Happiness Is...

I keep running across stories that have to do with Christianity and firearms. I have always had a sincere problem with that combination. "Onward Christian Soldiers", praying for victory over our enemies, even "God Bless America" simply sit funny with me. There's plenty of that in the Bible of course, but most of it is in the Hebrew Scriptures.

If we stop to pay attention to the fact that Jesus did an awful lot of teaching between His birth and His resurrection, we'll see that Jesus told us to bless our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, not pray for their downfall. Jesus told us that if we are struck on one cheek, we're to present the other as well.

On the other hand, my father was Navy. I have every respect for our brothers and sisters in the armed forces and I pray for their safe return. I sincerely hope that Trijicon Inc. was acting in that spirit when they decided that it was a good idea to print Bible verses on rifle scopes sold to the US military. Considering that the verses in question included 2 Corinthians 4:6 and John 8:12, it could be that was what they were aiming for. Unfortunately, those verses could also be interpreted as proof that the United States is engaged in a crusade against Islam.

I'd never thought about it that way before, but this is another very good reason to pay attention to the separation of Church and State. I've always said that separation of Church and State is of the utmost importance because it is what allows us to have the freedom to worship where and how we please. It is because of the separation of Church and State that we can print Bible verses on things without worrying about what the government has to say about it. For some reason some Christians seem incensed that the separation of Church and State also allows Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Wicca, etc, etc, etc, the very same freedoms. As a patriotic citizen of the United States of America, I say that this freedom of religion is one of the very best things about our country. And as the Muslim Public Affairs Council put it, "Allowing religious references to be placed on U.S. weaponry, which are bought and paid for by U.S. taxpayers, is unacceptable."

The other piece of news that relates to how religion and firearms shouldn't mix is the case of Scott Roeder. For those of you who missed it, or don't recognize the name, Scott Roeder is the man who walked into the morning worship service at the Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita and shot one of the ushers, George Richard Tiller, MD, in the head at point blank range with a handgun. George Tiller was the medical director of Women's Health Care Services in Wichita, one of only three nationwide which provided abortions after the 21st week of pregnancy. Scott Roeder was quickly arrested and confessed to the murder, which he claimed was justified, "Because of the fact preborn children's lives were in imminent danger..."

I suppose you can guess where religion comes into all this, Scott Roeder considers himself a member of the Army of God (USA) and claims the Bible as a major influence in his life. I have a huge, huge problem with this! Where does love God, love your neighbor, love yourself—the two greatest commandments and the basis for all of the Law and the Prophets—come into the decision to walk into a church and shoot a man in the head? How can you argue that every life is sacred, therefore I'm allowed to take one? Even if you're right about abortion, vengeance belongs to the Lord, not extremists with handguns.

Well, District Judge Warren Wilbert ruled on Thursday that "Scott Roeder's lawyers failed to show that Dr. George Tiller posed an imminent threat and therefore will not be allowed to ask jurors to consider a voluntary manslaughter charge..." So I guess the court is coming down in a similar place concerning whether or not the killing was "justifiable."

For my part, I'll try to take my own advice and not judge the man. And I promise that I won't shoot anybody in the name of Christianity. It would be pretty hypocritical of me.

Be good to each other,
Rev. Josh
012910

Internet Data Privacy Day

I learned from an article through AOL that today is Internet Data Privacy Day. The article had an absolute wealth of links to all kinds of wonderful web sites dedicated to many aspects of digital literacy. I will be adding a section on internet safety to my sidebar in honor of today.

I think the most important quote from the article is "You as a parent need to catch up. But first you should make sure that you understand what they are doing. You also need to be sure that you've protected your own data sufficiently." Why? As it says on the American Academy of Pediatrics site, "While today’s tweens and teens may be more digitally savvy than their parents, their lack of maturity and life experience can quickly get them into trouble with these new social venues."

Please don't get me wrong, because I rarely make the mistake of selling today's tweens and teens short, but let's face it—our brains don't stop developing until our mid-twenties. Tweens and teens are by nature and definition not entirely mature. The years we spend as tweens and teens are all about figuring out who we are and becoming who we're going to be—and we always make mistakes as we go through that process.

