tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36534148950777199452024-02-22T01:14:27.989-08:00EcoPreacherFeatures sermons, essays, movie and book reviews, creative writing and ecotheological reflections.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.comBlogger195125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-27775521150526275422017-04-06T21:59:00.000-07:002017-04-06T21:59:53.211-07:00EcoPreacher is now on Patheos.com!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am thrilled to
announce that Patheos.com has brought me on as a blogger on their Progressive
Christian channel: </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/ecopreacher/">http://www.patheos.com/blogs/ecopreacher/</a>!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">After five years of having my blog on this site, I will now be a genuine <i>professional </i>blogger writing for one </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">of the most cutting-edge theological websites online.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">What is Patheos? </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">As explained on their “</span><a href="http://www.patheos.com/About-Patheos/About"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">About</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">”
page, “<span style="background: white;">Founded in 2008, Patheos.com is the
premier online destination to engage in the global dialogue about religion and
spirituality and to explore and experience the world's beliefs. Patheos is the
website of choice for the millions of people looking for credible and balanced
information about religion. Patheos brings together faith communities,
academics, and the broader public into a single environment, and is the place
where many people turn on a regular basis for insight, inspiration, and
stimulating discussion. Patheos is unlike any other religious and spiritual
site on the Web today.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you’re wondering what <i>Patheos</i> means, it’s a fusion of two
words: <i>path </i>and <i>theos</i> (the Greek word for God).
So this is a website that illuminates and explores different paths to God, however you
understand the Divine, and whatever path(s) you choose to meander. Within that framework, EcoPreacher will be following an environmental justice path within the Progressive Christian quadrant
of the faith conversation. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you've been following me on this site - thank you for your support! Please click on over to </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/ecopreacher/">http://www.patheos.com/blogs/ecopreacher/</a> and follow me there. And invite your friends! Just as before, y</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">ou’ll be seeing some hard-hitting
pieces connecting the dots between religion, environmental issues and what’s
happening on the national and global level in terms of politics, culture, and
current events.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> As you know, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m very interested in
the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, socio-economics, health, and
community within the realm of religion and the environment.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ll also be drawing on my recent research
looking at the juncture of politics and the pulpit through a survey I conducted
of over 1200 Mainline Protestant clergy.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you’re looking for a “green lens” for reading scripture and the news,
and for viewing the state of the church today, <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/ecopreacher/">EcoPreacher</a> is your blog!</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">There will also be pieces focusing on practices of hope, resilience, and
creative inspiration for facing the daunting environmental challenges in our
world. Many of these pieces will be
adaptations of sermons that honestly name the “bad news” facing the Earth
community (what I call the “eco-crucifixion”), while also proclaiming the Good
News of what God is doing to effect what I call <span class="apple-converted-space">the “eco-resurrection.”</span></span><div>
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span class="apple-converted-space">As I work on migrating the content over from this blog, there may be some gaps in seeing archived material. But I'll be diligently working on the transfer over the next couple weeks.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span class="apple-converted-space">Again, thank you for visiting this blog site and reading the final post here. I'll look forward to seeing you on <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/ecopreacher/">Patheos.com</a> to continue the conversation about </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">Earth, faith, politics and God!</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-433546925285907822017-03-12T13:39:00.003-07:002017-03-12T13:39:49.710-07:00Announcing: The Purple Zone, New Website and Blog<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.thepurplezone.net/"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH9LxjXLSRydwnBuaetk6rNE1kQa4GSpYYli7ZsgShDBkWbf4KXCthtTCrL0yH752217tW2xR2_Y9cwjjGHvPmuAwCmrx-EBnQ4zySh99BE7AtsMFvJ39n6IglbTxQIlBuePfYlx3p4Bs_/s400/purple+zone+header+for+website.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm happy to announce the launch of my newest research and ministry project - <a href="https://www.thepurplezone.net/">The Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red/Blue Divide</a>, equipping Christians and pastors during this divisive time in our nation. I am exploring ways that pastors can preach and do ministry that is true to their gospel calling, while recognizing the many risks involved in courageous preaching and ministry. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">How can we be both pastoral and prophetic? This is one of the driving questions of my work. The challenge of addressing controversial justice issues from the pulpit is fraught with risks, but also offers opportunities for proclaiming the gospel and building community in profound and contextual ways.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Drawing on data gathered from a survey I conducted of 1200 Mainline Protestant clergy serving congregations in the United States, this project surveys the landscape of preaching and ministry during this divisive time in our nation's history. The goal is to help Christians and pastors think about how we can engage the gospel regarding controversial justice issues during this deeply divided time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Purple Zone is a resource for helping the church understand the challenges facing parish pastors and congregations, and establishing both scriptural and theological rationale and authorization for addressing contentious justice issues.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Purple Zone aims to encourage and equip pastors and congregations to address the vital justice issues of our time by attending faithfully to God’s Word, listening intently to each other, navigating the risks, and attuning to the guidance of the Holy Spirit by prophetically “speaking truth in love” in ways that enable congregations to genuinely hear and respond to God's Word. Key to this endeavor is the use of a process called “deliberative dialogue” for finding hopeful avenues of action that engage both public theology and intentional civil discourse.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">To learn more, visit <a href="https://www.thepurplezone.net/">https://www.thepurplezone.net/</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And check out my new blog: <a href="https://thepurplezone.wordpress.com/">https://thepurplezone.wordpress.com/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You can also "like" The Purple Zone Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ThePurpleZone1/">https://www.facebook.com/ThePurpleZone1/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And follow the new Purple Zone Twitter feed for the latest on the intersection of religion, politics, preaching and the church: <a href="https://twitter.com/ThePurpleZone1/">https://twitter.com/ThePurpleZone1/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Finally, stay tuned for an article about how preacher's rank the importance of preaching about God's Creation based on results of my survey.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And thanks for keeping up with the EcoPreacher!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AXpvbFdLVo5EQHMPC6esShnDtJiWYusKevz73r_oApaEUKQOdx8XMccWLywi9OVtLVVugK0QubECuLPmN-79lCFkmt1Z4uKy2og5M_bRKTLx7K1L7hvtXnNIeCH7ScHSnsRJEB7-LE-l/s1600/purple+zone+speaking+graphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AXpvbFdLVo5EQHMPC6esShnDtJiWYusKevz73r_oApaEUKQOdx8XMccWLywi9OVtLVVugK0QubECuLPmN-79lCFkmt1Z4uKy2og5M_bRKTLx7K1L7hvtXnNIeCH7ScHSnsRJEB7-LE-l/s320/purple+zone+speaking+graphic.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-64101344246904861752017-03-01T20:41:00.000-08:002017-03-01T21:31:17.828-08:00Trump’s “Presidential” Speech: The Stockholm Syndrome Begins<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVGwhySM4xSoGnhW7S-PIw9iWjUyakp59F7nNWLCrDEc3zUcHrtY02cvq__yuAoZw4FZuHCqVykG6sxZgK638BJVDTn71ZexZE1NLmwoyybZRBY_A39luaBjfXG5XJQAPqsfi3LRBHB8s/s1600/stockholm-syndrome-4-638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVGwhySM4xSoGnhW7S-PIw9iWjUyakp59F7nNWLCrDEc3zUcHrtY02cvq__yuAoZw4FZuHCqVykG6sxZgK638BJVDTn71ZexZE1NLmwoyybZRBY_A39luaBjfXG5XJQAPqsfi3LRBHB8s/s320/stockholm-syndrome-4-638.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Leah D. Schade</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Trump’s “presidential” speech to the joint session of
Congress on Feb. 28 was a brilliant move.
He stayed with his script, was calm and measured, and offered one gem of
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/02/28/donald-trump-congress-address-wife-of-fallen-soldier.cnn">grace
and dignity</a>. Both <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-news-poll-viewers-strongly-approve-president-trump-speech-call-it-unifying-presidential/">Republicans
<i>and even some Democrats</i> gave high
ratings</a>. The Dow Jones Industrial
Average soared to new heights. The bipartisan
crowd went wild. And that’s why this speech presents a new kind of danger.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The problem is that this speech is but one – perhaps the
only one – time in Trump’s political career when he had any modicum of decorum
and propriety. When the bar is set so
low, anything looking remotely better than his typical blustery hate-speech can
suddenly be characterized as “unifying” and “optimistic.” The result is that even some who have been
battered by Trump’s campaign (including the major media outlets) and targeted
by the executive orders and rhetoric of his first six weeks in office are so
grateful for a moment of relief, they appear to be lured into thinking that
maybe this is the “real” Trump. That he actually
is a unifier. That he really does have
the country’s best interest at heart. That
maybe it’s time for a “reset.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">How can this be?
How can we forget the relentless assaults against women, Muslims, the
LGBTQ community, people of color, immigrants, refugees, public health, the
environment, public education, and even <a href="http://ecopreacher.blogspot.com/2016/12/disintegrationism-how-we-got-here-where.html">reality
itself</a> that have been perpetrated by Trump and his team since inauguration
day, and during the entire past year? How
are we so lulled by the siren song of faux-respectability that we ignore the
actual message of the speech (which continues a xenophobic, heteronormative, white
supremacist, militaristic, anti-environmental agenda)? How can we be echoing the calls to “give him
a chance” when the people he has put into cabinet positions are there
specifically to dismantle the institutions of public good? How can we so quickly forget the real damage
this administration has done to this country in just the past six weeks, let
alone the harm planned for the future? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It may be helpful to view these contradictory reactions
by understanding the phenomenon known as the Stockholm Syndrome. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">First coined in 1973, the condition derives its name
from the paradoxical situation that arose when hostages of a bank robbery in
Stockholm, Sweden, developed sympathy for their captors and refused to testify
against them in court. Victims
exhibiting Stockholm Syndrome irrationally and inexplicably come to defend
those who abuse them. At first, we may
not understand how this can be. But when
we examine the pattern of mind-games used against the victims, we can start to
see what’s actually happening.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Imagine a kidnapping victim who is periodically
tortured, but is also shown moments of surprising kindness and humanity. When this pattern is repeated enough times, a
kind of brainwashing occurs whereby the victim clings to the delusion that
their captor is actually beneficent, even as their wounds and bruises say
otherwise. Their insistence on defending
their abductor is actually their psyche’s defense mechanism when survival is at
stake.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Or imagine a spouse who sometimes threatens and abuses
their partner, but other times appears charming and conciliatory. In between the times of intimidation and
bullying, the perpetrator punctuates the relationship with moments of grandiose
gestures of goodwill and periods of relative peace. This leads the victim to not only doubt that
the abuse is happening, but also convince themselves that the “real” person
they love is the sweet and kind persona shown on occasion, instead of the cruel
monster who controls the relationship by <a href="http://ecopreacher.blogspot.com/2017/01/gaslighting-in-age-of-trump-tips-for.html">gaslighting</a>,
manipulation and violence. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">When it comes to Trump,
America – do not be fooled. One “nice
guy” speech does not a nice guy make. The
Stockholm Syndrome has begun, and we need to recognize that our collective
fatigue weakens our resistance to</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> the Bannon/Trump agenda. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">They know exactly what they are doing. They are faking us out with this “presidential”-sounding
speech, and all of a sudden even some of Trump’s harshest critics seem to be
getting on board. Employing Stockholm
Syndrome tactics is enabling this administration to get away with a great deal
of abuse that would never be tolerated under normal circumstances. We need to be vigilant in identifying this
pattern and recognizing it as a means by which to impose an autocratic rule.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDYA-yY5CDm05BQkKjFBMClFRUdP6YNhyphenhyphen6HfYtK4qSnWVKohmLXA00mDzlEqYEjj8CiHsk21nqGOvHsWXJRunKF0t-cp08J1bwSheZUHCfz-yiHrn_GfapnHCt8Df3FCm2wFb3miKk8eq/s1600/bonhoeffer+quote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDYA-yY5CDm05BQkKjFBMClFRUdP6YNhyphenhyphen6HfYtK4qSnWVKohmLXA00mDzlEqYEjj8CiHsk21nqGOvHsWXJRunKF0t-cp08J1bwSheZUHCfz-yiHrn_GfapnHCt8Df3FCm2wFb3miKk8eq/s400/bonhoeffer+quote.jpg" width="400" /></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said in his book, <i>Ethics </i>(which he wrote while resisting
Hitler and the Third Reich), “It is worse for a liar to tell the truth than for
a lover of truth to lie.” This is because “<span style="background: white;">the liar contaminates everything he says, because everything he says is
meant to further a cause that is false. The liar as liar has endorsed a world
of falsehood and deception, and to focus only on the truth or falsity of his
particular statements is to miss the danger of being caught up in his twisted
world,” (<i>Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy</i>,
“Dietrich Bonhoeffer,” <a href="http://www.iep.utm.edu/bonhoeff/#H2">http://www.iep.utm.edu/bonhoeff/#H2</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In other words, if we
focus only on this one particular speech, we will miss the danger of being
caught up in the twisted world of despotism that the Bannon/Trump
Administration is creating. Make no mistake – this regime is in no way backing
down. Bannon/Trump intend to do
everything they promised, so we should not feel any reassurance from this
speech or any future instances of fake-presidentialism. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Instead, we need to
remember these instructions for surviving an autocracy by Masha Gessen, a
student of Russian totalitarianism:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">*</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></span><em><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Believe
the autocrat</span></em><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">. <i>He means what he
says.</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">*</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></span><em><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Do not
be taken in by small signs of normality</span></em><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">*</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></span><em><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Be
outraged</span></em><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">*</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></span><em><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Don’t
make compromises</span></em><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">On this point, Gessen’s words deserve a full quote, given the
prescience of this piece [</span></span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“<a href="http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2016/11/10/trump-election-autocracy-rules-for-survival/">Autocracy:
Rules for Survival</a>”]:</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">, which was written on Nov. 10, 2016, just two
days after the election:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Democrats in Congress will begin to make the
case for cooperation, for the sake of getting anything done—or at least, they
will say, minimizing the damage. Nongovernmental organizations, many of which
are reeling at the moment, faced with a transition period in which there is no
opening for their input, will grasp at chances to work with the new
administration. This will be fruitless—damage cannot be minimized, much less
reversed, when mobilization is the goal—but worse, it will be soul-destroying.
In an autocracy, politics as the art of the possible is in fact utterly amoral.
Those who argue for cooperation will make the case . . . that cooperation is
essential for the future. They will be willfully ignoring the corrupting touch
of autocracy, from which the future must be protected.</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The protection of the
future is in our hands. So keep your
eyes open. Understand the psychological
tactics being used against us. Check in
with people you trust who can give you a reality check when the powers seem
to be negating what you know to be true.
And keep reminding each other that the Stockholm Syndrome is already at
work and must be resisted. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The Rev. Dr. Leah Schade is the Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary (KY) and an ordained Lutheran minister (ELCA), though the views expressed in this post are her own and do not necessarily reflect the institutions she serves. She is the author of the book<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><a href="http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #9966cc; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Creation Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> </span></span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">(<a href="http://www.chalicepress.com/Creation-Crisis-Preaching-P1550.aspx" style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Chalice Press</a>, 2015).</span></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-35324660670953595882017-02-24T23:48:00.000-08:002017-02-27T13:05:13.036-08:00The Preacher Persisted: Finding Courage in the Pulpit<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><i>I'm no stranger to push-back from people angered by a controversial sermon. But a shift is happening in churches that is testing the mettle of even the most prophetic preachers.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I was
recently invited to supply preach at a congregation to cover a colleague during
his vacation. I had been told by several
different people that the congregation had a reputation of being a politically
progressive church. So I crafted a prophetic sermon that engaged contemporary
issues for the assigned lectionary readings for the day. In the sermon, I never
referenced any political party or figure, but clearly named the systemic loss
of an ethical and moral center in our country of late. I also reiterated Moses’ call to follow God’s
commandments to turn away from death and embrace life (Deuteronomy 30:15-20). True to my commitment to include God’s
Creation in my preaching where appropriate, I critiqued the ways we have abused
this Earth in violation of the command to choose life. But I ended by pointing out that God is still
at work calling people to rise up in defense of the vulnerable and answering
the call to justice along with people of other faiths and nonreligious people
of good will (you can read my blog post based on the sermon <a href="http://ecopreacher.blogspot.com/2017/02/back-to-basics-advice-for-christians-in.html">here</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
reactions of the listeners in the days following the sermon revealed a much
more politically diverse congregation than I expected. The pastor told me he had received numerous
emails and phone calls from his parishioners – some who had expressed
appreciation for the sermon, and some who expressed strong anger at what I had
preached. So the pastor asked if I would
be willing to come back to the church to talk about the sermon with anyone who
wanted to discuss it further. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I was open
to this suggestion for several reasons.
First, my current research is exploring <a href="http://ecopreacher.blogspot.com/2017/01/preaching-in-purple-zone-homiletics-in.html">how
Mainline Protestant pastors handle sermons on controversial issues</a>, so I
saw this as an opportunity to hear first-hand from parishioners about this very
topic. Second, as a seminary professor of preaching and worship who requires
students to receive constructive critique of their sermons, it’s only fair that
I be willing to accept the same kind of feedback. And third, my working hypothesis regarding
preaching about controversial issues is that the process of <a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/61c5/32caa494e8e08b254dcc33273281b570c178.pdf">deliberative
dialogue</a> is one way that we might heal our divisions, work toward civil
discourse, and move the conversation forward in a productive way. So in the spirit of scholarly inquiry,
pastoral openness, and civic goodwill, I accepted the invitation to return to
the church for a conversation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The room was
packed with over 20 people (they normally had just a handful of participants
for these Wednesday evening “table talks”).
The pastor began by handing out a very helpful set of ground rules for
discussion entitled “<a href="https://www.couragerenewal.org/PDFs/HHD/Touchstones-for-Creating-Safe-Spaces-HHD-guide.pdf">Touchstones
for Creating Safe Space</a>” from the <a href="http://www.couragerenewal.org/">Center
for Courage and Renewal</a>. After
leading us in prayer he then asked me to share with the group some opening
remarks about how I had come to preach that particular sermon. I explained that I had chosen to take a more
prophetic approach to preaching the scriptural text based on my informed assumption that this
congregation was open to sermons that directly addressed justice issues from a
biblical perspective. But, I continued, since then I had come to learn that there were strong reactions to the sermon, both positive and
negative, and I was interested in hearing from those gathered what they wanted to
share about the sermon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">From what I could tell, about half of the people in the room had a negative
reaction to the sermon, and they shared the following kinds of responses:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">* I don’t come to church to hear about political issues. I don’t like to hear that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">* This sermon was just post-election whining.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">* There was too much law and not enough Gospel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">* This sermon was too political.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">* I was offended. I feel you
attacked me just because I voted for Trump.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Though there was not enough time for me to respond to these accusations, it was curious to me the kinds of things that were <i>read
into</i> the sermon, especially the personalization of what was clearly a critique of systems and ethos, not individuals. (Exploring this phenomenon is a task for another time.) And I noted a general air of discomfort, indignation, and
even scolding disapproval from those who offered their critiques. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Others, however, expressed thoughts that were exactly the opposite,
with an overall tone of support, appreciation and even gratitude for the sermon. They shared the following kinds of responses:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">* The church <i>should</i> speak
about these political issues. Jesus never
withheld himself from critiquing those in power.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">* Moses was political and stood up to those who were abusing their
power.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">* I heard both Law and Gospel in this sermon because it invited us to
find the center of our morals and ethics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">* I believe we are called to be caretakers of the environment as part
of our baptismal vocation, and this sermon affirmed that for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">* I found this sermon refreshing because it directly addressed issues I
care about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">* The fact that so many of us have come together to discuss this sermon
is a good thing. We need to talk about
these issues in the church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Despite these positive rebuttals to the negative reactions to the
sermon, the angriest voices were the loudest. There was one person in
particular whose level of anger was so strong, my experience of her was that of
being attacked. She repeatedly
interrupted me (breaking the agreed-upon rules of engagement) after she had demanded
that I explain myself about a point in the sermon, and snidely ridiculed the
safe space ground rules agreed upon by the group. She also threatened that she would leave the
church (which made no sense because this was just one sermon by a visiting
preacher). And she demanded to know if the
pastor had vetted my sermon ahead of time, and if the synod (which oversees and
coordinates the spiritual and organizational activities of its member
congregations) didn’t have guidelines for what is allowed to be preached. In other words (as I heard it), isn’t there some way we can
silence this kind of preaching? Can't we make her sit down and shut up? I
noticed several heads nodding in agreement with her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">At that point, I recalled <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/02/08/nevertheless-she-persisted-becomes-new-battle-cry-after-mcconnell-silences-elizabeth-warren/?utm_term=.d8334379f28e">what
had happened to Senator Elizabeth Warren</a> when Senator Mitch McConnell
silenced her from reading Coretta Scott King’s letter when the Senate was
debating whether or not to confirm Jeff Sessions as attorney general. Warren was censured from speaking, and
McConnell gave the following justification:
“She was warned. She was given an
explanation. Nevertheless, she
persisted.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 12.0pt;">I know preaching during this time in our nation’s history is
difficult, even painful. The pushback
can hurt. The consequences of people being angry, withdrawing their membership
and their offerings, and threatening to shame you and even censure your
proclamation of the scriptures are real.
