basic reason for the non-renewal was that Klouda is a woman, and as such, should not be teaching men.  You see, there is a verse in the Bible, in I Timothy, that supposedly was written by the Apostle Paul, in which he states, “I permit no woman to teach or have authority over a man.” 

When Klouda took the Baptists to court, the case was dismissed in U.S. District Court because “federal courts try to avoid becoming entangled in matters dealing with religious institutions,” according to Klouda, who was not surprised by the ruling.

So, after six years of service on the faculty, Professor Klouda was cast aside.  I’m not sure why it took so long.  Maybe the boys in charge needed to work up their courage to carry out their convictions.  Maybe there was no readily available qualified male replacement until 2006.  Maybe a male student objected to being taught by a woman who knew more than he did.  Maybe, maybe, maybe.

You know, the Baptists can do what they choose to do.  That’s their right. 

It’s ironic, though, that a verse from the Bible, written in a time when girls and women were considered little more than possessions, and were prohibited from formal education, would be applied to someone who obviously is intelligent and has much to offer the church and its leadership.

It’s also ironic – at least to me – that these scholars so enamored with a line from a letter written in the 1^st Century would ignore a stunning bit of evidence found in all four Gospels:  the first people who received the word of God that Jesus was raised from death – the very first witnesses to the resurrection – the ones who first saw the risen Christ and who were instructed to tell the men who were hiding behind locked doors because they were so afraid, were women.

But then, God seems to love irony. 

The children were old enough that they were familiar with Jesus and with numerous stories about him, but I think they also were young enough that they had a bit of difficulty separating what they learned from the man who was present.  Jesus seemed very real to them. 

I think all of the children had a sense that Jesus was someone special, that he was God’s son, and that even though the events in the life and ministry of Jesus happened long ago, Jesus still was very much alive to them.  As young as the children were, they knew this about Jesus -- God raised him from death. 

This hope, I believe, really is not out line.  It’s not unreasonable.  It isn’t too much to ask, because Easter tells us that the tomb is empty.   Jesus is not there.  He lives – and because he lives, we don’t have to be afraid.

Today I am giving over this space to Evelyn Bence, who has written a piece about her experience of Easter.  You can find it here.

Have a glorious, hopeful, and renewing celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.

Another court case about public prayer.  Another indignant Christian bristling at the limits of a “free society.”  Another reason for me to shake my head and wonder, “Why does it make so much difference to people, anyway?”

In Fredericksburg, Virginia, there is a city council member who also happens to be a Baptist minister.  A few years ago, he was to offer the opening prayer at a council session, but was prohibited from referring to Jesus in his prayer.  This, of course, “violated his free speech rights, and infringed on his religious beliefs.”  The council has a governing resolution that disallows sectarian prayers. 

Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor sat on the bench of the appeals court where the case was argued yesterday.  I guess it’s her privilege to do such a thing as a retired member of the high court.

On the one hand, lawyers argued that anything a council member says during a council session is considered official speech, and is necessarily subject to applicable laws.  The Baptist’s attorney made the point that city government has no constitutional authority over the content of prayers.

All of this once again points to why I feel public prayers in an “official” public setting are akin to taking the Lord’s name in vain.  The prayer has to be watered down, generic, non-offensive to anyone who conceivably might take offense, and comes off as a secular, human-directed slogan not much different from wishful thinking.  Why bother? 

Instead of offering a “prayer,” why doesn’t the chair of the meeting, whatever it is, say something along the lines of, “Let’s all do our best here today to live up to the highest standards of conduct and behavior so we can do what is best and right for our community.”  Isn’t that what they are after anyway? 

If they want to bring God into their processes, they might better think twice, because God isn’t all that enthralled with worldly power, be it economic, political or social.  God isn’t interested in expedient and artful compromises or in the maintenance of human-made structures by which some “have” while others don’t.

To me it just reflects yet another attempt to domesticate God, and to urge God to bless what we want, what we intend to do, and how we see humanity and the world, which generally is pretty self-serving.

Prayer – wherever it is offered in sincerity and openness to God – is not about manipulating and controlling God.  It is about a relationship with the One who sees so much more for our lives than we can ever imagine ourselves.

I once knew a woman who remembered a trip she and her family made from Missouri to Oregon, when she was just a small child.  They traveled by covered wagon.  The woman’s name was Margaret, and when she died several years ago, many people were disappointed – not only that she was gone, but that she didn’t quite make it to the age of 100.  She came very close, however.

I was in awe of Margaret, and of others like her.  She lived through virtually the entire 20^th Century.  During what other period of the human story has life changed so dramatically?  When else has the world undergone more of a transformation?

When Margaret was growing up, women were not allowed to vote.  Now there not only are a number of female U. S. Senators and Representatives, a woman is running for president.  Think of the evolution in the world of communications during Margaret’s lifetime:  everything from telegraph to Internet, from lots of wires, and poles to hold them up, to invisible signals firing information in every direction at the speed of light.  In her lifetime, Margaret witnessed covered wagons, the Model A, the VW bug, Hummers, Lincoln Continentals, railways above and below ground, the exploration of space, even human beings walking on the moon. Wars defined generations in various ways. Fashion, social mores, gender roles, and entertainment all look nothing like they did when Margaret was a child.  Knowledge increased exponentially during the 20^th Century.  Truth changed.  What an exciting time it was to live one’s life.

There is a Disciples church in Havana, Illinois with an average Sunday worship attendance of 55, including two women who have lived 100 years, with another poised to join the ranks.  The pastor finds it “exceptional” to have these ladies in the church.  You better believe it, brother.  He said, “These centenarians bless our lives with their faithful examples and we pray God’s continuing blessings on them.”