Re-Thinking Who God Uses

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares Yahweh (Adonai/Jehovah) Isaiah 55:8. "Do not consider his appearance or his height . . . . The Lord does not look at the thing human beings look at. Human beings look at the outward appearance, but Yahweh (Jehovah/Adonai looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7.

In this time of annual conferences for United Methodists and the annual summer and fall meetings of many other national bodies of our religious communions, I am awed by the vast amount of time and energy spent deciding who is to do what ministry, what their title is to be, and what the expectations are for each person assigned to minister under each rubric. What is even more exasperating is that increasingly, it seems that even though the world is moving toward more democratic "participationalism" as a mode of human interaction, church members expect pastors to do all the praying, evangelists to do all the witnessing, deacons to do all the serving, and Apostles to do all the overseeing. The term pastor itself is grossly misunderstood, and does not mean "The man or woman who has all the spiritual gifts and can do all that God requires the church to do single-handedly." Pastor is only one kind of minister that is supposed to be engaged in equipping all of the disciples of Christ to engage in ministries of witness and service to the world.

This week's Bible lessons included Chapters 6-8 of the Acts of the Apostles. In Chapter 6 Luke tells us that a dispute broke out in the church (wow-what a surprise there) because the Grecian Jews believed that they were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of supplies in favor of the Hebraic Jews. The twelve apostles as leaders brought everyone together to decide on a solution (this may have been the first all-church conference). They stated that it would not be appropriate to them to cease from "the ministry of the Word of God in order to wait on tables (Acts 6:2)." They therefore directed the entire body to choose seven men "from among themselves who were full of the Spirit and wisdom." The apostles then turned this task over to the seven so that they could give their full attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word.

It is significant that the next three chapters tell the story of the first two of the seven chosen, Stephen and Philip. Ironically, it is Stephen who is the first to give his life for the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In an eloquent sermon that spans three chapters, Stephen proclaimed Jesus Christ as the only Lord and Savior for the church and the hope of Israel, demonstrating from the Books of Moses (whom he was accused of defaming) that this man and the peoples resistance to and rejection of him was consistent with the reception that their ancestors had given all of the prophets and special messengers of God. For that they stoned him, under the approval of a high ranking Pharisee and officer of the Sanhedrian, a.k.a. Saul of Tarsus (who later God would call to be the Apostle to the Gentiles--the reason most of us non-Jews embrace Jesus as the messiah of Yahweh/Jehovah God today.

In the eighth chapter we then read that the first African convert and perhaps first individual convert made by anyone in the church was an Ethiopian official, a eunuch (yes-a man not capable or desirous of having sex with a woman) and an ambassador of the Candace-the "c" in this instance has a "k" sound (translated Queen) of Ethiopia. Philip gives effective witness to Jesus as the Christ and the Ethiopian is baptized into our faith.

The irony here is that the church conference had voted that Stephen and Philip were to "wait tables." They were to serve as deacons of the church, but instead they went out and did the work of evangelists--and in Philips case, perhaps Apostles--since legend suggests this was the beginning of the historic Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Are we to conclude that the church conference was mistaken, that decisions made by church committees are often meaningless in the fact of God's serendipitous, humorous, unpredictable will?

What was wrong with these guys anyway? Didn't they remember that they had been chosen to be deacons, not elders and certainly not evangelists and apostles? Didn't they have any respect for the decision of the majority, for the decisiveness of the judicatory decision? Didn't they know that other church members had decided the way and manner in which God would use them? How dare they go out and witness and prophecy and even "fly away" as Philip did or "have the face of an angel before his death" as Stephen did? How could they be so beatified having been relegated to table service by their contemporaries?

I think it would be fair to say that at least, God is not bound by the decisions of committees, conferences, conventions, presbyteries, synods, diocese, etc. Neither does God seem to put much truck in titles. The truth is that every great church, every great mosque, every great temple, every great synagogue, every effective ashram, every significant pagoda, had and have their origins in people like Stephen and Philip, who let the Spirit have them fully and completely and let God's fingers, rather than the churches tedious imaginings, do the walking. To God be the glory! Great things God has done and will do in and through any of us truly surrendered as vessels, channels of his unconditional love and life.

Peace out,
Don

Modern Juneteenth Movement

Tomorrow many Black African Americans and those who are informed of and support their historic progress in America will celebrate Juneteenth across and country and in fact beyond the borders of the United States.

Most recently in 1994, the era of the "Modern Juneteenth Movement" began when a group of Juneteenth leaders from across the country gathered in New Orleans, Lo...uisiana, at Christian Unity Baptist Church to work for greater national recognition of Juneteenth. The meeting was convened by Rev. John Mosley, director of the New Orleans Juneteenth Freedom Celebration.[16]

The American Flags of Freedom - U.S. Flag ("4th of July") & National Juneteenth Flag ("19th of June")
Several national Juneteenth organizations were ignited from this gathering beginning with the National Association of Juneteenth Lineage (NAJL), followed by the National Juneteenth Celebration Association (NJCA), the National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC), and the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF). Shortly before this gathering, Juneteenth America, Inc. (JAI) was founded by John Thompson, who organized the first National Juneteenth Convention & Expo, and the National Juneteenth Celebraton Foundation (NJCF) founded by Ben Haith, the creator of the National Juneteenth Flag.[17] In 1996, inspired by the rich history and the desire to support Juneteenth celebrants world wide, the global Web portal Juneteenth.com, was established to facilitate communication and sharing of ideas between Juneteenth participants and supporters. In 1997, through the leadership of Lula Briggs Galloway, president of the NAJL, and Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., chairman of the NAJL, the U.S. Congress officially passed historic legislation [18] recognizing Juneteenth as "Juneteenth Independence Day" in America.[

As you can see, the Black Church has been key in reviving and supporting this National Celebration. It is a way of our resurrecting the hope and promise of America for all of its citizens.

The Limits of our Good Intentions

King David asked Ziba, "Where is your master (Mephiboseth)?" Ziba said to him, "He is staying in Jerusalem because he thinks, 'Today the house of Israel will give me back my grandfather's kingdom.'" 2 Samuel 16:3.

Because David had loved Jonathan, the son of Saul, he was heartbroken by his death. In his compassion for his lost friend, he asked... his advisers one day, "Is there anyone left of the household of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake.

Now the Word of God that came to the prophet Samuel concerning Saul had been clear. God had rejected Saul and his offspring. Neither Saul nor any of his ancestry would continue in the royal line. Saul was to be totally cut off. God demonstrated the folly of peaceful co-existence with any of Saul's offspring, for as soon as David began to reign as king, civil war broke out with Ishbosheth, son of Saul challenging David;s rule over Israel. Ishbosheth later died in battle, but now again, David sought to placate and appease what in fact was his own false guilt.

It was not David who had determined that Saul would be cut off, it was God. God had decreed that David would become king and that there would be no end to his rule. God would use King David to complete his comprehensive plan of redemption for the world through this one man. Not even Samuel the priest was convinced of this at first, for when he went to the household of Jesse to choose a new king as God had directed him, he saw the tall handsome men, David's older brothers, and thought, "Surely these are the ones God has chosen." But after making this mistake in judgment three times God said to Samuel:

Do not consider . . . appearance or height, for I have rejected
them. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord (YHWH) looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

Now as David faced a challenge from his own son Absalom, Mephibosheth, the grandson of King Saul, whom David had shown mercy and kindness too, even allowing him the privileges of his sons, the royal princes, waited in Jerusalem for David and Absalom to kill each other so that he could resume the royal line of his grandfather Saul. David's intentions were good. He was compassionate, forgiving, generous to a fault, loving--all the things God calls on the children of God to be.