I know because I’ve been hearing it from preachers around the country
through my research, in conversations with pastoral colleagues, and because I’ve
experienced it firsthand. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 12.0pt;">But perhaps we preachers –
especially those of us who are preaching while female – need to adopt our own
version of this now-famous trio of sentences:
<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">The preacher was warned.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">The preacher was given an
explanation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Nevertheless, the
preacher persisted.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;">#preacherpersisted</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the days since that lion’s den of a meeting, I am still
committed to dialogue and hearing those with whom I disagree. I know there is much to be learned and I
remain steadfast in my hope that one way through this divisiveness is through
honest respectful speaking and humble listening. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 12.0pt;">But here’s one thing I know:
<b>I will not allow my prophetic
preaching voice to be silenced.</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyF5JMLAVCqLv2PThN0E_S_D3gzP18MJHs3KsEb7PZ95KeXVeUtg0ALEbo579ZN7bvd7XGMVQmB-PElew4LgOaZEOaUpyR3BREcgpvGswDQjsXw00UgvCuj2_PyDQDBd-a7cArbnJVspsN/s1600/119650-dietrich-bonhoeffer-quote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyF5JMLAVCqLv2PThN0E_S_D3gzP18MJHs3KsEb7PZ95KeXVeUtg0ALEbo579ZN7bvd7XGMVQmB-PElew4LgOaZEOaUpyR3BREcgpvGswDQjsXw00UgvCuj2_PyDQDBd-a7cArbnJVspsN/s320/119650-dietrich-bonhoeffer-quote.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 12.0pt;">At my ordination, I made a vow to “preach and teach in
accordance with the holy scriptures and the creeds and confessions” of the
Lutheran church. Thus I follow Martin
Luther’s lead of calling out abuse of power when I see it and being willing to
accept the consequences of my commitment to justice. In that ordination vow I also promised that I
would “lead God’s people by my own example in faithful service and holy living,
and to give faithful witness in the world, that God's love may be known in all
that I do.” Thus, following the lead of
another Lutheran minister – <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/martyrs/dietrich-bonhoeffer.html">Dietrich
Bonhoeffer</a> – who took a bold prophetic stand against a dangerous and
powerful regime, I am committed to ministering to those most vulnerable, and
holding myself accountable to “the least of these” whom Jesus has identified as
his own embodiment in this world (Matthew 25:31-46). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 12.0pt;">As my good friend and colleague <a href="https://www.lextheo.edu/askew/">Emily Askew</a> has reminded me,
sometimes being prophetic entails loss. If
people threaten to leave because they are gnashing their teeth at the gospel, we
may have to let them go in love, entrusting them to God’s care. But if you’re avoiding preaching the hard
stuff because you’re afraid of dividing the church, remember – those divisions
are there with or without you. You are simply called to witness to the reality of what is . . . <i>and</i>
share the vision of what God is calling us to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 12.0pt;">This does not mean you should be partisan in your preaching, as
in giving endorsement of a specific party or political individual. But you have a protected right to offer a
prophetic critique of words, policies, executive orders, and actions of any
person, government, corporation or organization that holds power. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 16px;">Remember – you are called to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ who </span><i style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 16px;">never</i><span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 16px;"> shied away from “talking politics,” which, in its truest sense is that which concerns the <i>polis</i>, the citizens. Thus Jesus' ministry and preaching were absolutely political, which authorizes our ministry and preaching to address the concerns of the citizens as well. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 12.0pt;">The key, of course, is <i>how </i>you preach politics. One piece of advice I can offer at this point is to find a group
of colleagues with whom you can share your sermons before you preach them, so
that you can help each other navigate the Scylla of partisanship and the
Charybdis of cowardice. You do not have
to be, nor should you be, a lone ranger in your ministry. Find
and cultivate trustworthy preaching partners and hold each other accountable while
offering mutual gifts of wisdom and prudence. (I'll be offering more guidance and best practices as my research on "preaching in the purple zone" continues, so I invite you to subscribe to this blog to see future posts.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 12.0pt;">So attend to your biblical
exegesis with skill. Apply your study of theology
with integrity. Let your pastoral heart beat for those you serve both inside and outside your church. Pray with fierce trust in the God who called you. And preach the gospel
with persistent courage!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Leah Schade is the author of the book </span></i><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><a href="http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/" style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Creation-Crisis Preaching</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">: Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit <i>(<a href="http://www.chalicepress.com/Creation-Crisis-Preaching-P1550.aspx" style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Chalice Press</a>, 2015). She is the <a href="https://www.lextheo.edu/leah-d-schade/" style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship</a> at <a href="https://www.lextheo.edu/" style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Lexington Theological Seminary</a> in Kentucky, and an ordained minister of the <a href="http://www.elca.org/" style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Evangelical Lutheran Church in America</a>.</i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-10131154815829641692017-02-17T13:41:00.002-08:002017-05-01T15:34:58.795-07:00How Can We Talk? Confessions of a Disillusioned Red-Cradle Christian<h2 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
ECOPREACHER IS NOW ON PATHEOS.COM!</h2>
<div>
To read this article, click here: <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/ecopreacher/2017/05/red-cradle-christian/">http://www.patheos.com/blogs/ecopreacher/2017/05/red-cradle-christian/</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-19712839135190820312017-02-14T18:18:00.003-08:002017-02-14T18:54:00.742-08:00Getting Local with Rep. Andy Barr: Environment, Health, Immigration All Connected<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPycad7hBJagLfXPmNChGTUt-puqHR9ZBdDZUfYoY4NmaXJ1JWQ297FSwfLpqfWPRcwi_Xi_EeK8eqWUc0LnSW_2qyUfUvyzWFKkUn70D8I2MBplftZKlFlR6oqK-BK2QU9E85ttXJS-fn/s1600/barr+meeting+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPycad7hBJagLfXPmNChGTUt-puqHR9ZBdDZUfYoY4NmaXJ1JWQ297FSwfLpqfWPRcwi_Xi_EeK8eqWUc0LnSW_2qyUfUvyzWFKkUn70D8I2MBplftZKlFlR6oqK-BK2QU9E85ttXJS-fn/s320/barr+meeting+3.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Andy Barr (R) is the <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">United States Representative for Kentucky's 6th congressional district since 2013 </span>and offers "mobile office hours" every second Tuesday of the month. Today, less than a month after Trump's inauguration, 30 people
showed up at his Lexington office in Hamburg to share their concerns about what is going on in Congress, with
Trump, with our country, and with our state. Mr. Barr wasn't there, but his staffers were, and they got an earful from <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">a room filled with concerned citizens who were well-informed, articulate, passionate, respectful and firm in their convictions that he must listen to his constituents. Some of us were from Together We Will Bluegrass, others were from the group Indivisible-Bluegrass, and some were citizens who showed up on their own. We shared many of the same concerns during the hour-long meeting.</span> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEkxqnqt1hDQkUe7ryiNiBlSXhOJtLHl4ss3fUNhoz-exSbNdkg4Ptgq5DcIR2VdmGznvDRuM_9OylMbp8n61ln6rMx47atFAE4toOhFMWx3pHQ-fnVoHDl4AhvuxKZNb0kGZ8J9Ghh1nd/s1600/barr+meeting+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEkxqnqt1hDQkUe7ryiNiBlSXhOJtLHl4ss3fUNhoz-exSbNdkg4Ptgq5DcIR2VdmGznvDRuM_9OylMbp8n61ln6rMx47atFAE4toOhFMWx3pHQ-fnVoHDl4AhvuxKZNb0kGZ8J9Ghh1nd/s320/barr+meeting+1.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Pat Melton, seated in light blue shirt, <br />
was Mr. Barr's spokesman at the meeting.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We began by expressing our appreciation that Mr. Barr was willing to open his offices to his constituents at all, given that his counterparts in the Senate (Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul) refuse to meet with citizens, do not answer phone calls or allow for recorded messages, and offer no way for our voices to be heard. Nevertheless, our questions began with inquiries as to when Mr. Barr would be holding a town meeting, since he has not done so since 2014. The staffer representing Mr. Barr, Mr. Pat Melton, had just started his position two weeks ago and, while gracious, amenable to our concerns, and not hostile in any way, was understandably not up to speed on his boss's schedule, positions or policies. Nevertheless, he insisted that Mr. Barr was committed to listening to his constituents and keeping our best interests at heart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We pointed out that Mr. Barr's actions indicated otherwise. For example, m<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">any
of us filled out the constituent survey on Mr. Barr’s website. We wondered who designed the
survey, and why are there so many false choices presented that are skewed
toward a conservative agenda?</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">If Mr.
Barr is supposed to represent all constituents – progressive and conservative –
wouldn’t it be prudent to listen to those who do not agree with him, but whose
votes he needs to be reelected?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGv4N0y33MxtnsLMyZxB5t6gyrI4X2xzMRHsGxuXHDzzYzU2Y13qf-e4nxxBHEcR4Wqu4QXZHr4kw8ZueRao39fdNnTpZkN0S4c_tMoQ2exHgwCchI6mZdePjoSS_q_0_UfKhti1wtSR6G/s1600/barr+meeting+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGv4N0y33MxtnsLMyZxB5t6gyrI4X2xzMRHsGxuXHDzzYzU2Y13qf-e4nxxBHEcR4Wqu4QXZHr4kw8ZueRao39fdNnTpZkN0S4c_tMoQ2exHgwCchI6mZdePjoSS_q_0_UfKhti1wtSR6G/s320/barr+meeting+4.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">Another example of Mr. Barr's apparent lack of concern for his constituents has been his push for deregulating banking. As Jane Eller from Indivisible Bluegrass pointed out, Mr. Barr has sponsored or cosponsored 9 pieces of legislation to deregulate banking. How can we be protected from credit and mortgage scams and other scurrilous banking practices that led to the 2008 crash if Mr. Barr insists on deregulating banks?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">There were also pointed questions about Mr. Barr's attacks on the Affordable Care Act, and serious concerns about the lack of access to health care that would result from abolishing health insurance for Kentucky citizens. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My question had to do with environmental issues, which are very much a matter of public health. I addressed my question from a faith perspective as Lutheran clergyperson:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">I am distressed that Mr. Barr voted to overturn
regulations that protect citizens from coal industry pollution. </span><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">Coal mining interests have
invested $435,000 in his campaign committee and political action committee
since his first run for Congress in 2010, making the sector his top supporter. For the 2016 election cycle, Barr tops all of
his House of Representatives and Senate colleagues in coal industry
contributions, with almost $44,000 as of the end of September. </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">There’s no war on coal. There is a war on public health. And he is receiving half a million dollars to
wage that war.</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These were commonsense protections that did not harm
the industry in any way. Having a
100-foot buffer between coal mining and streams is about the length between two
bases on a baseball field. That is
barely enough land to put between the harmful coal pollution and the sensitive
streams that feed into the drinking water supplies for thousands of Kentucky
residents. And the requirement for coal
companies to restore streams and return mined areas to conditions similar to
those before mining took place is simply being a good neighbor. We’re taught as children in Sunday School –
if you make a mess, you must clean it up.
<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I know that Mr. Barr is attends an Episcopal church. The Anglican/Episcopalian
document, “Stewardship of Creation” (2002) says that a goal for the church is
to: “encourage all members of our
congregations to understand that God calls us to care for the creation by
making our communities and environments better places for the next generation
than they were in our lifetime.” </i></span></span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m interested in how Mr. Barr, who is a Christian, and an Episcopalian, can rationalize his actions while still claiming to be a Christian? </i></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mr. Melton had no response for this. And my question was followed by inquiries from others around the room about Mr. Barr's stance on climate change, if he would protect the EPA, and why he doesn't draw on the wisdom of scientists in his district on these issues. It was also pointed out that the immigration ban is keeping much-needed foreign doctors from our rural areas where they are desperately needed, and that doing away with the ACA would eliminate health care for coal miners suffering from black lung. We as
citizens were unanimous in our demand for the strongest possible health and safety protections for our
state, our land and waterways, and each other.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Several other concerns were raised and issues addressed:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">* An impassioned plea from the group not to defund Planned Parenthood (even from those in the room who oppose abortion).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">* Urging Mr. Barr to support efforts to remove Steve Bannon from the National Security Council.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">* Concerns from a local elementary school teacher whose students from immigrant families are scared that their parents will be taken away and they will be left alone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">* Genuine fear about the state of our country due to President Trump's executive orders, chaotic leadership, and constant barrage of lies.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valentines for Mr. Barr.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At one point a question was asked if Mr. Barr would be willing to stand up for the people of Kentucky - even if it meant standing against the Republican Party and even losing financial support from big donors. Mr. Melton insisted that his boss's heart was in the right place. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I ended by asking what Mr. Melton would like to see from us, what we could do to be helpful as concerned citizens. He encouraged us to make appointments to speak with him, to keep showing up for events, and to maintain our level of engagement in this process. And he promised to share our concerns with Mr. Barr.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I cannot speak for everyone who was there, but for me, the level of energy that room, the fact that people had done their homework and were so well-informed about the different bills and policies in our government, and that this many people took time on a Tuesday afternoon - Valentine's Day even - to share their concerns, was incredibly heartening. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Indeed, this is what democracy looks like!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj965JJwPuwGQAmcB-QU79mO29osvv2uAHwL9gA47u0Eg69LO0oXz1aGb3yJDM91tljSdm_zlZGpQr1uKaxae0J1lAl-Xq0guBueccvpyy7-j6YfPIoOHivvb1oyzUMUfNk3-xcZAbYdD2E/s1600/speaking+at+public+event.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj965JJwPuwGQAmcB-QU79mO29osvv2uAHwL9gA47u0Eg69LO0oXz1aGb3yJDM91tljSdm_zlZGpQr1uKaxae0J1lAl-Xq0guBueccvpyy7-j6YfPIoOHivvb1oyzUMUfNk3-xcZAbYdD2E/s200/speaking+at+public+event.jpg" width="171" /></a><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Leah
Schade is the author of the book </span></i><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/"><span style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Creation-Crisis Preaching</span></a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">: Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit <i>(<a href="http://www.chalicepress.com/Creation-Crisis-Preaching-P1550.aspx"><span style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Chalice Press</span></a>,
2015). She is the <a href="https://www.lextheo.edu/leah-d-schade/"><span style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Assistant
Professor of Preaching and Worship</span></a> at <a href="https://www.lextheo.edu/"><span style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Lexington Theological Seminary</span></a> in
Kentucky, and an ordained minister of the <a href="http://www.elca.org/"><span style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America</span></a>.</i></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-61971326858609459062017-02-14T07:10:00.001-08:002017-02-24T18:42:19.676-08:00Back to Basics: Advice for Christians in the Trump Era<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivogSVd0BIzMLrtqCoUQHo89vlg1d0YznPXC75sIO9vs8w-tcUxI7NT2uFNjmmbIdqh-D4g6-kZUUlhySGJ2HVcKw41udAS1USMJgyFUyMbDdOcqirR_-cI9419fQmAFiFr0e4UZpL8P2g/s1600/leah+schade+at+teach-in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivogSVd0BIzMLrtqCoUQHo89vlg1d0YznPXC75sIO9vs8w-tcUxI7NT2uFNjmmbIdqh-D4g6-kZUUlhySGJ2HVcKw41udAS1USMJgyFUyMbDdOcqirR_-cI9419fQmAFiFr0e4UZpL8P2g/s320/leah+schade+at+teach-in.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rev. Dr. Leah Schade presenting at the Teach-in, Lexington Theological Seminary, Jan. 20, 2017</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #010000;">On January 20, 2017 -- Inauguration Day -- the seminary where I teach, <a href="https://www.lextheo.edu/">Lexington Theological Seminary</a> in Kentucky, held a Teach-in entitled "Now What? Empowering the Church in the New Political Age." We had planned for around 20-30 participants, but were surprised when the room filled with nearly 50 with 10 viewing the event online. LTS President Charisse Gillett, Richard Weis, Jerry Sumney, Emily Askew, Barbara Blodgett, and I planned the event to foster a discussion on how Christians who are concerned with justice and goodwill should live out their faith in the current political environment. The feedback we received from participants is that more guidance is needed from church leaders going forward. Because this is a new country we're living in now.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRX76ZE1YqofOGdg-sb3dz1dkVCWyNrvnOhcTt2kIspVy2ZcYXYnCgicSrQTinG2KEA6u1MweBwxSopIqv2QLlsDl60AaL1aFASII23gfwueCrkNxstaZ0PN6uqqlQur9Ob2edHNwJU1K4/s1600/teach-in+crowd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRX76ZE1YqofOGdg-sb3dz1dkVCWyNrvnOhcTt2kIspVy2ZcYXYnCgicSrQTinG2KEA6u1MweBwxSopIqv2QLlsDl60AaL1aFASII23gfwueCrkNxstaZ0PN6uqqlQur9Ob2edHNwJU1K4/s320/teach-in+crowd.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A full house for the Jan. 20 Teach-in at Lexington Theological Seminary.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then and now I start with a little pastoral-care
check-in. Because, let’s face it – this
has been a rough couple of weeks, and in fact, a tough couple of months. Have you been experiencing any of
these since the election (and maybe even before)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anxious. Unsettled. Distracted. Unfocused. Angry. Confused.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Afraid for yourself or someone
else. Wondering about your own
sanity. Overwhelmed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #010000;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">Maybe you haven’t felt any of these things.</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> But w</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">hether you consider
yourself to be a blue dot in a sea of red, or a red dot in a sea of blue, the
events of the past year have left very few untouched.</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">You may have noticed that no matter how hard
you’re trying to be positive, make a contribution to the good of the world, and
align yourself with acts of resistance to the evil at hand, you just can’t
shake this feeling that something is off, something is amiss.</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">If you’re feeling that way, you’re not insane,
and you are not alone.</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">Because something
is terribly wrong.</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #010000;">Fortunately, we have solid biblical and theological resources to help us understand what is happening. Consider this passage from Deuteronomy which was the lectionary reading in many churches on Sunday, Feb. 12:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #010000;">Deuteronomy 30:15-20 -- See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. </span><sup class="ww" style="background-color: white; color: #777777; display: inline;">16</sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #010000;">If you obey the commandments of the </span><span class="sc" style="background-color: white; color: #010000;">Lord</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #010000;"> your God</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background-color: white; color: #0000bb;"></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #010000;"> that I am commanding you today, by loving the </span><span class="sc" style="background-color: white; color: #010000;">Lord</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #010000;"> your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the </span><span class="sc" style="background-color: white; color: #010000;">Lord</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #010000;"> your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. </span><sup class="ww" style="background-color: white; color: #777777; display: inline;">17</sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #010000;">But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, </span><sup class="ww" style="background-color: white; color: #777777; display: inline;">18</sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #010000;">I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. </span><sup class="ww" style="background-color: white; color: #777777; display: inline;">19</sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #010000;">I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, </span><sup class="ww" style="background-color: white; color: #777777; display: inline;">20</sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #010000;">loving the </span><span class="sc" style="background-color: white; color: #010000;">Lord</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #010000;"> your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the </span><span class="sc" style="background-color: white; color: #010000;">Lord</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #010000;"> swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These verses come at the end of Moses’ speech to the Israelites before
he is about to step down and allow Joshua to become his successor. They are getting ready to enter the land of
Canaan, and Moses is giving them the laws of God – the commandments – that are meant to guide them, help them manage
the boundaries of rights and responsibilities, and to provide the basis for
their relationships interpersonally and as a community of faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the end of this very long set of
instructions come these words: “See, I
have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your
God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his
ways, and observing his commandments, decrees and ordinances, then you shall
live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you. But if you turn away . . . you shall perish.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My friends, a great turning away has
occurred in this country. A turning away
from the most fundamental commandments of God has gotten us to this point where
something vital to our very survival is perishing. When something or someone perpetuates harmful stereotypes based on gender, sexual orientation, race, religion or country of origin; messes with your sense of reality; <a href="http://ecopreacher.blogspot.com/2017/01/gaslighting-in-age-of-trump-tips-for.html">manipulates your perception of truth</a>; and uses techniques and
strategies to disorient you to the point where you question your own sanity –
and does so in a way that affects an entire nation, this means that something
wicked is at work. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Israelites understood what it
meant to live in a time when something wicked was a work, when things were
fundamentally not right. Deuteronomy was
actually written <i>after</i> the time of
Moses. The book was written over a
period of 200 years when the Israelites were reeling from the conquest of two
hostile conquerors – first, the Assyrians, and then the Babylonians. The Israelites knew what it was like to have
a foreign government messing with their sovereignty. They had first-hand experience with
polarization amongst their people. They
knew what it was like to live in a time when lies become normalized and reality
itself seems to crumble around you. They
knew what it meant to live with brutality.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now we, too, are living in a time I call The Age of
</span><a href="http://ecopreacher.blogspot.com/2016/12/disintegrationism-how-we-got-here-where.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Disintegrationism</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. Because what we’re experiencing in our country and
our culture is like an auto-immune disorder, where the very systems that have
served human society (flawed though they were) have turned against humanity
itself and are resulting in self-destruction. Something sinister has
overtaken us and is attempting to unravel the fabric of human community, like a
flesh-eating disease that is attacking us at the cellular level. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Israelites were also
subjected to that kind of societal unravelling.
