The Washington Post's On Faith asked its panelists this week:
"If the historical Jesus were running for president, what kind of candidate would he be? Republican or Democrat? For or against the death penalty, the Iraq war, abortion, etc.?"
All of them, from Welton Gaddy (director of the Interfaith Alliance) to Deepak Chopra to Chuck Colson to Susan Thistlethwaite Brooks (feminist theologian) to Gardner C. Taylor to Thomas Bohlin (U.S. vicar of Opus Dei), said that wasn't a very good question. Most of the respondents couldn't imagine Jesus winning the nomination for either party. There are some predictable responses (paraphrasing Chuck Colson: "of course he would be against abortion"), and some provocative ones (Gardner C. Taylor: "I think He would also be assassinated, lynched, or if you prefer, crucified as before." Deepak Chopra's take is actually pretty funny.
So, if these "experts" all agree that Jesus would never be a candidate, and would have a platform very different from either party... am I wrong in thinking that there is a strong perception "out there" that Christian=conservative=Republican? I think that's why my friend's bumper sticker that says "Christian AND a Democrat" means something... but, the religious right worked hard to create this perception, and a lot of people (religious progressives, and, I think, others) have been working hard to demonstrate a more complicated relationship between religion and politics in the U.S. So, maybe that's having some effect.
The title of this post is the title of a Woody Guthrie song that Billy Brag & Wilco put to music on one of their Mermaid Avenue CDs. He had a pretty clear idea of what he thought Jesus' platform would be:
Let's have Christ for President.
Let us have him for our King.
Cast your vote for the Carpenter
that you call the Nazarene.
The only way we can ever beat
these crooked politician men
Is to run the money changers out of the temple
And put the Carpenter in
O It's Jesus Christ for president
God above our king
With a job and a pension for young and old
We will make hallelujah ring
Every year we waste enough
to feed the ones who starve
We build our civilization up
and we shoot it down with wars
But with the Carpenter on the seat
away up in the capital town
The USA would be on the way prosperity bound!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
Cloud of Witnesses
I went to a dinner tonight to honor the moderator of our congregation from the past year, and welcome the new moderator to the position. The guests, other than the pastors and their spouses, were all former moderators (and spouses, although in at least one couple, both had been moderator).
It was great to hear stories of the history of the church, which went through some tough times over the decades. As stories were told, I felt that the cloud of witnesses grew beyond just those gathered there, to include people remembered fondly by many, some of whom have moved away, others who have passed on.
I was reminded of Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely,* and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us." This remarkable gathering of faithful leaders throughout the congregation's past gives encouragement to the current leadership, both pastoral and lay, to move forward into the future God has in store for our congregation.
It was great to hear stories of the history of the church, which went through some tough times over the decades. As stories were told, I felt that the cloud of witnesses grew beyond just those gathered there, to include people remembered fondly by many, some of whom have moved away, others who have passed on.
I was reminded of Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely,* and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us." This remarkable gathering of faithful leaders throughout the congregation's past gives encouragement to the current leadership, both pastoral and lay, to move forward into the future God has in store for our congregation.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Priorities
So, I'm getting started on writing this post really late tonight. The reason is that Quinn is having trouble settling down to sleep this evening. One of the things that is sometimes frustrating, but at other times freeing, about taking care of a baby, is the immediacy of her needs. When she's crying, there's no question about which of the competing demands on my time I will be attending to. As someone recently put it, "If Baby ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."
So, she interrupts my life (our lives) a lot. But it's also a good reminder, because less important things can take up more time or attention simply by clamoring for it, or making it to the top of my to-do list. But the baby's needs are real and basic and must be met.
Attending to the spirit is also a real and basic need, but it's not nearly as loud (usually, anyway) as Quinn! That's why, I think, it's so much easier to focus spiritually in some kind of a setting (an intentional time or place or group of people) set aside for that purpose, with many of the competing demands cleared away. I cherish my retreats with the Bethany Fellows for that reason.
Also, however, at the same time that attending to my spirit might be considered another "task" or item on a to-do list that caring for Quinn takes time and energy from, and I certainly feel that the near-constant sleep deprivation makes both thinking and connecting more difficult, I also feel that caring for, feeding, comforting, cuddling, loving this little person, is feeding my spirit.
So, she interrupts my life (our lives) a lot. But it's also a good reminder, because less important things can take up more time or attention simply by clamoring for it, or making it to the top of my to-do list. But the baby's needs are real and basic and must be met.
Attending to the spirit is also a real and basic need, but it's not nearly as loud (usually, anyway) as Quinn! That's why, I think, it's so much easier to focus spiritually in some kind of a setting (an intentional time or place or group of people) set aside for that purpose, with many of the competing demands cleared away. I cherish my retreats with the Bethany Fellows for that reason.
Also, however, at the same time that attending to my spirit might be considered another "task" or item on a to-do list that caring for Quinn takes time and energy from, and I certainly feel that the near-constant sleep deprivation makes both thinking and connecting more difficult, I also feel that caring for, feeding, comforting, cuddling, loving this little person, is feeding my spirit.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Parity in Insurance Coverage
The House passed a bill today requiring parity in coverage of mental health from insurance companies. It's one important step towards making our society more compassionate towards people with mental illness. Legislatively, it requires (some) insurance company to cover mental illness as they cover all other illnesses. This could be good news for a lot of people.