But King David created problems for himself that he did not need to have, because he trusted his own good intentions, his own intellect, his own creativity, apart from adherence to and reliance upon the divine decrees and direction of God. God had said to Samuel and to David, and even King Saul had said to David, "the kingdom is being taken from Saul (me) and given to you."

This is not a popular message, but one we wrestled with our group session this evening. "Obedience is better than sacrifice." Before this, the prophet Nathan had to chastise David because he wanted to build "a house for God." Nathan had said, "You are the king, do whatever the Lord has put on your heart." The problen was that God had not put this on David's heart. It was a good idea to him. He thought, "I have a great house. God needs a house."

But God's answer was clear, "I took you when you were just a small boy tending sheep. I led Israel through the wilderness and they have survived and will survive because I have chosen them to fulfill my unconditional promise to Abraham. So how will you build a house for me?"

David was playing God. When we seek to relieve people of the logical and moral consequences of their behavior, we are not helping them. We are enabling them. Having been an enabler on many occasions, I am familiar with the arguments that must have ruminated in King David's mind as Nathan reproached him, and as he learned that Mephibosheth and his sons Amnon and Absalom had interpreted his kindness as weakness. The prophet Nathan sought the Lord and God had an idea that was contrary to King David's plan.

In this dispensation of the Christ, the Spirit of God has been given to us to guide us into all truth. It shows us new things as well as illuminates old ones, but the mind of God (God's Word+God's Spirit) must never be taken lightly and dis-missed in favor of our own minds, even when what it says seems to contradict the character and nature of who the Spirit has shown God to be.

As the Prophet Samuel had warned Israel when they decided that they needed a king, David as king too often assumed to know what God wanted without having really checked it out with God. Our best intentions can lead to much pain, regret and hardship. I am reminded of Kevin Spacey's fictitious "dragnet" character in the movie "L. A. Confidential," when he says, "Just the facts Jack." Of course "the facts" are not always so clear, but God has given us what we need to discern truth. We must remember to use these resources faithfully and carefully, so that our best intentions will not carry us far afield from the reality God would have us live.

Isaiah's three chapter preface to his messianic prophecies begins with these words. If they are taken seriously, perhaps more of us will reconsider the claims of Jesus of Nazareth whom I and many others embrace as Lord and Christ.

Isaiah 55:8-9
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Peace out,
Don

Stay Encouraged

"Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord (1 Samuel 30:6)."

Through the agreement of the Holy Spirit of God, Pastor Brown's sermon Sunday was grounded in this passage from our One Year Bible reading... for today. He used the words of Donald Lawrence's well-known song "Encourage Yourself." I first heard the song at Glide Church. The music director often had the ensemble sing it after the opening prayer. It was a reminder that God's Word does not need to come to us from any specific person, any particular liturgical practice or at any special moment.

It was and is a reminder that God's Word is there for us, right now; and through the righteousness that is ours through God's love. In Jesus Christ, we have the authority to speak that Word "over ourselves." No one else may get it. No one else may understand. No one else may be going through what we are going through. No one else may feel what we are feeling, suffer from what we are suffering, agonize over what troubles us. Rev. Lawrence wrote simply:

"Sometimes you have to encourage yourself.
Sometimes you have to speak victory during the test."

Pastor Brown reminded us that the time to "talk trash" is not after the battle is over but in the midst of it. God has already won our battles, solved our problems, met our needs, overcome the enemy, restored our peace, restored our peace, restored our peace!!!!! We just need to claim it. Don't wait 'til the battle's over, shout now! You know in the end--your going to win!"

David had left the city of Ziklag to join his Philistine hosts in the battle against King Saul and his forces. While David had not given it much thought, the commanders of the Philistine army protested his participation. "It is not in his interest to fight against his own people," they thought, so they sent him back to Ziklag.

When David and his men returned, they found their city burned to the ground by the neighboring Amalekites, and all of their wives, sons, and daughters carried away alive. After weeping until "there was no strength left in them," the men he had led and who had served him and loved him began to turn on him. They prepared to stone him. Why had he led them away on this ill-thought mission, leaving all they held dear vulnerable and unprotected? We are not strangers to such circumstances. After we have exhausted ourselves in grief, struggle, worry, pain, those we trust and look to for support "turn on us." This is why the Word of God warns "Put not your trust in princes, neither in the children of normal human beings in whom there is no help. Trust God and God alone."

David's grief was compounded. After the loss of his wives, his children, he now faced the loss of friendship, of confidence among those he led, and confidence in himself. But the scribe records in I Samuel 30:6,
"David strengthened himself in the Lord his God."

Pastor Brown's sermon is not, "Be Encouraged" but rather "STAY ENCOURAGED."

David found strength, not from loved ones--they had been taken away, not from friends--they had turned on him, not from his allies the Philistines--they didn't trust him. He went to Yahweh, to Jehovah, the the One God who never leaves us or forsakes us, and is always waiting for us to claim our victory, claim our deliverance, claim our healing, claim our financial distress, claim our loss and demonstrate LOVE for us. He already knew that the same God who delivered him from the lion, from the bear, from Goliath and from Saul, already had his back and his front (his future).

We serve a God whose name is VICTORY! In the Second Epistle to the church at Corinth, the Apostle writes, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed, always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body (4:7-10).

A friend recently reminded me that it was and is not in the "eating of the bread" of the Lord's Supper that we recognize Jesus. The eating is a symbolic act of appropriating a far greater truth. The companions on the Emmaus Road (Luke 24:30-31) recognized Jesus in "the blessing, breaking and giving of the bread." They stated that when he "broke the bread" they recognized that it was Jesus. We have been blessed to share his brokenness, and Christ takes our broken lives and replaces them with his own glorified eternal soul-life. The breaking we experience is a part of our blessing. We let go of what cannot sustain us, to grab hold to the One who carries us through all circumstances, all political struggles, all legal problems, all rejections and layoffs, all illnesses, all losses, all failures, all disappointments, God always wins!-Glory to God's Name!

The symbol of discipleship in Christ is "a broken life," one that totally depends upon and finds its power, its blessing, its future, its victory in God. "Blessed are those who are poor in spirit (the spirit of this world and this life) for theirs is the realm of God." God desires not sacrifice and offering but a "broken spirit" a "contrite heart." We are made strong through what we suffer--right then--in the midst of the suffering, when we join Rev. Lawrence and David and Pastor Brown and many other countless children of God and declare "VICTORY!" in the midst of our crises. We always win, because God has already won for us.

God will be with us as we "tear down the walls of our Jericho." We lift our eyes to the "hills." We seek the high and mighty. We think that unless we are strong and powerful and rich and secure with lots of friends and supporters that we will be successful. But Psalm 121 reminds us that our help does not come the "hills" the high places, the high and the mighty, the outward signs of strength and success. Our help comes from the Lord (Yahweh) (Jehovah). The Psalmist continues to offer praise to the One God declaring:

"My help--the Lord--made heaven and earth. He does not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you never sleeps
The One who keeps Israel: those who adhere to, trust in and rely on--who strive after and struggle with God for their very lives, is your keeper, the shade at your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from ALL EVIL; God WILL KEEP YOUR SOUL!"

"No matter how you feel, speak the Word and you will be
healed. . . . The enemy created walls, but remember
giants do fall; Speak over yourself,
encourage yourself in the Lord."

Right now--start talking trash--start claiming God's victory in every phase, every aspect of your existence. Open God's Word so that your words of hopelessness, cynicism, doubt and failure will no longer guide your life and direct your actions, To paraphrase St. Francis of Assisi, "Let go of despair and grab on to Hope--to God!"

What I have written here is far more important than any political statement I have every made, any great truth regarding social change, and the most important truth needed for the transformation of ourselves in preparation for God's great day in our midst. Take hold in faith and enjoy and live, and . . .