And so the authors of Deuteronomy knew it was important to write down Moses’
words – these commandments of God – and teach them over and over again to the
people. Because the ancient commandments were in danger of being forgotten and
lost in the midst of a very chaotic time.
So they set down this fifth book of the Torah to keep the traditions
alive because they were essential for revitalizing their nation and restoring
the foundation upon which their society could function. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My friends, we have a <i>Deuteronomic task</i> before us today. It’s
a big word because it's a big job. The Christian church has duty and a responsibility
to remind ourselves and our society of these things:</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There was once – and still must be – a
moral and ethical center.</span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were – and still are – standards for
responsible leadership.</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>There was – and still is – accountability to
truth.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our <i>Deuteronomic task</i> in the face of this latest iteration of chaotic
wickedness is commensurate with Moses' instructions to choose life and resist death. We need to do two things: 1) <b>re-establish a moral and ethical center based on resistance
to evil and, at the same time, 2) support life-giving values shared with other
religions and non-religious people of good will.</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In other words, we have to get <b>back
to basics</b> – the basics of the Ten Commandments that give us the non-negotiables
when it comes to human decency and what it means to live without fear of the
strong overtaking the weak. The basics of the teachings of Jesus that give us
the bottom line of radical integrity, and a sacrificial love that puts your
life and your body on the line to protect those most vulnerable. The basics of prayer and worship and service
in order to neutralize this evil and begin to return ourselves, our churches,
and our world to a place of centered sanity and re-integration. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This means that when we hear “alternative facts” and fake news – we have
to call that what it really is: lying.
And what commandment is it breaking?
You shall not bear false witness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And when executive orders are handed down that will endanger
the lives of people, we have to remind the Powers that the commandment, You
shall not kill, means we must resist when they are trying to push through legislation
that is, in fact, life-threatening. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjduoJlDX8o9KzMDu64N2EEks9Aeox8HPfqfkhDcuxEj6uBd6kxvnZEVFR-s_17ft9cesSuWzdoEXqPQzOsXR7NlA_fukJ6LdCuHusjuLymEat19EEGCEg7BdmslwClhx7N879n0MqVk7vb/s1600/life+and+death%252C+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjduoJlDX8o9KzMDu64N2EEks9Aeox8HPfqfkhDcuxEj6uBd6kxvnZEVFR-s_17ft9cesSuWzdoEXqPQzOsXR7NlA_fukJ6LdCuHusjuLymEat19EEGCEg7BdmslwClhx7N879n0MqVk7vb/s320/life+and+death%252C+tree.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not only that, but we are being held accountable by heaven
and earth itself. In verse 19, God calls
on heaven and earth to bear witness to the choice – obedience and life, or
turning away and perishing – that God has set before us. The skies and the planet itself are watching
to see if we obey God’s commands. And I
have to say, if we were in a cosmic courtroom, I cannot imagine that any reasonable
resident of earth would say that <a href="http://fortune.com/2017/02/02/stream-protection-rule-repeal/">dumping coal pollution into streams</a> that feed
the drinking water for human and other-than-human communities is choosing life. That choice leads to perishing. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWof8AlJUINOfNTEU3UFM-ZdbbViWT-bESbO2fXTLNvKPVyfVP65fnw7nL7IUHPjDN4GsN1v3W54vzlVwVg12-73gqwpCrYhojs0q0tdhLNDSN2sUIlEnLNAVEKV39vCKqGg5vQeCQiFK_/s1600/coal+pollution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWof8AlJUINOfNTEU3UFM-ZdbbViWT-bESbO2fXTLNvKPVyfVP65fnw7nL7IUHPjDN4GsN1v3W54vzlVwVg12-73gqwpCrYhojs0q0tdhLNDSN2sUIlEnLNAVEKV39vCKqGg5vQeCQiFK_/s320/coal+pollution.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I cannot imagine the rivers of <a href="http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/some-lancaster-county-residents-vow-to-disrupt-atlantic-sunrise-pipeline/article_57a4567e-ecb9-11e6-a722-73ee5e6db431.html">Pennsylvania</a>
where I used to live, and the rivers of North Dakota where they want to put
<a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/01/impact-keystone-dakota-access-pipeline-environment-global-warming-oil-health/">pipelines</a> with dangerous, toxic gases and oil – I cannot imagine the rivers are
testifying that we are choosing life.
No, the choice leads to perishing. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XgmXrJbEMxIAg3VV7NvWJw19S6AIqiUWM8udehsT-0g1p9wmd5KGrH8lkwG-GS67p7ynDhULTo3h8cyDQQW446etKFCorVeJLxx3dIoQLkQl48YCbx4GtSfDrZSXZswFtwAr0y6HzW54/s1600/pipeline+explosion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XgmXrJbEMxIAg3VV7NvWJw19S6AIqiUWM8udehsT-0g1p9wmd5KGrH8lkwG-GS67p7ynDhULTo3h8cyDQQW446etKFCorVeJLxx3dIoQLkQl48YCbx4GtSfDrZSXZswFtwAr0y6HzW54/s320/pipeline+explosion.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sissonville, WV, Natural Gas Pipeline Rupture, Explosion, & Fire</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If the atmosphere itself could take the witness stand, I can only
surmise that the testimony provided would let the record show that the human
species polluted this planet with enough </span><a href="http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">carbon dioxide and methane to drive it into a raging feverish demise</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. This is not
choosing life. This choice leads to
perishing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And so over and over in Deuteronomy we hear the words <i>command</i> and <i>obey</i> reiterated again and again.
Obedience – it’s not a word we use very much. It’s not a word we like very much. Obedience is a word that has accumulated a
negative aura because we don’t like be told what to do, that we must obey. Obedience – isn’t that what we expect of dogs
and children? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But the Hebrew word has much deeper spiritual and religious
sense. The word is <i>shama</i>, which means to hear, to listen deeply, and to let the voice
of God resonate so profoundly within you that you can feel your very soul
resonate with the truth that is being proclaimed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYw4JxMimCiiYLtdPoGUcBWWCoFTuC8WCaAUV__qkZ7haGrHn4UME7NYvdIHVbqEbqkXGbap7hEdq6mydMf1WaHxUvG30fIkHnyAiR_Ghlts3wJ8rPXIeGvkZ5qy3nbfVcwu59c6q5joga/s1600/shama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYw4JxMimCiiYLtdPoGUcBWWCoFTuC8WCaAUV__qkZ7haGrHn4UME7NYvdIHVbqEbqkXGbap7hEdq6mydMf1WaHxUvG30fIkHnyAiR_Ghlts3wJ8rPXIeGvkZ5qy3nbfVcwu59c6q5joga/s320/shama.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When is the last time you felt the truth of something so
profound and so real that it made your body just hum with resonance?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For me, it happened on January 21,
just a few weeks ago. As I stood among
the crowd of 5000 people gathered in downtown Lexington listening to the
speakers calling for justice and equity, looking at all the different signs,
and marching in solidarity with people I had only just met but I knew shared my
values, I felt my whole being resonate with the down-deep-in-the-bones
realization that the Spirit of God was still at work in the world. And when I came home that evening and saw
that what I experienced was actually one of hundreds of marches all over the
country – all over the world – I felt the resonance vibrating me to my core. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I felt for the first time that the
world was taking on the </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Deuteronomic task</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
of choosing life, standing against the forces of tyranny and standing for their
fellow sisters and brothers, and even with Earth and heaven, standing for
equality and justice, especially toward the weaker members of society. This command – to stand on the side of life –
is one I am happy to obey.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhseEyzGtWYQNTH71ryYtaUjViJ3nQLOgvUm7LLvHEXjE_4mBgzpsK8RSwt8jTrCpx-4Hlo45_946NedtS7682-WIMsMJCOADj3g18fWMbQQncOuqsMhULaDKX90m0KhbJrdZGr2kH0q5RS/s1600/another+nasty+clergy+woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhseEyzGtWYQNTH71ryYtaUjViJ3nQLOgvUm7LLvHEXjE_4mBgzpsK8RSwt8jTrCpx-4Hlo45_946NedtS7682-WIMsMJCOADj3g18fWMbQQncOuqsMhULaDKX90m0KhbJrdZGr2kH0q5RS/s400/another+nasty+clergy+woman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My colleagues in faith, our <i>Deuteronomic task</i> is not an easy one. You will get push-back. You will be mocked and smirked at and
patronized and politely dismissed. And
some of us will feel the wrath of the powers because of our work for
justice. But you will be heard. Because you do not do this alone. Your voice, speaking for the voiceless, is
being amplified across this nation. You
are following the command of God to choose life, answering the call to justice.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So be encouraged in your <i>Deuteronomic
task</i> today. Know that you stand in a long line of faithful people who take
their religions and traditions outside their houses of worship and out into the
world, helping to create on the outside what we preach on the inside. Attend to your <i>Deuteronomic task</i> with confidence, good humor, with purity of
thought, word and deed as Jesus commanded us, with perseverance, fierce
advocacy for justice, and great joy knowing you have colleagues in this place,
and in houses of faith, and in the homes and classrooms and on the streets and
in the forests and across the skies to support and encourage you in doing this
Great Work of our time. Amen.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Leah
Schade is the author of the book </span></i><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/"><span style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Creation-Crisis Preaching</span></a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">: Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit <i>(<a href="http://www.chalicepress.com/Creation-Crisis-Preaching-P1550.aspx"><span style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Chalice Press</span></a>,
2015). She is the <a href="https://www.lextheo.edu/leah-d-schade/"><span style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Assistant
Professor of Preaching and Worship</span></a> at <a href="https://www.lextheo.edu/"><span style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Lexington Theological Seminary</span></a> in
Kentucky, and an ordained minister of the <a href="http://www.elca.org/"><span style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America</span></a>.</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-13038534580190085012017-01-31T11:36:00.000-08:002017-01-31T11:36:56.473-08:00WINNER of 2016 ECOPREACHER CONTEST<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUdm-ScVwsylcBDw-xApAMKZyd6kCnpsvsuPkPa0F4nxzTk_RI7luYXBXhnJjuqMF-mUqRWAXa5hbS8ZcOLrfWqt0jjThu2pyYqifi4w-fvUTQP63lXvqp0wj21N0KRYPHoTzNIxsyB7Bf/s1600/margaret+bullet-jonas.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUdm-ScVwsylcBDw-xApAMKZyd6kCnpsvsuPkPa0F4nxzTk_RI7luYXBXhnJjuqMF-mUqRWAXa5hbS8ZcOLrfWqt0jjThu2pyYqifi4w-fvUTQP63lXvqp0wj21N0KRYPHoTzNIxsyB7Bf/s320/margaret+bullet-jonas.png" width="320" /></a><i>Congratulations to <b>Margaret
Bullitt-Jonas</b> whose sermon “Sacred Earth, Sacred Trust” is the winner of the
2016 EcoPreacher Contest! Margaret will
receive a signed copy of </i><a href="http://www.chalicepress.com/Creation-Crisis-Preaching-P1550.aspx">Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit</a> <i>(Chalice
Press, 2015) and I’m featuring her sermon below.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>Margaret serves as Missioner for
Creation Care in both the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts and the
Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ. She preached this
sermon</i><i> on June 12, 2016, at a special service that brought together</i><i>
First Congregational Church and </i><i>St. John’s Episcopal Church in Ashfield, Massachusetts.
June 12 was a day when people of many faiths around the world celebrated a day
of prayer and action for <a href="http://www.sacredearth2016.org/">Earth, our
common home</a>. It was also a day that marked the </i><i>six-month
anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement, and the first anniversary of the
publication of Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical</i>, Laudato Si<i>. This sermon was part of the
chorus of voices announcing that the Earth is holy and that it deserves our
protection and care. You can learn more
about Margaret’s work on her website: <a href="http://revivingcreation.org/">http://revivingcreation.org/</a>. Notice
how Margaret uses all three aspects of the three-fold approach I recommend in
my book </i><a href="http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/">Creation-Crisis Preaching</a>:<i> “<b>flowering</b>” (consciousness-raising), “<b>leafing</b>” (calling for specific action)
and “<b>fruiting</b>” (transforming
lifestyles and culture for long-term, sustainable change) in this sermon.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>--------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b>Sacred Earth, Sacred Trust</b></h3>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129;">The Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, Ph.D.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129;"><br /></span></div>
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<i>“Naboth said to Ahab, ‘The LORD
forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance.’” (1 Kings 21:3)</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0iY5TA1HFmPgfxemyFAKMU5t9r0e15rF2DXcx2kFOxiuqm4FDAhXyM93InTDsYbUh1SY2BuX609tuGtgYJquVEHEk1POWSV3Hg8WjCIzwHlwSM8ZDo4Bg8QZGcTJIz4skIVILh3bybdj/s1600/god+writes+the+gospel.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0iY5TA1HFmPgfxemyFAKMU5t9r0e15rF2DXcx2kFOxiuqm4FDAhXyM93InTDsYbUh1SY2BuX609tuGtgYJquVEHEk1POWSV3Hg8WjCIzwHlwSM8ZDo4Bg8QZGcTJIz4skIVILh3bybdj/s400/god+writes+the+gospel.png" width="400" /></a>Whenever you and I re-awaken to
God’s presence in our hills and woods, in the grasses and dirt beneath our feet
and in the stars overhead, we discover again that we are connected not only to
other human beings but also to everything else. We are part of the web of life:
connected by our breath, blood, flesh, and bone to the whole creation. As our Protestant forebear, Martin Luther,
pointed out: “God writes the Gospel, not in the Bible alone, but also on trees,
and the flowers and the clouds and stars.” God’s love and presence are
everywhere – not just in church, not just inside a sanctuary built by human
hands, but also outside, in the sea and sky, in the humble tomato plant
valiantly trying to grow in my shady garden.
