In a recent conversation with a friend, he made the statement that the federal budget is not a moral document, just a budget. I begged to differ. In as much as a budget is about fulfilling the hopes and dreams of the nation, in as much as it addresses or does not address the needs of the poor, in as much as the budget document fulfills or does not fulfil the aspirations of the American people, it cannot escape being a moral document. On a much smaller scale I have often said that if you want to know what someone really believes look in their wallet, i.e. look at their finances. If we want to know what the leaders of our nation believe we need to look at the expenditures that are being proposed from the federal wallet (in this case Congressman Paul Ryan's proposed 2012 budget.) Ryan's proposed budget, may be Republican, it may be somewhat Libertarian, but it has all but given up Christian values.
Entitled "The Road to Prosperity," and subtitled "Restoring America's Promise," Ryan's proposal was greeted warmly by conservatives and some libertarians. Ryan has touted his budget proposal as the best way to restore prosperity. His claim is that reducing the nation's debt will foster economic growth. The problem is that Ryan's budget doesn't reduce the deficit or the debt. Most of the money that would be gained by Ryan's proposal to curtail social services, is offset by the tax cuts that his budget proposes for the wealthiest Americans. As a moral document on which to base the future of the country, Ryan's budget is a failure. He has apparently decided that financially squeezing people with the least political clout is the best course to follow. Roughly two thirds of the budget cuts that Ryan has proposed will be made to programs that affect modest to low income Americans, as well as our poorest citizens, and the poorest of the poor in other nations. Ryan's budget also proposes a 30% tax cut (up to 30%) for the wealthiest people and U.S. corporations. From a moral perspective how does one justify cutting the social safety net out from under the neediest people while giving further tax breaks to corporations who (they are people after all) are enjoying tax free profits in the billions of dollars and wealthy people whose incomes have increased steadily for a decade?
The words of Isaiah the prophet come to mind:
"Ah, you who make iniquitous decrees, who write oppressive statutes, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be your spoil, and that you may make orphans your prey! What will you do on the day of punishment,in the calamity that will come from far away? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth...?"
As a moral document, Ryan's budget is quite clear. He intends to cut medicare, medicaid,food stamps, low income housing assistance,and educational programs vital to our nations future. In addition, the cuts to international health aid will most likely result in higher mortality rates among some of the poorest people in the world. I believe it is impossible to justify budget cuts that will undoubtedly adversely affect the lives of millions while giving a tax bonanza to the wealthy few. More people will die if this budget is passed.
In Deuteronomy 24, laws are given for social and community harmony and well being. Among them:
"When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all your undertakings. When you beat your olive trees, do not strip what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.
When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow."
There is little doubt in my mind, that Ryan's proposed budget, goes back for the last sheaf, beats the Olive tree till the very last olive drops, and waits for the last grape to be plucked from the vine, leaving the poor with little to nothing. No Christian should be willing to see the poorest made poorer; at least not before every other alternative has been explored. In the last decade, real income for 90% of Americans has declined, while the income of the top 1% has risen by $250,000. With the poor getting poorer, and the rich getting richer it is hard to understand why those who are rich need more tax breaks. (For perspective on this read the parable of "The Rich man and Lazarus," in Luke 16:19-31.)
The alternatives have not been fully explored. Ryan's budget proposal does not offer any cuts to our ever expanding, fiscally and morally unsustainable military budget. With three questionable wars, and military bases throughout the world, the U.S. military budget makes up almost half of all the military spending in the world. To propose a budget wherein cuts to military spending are off limits, despite billions of dollars worth of documented waste is unconscionable and immoral. Nor has our leadership had a recent open discussion about our continued operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and our recent involvement in Libya. Many strategists see no further gains to be made in Afghanistan while there are continuing costs in lives, treasure, and virtue. Currently, the Pentagon is weighing whether to stay in Iraq permanently.
Jeremiah the prophet writes,
"Are you a king because you compete in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me? says the Lord." Jeremiah 22:15-16
Some might call this biblical progressivism. It is more. Love of God according to this text is not found in piety, but in practice. Here, particularly, in the practice of judging the cause of the poor and needy righteously. For too long, I feel like I've been listening to the Christianists (on both sides of the issues) use Christian rhetoric to support their political positions. They themselves having opened that door, I want to see them held to the standard that God holds up in Jeremiah, or even better the standard Jesus upholds in Mark 12:28ff. Particularly verses 29 and 30,
"Jesus answered, 'The first is,"Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all our soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." The second is is this," you shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is not other commandment greater than these."
Loving our neighbor as ourselves would be a good start in a society that seeks to find every difference between us and uses it to cause polarizing splits among us. Loving our neighbor is the only way we can see Jesus' own face. As a nation, if we will not love the poor, we have no business chanting any other religious slogans.
Some may counter that deficits are also a moral issue that needs to be addressed. Certainly, a real debate should be had about spending the money of future generations to fund questionable wars, tax subsidies,etc. Yet, the manner in which we address the deficit expresses our moral priorities. I, for one do not want to see any more expansion to the stables of Solomon while the poor go hungry, and I don't want to practice the economy of scarcity wrought by Pharaoh when he told the Israelites to make bricks with no straw.