Stay encouraged!.
Don

Obama vs. Change

Last night we received the news that President Barak Obama had changed his mind about same sex marriage. He had always advocated domestic partnerships, but had the same problem that at least half the country does in affirming the union of two persons of the same sex as marriage.

Because that half of the US population represents a slight majority of those who traditionally vote in Presidential elections, President Obama will go down in history as one of the most criticized, scrutinized and effective Presidents of the United States. By this affirmation, he exemplified the courage that former President John Kennedy evoked when he stated in his inaugural, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country."

Nevertheless, he has taken a great risk with respect to his re-election. As an evangelical Christian, it was painful to listen to some of the comments that came to me from people I dearly love and highly respect. They do not hate homosexuals. They sincerely believe that homosexuals are born that way, as is all sin-laden humanity. Their theology has required them to enter a recovery process whereby drug addictions, sexual addictions, pedophilia, pornography addictions, alcohol addictions, victim addictions, anger addictions, OCD, BD, ADD, etc., have all required them to pray for transformation, affirm a power higher than their malady, and follow rigid programs (which sometimes include drug therapy to recover their humanity).

They just do not understand why people born with a "proclivity toward the same sex" are not engaged in the same process of transformation that they have chosen. In fact, some of the critics of same sex marriage in this religious community are "former" gays and lesbians, who have entered the "Transforming Movement" or process outlined for persons of homosexual orientation.

Many gay, lesbian and transgender people would not only affirm that they were born that way, but also that change is not a real option, but an exercise in futility that leads to frustration and sometimes suicide. Even those who choose to remain celibate because of their religious convictions, will insist that it would be dishonest and unfair to a person of the opposite sex to be in relationship with them, because their desire to persons of the same sex will always be there.

The good news for President Obama is that 60% of Americans under age 40 agree with him. The challenge is to get this group to come out in full numbers and vote for him (if like me, Obama is your choice). This is complicated by the fact that for some strange reason, a majority of that age group is very conservative on other matters like the need to reform social security, the need to have a strong military, the need to drastically cut taxes, an antipathy for unions, etc. Yet this group is very progressive about the need to legalize same sex marriage and the need to legalize drugs. On all of these latter matters, except same-sex marriage, they will have problems voting to re-elect President Barak Obama.

My point is that this act of courage should require more than short-lived celebration or conservative hand-wringing. This is about people. People should not have to hide who they are, and as long as this is America, should not be prevented from loving who they choose and formalizing such relationships fully if they choose to do so.

Our faith values, whatever they happen to be, must never be imposed on others. Same sex marriage does not impose anything on those who do not want it, nor will it destroy the institution of marriage. Heterosexuals are doing a good job of destroying marriage all by ourselves.

Peace out,
Donald F Guest

Actions in Context - What's in the Heart

"I solemnly consecrate my silver to Jehovah for my son to make a carved image and a cast idol (Judges 17:3b)."

The mother of Micah, a man from the hill country of Ephraim, made this declaration. You might judge her and say, "Didn't she read the Ten Words? Didn't she realize that making an image of Jehovah is a violation of the Second Word (commandment): "You shall not make for your self an idol in the form of anything . . . (Exodus 20:4)?"

Yet all actions and practices must be viewed "in context." In the context of the period of Israel's history called "Judges" we read, "After the whole generation (that of Joshua and Caleb) had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither Jehovah, nor what He had done for Israel. Then the Israelite did evil in the eyes of Jehovah and served the Baals. They forsook Jehovah . . . and worshiped various gods of the people around them (Judges 2:10ff)." So even though what Micah and his mother did violated one of the commands of God, they were not held accountable for their ignorance. God overlooked their grave error, because of the intentions of their hearts. They desired to honor the God who had been with Israel from the beginning. They desired to reverence that God as the living present Spirit of Life.

The Psalmist celebrates this reality by singing:
"Jehovah is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are above the earth, so great is God's love for those who reverence Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has God removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so Jehovah has compassion on those who reverence His name; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust (Psalm 103:8-14).

There are no perfect Christians. There are no perfect Jews. There are no perfect Muslims. There are no perfect Wiccans, Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Taoists. There are no perfect seekers of truth. There are no perfect people. There are no perfect, flawless champions of justice, peace and love. Each of us is held responsible for "the Light we have been given (Romans 2:14-15)," That is who we are at our best. Of course none of us is always at our best. We fall far short of what we claim to believe and love and hold dear.

The old Methodist Episcopal (Anglican) Eucharistic liturgy reminds us that "we sin daily by thought, word and deed against Thy divine majesty . . . provoking most justly Thy wrath and indignation against us. We do earnestly repent. . . are heartily sorry. . . yet it is Thy 'property' ALWAYS TO HAVE MERCY. . . . So we pray: have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us MOST MERCIFUL FATHER. For thy son, our Lord Jesus Christ's sake, forgive us all that is past, and grant that we may ever hereafter serve and please Thee in newness of life."

These words are there because they remind God and remind us of the true character of God and God's true disposition towards us. God is always loving, forgiving, patient, kind, understanding, and expects and invites us to likewise relate to and respond to each other. Of course, again, we fall short of these best sentiments, but they are worthy goals to pursue in all relationships. As one writer expressed it, "We fall down, but we get up." Praise God!

Therefore we must be careful about judging and condemning ourselves and each other. Just because someone disagrees with us does not mean they are wrong and we are right. Just because someone's practices seem "sinful" or "ungodly" or "unloving" or "unjust" to us, does not mean that God does not love them, understand them, support them, and seek to nurture and form LIFE in them until they (and us) are changed into the "divine spiritual likeness of the One Spirit of Life." It is that very condition that God promises to create in us, in accordance with our faith. We too quickly paint "the other" the "different" or the "dissenter" as an adversary, when conversation, dialogue, and breaking of artificial barriers between "us" and "them" can produce understanding and common ground.

Sooner or later we discover that the idols we use to get to God, no matter what religious formula they represent, are that and nothing more. This realization comes sooner rather than later, when we cease to make snap judgments and condemnations of those we deem "adversaries" and people who "just don't get it" or are "hopelessly lost" or "rigidly intolerant." Indeed God is Spirit, and the true worshipers do and will worship God in SPIRIT and TRUTH--but most importantly, in LOVE.

Something Out of Nothing

"Eli would bless Elkanah . . . saying, 'May the Lord give you children by this woman to replace the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord.' . . . And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters 

(1 Samuel 2:20-21)."

God's Marketplace-Hannah's song (1 Samuel 2:1-10) celebrates God's economic principles, "Jehovah sends poverty and wealth; God humbles and God exalts. God raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; . . . ." The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:28-29 "(God has) chosen the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not so that he may nullify the things that are, so that no human being may boast before God."

Hannah was "in the dust." Her husbands other wife had blessed the union with children. She was barren. Her co-wife ridiculed her, even as they worshiped in the holy place at Shiloh. She was considered a "nothing" in the eyes of her family and her people, because she was barren, her womb was deemed 'impoverished.' Yet Hannah prayed. Verse 1:12 tells us that she prayed so agonizingly and was so depressed that Eli the priest thought she was drunk. He said to her, "How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine." As people of faith we often too quickly pass judgement on people and mistake their painful behavior as some sort of moral failing. But God sees the heart.

Nevertheless in this patriarchal world of men, Hannah had to speak up for herself. She could not continue with a victim mentality. God would not allow her to continue to suffer in silence, mumbling without forming words, as if she was a nobody, notwithstanding her gender, Eli's question reminded her that she was an heir to the promise of Abraham. She made the commitment, that if God would grant her an offspring, she would dedicate him to God's service. By answering Eli, she also enlisted a powerful prayer partner. As she expressed herself, Eli responded the only way a woman and man of God are ever charged to respond to anguish and grief: with God's affirmation. "He answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked for."

