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December
14, 2008
We now come to the last month of the year; Christmas and the New year are upon us, as well as the celebrations and
events we experience at this time of year. I was visiting a member who was quite ill a couple of weeks ago, and I inevitably
selected my favorite Psalm for prayer and to read – Psalm 27. “The Lord is my light and my salvation, who
shall I fear, the Lord is the strength of my life, whom shall I be afraid…”
However, as I was turning the pages of my pocket bible translation - "The Message,” by Eugene Peterson
and the down to earth and contemporary words he uses so effectively, I stopped at the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 5. In fact,
it was like the bible opened at these famous words in what we call the Beatitudes. I think most of us are familiar with “Blessed
are the poor, those who mourn, the meek and merciful, and those who huger for thirst and
righteousness, the pure in heart, the peacemakers – these are the children of God, are filled and important,
and see God,” and so on.
And though I have read Peterson since the early 90’s, it was like I had never read his translation of these
blessings and beatitudes. So, not only did I read it to the person I was visiting, but I read it to those who gave turkeys
during our Sports Vision sponsored event. My thanks and gratitude to all of you who have volunteered at this event over the
many years here at Taylor. So, please read this, and may it speak to you in a different way (Matthew 5:1-12).
When
Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed
with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
Gratitude and Thanksgiving!
November 2, 2008
“You
will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us, for the rendering
of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings for God.”
[II Corinthians 9:11-12]
Paul expressed his gratitude
for the generosity of the Corinthians and said that it produced thanksgiving to God and overflowed with many thanksgivings
within him in those who are committed to God. Not only in this month Thanksgiving month, but Paul’s
words express my sentiments and my mother’s in letting you know how we feel about what the Taylor Church Family did
for her 90th birthday celebration last month – Gratitude and Thanksgiving!
As most of you know,
she was 90 years old on October 22nd but Taylor chose Sunday, October 19th as the date
to celebrate her birthday with gifts, cards, dinner, and countless well wishes, prayers and great love. As mom said, it was
a blessing by God, first to be on this planet for 90 years with good health (and I would say good looks too); and to have
a community of faith such as Taylor support and love her is a blessing and a half. In the Corinthian passage, it was Paul’s
emphasis on the community that stood out for me in his Thanksgiving acknowledgement. There are many, many people who are living
to be 100 years old in our society, but not all are as fortunate and blessed to be supported by such a community of believers.
My mother and I can’t thank you enough for your thoughtfulness, kindness and generosity last month, and these acts permeate
our thoughts this Thanksgiving month.
From The Heart . . .
October 5, 2008
As I write these
Reflections I am preparing to leave for Chicago for the 10th Annual Christian
Century Lectures and Workshops. You will be reading the Reflections when I return this
Sunday.
This trip to Chicago
is the sixth year I have attended the Lectures. I have been blessed to hear and converse over these years with such greats
as Eugene Peterson, Barbara Brown Taylor, Richard Lescher, Walter Brueggemann,
William Willimon and Peter Gomes. Monday and Tuesday speakers and lecturers are Marcus
Borg, the New Testament scholar best known for his “Meeting Jesus Again For the First Time,”
and his work on the historical Jesus. The lecturer will be Laura Winner who wrote “Girl Meets God,”
which tells of her conversation form Orthodox Judaism to Christianity. I look forward to both speakers.
Recently, I said
to someone that Borg wrote one of the best books on Christianity I have ever read – “The Heart of
Christianity.” The person said to me that it must have been quite a book for me to have such a high opinion.
What were some of the ideas and thoughts, in this book published in 2003, that made it such a great read? I might also add
that I had this book on my book list of reviews in 2003: and a colleague of mine
read my review and recommended that a group in his church read and study the book. Over 60 people participated. So, let me
paraphrase Borg and for the first time, repeat the review I wrote for my 2003 Book List.
Borg began the book
with a quote from Jesus in Mark’s Gospel after Jesus had fed thousands. “Do you still
not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and fail to see? Do you have ears and fail to hear?”
[Mark 8:17-18] If I might, let me mention last month’s quote from Romans. “Faith comes
by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” [Romans 10:17]
The preface, introduction
and chapter titles and headings are helpful to understand the depth of Borg’s book. The preface was, “What does
it mean to be Christian today?’ The introduction was, “The Heart of Christianity In a Time of Change.” The
book is then divided into two sections. Part One – Seeing the Christian tradition again.