Most of us remember the story of the feeding of the five thousand in Mark 6:30-44.
When it was time to feed the crowd, the disciples had to wade into the crowd to find what was available. They returned with two fish and five loaves; the approximate daily ration for a shepherd boy. That shepherd boy (or whomever) was the wealthiest person in that crowd of hungry people, but unfettered by the myth of scarcity he gave his food to Jesus. Because of his willingness to share; to sacrifice, we have the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Nothing would have happened had not that "wealthy" shepherd boy come forward to give up his lunch. The point is that for too long, we have been part of an economy where the powerful have been hoarding the loaves and fishes at the expense of those who are most vulnerable, most hungry, and most in need, and it is time for Christians to advocate much more forcibly for the poor. It is time to move away from a budget process that scapegoats the poor to one where the needs of Lazarus are the first priority recognizing that the rich man is already well taken care of. As for those who say we "are broke," I say that such words coming from anyone living in the wealthiest nation in all of history, are an affront to God who has so richly blessed us. It is time to let justice roll down like water, so that the poor may be refreshed.
May the contemplation of the great and mighty acts of God, and the obedience of Jesus during this Holy Week move our hearts and minds to act for those very lives are at risk.
In Christ,
Pastor Boehringer
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Meandering Thoughts on the Proposed NH Budget
Yesterday I attended the rally at the Statehouse in Concord, NH to join the protest against the House version of the proposed New Hampshire state budget. I am not one to ordinarily attend such events, primarily because one often ends up, by virtue of being present, supporting things that one did not intend. However, given that the house version of the budget changes eligibility requirements for mental health services so that 7000 people will no longer be eligible, and reduces child care funding that will affect 4000 of the state's children, and additionally strips $115 million from the budget for hospital care of the poor, and eliminates programming for helping troubled youth, I felt that in addition to letters to my represtatives I had an obligation to attend the rally. I was also struck by the fact that the proposal rescinds the tax on gambling winnings, and lowers the tax on tobacco. (I didn't know gamblers and smokers had such clout.)
Outrage over the plight of the poor living in poverty is a continual theme throughout the Bible. For instance, the prophet Isaiah writes, "Ah, you who make iniquitous decrees, who write oppressive statutes, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be your spoil, and that you may make the orphans your prey! (Isaiah 10:1-2) The prophet Amos writes, "Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, saying, When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat." (Amos 8:4-6) In his visit to Nazareth (Luke 4) Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor...."
As for us, the church, taking seriously the scriptures and what it is to be baptized into the life, death and resurrection of Christ, means we have an identity that frees us from definition by the usual measures of economic success and failure. Yet our baptism into Christ calls us to serve our neighbor as Christ emptied himself for us, and to follow the summation of the law given by Jesus, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.(Mt. 22:37ff.)
Attending a rally without a willingness to be part of the solution would be hypocritical at best, but I don't think the church is speaking hypocritically on this issue. Here at Gethsemane we just finished putting together 160 school kits for needy children; we are in the process of filling barrels with food, clothing and supplies to send to Haiti; we are collecting money for the ELCA Hunger program;we recently had a large food and clothing collection for the New Horizon's pantry in addition to our ongoing collections; we have started our own emergency pantry; and the pastor's discretionary fund has aided many people in need. I marvel at times at just how well our people do in responding to the needs of others. All of this requires thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of volunteer time. Gethsemane is fairly typical of the churches in Manchester which are all doing their best to meet basic needs.
Recently, Kevin Smith, head of the Cornerstone Policy Research center was quoted in the Concord Monitor as saying that churches need to step up to the plate and do more for New Hampshire's poor. He even went so far as to say we had abdicated our responsibility to the state. Of course, I find it rather obnoxious that the chairperson of an organization that works for limited government, who fully supports the House proposal, and couches his rhetoric in Christian language would have the temerity to ask churches to do more. His suggestion is that churches should take care of the poor so that people like him can have lower tax bills, and he tries to make it sound virtuous. (Actually it sounds both miasmic and Christianist. As I have said in other places, my definition of a Christianist is someone who seeks political power by exploiting Christian language.) There isn't much of a Christian ethic to be found in Mr. Smith's proposals. In fact, despite his churchy language he is proposing that the state has no obligation to the state's poorest and most needy, and since he is tired of paying he wants to curtail state spending and shift it elsewhere. His proposal isn't realistic. In New Hampshire, fewer than 23% of the population are members of churches. It is not likely that these people are going to be able to shoulder the burden if the House budget passes. The New Hampshire motto is "live free or die." Currently, too many people seem to have the view that this freedom simply means freedom from any responsibility for one's neighbor. Perhaps the definition of living free needs to be expanded from that of mere personal liberty to freedom from poverty, freedom from mental illness, and freedom from ignorance, to name a few. Perhaps one day it may even mean freedom from the greed that makes all of us so unsypathetic to our neighbor's plight. As churches, we will continue to both provide for the poor and to be a voice for them in the state of New Hampshire. And it might do our legislature some little bit of good to read the story of the rich man and Lazarus. (Luke 16:19ff.)It is a parable we all need to remind ourselves of now and then. Pastor Boehringer
Outrage over the plight of the poor living in poverty is a continual theme throughout the Bible. For instance, the prophet Isaiah writes, "Ah, you who make iniquitous decrees, who write oppressive statutes, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be your spoil, and that you may make the orphans your prey! (Isaiah 10:1-2) The prophet Amos writes, "Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, saying, When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat." (Amos 8:4-6) In his visit to Nazareth (Luke 4) Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor...."