Sometimes we just need to have one more person join us in prayer. We need one person who formerly criticizes us and misunderstood us to humble themselves away from self-righteous criticism and join us in prayer for what we seek. "Wherever two or three are gathered in God's name, God is in their midst." But everything we ask for, must also be that which we are willing to devote fully to God, even if it means that ultimately, it will not be ours forever, but always belongs to God. "When we ask anything, in faith, it is ours," but we must also remember, the earth and everything in it ultimately belongs to God, given to us for our use, our enjoyment, our fulfillment of our hopes and dreams.

These are the words of Jesus. They are good enough for me and for us. Why? Because God RAISES THE POOR FROM THE DUST AND LIFTS UP THE NEEDY FROM THE ASH HEAP." God is in the business of making something out of our nothing. The more impossible it seems, the more improbable, the more remote and distant the possibility, the greater the opportunity. All such challenges in our lives can become moments for us to discover that it is by God's power, God's strength, God's anointing us and pushing us forth into life, that we live and move and discover our true selves and God's divine plan.

Finally Hannah also demonstrates what the ancient Psalm proclaimed as a foundation for God's market plan, "The liberal soul grows fat."

Love, joy and peace.
Don

From Downers to Uppers

"Finally sisters and brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things (Philippians 4:8)."

Ironically, this passage is found in a chapter I am reading on the subject, "Transformation to Holiness." Basically the idea is that if you want to become a gentle, joyous, peaceful, powerful, loving, faithful, kind, generous, forgiving, disciplined person, you must refocus. God asks us to stop feeding ourselves on a diet of negativity, grief, frustration, hopelessness and anger.

The question is, "How do we do this in such a world as ours?" Hasn't the academy taught us that the only happy people are ignorant ones--you remember--"Ignorance is bliss." How do we as conscious people committed to the human and societal transformation not become overwhelmed with the pain all around us, created by us and others on a continual basis. The answer may seem simplistic but it was the formula given to the first Christian community, and since the church continues 2012 years later it may have some merit.

Focus on what is true, that is to say, tried and tested by your experience. Focus on what has honor in life, the right, the pure, the lovely, good reputations, excellent behavior, creativity, effort, what should be praised and lauded, spend more time doing that than complaining about the downside, the dark side and the loss and loser headlines. Dwell on this stuff, and your perspective, your personality, your character, your demeanor, and your prayer life will change from a "downer" to an "upper."

Peace - out!

How Do You Answer?

Some of the Pharisees asked Jesus, "When will the kingdom of God come?" Jesus answered, "God's kingdom is coming, but not in a way that you will be able to see with your eyes. People will not say, 'Look, here it is!’ or, 'There it is!' because God's kingdom is within you (Luke 17:20-21)."

In 1937, the Federal Council of Churches (now known as the National Council of Churches) recommended that the entire part of the Christian calendar between Pentecost and Advent be named “Kingdomtide.” The liturgy for Kingdomtide stressed charity and assistance to the poor, certainly worthy themes and foci of both the Hebrew Bible and expanded Christian Bible. What could be wrong with these emphases?

The problem is that notwithstanding Jesus’ words to the Pharisees regarding the kingdom of God, this great church body (referred to by some back then as the “Protestant Vatican”) decided that they could transform the USA into the kingdom of God as understood by the proponents of the “Social Gospel Movement.”

In the Genesis story of creation and the fall, God created the human beings by breathing His life (spirit) into cosmic dust. A living person was created in God’s image and likeness (spirit). The first living spirit on earth was told, “You may eat of the fruit of any tree in the garden (which included a tree called “life”) but you must not eat of the fruit of the tree called “knowledge.” Eat of that tree and you will certainly die (Genesis 2:ff).”

We are impatient with Jesus’ idea of the kingdom. Notwithstanding the story in Genesis, we believe that we know enough to approximate what God had in mind for the earth. We continue to embrace “what we think we know, what we feel, what we see, and what we experience” over and against “God’s Word.” Why are we so afraid to accept Jesus’ teaching that the kingdom must first be in us, transforming our spirits so that our souls can be rebirthed, reformed, rescued and reshaped into the image of God?

Who ever told us that we should abandon the prayer, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven?” and seek to accomplish the same using our own imaginations and egos and self-centered dominated consciousnesses? (In earlier centuries “the Church” used genocide, burnings at the stake, pogroms, inquisitions and wars to bring about its kingdom on earth).

Jesus reminds us, “The kingdom is coming in a manner not subject to empirical evidence, yet it is here already for those who are willing to see.” You don’t have to wait for it, search for it, research it or travel to find it. LOOK WITHIN. Meet me in the recesses of your heart.” You are the temple of God. You are the place that God seeks to dwell and to prepare humanity for the new world.

Are Black Americans Social Conservatives?

"God presides in the great assembly; he gives judgment among the 'gods'; How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked (Psalm 82:1-8)."

An important question as we face the new elections: "Why do so many Asians, Blacks, Latinos, poor whites (Tea Party variety), recent immigrants, etc. embrace the conservative social agenda when their groups suffer the most from it?”

It is very true that a great division exists in the Christian Churches of America. There are those churches that represent the so-called "mainline" majority. These fervently believe in what they call the "progressive agenda" and social justice, as long as it is "comfortable" i. e., does not jeopardize its place in and the place of its constituents as beneficiaries and itself as a primary institution of racial capitalism and white supremacy.

On the other side, contrary to pronouncements of university and seminary professors, the conservative-evangelical church movement (and older fundamentalist movement) did not die with the Scopes trial or with the late William Jennings Bryan. They have made a remarkable comeback. While many such groups began as conservative caucuses and schisms from mainline Protestant (Heritage Foundation, the Institute for Religion and Democracy-IRD) and Roman Catholic denominations (EWTN) and religious orders, they have connections to the largest and fastest growing religious groups in America.

Their command of the Internet, Television and Radio is unparalleled. They have left the National and World Council of Churches "reeling on the ropes." They don't really care if United Methodists, Disciples, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Christian Science, Protestant Episcopalians, Unitarian Universalists, Roman Catholics, Reform Jews and Sunni Muslims adopt progressive legislation and liberalize their rules, because they know they eclipsed these groups numerically more than 25 years ago.

The Maranatha Fellowships, Faith Centers, Bible Centers, etc include attendance numbers in the thousands compared to the faithful average attendance of 45-60 in most mainline churches. Their fellowships and centers and churches are filled with youth and young adults while mainline churches are having multiple funerals and mass defections of youth and young adults. They know that churches whose center is "human beings" don't fly because human beings fail themselves and each other most of the time.

The worship of human beings is a dull runner up to the awe and majesty of the almighty sovereign God and his Christ or his prophet. Sadly, because most of the pastors who lead these churches are trained in reactionary fundamentalist Bible colleges and seminaries with explicit right-wing agendas, they actively promote the same to their congregations.

These schools seem to have exchanged the truth of God for American patriotism and have exchanged the powerful biblical critique against all principalities and powers of this world for a conservative, even reactionary social agenda that has little resemblance to anything in the Bible or the Koran. Yet because this camp gives "lip service" to the orthodox faith, many in the margins who would not do so otherwise, follow them and too often accept their right-wing social agenda uncritically.

People in the margins are suspicious of "social progressives" (SPs) and liberals. First there is the issue of paternalism. Because many SPs tend to be better educated than their conservative counterparts, that is to say have had the privilege of attending the private schools and universities and divinity schools where they can focus on the ideas of their peers and their antecedents without having to worry about training for "a good job" or "a secure position" or getting a business venture financed, they tend to be more idealistic, utopian and to ignore the bread and butter issues that affect the working poor.

