If you read the Gospels, concentrating on what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for life in this part of God's Kingdom, here and now, you get a very clear idea about what God's will is for God's people - what Kingdom of God values are as opposed to worldly empire values (such as those exhibited by the Roman Empire at the time of the writing of the Gospels).
God clearly wills that ALL people should have enough -
why Jesus taught the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard, who are all paid a daily wage
because they needed it to survive, regardless of what time they were hired or how much
time they worked... Matthew 20
why Jesus said that the laborer deserves his (her) wages... Luke 10
why Jesus said that though the poor would always be with us, we should not withhold our
hand from helping them, because we can do so, according to the Law in Deuteronomy 15
and Mark 14.
why the rich man remains nameless who is sent to Hell for not helping Lazarus at his gate,
who needed help... Luke 16
why the rich fool was a rich fool for hoarding more for himself while ignoring the needs of
anyone else... Luke 12
why the rich young man went away sad, because he could not bring himself to value the
needs of the poor above his own desire to have and keep more for himself... Luke 18
why Jesus made salvation contingent upon how we treat the most vulnerable in our society,
feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the sick and imprisoned and welcoming
the stranger in our land... Matthew 25
why Jesus demands that we treat children well as God does... Matthew 7, and condemns those
who would lead children astray by teaching them evil behaviors and values... Mark 9
God does not want us to prosper "above" others, while many go without what they need.
God does not want us to be well and ignore those who are sick.
God does not want us to make more money than others and exploit them so we make more
while they struggle to survive.
God does not want us to sit in the places of honor, full of hubris (Luke 14) like those caught up
in status do (Mark 12), but to walk humbly with God and one another (Matthew 23).
God does not want us to have power over others like those who do not know God do (Mark 10).
God commands us through Jesus to live Agape Love with one another - active commitment on behalf of the other, even stranger or enemy and especially the most vulnerable (Luke 10).
So, if you are a pastor and you are teaching or leading by example according to worldly empire values, you had better check with Jesus, who you CLAIM and proclaim as Lord and Savior. Is what you are preaching and teaching consistent with Jesus' will that all have well-being and enough, or is it designed to get you (and your church) more wealth, power or status? If it is the latter, you are not following the Christ (Matthew 23).
If you are a politician who CLAIMS to be a follower of Jesus, and you write laws or say words or actions that go against Jesus' Law of Agape Love in order to gain more power and/or status (Luke 10:25-37; Matthew 25:31-46; etc.), you are much to be pitied.
Hint: Rounding up, locking up and deporting the stranger in the land and separating families is
NOT of Christ. It is of Babylon and Rome and Nazism, but it is NOT of Christ.
Designing laws or de-regulating commerce so that the wealthy can further gain quick
profit off the backs of the poor is of Rome, our own Slavery, Jim Crow and Gilded Age eras,
but NOT of Christ.
Allowing a Tyrant to first dominate a political party and then run rough-shod over the
nation, ignoring its constitution and laws and destroying its Democracy is of Rome, of
Nazism and of Soviet ideology, but NOT of the Christ (or American ideals).
Taking away the support of the poor (that you helped put in their plight) and their healthcare
is of Rome and of our own Gilded Age but NOT of the Christ.
If you are a business leader who CLAIMS to be a follower of Jesus, and your practices come out of greed, you had better check with Jesus (Luke 12:13-21; Matthew 6:24), who values others having enough to live on and NOT you getting much more than you need.
Hint: making sure your income is padded while denying your employees a living wage and benefits
is of Mammon and not of God.
doing all you can to give your executives bonuses and make more money for your
stockholders while keeping your employees who made you all the money struggling to
survive is the stuff of rich fools and NOT of the Christ.
A whole lotta folk who are sitting in the pews or comfortable theater seats and breathing in the sanctuary air on Sundays (Saturdays and other days), who are believing that they are the sheep for confessing with their lips one thing... will find themselves GOATS in the end for what they DID or DID NOT DO regarding the most vulnerable among us who are loved by God and for whom Jesus COMMANDED us to care in this part of God's Kingdom, here and now.
God's will, according to Jesus is that we live thankful and satisfied with enough, and work toward the day when all have that and the well-being (SHALOM) that comes with it.
It really is that simple.
Pastor Jamie
Sunday, June 17, 2018
Sunday, June 10, 2018
If we had the will...
If we had the will, we could end poverty.
The minimum wage would be a LIVING WAGE and people would have universal healthcare so that they would not lose their jobs over being sick. People could have paid sick days on every job so that they could take care of themselves, and maternity leaves. Affordable housing could be maintained and childcare to make sure that single parents and working parents could make a living. Utilities could be regulated to be affordable, especially with renewable energy options. The planet would not be polluted as much, its resources would not be depleted as much and its destruction would not be as much of a threat to the generations in the future because we would do what is right to keep our air, water and land clean and not waste or destroy our resources.