Luckily, most tweens and teens have loving and caring adults who have seen what the big mistake—the truly horrible, life-altering mistakes—can be and desperately want to help tweens and teens avoid them.

I think that's why digital media, the internet, and even cell phones are so scary to many parents. It's all so new and it's more difficult to catch those big, horrible, life-altering mistakes before they happen. Difficult, but not impossible—that's why they need to catch up.

I think the most important site I saw today was the American Academy of Pediatrics site I mentioned earlier. It details, step by step, how parents and guardians can help their children of all ages not makes those really big mistakes. In all honesty, when I was growing up I thought that my parents were a little too strict. I hardly got away with anything fun. Now that I'm an adult, I'm thankful for it—just like the way that hard-to-please teacher got the best work out of me. My parents helped me not make any big, horrible, life-altering mistakes.

So here's my message to all the tweens and teens out there. Yes, I just asked your parents to invade your digital spaces. You might be angry with me about that right now. But I'm willing to bet that you'll be thankful for it later.

Be careful,
Rev. Josh
012810

Time Travel

January has been incredibly busy for me in surprising ways—so much so that I've not done half the posting that I've wanted to here. I apologize for that, my dear and faithful readers! If I could time travel, I would go back to January 6th, to post pictures of The Journey of Homage. Why January 6th? Because that's when Epiphany is. For those of you who are behind on your big English words that are really old Greek words, an epiphany (little "e") is when you have a sudden brilliant idea—as if through divine inspiration.



As a holiday, Epiphany (big "E"!) is when we celebrate all of the ways in which it was revealed that Jesus of Nazareth was actually God in human form, walking and talking and eating with us! With Epiphany falling so close to Christmas, we don't usually end up talking about the angelic visitations and miracle birth and so forth very much at Epiphany—I guess we're all angel-ed out by January. Many congregations celebrate Jesus' baptism, a few take the time to remember the prophets Anna and Simeon and the things they said to Jesus' parents at his dedication (Luke 2:22-38), but many more tell the story of wise men from the East, following the star and baring gifts so that they can pay homage to the newborn king. We pay homage to Jesus at Christmastime by baring our own gifts to the homeless and needy—that's why it's called The Journey of Homage.



Be good to each other,
Rev. Josh
012610

Haiti Earthquakes

I was going to wait a little while longer to post. And it was going to be the pics I finally tracked down of The Journey of Homage. But there's so much going on in the world right now.

Just in case you missed it, there have been several significant earthquakes in Haiti quite near to the capital of Port-au-Prince. My understanding is that the devastation is simply... horrible. Imagine the dead and dying laying in the streets alongside the terrified and exhausted survivors because hospitals were wrecked and overloaded and the living were staying outside for fear of more aftershocks...

And just in case your imagination isn't that good, keep in mind that probably at least one of your Facebook friends, or a member of your church, or even a classmate or co-worker knows someone in Haiti. My heartfelt prayer go out to the people of Haiti and the people worldwide who know them.

Already there has been an appropriate outpouring of aid from many sources. Being who I am and doing what I do, of course, the first I became aware of is through the United Church of Christ. As the UCC's appeal puts it:

The need is massive.

How You Can Help:

1. Pray for the people of Haiti their leaders and emergency and humanitarian aid workers.

2. Please help the people of Haiti by sending gifts payable to your congregation marked for "OGHS – Haiti Earthquake Relief" with the request they be sent through your Conference office on to Wider Church Ministries.

OR

Send gifts, made out to Wider Church Ministries and marked in the memo portion "OGHS – Haiti Earthquake Relief" to Wider Church Ministries; 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115.

OR

Make a secure online donation to the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund.

The second came to me through a Connecticut based non-prophet angency called Handy Dandy Handyman, which is completely masterminded by a member of the Roman Catholic laity. HDHM introduced me to Father Rick Frechette. You can contribute to his charitable work in Haiti here if you click on "January 12, 9:06 PM Haiti’s newest tragedy. We need God’s help" under the heading "What's New?"
The third place comes to me through Dennis and Leslie, who have worked with International Medical Corps in the past. Dennis writes:

IMC is my favorite NGO; it's got an A+ rating from Charity Watch, meaning that more than 92% of its resources go directly to program activities. Some of you may remember them as the people who Leslie & I interned with in Sierra... Leone. They're good people, they work fast, and if you were wondering how to help out, here's a good place to start.