A good case in point is the recent decision by the California Supreme Court to allow employees to decide whether or not they will take a lunch break. While labor laws suggest that an employee take a lunch break after 4.5 hours of work, the justices decided that it is an abridgment of freedom to force workers to take a lunch break. Some prefer to work through lunch and garner the overtime or simply finish their work and then return home. The liberal NPR commentator I listened to on this issue "moaned over her microphone" and worried aloud whether "these immigrant, new arrival and marginal workers had the good sense to know when to stop and to take care of themselves."

This is typical paternalism that black and poor and new immigrant people experience from the liberal SP community. It always seems to think that it "knows what is best" for people in the margins even though many in its ranks have never done anything more taxing to earn a living than carry a picket sign. The complaint was filed by rank and file marginal workers who objected to being forced by their employers to take a lunch break, often with the employer penalizing those who did not take lunch by not paying them for working through lunch.

Secondly the cultural and ideological arrogance of the SPs and liberals against what marginal people believe is one major reason why marginal people have little use for what they/we are saying. Most of us in the margins believe that Zen is bastardized when it is used as a mantra for "peace" in the absence of justice or financial and social success through "mindfulness."

We in the margins believe that Taoists writings were not meant to be reified for the good of efficient business practices, that the Bible is the inspired Word of God from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 and that spirituality is not just "feeling good about oneself and one's community,” but having the ability to critique the same while crusading against injustice. It appears to many on the margins that SPs missed Jesus' words, "Physician heal thyself."

There is nothing in the traditional beliefs of marginal people that prevent us from fighting, working, praying and hoping that "justice will roll down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream." The left, SP and liberal community seem to be allergic to God, and hostile to Jesus (of whom they really do not appear to know much about at all), to ignore Muhammad completely, willing to modify Siddhartha and Krishna, and refuse to understand the nuances of the Jain, the Sikh, the Orthodox view of anything.

In the name of tolerance, the SPs creed is "We will tolerate a point of view as long as it does not conflict with our view of tolerating, modifying, ameliorating and negotiating any truth that stands in the way of our RECENT contemporary ideological framework." SPs fail to understand that the ridicule and denigration of another person’s faith is also a ridicule and denigration of their personhood.

Black people in America know that GOD was for us and with us when no one, government or private enterprise, liberal or conservative, enfranchisers or suffragists, capitalists or socialists, union or free market labor, Christian, Jew or Atheists--supported us. No progressive, north or south, from 1492 to 1945 with the exception of Maury Maverick of Texas and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, stood against the daily genocide and exclusion of blacks in America. Many churches and synagogues profited from the slave trade. We wonder why the SPs want justice from Banks, mortgage companies, city governments and universities while "market values" in their communities remain high enough to keep US OUT and “Propositions” that they, their parents and their grandparents voted for, continue to keep our children out of the schools they now protest.

I recently participated in a night walk in Richmond against gun violence. There were seven actual residents (out of more than 100) and persons of color who lived in Richmond who showed up for the action. My SP sisters and brothers (Western-European ethnic Americans with one exception) huddled together as a group, barely returned greetings to us, and went on talking to each other about their great progressive agenda.

It was clear that we Black and Latino(a) sisters and brothers were "potted plants" in their great drama. Among that group only the mayor and one city councilman lived in Richmond. For the Next Night Walk, half as many Richmond residents showed up. As a new resident I realized that the majority of Richmond residents had enough sense to know they were not really welcomed or wanted in this great stride to bring peace and safety to their city.

Black, Brown Red and Yellow Americans are suspect of those who believe in no God, no entity, no culture, no idea, no epistemology higher than themselves and their own slant on life. All of us need what Amos called a "plumbline" to judge whether or not we are following the will of the universal Source and Force of Love and Life that brought all existence into being, or simply shadowing the dictates of our own cultural and social gods.

The Psalmist teaches, "God judges the 'gods'." If there is no God other than the gods of groups, races and tribes, be they secular, spiritual, material or ethereal, then we are subject to entities that are bound by our own limitations, our own journey our own understanding to the exclusion, negation or disregard of others.

I do not excuse my sisters and brothers in marginal communities in America. We need to be more critical of ideas and stop accepting them because some of our favorite "gospel preachers, evangelists and prosperity gurus" espouse them.

Jesus Christ is the Lord of my life. The Bible is the rule of faith and life and love for me. Yet I do not accept as fact that the Bible teaches against abortion and contraception, that it teaches that we must support Israel in the shameful walling of Palestinian people, accept its bulldozing of Palestinian homes and continue to base this support on our misinterpretation and ignorance of biblical eschatology.

I do not believe that the teaching of the whole Bible excludes gays and lesbians and trans-gender people, simply because in the Books of the Law of Moses, early Israel wanted to distinguish itself from the cultural and social practices of its neighbors. I do not accept the idea that America has some special divine destiny that separates it from and excludes it from the final decree and judgment of God against all human systems of government. But it is not my intent to debate any of that in this article.

Why am I being so stringent about this? Because I grow weary of hearing how "progressive" the SPs/liberals/leftists are and how "reactionary and conservative" Blacks and Latinos and Asians and immigrant communities are. This is a false dichotomy based on ignorance and spending too much time talking to text books and to each other. It ignores the class-ism, cultural-ism, ethnocentrism and chauvinism of too many that enjoy the privileges of white supremacy while giving lip service to the contrary.

The aforementioned behaviors alienate many would-be allies who long to see the prophetic words they read in the Bible and the Koran and the Baghavad Gita and Sanskrit come alive through action in their contexts. The Devil is indeed a great deceiver and it is time for SPs to flee self-deception if progressive change is really what is in view.

Want to change the world? Get better acquainted with it and love it as you find it.

God's Expectations on Earth's Resources

"If a person you make a loan to is poor, do not keep the collateral for the loan over an extended period. Return this item or amount immediately so that the poor person may have use of it. Then he will thank you, and it will be regarded as A RIGHTEOUS ACT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD YOUR GOD (Deuteronomy 23:12-13, paraphrased NIV))."

"Do not take advantage of an employee who is poor and needy, making their work difficult with excessive regulations and limited benefits, whether an Israelite or someone ethnically and racially different living among you. Pay the wages promptly and regularly without complications and gimmicks, because the poor live from paycheck to paycheck (Deuteronomy 23:14-15, paraphrased NIV)."

"When you are amassing your profits, set aside some for those who are on the margins of life, for the ethnically and racially different, for the children of single mothers and single fathers and for the women and men themselves, so that THE LORD YOUR GOD MAY BLESS YOU IN ALL THAT YOU DO (Deuteronomy 23:19, paraphrased NIV)."

"He who listens to you, listens to me (Jesus); he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects God who sent me (Luke 10:16)."

Nuff said!
Don

Do Not Tolerate Poverty

"However there should be no poor among you. For in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God . . . (Deuteronomy 15:4-5)."

Amazingly I shared this with a church leader last week and she responded, "you must be a socialist." We were discussing the greed and exploitation that the oil companies (with the assistance of Congress and the Supreme Court) continue to inflict on the American consumers. One of the things I have learned these past six years is that when you attempt to be faithful to the One who is unconditional love apart from faithfulness to His Word, you will come under the influence of deceptive spirits. These spirits have captured the minds of many American Christians causing us to live with a false consciousness and many delusions.

The Word of God is very clear on the subject of poverty. Jesus said that those who followed him must not only adhere to this Word (the Hebrew Bible) but to the "spirit of the law" as well. So verse one of this chapter begins, "At the end of seven years you must cancel all debts." Verse seven reads, "If there is a poor man among you. . . do not be hardhearted or tightfisted. . . ." Verse eight continues, "Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs." Verse ten concludes the matter, "Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything that you put your hand to."