Every child could have an equal education to every other child, because the funding of all schools could be based on equality, rather than what the property values are in the areas in which they live. The first two years of college could be tuition free. Training for trades could be also, and people would go into fields that they love, rather than what pays more for their families.
Healthy and affordable food would be available to everyone. Reliable and affordable transportation would also. Medicines would be less expensive, along with medical procedures that save lives.
Economic well-being could be pervasive here, if we had the will.
But we do not. We have designed and perfected our "laissez-faire" economy so
that the few benefit at the expense of the many. Inequities are its foundation, and
it divides people based on what they have (regardless of how they get it), rather
than uniting people in an equality of our quality of life. The few want more, always
more, and they write laws and institute economic norms that are unscrupulous and
corrupt, ruthless, soulless and lacking in any compassion to keep getting more off
the backs of the rest - and they laud this system as "the best in the world", while
blaming the victims they have trodden down for their poverty. It is called GREED.
It is the god at whose altar the wealthy worship, though some of them give lip
service to another God. It is a sickness that eats out their souls for destroying the
well being of sisters and brothers for their own, personal gain. Some have not
missed having a healthy soul, but the soul of the nation still cries out to God.
If we had the will, we could end conflict and unrest, even war.
By making sure that people across the world know that we have no intentions of exploiting them, occupying their lands, taking their resources, disrespecting their faiths, discriminating against their citizens or building our economic well-being off their backs, we could build trust and partnerships, rather than hatred and anger. If we nurtured the partnerships with the belief that other cultures and peoples, other nations have perspectives, skills, cultural expressions and beliefs that could enhance our lives when shared, and lifted up those cultures among our citizens, then we would see a desire for peace and expansive community grow.
Peace could be pervasive in the world, at least in our own nation, if we had the will.
But we do not. We pit people against each other for the sake of a few having
control over the rest. We judge others out of our xenophobia, ethnocentrism,
racism, classism, homophobia, "religiophobia" and other bigotries, because we
want not to feel connected with and equal to, but "superior" and over others, out
of our insane need for entitlement over someone, anyone else. It is called LUST
FOR POWER AND STATUS, twin gods that people bow down to in order to
serve their real god - themselves. This insidious disease devours their souls, using
GREED as a tool for feeding their never satisfied voids of self. It demands the
sacrifice of the well-being of others around them and destroys their own well-
being by making truly loving connections, healthy communities, unity and harmony
impossible. Some have not seen the signs of their rotting souls, because they
have been so frantically seeking power and status at the expense of others, even
believing that this is a necessary and "right" way to be. The soul of the nation and
the world cries out to God.
What will make us have the will to give up Greed, Lust for Power and Status as our gods? What will ultimately make us see the wisdom of living Agape Love toward neighbor (stranger, enemy, the most vulnerable) and see all people as sisters and brothers? What will make us understand that our well-being is tied to theirs and give us a will to enhance their well being by committing our words and actions to well-being on their behalf?
These are dark days. A lot of soul dying is going on in our nation and through our nation to the world. These are not new things. These false gods have driven empires and people since the beginning. People have sacrificed themselves and others to these gods of destruction for far too long. The climate now is just one in which the norm of serving these gods at the cost of others has been firmly established in our nation.
The prophets of old spoke truth to power. Jesus taught, commanded and modeled a better way, God's Way in the face of them. The reformers did the same. Civil rights leaders have done the same. Religious and political leaders who live in collusion with empire have complied, because ultimately they bow at the altar of the false gods, too. But there are voices... examples... sisters and brothers who refuse to participate in their sacrifices and the gains that come from them, and who speak out, write, demonstrate and vote according to a different way in the hope that Shalom may be restored for all people, equally.
They have the will.
When will we all?
Pastor Jamie
The minimum wage would be a LIVING WAGE and people would have universal healthcare so that they would not lose their jobs over being sick. People could have paid sick days on every job so that they could take care of themselves, and maternity leaves. Affordable housing could be maintained and childcare to make sure that single parents and working parents could make a living. Utilities could be regulated to be affordable, especially with renewable energy options. The planet would not be polluted as much, its resources would not be depleted as much and its destruction would not be as much of a threat to the generations in the future because we would do what is right to keep our air, water and land clean and not waste or destroy our resources.
Every child could have an equal education to every other child, because the funding of all schools could be based on equality, rather than what the property values are in the areas in which they live. The first two years of college could be tuition free. Training for trades could be also, and people would go into fields that they love, rather than what pays more for their families.
Healthy and affordable food would be available to everyone. Reliable and affordable transportation would also. Medicines would be less expensive, along with medical procedures that save lives.
Economic well-being could be pervasive here, if we had the will.