Faith Comes By Hearing . . .
September 14, 2008
“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”
[Romans 10:17]
When I was on vacation I worshiped in four different churches, and as a member of the congregation I was a listener
and not the preacher. However, I asked myself a question I often ask myself even when I am the preacher; and, that is, “what
are people hearing?” If faith comes by hearing, does what we hear engender faith? Thoreau
said it takes two to speak the truth, one to speak it and one to hear it. So, as I was listening to these preachers
in four different and unique congregations, I kept asking myself, “what do I hear, and what do I remember, and was it
effective listening?” And I realized very keenly that it is not easy but quite difficult and demanding to truly listen.
I have greater empathy for you, the listeners.
Walter Brueggemann is truly one of the great preachers and teachers of
our time. His Yale Lecture Series on Preaching is considered one of the most distinguished lecture series in the country.
In his 1989 lecture entitled, “Finally Comes the Poet,” he says that the meeting of the community
of faith is a speech meeting. In this meeting he says we have the potential of birthing a new humanity. As Jesus said so provocatively
in last week’s text ---- “Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything
you ask, it will be done for you by my father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among
them.” [Matthew 18:19-20] If this happened more in our gatherings, it sure would be transformative.
Brueggemann ways there are four partners who need to be present in the meeting
so that the new reality can be birthed.
Rev. Ron's Book List
July 6, 2008
Some of my friends and colleagues wondered if I read my 100 books last year since I did not pass out that masterful
document that Gloria Calhoun and Ruth Taylor have produced every year for nearly ten years now. Well, I did read 100 books;
and, for those who received “THE VOICE,” our Church newsletter, you would have seen the list although I did not
release my extensive reviews! I promise you I didn’t make it up; I actually read every book. However, the hours and
hours it takes to review them were not to be realized this year. Though it is natural for me to read as much every year—it
is in my system—I hope in this coming year to write or accomplish some goals other than my usual book review.
What I will share in these “Reflections” for those who did not receive “THE VOICE” (and even
those of you who did), are the books that stood out above all others in the categories I always choose to read, which are:
Religion, Biographies, Novels, Psychology & Self-Help, and
a category which has many topics and subjects which I call Miscellaneous.
In the category of RELIGION: “Sideswiped by Eternity,”
Joseph L. Roberts, Jr.; “Thank God it’s Friday,”
William H. Willimon; “Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?”
Phillip Yancy; “What Do They Hear?” Mark Allan Powell; “The Politics of
Jesus.” Obery M. Hendricks, Jr.; “Where Have All the
Prophets Gone?” Marvin McMickle; “Five Practices of
Fruitful Congregations,” Robert Schnase; “Holy Play,”
Kirk Byron Jones; “Preaching the Psalms,” J. Clinton McCann, Jr. & James C. Howell; “The Scandalous
Gospel of Jesus,” Peter Gomes.
The
scripture text for this Sunday are the famous words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30. “Come
unto me, all you that labor and are heavy burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I
am meek and gentle in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” “Learn of me”—these are
the words that lead to learning for you and me. We must be willing to study and learn
Happy Father's Day !
June 1, 2008
One of W.E.B.
DuBois’ famous lines from the classic, “The Soul of Black Folks” –
1903, was “one ever feels his twoness – an American, a Negro, two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings,
two warring ideals in one dark body.”
I have read these
famous words for years and even heard them spoken recently which led me to use these words in the recent funeral eulogy for
Reginald Lockett, a poet, mystic and teacher for many, many years in our community. It could be that every African American
might have experienced this twoness at some point in out journey in this country. Barack Obama
is the latest one who has experienced this twoness in one sense, in that some in the black community said he was not black
enough. (Michael Eric Dyson says how can he not be black enough when his father is from Africa, and how many blacks can say
that.) And, with the multiplicity of conversations on race now, some in the majority culture say Black is too black. DuBois’
words ring true even over one hundred years later, and probably apply to more than one race in this country.
As powerful as the
aforementioned DuBois’ words have been, I came across these words of his in my reading this past week, “One thing
alone I charge you. As you live, believe in life! Always human beings will live and progress to a greater, broader, and fuller
life.”
Because Father’s Day, as well as Taylor’s
Annual Men’s Day Celebration is in this month of June, we are keenly aware that our commitment to a sense of
completeness and unity is vital to our humanity and our wholeness.