This is not good capitalism--neither is it necessarily socialism. It is faithful discipleship. Those who follow God are not only held accountable for these commandments, but are promised a blessing in everything that you put your hand to." Those who have paid off Congress to keep student loan rates high, who think a free college and graduate school education for all who qualify is unthinkable, to bristle at paying any tax dollars to support free national health care--and claim to be followers of Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnation of God's unconditional love--are deluding themselves, and robbing the community of faith of its real power and blessing. God is watching and will hold us accountable for our spiritual captivity to the god of greed.

Fringe Benefits

 "It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going to take possession of their land;..Jehovah will accomplish what he swore to your ancestors...for you are a stiff-necked people (Deuteronomy (9:5-6)."

There are three reasons why God's love and God's promises can be received by us through faith and accepted without condition. To put it  another way, there is only one reason we can count on God's unconditional love. God gives us fringe benefits, not based on who we are, how good we are or what we have done, but based on something theologians all "imputed righteousness."

We are beloved, cared for and embraced by the holy, one, all-powerful, all-knowing, sovereign and righteous God because of God's promises, Abraham's faith, Moses prayers and Jesus' life and work.

My ancestors prayed and sang and praised for a better day, even when they were held in slave pens. They prayed from sun up to sun down as they chopped sugar cane, made horseshoes, pots, pans and skillets, picked cotton, made shoes, candles, glass, jewelry and clothing, picked corn, picked and processed tobacco--all without pay--but believing in another day for their children, their grandchildren and their great grandchildren.

None of us has what we have, is who we are, or stands where we stand today by ourselves--and yet the African proverb is true--"We are the reason they ever existed at all." Christ died and rose again for us--ALL OF US. The power, the ability, the future that we have, notwithstanding the seeming overwhelming challenges of our time, is guaranteed to us. We have been washed clean, dressed well and are even now sent forth to live lives of praise, lives that make a difference, lives that have the power to stand and stand tall and succeed and bear witness to love in this most evil time and place.

We did not do it ourselves. We are living on the fringe benefits of those who went before us. We are sure to prosper and overcome by the power of the Christ of God who gave himself and has placed his power for each of us to use and grow and change.

FIRE this time . . .

"Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire....the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire....took you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt....for the Jehovah (Adonai), God is a consuming fire (Deut. 4:12ff)."

God spoke to Israel through the fire. Moses tells us in Deuteronomy 4, that this prevented anyone from seeing God and attempting to make an image of God. But God also spoke to Moses in Exodus 3:2, "in flames of fire from within a bush....Though the bush was on fire it did not burn up."

Fire has come to symbolize an important reality for people of faith. We understand fire as the trial of life. All life is trial, test, even when we think everything is going well, we are still being "tried by fire." The Christian Bible teaches us that every human being will be judged. The Christian will not be judged for sins because her/his sins have been covered by the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ, but every work done by the disciple of Christ will be tested by God's fire. Those who refuse to acknowledge God's gift of unconditional love will be judged on the basis of their own human efforts alone, without the benefit of mercy. But life is there to test us and prepare us and refine us so that we can learn the lessons of life that will lead us to God's ultimate unconditional love.

To remain faithful to the unseen God whose rewards are less tangible than some of the prosperity preachers would have us believe, is in itself a difficult test in this age of "thing-worship" and conspicuous consumption. Fire is the symbol of the Holy Spirit's presence. It means that the very presence of God is in us, on us, in our communities, in our families, in every situation and circumstance that people of faith find themselves. It purifies us, "removes the dross" so that the silver will shine, removes the impurities so that we will "be pure Gold." Isaiah prophesies that God is a "refiners fire. He will purify the sons of Levi." Not even imams, pastors, priests and rabbis can serve without fire.

The invisibility of God is countermanded by fire. When we see the crisis of our children's lives in great peril for whatever reason, we are face-to-face with God because we are IN THE FIRE. We need to remember as Moses did that God desires to speak to us in this fire.

The crisis we face in obtaining a higher education for our children, where they must mortgage their lives at high interest rates just to fund colleges and universities they are more than qualified to attend is a FIRE THAT CONFRONTS US and we need to hear what God is saying in that fire. Should our rich nation and those who profit off of its labor power and its resources, but are too greedy and selfish to pay any real taxes, be one of the few developed nations in the world that does not guarantee a free college education to those who qualify? Should we be charging interest rates at all for college loans. Shouldn't a well-trained work force be the material reward for lending such dollars out to our children?

The crisis of domestic violence is a fire where God is seeking to get a hearing on the value we place on children's and women's lives. The crisis of sexual abuse of children (and men and women) is a FIRE IN OUR MIDST where we need to hear what God has to say about our sexually repressed society where sex is used as a weapon for unhealthy people to abuse the weak.

Each of us face many fires. I contend that each of those fires, each challenge, each trial, each difficulty, is a place in our lives where God can be heard if we will FACE THE FLAMES and listen. Already with the most recent crises facing our nation, people are looking for scapegoats, seeking to hide from the uncomfortable issues and concerns of others, seeking to excuse the inexcusable.

Moses stood before a burning bush but the fire did not consume it. The FIRES that come into our lives do not destroy us, even though they seem so deadly, so real, so decisive, so overwhelming. The fire reminds us that God is always with us, just as he was always with the ancient Hebrews as a Pillar of Fire in the night. We are not alone in this night we call life. The FIRE of God is always there, where we can discover the truth, the lesson, the miracle that leads to our soul's advancement.

"Jesus promised, I have a baptism of fire to bring on the world. God seeks to baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." This is not a comfortable baptism, but our being tried and tested is the only real reason we are journeying on this plane. To ignore the fire is to miss our opportunities for growth, it is to miss the voice of God, the real universal soul-life presence that will ultimately complete us and our journeys.

Protect Our People

 "Moses said to the YHWH, "May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all mankind appoint a man over this community.... (Numbers 27:15).

The future of young Black Boys is heavy on my heart as we struggle with the murder of Trayvon Martin. But the truth is I have grandchildren who are bi-racial, several not "Black at all, and I worry equally about them in a world where any child can be gunned down for being in "the wrong neighborhood" or on the "wrong street" or on the "wrong gang turf."

When our children and grandchildren are victimized because they are Asian, Black, Bi-Racial, Female, Gay, Latino, Lesbian, Male, poor or rich Americans, our natural collective, class-ist, ethnocentric, group sensibilities often become prominent in our thinking. We believe that it is a priority to "protect our people" from attacks because they are Jews or they are Blacks or they are transgender. We strategize how we can "protect OUR people."

In the midst of all the heat around the barbaric, senseless and lynch-like killing of Trayvon Martin, I would like to have the historic and prophetic folk wisdom of Moses and Jesus challenge our thinking (and my own).

God had already informed Moses that he would not lead the new generation into the promised land, so Moses responded, "Jehovah-God of ALL SPIRITS, appoint one over this community." Only God could appoint one who would be "over the community." This was a diverse community. The ancient Hebrews were in fact a people that represented diverse tribal groups (see "Tribes of Yahweh" by Norman Gottwald). Not only were they twelve diverse tribes (actually eleven with two half tribes), they had intermarried with a number of other tribal groups and nations, and in fact included in their midst from Egypt was a "mixed multitude," that is to say a multi-racial constituency (I therefore always smile when some Jews tell me they are "white people)." Really is racism so strong in America that every group that immigrates here wants to think of itself as "white?"