But we do not. We have designed and perfected our "laissez-faire" economy so
that the few benefit at the expense of the many. Inequities are its foundation, and
it divides people based on what they have (regardless of how they get it), rather
than uniting people in an equality of our quality of life. The few want more, always
more, and they write laws and institute economic norms that are unscrupulous and
corrupt, ruthless, soulless and lacking in any compassion to keep getting more off
the backs of the rest - and they laud this system as "the best in the world", while
blaming the victims they have trodden down for their poverty. It is called GREED.
It is the god at whose altar the wealthy worship, though some of them give lip
service to another God. It is a sickness that eats out their souls for destroying the
well being of sisters and brothers for their own, personal gain. Some have not
missed having a healthy soul, but the soul of the nation still cries out to God.
If we had the will, we could end conflict and unrest, even war.
By making sure that people across the world know that we have no intentions of exploiting them, occupying their lands, taking their resources, disrespecting their faiths, discriminating against their citizens or building our economic well-being off their backs, we could build trust and partnerships, rather than hatred and anger. If we nurtured the partnerships with the belief that other cultures and peoples, other nations have perspectives, skills, cultural expressions and beliefs that could enhance our lives when shared, and lifted up those cultures among our citizens, then we would see a desire for peace and expansive community grow.
Peace could be pervasive in the world, at least in our own nation, if we had the will.
But we do not. We pit people against each other for the sake of a few having
control over the rest. We judge others out of our xenophobia, ethnocentrism,
racism, classism, homophobia, "religiophobia" and other bigotries, because we
want not to feel connected with and equal to, but "superior" and over others, out
of our insane need for entitlement over someone, anyone else. It is called LUST
FOR POWER AND STATUS, twin gods that people bow down to in order to
serve their real god - themselves. This insidious disease devours their souls, using
GREED as a tool for feeding their never satisfied voids of self. It demands the
sacrifice of the well-being of others around them and destroys their own well-
being by making truly loving connections, healthy communities, unity and harmony
impossible. Some have not seen the signs of their rotting souls, because they
have been so frantically seeking power and status at the expense of others, even
believing that this is a necessary and "right" way to be. The soul of the nation and
the world cries out to God.
What will make us have the will to give up Greed, Lust for Power and Status as our gods? What will ultimately make us see the wisdom of living Agape Love toward neighbor (stranger, enemy, the most vulnerable) and see all people as sisters and brothers? What will make us understand that our well-being is tied to theirs and give us a will to enhance their well being by committing our words and actions to well-being on their behalf?
These are dark days. A lot of soul dying is going on in our nation and through our nation to the world. These are not new things. These false gods have driven empires and people since the beginning. People have sacrificed themselves and others to these gods of destruction for far too long. The climate now is just one in which the norm of serving these gods at the cost of others has been firmly established in our nation.
The prophets of old spoke truth to power. Jesus taught, commanded and modeled a better way, God's Way in the face of them. The reformers did the same. Civil rights leaders have done the same. Religious and political leaders who live in collusion with empire have complied, because ultimately they bow at the altar of the false gods, too. But there are voices... examples... sisters and brothers who refuse to participate in their sacrifices and the gains that come from them, and who speak out, write, demonstrate and vote according to a different way in the hope that Shalom may be restored for all people, equally.
They have the will.
When will we all?
Pastor Jamie
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Long Division
We have been long divided.
Politicians found out that they could benefit from pitting one group against another generations ago. They have used race, class and class within race to divide people very effectively so that they can stay in power and syphon off much of the wealth for themselves. They have exploited homophobia and have cultivated ethnocentrism, xenophobia, religious intolerance and nationalism to manipulate the masses. Fear has been an effective tool in creating, not just competition but hatred within the nation. Now, the laws they have written have manufactured a world that holds everyone else out of power - a world in which the wealth has been redistributed to them by the systems that they have built.
The result in our nation has been that a billionaire who is notorious for not paying laborers who have done work for him, who has integrated insidious corrupt practices in his own life, who has made a life of litigation and bankruptcy has been elected because people had more trust for him than the other candidate, believed he would "drain the swamp" or corruption in the Capitol and believed he would side with those struggling economically. The real reason is that his hateful rhetoric resonated with their own bigotries, for some hard core hatred and for some internalized and systemic belief that they should be recognized as being superior and entitled to more than others. Fear was used effectively to pit those white folk who have been held down, back and out against the minorities who have been even more dispossessed. It was used to make them believe they are somehow "superior" to those who are sexually or religiously different, and therefore have the right to disenfranchise them from civil rights.
The result in the world is developing. Our nation is now attacking our Democratic allies and is cozying up to Dictators and Fascist Oligarchs. We are vilifying the oppressed and standing with the oppressors. We are exacting tariffs on our long term trade partners and saving corporations of nations that were not so long ago called economic enemies, even during the last election.