Ida B. Wells: A Sword Among Lions
May 4, 2008
“My soul is among lions;
and I lie even among them that we set on fire, even sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongues a sharp
sword.”-Psalm 57:4
This scripture is highlighted and quoted
in the beginning of the searing and provocative new biography about outspoken and militant anti-lynching advocate, Ida
B. Wells-“A Sword Among Lions,” by Paula J. Giddings. Paula Giddings
is the author of “When and Where I Enter,” which traced the history of Black women who were activists
in America. I remember reading this enormous work years ago that emphasized black women emerging during one of the most tumultuous
periods in American history. Ida B. Wells led the fight against the horrendous lynching of African Americans that took place
in the 1890’s after Reconstruction until the 1930’s.
I am always looking for something unique
and different to express in Reflections, especially during the month of May when we celebrate Mother’s Day.
I was lead to this biography about this extraordinary woman, mother and activist that should inspire us all.
Ida B. Wells was born to slaves in Mississippi
in 1862 just a few months before the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Her activist career began when she refused to leave
a first-class ladies car on a Memphis railway in 1884, long, long, long before any civil rights movements. They took her off
the train; she later sued and won in the lower courts. However, the higher courts of Tennessee reversed the ruling. But she
was a fighter and became a renowned teacher, journalist, and suffragette. She later became an independent candidate in the
rough and tumble world of Chicago politics.
MOLDS ARE NOT FOR PEOPLE
April 6, 2008
I never heard the expression
“molds are fine for Jell-O but not for people." Who hasn’t enjoyed a wonderful Jell-O mold over the years, and
many of us love them now-Jell-O, with its whipped cream and various warm gelatin liquids inside. Bill
Cosby had an entire generation of children eating Jell-O with delight and joy in his many fun-loving commercials with
kids.
This idea of jello is
good for a mold but not for people comes from Nancy Ortberg, the wife of the noted author and Christian
writer, John Ortberg. I have truly enjoyed his books over the years such as, If You Want to
Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat; The Life You’ve Always Wanted; Everybody’s Normal Till
You Get to Know Them; and his latest, When the Game is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box. This latest I referenced
in a previous Reflections and in a few sermons.
Nancy Ortberg’s
first attempt at writing is her book, “Looking for God.” I found her book just as provocative, interesting
and insightful as her husband John’s books. In expanding the idea of people are not like jello she asked, “what
is it about much of the Christian religion that insists people all be alike?” And, “why do I so often feel as
if they (people) have their mold and they want me to fit into it?” “Do we somehow feel safer when others are just
like us?” Then she says, “the reason molds work so well for Jell-O is that gelatin is a substance without a form
of its own. But people aren’t like that, or at least we shouldn’t be. Molds are rigid, predetermined boundaries
that create shape but leave no room for movement. Great for Jell-O, disastrous for people.”
March: The Month of Easter
March 2, 2008
It is rare that
Easter is in the month of March. March madness in College Football will truly be just as mad, but the enthusiasm for this
Resurrection month should also be very high. However, with Easter being so early it does feel like some of us are not ready.
I should probably speak only for myself – the Lenten studies early. Good Friday and the Sunrise and Easter services
are right around the corner. We are in the process of contacting our ministers for the Good Friday Service. For the last three
years we have had such an inspirational service of diverse clergy with Protestant and Catholic representation. The interfaith
community had planned to rotate the services each year, but after coming here for going on four years now, they chose to stay
at Taylor. And, we count it a privilege and a joy to host this wonderful ecumenical service.
Again, though Easter
is rarely in March, what is not rare is that for over 30 years now this has been Women’s History month. Black History
has been celebrated in February since 1926 although it was first proposed in 1915 by Carter G. Woodson, considered the father
of Black History. Back then it was celebrated for one week, but since around 1976 it has been celebrated for one month.
No celebration of Women, Black History, or March madness should supersede this month of Easter. But women were the
first at the Grave. They were some of the first witnesses of our Lord’s Resurrection and have had a major role, not
only at the beginning of the church but since that time. And there is still a question ordination of women in some denominations!?
Are we reading the same texts, and if we are, then we truly are having different interpretations.
