As I sit here today and contemplate the big debate that will be going on in Congress over our nation’s response to the developments in Syria, I am reminded again that the world is not a safe place. For me it is twice as bad because I have a daughter in Afghanistan. Last week she sent us an email that five of her colleagues were murdered by the Taliban. There was no negotiation, and the car they were in was simply hijacked and they were executed. Erin was crying as she spoke to us and wrote to us about this awful incident. All of them were young Afghani engineers working on a project that would benefit their nation. One even had a pregnant wife. Syria is another place where it appears without a doubt that Assad has used weapons of mass destruction against his own people. Might seems to make right. It will be interesting to listen to this debate. One thing that is really not debatable is that there is an enormous amount of hatred and violence in this world.
It is horrifying when innocent people die just because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whether it is a child in a baby carriage shot to death this morning in the Bronx, or a young girl brutally murdered in Egypt, or a suicide bomber who blows himself up in order to kill everyone around him, we are living in a dangerous and brutal world. It is not a Disney movie but rather a descent into darkness.
So, as I contemplate all of this, I am reminded that we just celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Martin Luther King, Jr. “I have a dream” speech and the 1963 civil rights march on Washington, D.C. There are those who decided to stand up against the evil of racism and the chains that held persons of color back from pursuing the fullest life that America could offer. They fought back, using tactics that were deeply rooted in the biblical tradition. The New York Times Op-Ed columnist David Brooks writes: “That meant the tactics had to start with love, not hate; nonviolence, not violence; renunciation, not self-indulgence.”
At the same time, Brooks writes, this was not passive. “It was not just turning the other cheek, loving your enemies (…). It allowed leaders to stage relentless protests, sit-ins, and marches that would force opponents to expose themselves in their most vicious forms.” This tactic changed the world. The ethic of nonviolent resistance became transforming – it is true whether we are talking about Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Ghandi, or Jesus.
However, being a follower of Jesus, I like the idea of reducing the ugliness in the world by reducing the ugliness in yourself. This does not mean that I am unconcerned by Syrians being gassed by their own government, or Christian churches being burnt in Egypt and elsewhere by the Muslim Brotherhood and others. It simply means that the first step towards peace begins with “me”.
In the end, the dream of a black pastor 50 years ago continues to be our dream for this nation and for the world. “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me”.
Enough!
We have lived through Madonna’s “Material Girl” and I am not sure about Britney Spears and her talent. I did like her in the Coke commercial. And, of course, it was exhausting to follow Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan went in and out of rehab or prison. However, I woke up a couple of mornings ago to see (Disney’s!) Miley Cyrus trying to outdo them all. Actually, I think she did. Of course, MTV knew exactly what they were doing. Most of all, it appeared that the producers, along with the “stars/celebrities”, saw nothing wrong with her behavior on stage. I don’t know what is worse – dancing suggestively (or was that beyond suggestion?) or not realizing there was a problem and inappropriate. When I, in my life, behaved badly, I knew it. Have we lost our moral compass? When this kind of behavior seems “normal” or “appropriate”, it appears that we have not only gone over the lines of good taste but that we have completely lost our way morally. I don’t consider myself a prude, but it’s time for us to express not only our concern but our outrage at public behavior that brings our culture to an all-time low. Celebrities, sports “heroes”, and our leaders (think Anthony Weiner and countless others) need to set a higher bar for themselves and for others. I am all for repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation, and new beginnings. However, a word of judgement has to be spoken in situations where people appear to have no conscience or morality.
Epiphany – A Season to Blossom
As I write this, I feel a little burned out from Christmas. It has been said that “Christmas falls like a seed on soil exhausted by too many harvests” or sometimes we are of two minds about how we welcome the Christ child into our lives and hearts. We are a little like the Inn Keeper: we want the child around but maybe “outback.” Having said that, I have just said goodbye to Erin again who has emailed me that she has safely arrived in Afghanistan and thanks me for a wonderful Christmas. It couldn’t have been a better Christmas with everyone safely gathered in enjoying one another’s company.