The result is disastrous. Emboldened by the hateful, greedy rhetoric, those who have cultivated their greed and/or hatred over generations feel a freedom to be overtly hateful to others. Our Democracy is in danger of being killed by authoritarianism, fascism and oligarchy. Our economy and that of the world will be sunk into a long recession soon. A return to the gilded age seems immanent, which will mean that the VERY FEW have it all and the many have NOTHING. People who are not the imagined "majority" of the culture will be exploited, deported, oppressed and perhaps even killed. The planet will NOT SO SLOWLY die because of the unwillingness to value life over profit, and/or because of our extreme willingness to use our nuclear power as the ultimate act of insane dominance.
We have been long divided. This is not a new problem. It is the most recent and most extreme expression of an old problem. Exclusive Self-interest, fear turned hatred and prideful, persistent ignorance have grown into our current situation. I would like not to find out how low we can go.
It is long division.
The answer is...
A stubborn refusal to judge, to fear, to hate and to believe oneself to be superior or entitled.
It is a stubborn refusal to let those who only value wealth and power to get their way.
It is a stubborn refusal to participate in a system that routinely divides people.
It is to embrace those who are different, recognizing that they have the same desires for living life.
It is to actively commit on behalf of the well-being of the other, even the stranger and enemy, and
especially the most vulnerable.
It is to live AGAPE LOVE as defined, taught, commanded and lived by Jesus in the Gospels.
It is to be unified instead of divided - to stand with, speak out against and advocate unity itself.
The answer is to ADD people to our lives who are not like us and to MULTIPLY the love we have.
I have never liked long division. I have gotten good at it, but I do not like it.
Division leads to destruction. It subtracts sustainability from our future possibility.
No more of this long division.
Pastor Jamie
Politicians found out that they could benefit from pitting one group against another generations ago. They have used race, class and class within race to divide people very effectively so that they can stay in power and syphon off much of the wealth for themselves. They have exploited homophobia and have cultivated ethnocentrism, xenophobia, religious intolerance and nationalism to manipulate the masses. Fear has been an effective tool in creating, not just competition but hatred within the nation. Now, the laws they have written have manufactured a world that holds everyone else out of power - a world in which the wealth has been redistributed to them by the systems that they have built.
The result in our nation has been that a billionaire who is notorious for not paying laborers who have done work for him, who has integrated insidious corrupt practices in his own life, who has made a life of litigation and bankruptcy has been elected because people had more trust for him than the other candidate, believed he would "drain the swamp" or corruption in the Capitol and believed he would side with those struggling economically. The real reason is that his hateful rhetoric resonated with their own bigotries, for some hard core hatred and for some internalized and systemic belief that they should be recognized as being superior and entitled to more than others. Fear was used effectively to pit those white folk who have been held down, back and out against the minorities who have been even more dispossessed. It was used to make them believe they are somehow "superior" to those who are sexually or religiously different, and therefore have the right to disenfranchise them from civil rights.
The result in the world is developing. Our nation is now attacking our Democratic allies and is cozying up to Dictators and Fascist Oligarchs. We are vilifying the oppressed and standing with the oppressors. We are exacting tariffs on our long term trade partners and saving corporations of nations that were not so long ago called economic enemies, even during the last election.
The result is disastrous. Emboldened by the hateful, greedy rhetoric, those who have cultivated their greed and/or hatred over generations feel a freedom to be overtly hateful to others. Our Democracy is in danger of being killed by authoritarianism, fascism and oligarchy. Our economy and that of the world will be sunk into a long recession soon. A return to the gilded age seems immanent, which will mean that the VERY FEW have it all and the many have NOTHING. People who are not the imagined "majority" of the culture will be exploited, deported, oppressed and perhaps even killed. The planet will NOT SO SLOWLY die because of the unwillingness to value life over profit, and/or because of our extreme willingness to use our nuclear power as the ultimate act of insane dominance.
We have been long divided. This is not a new problem. It is the most recent and most extreme expression of an old problem. Exclusive Self-interest, fear turned hatred and prideful, persistent ignorance have grown into our current situation. I would like not to find out how low we can go.
It is long division.
The answer is...
A stubborn refusal to judge, to fear, to hate and to believe oneself to be superior or entitled.
It is a stubborn refusal to let those who only value wealth and power to get their way.
It is a stubborn refusal to participate in a system that routinely divides people.
It is to embrace those who are different, recognizing that they have the same desires for living life.
It is to actively commit on behalf of the well-being of the other, even the stranger and enemy, and
especially the most vulnerable.
It is to live AGAPE LOVE as defined, taught, commanded and lived by Jesus in the Gospels.
It is to be unified instead of divided - to stand with, speak out against and advocate unity itself.
The answer is to ADD people to our lives who are not like us and to MULTIPLY the love we have.
I have never liked long division. I have gotten good at it, but I do not like it.
Division leads to destruction. It subtracts sustainability from our future possibility.
No more of this long division.