As I looked at some of the contributions by women over the years I saw two web sites, one being new, that were extremely
inspiring. The new one has the speeches of some of the noted and renowned women in American History. I even downloaded at
least a half dozen of these famous speeches. Who were some of these great women and great speeches?
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
February 3, 2008
I’ve been scarred and battered
My hopes the wind done scattered.
Snow has frize me, Sun has baked
me.
Looks like between ‘em
They dine tried to make me
Stop laughin,’ stop lovin,’
stop livin’-
But I don’t care!
I’m still here!
I have known this poem by Langston
Hughes by heart for over thirty years now. The defiance, the courage, the determination and strength I felt expressed
in this poem always stirred me. Because this is Black History month, I am sure I am not the only
one who would be inspired by this poem, for many African Americans have experienced these words over the history in this country,
whether they knew it by heart or not-scarred, battered, and scattered literally or figuratively by snow, sun or negative forces.
But the determination to go on though laughin’ and lovin’ and livin’ are threatened is deeply moving. And,
whatever happens, “I’m still here!” Thank God for our ancestors and others who not only survived but endured.
Another poem by Langston Hughes in honor
of this Black History month:
I’m, the American heartbreak
-
Rock on which freedom
Stumps its toe -
The great mistake That Jonestown
Made long ago.
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“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you, there is more of God
and his rule.”
“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most
dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.”
“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are-no more, no less. That’s the
moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.”
“You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in
the best meal you’ll ever eat.”
“You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves
cared for.”
“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s
when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.”
“You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even
deeper into God’s kingdom.”
“Not only that, count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about
you to discredit you. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad
when that happens - give a cheer, even! - for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that
you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.”
I started to wait to share these words for the first month of 2009. But, why wait? These words hopefully speak to
you now and beyond this month. Therefore, may these words guide, challenge and empower you this Christmas and into the New
Year.
Blessings,
Ron
However, I hasten to
add that my mother has for years worked in the church and the community with all kinds of people and I believe the work she
has done has engendered this kind of support from so many. And, that the people who celebrated her birthday were not just
people celebrating her 90 years of life, but those who know of her caring, her concern, and her thoughtfulness to help others
realize their best. And for that I am thankful - for her character, integrity and graciousness.
Although I am not able
in this article to list all the people by name who helped, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention especially the two
people who first told me of the idea of celebrating my mother’s birthday – Gloria Calhoun and Ruth Taylor, two
sisters who constantly demonstrate excellence in the mission and ministry of Taylor! Excellence in great programs! Excellence
in support and service! Excellence in devotion and commitment to God. Much thanks to them and to all of you
who made last month so special and so great!
I have spent a great
deal of my Reflections in thanking you, Taylor, but as Paul expresses, my thanksgiving is always
rooted above all in God (“…overflows with many thanksgivings for God”). Also, another one of my
favorite passages on being thankful is Psalms 103:1-2:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And do not forget all his benefits
- “
Well, in a few days we
will be voting. Our country and our world face major issues as we all know. There will be change, whatever the outcome of
the election. We hope that change will make us thankful, thoughtful and thrilled!
Full of Thanks,
Rev. Ron
Part Two – Seeing the Christian life again. One
can immediately gather from Borg that he emphasizes seeing, hearing, revisiting, etc., something again and again. I am always
amazed at the things that I’ve missed when I either read something again or see the same movie again and again.
Under these two
section headings: The Way of the Heart, the Heart of the Tradition, the Heart of Reality, the Heart of God
is the first part. Part Two – A New Heart, the Heart of Justice, Opening the Heart, Transforming the Heart,
Practice and Being Christian in an Age of Pluralism. Could there be any more heartfelt subjects?
Now what were some
of the many ideas are shared in my review? His analysis of faith has four dimensions: Belief, trust, faithfulness and a vision.
His emphasis on the two approaches in reading the Bible are historical/literal and metaphorical/sacramental. A combination
of both is important, keeping in mind as someone said, “take the Bible seriously, but not always literally.” Borg’s
writings said to me that faith is dynamic, alive and open to change.
There was also a
repeat of his sketch of the pre-Easter Jesus, as he calls him, which is worth mentioning.
Jesus was a Jewish mystic, healer, wisdom teacher, social prophet and movement initiator. Of course there was much more.