As for us, the church, taking seriously the scriptures and what it is to be baptized into the life, death and resurrection of Christ, means we have an identity that frees us from definition by the usual measures of economic success and failure. Yet our baptism into Christ calls us to serve our neighbor as Christ emptied himself for us, and to follow the summation of the law given by Jesus, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.(Mt. 22:37ff.)
Attending a rally without a willingness to be part of the solution would be hypocritical at best, but I don't think the church is speaking hypocritically on this issue. Here at Gethsemane we just finished putting together 160 school kits for needy children; we are in the process of filling barrels with food, clothing and supplies to send to Haiti; we are collecting money for the ELCA Hunger program;we recently had a large food and clothing collection for the New Horizon's pantry in addition to our ongoing collections; we have started our own emergency pantry; and the pastor's discretionary fund has aided many people in need. I marvel at times at just how well our people do in responding to the needs of others. All of this requires thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of volunteer time. Gethsemane is fairly typical of the churches in Manchester which are all doing their best to meet basic needs.
Recently, Kevin Smith, head of the Cornerstone Policy Research center was quoted in the Concord Monitor as saying that churches need to step up to the plate and do more for New Hampshire's poor. He even went so far as to say we had abdicated our responsibility to the state. Of course, I find it rather obnoxious that the chairperson of an organization that works for limited government, who fully supports the House proposal, and couches his rhetoric in Christian language would have the temerity to ask churches to do more. His suggestion is that churches should take care of the poor so that people like him can have lower tax bills, and he tries to make it sound virtuous. (Actually it sounds both miasmic and Christianist. As I have said in other places, my definition of a Christianist is someone who seeks political power by exploiting Christian language.) There isn't much of a Christian ethic to be found in Mr. Smith's proposals. In fact, despite his churchy language he is proposing that the state has no obligation to the state's poorest and most needy, and since he is tired of paying he wants to curtail state spending and shift it elsewhere. His proposal isn't realistic. In New Hampshire, fewer than 23% of the population are members of churches. It is not likely that these people are going to be able to shoulder the burden if the House budget passes. The New Hampshire motto is "live free or die." Currently, too many people seem to have the view that this freedom simply means freedom from any responsibility for one's neighbor. Perhaps the definition of living free needs to be expanded from that of mere personal liberty to freedom from poverty, freedom from mental illness, and freedom from ignorance, to name a few. Perhaps one day it may even mean freedom from the greed that makes all of us so unsypathetic to our neighbor's plight. As churches, we will continue to both provide for the poor and to be a voice for them in the state of New Hampshire. And it might do our legislature some little bit of good to read the story of the rich man and Lazarus. (Luke 16:19ff.)It is a parable we all need to remind ourselves of now and then. Pastor Boehringer
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Westboro People
By now, most of you have already heard of the recent ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in regard to the suit brought against Westboro Baptist Church for inflicting emotional harm upon the family of a U.S. serviceman who died in the line of duty after church (it pains me to use the word "church" in regard to this organization)people picketed at the funeral. As always, they brought their hate filled signs and rhetoric and made their claim that they speak on God's behalf.
The SCOTUS ruled for the church on the basis that free speech, "even hurtful" is protected by the First Amendment. Few people like the ruling, even though it is correct, because most recognize that the right to free speech brings with it tremendous responsibility. Words remain powerful, as we have witnessed in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Certainly, in light of the suffering and grief that attends a funeral, the Westboro congregation has cast aside the church's historic compassion for those who are grieving, to spew their anti gay hatred. What the Westboro people do is in stark contrast to the compassion shown by Jesus to those who were dead, dying or in grief.
On the way to the tomb of Lazarus Jesus "began to weep" (Jn 11:35ff)and then he raised him from the dead and restored him to his grieving sisters. In Mark 5:21ff Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead. "Little girl, get up!", he said. Aside from being immanently present at times of grief, Jesus continually expanded the Kingdom of Heaven to include tax collectors, outcasts, sinners,and gentiles. From the woman he saved from stoning, to the woman at the well of Sychar, to the parable of the great banquet, to the parable of he lost sheep and the Prodigal Son,Jesus continually makes room for those who would ordinarily be left out, and continually shows compassion for those in need. In Matthew 5:4 Jesus says, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Even if one could recognize a prophetic side to the ministry of the Westboro people, in failing to be compassionate as Jesus is compassionate they have utterly forsaken the pastoral responsibility of the Christian faith.