Pastor Jamie
Sunday, May 27, 2018
Amos - harsh words of truth
Israel had strong military security and the economy was good. The temple cult leaders reported that God was favoring them for their support of the religious leaders.
Entered AMOS the Prophet, who in no uncertain words let them know that they and those like them were not being favored by God. He told them that their misuse of their might and their injustice, both to those around them and those within the nation meant that their religious practices were empty, even a slap in the face of God. Israel would fall and fall hard, believing that they could do no wrong, but were God's favorites.
Many evangelicals have bought into the Law of Discovery and Manifest Destiny ideologies of Europe and America in the past, developing an American Civil Religion that manipulates its adherents to believe in prosperity theology, personal salvation as one's only concern and purity/holiness rather than faithfulness to Jesus' Way as the goal of followers of Jesus. Folk have heard it for decades and have been subject to it for decades. The results are not healthy. Many believe that America is God's country, favored above all others in the world and can do no wrong (along with Israel). Some believe that an anti-love, anti-justice, anti- equality, anti-equitability and anti-Christ occupier of the oval office is the chosen of God. Some believe that one can do whatever one wants to others, economically, socially and civilly, and not be at odds with God because they are
"saved". Amos would beg to differ.
Read Amos. Amos speaks to America right now.
Read James. James speaks to America right now.
Read the Good News of Jesus. Focus on what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for those who would follow Him. Jesus speaks to America right now.
There is nothing new under the sun, and Empires still fall.
Pastor Jamie
Entered AMOS the Prophet, who in no uncertain words let them know that they and those like them were not being favored by God. He told them that their misuse of their might and their injustice, both to those around them and those within the nation meant that their religious practices were empty, even a slap in the face of God. Israel would fall and fall hard, believing that they could do no wrong, but were God's favorites.
Many evangelicals have bought into the Law of Discovery and Manifest Destiny ideologies of Europe and America in the past, developing an American Civil Religion that manipulates its adherents to believe in prosperity theology, personal salvation as one's only concern and purity/holiness rather than faithfulness to Jesus' Way as the goal of followers of Jesus. Folk have heard it for decades and have been subject to it for decades. The results are not healthy. Many believe that America is God's country, favored above all others in the world and can do no wrong (along with Israel). Some believe that an anti-love, anti-justice, anti- equality, anti-equitability and anti-Christ occupier of the oval office is the chosen of God. Some believe that one can do whatever one wants to others, economically, socially and civilly, and not be at odds with God because they are
"saved". Amos would beg to differ.
Read Amos. Amos speaks to America right now.
Read James. James speaks to America right now.
Read the Good News of Jesus. Focus on what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for those who would follow Him. Jesus speaks to America right now.
There is nothing new under the sun, and Empires still fall.
Pastor Jamie
Sunday, May 20, 2018
Counting the Cost
Luke 14:25-33
There is a cost to discipleship, as with anything else.
We are in the middle of some major (and minor) repairs and remodeling on our house. We had to completely replace our porch roof so that we could minimize damage on our foundation and have a porch on which to sit. We had to replace our waste stack from basement to upstairs guest bathroom, so that we did not have a flood of water in our basement when the tub, toilet or sink were used. It meant tearing out a couple walls, one of which is in our kitchen. We had to have a gas line replaced, which meant tearing out basement ceiling. I tore out an old bar in the basement and we are making it family room space, which has taken no small amount of effort. Since the kitchen wall is torn out, we decided that now is the time to remodel the kitchen, which is a small space, but which will be re-done from ceiling to floor next month. We will be paying for this for a while, but it is part of the cost of living in a home. We knew (some) of that coming into it, and we believe it will be worth it.
I remember Pastor (PhD) Schein telling us in New Testament Theology in Seminary, "You put down your money, you make your choice, and then you live with it." It was regarding this lesson from Luke. If we are going to follow Jesus in our lives, there will be a price to pay. It means leaving behind the ways of life that are not of the Christ and living by a different set of values and rules. It means obedience to Jesus' command to love (Agape) neighbor as self, even as He loved. While some try to claim the name of Jesus and still walk in Empire, rather than Kingdom values and live by Empire rules rather than Jesus' "Golden" rule, others find it all just too hard, refuse to be so duplicitous and walk away. It would seem that very few are willing to be salt and light, or strive to become salt and light in the world as Jesus' followers. For the few, there is a cost that some find too much to pay. It means going against the tide or marching to the beat of a different drummer, and that most often leads us to the Cross.