Imagining her arrival in Afghanistan which many have said is a place of beauty even though it looks like in many places craters on the moon. I suppose Epiphany is a season that is best described as a blossom in which we discover the wonder of God’s presence in our life. Epiphany is characterized by the journey of the wise men found in Matthew 2: 1-12 where three Persians sometimes called Kings or Magi follow a star that leads them to Bethlehem. Actually from Matthew’s point of view, these are authentic spiritual seekers who are journeying in search of truth and hunger for a deeper meaning to life’s questions.
In the sermon on the mount, Matthew reports Jesus saying: “Ask, and it will be given you; search and you will find; knock and the door will be open to you (Matt. 7:7).” This is an invitation for you to seek and ask deeper questions of yourself and of the universe. This may ask something of you too; that you journey long and hard to discover what God is doing in the world and what you need to be doing yourself.
St. Augustine has a very famous passage in his confessions: “The heart is restless until it finds it’s rest in thee.” I have never understood hearts that weren’t restless. I even have a hard time trying to understand bright and intelligent people who aren’t hungering for God. People who aren’t looking and searching to discover a message that will enable them to find light for their journey, meaning for their lives and a sense of fulfillment for their soul. You are just kidding yourself if you are not hungry for spiritual things unless your soul has shrunk or shriveled to where you have no appetite at all. For me, our universe is fraught with wonder and purpose. I feel I don’t have enough time or enough energy to embrace the many opportunities that invite me into the lives, and the great moments that are available for me to learn, grow and blossom. When Jesus says “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” He is really offering an invitation to journey in a deeper way to where we might find fertile soil to take root and to blossom.
The church lives by seasons. Advent is a time of anticipation, Christmas is the miracle of the incarnation of the word becoming flesh in a baby and Epiphany is the manifestation of our Lord to the whole world. It is the invitation to blossom, to learn, to discover and to embrace this mystery of God that becomes known to us in Jesus Christ.
The invitation is always there for all of us who hunger for God to come to Christ’s table and receive the bread of life. Commit yourself as much as you can to as much of God as you believe in….That is an honest commitment. Make that commitment, not for your own sake alone but for the sake of others, of this community and of the world.
There is a lot of brokenness and pain in this world but in the words of Leonard Cohen from his song anthem “Ring the bells that still can ring, forget the perfect offering, there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”
May the light of Christ enter in to the broken places of your life and of this world. Happy Epiphany.
–MEH
Power is a Precious Commodity
Certain things that you take for granted like electricity which provides power to your home, in some cases hot water, heat and gas when taken away can make you realize that a necessity is really a luxury. The first thing that came across my mind when we lost power, sat in the cold looking at candles lit giving us light was the shanty towns I saw in Johannesburg, South Africa. These little villages have some wires going into homes that were made of tin, cardboard, makeshift pieces of wood that I am sure were on dirt floors. Just to get electricity into these places must be quite a job and I’m sure it is not done with the type of safety that we require in our country.
Power is a precious commodity that I never think about. In fact as I walked from room to room with a flashlight, I would hit the light switch out of habit and always be a little surprised that nothing happened. Another reminder of what we take for granted.
Sometimes things sweep into your life like a storm and raise havoc with your plans and your routine. For me it was rather small, a little less than a week without power. I was uncomfortable and I was in the middle of fighting a bad sinus infection, but all in all, it was not like the pictures I’ve seen of people trying to recover and find lost pictures, scattered about as their house lay in rubble. We were not the people of Breezy Point who saw 80 houses go up in blaze with nothing they can do but watch as the fire grew bigger and bigger and their whole life turned into cinders.
“We watched the whole place go up in flames. It was hell night. It was the devil’s night,” said resident Thomas
Reicherter.
It is interesting what disaster does to people. In some cases, it makes them more creative, it makes them think outside of the box and find new ways to get the things they need for life. For example, my daughter Allison went to Starbucks to get power for her computer and internet needs. Starbucks had kids standing around the outside of the store with cell phones trying to get the Wifi connection. As Allison and her friend Brian sat in Starbucks, there was a young woman who came with a power strip who plugged it in. Soon they and others asked her if they could plug into her power strip and of course she was more than gracious in allowing them to do that. Soon people were buying here lattes, cakes and other items. She probably never had to pay for a thing and had plenty of supplies in terms of food all night long.