The church has an unfortunate history with mentally ill people, and I think that people of faith still struggle with how to love our neighbors with mental illness (and ourselves with mental illness). Even more difficult is knowing how a faith community can be supportive, both in working to overcome the stigma around mental illnesses, and in being supportive of those who live with them.
The church has an unfortunate history with mentally ill people, and I think that people of faith still struggle with how to love our neighbors with mental illness (and ourselves with mental illness). Even more difficult is knowing how a faith community can be supportive, both in working to overcome the stigma around mental illnesses, and in being supportive of those who live with them.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Timing
The past two days of warm weather in DC seem to have lifted everyone's spirits. It strikes me that it is so appropriate for Easter to be in springtime. The chorus from the Easter hymn "Now the Green Blade Riseth" is running through my head: "Love has come again/ like wheat that springeth green."
Renewal and hope are in the air at springtime. I've been told that the original reason for Easter's timing was competition with a "pagan" fertility festival (that's why the bunnies and eggs), and that festival is in fact the origin of the name of the holiday, but the timing seems appropriate to me. It's also linked historically to Passover, when the gospels record Jesus' death and resurrection taking place.
The most unfortunate timing, on the other hand, is for folks who abstain from dessert for Lent, which always overlaps Girl Scout cookie time!
Renewal and hope are in the air at springtime. I've been told that the original reason for Easter's timing was competition with a "pagan" fertility festival (that's why the bunnies and eggs), and that festival is in fact the origin of the name of the holiday, but the timing seems appropriate to me. It's also linked historically to Passover, when the gospels record Jesus' death and resurrection taking place.
The most unfortunate timing, on the other hand, is for folks who abstain from dessert for Lent, which always overlaps Girl Scout cookie time!
Monday, March 3, 2008
It's official
Today I went down to the D.C. courthouse and got officially registered to be able to perform weddings in the District of Columbia. To do this, I had to affirm that I hold appropriate standing in a church body (in this case, the UCC), and be vouched for by another person with standing in that church body who was already officially registered in their database (Pastor Ken).
It's interesting to me how the rules about who may perform a wedding vary in different jurisdictions. In both Maryland and Chicago (where I've done 2 weddings each), you just list on the marriage license the church body in which you are ordained or hold standing. Same goes for Iowa. I look forward to learning the rules for Las Vegas and Berkeley, as I've recently been asked to do two weddings this summer.
All of these variations highlight what is for me the spiritual matter in the heart of the bureaucratic details. Church and state are at their least separated in marriage. As a minister performing a wedding, I am an official agent of the state (or district!) at the same time as I am a leader of worship. It's actually rather odd.
Should the church bless the action of the state in changing the legal status of two people? I'm not sure what my answer to that question is.
But I love doing weddings, getting to be a part of a couple's life at this pivotal moment of commitment, sharing and blessing their hopes and dreams of their common future. I enjoy the fact that people who don't go to church regularly very often want to get married in a church. It feels right to me, because I think that deeply human connection that leads people to want to get married is essentially spiritual. After all, God is love.
It's interesting to me how the rules about who may perform a wedding vary in different jurisdictions. In both Maryland and Chicago (where I've done 2 weddings each), you just list on the marriage license the church body in which you are ordained or hold standing. Same goes for Iowa. I look forward to learning the rules for Las Vegas and Berkeley, as I've recently been asked to do two weddings this summer.
All of these variations highlight what is for me the spiritual matter in the heart of the bureaucratic details. Church and state are at their least separated in marriage. As a minister performing a wedding, I am an official agent of the state (or district!) at the same time as I am a leader of worship. It's actually rather odd.
Should the church bless the action of the state in changing the legal status of two people? I'm not sure what my answer to that question is.
But I love doing weddings, getting to be a part of a couple's life at this pivotal moment of commitment, sharing and blessing their hopes and dreams of their common future. I enjoy the fact that people who don't go to church regularly very often want to get married in a church. It feels right to me, because I think that deeply human connection that leads people to want to get married is essentially spiritual. After all, God is love.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Social Justice in the School Cafeteria
Today's reflection will be brief; I'm taking a short break from working out my sermon for tomorrow.
But this article in the New York Times is an interesting and challenging snapshot of the struggle kids have to fit in when their families are struggling to make it.
In general, I think those a la carte foods tend to be pretty bad nutritionally, and the problem is only compounded by the way they serve as a marker of social status as well. Although, my memories of school lunches are that they were neither terribly appealing nor impressively good for you. Still, they do have some sort of nutritional standards, and the idea that there is such a stigma to free lunch that kids would rather go hungry, is disturbing.
But this article in the New York Times is an interesting and challenging snapshot of the struggle kids have to fit in when their families are struggling to make it.
In general, I think those a la carte foods tend to be pretty bad nutritionally, and the problem is only compounded by the way they serve as a marker of social status as well. Although, my memories of school lunches are that they were neither terribly appealing nor impressively good for you. Still, they do have some sort of nutritional standards, and the idea that there is such a stigma to free lunch that kids would rather go hungry, is disturbing.
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