The crucified, risen and ascended Christ fills all things, sustains all
things, and redeems all things. Whenever
you and I come to our senses and realize that God is giving God’s self to us in
every part of creation – in this breeze and bird and leaf, in this breath, in this
heartbeat – then reverence springs up in us, and a deep desire to give
thanks. We realize again that the Earth
is sacred, and in the strength of that heartfelt wisdom we can fight the great
battle of our time, which is to protect the integrity of God’s creation, to
preserve a habitable planet, and to build a more just and sustainable
society.<br />
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A
record 175 countries have already signed the Paris Climate Agreement, which is
an historic first step toward limiting the ravages of climate change. But the Paris Agreement is only a start. It doesn’t go nearly far enough. Its provisions won’t cap the rise of the
world’s average temperature at 1.5˚ Celsius above pre-industrial times, which
is the uppermost limit for ensuring a stable climate and livable planet. Unless we get to work in every community and
every sector of society to reduce our carbon emissions, unless we push
political and corporate powers to keep fossil fuels in the ground and make a
swift transition to clean, renewable energy, then the average global temperature
is going to shoot far past that critical threshold of 1.5˚ Celsius. Around the world, scientists and activists,
vulnerable communities and communities of faith are fighting to avert runaway
climate change. Their cry and our cry is
“1.5 to stay alive.”</div>
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I
usually take the Gospel as my sermon text, but this week I must turn to the Old
Testament passage, that hair-raising story from First Kings about a powerless
citizen being framed and murdered by an unjust king and queen so that they can
seize his land. Naboth has a vineyard
beside the royal palace. When King Ahab
makes what sounds on the face of it like a reasonable offer to buy the
vineyard, Naboth turns him down: “The
LORD forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance” (1 Kings 21:3). Calling the land “my ancestral inheritance”<i> </i>suggests that the land has been
in his family for a long time and also that he holds the land in trust. To Naboth the land is not just a commodity,
not just real estate, not just a source of profit and gain: it is a gift from
God; it is sacred; it is entrusted to his care. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rSNnoWy1E5wU4Vsxrm0JP3Ac4AlFe2vskKd4u1q0qU27JGLdhfzrFC_tDgj_iSgReP-anyVSKvb80tWrquNnCK06wluMeVb6ftx5A4fmRZSpdtlDNcMyj-7xAa84ZAo-faHpFxrS2Tvw/s1600/002-naboth-ahab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rSNnoWy1E5wU4Vsxrm0JP3Ac4AlFe2vskKd4u1q0qU27JGLdhfzrFC_tDgj_iSgReP-anyVSKvb80tWrquNnCK06wluMeVb6ftx5A4fmRZSpdtlDNcMyj-7xAa84ZAo-faHpFxrS2Tvw/s320/002-naboth-ahab.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
King
Ahab is frustrated. He goes home
“resentful and sullen” (1 Kings 12:4), lies down on his bed like a pouting
child, and refuses to eat. Enter, then,
the strong negative character of the story, Queen Jezebel, who basically asks,
“Hey, don’t you have power to do whatever you want?” She tells him to quit moping; she will take
care of this. Using Ahab’s credentials,
she arranges for “two scoundrels” (1 Kings 12:10) to make false charges against
Naboth in front of the city council and to have him stoned him to death. And so the deed is done: through backroom
dealings that include perjury, conspiracy, and theft, Naboth is framed and
murdered, and the king claims the vineyard as his own.<br />
This is an almost archetypal
story about dirty politics, about violence and the misuse of power. It resonates down through the centuries and
up to the present moment. A few days
ago, when I was visiting Union Theological Seminary in New York City to speak
to an ecumenical group of clergy who had gathered from all over the country for
an intensive, weeklong training on climate change, I learned that <a href="http://www.centerforearthethics.org/voices/naboths-vineyard-and-the-baltimore-incinerator">activists
fighting to stop construction of a trash-burning incinerator in a low-income
neighborhood of Baltimore are using the story of Naboth’s vineyard</a> to
illuminate their own experience of social and environmental injustice. <br />
The
mindset that allows Ahab and Jezebel to kill Naboth so that they can grab his
land is the same mindset that allows governments and businesses to push aside
low-income people and indigenous peoples and people of color to exploit,
pollute, and take possession of their land, the same mindset that allows a
nation to go to war against another nation so that it can seize control of
another country’s natural resources, the same mindset that allows the fossil
fuel industry to keep expanding its search for more oil and gas, despite the
enormous human cost – especially to the poor – of burning fossil fuels. Injustice against human beings is intimately
linked to desecration of the Earth. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoX-oe5M4O6ymiKof25yVM6pyF67w5CNzidf0c0_-iMmT29YDHonxEpOD2Vq8jRaJURANVsyuW7HkdCWBVppFHjPneWJrbT8-TZ8rwiihaz6_K5m9CkAjRY9ZPBCddjAOVcl5jt1xWKom/s1600/Jezebel_and_Ahab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoX-oe5M4O6ymiKof25yVM6pyF67w5CNzidf0c0_-iMmT29YDHonxEpOD2Vq8jRaJURANVsyuW7HkdCWBVppFHjPneWJrbT8-TZ8rwiihaz6_K5m9CkAjRY9ZPBCddjAOVcl5jt1xWKom/s320/Jezebel_and_Ahab.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Because of that mindset,
Naboth is killed, and for a while it seems that Ahab has triumphed. But then, the story tells us, God intervenes.
In the prophet Elijah’s heart a holy resistance rises up. A sacred protest fills him, a Spirit-filled
energy to stand up against unjust power, a compelling need to protect the
rights of the poor and to defend the sacredness of the land. “The word of the LORD came to Elijah” (1
Kings 21:17), says the text. We don’t know how that word came to him, whether
it came through a dream, a vision, or simply through the painful and
gut-wrenching awareness that what Ahab had done was wrong. What we do know is that the word of God came
to Elijah, and that he received courage to stand up to the king, to stop the
injustice, and to change the course of history. <br />
The
same Holy Spirit that spoke through Elijah and through the life and words and
deeds of Jesus Christ is speaking through countless people the world over
today. <br /> “1.5 to stay alive” – that is the cry of every God-inspired prophet who stands like Elijah beside the vulnerable Naboths of this world<br />
We
say “1.5 to stay alive” to stand with the low-income community of Baltimore
that is fighting for the right to clean air. <br />
We
say “1.5 to stay alive” to stand with Pacific Islanders forced to leave their
homeland because rising waves are washing away their buildings and
contaminating their water supply. <br />
We
say “1.5 to stay alive” to stand with indigenous peoples in the Arctic whose
cultures are disintegrating as the ice melts.
<br />
We
say “1.5 to stay alive” to stand with frightened pregnant women in the global
South and the Southern U.S. who know that the Zika virus, which spreads in a
warm, humid climate, could irreparably harm their unborn child. <br />
We
say “1.5 to stay alive” to stand with every person and every community that
wants to live in a just and peaceful world with recognizable seasons and
moderate, predictable rains, in a world with enough clean, fresh water for all
and an ocean teeming with life. <br />
And
we say “1.5 to stay alive” to stand against the political and corporate powers
that view the Earth as nothing more than a source of profit and who exploit the
Earth and other people as if it’s every man for himself and the Devil take the
hindmost.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyBJs-FUoOdhKDx0EUCAP2bfS9ikbaZ9FxvW8Xg1M7ZD4c-s7W5Rz5urDbXS0qq54kSQ1qncPWmN34ZTj74pcdy7JNEgARcsiZZBCOr9sZx2_xGG63ZzIuqLztr7vcpKYuaH4jhzCtAXI/s1600/1.5+to+stay+alive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyBJs-FUoOdhKDx0EUCAP2bfS9ikbaZ9FxvW8Xg1M7ZD4c-s7W5Rz5urDbXS0qq54kSQ1qncPWmN34ZTj74pcdy7JNEgARcsiZZBCOr9sZx2_xGG63ZzIuqLztr7vcpKYuaH4jhzCtAXI/s320/1.5+to+stay+alive.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Thanks
to one of our members, Bob Parati, we have a sign that proclaims, “1.5 to stay
alive.” After the service, I invite
anyone who wishes, to join me outside so that we can take a group photo. <br />
I
invite you to do some other things, too.
If you haven’t done so already, I invite you to join <a href="http://climateactionnowma.org/">Climate Action Now</a>, our vibrant,
local grassroots climate action network.
I’ve put a sign-up sheet in the back of the church, so you can receive
Climate Action Now’s terrific weekly newsletter. I will also gladly share your name with a new
interfaith climate group I’m helping to lead, <a href="http://www.massinterfaithcoalition.org/">Massachusetts Interfaith
Coalition for Climate Action</a>. <br />
Thanks
to some of the people in this room, and to people like you, Kinder Morgan’s NED
pipeline was stopped. Now the fight is
on to stop another dangerous and unnecessary fracked gas pipeline, Spectra
Energy’s West Roxbury Lateral pipeline. <a href="http://revivingcreation.org/singing-for-our-lives/">Two weeks ago I was
arrested in Boston along with fifteen other religious leaders</a> after we sat
down on the edge of the trench that runs down the middle of the street where
the pipeline is being constructed.
Sitting at the edge of that trench was like sitting at the edge of an
open grave, proclaiming the power of love and life as our legs dangled in the
pit. We clergy came from a variety of
denominations and traditions – American Baptist, Buddhist, Episcopal, Hindu,
Jewish, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, and Unitarian Universalist. We represented a range of religions, yet all
of us were drawing from a holy power greater than our selves. All of us were rooted in a reality that
transcends the unjust structures of this world.
And <a href="http://www.clergyclimateaction.org/">all of us were fired
by the vision of a better world, by faith in the human spirit, and by faith
that God would guide us to courageous and visionary action</a>. We prayed and
preached and sang until the cops handcuffed us and took us away. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0WqZjdTdAsIwdxDj-rfB4STVq1Ppa1QDE7fGIxuebkZE1yzrWN32uLb54iZVuFCGcah71DNECbzOzEDtoH1T8l94Rsgu0IVIEp05eYWBLXEUQbRcZNDY8cPhaCrRb_pe5ns5Hjgv5CJa/s1600/IMG_4468Marg-arrested-Spector-PipelineW.Roxbury5-25-16-300x200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0WqZjdTdAsIwdxDj-rfB4STVq1Ppa1QDE7fGIxuebkZE1yzrWN32uLb54iZVuFCGcah71DNECbzOzEDtoH1T8l94Rsgu0IVIEp05eYWBLXEUQbRcZNDY8cPhaCrRb_pe5ns5Hjgv5CJa/s1600/IMG_4468Marg-arrested-Spector-PipelineW.Roxbury5-25-16-300x200.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas engaging in civil disobedience with interfaith colleagues to protest a fracked gas pipeline construction project in Boston. (Photo credit: Robert A. Jonas)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
More
resistance is ahead. I invite you to
consider joining a group from western Massachusetts that will <a href="http://climateactionnowma.org/?p=4473">protest the West Roxbury pipeline
on June 28</a>, and I invite you to consider joining a <a href="http://www.peopleoverpipelines.org/">march against new gas pipelines that
Better Future Project will lead in mid-July</a>. I’d be glad to speak with you
about those events, after the service. <br />
Near and far a wave of religious
protest and activism is rising up around the world as we respond to the cry of
the Earth and the cry of the poor. The first followers of Jesus
tapped into a source of love and power that gave them strength to challenge
injustice. And we tap into that holy
power, too. Here at this table, we
followers of Jesus will share in the bread and wine of the Eucharist, knowing
that God will give us strength for the journey and will nourish our hungry
souls. The Church was made for a
time like this – a time when God calls all people to recognize that we form one
human family and that the
Earth is sacred and entrusted to our care. Just as Naboth said to Ahab, so we, too, say to the powers-that-be,
“The LORD forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance” (1 Kings
21:3). With the Spirit of Jesus to guide
us, we head into the world to proclaim the good news of the reign of God. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFgyAXhkN0f_Md12kiqtpV_okfKPC5_K-HWEZzXMaoz9LGK70C2KIGjk8L0DLqVwYP_vB3jweHyJC2YB-z_jXupgKtDq8tnSasQ-Tqtqaw-U2qy-flbQ3aofI6TyqToUqSNC_gUcpMJO2/s1600/DSC06910Spectra-pipeline-protestors-gather5-25-16-300x200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFgyAXhkN0f_Md12kiqtpV_okfKPC5_K-HWEZzXMaoz9LGK70C2KIGjk8L0DLqVwYP_vB3jweHyJC2YB-z_jXupgKtDq8tnSasQ-Tqtqaw-U2qy-flbQ3aofI6TyqToUqSNC_gUcpMJO2/s320/DSC06910Spectra-pipeline-protestors-gather5-25-16-300x200.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas with protesters at the Spectra Pipeline in Boston. (Photo credit: Robert A. Jonas)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-29923516766608109832017-01-30T10:40:00.000-08:002017-01-31T12:41:00.050-08:00TEN BOOKS FOR PREACHERS IN THE AGE OF TRUMP: YEAR ONE<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfZ1NHW4PwG34vIKkTxmyFLFOjWQIa5zz7R77OeJYZsrdXqVsIiV-pDc-nkgfPe2WeoCLGVWnV9lBewBSQoORdeS-Vf5utSNun8wPKr3cf6B7F2VaWZP8TGtIBK4ie4ZY_vcGYaCacIqy/s1600/prophetic+preacher+of+the+month.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfZ1NHW4PwG34vIKkTxmyFLFOjWQIa5zz7R77OeJYZsrdXqVsIiV-pDc-nkgfPe2WeoCLGVWnV9lBewBSQoORdeS-Vf5utSNun8wPKr3cf6B7F2VaWZP8TGtIBK4ie4ZY_vcGYaCacIqy/s320/prophetic+preacher+of+the+month.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>An Annotated List</b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade</b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship</b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>Lexington Theological Seminary</b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>Lexington, Ky</b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b> </b><b><a href="mailto:lschade@lextheo.edu">lschade@lextheo.edu</a></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You’re a preacher and you know you need to address the
assault against humanity and our planet that is being perpetrated by the Trump
administration. But some things are
holding you back. Maybe you don’t feel
informed enough about certain issues.
Maybe you don’t feel you received enough training in seminary for how to
preach a prophetic sermon. Maybe you’re
afraid of the push-back from members of your congregation if you tackle topics
that seem too “political.” Or maybe you
just need a shot of homiletical <i>chutzpah</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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If you’re reading this, consider yourself part of the new <b><i>Prophetic
Preacher of the Month Club</i></b>. Below are my recommendations for the coming
year. This is an arbitrary list, I
know. And there are many more that could
(and should) be included. But this is a
start. If you read just one book a
month, you will increase your effectiveness as a preacher and be doing a great
service for those in your congregation who are looking for a sermon that
addresses the issues that matter to them, to our communities, to our Earth, and
to “the least of these.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8_BxgjGxaHyEJLlyiLOAfUjXYFJNO2r8Jfg0U2aQdb3lAv9CU5_I7CgqAJ7eN-likWnymvIlYsRfCon8mpraDkRoq8iiuWsKAdYVILQyEFvqcSH3fWVTEifkhIl3cxrTUbmaxN4NqE_h/s1600/preaching+justice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8_BxgjGxaHyEJLlyiLOAfUjXYFJNO2r8Jfg0U2aQdb3lAv9CU5_I7CgqAJ7eN-likWnymvIlYsRfCon8mpraDkRoq8iiuWsKAdYVILQyEFvqcSH3fWVTEifkhIl3cxrTUbmaxN4NqE_h/s200/preaching+justice.jpg" width="133" /></a><b><u>FEBRUARY</u></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Preaching-Justice-Ethnic-Cultural-Perspectives/dp/160608142X">Preaching Justice: Ethnic and Cultural Perspectives</a></i>; Edited by
Christine Smith (Wipf and Stock, 1998)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Black History Month is an ideal time to familiarize yourself
with the standpoints of “the other.”
Whether you are a white preacher looking for an essay from an African
American woman’s perspective (provided by Teresa Fry Brown), or an African
American preacher wondering how Korean Americans fare in this country
(explained by Eunjoo Mary Kim), or a Latina/o preacher wanting to help your
congregation understand the Jewish perspective on justice (shared by Stacy
Offner), these and five other essays will expand your preaching horizons.</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWypY92P_kvaiEdPh42uiBCGYxSH-5mdJqpW3VbmhUQqcb5hTogGl2H0jwtxfllGykBZRAUyv9-io6j71QrPgopvfgyc0cqKsJIM_9JLTHymZx3MrAo6a2EJuxJ9ihHNLwkxbnQou9AZ3/s1600/preaching+fools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWypY92P_kvaiEdPh42uiBCGYxSH-5mdJqpW3VbmhUQqcb5hTogGl2H0jwtxfllGykBZRAUyv9-io6j71QrPgopvfgyc0cqKsJIM_9JLTHymZx3MrAo6a2EJuxJ9ihHNLwkxbnQou9AZ3/s200/preaching+fools.jpg" width="135" /></a><b><u>MARCH<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Preaching-Fools-Gospel-Rhetoric-Folly/dp/160258365X">Preaching Fools: The Gospel as a Rhetoric of Folly</a></i>; Charles L.
Campbell and Johann H. Cilliers (Baylor University Press, 2012)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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You’ll be reading this book in preparation for Sunday, April
2, the day after April Fool’s. There
will be many times when you feel like an utter fool in the pulpit against the
powers of evil-on-steroids that have strengthened with this president. Campbell
and Cilliers’ book will not only help you rethink and reframe the homiletical
task, it will equip you with stories, images and metaphors for helping your
congregation celebrate their role as “fools for Christ,” proclaiming the
message of the cross that tells the truth and calls the gospel-reality into
existence.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseyxcng1-20BBnx-nKvR5sfAZEQrQlFMi86XJrESfTbu7k0tHzDWcfsHlJU081N60HGXeh2T76owrgMydkRkeIPysDGRXMc_AQcK8TNeKCfNo42S3c4WmbmEu6VHfYR385NpssZDXgvUd/s1600/creation+crisis+preaching+and+chalice+press.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseyxcng1-20BBnx-nKvR5sfAZEQrQlFMi86XJrESfTbu7k0tHzDWcfsHlJU081N60HGXeh2T76owrgMydkRkeIPysDGRXMc_AQcK8TNeKCfNo42S3c4WmbmEu6VHfYR385NpssZDXgvUd/s200/creation+crisis+preaching+and+chalice+press.png" width="109" /></a><b><u>APRIL<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.chalicepress.com/Creation-Crisis-Preaching-P1550.aspx">Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit</a></i>; Leah
D. Schade (Chalice Press, 2015) </b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Shameless self-plug here, I know. But Trump has appointed some of the most
heinous climate-denying, anti-environmental, anti-public-health people ever for
the positions of leadership in the White House. So preachers need to keep
Creation-care front and center for their congregations. Especially as the world celebrates Earth Day,
we need sermons that will prophetically and creatively engage this reality in
the face of the climate-change denial exhibited by the incoming administration. This book will provide theological and
scriptural background for greening your preaching, as well as practical tips
for becoming an “ecopreacher.”</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSPVyWW8Van2Tx7VZSlC-xgbfqfCt8EIKkBG_E9552uFTcH61w3KriNNJt7vpCgkTsWOA0wn4xBRqO1sOS80frSbsxThyphenhyphenm-HB8gLktpKYA-4-NhqIKS3M4vQrxC02Sn__GO6jYdHwIleC/s1600/telling+the+truth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSPVyWW8Van2Tx7VZSlC-xgbfqfCt8EIKkBG_E9552uFTcH61w3KriNNJt7vpCgkTsWOA0wn4xBRqO1sOS80frSbsxThyphenhyphenm-HB8gLktpKYA-4-NhqIKS3M4vQrxC02Sn__GO6jYdHwIleC/s200/telling+the+truth.jpg" width="136" /></a><b><u>MAY<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Telling-Truth-Preaching-Domestic-Violence/dp/0829812822">Telling the Truth: PreachingAbout Sexual and Domestic Violence</a></i>; Edited by John S. McClure and Nancy J.
Ramsay (United Church Press, 1998)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With Mother’s Day this month, the focus is on women. The onslaught against women’s access to
reproductive health and their right to choose how to make decisions about the
most intimate parts of their bodies is exacerbated by a misogynist president
who bragged about sexual assault. Nearly
every congregation in this country has victims, survivors, or perpetrators of
sexual and domestic violence in its pews.