We put down our money and made our choice in the 2016 election, as a nation. Whether out of adolescent acting out, true greed or blatant bigotry, some voted for a candidate very much more unlike the Christ and His values than the other. OK, empire values were apparent in both, but certainly not to the same degree. Now we all must live with it. Some have become emboldened by their adolescent tantrum and its results, and are now escalating their demands to be recognized above the rest. Some have become emboldened by the blatant bigoted expressions of our "president" and are now speaking and acting on their own, openly. Some are taking advantage of the loss of government protections of the most vulnerable through de-regulation and are striving to "make a killing" at the expense of the rest of us. Many or most people (women, LGBTQ, immigrants, black and brown sisters and brothers, the poor, the middle class, the disabled, the elderly, people not of a fundamentalist "christian" faith, civilians across the world in war zones, other economies) are paying the price for what the nation has done and what it is becoming, here and across the world. None of it looks like the Agape that Jesus commanded or the Kingdom values that Jesus taught. Very little of it looks even like Democracy anymore.
The cost of discipleship is to fly in the face of empire values, speak out, demonstrate, write, refuse to participate, resist and vote differently - to not be compliant through all of that. Yes, in doing so it will put us at odds with some folk who either are compliant or are complicit in the direction that the nation has chosen. Yes, it may mean a loss socially, economically and at times emotionally. Yes, it may even mean going to the Cross. That is the cost of discipleship (see Bonhoeffer). Now is the time to "put down your money and make your choice." Now is the time to stand with the most vulnerable and those held down, back and out, even those oppressed and occupied by empire. Now is the time to live Kingdom of God values as defined by Jesus in Agape Love, as we have that in the Gospels. Now is the time to follow Jesus. When others would follow "every wind of doctrine" and live like "their god is the belly", we must know who we follow and why. "Put down your money, make your choice and then live with it."
"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." We will follow Jesus, for His way is a better way for the world. His way is the Just Way, the Loving Way, the Way of Shalom. His way is sustainable. Empires fall. This one will, too. In the end, the question will not be how much wealth, power or status we had in life, but "how did we treat our neighbor(s)?" Follow Jesus' Way of Agape Love and Grace. It will lead you to the Cross, but it will also take you (and your neighbor) beyond it.
Pastor Jamie
There is a cost to discipleship, as with anything else.
We are in the middle of some major (and minor) repairs and remodeling on our house. We had to completely replace our porch roof so that we could minimize damage on our foundation and have a porch on which to sit. We had to replace our waste stack from basement to upstairs guest bathroom, so that we did not have a flood of water in our basement when the tub, toilet or sink were used. It meant tearing out a couple walls, one of which is in our kitchen. We had to have a gas line replaced, which meant tearing out basement ceiling. I tore out an old bar in the basement and we are making it family room space, which has taken no small amount of effort. Since the kitchen wall is torn out, we decided that now is the time to remodel the kitchen, which is a small space, but which will be re-done from ceiling to floor next month. We will be paying for this for a while, but it is part of the cost of living in a home. We knew (some) of that coming into it, and we believe it will be worth it.
I remember Pastor (PhD) Schein telling us in New Testament Theology in Seminary, "You put down your money, you make your choice, and then you live with it." It was regarding this lesson from Luke. If we are going to follow Jesus in our lives, there will be a price to pay. It means leaving behind the ways of life that are not of the Christ and living by a different set of values and rules. It means obedience to Jesus' command to love (Agape) neighbor as self, even as He loved. While some try to claim the name of Jesus and still walk in Empire, rather than Kingdom values and live by Empire rules rather than Jesus' "Golden" rule, others find it all just too hard, refuse to be so duplicitous and walk away. It would seem that very few are willing to be salt and light, or strive to become salt and light in the world as Jesus' followers. For the few, there is a cost that some find too much to pay. It means going against the tide or marching to the beat of a different drummer, and that most often leads us to the Cross.
We put down our money and made our choice in the 2016 election, as a nation. Whether out of adolescent acting out, true greed or blatant bigotry, some voted for a candidate very much more unlike the Christ and His values than the other. OK, empire values were apparent in both, but certainly not to the same degree. Now we all must live with it. Some have become emboldened by their adolescent tantrum and its results, and are now escalating their demands to be recognized above the rest. Some have become emboldened by the blatant bigoted expressions of our "president" and are now speaking and acting on their own, openly. Some are taking advantage of the loss of government protections of the most vulnerable through de-regulation and are striving to "make a killing" at the expense of the rest of us. Many or most people (women, LGBTQ, immigrants, black and brown sisters and brothers, the poor, the middle class, the disabled, the elderly, people not of a fundamentalist "christian" faith, civilians across the world in war zones, other economies) are paying the price for what the nation has done and what it is becoming, here and across the world. None of it looks like the Agape that Jesus commanded or the Kingdom values that Jesus taught. Very little of it looks even like Democracy anymore.