They also have a tendency to misappropriate scipture on their placards. I couldn't help notice that one of their signs quoted Jesus saying, "whoever kills is liable to judgment." In actuality Jesus begins in Matthew 5:21 by saying "You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not murder'; and 'whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.'" Jesus goes on however to reframe the law in the context of the believer's much greater responsibility to seek reconciliation. He goes on to say in verse 23, "if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift." Jesus point is two fold: his followers are called to a ministry of reconciliation, and God's acceptance of our gifts is dependent upon the seriousness with which we engage in the ministry of righteousness and reconciliation. The placard, used like a cudgel on those who read it, both misquotes and misinterprets Jesus at the core of Christian teaching.
In the Sermon on the Mount (the very sermon that the placard misquotes) Jesus says,"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:44) The rest of the passage and sermon are well worth reading. Nowhere in it is an authorization to curse others as the Westboro people claim to do on God's behalf.
As with so many hate groups, the Westboro people cherry pick which scriptures apply and then lift them completely out of context.
The Westboro people seem far to interested in judging others, but would that they would read further on in the sermon from which they misquoted. There we read,"Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be he measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbors's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your negihbor, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye', while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye." (Matthew 7:1-5)I know myself well enough not to engage in eye surgery of this kind, and it is something from which all should refrain.
Near the end of the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 7:15ff, Jesus speaks of the false prophets who claim to speak in his name, "Beware of false prophets, wo come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit..."
Over many years, I have met many pastors and priests who, as I do, struggle with preaching the Word of God;and struggle to be both prophetic and pastoral. If I like a sermon too much, I usually have to start over. A sermon needs to afflict my conscience as well as the consciences of others. I have come to believe,however, that in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, God's final Word to us is a Word of Grace. This is why each sermon may contain law, but always ends with Gospel. The sermon really is the story of the resurrection told in different words, and it is always about Grace. And if I err, I would rather plead to Jesus that I erred on the side of grace, rather than plead excuse for the flesh I bruised with thorns and thistles.
I will pray for those injured by the picketing of the Westboro people, and as hard as Jesus command is, I will pray for the Westboro people, that the hatred with which they are afflicted and afflict will be replaced with a renewed spirit of mercy and justice.
The SCOTUS ruled for the church on the basis that free speech, "even hurtful" is protected by the First Amendment. Few people like the ruling, even though it is correct, because most recognize that the right to free speech brings with it tremendous responsibility. Words remain powerful, as we have witnessed in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Certainly, in light of the suffering and grief that attends a funeral, the Westboro congregation has cast aside the church's historic compassion for those who are grieving, to spew their anti gay hatred. What the Westboro people do is in stark contrast to the compassion shown by Jesus to those who were dead, dying or in grief.
On the way to the tomb of Lazarus Jesus "began to weep" (Jn 11:35ff)and then he raised him from the dead and restored him to his grieving sisters. In Mark 5:21ff Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead. "Little girl, get up!", he said. Aside from being immanently present at times of grief, Jesus continually expanded the Kingdom of Heaven to include tax collectors, outcasts, sinners,and gentiles. From the woman he saved from stoning, to the woman at the well of Sychar, to the parable of the great banquet, to the parable of he lost sheep and the Prodigal Son,Jesus continually makes room for those who would ordinarily be left out, and continually shows compassion for those in need. In Matthew 5:4 Jesus says, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Even if one could recognize a prophetic side to the ministry of the Westboro people, in failing to be compassionate as Jesus is compassionate they have utterly forsaken the pastoral responsibility of the Christian faith.
They also have a tendency to misappropriate scipture on their placards. I couldn't help notice that one of their signs quoted Jesus saying, "whoever kills is liable to judgment." In actuality Jesus begins in Matthew 5:21 by saying "You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not murder'; and 'whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.'" Jesus goes on however to reframe the law in the context of the believer's much greater responsibility to seek reconciliation. He goes on to say in verse 23, "if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift." Jesus point is two fold: his followers are called to a ministry of reconciliation, and God's acceptance of our gifts is dependent upon the seriousness with which we engage in the ministry of righteousness and reconciliation. The placard, used like a cudgel on those who read it, both misquotes and misinterprets Jesus at the core of Christian teaching.
In the Sermon on the Mount (the very sermon that the placard misquotes) Jesus says,"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:44) The rest of the passage and sermon are well worth reading. Nowhere in it is an authorization to curse others as the Westboro people claim to do on God's behalf.
As with so many hate groups, the Westboro people cherry pick which scriptures apply and then lift them completely out of context.
The Westboro people seem far to interested in judging others, but would that they would read further on in the sermon from which they misquoted. There we read,"Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be he measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbors's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your negihbor, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye', while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye." (Matthew 7:1-5)I know myself well enough not to engage in eye surgery of this kind, and it is something from which all should refrain.