Unfortunately, there's also a lot of incorrect information bouncing around the internet, like this Twitter hoax that I've already seen careening around Facebook. I'm hoping that the information in this blog entry will be helpful to you. Please remember to always do the research before sending anyone your hard-earned money!

Be good to each other,
Rev. Josh Sander
011410

Epiphany & Stuff

In my last post I said I hadn't been planning on blogging until Epiphany, and here Epiphany has come and gone, and I'm only just now getting to it.

I was hoping to have some pictures for this entry, but I forgot to bring my camera on The Journey of Homage, and I have failed at laying ahold of anyone else's. Anyway, the Journey was a big success, in my humble opinion. Despite the fairly significant snowfall we had the night before and into the morning—we had about a dozen people walk and we gave out almost 90 bags total. But the best part was watching the people who came with me go from being terrified of even approaching people, to grinning and learning how to say "Feliz Navidad" and even giving out hugs! I'm proud of all my people.

Then, on the other hand, there's Wal-Mart and H&M. My jaw nearly ended up on my chest when I read an article this morning that outed them for destroying and throwing away clothing that hadn't sold. That's right, they not only threw away perfectly good clothing, but they intentionally destroyed them first so no-one could go through their trash and get something good out of it. This clothing isn't being donated to charitable organizations... why? And the fact that the spokesperson for Wal-Mart "acted surprised" simply does not wash with me. I've been hearing from people I know who work inventory, as well as folk who work retail, that this kind of thing is more commonplace than you and I might think. I sincerely doubt that Wal-Mart employees randomly came up with "let's slash 'em and toss 'em" on their own! At least the spokesperson for H&M had the grace not to "act surprised." Then again, maybe I'm just harder on Wal-Mart because they have a history of doing things like banning gay couples from their stores for not shoplifting. Read that sentence again. It says they were banned for not shoplifting.

*sigh*

But it's a new year! And I'm still convinced that there are more people doing good things in the world than there are folk doing horrid things. So to leave you on a hopeful note, I thought I'd share a word for the new year from one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman.



Be good to each other,
Rev. Josh
010810

Hold on Loosely

Ok, so I was going to wait until Epiphany to post again, but I ran across two related editorials that just inspired to me to weigh in on the topic of protecting our children. The first editorial took aim at a recent segment on Sesame Street.



The basic argument is that:

Kids need images of trustworthy grown-ups, especially as they're relaxing at bedtime. If this skit were made for adults, then maybe we'd find it funny. But as entertainment for children, it's just kind of weird.

You missed the boat on this one, Sesame Street.

Personally, I remember watching The Muppet Show as well as Sesame Street when I was a child, and I found such silliness as loud lullabies extremely funny. The again, my two favorite Muppets back then were Robin the Frog and Crazy Harry. So go figure. In any case, I think taking Sesame Street to task over that segment is probably a little much. I think most children recognize it as a joke... unless their parents decide to sing that lullaby at night—as opposed to 10am, when Sesame Street is on the air!

And I'm afraid that I'm not joking—well, not joking that much anyway—about parents doing something like that to their children. Because there's the second editorial, which takes solid aim at videos like this one:



Yes, the child is cute, and I don't entirely disagree with the idea of using "you got stuck" as a learning moment for "don't climb behind the couch." The child, however, probably did not deserve to be called "full of bologna" and clearly didn't deserve to be laughed at. Add in the fact that these parents made the poor child wait for them to go get their camera so they could put the frightening predicament on YouTube for everyone to see... I don't know, for a child to say "I need help" and for that help to be withheld and conditional just seems wrong to me. I worry that the child learned not to climb behind the couch—because the adults in my life might not help me if I get stuck.

Our society sits in this weird place where we over-protect our children—and laugh at their pain. No, worse, we laugh at their pain and broadcast it over the internet so everyone else in the world can laugh at it, too. As usual, I think there's a balance to be had that we as a society are completely lacking.

Protect your children just enough,
Be good to each other,
Rev. Josh
122909

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Be good to each other
Merry Christmas
Rev. Josh
122509

One More Sleep...