This is <i>the </i>book I recommend
for preacher who need sage guidance about how to address these issues as a
pastor and a preacher. The collection of
15 essays covers theological and biblical perspectives, provides resources for
telling the truth about sexual and domestic violence, gives practical how-to’s
for preaching, and includes model sermons.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuT3EiMv7ar_E7d5K6TltQJCPQ2YUp0mwqyBp0rtuDINgiPAAfJNBwNpoKof5HQ5ckwfD9ein6sy_-i66U7e4zc1E8JIy3RvIT4AfvKyZ3kg20bC5a6CPWyLaW_3e_yAF5fAMKMuIrqWWN/s1600/resisting+structural+evil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuT3EiMv7ar_E7d5K6TltQJCPQ2YUp0mwqyBp0rtuDINgiPAAfJNBwNpoKof5HQ5ckwfD9ein6sy_-i66U7e4zc1E8JIy3RvIT4AfvKyZ3kg20bC5a6CPWyLaW_3e_yAF5fAMKMuIrqWWN/s200/resisting+structural+evil.jpg" width="133" /></a><b><u>JUNE/JULY<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-no-proof: yes;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Resisting-Structural-Evil-Ecological-Economic-Vocation/dp/1451462670">Resisting Structural Evil: Love as Ecological-EconomicVocation</a></span></i></b><b><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-no-proof: yes;">; Cynthia D. Moe-Lobeda (Augsburg Fortress, 2013)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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The summer is an ideal time to tackle a sermon series on the
ways in which systemic evil attacks “the least of these.” While Moe-Lobeda’s book is not aimed at
preachers per se, her approach to the complexity of interrelated structures of
evil is very helpful for sermons because she provides case studies that give us
glimpses into the lives of real people affected by the decisions we make every
day. The first half of the book will
give you incredible insights into the economic and ideological patterns that
gave rise to Trumpism in the first place, while the second half of the book
provides concrete approaches to galvanizing yourself and your community for
resistance. <b><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcqHuvqEa-NyQIwFNLnCU-J8vwweOa2MYEwEn1lTlDCQZvtKLFX4ozxCs_uB7Njb7Y35uexZ0HDBZ-p3T-U3PCQ8utlUa0HV19NZ8UJQ2XvFLTqdmbLEufXxsapFhrL0PIdxhDOsWD2Fb/s1600/under+the+oak+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcqHuvqEa-NyQIwFNLnCU-J8vwweOa2MYEwEn1lTlDCQZvtKLFX4ozxCs_uB7Njb7Y35uexZ0HDBZ-p3T-U3PCQ8utlUa0HV19NZ8UJQ2XvFLTqdmbLEufXxsapFhrL0PIdxhDOsWD2Fb/s200/under+the+oak+tree.jpg" width="133" /></a><b><u>AUGUST<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Under-Oak-Tree-Conversation-Pluralistic/dp/1620321920">Under the Oak Tree</a>: The Church as a Community of Conversation in a Conflicted
and Pluralistic World</i>; Edited by Ronald J. Allen, John S. McClure and O.
Wesley Allen Jr. (Cascade Books, 2013)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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You’ll be reading this book in preparation for leading a
series of conversations in your congregation about some of the “wicked” (i.e.
complex) problems our country is facing.
The task of preaching about difficult social justice issues is helped
when we have cultivated a culture of dialogue in our congregations. <i>Under
the Oak Tree </i>contains eleven essays to help you think through the concept
of conversational practical theology and how to view the tasks of ministry
(including preaching, worship, evangelism and interfaith relations) through
this lens of conversation. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliCgQM8xQvt5Xz7YjrMS0RqIF9q_X6SwDDOJR2J81MzQuDykg3iGkJGf5ZVghsUbPC4XJA47HDu5MtlxqbgpUFx9lAbHfD26Wd4cXK9PI8ftfqTRD8v0o9JtbWicnsopt9__Vst_LhgxL/s1600/prophetic+preaching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliCgQM8xQvt5Xz7YjrMS0RqIF9q_X6SwDDOJR2J81MzQuDykg3iGkJGf5ZVghsUbPC4XJA47HDu5MtlxqbgpUFx9lAbHfD26Wd4cXK9PI8ftfqTRD8v0o9JtbWicnsopt9__Vst_LhgxL/s200/prophetic+preaching.jpg" width="134" /></a><b><u>SEPTEMBER<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Prophetic-Preaching-Leonora-Tubbs-Tisdale/dp/0664233325">Prophetic Preaching: A PastoralApproach</a></i>; Leonora Tubbs Tisdale (Westminster John Knox Press, 2010)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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With the “community of conversation” as your frame of
reference, you’ll read Tisdale’s book to give you that infusion of courage for
addressing social issues in the pulpit in tandem with the dialogue series you’ll
be leading this month. The author suggests
a myriad of reasons why pastors resist preaching about justice issues and
offers practical suggestions for ways to be both pastoral and prophetic in
their preaching. This book offers
specific strategies to break through resistance as well as a variety of forms
to help spark your prophetic imagination.</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpATYdWVNqLEnUbZrIeKHWn_veIfg1utK-RQ7yLK0YzGXVCURL4xMj6XVyGXd1R4eCvR_ukCkdt8xqfbF1_Mw9GTApNv_2CC5P8W-W-wTx2jzj51NPgHnaqsf09PEqHqkXItWbtDy90Y3/s1600/preaching+as+weeping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpATYdWVNqLEnUbZrIeKHWn_veIfg1utK-RQ7yLK0YzGXVCURL4xMj6XVyGXd1R4eCvR_ukCkdt8xqfbF1_Mw9GTApNv_2CC5P8W-W-wTx2jzj51NPgHnaqsf09PEqHqkXItWbtDy90Y3/s200/preaching+as+weeping.jpg" width="133" /></a><b><u>OCTOBER<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Preaching-As-Weeping-Confession-Resistance/dp/0664252168">Preaching as Weeping, Confession and Resistance</a>: Radical Responses to
Radical Evil</i>; Christine M. Smith (Westminster/John Knox, 1992)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The month of October brings out the ghosts and goblins as
our culture celebrates Halloween.
Consider a sermon series entitled “Something Wicked This Way Comes” and
address the true demons loosed on our society.
Christine Smith’s book gives you the theological and biblical tools to
address handicappism, ageism, sexism, heterosexism, white racism and
classism. The last chapter provides some
model sermons to prime your preaching pump.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8KWdAIM4i_MQngLZu1oHZDz95aaxeyLrJHWhGmUCX3HDRCn_F_ecKAHOnfkGWnYl8SkLTDd6_LGelFNzTM68gjInR_nCCtTwedPFxlHTZ3gmHlgMc-vq9Ps8_29fENL9Z4A-BHukHhp-/s1600/PreachingPolitics_cover-final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8KWdAIM4i_MQngLZu1oHZDz95aaxeyLrJHWhGmUCX3HDRCn_F_ecKAHOnfkGWnYl8SkLTDd6_LGelFNzTM68gjInR_nCCtTwedPFxlHTZ3gmHlgMc-vq9Ps8_29fENL9Z4A-BHukHhp-/s200/PreachingPolitics_cover-final.jpg" width="129" /></a><b><u>NOVEMBER<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.chalicepress.com/Preaching-Politics-P1624.aspx">Preaching Politics</a>: Proclaiming Jesus
in an Age of Money, Power, and Partisanship</i></b><b>; Clay Stauffer (Chalice Press,
2015).<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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November is usually the month
when churches launch their stewardship campaigns. This year as we contend with a president who
wouldn’t even be forthcoming about his tax returns or divest himself from his
companies, help your congregation understand why Jesus’ teachings speak a
necessary ethical corrective. Stauffer
provides a guide for understanding the need and biblical justification for
preaching about the politically contentious issues of money, greed, and power
within a capitalist society. With sound exegesis of key teachings
of Jesus on money and faith, as well as robust theological engagement with
Stanley Hauerwas and Adam Hamilton, this book is useful for both preaching and
leading Bible studies. Stauffer encourages, equips and emboldens
preachers to tackle these issues from the study and the pulpit with renewed confidence.</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqAjCt7_vFTDTOSf7sFhxAMhhXw9v-D1WB00z7WNDxdE8oFJyTBV7gK7VfyqqIHG4WnnolrPZYp2g-GZngYnh6B1lVC3HAHcQyeNd67x_TpjhFypMmJphj1_yce9adJd-34GGDE19y7Ay/s1600/living-beyond-the-end-of-the-world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqAjCt7_vFTDTOSf7sFhxAMhhXw9v-D1WB00z7WNDxdE8oFJyTBV7gK7VfyqqIHG4WnnolrPZYp2g-GZngYnh6B1lVC3HAHcQyeNd67x_TpjhFypMmJphj1_yce9adJd-34GGDE19y7Ay/s200/living-beyond-the-end-of-the-world.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
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<b><u>DECEMBER<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Living-Beyond-End-World-Spirituality/dp/1570757674">Living Beyond the “End of the World”</a>:
A Spirituality of Hope</i></b><b>; Margaret Swedish (Orbis Books, 2008)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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If you follow the Revised
Common Lectionary, the Advent readings contain the apocalyptic texts of
Jesus. The Bible does not shy away from
naming the upheaval in our world, and neither does Swedish. Yet she challenges us to articulate
what kind of human beings we will be as we approach this difficult period in
human history, and how we will live into that.
With solid biblical exegesis (especially her treatment of the “loaves
and fishes”) your preaching will benefit from the way she clearly presents the
values, vision, and spiritual resources that can nurture a new human community
even when the evidence points to the world falling apart. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmwr4LZ9Hl7wLMflboEoc8iWDeXAz81-uWt_iw-7vbaiAlV8tIVrG7LaZvpr9JGaCo9rWAufRd2mmMiawsDMmtmGLoiUnd_YSabCIh-Q3-zesrIDfufvOjgfFgpdhGwFH3VdsYuCy42gi/s1600/wes+allen%252C+preaching+in+era+of+trump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmwr4LZ9Hl7wLMflboEoc8iWDeXAz81-uWt_iw-7vbaiAlV8tIVrG7LaZvpr9JGaCo9rWAufRd2mmMiawsDMmtmGLoiUnd_YSabCIh-Q3-zesrIDfufvOjgfFgpdhGwFH3VdsYuCy42gi/s200/wes+allen%252C+preaching+in+era+of+trump.jpg" width="129" /></a>AND COMING SOON: <i>PREACHING IN THE ERA OF TRUMP</i> by O. WESLEY ALLEN. Watch for a release date from <a href="http://www.chalicepress.com/">Chalice Press</a> soon!</div>
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<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
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<b><i>Leah is currently working on her next project, </i>Preaching in the Purple Zone: Homiletics in the Red/Blue Divide<i>, that will look at ways in which preachers can effectively address controversial justice issues in the pulpit. Click <a href="http://ecopreacher.blogspot.com/2017/01/preaching-in-purple-zone-homiletics-in.html">here </a>to learn more. </i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-24753293715644955962017-01-17T04:03:00.000-08:002017-01-17T04:03:29.209-08:0017 Ways to be an Ecopreacher in 2017<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhneLWWegHkLGPPNSz9eW7x9IgIcEauyBDOq2nWFjUeffSRMJF07ZAuM8zId4nhfeLG8R7wXCBJdVVOLLYfQM7iLbZkndzaI6DznGI280wctKXtL35ucpqyOt-RahPmAFOC-st7NTPzcpOW/s1600/poss2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhneLWWegHkLGPPNSz9eW7x9IgIcEauyBDOq2nWFjUeffSRMJF07ZAuM8zId4nhfeLG8R7wXCBJdVVOLLYfQM7iLbZkndzaI6DznGI280wctKXtL35ucpqyOt-RahPmAFOC-st7NTPzcpOW/s200/poss2.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">#17in17</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Rev. Dr.
Leah D. Schade<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Imagine what
your life would be like if you could be part of God’s work to heal this planet
– right from the pulpit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Imagine if
your parishioners were inspired by your preaching to address the most pressing
environmental concerns of our time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Imagine
hearing your parishioners actually thank you for preaching about protecting our
planet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Imagine
discovering a new dimension to your preaching that opens a whole new world of
perspectives, creative ideas, and inspiration for reaching people with God’s
Word.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Imagine
finding a whole new perspective for engaging the Bible that deepens and expands
your faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Here are 17
ideas excerpted from my book <i>Creation-Crisis
Preaching: Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit</i> (<a href="http://www.chalicepress.com/Creation-Crisis-Preaching-P1550.aspx">Chalice
Press</a>, 2015) for helping make this vision for your preaching become a
reality in the coming year:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGntAYxprJU1yqVOJe6yKuV18VLdhz5FaWap9b5dFUxaL_u-QUxRWrmE0Mi5y4po0X5f6BXHM3VL8dlSCQoBmE074exJchmEFcyG87BZjFC9pdNLQY5nHMkIq0tlFsw-srI5BN2TnHm4EM/s1600/walk+outside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGntAYxprJU1yqVOJe6yKuV18VLdhz5FaWap9b5dFUxaL_u-QUxRWrmE0Mi5y4po0X5f6BXHM3VL8dlSCQoBmE074exJchmEFcyG87BZjFC9pdNLQY5nHMkIq0tlFsw-srI5BN2TnHm4EM/s1600/walk+outside.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Walk</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">.
Walk the grounds around the church building. Consider your surroundings, which
include the land you are sitting or standing on, the plants near you, the air
you are breathing, other living creatures perceptible to your senses. Who are
your biotic neighbors? Also consider the houses, buildings, businesses,
factories, and other human-made “neighbors,” etc. Reflect on the interactions
that are occurring between you and these multi-faceted surroundings. Are they
harmful? Beneficial? Neutral? How do your natural surroundings affect your
physical or spiritual existence? Your feelings? Your values?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Look at a topographical map where
the congregation is located.</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Google Maps, Google
Earth, or other online mapping services are free and can reveal a bird’s eye
view of your setting. Notice the local waterways, landscape features
(mountains, desert, beach, green spaces, etc.). How are they are disrupted,
connected to or otherwise intersecting with human civilization?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Talk with members of your
congregation</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> to get a sense of “who” (in the
expanded ecological sense) are their neighbors, and who has been beaten and
lies along side of the road. Who are “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40) in
need of attention and care?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Talk with other clergy</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
to learn the history of “neighbor-relations” in the community. What stories do
they tell about neighbors helping each other (or not)? Do any of them have
share your interest in environmental issues so that you may collaborate on
preaching ideas?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Talk with community members</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
to hear their stories about environmental issues that are part of the
community’s history. Were there any grassroots efforts to clean up blighted
areas? Protest pollution? Confront toxic dumping? What was successful? What
work remains to be done?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Talk with local health care workers
such as doctors and nurses</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> to find out what the key public
health issues are in the community. There are often environmental connections
(asthma, obesity, cancer, and depression, for example, are all exacerbated by
deleterious environmental conditions such as air pollution, radioactive waste,
waste incineration, etc.).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Meet with local chapters of
environmental groups </span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">such as Sierra Club, Clean Air Council,
Interfaith Power and Light and grassroots activist groups to find out what
environmental issues are facing your community. Ask how local houses of worship
can be helpful in their work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Talk with local naturalists,
master gardeners, fishermen, hunters, farmers, beekeepers, or others whose work
involves the natural elements. </span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ask what changes they
have observed in animal, plant, insect, fish or other biotic communities in the
last few decades. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7S55JOe4ks_AbOd4fmwEKvuN12EO5lSFnxAmOaOIrc7EyTqpamxvb398HHQIw7vgeuHbfRuLox5CsFb39gXmBxd3bvz8XstwHaBawS_5x0VMSzGbeHGY3UB7yY1EH5XyYQaX2Kz1BmXs/s1600/Renewable-Energy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7S55JOe4ks_AbOd4fmwEKvuN12EO5lSFnxAmOaOIrc7EyTqpamxvb398HHQIw7vgeuHbfRuLox5CsFb39gXmBxd3bvz8XstwHaBawS_5x0VMSzGbeHGY3UB7yY1EH5XyYQaX2Kz1BmXs/s200/Renewable-Energy.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Search for clean-energy businesses
</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">in your community such as wind farms, solar farms,
geothermal companies, etc. Inquire as to how they see their work in relation to
the community and the planet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Meet with your elected officials.</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
Ask them who they consider “the least of these,” or those most vulnerable among
their constituents. What are their main environmental concerns regarding their
watersheds, land, forests, and biotic communities within their territories?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">11.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Preach
as one of the “nature” characters in a biblical</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> <b>text</b>
(e.g., preaching as the fig tree whom Jesus causes to wither, preaching as the
stones about to cry out along the “Palm Sunday Road,” preaching as the birds or
lilies from Jesus’ parable). </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipeRreknmVcIWMLOEU1hE-pMBty3ZQl2Zi6OVXY7OkUiX9PTknkNjIhcKL7DnuwghU_3CBsRtV6wiJTw3Ty4rdfnHjcK9FuOSjiXMu1XWRGsp9hiIruAGJjRxqqcUjJ18q9yUKOG_H8rP9/s1600/ruah-2-300x183.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipeRreknmVcIWMLOEU1hE-pMBty3ZQl2Zi6OVXY7OkUiX9PTknkNjIhcKL7DnuwghU_3CBsRtV6wiJTw3Ty4rdfnHjcK9FuOSjiXMu1XWRGsp9hiIruAGJjRxqqcUjJ18q9yUKOG_H8rP9/s1600/ruah-2-300x183.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The author preaching as the character of Ruah, the wind/Holy Spirit, in a sermon about climate change.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">12.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Bring
in or at least show a picture of an actual object of nature</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> mentioned in a biblical text (tree
stump, water, flowers, rocks, etc.).</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">13.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Preach
a sermon series</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> on
Jesus’ parables about or interactions with Creation.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">14.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Provide time in a sermon for listeners
to <b>share about their favorite places in
Creation</b>, or particular aspects of Creation. This not only allows them to
hold an image in their mind, but helps to foster a relationship between the
listener and some aspect of Creation within the context of preaching.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">15.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Tell
the story of a local natural habitat</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">,
framed within a biblical context or concept. Incorporate Earth’s story with the
biblical story, and connect it with the listeners’ stories.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">16.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Do
a sermon series on features of nature in the Bible</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">, such as rivers, mountains or valleys.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisb9JubKkZCOoo7JEtShB2jVqoX1VKgmqDOKjbnAAmrGRH2yK8hmqskUUW5_SG7FSx8FXYL8DRcQqnWpMVnQDIDGFXv868OhNvkdTDiFpqTSnU13pHqN3XLR_6hOPsvDvnua-k-Y6heGh4/s1600/schade+preaching+at+rb+winter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisb9JubKkZCOoo7JEtShB2jVqoX1VKgmqDOKjbnAAmrGRH2yK8hmqskUUW5_SG7FSx8FXYL8DRcQqnWpMVnQDIDGFXv868OhNvkdTDiFpqTSnU13pHqN3XLR_6hOPsvDvnua-k-Y6heGh4/s320/schade+preaching+at+rb+winter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">17.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Preach
outside</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">. This is a natural way to
de-center the anthropocentrism of the congregation and directly address the
larger “congregation” of the Earth community.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRp08fqw50BwXpJ84-lUN6rcjl4j0Sf9Z7lzUM4_Sj3I4ghEQdWPD9zXXiB-hsNYZ3SanAyVy6M-XL3XYQzxunL4T0Uw-BNEDJVQt_YuiX72lJceVZefc9TWrjoiODHhy9CLyh2q81P_bf/s1600/CCP_CoverDesign__Final_rev0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRp08fqw50BwXpJ84-lUN6rcjl4j0Sf9Z7lzUM4_Sj3I4ghEQdWPD9zXXiB-hsNYZ3SanAyVy6M-XL3XYQzxunL4T0Uw-BNEDJVQt_YuiX72lJceVZefc9TWrjoiODHhy9CLyh2q81P_bf/s200/CCP_CoverDesign__Final_rev0.jpeg" width="136" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What
ideas do you have for greening your preaching?