Near the end of the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 7:15ff, Jesus speaks of the false prophets who claim to speak in his name, "Beware of false prophets, wo come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit..."
Over many years, I have met many pastors and priests who, as I do, struggle with preaching the Word of God;and struggle to be both prophetic and pastoral. If I like a sermon too much, I usually have to start over. A sermon needs to afflict my conscience as well as the consciences of others. I have come to believe,however, that in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, God's final Word to us is a Word of Grace. This is why each sermon may contain law, but always ends with Gospel. The sermon really is the story of the resurrection told in different words, and it is always about Grace. And if I err, I would rather plead to Jesus that I erred on the side of grace, rather than plead excuse for the flesh I bruised with thorns and thistles.
I will pray for those injured by the picketing of the Westboro people, and as hard as Jesus command is, I will pray for the Westboro people, that the hatred with which they are afflicted and afflict will be replaced with a renewed spirit of mercy and justice.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Changing our Violent Hearts
This morning in worship we prayed for the many victims of the shooting that took place in Tucson, Arizona yesterday. We asked that God would have compassion on those who lost beloved family members and friends. We prayed that God's healing power would be extended to those who had been wounded. We asked that God would guard our own lips from saying things that might encourage people to do violent things, or speak of people in such a way that violence might be directed at them. We also prayed for the perpetrator of the violence. We didn't ask that he escaoe responsibility, but we asked for healing. Indeed, as more news comes out, the young man who committed this terrible act seems to be mentally ill in addition to being saddled with the diseases of racism and hatred.
Driving to Connecticut to celebrate the Christmas season with our family we noticed a highway sign on route 495 giving directions to the funeral of a police officer. It turned out that the officer was a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Woburn, MA. He was killed while trying to apprehend a robbery suspect. Violence is too much with us.
Sadly, in recent years praying prayers for the victims of violence has become much to commonplace. It was only a few years ago, after the violent shootings at Virginia Tech that our leaders promised to take action so that such a thing could never happen again. The rhetoric seemed appropriate at the time, but our leaders don't make such promises anymore. The epidemic of violence seems to have overwhelmed them, and to our shame, we have come to accept it as part of life. Perhaps our leaders have come to realize that as long as we continue to confuse the priority of the right to own a gun with our sacred right to life, such promises are empty.
In one sense, such promises don't even matter. We will never be able to legislate the demise of violence until we change the hearts of a good many of our fellow citizens. We need to change the way we speak to one another,and we need to move beyond the rhetoric of confrontation to a place where we celebrate our common humanity and truly begin to see in one another the face of Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 5:44, Jesus teaches us that we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. We need this kind of radical shift in the way we think and in the way we relate to one another. Instead of using our talents to demonize and denigrate one another, we should look harder into the faces of those with whom we disagree. Is it possible that in the faces of these "enemies" there is the faintest trace of our Lord's face? Faith demands of us that we at least try. Then, by constant practice we will begin to see some of the other common features with which God has graced each one of us, and that in itself would have a salutary effect.
Yet, I know this; that if we do not try, we are the wielders of the hammer, that even now, pierces the flesh of Jesus,to nail him to the cross.
Driving to Connecticut to celebrate the Christmas season with our family we noticed a highway sign on route 495 giving directions to the funeral of a police officer. It turned out that the officer was a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Woburn, MA. He was killed while trying to apprehend a robbery suspect. Violence is too much with us.
Sadly, in recent years praying prayers for the victims of violence has become much to commonplace. It was only a few years ago, after the violent shootings at Virginia Tech that our leaders promised to take action so that such a thing could never happen again. The rhetoric seemed appropriate at the time, but our leaders don't make such promises anymore. The epidemic of violence seems to have overwhelmed them, and to our shame, we have come to accept it as part of life. Perhaps our leaders have come to realize that as long as we continue to confuse the priority of the right to own a gun with our sacred right to life, such promises are empty.
In one sense, such promises don't even matter. We will never be able to legislate the demise of violence until we change the hearts of a good many of our fellow citizens. We need to change the way we speak to one another,and we need to move beyond the rhetoric of confrontation to a place where we celebrate our common humanity and truly begin to see in one another the face of Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 5:44, Jesus teaches us that we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. We need this kind of radical shift in the way we think and in the way we relate to one another. Instead of using our talents to demonize and denigrate one another, we should look harder into the faces of those with whom we disagree. Is it possible that in the faces of these "enemies" there is the faintest trace of our Lord's face? Faith demands of us that we at least try. Then, by constant practice we will begin to see some of the other common features with which God has graced each one of us, and that in itself would have a salutary effect.
Yet, I know this; that if we do not try, we are the wielders of the hammer, that even now, pierces the flesh of Jesus,to nail him to the cross.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
The Baptism of Jesus
Now that we have celebrated the incarnation of our Lord and are on the cusp of celebrating his baptism by John the Baptizer, it might be wise to take a few moments to look a little more deeply into the reason for both the incarnation and the baptism of Jesus.