I know that it's easier to portray a world that's filled with cynicism and anger, where problems are solved with violence. That's titillating. It's an easy out. What's a whole lot tougher is to offer alternatives, to present other ways conflicts can be resolved, and to show that you can have a positive impact on your world. To do that, you have to put yourself out on a limb, take chances, and run the risk of being called a do-gooder.

Jim Henson

Anyone who's taken a little time looking around my office might discern that I'm a huge Jim Henson fan. It probably isn't too strong a thing to say that he's my hero. As we enter into Christmas Eve, I'd like for you to consider the quote from Jim that you find at the top of the page. I don't know if he had the Incarnation in mind when he said those words, but what he is talking about is a big part of what Jesus preached and taught.

The miracle of Christmas is that God came to earth as a human baby boy who went on to teach us that there are other ways conflicts can be resolved, to show that you can have a positive impact on your world, and that not one human being is expendable. Not even the "different" ones, the "useless" ones or the "really bad" ones.

If God became human and showed us these things, and we were all made in God's image, then we can show others these things as well. Jim Henson did, and you can too.



Present other ways conflicts can be resolved.
You can have a positive impact on your world.
Run the risk of being called a do-gooder.
Rev. Josh
122409

Geek Christmas

I know folk who look at games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band and think, "Well that's stupid, if you're going to put that kind of time in, why not learn to play the guitar for real? And to those people I say... well, actually, they have a point. Not that I think that those games are bad—quite the opposite, they're shining examples of fun cooperative nonviolent video games. Even Stevie Wonder had some great things to say about these kinds of games at the Video Game Awards this year—and he challenged the video game industry to make games that blind folk can enjoy too! More on that some other day, maybe. Today, I don't really have an earth-shattering point. I just thought that it was really cool and creative what this kid has done with Christmas lights and Guitar Hero. Enjoy!



Be good to each other.
Rev. Josh
122109

Behind the Counter

Let's pause for a moment and consider the folk who work behind counters and run registers for us, the consumers. Because, quite frankly, if you get a genuine smile from someone behind the counter when you approach, you're either very attractive or they are a saint. I'm leaning towards the sainthood thing, not because I doubt that you're attractive—I'm sure you're gorgeous—but I've seen the kinds of things that retail employees go through on a daily basis—especially during Christmas—and, well, if they're still smiling then they must be incredibly good folk.

In another life, a long time ago, I worked behind the counter for a small video rental place—we only rented out VHS tapes, if that give you any idea! Anyway, every night someone would yell at me because they returned a tape late and was charged a fee. Not only was this clearly not my fault, but I also didn't have the authority to actually do anything about it—except collect the late fee.

I know someone who used to work for a shop in Olde Mystick Village—and I have to tell you that tourists have a horrifying sense of entitlement that... *shudders* Anyway, if I told you even half of her stories of working behind the counter, your brain would shut down. The horrible things people would say to her, the folk who would cough and/or sneeze on their money and then hand it to her, and the sheer stupidity in general would just cause your synapses to stop firing.

I've never worked in a fast food restaurant, but I bet this isn't too far from the truth...



All kidding aside, these folk have to deal with people behaving badly and with a high degree of stupidity every day. They are on a short list of professions that I automatically give the benefit of the doubt to when I'm dealing with them—nursing staff are at the top of that list, by the way. I encourage you to do the same!

Also, check out the Not Always Right site, which gives real life examples of the stupid and frustrating things people do to folk working behind the counter. I'm considering linking it under Daily Dose of Joy in my sidebar!

Oh, and one more thing that I learned from my time behind the counter. One night, when someone had been particularly unpleasant to me concerning their late fee, the very next person in line smiled at me and said something like, "Wow, they were hard to deal with, huh?" It really made my day to know that someone noticed and cared that my job wasn't all that easy. Even just a smile can make a very big difference! So next time you get to the head of the line, give the person behind the counter a genuinely thankful smile, ok?

Be good to each other,
Rev. Josh
121809

Christmas Asplody

So, it finally happened. It happens at least once a year, during the Christmas rush. As I was running around town yesterday at about eleven o'clock in the morning to do some shopping for The Journey of Homage—well, I started out thinking, "The middle of the day on a Monday, at least I picked a time when it won't be so busy."

Incorrect.