The cost of discipleship is to fly in the face of empire values, speak out, demonstrate, write, refuse to participate, resist and vote differently - to not be compliant through all of that. Yes, in doing so it will put us at odds with some folk who either are compliant or are complicit in the direction that the nation has chosen. Yes, it may mean a loss socially, economically and at times emotionally. Yes, it may even mean going to the Cross. That is the cost of discipleship (see Bonhoeffer). Now is the time to "put down your money and make your choice." Now is the time to stand with the most vulnerable and those held down, back and out, even those oppressed and occupied by empire. Now is the time to live Kingdom of God values as defined by Jesus in Agape Love, as we have that in the Gospels. Now is the time to follow Jesus. When others would follow "every wind of doctrine" and live like "their god is the belly", we must know who we follow and why. "Put down your money, make your choice and then live with it."
"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." We will follow Jesus, for His way is a better way for the world. His way is the Just Way, the Loving Way, the Way of Shalom. His way is sustainable. Empires fall. This one will, too. In the end, the question will not be how much wealth, power or status we had in life, but "how did we treat our neighbor(s)?" Follow Jesus' Way of Agape Love and Grace. It will lead you to the Cross, but it will also take you (and your neighbor) beyond it.
Pastor Jamie
Sunday, May 13, 2018
HOPE
In my worst moments, I think HOPE is magical thinking.
It means going against the logic of what my eyes see, ears hear and brain processes to believe that things can get better or turn around. Without evidence of the potential for change or transformation, it seems like an abdication of one's determination to MAKE change or bring transformation.
In my best moments, I believe HOPE is what I had on a T-shirt some 20+ years ago from Sojourners Magazine - "Hope is believing in spite of the evidence, until the evidence changes." There is always hope that things can and will change, turn around, be transformed.
The difference is loving faith and action - to be clear, LOVING FAITH IN ACTION.
I believe that prayer is conviction toward action and then in action.
I believe that love is committed action. I know that of Agape Love, particularly.
My faith is in God's presence and transformative power of hearts and minds. That happens through voices, hands and feet of people. God works in relationships. God works in community. God works when people find a common faith and love and put them into action. Lives are changed and transformed in God working through relationships and in community. The Holy Spirit of God is active and relentless.
I do not ask God to supernaturally intervene. I ask God to change me and move me to act in this part of God's Kingdom here and now, according to God's will. I believe that we are in a relationship with God and called to be God's feet and hands, hearts, minds and voices in the world. Prayer that is asking for God to intervene in the world is an abdication of our responsibility as God's followers. Love that is a feeling without committed action is an abdication of our devotion to obey Jesus' command to live Agape Love (active commitment/committed action on behalf of the other, even stranger and enemy, and especially the most vulnerable).
My faith in Jesus is a faith in Jesus' Way as God's Way for us and a better way for us to live in this part of God's Kingdom here and now. I have a deep faith in Jesus' Good News and in the Holy Spirit's relentless pointing to it as OUR way to live in the world, this part of God's Kingdom, here and now. "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."
"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness; no merit of my own I claim but wholly lean on Jesus' name." My hope is that by living Jesus' Way of Agape Love and Grace, others will take note and decide to live it as well, by the moving of the Holy Spirit. My hope is that it will transform hearts, minds and therefore lives as we repent (change our thinking and therefore our direction, turn around in our way of living.) All I can do is bear witness to Jesus by actively living His Good News of Agape Love and Grace and let the Holy Spirit do what the Holy Spirit does.
In Agape Love (active commitment on behalf of the other), Prayer (convicted action in this part of God's Kingdom, here and now ) and Faith (an act of trust in Jesus and Jesus' Way), my Hope is transformed from magical thinking into a belief in and work toward Jesus' Way in the world, and the belief that perhaps others will do the same.
So, I still have HOPE. There is still HOPE.
Pastor Jamie
It means going against the logic of what my eyes see, ears hear and brain processes to believe that things can get better or turn around. Without evidence of the potential for change or transformation, it seems like an abdication of one's determination to MAKE change or bring transformation.
In my best moments, I believe HOPE is what I had on a T-shirt some 20+ years ago from Sojourners Magazine - "Hope is believing in spite of the evidence, until the evidence changes." There is always hope that things can and will change, turn around, be transformed.
The difference is loving faith and action - to be clear, LOVING FAITH IN ACTION.
I believe that prayer is conviction toward action and then in action.
I believe that love is committed action. I know that of Agape Love, particularly.
My faith is in God's presence and transformative power of hearts and minds. That happens through voices, hands and feet of people. God works in relationships. God works in community. God works when people find a common faith and love and put them into action. Lives are changed and transformed in God working through relationships and in community. The Holy Spirit of God is active and relentless.
I do not ask God to supernaturally intervene. I ask God to change me and move me to act in this part of God's Kingdom here and now, according to God's will. I believe that we are in a relationship with God and called to be God's feet and hands, hearts, minds and voices in the world. Prayer that is asking for God to intervene in the world is an abdication of our responsibility as God's followers. Love that is a feeling without committed action is an abdication of our devotion to obey Jesus' command to live Agape Love (active commitment/committed action on behalf of the other, even stranger and enemy, and especially the most vulnerable).