As many of you know,
this month we celebrate our 87th Anniversary as a church. As our Anniversary Committee lifts up our history, our
vision and purpose this month, may we always be people of the heart – warm (by the way of our founder, John Wesley’s,
influence), open, growing and loving and changing. My mother also celebrates her 90th birthday this month and my
gratitude to her for always leading with her heart and her faithfulness.
From the Heart,
Pastor Ron
(1) The first partner in the meeting is the text. He says it is always about the text, the text, the text. However, the
text is often reduced, trivialized, domesticated, misshapen, diminished and this makes it difficult for us to hear the text.
If faith is going to come by hearing then we must be deliberate, intentional and critically analytical in hearing and understanding
the text. We can’t allow the text to be robbed of its power.
(2) The second partner in the meeting is the baptized – the people, the congregation, the hearers. Remember, the
second element in Thoreau’s formula are those who hear the truth. We must be prepared to accept, understand and grasp
the text even though we might not fully understand the text.
(3) So we have the boldness of the text and the congregation waiting and hearing, and the third is the moment of speech.
The preacher must preach (in season or not in season, favorably or unfavorable). [II Timothy 4:2] And hopefully the preacher
becomes the poet in which words are fresh and new and energizing.
(4) There is text, the congregation, the voice of the preacher and fourth is the possibility so this would be given a
fresh rebirth. People might have the same old quarrels, tensions and arguments, but there is hope for “a new world,
a new hope, a new verb, a new conversation, a new possibility.” It is what the bible talks about when it talks about
salvation and redemption.
Well, friends, as I said I have a greater appreciation for you, the hearers, and I am reminded of one of the best
books I have read on preaching over these last few years ---- “Preacher, Can You Hear Us Listening?”
I do hear you!
Forever listening,
Rev. Ron
BIOGRAPHY: “Johnny U,”
Tom Callahan; “Letters to a Young
Brother,” Hill Harper; “Life
Lit By Some Large Vision,” Ossie Davis; “The Audacity of Hope,” Barack Obama; “Leaving Church,” Barbara Brown Taylor; “Opening Day,” Jonathan Eig; “Team of Rivals,” Doris Kearns Goodwin; “Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself,” Alan Alda; “The Nine,” Jeffery Toobin; “A Woman in Charge,” Carl Bernstein.
All of these biographies were phenomenal, but Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals,”
was an incredible book and I can understand why it took ten years for her to complete this masterpiece.
NOVELS: “The Collectors,” David Baldacci; “True Evil,” Greg Iles; “The Blue Zone,” Andrew Gross; “Play Dead,” David Rosenfelt; “Stone Cold,” David Baldacci;
“Lottery,” Patricia Woods.
Anytime you see an author’s name more than once, then you know I like his/her work! I don’t think you can go wrong
with Baldacci. I just finished his, “The Whole Truth.”
PHILOSOPHY & SELF-HELP: “Mating in Captivity,” Esther Perel; “Why Good People Do Bad Things,” James Hollis; “The Seven T’s,” Judy Collins; “Learning to Love,” Dan and Martha Rosenthal; “Finding Meaning in the Second Half of
Life,” James Hollis. Again, Hollis is a “must” read.
MISCELLANEOUS: “Letter to a Christian Nation,” Sam Harris; “Where Have All the Leaders Gone?,” Lee Iacoca; “Debating Race With Michael Eric Dyson”; “God is Not Great,” Christopher Hitchens.
Dyson always shines and his latest—“April 4, 1968: How Dr. King’s
Death Changed America,” is profound.
So friends, I commend you to reading in the words of Nehemiah 8:8—“So
they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the
reading.” In all our reading may we get understanding and wisdom.
From the Reader,
Rev. Ron
We strive to be
one in purpose in our goals. On the other hand, DuBois was not the only one who wrote about our twoness and the war within.
Remember the Apostle Paul’s expounding on the internal conflict in Romans 7?
“I
do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate… for I can will what is
right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do no want is what I do.” Romans
7:15-19
We should always
be aware of this conflict and if we are honest with ourselves, it can help us be who we are and are capable of being-“greater,
broader and having a fuller life.” Carl Jung coined the phrase, “the shadow” – the darker side; bringing
that side to the light and not ignoring it keeps us healthy.
Paul’s words
seem to accurately describe the human condition of conflict and the struggle, but he doesn’t allow that to be the final
and definitive note:
“Oh
wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Romans 7:24-25
As we celebrate
Father’s Day in our society and Men’s Day in our church, let us be men who are victorious in our minds, hearts,
souls and bodies by being committed to our Lord Jesus who strengthens, liberates, and redeems us.