As I decided that maybe I wouldn't check out Wal-Mart's prices after all because the lot was full, dodged horrifying traffic in the parking lot, and then watched someone pass me cut me off and then honk at the person who had been in front of me because they were going the speed limit in the right hand lane... it finally happened. I found myself thinking, "I hate Christmastime."

It happens at least once every year, that thought, and it makes me sad for a moment, because I really don't hate Christmastime. I hate the way people treat each other on the road and in parking lots and I am not overly fond of crowds. Christmas, I like.

So I've decided to share something with you that just makes me happy. I don't know why, but apparently I'm not the only one who has watched this moment over and over again on dvd, because I found a YouTube video that not only repeats the moment, but does so in varying speeds! If you find yourself thinking, "I hate Christmastime," please watch GIR asploding until you can't stop smiling.

It works for me!



Be good to each other,
Rev. Josh
121509

Things He Do

It's Friday. And I feel a little bit like I might have whatever Dib's problem is...



Things he do!
Rev. Josh
121109

Advent Conspiracy

Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Friend Leslie.
Be good to each other,
Rev. Josh
121009

The Spirit of Xmas

More and more I see and hear people who are incensed at the ever common practice of saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" this time of year. I have even seen it referred to as a "war on Christmas" as if it were an attempt to do away with your rights to buy huge strings of lights, stampede Wal-Mart on Black Friday, and bake your own weight in sugar cookies.

Ok, so that was a little sarcastic, but I did it to make a point. Most Christians I know still feel free to say "Merry Christmas" wherever they feel like. It's often in the commercial context that I see and hear "Happy Holidays." And to be perfectly frank, Christians aren't the only people celebrating chrismasolstikwanzika this time of year—how can we blame the commercial sector for not wanting to offend the non-Christian folk and their money?

The other place I hear "Happy Holidays" is from myself, and others who think like me, when I do not know the religious affiliation of the person I'm speaking to. Emmi has a friend who once said... well, I can't repeat what he said. Let's just say that he colorfully exhibited his frustration at being a Hindu and being told to have a "Merry Christmas" everywhere he went.

I guess the latest chapter in the whole war on Christianity saga is completely askew. An article I recently found on-line says that people are doing away with the common abbreviation "Xmas" because it clearly is an attempt to take "Christ" out of "Christmas." The article also says that most of us aren't Greek scholars. And here's where I get frustrated, because if you know an ordained minister (and I hope if you're Christian "enough" to be mad about taking the Christ out of Christmas, you do) then you know someone who has enough Greek to set you straight on this. The "X" is not an attempt to cross out the word "Christ." It is, in fact, a Chi the Greek letter that begins the word "Christ" in it's original Greek form.


Incidentally, the last time I said "Happy Holidays" to someone I knew for a fact was not Christian (she's a rabbi) she said "Merry Christmas" to me! So, I don't see any war here. If you really want to say "Merry Christmas," to folk, go ahead and do it. If you prefer to say "Happy Holidays" to be inclusive, go right ahead. There's enough business and stress involved in this season without getting upset about a non-existent war on Christmas!

Happy Holidays
Merry Xmas
Rev. Josh
120809

Just Silly

I've been saying for years that if our children or youth want to dye their hair purple or shave their heads or grow just one lock of hair really, really long, that we should let them do it. I don't see what it hurts for a teenager to have purple hair, unless they're old enough to be job hunting—which brings me to the point I'm trying to make. Once you're in the job hunt, the days of wearing mohawks are probably over. Let your children get it out of their system before being "presentable" becomes a necessity.

Now, there are limits, of course. I'd suggest that shaving a swastika into the back of the head should probably be a "no." I'm sure there are other symbols that we need to be aware of, too. I suspect that there may be some school dress codes that include sections on hair. And I'd never suggest that parents shouldn't be involved in the decision!

It just seems to me that our society has gotten just plain silly about being "presentable." Take this news item, for example:



Maybe there's something I'm missing there. Please tell me if I am. But the whole thing just seems... silly and overbearing.

Be good to each other,
Rev. Josh
120709

Odd Ends

Just a few little things, some important, some maybe not as much. First of all, please notice that I've started to archive my sermons in a blog which is linked in my sidebar.