My faith in Jesus is a faith in Jesus' Way as God's Way for us and a better way for us to live in this part of God's Kingdom here and now. I have a deep faith in Jesus' Good News and in the Holy Spirit's relentless pointing to it as OUR way to live in the world, this part of God's Kingdom, here and now. "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."
"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness; no merit of my own I claim but wholly lean on Jesus' name." My hope is that by living Jesus' Way of Agape Love and Grace, others will take note and decide to live it as well, by the moving of the Holy Spirit. My hope is that it will transform hearts, minds and therefore lives as we repent (change our thinking and therefore our direction, turn around in our way of living.) All I can do is bear witness to Jesus by actively living His Good News of Agape Love and Grace and let the Holy Spirit do what the Holy Spirit does.
In Agape Love (active commitment on behalf of the other), Prayer (convicted action in this part of God's Kingdom, here and now ) and Faith (an act of trust in Jesus and Jesus' Way), my Hope is transformed from magical thinking into a belief in and work toward Jesus' Way in the world, and the belief that perhaps others will do the same.
So, I still have HOPE. There is still HOPE.
Pastor Jamie
Sunday, May 6, 2018
heartening...
It is heartening for me to see and read the reactions to the horrible intolerance being perpetrated on the "strangers" Jesus called "the least of these", who are to be welcomed by any who follow Jesus.
It is heartening for me to see people gather together to say, "NO!" to the hatreds displayed as normative by a few hateful people.
It is heartening for me to see people stand up and say, "NO MORE!" to those who profit off the selling of weapons of mass destruction designed to create death on a large scale in public gatherings like schools.
It is heartening for me to see people help the poor, who were created by an unjust economic system and who are scapegoated and further victimized by the most ruthless and greedy in our nation.
It is heartening for me to see people refuse to see the ignorance, hatefulness, greed, lust for power and desire for status as a normative value in our nation.
It is heartening for me to see people continue to strive to provide healthcare for all people, especially the most vulnerable "least", who are to be cared for according to Jesus.
It is heartening for me to see people work toward a justice system that is equal for all and does not single out one particular segment of society for targeted, unjust oppression.
It is heartening for me to see people work toward equal education for all children, that will lead to more equal opportunities in their lives.
It is heartening for me to see people work toward bringing a living wage for all workers and equal pay for everyone who does the same jobs.
It is heartening for me to see people work toward regulation on those who would fleece much of the population for the gain of the few.
It is heartening for me to hear ANY pastor who will address the darkness in our world with the light of the Gospel of Jesus in Agape Love and Grace.
And it is heartening for me to see that the ELCA has elected its first African-American female Bishop, and in SE Pennsylvania where I live. Congratulations, Rev. Patricia Davenport! Congratulations, Southeast Pennsylvania! Congratulations, ELCA!
It is heartening for me to know that in the middle of this dark resurgence of hatefulness in racism, ethnocentrism, homophobia, classism and religious intolerance a church body has had the openness to the Holy Spirit to act on God's inspiration toward love and inclusion in love.
Pastor Jamie
It is heartening for me to see people gather together to say, "NO!" to the hatreds displayed as normative by a few hateful people.
It is heartening for me to see people stand up and say, "NO MORE!" to those who profit off the selling of weapons of mass destruction designed to create death on a large scale in public gatherings like schools.
It is heartening for me to see people help the poor, who were created by an unjust economic system and who are scapegoated and further victimized by the most ruthless and greedy in our nation.
It is heartening for me to see people refuse to see the ignorance, hatefulness, greed, lust for power and desire for status as a normative value in our nation.
It is heartening for me to see people continue to strive to provide healthcare for all people, especially the most vulnerable "least", who are to be cared for according to Jesus.
It is heartening for me to see people work toward a justice system that is equal for all and does not single out one particular segment of society for targeted, unjust oppression.
It is heartening for me to see people work toward equal education for all children, that will lead to more equal opportunities in their lives.
It is heartening for me to see people work toward bringing a living wage for all workers and equal pay for everyone who does the same jobs.
It is heartening for me to see people work toward regulation on those who would fleece much of the population for the gain of the few.
It is heartening for me to hear ANY pastor who will address the darkness in our world with the light of the Gospel of Jesus in Agape Love and Grace.
And it is heartening for me to see that the ELCA has elected its first African-American female Bishop, and in SE Pennsylvania where I live. Congratulations, Rev. Patricia Davenport! Congratulations, Southeast Pennsylvania! Congratulations, ELCA!
It is heartening for me to know that in the middle of this dark resurgence of hatefulness in racism, ethnocentrism, homophobia, classism and religious intolerance a church body has had the openness to the Holy Spirit to act on God's inspiration toward love and inclusion in love.
Pastor Jamie
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