So men, stand up,
be strong and courageous and have a great day and a glorious month.
Blessings
Rev. Ron
I was thrilled to read just a few chapters
on her fiery career. This is how Toni Morrison describes this biography: “Ida: A Sword
Among Lions is more than brilliant; it is necessary. I can’t think of a biography that throws more light on the history
of gender, race and class discord in the United States. Six decades of Ida B. Wells’ life constitute a riveting, definitive
narrative on a dark and bruising history.”
With race, gender, and class being so
prominent a concern in our society today-and if we study our history it has been a concern for centuries here in this country-could
there be any more relevant a biography than this one on Ida B. Wells?
I love these words of Ida’s: “There
is in every human being, however ignoble, some hint of perfection; some one place where as we may fancy the veil is then which
hides the divinity behind it.” Though Ida B. Wells was extremely militant in her views, and it is inspiring and
striking to read about her political activism and her words of protest, she always had hope in people and in her country as
expressed in these words of hers. We can be critical when we need to be and I thank God we have had voices like Wells. Her
voice was absolutely uncompromising against injustice; and can there be any act in our history more unjust, cruel and abominable
than lynching?
In quoting Psalm 57:4, Giddings is saying
that Wells’ soul fought surrounded by lions and that Wells brought a sword-her tongue-as a weapon, sharp as a two-edged
sword. As Hebrews 4:12 expresses-"Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than
any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and
intentions of the heart.”
It is a good thing to be reminded that
we have a tradition of women who consistently and constantly stand up, speak up, act up for truth and justice. All power to
women like Wells-a mother of four-in our history and to the many mothers who fought against lions to keep us safe, whole and
free.
Blessings,
Rev. Ron
In one chapter of her
“Jell-O” I felt she captured not only the struggle between liberal/conservative/fundamentalist/progressive/new
emergent Christians, but the struggles sometimes between all religious communities. That insistence among so many religious
people that people be alike, think alike, act alike, or they are not spiritual or religious, saved or liberated, etc. But
emphasizing this insistence on conformity in belief and behavior, we are often not inclusive, open, affirming and accepting
of people and their differences in our religious community. It is like we never heard Jesus when he said, “whomever
will, let then come”-and as the song adds, “just as I am,” are words not often practiced.
In a film on racism which
I saw last month, there was this haunting expression I will always remember, “Bigotry is an equal opportunity phenomenon.”
It makes me realize that sometimes it makes no difference what religious, social, political persuasion we might be; if one
is biased, closed, rigid, there is no openness to growth, inclusiveness or the love for one another” we are called to
have.
The passage of today’s
sermon is from 1 Peter 1:17-23. As of this writing, I haven’t begun to work on the passage, but I found
some of the words in the passage quite relevant to this month’s Reflections. Just to lift
up a few of the verses-“If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their
deeds…Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love,
love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the
living and enduring word of God.”
The passage also says,
“but with the precious blood of Christ.” My title is, “It is Precious!”
Well, all of us are precious, unique, gifted children of God and let us never feel we have to fit into a mold to conform to
others or to satisfy other’s wishes and expectations. Let us all be born anew!
No Jell-O
Believer Here,
Rev. Ron
All I can name are
some of the women, not excerpts from some of the great speeches. The women – Mary McLoud Bethune,
Shirley Chisholm, Fannie Lou Hamer, Barbara Jordan, Helen Keller, Eleanor Roosevelt, Sojournor Truth, and another sixteen
women. I read about four and to quote from them would take another two or three Reflections.
The second web site
featured quotations from famous women. Again, there can be a long list, but let me share three. Eleanor Roosevelt’s
words are always timeless:
You gain strength,
courage and confidence by every experience in which you can really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself,
“I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.”…You must do things you think
you cannot do.
Margaret
Meade:
If we are to
achieve a richer culture, rich in contracting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave
a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place.
Toni Morrison:
I know what
every colored women in this country is doing…Dying just like me. But the difference is they dying like a stump. Me,
I’m going down like one of those redwoods. I sure did live in this world.
Out of all the women
I have quoted, Toni is the only one who is still lliving. The others have been truly Redwoods!
I never write a
Reflection without a quotation from Scripture. So let me conclude on this Easter, Women’s
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