Secondly, I ran across an important piece of news. Apparently a major drugstore chain is in trouble with the law for selling over the counter drugs, baby formula, and foods as much as two years past their expiration date! The article I read breaks it down in terms of cost-effectiveness... and the sad truth is that it costs the chain less money in fines than it does to employ someone to remove (and therefore not sell) expired items. If that's true of one chain, it'll be true of others, so...

Buyer Beware: Always check the expiration date on over the counter drugs, baby formula, and food before you buy!

Finally, I've added something to my list of things all pastors she be ready for... just in case:



Be good to each other,
Rev. Josh
120309

The Evil Empire

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to lead worship and preach while the Senior Pastor was traveling for Thanksgiving. I always love to preach, not just because I love to write and otherwise play with language, not even because the Word is at the center of Congregational worship, but mostly because there's a wonderful space between what I think I've said and what people actually hear. While that could be a frightening idea for most, I have consistently experienced God working in amazing ways within that space. I've lost count of how many times I've felt like I'd delivered a real stink-bomb of a sermon, only to have someone tell me afterwords that it was just what they needed to hear. And just as often as not, they go on to say that they heard something that I don't remember saying. In an earlier post I told a story about my friend Amory and Mr. Rogers concerning God working in that space, so I won't retell it here.

Anyway, I really enjoyed giving the sermon last Sunday. It was the first Sunday of Advent and I talked about Legos and Charlie Brown, and all kinds of happy fluffy things.

Which works just fine if you ignore the lectionary.

[Jesus said:] “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Luke 21:25-36

Whew. Kinda dark for the Christmas season, huh? But that's actually appropriate, because we aren't in the Christmas season yet, liturgically speaking. We're in Advent—we're getting ready for Christmas. The Christmas season starts on Christmas day and runs to Epiphany. You know the song, The 12 Days of Christmas? Those twelve days start on Christmas day and work their way forward!

As for the scripture lesson from last Sunday, you have to understand the darkness involved in order to see the light that it offers. You have to understand a little bit about the Roman Empire to understand what Jesus is doing here. He is standing in Jerusalem, at the Temple, foretelling the overthrow of both. And if you look at the history of the Roman Empire as it relates to Jerusalem, it wouldn't have been hard at all for his disciples to believe. Pompey had already taken Jerusalem and successfully laid siege to the Temple during the time of Julius Ceasar. After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Caesar Augustus eventually rose to power. Augustus' rise to power was complicated—laced with war, bloodshed and intrigue. Once in power he completely neutered the Senate—they knew very well that he held command of the majority of Rome's legions and could take power through sheer force.

It was during this rise to power that Herod the Great became the Roman client king of Judea. In fact, the Senate voted Herod into the position... and Judea had no choice in the matter, because Herod conquered Jerusalem with the aid of the Roman army! And he kept the throne through sheer, ruthless bloodshed. It was under the command of Herod the Great that Slaughter of the Innocents takes place. This is the political climate in which Jesus grew up.
Herod the Great's successor, Herod Antipas wasn't any better. Herod Antipas is the one who beheaded John the Baptist. In the face of such impressive violence and bloodshed, is it no wonder that Jesus preaches of a coming apocalypse which is even mightier? I mean, Rome was bad, but Jesus is talking about the destruction of the very heavens!

Now, this illustration did not fit into my sermon, but I thought it would be fun to share it here. Now think for a moment. What other story has an evil Emperor rise to power through war and intrigue? What other story has a useless and neutered Senate? What other story has an equally evil and violent Lord who does the Emperor's bidding?



On the UCC website there's a section that lists the lectionary texts for the day and provides some commentary. In the commentary for last Sunday's Gospel text, Kate Huey writes:

When we recall that the sun was the symbol of Rome itself, while the moon and the stars represented the empire's client kings clustered around it, we can better understand that, when Luke is talking about the "powers of the heavens" being shaken, it's a kind of code: "It is not the end of the cosmos, as Mark has it, but the shaking of the earthly principalities and powers that is referenced here," William Herzog writes in New Proclamation 2006. I wonder if young adults might relate this in a way to the destruction of the Death Star in their own epic, the Star Wars trilogy. The language of empire was also used in that series to describe the terrible might of the evil power that oppressed planets and galaxies. Empires come and empires go, but they rarely come or go gently, or quietly.