I’m sure there is a sermon in here somewhere but let me say this, each of us needs to think of ourselves as a power strip that when connected to the source of all power, we can make a difference in the lives of others. Maybe we shouldn’t count ourselves short when it comes to our ability to give, to help and to support others who are in need. If people plug into us, they may discover a vast resource and we might even discover that we have a lot more to contribute than we thought!
In the end, don’t underestimate yourself and the gifts God gives you.
–MEH
The Everyday Olympics
I am not sure how much of your summer was taken up watching the Summer Olympic Games in London? I know from time to time I was watching everything from Michael Phelps taking home the most medals ever to Olympic fencing, equestrian events and Gaby Douglas and the fabulous five do unbelievable gymnastic routines. I was also mesmerized by the opening of the olympics which had everything from the history of England, to Harry Potter, to Mary Poppins’ falling from the sky with umbrellas to Paul McCartney singing as well as ever. It has been quite an experience just watching it on television.
What is also interesting are the life stories behind the scenes. They are stories of enormous discipline and sacrifices just to compete for the gold medal in their field. Some like Gaby Douglas were separated from their family as she went to Iowa to train. Others were never told that their grandmother died or that their mother had breast cancer because they didn’t want to upset the concentration of these young athletes on obtaining the goal of victory.
Today the Olympics are big commercially. Companies are fighting to sponsor the Olympics and get their name out there for all of us to see as we watch the Olympics on television. There is big money at stake for the cities that compete to hold the Olympics and the whole thing seems to be very commercialized. It was not always that way. I happen to run across an article on elderly people who had competed in the Olympic games the last time it was held in London. They are mere shadows of their former selves. In fact, some are holding a cane and one is in a wheelchair. Time has a way of taking things away from us that we once took for granted. Few of us can even remember the Olympic games of London that took place in 1948 just after World War II. As I looked at these former gold medal winners, I thought of the hymn “Oh God our help in Ages Past” which has the verse “Time like an ever rolling stream soon bares us all the way.”
The ’48 Summer Olympics in London was the first after a twelve year hiatus caused by World War II. The United States sent 300 athletes by boat to discover a city still devastated by years of bombing. The games were known that year as the “Austerity Games.” Food rationing was still going on. No one had fancy uniforms and most brought their own equipment with them. As I looked at these old men and one old black woman who were winners over 60 years ago, I was moved. The Olympics were one of the greatest moments of their lives. Bill Smith won 2 gold medals with a 400 meter freestyle and the freestyle relay. He said simply that he trained in an irrigation ditch. Harry Marcoplos at 86 was in field hockey. He said “We didn’t win any gold medals, but I guarantee you we improved ourselves.” Finally, Frank Havens, 87, competed in 4 Olympic games. Won the silver medal and a gold medal. He said these profound words, “After it was over, a reporter was there, and they asked what I was thinking about. And I said well, I am thinking about the sacrifice my dad made.” When I read that, it took my breath away. I guess an experience like this makes you reflect upon the scope of your life and those who helped you to get where you are.
Sometimes we think that we have earned everything and we deserve it all. But those of us who are humble enough to see beyond our egos and self-centeredness realize that we are where we are because of the people who have helped us to get there. There are the teachers who inspired us, there are those who have encouraged us in our lives from friends, peers and of course our parents. As I look at my life, many people took time to nurture what looked like a good prospect who could become an able pastor. All I can say is that life is meant to be lived with gratitude and generosity when we pass things on.
Another interesting aspect of the Christian faith is that St. Paul likens the Christian journey to that of the Olympics. He writes in Philippians “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” It sounds like language of a coach who could be training an athlete to win at the London Olympics. I know that when I ran the New York City Marathon, I repeated every mile the words from Philippians “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” In the end, we all face what these old timers are facing now which is the end of their lives. Throughout our life, we all face difficulties, obstacles, challenges, losses and sometimes great pain. It is not easy. On the other hand, when times get tough, we need to reach back for the resources that we are given that will allow us to come through these hardships and win the day. It is my prayer that as you look towards September and the busyness and chaos that fall brings, that you will greet it as an opportunity to continue to grow and be enriched by everyone you meet. As the laid-backness of summer is over and the stress of our own “Everyday Olympics” continues may you find the strength, energy and discipline to not grow weary of doing good things in the name of our Lord.
–MEH