When Jesus came to John, he had to insist that John perform the baptism. John recognized the simple reality that as a human being he stood in need of Jesus' baptism. John knew that he as sinner had no business baptizing Jesus. Yet, Jesus insisted that it was necessary for the purpose of fulfilling all righteouness.
I believe that the fulfilling of all righteousness means two important things for those who are concerned with sin. First is that in insisting upon being baptized by John, Jesus declares his solidarity with all of humanity. His submission to a "baptism for repentance for the forgiveness of sins" means that he accepts into himself our human nature in completeness; and that means taking upon himself the fulness of our sin.
Therein lies the problem. God cannot respond to human sin in any other way than with enimity and wrath. (Theodosius Harnack, Luthers Theologie (LT 1) Because sin is an assault on God's majesty and glory, as well as an assault upon God's own righteousness, every sin is an insult and injury to God. Luther was a believer that all of the commandments could be seen in the First, and the breaking of any commandment does, in fact, elevate other lords above the one Lord of Heaven and Earth. In the Old Testament, God describes himself as a jealous God, and with holy jealousy God is determined to protect his righteousness and glory from sinful attacks. Therefore God meets sin with wrath. In our urgency to preach grace, we cheapen it, often forgetting that God has both the will and power to punish sin. Wrath, however, is something that you and I cannot bear; ultimately it means our death. Our only hope lies in the incarnation and Jesus own proclamation of solidarity with humanity.
Second, Jesus the man is also fully Divine. God declares, "This is my Son, the beloved..." Were Jesus as man to take on our sin as an end in itself, we would be lost. Instead, Jesus takes on our sin as the Divine Son of God, who will "take on our lot" yet remain absolutely obedient to the will of the Father. When he spoke to John of fulfilling all righteosness, he meant this as well. As if to stress the point for us, in the gospel of Matthew, following his baptism Jesus is immediately driven into the wilderness, where starved and thirsty, he is tempted by Satan. In the wilderness, Satan, the personfication of sin, confronts Jesus trying desperately to force Jesus to submit. Such submission would be Jesus' damnation and ours. In Jesus Christ however, sin confronted what it had never met before; in the form of a human being, with all human weakness, a man nevertheless of "eternal and unchangeable righteousness." (Luther) Satan and sin are conquered by unconquerable obedience. Satan will try once again, at Golgotha, but Jesus will again do the will of his Father. (More on obedience another day.)
I love Luther's description: sin "did indeed attack him but he was too powerful for it; he swallowed it and it was extinguished in him like a spark of fire which falls into the great ocean, for he was nothing but righteousness."
None of this would matter, except that Jesus' victory over sin is given to us by grace through faith. Luther speaks of this as the "wonderful exchange." "Now the wonderful exchange takes place and Christ gives himself and his benefits to faith and takes upon himself the heart and whatever lies heavy upon it and makes it his own." Everything that stands in the way of life is taken away by Jesus, and everything that stands for life is given to us as free gift.
When Christians speak of being baptized into Christ, we speak of being baptized into his life death and resurrection. We are baptized into his obedience, we are baptized into his suffering and death, and we are baptized into his eternal and righteous life.
One additional note for now. There is a constant effort minimize sin. When we yield to this temptation as a church, we lose our way, we lose our mission. I think we often minimize sin so that we do not have to join in the struggle of discerning and doing God's will. So we admit little discrepancies, small moral failings, minor omissions and commissions. Yet, to recieve the gift of Jesus Christ in fulness, we must, it is inescapable for the life of faith, admit that we live in the full rebellion of sin. Then, experiencing the spiritual pain of God's wrath, whose sole purpose is to redeem us, we are driven to Christ.
If sin were no big deal, Jesus needn't be bothered, but it is a matter of life and death. Jesus came to the Jordan for a reason; for you, for me.
When Jesus came to John, he had to insist that John perform the baptism. John recognized the simple reality that as a human being he stood in need of Jesus' baptism. John knew that he as sinner had no business baptizing Jesus. Yet, Jesus insisted that it was necessary for the purpose of fulfilling all righteouness.
I believe that the fulfilling of all righteousness means two important things for those who are concerned with sin. First is that in insisting upon being baptized by John, Jesus declares his solidarity with all of humanity. His submission to a "baptism for repentance for the forgiveness of sins" means that he accepts into himself our human nature in completeness; and that means taking upon himself the fulness of our sin.
Therein lies the problem. God cannot respond to human sin in any other way than with enimity and wrath. (Theodosius Harnack, Luthers Theologie (LT 1) Because sin is an assault on God's majesty and glory, as well as an assault upon God's own righteousness, every sin is an insult and injury to God. Luther was a believer that all of the commandments could be seen in the First, and the breaking of any commandment does, in fact, elevate other lords above the one Lord of Heaven and Earth. In the Old Testament, God describes himself as a jealous God, and with holy jealousy God is determined to protect his righteousness and glory from sinful attacks. Therefore God meets sin with wrath. In our urgency to preach grace, we cheapen it, often forgetting that God has both the will and power to punish sin. Wrath, however, is something that you and I cannot bear; ultimately it means our death. Our only hope lies in the incarnation and Jesus own proclamation of solidarity with humanity.