The answer is yes, yes we do.

And so the best way for me to explain the hope inherent in Jesus' apocalyptic talk of the heavens coming down is this:



May the Force be with you.
Rev. Josh
120109

The Journey of Homage

The Journey of Homage is an outreach project where we collect items to make up Christmas gifts for the homeless and needy of a nearby city and then hit the streets, giving the gifts to the people we find there. It really is just that simple. This year I am collecting new—well, let me stop there for a second to explain.

We collect new items because, well, would you want to receive a second-hand Christmas gift? I mean, you can call it "gently used" as much as you like, but if you were to get it as your only Christmas gift this year, wouldn't you feel bad, knowing that folk thought you weren't good enough for something new?

Where was I? Oh yes, this year I am collecting new warm winter hats, durable winter gloves, simple tube socks—but wait, let me explain.

I'm trying to collect this clothing in men's sizes and colors because my contact in the city tells me that most of the people we're going to find are men. The same contact has reminded me that the homeless do not have any way of washing their clothes, especially in the winter, so any socks they receive get warn until they're just too disgusting to have on anymore—at which point they must be thrown away. So simple tube socks are the best.

Where was I? Oh yes, this year I am collecting new warm winter hats, durable winter gloves, simple tube socks, $5 gift cards to Dunkin' Donuts—

Why only $5? Because the cards are not so much about feeding the folk as it is about getting them off the street into someplace warm for a while. If you look like you're homeless and you sit down in a Dunkin' Donuts to warm up, you'll probably be asked to leave. But if you walk in and buy a cup of coffee, sit down and nurse it for a while... then you're a customer. A real live, not freezing to death on the street customer! And why Dunkin' Donuts? Because my contact in the city tells me that there are several near where the folk are likely to be. Fast food restaurants would work just as well if they didn't have to walk across the city to get to them!

Where was I? Oh yes, this year I am collecting new warm winter hats, durable winter gloves, simple tube socks, $5 gift cards to Dunkin' Donuts, and Christmas gift bags large enough to hold one of each item!

"That's all very good, Rev. Josh" I imagine you saying to your computer screen, "but why is it called The Journey of Homage?" I'm glad you asked! First of all, "homage" isn't much used any more, I know. Just follow the link in that last sentence for a dictionary definition. But here's an example of the word used in a sentence:

On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 2:11

One of the reasons we give gifts in this season is because these Magi or Wise Men gave these gifts of homage to Jesus. So in what way is this outreach project a journey of homage like that of the Magi? Well, scripture also says:

Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'

Matthew 25:37-40

For the whole story, check out Matthew 25:31-46. But you get the point, don't you? According to the Gospel, the way to give homage to Jesus is to pay homage to the least of those among us.

Even though I happily take credit for bringing the Journey of Homage to each of the churches I serve, I must give credit where credit is due. The real mastermind, the person who had the idea and immediately acted on it, was one of my classmates at Andover Newton Theological School, Preston. It's been a few years, but the way I remember it, it went something like this: One year, sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Preston and his wife rode the T out of Boston back to Newton after doing some Christmas shopping. And they discussed the homeless woman they'd seen pan-handling in the T station. And they agreed that it would be nice if they could give her a useful Christmas present. So they spoke with everyone they could manage and they collected new hats, gloves, socks, and gift certificates to fast food restaurants and packed them into nice gift bags. Then they got as many folk as they could and took the gifts into Boston and hit the streets, giving them to the homeless folk wherever they could be found.

I was one of those people, and one of the ways we found enough hands to give out presents was to bring our youth groups with us. We found a man standing outside of Macy's with a dixie cup and an illegible sign crafted from the bottom of a cardboard box and a dead magic marker. I watched people loaded down with their Christmas shopping pass by him without pause or eye contact as two of our youth approached him with a gift. They said, "Hi, we're from 2nd Congregational Church of Newton, and we'd like you to have this. Merry Christmas!" and then they started to leave. But the man said, "Girls, wait!" and he bent down to lift up his pant leg. And I could see from where I was standing that his leg was a road-map of scarring. He said, "I got that in Vietnam. And I always knew that I must have been fighting for something. But until now, I didn't know what it was."