But more importantly, as the One Universal Spiritual Reality, God was the God of all spirits. The phrase translates from Hebrew loosely as "Source of Universal Spiritual Life." So much for all our superficial ethnic/racial distinctions (Race is also a very unscientific category). As with the apostasy of Miriam and Aaron concerning his Cushite wife, Moses understood that God is Spirit, and God embraces and is the universal one Loving One of all Spirits (Hence the Hebrew Shema-"Hear, O Israel, the One Lord our God"). In another place God declares, "All Souls are My Soul" (erroneously translated by some from the Greek "All souls are mine."

So God's soul/our souls are troubled by the murder of Trayvon because that boy's life is "Our Life." The scholars who mistranslated the koine (common Greek above) presupposed that God was concerned with or cognizant about ethnicity, gender, gender orientation, family, caste and class, hence they could not conceive in their translation efforts the idea of "One" rather than "many souls."

What really troubles us also is that all of us feel and recognize the same sickness alive in us that we perceived to exist in Mr. ZImmermen's heart. We are agitated about this, in part, because we know that the same fear, the same easy, ultimate, quick solutions to challenges to our existence can be erratic, irrational and genocidal. We would rather eliminate what threatens and challenges us and our world rather than negotiate and understand it. Zimmerman's solution to his fears comes too close to the raw, hidden recklessness concerning human life that is all too resident in us as well. We must, with Moses, become convinced that any solution that kills or negates the humanity of another does damage to our One Universal Spirit. Hence Moses continually "pleaded with God" not to destroy those who had "sinned" and "angered God" in some way. It was the Spirit-Force in his life elevating his consciousness above the tribalistic, ethnocentric, legalistic understanding that he and his community had always understood to be "of God."

In Luke 3:23 the author tells us that "Jesus was 33 years old when he began his ministry, and that he was the son, or so it was thought, of Joseph." Throughout Luke's Gospel he seeks to correct the thinking of the community that Jesus should be thought of as the Christ of God because he was the heir to some bloodline "from Joseph to Seth." No. It is not human blood that determines our oneness. It is not the tribe or clan or caste that determines our worth, our humanity, our "somebodyness." It is the fact that we are all part of the One Spiritual Life that we call God. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 3 that even those who do not claim the name or the faith still, as their own Stoic philosophers have written, "live and move and have their being in that One Life."

I teach and proclaim the Virgin Birth of Christ, not as a dogma, but as a way of understanding that the life that we call "Christ" was a spiritual, not a human reality. Mary was not put away because what she had in her was of God, not because of her desire to fulfill her natural inclination to mate with Joseph. All children are our spiritual sons and daughters. All of them are heirs to God's life through the unconditional offer of Love. The crack babies, those born with birth defects, alcohol fetal syndome, Downs Syndrome, with "loser parents" all come into the world as God's re-incarnation of life. We are all daughters and sons of God. Mohandas K. Gandhi wrote, "We are sons and daughters of One Life."

Moses was affirming in his prayer, his request to God, "I know you are not looking for someone who in our opinion comes from the right gene pool. You do not evaluated based on outward appearances, on style without substance, on 'bling bling' and 'chi-ching.' You are not looking at mental acuity and physical strength, or for the well-born and the prominent name. The criteria you will use to choose a leader for the community is deep and has to do with mystical spiritual realities that are nascent in all life and yet for the most part elude us as human beings."

David offers a song of praise, "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him (Psalm 62:1)." Human blood, national origin, citizenship status, class, race, gender, sexual orientation, marriage, family, Jesus said none of this exists in heaven, but in that alternate plane, we are "as the angels (spiritual messengers)." In fact he said we already have "a house" in that plane that does not correspond with our natural reality. In other words most of "our souls" or "our real selves" already exists on that plane. What we have here in flesh and blood is representational of the individual entities (personifications) of the One Soul.

So in spite of the historical, sociological realities that inform this most heinous murder, let us not be sidetracked. Our real need is to embrace as people of faith and as a nation, the concept of the "Oneness of all Life--of all Sentient Beings." If any One Life is abused, castigated, crossed-out, diseased, killed, ignored, mis-educated, neglected, starved, then all of our lives are WORTH NOTHING! What then is happening to our world and to us, where so many continue to be nameless, invisible victims of our affluence and greed?

I have recently been reading "Parable of the Talents" by the late Octavia E, Butler. Her protagonist in that story, Olamina, would put it this way, "We shape God according to the Spiritual Light we allow to shine on our own souls." It is time open our souls more fully to God's light, that God's form in our hearts and minds might be re-shaped to a broader, more inclusive, more magnanimous representation of all humanity.

Flip Flops

 "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.... Then Balaam got up and returned home . . . (Numbers 24:17)."

This is an election year, so there are bound to be "flip-flops." Those running for office will from time-to-time "clarify" their positions. The Republican front runner is well known for this, and yet it seems that he is able to garner a majority of his party's constituents. We could too easily conclude that deception, manipulation, promising and saying anything to get elected, i. e., "speaking out of both sides of ones mouth" is considered virtuous in America.

The ancient Hebrews were more precise. For them there was a fine line between prophets and seers and profit seeking visionaries. The prophet Balaam had been "hired" by the King of Moab to put a curse on Israel. It is an unfortunate reality of our time that there are still many "holy men" and "holy women" and so-called leaders who are campaigning and endorsing this, that and the other because they are PAID TO DO SO. Whether it is an oil company, a business conglomeration, a foundation, a segment of the military-industrial complex, or a drug company foots the bill, there are people of all colors, political persuasions, religions, social organizations, genders, gender orientations and even so-called revolutionaries who are FOR SALE.

It is obvious that Balaam was known to be a "prophet for hire." He had special gifts. He was described as "one whose eyes see clearly, ... who hears the words of God, who has knowledge of the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are open (Numbers 24:15-16)." One day we will accept and understand that the spiritual gifts that one has, come as part of her or his incarnation, and have little to do with their personal character and integrity. With these gifts they can curse as well as bless. In Christ, that is to say in obedience to divine direction, these gifts serve God's ends.

Several apostles of Jesus prophesied that these bought and paid for prophets can be so gifted and so clever and their words can seem so genuine that if it were possible, "they would deceive even God's very elect." We must not make the mistake of thinking that because someone is very gifted, very successful, very good-looking, very smooth, that what that person says or endorses or promises can be trusted.

Pimps, drug dealers and gang leaders are often very gifted, very successful, good-looking and very smooth. In fact many running for office are not far from that and often supported by the same (Remember Meyer Lanky's support of Herbert Hoover, Jeff Fort's-El Rukns-support of Richard Nixon). So blatant was this that Fort and his first lieutenant Mickey Leland were invited and attended Nixon's inauguration and were later awarded a 1 million dollar grant by the administration).

That's why reading these long articles (sorry for the length), thinking, reflecting on the sacred texts of God's holy Word are essential if we are to avoid deception. And yet as has already been said, even deceivers can get it right once and a while. God is not restricted to "the righteous" when God needs to get a message out. The Holy Spirit of God has been offered to believers as a way of discerning truth from error. Occasionally someone who started off wrong and false gets turned around by God (Saul of Tarsus becomes Paul the Apostle). This was true of Balaam. God spoke to him through his donkey and saved him from becoming an enemy of Israel, and hence an enemy of God's plan.

But not only does this chapter reveal that Balaam disappointed the King of Moab by blessing Israel instead of cursing them. God rewarded Balaam with a special vision of what was to come from Israel. "I see him, but not now; I behold him but not near. A star will come our of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel."

Clearly, because of his obedience to the vision of YHWH (Jehovah, Adonai, the Lord), he was granted a glimpse of the coming king. He was allowed to see one who would "rise out of Jacob/Israel" and establish God's rule in the earth. He could only say, "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near." It doesn't have to be that way for us. Jesus Christ is real--can be NOW for us, and can be NEAR. By acceptance of his righteous obedient incarnation of Life as our life, we, too have the option of SEEING.