Post a reply to share what has worked for you in bringing Creation-care
to the forefront of your preaching.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For
examples of Ecopreacher sermons, visit: <a href="http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/sermons">http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/sermons</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For
more information on the book <i>Creation-Crisis
Preaching</i>, visit: <a href="http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/">http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/</a>
</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-24138436582931591722017-01-13T11:37:00.001-08:002017-03-11T14:08:57.093-08:00Preaching in the Purple Zone: Homiletics in the Red/Blue Divide<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;">
<b style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Rev. Dr. Leah
D. Schade</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Assistant
Professor of Preaching and Worship<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lexington
Theological Seminary, Lexington, KY</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Just before the 2012 presidential election in the United States,
CNN posted to its website an article by John Blake entitled, “Do you believe in
a red state Jesus or a blue state Jesus”?<a href="file:///C:/Users/Leah/Documents/LEAH'S%20IMPORTANT%20DOCUMENTS/ECO-MINISTRY/ecopreacher/schade.preaching%20in%20the%20purple%20zone.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Though the question assumes a false
dichotomy, the author’s observation of the election four years ago was just as
applicable in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election: “Here's a presidential election prediction
you can bet on. Right after the winner is announced, somebody somewhere in
America will fall on their knees and pray, ‘Thank you Jesus.’ And somebody
somewhere else will moan, ‘Help us Jesus.’ But what Jesus will they be praying
to: a red state Jesus or a blue state Jesus?”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Blake went on to explain that both faith and elections are about
choices, and that those choices are informed by how one views Jesus. It may be tempting to assume that liberals
“see Jesus as a champion of the poor who would support raising taxes on the
wealthy, while some conservatives think Jesus would be more concerned with
opposing abortion and same-sex marriage,” Blake observed, but the reality is
that just as Jesus cannot so easily be coopted into a political position,
Christians, too, may be more nuanced in their beliefs. “Perhaps most Christians follow not one
Jesus, but many – including a bit of a red state Jesus and a bit of a blue
state Jesus,” the author surmises. The
article’s online quiz, however, gives only two choices for each of the 10
questions aimed to help voters see where they fall on the red state-blue state
Jesus scale. Nevertheless, the fact that
many voters (and hence parishioners) often categorize themselves according
these ideological lines raises the question of how preachers might approach the
homiletic task of addressing controversial justice issues in such a fractured
and deeply divided socio-political culture, especially given the
contentiousness of the 2016 presidential election and its aftermath.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghU0UI8z37hMzTbRL-V3P8P_Z-TQ4XVzQ3zxJCVzY2D5AVEHP-16qmh4xUEESIBygNcHjb8i-cK6x5814ntZ_b9UV0uF-fm9wjboSBSmC1AiP7p0vtQENwKEJn4kg4RT6XUrVSdUYzt398/s1600/preaching+in+the+purple+zone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghU0UI8z37hMzTbRL-V3P8P_Z-TQ4XVzQ3zxJCVzY2D5AVEHP-16qmh4xUEESIBygNcHjb8i-cK6x5814ntZ_b9UV0uF-fm9wjboSBSmC1AiP7p0vtQENwKEJn4kg4RT6XUrVSdUYzt398/s320/preaching+in+the+purple+zone.jpg" width="233" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As you probably already know, the divides themselves
are illusions. None of us lives in a
truly “red” or “blue” state. Those
colors run together in our families, our houses of worship, our schools, our
places of employment, and even within our own hearts and minds. Our job as preachers, then, is to find a way
to courageously step into the “Purple Zone” – where the colors red and blue
combine into various shades of purple – to listen with hospitality, engage with
integrity and prayer, and learn with intellectual rigor in order to speak a
Word that addresses the Powers, casts out demons, and proclaims the crucified
and risen Christ. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Leonora
Tubbs Tisdale, in her excellent book <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Prophetic-Preaching-Leonora-Tubbs-Tisdale/dp/0664233325/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8">Prophetic Preaching: A Pastoral Approach</a> </i>(Louisville, KY, Westminster John Knox,
2004), suggests a myriad of reasons why pastors resist preaching about justice
issues and offers practical suggestions and strategies for ways to be both
pastoral and prophetic in their preaching. <i> </i>My project is building on that work. <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I </span>designed a questionnaire to ascertain
if, why, and how theologically-trained ordained preachers in Mainline
Protestant traditions choose to address controversial issues in their sermons, and have collected over 1000 responses. <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">As <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I analyze the data<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">, I'll be sharing my findings. Sign up to follow this blog for updates.</span></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> The long-term goal of this project is to
develop a book that: 1) provides data
that helps us survey the landscape of preaching about controversial issues
during this deeply divided time in our nation’s history; 2) establishes both
scriptural and theological rationale and authorization for addressing
contentious issues; and 3) offers insights from my own experience as well as
scholars and other practitioners about best practices for addressing “hot
topics” in sermons. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Finally, this
project will build on the concept of <i>conversational
preaching</i> as developed by <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sharing-Word-Preaching-Roundtable-Church/dp/0664256589/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8">Lucy Atkinson Rose</a>, and within the book <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Under-Oak-Tree-Conversation-Pluralistic/dp/1620321920/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8">Under the Oak Tree</a></i> edited by Ronald J.
Allen, John S. McClure and O. Wesley Allen. I will make the case that using a process
known as “deliberative dialogue” in tandem with conversational
preaching can be an effective way to address controversial issues in our churches. <a href="http://www.scottlondon.com/reports/dialogue.html">Deliberative dialogue</a> is a
process developed by researcher Scott London and used by organizations such as
the <a href="https://www.nifi.org/">National Issues Forum</a> which involves face-to-face interactions of small
groups of diverse individuals exchanging and weighing ideas and opinions about
a particular issue. I will be testing my hypothesis that conversational preaching - together with
deliberative dialogue within a congregation - is an effective and potentially
powerful venue for entering the Purple Zone and emerging with new insights and
healthier relationships not only within the church, but for civic and public
discourse in our communities and our country.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>To learn more, visit Leah's new website: </b></span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: times new roman, serif;"><b><a href="https://www.thepurplezone.net/">https://www.thepurplezone.net/</a> to get the latest updates on the results of her survey and its implications for churches, preachers and the intersection of Christianity and politics.</b></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Leah Schade is the author of the book </span></i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/" style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Creation-Crisis Preaching</a></span></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">: Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit <i>(<a href="http://www.chalicepress.com/Creation-Crisis-Preaching-P1550.aspx">Chalice Press</a>, 2015). She is the <a href="https://www.lextheo.edu/leah-d-schade/" style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship</a> at <a href="https://www.lextheo.edu/" style="color: #9966cc; text-decoration: none;">Lexington Theological Seminary</a> in Kentucky, and an ordained minister of the <a href="http://www.elca.org/">Evangelical Lutheran Church in America</a>.</i></span><br />
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red state Jesus or a blue state Jesus?” CNN, Nov. 2, 2012, </span><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/02/politics/red-blue-state-jesus/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/02/politics/red-blue-state-jesus/</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-3338549718873329602017-01-11T19:26:00.000-08:002017-01-11T19:26:32.060-08:00Droplets of Paradox: The Ripples of Our Baptismal Calling<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">January
15, Second Sunday after the Epiphany</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Texts</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">:
Isaiah 49:1-7; John 1:29-42<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The
Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Assistant
Professor of Preaching and Worship<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.lextheo.edu/leah-d-schade/">LexingtonTheological Seminary</a>, Lexington, KY<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Author, </span></b><b><i><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/">Creation-Crisis Preaching</a></span></i></b><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;">:
Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit</span></i></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> (<a href="http://www.chalicepress.com/Creation-Crisis-Preaching-P1550.aspx">Chalice Press</a>, 2016)</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The texts assigned for this Sunday
originate from different times, different authors and out of the midst of
different communities. Imagine them as
droplets falling into the still baptismal font on Sunday morning. The ripples of each drop merge with the
others, creating movement across the surface, stirring the waters of our faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWd7juZDa-plj1S2ReEJpctnSUY4fTVZcFh0dQ_HQdhBokX-icgZ27YVe9lMeqRRaGZSppY8GGAAEshWRI96Q1gymQWhQ1AgdEfaIoGJ6HkSzTu1VMCOUuwK6_aOP-pkb5F-QplvH_Wsfx/s1600/CIRCLES+OF+GIVE+TAKE+Rain+Ripples.jpg" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWd7juZDa-plj1S2ReEJpctnSUY4fTVZcFh0dQ_HQdhBokX-icgZ27YVe9lMeqRRaGZSppY8GGAAEshWRI96Q1gymQWhQ1AgdEfaIoGJ6HkSzTu1VMCOUuwK6_aOP-pkb5F-QplvH_Wsfx/s320/CIRCLES+OF+GIVE+TAKE+Rain+Ripples.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The tension in Isaiah 49:1-7 is
palpable. The speaker is held taut
between his call to prophetic ministry and feelings of frustration in seeing
nothing come from his work. For those
answering the call to ministry, this text speaks to the kind of tension we
experience as well, caught between two poles of paradox. At one end is the undeniable call to preach
to every nation from coast to coast, calling for people to heed God’s message
of justice, reconciliation, and restoration for our planet. At the other is the undeniable experience of
utter despondency because either not enough people are heeding the call, or the
response is happening too slowly.
Especially for those of us who have felt “deeply despised” for attending
to this call, the announcement that “Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and
they shall prostrate themselves, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy
One of Israel, who has chosen you” (v. 7) seems like a pipe dream at best, and
a cruel lie at worst.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Charles Campbell and Johan Cilliers
talk a great deal about paradox in their book <i>Preaching Fools: The Gospel as a Rhetoric of Folly</i> (Baylor
University Press; Waco, TX, 2012). "Paradox
could be described as <i>holding together irreconcilable opposites in order to
create and sustain liminality,</i>" they explain (185). Liminality is "the experience of being
and moving in between spaces and times,” (39), and, for preachers, involves
actually creating that in-between time and space so that people can come to
experience the transformative work of God.
They note that is exactly when the church’s existence seems ludicrous
that the foolish message of the preacher is needed. Especially “during periods when the church
has power and accommodates to the political and social structures,” preaching
fools are necessary. They are needed to “interrupt the status quo by unmasking
and deconstructing the structures of the day,” (154). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Campbell’s and Cilliers’ words
resonate strongly given the way in which many church leaders have either
acquiesced or actually thrown their support behind the incoming president who
has threatened to derail much of the progress that has been made toward
protecting God’s Creation, ensuring equal rights for all citizens, and providing
for access to basic human needs such as a liveable wage, housing, health care, and
education, for example. From appointing racist,
xenophobic, pro-fossil-fuels leaders to the highest positions, to vowing to
withdraw the U.S. from the Paris agreement to curb carbon emissions, to
threatening to require a Muslim registry, to belittling everyone from the
disabled to women to immigrants, to calling climate change a “hoax,” (and the
list goes on), it can feel as if all our work on environmental, racial, gender
and so many other social justice issues is being derailed, undermined, and
erased.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlSGk37_zRu2MsouaZn-oy1QwyJpqiX2WesJqesMEdyBB23e9ysV8yn6ykN3mzGrrfs8bXxk5DtTX2hc1LgxABwIySDFGqFQIysZjzFiA-SFGvrV0VD3uCAgAal04ZVpxjs7_e7uFk9KO/s1600/jesus+getting+baptized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlSGk37_zRu2MsouaZn-oy1QwyJpqiX2WesJqesMEdyBB23e9ysV8yn6ykN3mzGrrfs8bXxk5DtTX2hc1LgxABwIySDFGqFQIysZjzFiA-SFGvrV0VD3uCAgAal04ZVpxjs7_e7uFk9KO/s320/jesus+getting+baptized.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It is into this kind of fraught
time that Jesus came a-wadin’ into the baptismal waters to be baptized by John. The Baptist was one of those prophets who
drew the ire of the political leaders.
He was not afraid to use his powerful proclamation to create a liminal
space, critiquing the abuse of power, and calling people to repent of both
individual sins and systemic evil. He
must have known his ministry was bound to meet a violent end. So to see the One who was at once timeless
and “right on time” stepping into the waters of the Jordan must have been an
answer to fervent prayer. The ripple
effect of Jesus’ baptism would indeed reach the furthest coasts, “to the ends
of the earth,” (Isaiah 49:6).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Campbell and Cilliers remind us
that we stand in a long line of “preaching fools” from St. Francis of Assisi to
Desmond Tutu, who have “emerged in times when the church (or significant parts
of it) has settled comfortably into the status quo and adorned itself with
power. The church, in fact, cannot do
without the curious character called a fool, who prospers in times of liminality,
as well as in times of stagnation and accommodation," (155). So as much as you may feel caught in that
tension of paradox, or unsure whether to preach in a way that creates
liminality, I would encourage you to hold steady in your prophetic task and
watch for what God is doing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You may try asking of Jesus the
same question posed by the two disciples who began following him, “Where are
you staying?” In other words, where can
we find you, Jesus? Where have you
located yourself? And then we must keep
our eyes and ears tuned to the answer: “Come and see.” Because it is likely that we will find the
Lamb of God in the most unlikely, but nevertheless, life-giving places. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For example, the <i>Preaching Fools </i>authors relate a story
told by Barbara Lundblad who described visiting a neighborhood in the South
Bronx, New York:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">[It was] a neighborhood marked by poverty and violence,
with numerous 'shrines' painted on the sides of buildings in remembrance of
young people gunned down on the streets. 'Picture after picture after picture,
until we could not bear another,' Lundblad comments after viewing a slideshow
of these shrines. But in the midst of this
neighborhood, Lundblad is shown some brightly colored church doors: 'The doors,
once covered with graffiti, had been transformed into gospel doors by youth of
the parish. Almost every week, teenage
artists paint a new scene, their interpretation of God's good news for their
community. I wish you could have seen
the painting on those doors! On the
left-hand door, a young boy had opened up a fire hydrant – a New York City
ritual on stifling summer days. Water
was gushing out in a cooling stream that flowed in a wide arc from one door to
the other. When it reached the right
side, the water splashed into the baptismal font, making one continuous stream
from the font to the street and back again.
Beneath the flowing water, a table was set: a loaf of bread and a cup of
wine, along with a whole roasted chicken and a quart of milk - sacraments of
life in the midst of the city. I knew we
were in the South Bronx. The sign on the
corner said Prospect Avenue and 156th Street, but we had come to Galilee. Jesus was there in the doorway, very much alive. As usual, he had gotten there ahead of us.' [187,
quoting Barbara K. Lundblad, <i>Transforming the Stone: Preaching Through Resistance to change</i> (Nashville:
Abingdon, 2001) 27]. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMoWjBdbxndYgq18PioDC-gKEfuHLw1npFioJsEsHxdSfXAcyYNgkG76QC5RKilVbx0mq6E-RrxZAsIFlGYj9LNqczFTh5sLctGD8JwdW5YglS8oxZUQMUPZMW0ov2dH9ZngUS9QyS8EK/s1600/ripples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMoWjBdbxndYgq18PioDC-gKEfuHLw1npFioJsEsHxdSfXAcyYNgkG76QC5RKilVbx0mq6E-RrxZAsIFlGYj9LNqczFTh5sLctGD8JwdW5YglS8oxZUQMUPZMW0ov2dH9ZngUS9QyS8EK/s200/ripples.jpg" width="180" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Where are the droplets of baptism
falling around you? What are the signs
that justice is still stirring the waters in the midst of political upheaval?
That grace is flowing like water over seemingly impenetrable stones of hatred,
poverty, xenophobia, misogyny, white privilege, and environmental
destruction? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As Campbell and Cilliers remind us,
"God's weak power humanizes, gives back, and enhances life. Christ, the powerless One, gives life in
abundance. In God's compassion lies
God's power - the foolish power of God's compassionate weakness,” (58). Claim that power, and proclaim that
abundance. Let your own droplets fall
into that font and stir the waters!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-91589336621815798702017-01-07T05:21:00.000-08:002017-01-07T05:21:18.545-08:00AN ECOPREACHER’S BLESSING<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The Rev. Dr. Leah
D. Schade</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Click here for a 3-minute inspirational video for doing justice for our human and Earth-kin (text is below):</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ayJmZ1RzkHM/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ayJmZ1RzkHM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlO8u7d-s8aJp1lPxXIwXnyQIWg_2aCP8Hka5C68FaDZUt1kIuetrrlgqqHXzT2auuPWySRIqQ4O8Fu98G-iAZrcAnAk5sr6AUgvjs15LgLrmaVlfRiO6T3-4tDpKGkYdz4uwjvIEnu5z/s1600/courage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlO8u7d-s8aJp1lPxXIwXnyQIWg_2aCP8Hka5C68FaDZUt1kIuetrrlgqqHXzT2auuPWySRIqQ4O8Fu98G-iAZrcAnAk5sr6AUgvjs15LgLrmaVlfRiO6T3-4tDpKGkYdz4uwjvIEnu5z/s200/courage.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT", sans-serif; line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-size: large;">May God send you forth with courage to step into the prophetic
role to which God is calling us.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT", sans-serif; line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT", sans-serif; line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-size: large;">May God send you forth to amplify the voices of “the least of
these,” those most vulnerable human and Earth-kin who are impacted by the
effects of extreme energy extraction, climate change, pollution, and habitat
destruction, so that their voices may be heard.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT", sans-serif; line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-size: large;">May God send you forth to and hold our elected leaders accountable
for listening to science and protecting public health and God’s Creation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT", sans-serif; line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-size: large;">May God send you forth to find the values we share in common,
whether you are from the city or the rural areas, whether you are a Democrat,
Republican or Independent, whether you are a person of color or a person of
privilege.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT", sans-serif; line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-size: large;">May God send you forth not just to protect the land, water, air,
communities and the health of our citizens, but to create a world where the
environment doesn’t need protection.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT", sans-serif; line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-size: large;">May the God of justice and truth empower your to put your faith
not in corporations and temporary, corrupting wealth, but in the God who fights
for the oppressed, the voiceless, and in those who stand on the side of
righteousness. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT", sans-serif; line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-size: large;">May God send you forth not just to care for the afflicted, but to
stay the hand of the ones causing the affliction in the first place. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT", sans-serif; line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-size: large;">May God stand with you as you stand in solidarity with those who
suffer, calling our leaders to accountability, and living into the vision of a
clean-energy future where all children, women, men, and Earth-kin may thrive.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWElH6yD8a0izsIWKwSoBS5fumeCFYNOMd9a8EaxukTefsH3jc_GrSzL7sDLsWfviqVqPrSbHsNf0Eb9cX3cC8pEmJXOVGjyou_XoxjCknCgIdtBXmYRtbyJUZFc9KgPPTpd4BRl6Mc2sv/s1600/david+and+goliath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWElH6yD8a0izsIWKwSoBS5fumeCFYNOMd9a8EaxukTefsH3jc_GrSzL7sDLsWfviqVqPrSbHsNf0Eb9cX3cC8pEmJXOVGjyou_XoxjCknCgIdtBXmYRtbyJUZFc9KgPPTpd4BRl6Mc2sv/s200/david+and+goliath.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT", sans-serif; line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-size: large;">May God send you forth to demand justice for our human community
and for Creation. Like the persistent
widow in Jesus’ parable, like David fighting Goliath, like Moses and Aaron
confronting Pharaoh, like Sojourner Truth confronting slavery, like Buddhists
monks wrapping trees in saffron robes, may you be confident in the promise that
justice and righteousness shall prevail.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">May God send you forth knowing that you stand in a long line of
faithful people who take their religions and traditions outside their houses of
worship and out into the world, helping to create on the outside what we preach
on the inside.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT", sans-serif; line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-size: large;">May God send you forth to attend to your tasks today with
confidence, good humor, perseverance, fierce advocacy for justice, and great
joy knowing you have friends and colleagues to support and encourage you in
doing this Great Work of our time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT", sans-serif; line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Salaam alekum. Blessed be. Shalom. Peace. Blessings. Namaste. Amen.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="background: white;">Leah Schade is the author of the
book </span></i><span style="background: white;"><a href="http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Creation-Crisis Preaching</span></a></span>:
Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit <i>(Chalice Press, 2015). She is the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.lextheo.edu/leah-d-schade/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Assistant Professor of Preaching and
Worship</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>at<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.lextheo.edu/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Lexington
Theological Seminary</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>in
Kentucky, and an ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America.</i></span><i><sup><span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></sup></i></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-91560500450778844022017-01-05T17:23:00.000-08:002017-01-05T17:23:04.025-08:00Sting - 57th & 9th: An Ecotheological Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDnsokcWobATL50jrhyphenhyphenJhJno4dYx9A9egjBcVf9cnSkcOq_j1mmVivV41QEvnrnCiCI4XEVuB9QQiLJiwPM87VQAayw6S1XmVGoxL4ccDYGdXmxXLbPQiOJkhfxlgA03HdlqwmjWrup5y/s1600/sting57th9th1472601281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDnsokcWobATL50jrhyphenhyphenJhJno4dYx9A9egjBcVf9cnSkcOq_j1mmVivV41QEvnrnCiCI4XEVuB9QQiLJiwPM87VQAayw6S1XmVGoxL4ccDYGdXmxXLbPQiOJkhfxlgA03HdlqwmjWrup5y/s320/sting57th9th1472601281.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sting and ecotheology?