Second, Jesus the man is also fully Divine. God declares, "This is my Son, the beloved..." Were Jesus as man to take on our sin as an end in itself, we would be lost. Instead, Jesus takes on our sin as the Divine Son of God, who will "take on our lot" yet remain absolutely obedient to the will of the Father. When he spoke to John of fulfilling all righteosness, he meant this as well. As if to stress the point for us, in the gospel of Matthew, following his baptism Jesus is immediately driven into the wilderness, where starved and thirsty, he is tempted by Satan. In the wilderness, Satan, the personfication of sin, confronts Jesus trying desperately to force Jesus to submit. Such submission would be Jesus' damnation and ours. In Jesus Christ however, sin confronted what it had never met before; in the form of a human being, with all human weakness, a man nevertheless of "eternal and unchangeable righteousness." (Luther) Satan and sin are conquered by unconquerable obedience. Satan will try once again, at Golgotha, but Jesus will again do the will of his Father. (More on obedience another day.)
I love Luther's description: sin "did indeed attack him but he was too powerful for it; he swallowed it and it was extinguished in him like a spark of fire which falls into the great ocean, for he was nothing but righteousness."
None of this would matter, except that Jesus' victory over sin is given to us by grace through faith. Luther speaks of this as the "wonderful exchange." "Now the wonderful exchange takes place and Christ gives himself and his benefits to faith and takes upon himself the heart and whatever lies heavy upon it and makes it his own." Everything that stands in the way of life is taken away by Jesus, and everything that stands for life is given to us as free gift.
When Christians speak of being baptized into Christ, we speak of being baptized into his life death and resurrection. We are baptized into his obedience, we are baptized into his suffering and death, and we are baptized into his eternal and righteous life.
One additional note for now. There is a constant effort minimize sin. When we yield to this temptation as a church, we lose our way, we lose our mission. I think we often minimize sin so that we do not have to join in the struggle of discerning and doing God's will. So we admit little discrepancies, small moral failings, minor omissions and commissions. Yet, to recieve the gift of Jesus Christ in fulness, we must, it is inescapable for the life of faith, admit that we live in the full rebellion of sin. Then, experiencing the spiritual pain of God's wrath, whose sole purpose is to redeem us, we are driven to Christ.
If sin were no big deal, Jesus needn't be bothered, but it is a matter of life and death. Jesus came to the Jordan for a reason; for you, for me.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Christmas 2010
"Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing which the Lord has made known to us. So they went with haste and found the babe..."
Four weeks of Advent are nearly behind us. Our focus has shifted from the second coming of Christ to the celebration of our Lord's birth in Bethlehem. The shift began on the Third Sunday of Advent with the lighting of the pink Advent candle; the candle that symbolizes both hope, and the liturgical change. Then there was the singing of the Great 'O' Antiphons which many know better as the hymn O Come, O Come Emmanuel. This beautiful hymn and the antiphons are sung between the 16th and 24th of December. The angel visitations, which began with the announcement to Mary that she would bear a child of the Holy Spirit, and proceeded with the news to Elizabeth and Zechariah, and finally to Joseph, on Christmas Eve come to a crescendo with the visitation to the shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem. "Do not be afraid for I bring you good news of great joy. For to you is born this day in the City of David a Savior who is the Messiah, the Lord." What began as a quiet visit to Mary becomes an event in which the sky is torn apart with light, and an entire host of angels appears glorifying and praising God.
It sometimes gets by us that the incarnation is the center of history. Everything that came before points to the incarnation, and everything since flows from it. Yet, all of the theology of the incarnation would be lost upon us if the story of Jesus birth was not also a great love story.
From creation's fall to the birth of Jesus our relationship with God was always about God's unfailing love in the face of continuing rejection, unfaithfulness and sin. He gave us the commandments, the Torah, the prophets, and finally to win us back forever, he sent His Son, born of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary.
As the shepherds waited out the night in the fields around Bethlehem, they had no reason to expect that if the Messiah came they would be part of the story. They lived on the edge of society. Their occupation made it nearly impossible for them to meet the demands of Torah. And since they could not meet the law's demands they could not expect to have a place in the Kingdom of Heaven. However, God always works in ways that are beyond our vision and expectations. So the angels appeared to the least likely recipients of God's grace; shepherds living on the edge. Through the visitation of the angels, the shepherds were drawn into the very center of the story.