'Nuff said.
Rev. Josh
112009

Urban Legends

I just caught myself almost getting taken in by an urban legend brought to my attention through the wonders of Facebook. Now, don't get me wrong, I think that e-mail is a wonderful tool when used correctly. I believe that social networking sites like Facebook are a wonderful tool when used correctly. However, I have also seen otherwise intelligent and discerning folk take at face value information coming to them through Facebook in the form of polls to take and groups/causes to join.

The one that almost caught me was a poll asking "Is he a christian????" The underlying text reads:

Your friend voted "No" in the President Obama says that they will have a Holiday Tree this year instead of a Christmas Tree. Do you agree with this? Poll!

What do you say? 381,865 people have already voted!

President Obama says that they will have a Holiday Tree this year instead of a Christmas Tree. Do you agree with this?
Yes
No
Maybe

I immediately started to comment on the item, because in my opinion it would depend on which tree and in what capacity President Obama was speaking. After all, the separation of church and state is what allows the freedom of religious expression that we all enjoy—and is a large reason why we can question the religiosity of the President of the United States with impunity! But before I posted my comment I thought, "Wait, I wonder if it's even true...?" So I did a Google search for "Obama Holiday Tree" and found... not one news item. What I did find was an article at FactCheck.org entitled "Holiday Tree" Hooey. I'd never heard of FactCheck.org, so I went flying over to Snopes.com where I found a similar article.

So, just for the record... President Obama has not changed the name of any of the traditional Christmas trees in Washington D.C. The claim is an urban legend at best and an unsubstantiated and malicious attempt to smear the President of the United States at worst.

But on a larger level, no matter where you stand on issues of the separation of church and state or the current president or whatever it is today, we all have a responsibility to not spread disinformation and falsehood. Please pause for a moment before hitting "Forward" on that e-mail, or taking that poll, or joining that group/cause. Do a Google search. Run over to my sidebar and click on FactCheck.org or Snopes.com and see if it's true first.

That way, you won't waste your precious time and energy in needless arguments. And you won't be an unwitting agent in spreading information that is simply and categorically false!

Be good to each other,
Rev. Josh
111209

Food Fight!!!

The last time I had the opportunity to preach, it was World Communion Sunday, and I made sure to make some points about why it is that the eminent Sacrament revolves around eating and drinking. If you go back and look at the gospels as a whole, Jesus does a lot of his ministry around food. And there's simply something special about breaking bread together that helps form relationships. It's not by chance that I chose to go out for pizza with the Senior High Youth for a get-to-know-you event. It's not surprising that a central piece of my weekly staff meeting is who's turn it is to buy Dunkin' Donuts for the group—I really do enjoy their pumpkin muffins... mmm... Where was I? Ah yes, food.

I can't help but notice that there are a lot of folk in the church I now serve who have been reaching out to me with food. And that's good! Food is good, but just like all good things, there are ways for it to go badly. I myself used to eat poorly and exercise irregularly (if at all) and my weight and health reflected that. Luckily, a dear friend turned me on to Weight Watchers, or rather to their method of keeping track of what I eat. I haven't gone to any of their support meetings, and the information I used was handed down to me.

My point is that I lost a significant amount of weight in a controlled and healthy way—and I am still keeping track of what I eat in order to maintain my current, healthy weight. Basically I have an allotment of Weight Watchers points (I usually eat 6 for breakfast and 8 for lunch and dinner) and then four meals where I can eat whatever I want. Which is good, because I hate to turn down gifts of food. One of these days, though, somebody is going to try to hand me one of those tasty pumpkin muffins and I'm not going to have the 14 points to spare.

You read that right. Fourteen. Calculate it yourself if don't believe me.

Now, I need you all to believe me when I say that I'm aware of the huge issues many people have with healthy eating. One of my favorite people has struggled with an eating disorder—and even though I haven't heard about it just lately, I suspect that she struggles still. If you want or need to know more about eating disorders and what to do about them, please go to the Mayo Clinic and/or The Nemours Foundation site as soon as possible. Both of those websites seem to be pretty good places to go for health information—but if your experience isn't the same as mine, I hope you'll tell me!

So if you happen to be the person I have to turn down food from, please forgive me!

Your body is a temple, so be good to it.
And be good to each other!
Rev. Josh
110609