Seriously? What possible
connection could there be between the famous pop music artist and the study of
ecology and religion? Read on!</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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My husband <a href="http://www.rhythmsoup.net/">Jim Schade</a>
(himself a professional musician, a seasoned jazz drummer) gifted me with Sting’s
new album <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/57TH-9TH-Sting/dp/B01L8ELT7Y/ref=ntt_mus_dp_dpt_1">57<sup>th</sup> & 9<sup>th</sup></a></i>
for Christmas, knowing that I have been a huge fan since the Police in the 80s,
and throughout his solo career in the subsequent decades. I had been looking forward to hearing what
one of my favorite singer-songwriters had produced after a three-year hiatus
from recording. The album met and
exceeded my expectations. Titled after the street corner he crossed daily on
the way to the recording studio, the album not only exemplifies the trademark “Sting
sound” of intellectual pop his fans enjoy, the songs plumb the depths of human experience and
provide a poignant soundtrack for our time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The multivalent meanings of Sting’s poetic lyrics are one of
the things that keep me hooked on his music, and this album does not
disappoint. His songs are at once
self-reflective, philosophical and poignant.
They invite multiple listenings to ponder and puzzle out the hidden
treasures of the words nestled between polyrhythmic drum beats and richly-layered chords. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The first two songs, “I Can’t Stop Thinking About You,” and “50,000” were each smartly arranged with a driving
rock beat. “Down, Down, Down” and “If
You Can’t Love Me” are both quintessential Sting lovelorn melancholia, reminiscent of “King of Pain” and “When We Dance.” Sting does heartbreak well – not quite
wallowing, but deeply engaged in the emotional pain of loss.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Longing is another theme that drifts through this
album. “Heading South on the Great North
Road” follows the yearning of wanderlust that seeks but never quite finds
fulfillment; while the “The Empty Chair,” written for a documentary about a
photojournalist who was murdered in Syria, is saturated with longing for the
seat of the dead to be filled with more than just memories.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But it was when the song “One Fine Day” came on and I
listened to these words that I realized Sting had entered new territory on this
album: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Apologists
say, The weather’s just a cycle we can’t change.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Scientists
say, We’ve pushed those cycles way beyond.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Dear
leaders, please do something quick,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Time
is up, the planet’s sick . . .<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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I nearly
missed my turn while driving as I listened – Sting wrote a song about <i>climate
change</i>! After listening to the song
twice, I stopped the CD to read the liner notes about this piece:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Lately
I’ve begun to pray that those who regard climate change as a hoax, a hoax
perpetuated for the express purpose of hobbling our economies and the profit
margins of energy corporations, are correct!
Perhaps it is in fact a deliberate hoax and we can all just carry on
with our rapacious and profligate behavior in regards to the finite resources
of this planet without a thought for future generations and the depleted world
they’re likely to inherit. I sincerely
and passionately hope that the skeptics are right and that the majority of
scientists in the related fields of research are full of baloney, and for that
. . . perhaps we’ll all be grateful . . . one fine day!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgI7Oxveuy0rID0M49u_jZHXGQPUTH7ZuuQ-ipffrOe4-RivVLm1P7M4mlYZxmdxLR_2djuMVFwOyw_nkHwBS2MHtW38YH8R7OBovXJAt493LrGjXeRcHQ19ZTHI5W6XaXR8BCd6Fm1WEu/s1600/GCclimate1PICT3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgI7Oxveuy0rID0M49u_jZHXGQPUTH7ZuuQ-ipffrOe4-RivVLm1P7M4mlYZxmdxLR_2djuMVFwOyw_nkHwBS2MHtW38YH8R7OBovXJAt493LrGjXeRcHQ19ZTHI5W6XaXR8BCd6Fm1WEu/s1600/GCclimate1PICT3.gif" /></a></div>
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That kind of
response is one I’ve given in one form or another to so many people who have
argued that climate change either isn’t real, or is not caused by humans. To hear the bitter irony of his words woven
into a song that will be heard by thousands, perhaps million, was a much-needed
balm for this weary climate activist’s soul.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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It’s no surprise
that Sting would write a song about a politically contentious justice
issue. Songs such as <a href="http://www.sting.com/discography/lyrics/lyric/song/126">“Driven to Tears”</a>
(world hunger), <a href="http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=4299">“Russians”</a>
(the threat of nuclear war), and <a href="http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=8203">“Children’s Crusade”</a>
(child slavery and drug addiction) are just some examples of his socially-conscious
songs. His social activism is well
known, having lent his music and concert appearances for causes such as Live
Aid, disaster relief, and numerous human rights issues.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But what
makes <i>57<sup>th</sup> & 9<sup>th</sup>
</i>worthy of an Ecopreacher review is the fact that <b>three of its songs connect
the subjects of climate change, religion, and the refugee crisis in Syria in a
way that illuminates the intersectionality of these issues.</b> Following “One Fine Day,” the song “Petrol
Head” barrels down like a ZZ-Top roadster, with Sting taking on the persona of
a burly truck-driver. His growling,
gravelly voice sings:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>You’ll know me just like I know you,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> Where
every gospel word is true.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> I’ll
drive this car, I’ll be your guide,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> Just
fasten your seat belt, let’s go for a ride.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> I’ll
take you someplace that you’ve never been before.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> A
place you might have only dreamt about what’s more. . . .<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> Now
don’t you worry your pretty little petrol head.</i> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQjyYzAYpM1s2bwR9byrRI8RGMtIFcZ5uzE5PIhMYzZuWz6Yn52MaqWQYxERBJaJkKuxF5wWx5dtU8oDmvqmojzYzLJwEW0uycd4KMpnTyKv6TM-kUXkoQMd_-6qZ_kB_PLoaE59kNAdI/s1600/insatiable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQjyYzAYpM1s2bwR9byrRI8RGMtIFcZ5uzE5PIhMYzZuWz6Yn52MaqWQYxERBJaJkKuxF5wWx5dtU8oDmvqmojzYzLJwEW0uycd4KMpnTyKv6TM-kUXkoQMd_-6qZ_kB_PLoaE59kNAdI/s320/insatiable.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: start;"> "Insatiable" - Theodore Bolha and Chris Davis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Where the Patriarchal
Western Industrial Complex has taken the world is certainly “someplace we’ve
never been before.” The polluted and
overheating planet we now inhabit is a direct result of the kind of arrogant
masochism typified in this song. But more,
the song’s lyrics also highlight the complexity that religion brings to the phenomenon
of consumerism fueled by oil, coal and gas:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>I speak in tongues, in tongues of fire.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> With
sixteen wheels for my desire . . .<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> Bring
me my Bow of burning gold;<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> Bring
me my Arrows of desire:<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> Bring
me my Spear: O Clouds unfold!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> Bring
me my Chariot of fire!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i> Like
Moses driving to his promised land,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> Left
turn at the burning bush, a stick shift,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> Two
stone tablets,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> God’s
commandments in my hands.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Sting is a
self-avowed agnostic, but he knows his <b>biblical references and religious
imagery</b>. “Tongues of fire” appeared over
Jesus’ disciples’ heads on the day of Pentecost (Acts Chapter 2). A “chariot of fire” is what whisked the
prophet Elijah to heaven (2 Kings 2:11-12).
And the burning bush was the site of God’s revelation to Moses to free the
Israelites from Egypt (Exodus 3). All
three of these fire images in the Bible symbolize the Sacred, the divine light that
is meant to free the oppressed, announce God’s justice, and shine hope into a
dark world.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOsbHE4O_-1oyuHk3I0deiaHjy_E5-_6mIlxOf-iXgYK1GYlLxHWDL9UnIg2MAQRsjYfhO7soh81lANbho6p0USaKZn35Fn6sPofoETJDdqtoHEiALUKOeOvOoiDtDo5Hnjshfk3imlG3e/s1600/FLARE-jumbo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOsbHE4O_-1oyuHk3I0deiaHjy_E5-_6mIlxOf-iXgYK1GYlLxHWDL9UnIg2MAQRsjYfhO7soh81lANbho6p0USaKZn35Fn6sPofoETJDdqtoHEiALUKOeOvOoiDtDo5Hnjshfk3imlG3e/s200/FLARE-jumbo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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But in “Petrol
Head,” the images burn with an unholy fire and the lyrics demonstrate what many Christians have done with this religion. They have used Christianity to justify a
commercialized Manifest Destiny that masquerades as a holy edict while plundering
land, water, natural resources, and native peoples. As I have previously explained, <a href="http://ecopreacher.blogspot.com/2012/09/natural-gas-is-not-gods-gift-to-humanity.html">fossil
fuels are not God’s gift to humanity</a> – a belief often touted by those
wishing to bless extreme energy extraction with faux religious benedictions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Where the
consequences of “Petrol Head” and “One Fine Day” come together on Sting’s album
is in the song “Inshallah,” a poignant elegy about the refugees from Syria who
are fleeing their war-wracked homeland. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8T2riBHMnPHPUP7YiNzGsPhJS1m1TSZdgqiMW7yP-Sin5fCIEoivCjVILDBHMYQhUtjcaAi7P5B-uLF4MlqQC0xhu3Uc8HiUEzoApSYu9dEIrs3xL-2EOC6wLgUKaerq_9IwdIlIFB6D0/s1600/refugee-boat-751x275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8T2riBHMnPHPUP7YiNzGsPhJS1m1TSZdgqiMW7yP-Sin5fCIEoivCjVILDBHMYQhUtjcaAi7P5B-uLF4MlqQC0xhu3Uc8HiUEzoApSYu9dEIrs3xL-2EOC6wLgUKaerq_9IwdIlIFB6D0/s320/refugee-boat-751x275.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The title is an Arabic word meaning “if it is God’s will then it will
come to pass,” and brings yet another religious angle to the album. The song puts us on the boat with a Muslim
father and his wife, with his child sleeping on his shoulder as they cross a
dangerous sea to flee the war and seek a new life. The beautifully somber music and Sting’s
plaintive voice not only evoke tearful pathos, the song is perhaps one of the
most effective artistic devices I’ve encountered to help make this humanitarian
crisis real for us. Reminiscent of his
song “<a href="http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1983">They Dance Alone</a>,”
about the mothers who danced for their sons and husbands who were “disappeared”
by the 1970s Pinochet regime in Chile, “Inshallah” takes us to that place of
desperation and fear, this time spraying up like the waves from the dark and threatening
sea on which they travel. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Sting has
said of his more politically controversial songs: <i> "I never tackle political issues head-on.
With something like 'They Dance Alone', and the Pinochet regime, the metaphor
was of the poor women dancing alone in front of government buildings; you could
understand that metaphor whether or not you knew the political issues. I've
never set out to write a song that is about, for example, the environment.
Songwriting is much more veiled than that. The meaning reveals itself as you go
into it. A song should be plastic enough for you to find different meanings
there. That's what all art does, all poetry, if you can call it that."</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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He said
those words in an <a href="http://www.sting.com/discography/index/album/albumId/196/tagName/studio_albums">interview</a>
with <i>The Times </i>in 2001. Fifteen years later, he has now written songs
about the environment - and in exactly the way he describes. “One Fine Day,” “Petrol Head” and “Ishallah”
reveal their meanings to us not just as individual songs, but in conversation
with each other. And their poetry
contains the essence of what it means to be human in the face of
inhumanity. For example, consider this
lyric in “Inshallah”:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Sleeping
child, on my shoulder,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Those
around us, curse the sea.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Anxious
mother turning fearful,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Who
can blame her, blaming me?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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In that last
line we feel the piercing unfairness experienced by a man determined to be a
protector of his family, yet powerless to do so in the face of forces
completely beyond his control. And with “One
Fine Day” and “Petrol Head” already in our ears, we start to realize the ways
in which fossil fuels, climate change and the Syrian refugee crisis are all
interconnected. As I explain in a previous <a href="http://ecopreacher.blogspot.com/2016/12/climate-change-and-modern-day-slaughter.html">post</a>,
what most people don’t realize is the role that climate disruption and
environmental devastation have played in exacerbating the situations in <a href="https://newint.org/blog/2016/06/10/climate-change-and-the-syria-crisis/">Syria</a>
and other war-torn areas. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjSPb7HgHPb0unvNBcnEvRJKCisUD6Bt9bAJdqrxJwqQE3Ipbn5O-TfDtIsm-hCFHLW0n6J4qQShT-0u1Xd2URbUD3R47ghX8WKTup_bMYL1xkXbQdFhuSbq9I6bdm5bAiNLCjrBWdwA5/s1600/3_1_15_BrianSyria-Timeline_720_580_s_c1_c_c.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjSPb7HgHPb0unvNBcnEvRJKCisUD6Bt9bAJdqrxJwqQE3Ipbn5O-TfDtIsm-hCFHLW0n6J4qQShT-0u1Xd2URbUD3R47ghX8WKTup_bMYL1xkXbQdFhuSbq9I6bdm5bAiNLCjrBWdwA5/s400/3_1_15_BrianSyria-Timeline_720_580_s_c1_c_c.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Climate change
leads to drought and increased crop damage from insect infestations and blights
in some places, which drives farmers away from the land and leads to
uprisings. When this many people are
forcibly displaced from their homes – a number higher than it has been at any
time since World War II – it creates the conditions for corruption, violence,
and authoritarian regimes thrive. Which
means that for those of us who live in countries that have burned the most
fossil fuels, polluting the planet and sending the atmosphere into feverish
sickness, we share some responsibility for the refugee crisis. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Like most pop music with a social conscious, Stings songs do
not offer solutions to the dilemmas they portray. But that’s not their job. The bard’s role is to tell the story, to give
witness to what is happening, and to set it to music that enchants our ears on
its way to our souls. My hope is that <i>57<sup>th</sup> & 9<sup>th</sup> </i>will
raise awareness of the interconnected issues of fossil fuels, climate change
and the humanitarian crises to a point that listeners will be driven to take <a href="http://ecopreacher.blogspot.com/2016/06/2-minute-ecopreacher-what-can-person-of.html">action</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Now if we could just have some powerful songs about climate
change written and performed by some high-profile Country music artists . . .
When this happens, we’ll know that the issues of climate change, human rights,
and the need to care for God’s Creation have finally begun to sink in. Garth Brooks?
Toby Keith? Miranda Lambert? Keith Urban? Carrie Underwood? George Strait? Anyone?
Anyone?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
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<i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Leah
Schade is the author of the book </span></i><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/">Creation-Crisis Preaching</a></span></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">: Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit <i>(Chalice
Press, 2015). She is the <a href="https://www.lextheo.edu/leah-d-schade/">Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship</a> at
<a href="https://www.lextheo.edu/">Lexington Theological Seminary</a> in Kentucky, and an ordained minister of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-20521268998030101072017-01-03T07:14:00.001-08:002017-01-03T07:14:16.750-08:00An Inauguration of a Different Kind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYO_KEM7CI2fdxuhtYgGe6nFqT5-vJvXCDPCD4uzqiaCpCq0mpX9GebbruCsq-H6dg0ERBmlzI-Klq-npYPooI9DH6LD-2da-ebd59IVkhjNOq-X37zIJGBas819-QnaLpY0K2MI6vydBP/s1600/inauguration+of+a+different+kind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYO_KEM7CI2fdxuhtYgGe6nFqT5-vJvXCDPCD4uzqiaCpCq0mpX9GebbruCsq-H6dg0ERBmlzI-Klq-npYPooI9DH6LD-2da-ebd59IVkhjNOq-X37zIJGBas819-QnaLpY0K2MI6vydBP/s640/inauguration+of+a+different+kind.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Inauguration by Water – The Baptism of Jesus</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Texts: Isaiah
42:1-9; Psalm 29; Matthew 3:13-17</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The
Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Assistant
Professor of Preaching and Worship <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lexington
Theological Seminary, Lexington, KY<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Author, </b><b><i><span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/">Creation-Crisis Preaching</a></span></i></b><b><i>:
Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit</i></b><b> (Chalice Press, 2016)</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">On this Sunday we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus and the
gift of baptism itself. As Jesus emerges from the Jordan River after being
immersed by the prophet John, a voice from heaven declares, “This is my Son,
the beloved, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17, NRSV). The words echo those heard in Isaiah, who
foretold a divinely-appointed servant: “Here
is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put
my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations,” (Isaiah
42:1). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus chooses to begin his ministry on the banks of the
Jordan River seeking baptism from John. Water is central to Jesus’ ministry. He
is, in a sense, inaugurated <i>in</i> the
water and <i>by</i> the water. As our
country prepares for a different kind of inauguration in the coming weeks – one
that is marked with ascension to the highest political office in the United
States, and, perhaps, the world – it’s worth noting the stark contrast between
these two different scenes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4XxpPmrE7Iq0Tv3zwxIUIPRoAF1i9gKOqhQ8gCTNVtP5Z3cU5ur-Tlc5b0xiU2iq-UymeLcgTWyABY4TTG00tTr1MX1qeKivCSArAZR1YmcJ4752puCtqoLIwsijx_0jAzQi_VvVsVPf/s1600/inauguration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4XxpPmrE7Iq0Tv3zwxIUIPRoAF1i9gKOqhQ8gCTNVtP5Z3cU5ur-Tlc5b0xiU2iq-UymeLcgTWyABY4TTG00tTr1MX1qeKivCSArAZR1YmcJ4752puCtqoLIwsijx_0jAzQi_VvVsVPf/s320/inauguration.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The presidential inauguration is the epitome of worldly
power, with the one assuming the office standing high on a platform on the West
Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building. Thousands
of people will flock to Washington D.C. while the event is televised to millions
around the world. The ceremony bestows
the authority of the Executive Branch of the U.S. government on this one
individual. Military, judicial, economic
and cultural dominance<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>are just some of the
aspects of power enjoyed by the one sworn in at this inauguration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHqCbDUMIUNSkDaQhXCDHk9Tap0djOrJFJOc6KU5_WD3_bf7-aqGmpn9lrewzm0PxRUgHZFVCzWGeJx0K06ZUdelYw0B1z-x6vKBnZE9ieMhGq-x7wYCEpp33Y0S4waxBajzHjM1WLpjW/s1600/bonnell+baptism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHqCbDUMIUNSkDaQhXCDHk9Tap0djOrJFJOc6KU5_WD3_bf7-aqGmpn9lrewzm0PxRUgHZFVCzWGeJx0K06ZUdelYw0B1z-x6vKBnZE9ieMhGq-x7wYCEpp33Y0S4waxBajzHjM1WLpjW/s320/bonnell+baptism.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daniel Bonnell, "The Baptism of Jesus" http://www.bonnellart.com/</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In contrast, Jesus’ inauguration to his earthly ministry
took place in an out-of-the-way place, a wilderness. Jesus was not on a high platform, but went
down into the water, letting himself be washed by the river. People were gathered at that place as well,
though the numbers were certainly less than a hundred. John’s message of baptism was about
repentance and aligning with God’s purposes of justice, righteousness, ethical
integrity, and courage in the face of evil. For Jesus to submit to this baptism
meant that he was eschewing the worldly trappings of power and dominance. The test of this decision to follow God’s way
will immediately follow when Jesus faces temptations in the place of wildness
and danger. Such tests require
introspection, self-reflection, and a willingness to face down the demons. Whether you are celebrating or protesting the incoming president, we know that the fate of our nation, and the world, is in the balance as he approaches his own tests of character. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For Christians, the tests of character that come with being
baptized have important ramifications which are illustrated by both the
Matthew and Isaiah passages. It’s worth
noting that for Isaiah the call to be God’s servant wasn’t
necessarily for one person – it was for the whole nation of Israel. God empowers people
to do the work of building the peaceable kingdom; it’s a divine transference of
power. This is a commissioning. God is
telling the people: I have given you as a covenant – you are a sign of the
covenant. You are blessed in order to be a blessing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As Christians, can we as a baptized community of faith be a
people who do this? Can we be blessed by our baptism to be a blessing to others?