So it is with God. First Mary, then Zechariah and Elizabeth, then Joseph, and on Christmas night the shepherds became part of the story. And the story continues. When we gather on Christmas Eve we will once again be reminded that the story of the shepherds is our own story; God coming to the least likely and inviting them to become part of the story. It is a love story we cannot resist, so let us go and see the love of God in the face of a child,-- our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Four weeks of Advent are nearly behind us. Our focus has shifted from the second coming of Christ to the celebration of our Lord's birth in Bethlehem. The shift began on the Third Sunday of Advent with the lighting of the pink Advent candle; the candle that symbolizes both hope, and the liturgical change. Then there was the singing of the Great 'O' Antiphons which many know better as the hymn O Come, O Come Emmanuel. This beautiful hymn and the antiphons are sung between the 16th and 24th of December. The angel visitations, which began with the announcement to Mary that she would bear a child of the Holy Spirit, and proceeded with the news to Elizabeth and Zechariah, and finally to Joseph, on Christmas Eve come to a crescendo with the visitation to the shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem. "Do not be afraid for I bring you good news of great joy. For to you is born this day in the City of David a Savior who is the Messiah, the Lord." What began as a quiet visit to Mary becomes an event in which the sky is torn apart with light, and an entire host of angels appears glorifying and praising God.
It sometimes gets by us that the incarnation is the center of history. Everything that came before points to the incarnation, and everything since flows from it. Yet, all of the theology of the incarnation would be lost upon us if the story of Jesus birth was not also a great love story.
From creation's fall to the birth of Jesus our relationship with God was always about God's unfailing love in the face of continuing rejection, unfaithfulness and sin. He gave us the commandments, the Torah, the prophets, and finally to win us back forever, he sent His Son, born of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary.
As the shepherds waited out the night in the fields around Bethlehem, they had no reason to expect that if the Messiah came they would be part of the story. They lived on the edge of society. Their occupation made it nearly impossible for them to meet the demands of Torah. And since they could not meet the law's demands they could not expect to have a place in the Kingdom of Heaven. However, God always works in ways that are beyond our vision and expectations. So the angels appeared to the least likely recipients of God's grace; shepherds living on the edge. Through the visitation of the angels, the shepherds were drawn into the very center of the story.
So it is with God. First Mary, then Zechariah and Elizabeth, then Joseph, and on Christmas night the shepherds became part of the story. And the story continues. When we gather on Christmas Eve we will once again be reminded that the story of the shepherds is our own story; God coming to the least likely and inviting them to become part of the story. It is a love story we cannot resist, so let us go and see the love of God in the face of a child,-- our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
With little more than a week before Christmas Eve, I wanted to use a few moments to speak of the nature of our Christmas celebration. I have seen all of the usual laments attached to car bumpers, on billboards, and even on the airwaves. Yet, I have tryed over the years not to become involved in the Christmas culture wars. Because of my calling, I have had somewhat limited success in this endeavor. Years ago, I lived in a city in which the creche had been banned from city property, and as a result, the war flared up, with heated talk on both sides of the issue. My own response was to take into consideration that state appropriation of religious symbols usually works out badly. Secondly, I do not want our sacred symbols used in any sort of coercive way; again this usually works out badly, especially for the coerced.
Based on what I have seen in the churches in which I have been priviledged to serve, I don't need to remind people that "Jesus is the reason for the season," or to "keep Christ in Christmas." For the most part, I think such slogans are counterproductive. One cannot legislate love for Christ or impose it. And although, I can probably be accused of many things, I try to avoid being a hypocrite. What I mean by this is that I plan to enjoy many facets of the Christmas season. There will be gifts under the tree, we will have our great family celebration, we will sing our favorite Christmas carols, and alongside these we we sing some of our favorite secular Christmas songs. What I can also say, is that at the very center of all of our celebration will be the birth of Jesus Christ. As one of my sons said years ago, he couldn't imagine missing Christmas worship. It is the incarnation after all that gives meaning to "Peace on Earth goodwill to all," and "Merry Christmas" (merry from the old English, meaning "blessed").
Someone may object, but the culture wars are not mine to fight. For those to whom the child of Bethlehem has been revealed as the Savior, there is no need to fight. Living out our calling is enough, and hopefully, by extending peace and goodwill to all, more people will want to have that peace for themselves.
Have a very Merry Christmas
Based on what I have seen in the churches in which I have been priviledged to serve, I don't need to remind people that "Jesus is the reason for the season," or to "keep Christ in Christmas." For the most part, I think such slogans are counterproductive. One cannot legislate love for Christ or impose it. And although, I can probably be accused of many things, I try to avoid being a hypocrite. What I mean by this is that I plan to enjoy many facets of the Christmas season. There will be gifts under the tree, we will have our great family celebration, we will sing our favorite Christmas carols, and alongside these we we sing some of our favorite secular Christmas songs. What I can also say, is that at the very center of all of our celebration will be the birth of Jesus Christ. As one of my sons said years ago, he couldn't imagine missing Christmas worship. It is the incarnation after all that gives meaning to "Peace on Earth goodwill to all," and "Merry Christmas" (merry from the old English, meaning "blessed").
Someone may object, but the culture wars are not mine to fight. For those to whom the child of Bethlehem has been revealed as the Savior, there is no need to fight. Living out our calling is enough, and hopefully, by extending peace and goodwill to all, more people will want to have that peace for themselves.
Have a very Merry Christmas
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