Buy Low - Sell High

"Balaam got up in the morning...and went with the princes of Moab. God was angry... the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him."

The term "buy low-sell high" is a trading term. It means you can make a huge profit by buying stock at a low price that is going to shoot up before you sell it. The stock was undervalued or devalued for some reason, but the buyer had info or was simply willing to take the risk that his purchase would pay off with a good return.

It is sickening but perhaps not surprising that along with the so-called "resurgence" of ideology of white supremacy in more complex, lethal forms, that those who out of fear or a desire for profit would always be there who will "defend the system," "defend 'The Man,'" make excuses for those who beat and shoot and unjustly incarcerate our young black and brown boys and men with impunity.

They just come cheaper than they used to because they are more plentiful. In the old days we simply referred to them as "uncle toms" and "sell-outs." Today they are referred to as apologists for oppression or "mainstream" thinkers. Those of us who would dare criticize, question and cast aspersions on those "with the power to oppress (powerless people cannot by definition be oppressors)," will always be confronted with, "Rev. so and so who is a responsible kneegro does not agree with you."

We often hear, "Your ideas are not within the 'mainstream thinking' of 'kneegro leadership" My friend and colleague, the Reverend Albert Sampson, the only clergy person in America ordained by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once said to a group of Black clergy: "There are only two kinds of Black leaders in the United Methodist Church. Those who stand up for the community and against white supremacy, and those who posture for privilege. They have a perception or rather a deception of power, but posturing on your knees only gets you certain privileges in the master's house, never power."

Nothing has slowed down the struggle to combat and smash white racism and oppression in America, like the mainstream kneegro and his (and more recently her) misconception of power. I hope that those who are eager to get approval from white America or a few dollars more for their bizarre betrayal of the race will at least be silent for a while until we can encourage someone in Florida to prosecute a killer.

Even as I speak, folks in Mississippi are about to stage an insurrection because the outgoing Governor pardon several felons (mostly black) who he considered rehabilitated. Because the law will not allow them to vote and they would have difficulty getting employment under their previous convictions, they pardoned him. Would that these people express similar outrage over the unmitigated killing of a defenseless schoolboy who was doing nothing other than being that and questioning why "stranger danger" was following him through the streets. Don't we tell our children to "get loud" and "act out" when some strange adult is stalking them through the neighborhood. So a black child is dead for doing what we teach all of our children to do--making some noise and resisting a strange man following him through the neighborhood with a weapon.

God was angry with Balaam for going along with the princes who hoped to destroy Israel, so I cannot believe that God is not even angrier now, with the Mr. Cains and Mr. Williamses and Mr. Thomases and Ms. Rices and many others who are ready to jump up and defend and justify the indefensible and the unjustifiable in our midst.

Cure for Snake Bite

One-year Bible-3/14
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.’ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole. When anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived (Numbers 21:8-9).”

“You don’t have to look far for the answer.” We’ve heard that adage often and its true. The thing that paralyzes us, that stops us in our tracks, can be easily overcome if we face it head-on and deal with it. We have to face our fears because that is all they are. How do we face our fears? We just remember, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous. The Lord delivers her/him out of them all (Psalm 34:19).”

We give too many situations and too many people power over us—the ability to poison us—our relationships, and everything around us. This is idolatry. It is giving these things and people the place of God in our lives. They really do not have this kind of power; we give it to them/it.

These people and situations are nothing but the result of us allowing our fear of them or anxiety about them to dominate our consciousness, our bodies, our existence. God was saying to Moses, “Oh, they are being bitten by 'poisonous' snakes? Make them look and see that poison or not, a snake is just a snake—no more, no less, and they are my blessed beloved children." How many snakes are you fixated on? You do the math.

Peace out.

A Sistah in the White House - God's Answer to White Supremacy

"Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 'Has Jehovah (YHWH) [aka: Heb-Adonai, Christian-the Lord] only spoken through Moses?' they asked. 'Hasn't he also spoken through us?' And the Lord heard this (Numbers 12:1-12)."

The issue was clearly race. "How could God call you to be our primary leader, the highest official in the land, and be stained with Black blood by intermarrying with this Black woman?" They objected to this beautiful Black Sistah occupying the "White House" of the ancient Israelites (Hebrews). The historical-critical methodology of analyzing sacred texts could also reveal that the Nile story (Moses floated out of the Hebrew encampment into Pharaoh's Court Wading Pools) is an early story added to distinguish Moses from his African origins (like the Bethlehem birth narratives of Jesus). But this would have been unnecessary, since the land that the Hebrew's ancestor Abraham settled in was also part of the African continent. (Look at your map and discover which continent ancient Israel is located on).

The Bible tells us that among the ancient Hebrews who left Egypt was a "mixed race people (Exodus 12:38)." Exodus 12:41 reminds us they had lived in Egypt 430 years, hence a comment to explain the Black (Cushite) African and Chaldean blood of many of the ancient Hebrews (Ha'Biru-see "Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic," by Frank Moore Cross, Harvard University Press and "Tenth Generation" by George Mendenhall, University of Michigan Press). Moses' marrying Zipporah was nothing out of the ordinary for him. She was the oldest of the three daughters of Reuel, called Midianite (who were also considered Cushite though living on the fertile crescent or Levant of the Mediterranean Sea).

The racial characteristics in the cartoons that Adolf Hitler's propagandists drew to ridicule and identify Jews were the same cartoons used to identify the children and grandchildren of African American, African Caribbean, African Canadian, Afro-French, Afro-Russian and Colonial African (British) soldiers living in the Rhineland. Hitler even made the claim that the Allies had left these soldiers behind to marry German women as a plot to "mongrelize" pure Arian blood. Not even the Askenazic Jews of Germany escaped this classification as "fair-skinned coloreds."

These mixed-race children were the first targets of Hitler's Euthanasia programs which gassed and sterilized and ultimately shot and starved these black men, women and children of color in Nazis Germany. My colleague The Reverend Chris Pierson just informed me that Anderson Cooper presented this subject today (3/9/12) on AC 360, so you can verify what I am writing through that source.

Perhaps Miriam and Aaron had forgotten that their brother was raised in the culture and religious traditions of African Egypt. In his book "The Destruction of African Civilization," the late Dr. Chancellor Williams traced the King of Egypt's lineage at the time of the Exodus to be in the line of the "Black Kings," because a half century earlier Cush had invaded Upper Egypt and established its dynasty there). The concept of "One God" or what we call Monotheism originated with Pharaoh Akenhaton, also known as Amenotep I. The Ankh which resembles the cross was developed by his dynasty to symbolize the oneness of all life through the One God.

Surely the evolution/revelation/transition that Moses proclaimed in summarizing the three ancestral tribal gods of the ancient Hebrews (Bull of Jacob, Lord of Abram, Fear of Isaac) into YHWH="I AM" was no historical accident for one whose people had celebrated the One God of Egyptian monotheism. Moses' revelation on Mount Sinai clarified that this God could not be represented by tribal images and symbols of fear or bulls, goats, lions or even as divine kings.

But back to the core of this Bible study. What was God's response to their bigotry, their elevation of the absence of melanin as a divine trait? "AT ONCE the Jehovah said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "Come out to the Tent of Meeting (Tabernacle), all three of you. . . . Jehovah (YHWH) came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance of the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. . . . The anger of the Lord burned against them and he left them. . . . 'Why were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?' When the cloud went away from over the Tent, Miriam had become leprous as white as snow (NASB 12:4-10)." You can draw your own conclusions. But it is clear that God has no patience for those hung up on the complexion of his leaders. As an aside of Grace and forgiveness, foreshadowing God's unconditional love, it was Moses who prayed to God to heal Miriam of her white skin: Moses (12:13). Think on these things.