And can we be a blessing for the very water with which we were baptized? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBGFtACPur9LG3h7JjOPITyrHZBlTTsNqkiW7bK2PsnYfH16TrIHV8tsiBK2megFt3bzqQbOpALJpvitw3JlRiElsj0-N91bt2NWOXqwLgTpkLysnM9P482FgIayxWogqdXscPO4dDB4g/s1600/ISEC+water+blessing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBGFtACPur9LG3h7JjOPITyrHZBlTTsNqkiW7bK2PsnYfH16TrIHV8tsiBK2megFt3bzqQbOpALJpvitw3JlRiElsj0-N91bt2NWOXqwLgTpkLysnM9P482FgIayxWogqdXscPO4dDB4g/s320/ISEC+water+blessing.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">The author helping to lead an interfaith water blessing at Shikellamy
State Park Marina, convergence of the North and West Branches of the
Susquehanna River in central Pennsylvania, 2011.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Just consider the gift of water itself for a minute. Water
covers about 70% of the earth’s surface. But of all the water on the earth, potable
water for human use is only about .3% of the world’s water, found mainly in
groundwater aquifers, rivers, and freshwater lakes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xWEkyePj0wKiiAHWkbhnb5O6FaiKRnf8sxdlKCcCtML-zhQKmSgKOU7Ctkbo9BWtCJgH4f5WqdNERdAVmd4EqLaNM21VH7B3MhK_YMGIZ4PjqMXWw4w24y5EGhXOomzt8N7JRHaPb9wB/s1600/water+pollution+wordle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xWEkyePj0wKiiAHWkbhnb5O6FaiKRnf8sxdlKCcCtML-zhQKmSgKOU7Ctkbo9BWtCJgH4f5WqdNERdAVmd4EqLaNM21VH7B3MhK_YMGIZ4PjqMXWw4w24y5EGhXOomzt8N7JRHaPb9wB/s320/water+pollution+wordle.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In North America we take this gift of water for granted. We
can enter any house, virtually any building, turn on a faucet, and clean water
comes pouring out for us. In countries without access to clean water, people
(usually women and girls) walk for hours a day back and forth from a water
source, carrying heavy jugs, being careful not to spill a single precious drop.
At the same time, industries, fossil fuel extraction, and animal agriculture use obscene amounts of water while chemical
run-off, discarded pharmaceuticals, fracking, and fertilizers threaten the health and safety of our streams, rivers, ponds,
lakes and oceans. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfUSULetTQ4CXcz3SqFB9UpPoI0ANwHWoinKWpAePbI2HiQ3bbJZXulQ41DwRDefb4EtL022Tl20Vb5tbeo1lc7aB0Nq7f8TAcRqN-YyH0WGzWAekQIGKBtGy2dwx6ujudVj5cedFCgtb/s1600/water+bottle+pollution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfUSULetTQ4CXcz3SqFB9UpPoI0ANwHWoinKWpAePbI2HiQ3bbJZXulQ41DwRDefb4EtL022Tl20Vb5tbeo1lc7aB0Nq7f8TAcRqN-YyH0WGzWAekQIGKBtGy2dwx6ujudVj5cedFCgtb/s320/water+bottle+pollution.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the most ubiquitous symbols of our disrespect for
water is, ironically, bottled water. We spend millions of dollars for water
bottled in places where the natives don’t have access to the water we’re taking
from them. We shell out a dollar for a bottle of water when we could simply put
it in a reusable cup or bottle. According to the “<a href="https://www.banthebottle.net/">Ban the Bottle</a>” website,
about 38 billion plastic bottles end up in landfills and incinerators each
year. “Making bottles to meet America’s
demand for bottled water uses more than 17 million barrels of oil annually,
enough to fuel 1.3 million cars for a year. And that’s not even including the
oil used for transportation. The energy we waste using bottled water would be
enough to power 190,000 homes. Last
year, the average American used 167 disposable water bottles, but only recycled
38.3,” (<a href="https://www.banthebottle.net/bottled-water-facts/">https://www.banthebottle.net/bottled-water-facts/</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBm-54Idoq73tr_TUnd1b9ePfN0ZhSsHipYsRhNcBKyrJaN7uEqqUxhEYz8fWjmL9keeF2J0I7KPqK1z06ygyF__rRLRzHYE_DGasj88vmIYxEuVbQfMTltyd7Etk2euCvT5X-BmQqu1rd/s1600/waterwars2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBm-54Idoq73tr_TUnd1b9ePfN0ZhSsHipYsRhNcBKyrJaN7uEqqUxhEYz8fWjmL9keeF2J0I7KPqK1z06ygyF__rRLRzHYE_DGasj88vmIYxEuVbQfMTltyd7Etk2euCvT5X-BmQqu1rd/s200/waterwars2.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Perhaps what is most frightening is the potential of future
wars over water. With populations exploding and water scarcity increasing, there
have already been conflicts over water resources in Bolivia, California,
Mozambique, and yes, even the Jordan River. Between climate disruption leading to drought
and decades of gross mismanagement of water resources, regional crises over
water will become more frequent and potentially violent. And it’s the
poorest and most vulnerable people who will suffer the most.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In the midst of this suffering, Psalm 29 declares: “The
voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is
upon the mighty waters.” This voice of God is the same one that called upon the
people of Israel to do justice - <i>righteousness - </i>in the Isaiah text. It’s
the same voice that commissioned Jesus to <i>his </i>ministry of righteousness.
And each of us in our baptisms is called by God’s voice to establish justice
and righteousness in the earth. We have important work to do on behalf of the
water. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATSAMl7oR5518WTRiSonAAHV79ZQjQFSeDxkyRJPD7a9ew7mJEA1IREFxmI4vBumyCDdlqAhAURThOSZl5peaWDDTW4CIeSjmxcUDtCP2dmUuKWboQrpjtuTlZ5Hm5UgdPtLFKrP3c81k/s1600/psalm_29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATSAMl7oR5518WTRiSonAAHV79ZQjQFSeDxkyRJPD7a9ew7mJEA1IREFxmI4vBumyCDdlqAhAURThOSZl5peaWDDTW4CIeSjmxcUDtCP2dmUuKWboQrpjtuTlZ5Hm5UgdPtLFKrP3c81k/s320/psalm_29.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Our baptisms conferred on us the duties and responsibilities
that being a servant of God entails. We are to protect those who are vulnerable
– like the fragile ecosystems – “bruised reeds,” if you will (Isaiah 42:3). We
are to open the eyes of the blind, share the truth about environmental
degradation with those ignorant of the ramifications. We are to confront those
in power who wantonly abuse water and speak courageous truth in order to
establish ecological justice. The coastlands do indeed wait for God’s teaching
– they wait for us to learn how to care for them. And we are to teach – on the
coastlands, on boats, on mountains, in houses, and anywhere else people are
gathered. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8LuHiplT04NXo93gyKBXGgKklckrQAjjF99_cBjPOSsHccroLvGyJx3UiCBmpf-BXERNoxv7YWLuKLWHzwZygBRIecMD-neLssm1sU__ZuqWbF8sXWN2t4Iy3MXiGtI5_Ad7gaanfHsK/s1600/water+clean+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8LuHiplT04NXo93gyKBXGgKklckrQAjjF99_cBjPOSsHccroLvGyJx3UiCBmpf-BXERNoxv7YWLuKLWHzwZygBRIecMD-neLssm1sU__ZuqWbF8sXWN2t4Iy3MXiGtI5_Ad7gaanfHsK/s320/water+clean+up.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The God who is described in verse 5 of the Isaiah text, the
God who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth
and what comes from it – this God entrusts it all to us, and we are commissioned
to care for it. Isaiah is clear: <b>God will
not hurt the weak. If we are servants of God, we will not hurt the weak either.
We will bring justice to all the earth – even to Earth itself. </b>The Water Protectors at Standing Rock in North Dakota exemplify the kind of prophetic action some communities are taking to defend the life-giving water that sustains us (a fight which is far from <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/water-protectors-dakota-access-pipeline-2137773762.html">over</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDeoIAA5oJCHYPpxbRRYMFcaZ6aF55n7id7y3X2547EXUQ89ja0xlWOPRzefzdNyvUJ5m3wZ0bVbYV5EMNSdtqVs0GxP8XVa8YIJOKbOIr6kZ09heNZ1VFsrT3ANc9ZPvjiGSciJG00SHx/s1600/water+protectors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDeoIAA5oJCHYPpxbRRYMFcaZ6aF55n7id7y3X2547EXUQ89ja0xlWOPRzefzdNyvUJ5m3wZ0bVbYV5EMNSdtqVs0GxP8XVa8YIJOKbOIr6kZ09heNZ1VFsrT3ANc9ZPvjiGSciJG00SHx/s320/water+protectors.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Because when we do justice for Earth, it has a flow-through
effect for the entire human community, and particularly for the poor and those
living in the most fragile of circumstances. People in rich countries use 10
times more water than those in poor ones.
The connection between poverty and poor environmental conditions can be
seen throughout the United States and the world. It is those who have no
resources who cannot afford to move, much less fight against industrial
pollution, landfills, and toxic dumping sites, often right in their
neighborhoods. Two-fifths of the world's people already face serious water
shortages, and water-borne diseases fill half its hospital beds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As one person put it in a BBC online commentary: “If water
is life, we must learn to treat it not as a commodity to be sold to the highest
bidder or as an entitlement to the privileged, but as an essential component of
human existence. We must learn not only the methods and habits of sharing
equitably, but also the technologies and values of protecting the environment
that makes fresh water available to us.” (<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2943946.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2943946.stm</a>)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I said earlier that John’s baptism was about repentance and being
a servant of God. If we’re going to take that seriously, then each of us, and
each of our congregations, needs to change our habits in order to do at least some
small part in establishing justice for the Earth. Perhaps on Inauguration Day, your congregation
can undertake a different ceremony – an Affirmation of Baptism where each
person recommits themselves to the prophetic ministry of Jesus Christ. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNfzMgUyeK8rkX4IxB59oxsvqzQifMSiB4JTibxDnAhzk-wR0aB9KXKfPJNkeqj3bkdhDe6sV2LOBCQGB1K7lk58wyllcosoixmUQ0o-E7w_lRQu6qi7DN7qx2ncdvrVlogq7Ll86GxQ1/s1600/pouring+water+into+font.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNfzMgUyeK8rkX4IxB59oxsvqzQifMSiB4JTibxDnAhzk-wR0aB9KXKfPJNkeqj3bkdhDe6sV2LOBCQGB1K7lk58wyllcosoixmUQ0o-E7w_lRQu6qi7DN7qx2ncdvrVlogq7Ll86GxQ1/s320/pouring+water+into+font.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Maybe your church can look at ways to educate your
congregation and community about water conservation and water justice issues. Plan
a water clean-up for a local stream, river, or ocean front. Encourage youth to make a donation to the
Walk4Water (<a href="http://elca.org/walk4water">http://elca.org/walk4water</a>)
campaign that was begun at the 2015 ELCA Youth Gathering. To date, over $1 million in gifts have <span style="background: white; color: #333333;">created
healthier families and stronger economies through projects that provide clean
drinking water through spring boxes and boreholes, support for irrigation systems,
education about sanitation in rural villages.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEvx3qFb7J0HHNnTIK-O5hbU75a19r9auK6KsO7ztJSEzovf1dZztrm7chcObmXVj8kroPnp23B8DMpnEVPIgyPYJDk6VbXRIhX3_HLwJpkPKGeqcd3SvYzvNzo8Z0YJ5QauPGUp9xUi1/s1600/give+up+the+bottle+for+lent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEvx3qFb7J0HHNnTIK-O5hbU75a19r9auK6KsO7ztJSEzovf1dZztrm7chcObmXVj8kroPnp23B8DMpnEVPIgyPYJDk6VbXRIhX3_HLwJpkPKGeqcd3SvYzvNzo8Z0YJ5QauPGUp9xUi1/s640/give+up+the+bottle+for+lent.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">Or p</span>erhaps you can encourage people to
“give up the bottle” (water bottle) for Lent and use water pitchers in their
homes, and reusable bottles at work, at school, and on the sports field. It
won’t change the world overnight. But it will be one small drop freed from the
bottle. And it may be part of God’s
ripple effect that spreads out over all the Earth. Amen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Source:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -237.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Kirby, Alex, “Why world's taps are running dry” <span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">BBC News Online, June 20, 2003; Accessed Dec. 29,
2016.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2943946.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2943946.stm</a>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-55342675073806268922017-01-01T16:28:00.002-08:002017-01-01T16:54:33.295-08:00Clergy New Year's Resolutions: Healthy Pastor, Healthy Congregation, Healthier Planet<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.paintwalk.com/2014/05/little-planet-earth-and-little-planet.html</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 17.3067px;">This is the season to encourage each other to take steps toward better health, healing and wholeness in mind, body, emotions and relationships. As pastors, we especially need to take this call seriously. I'm ordained in the Lutheran church (ELCA) and learned from the benefit service provider for my denomination the serious nature of the overall health of ELCA clergy and what the church is trying to do to change it. (</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Click on this link if you’d like to learn more: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 17.3067px;"><a href="https://employerlink.porticobenefits.org/home/CallToLiveWell/FaithBasedWellBeing/WellnessReformation">https://employerlink.porticobenefits.org/home/CallToLiveWell/FaithBasedWellBeing/WellnessReformation</a>)</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 17.3067px;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 17.3067px;">Clergy have such high instances of stress, weight problems, hypertension, depression and heart problems that poor health is becoming a characteristic of the profession.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 17.3067px;">Our health costs as a group are 23% higher than other comparable groups. And this is reflected in the skyrocketing costs of health care for clergy and congregations. Clergy work is stressful and our population has a higher incident rate of chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, asthma, kidney disease, and heart failure than other professions. (An article by <i><a href="https://www.christiancentury.org/article/2012-10/fit-ministry">Christian Century</a> </i>further explains the problem of clergy health.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17.3067px;">The kind of frenetic lifestyles that pastors - and our society - lead also contribute to our planet's "health crisis." </span>The
manufactured need (greed) for excessive and unchecked “growth” leads to
unrelenting demands that we place upon ourselves, each other, and the planet to
supply us with more and more, without consideration of the consequences. This leads to depletion on personal, societal and ecological levels and a feedback loop of exponentially increasing pollution, climate change, and ecosystem collapse. In the human
body, cells that grow without rest, consume all surrounding resources, and take
over the system are called <i>cancer</i>. <span class="apple-converted-space"> So t</span>he kind of growth envisioned by our consumerist culture (which has in many ways affected the Church) leads to ill health at best and death at worst.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">One of the things the ELCA has asked clergy to do is to make lifestyle choices and changes that have tangible positive outcomes. In response, last year I took a serious look at my habits to see what I could tweak or reshape to better reflect the blessings God wants me to enjoy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">As part of my discernment, I realized that the Commandment that I broke most often is the one about honoring the Sabbath. Yes, I led worship nearly every Sunday. But many months I did not take a weekly day of rest. I also did not exercise as much as necessary. Add to this my family history of heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure, as well as my own level of stress, and I realized that I could be a risk for the congregation and the church as a whole if I did not take steps to better care for myself. So last year I committed to doing the following: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 17.3067px;">1.</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 17.3067px;"><b>Sabbath: </b>I strove to h</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 17.3067px;">onor the day of rest once a week. Usually this was on Fridays. On these days I engaged in the activities that strengthened my relationships with God, family and friends, and God’s Creation (taking walks in nature alone or with friends, meditating, journaling, playing games with my kids, and having “dates” with my husband, for example).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 17.3067px;">2.</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 17.3067px;"><b>Exercise: </b>I a</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 17.3067px;">dded one additional day of high-energy exercise each week and committed to walking at least 20 minutes each day, or 40 minutes every other day.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 17.3067px;">3.</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 17.3067px;"><b>Nutrition: </b>I e</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 17.3067px;">liminated meat from my diet. In October 2015 I committed to being a “pescatarian” - not eating meat, but allowing fish and seafood. This is not only good for my health, but also for <a href="http://www.chooseveg.com/environment">our planet’s well-being</a> (see also <a href="http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/">http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/</a>). T</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">hough I realize going vegan is the ideal, well, one step at a time. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Even if you cut out meat just one day a week (Meatless Mondays, for example), you'll be doing the planet - and your body - a favor.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhA8bnWASFujoC2gED8fZPBdbx6W6AIy5NXtC7ZZY5Ly4kRFBWXXsP7QkMXuvqbCGgrBx37_JCohGHTAuLsRab27EaQASiijYkz1WDraElvtsR53P8FOJAvvRyEQgNWLZ4PJy_WE25zFkv/s1600/vegetarian+graphic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhA8bnWASFujoC2gED8fZPBdbx6W6AIy5NXtC7ZZY5Ly4kRFBWXXsP7QkMXuvqbCGgrBx37_JCohGHTAuLsRab27EaQASiijYkz1WDraElvtsR53P8FOJAvvRyEQgNWLZ4PJy_WE25zFkv/s400/vegetarian+graphic.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 17.3067px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 17.3067px; text-indent: -0.25in;">4.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 17.3067px;">Accountability: </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0px;">I committed to being accountable to our Council and the congregation about the steps I needed to take to improve my health. I included that information in my pastor's report, wrote about it in my column for our newsletter, and designed a Lenten sermon series entitled "</span><i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-indent: 0px;">Metanoia</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0px;"> - Turning Toward Health and Faith." I also asked</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> for their prayerful support and encouragement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 17.3067px;">5. <b>Prayer: </b> I prayed that God would give me the will and the willpower to take care of the temple of my mind, body and emotions that have been entrusted to me, as well as the relationships that are a reflection of the Divine Love that seeks to enfold me in grace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">My hope last year was that I modeled for my congregation what it looks like to take positive steps toward better health for all of us, taking care of the temples of our bodies and our planet which God has entrusted to us. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">This year, however, I no longer pastor a church. I'm now a seminary professor of preaching and worship teaching future pastors. While the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">the demands of academia are different than ministry, the intensity of the work remains. And I realize that it's important to model for my students what it means to lead a life shaped by intentions toward health and wholeness. So I am recommitting to these 5 steps.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">But I also know how difficult it is to make good on these intentions as a pastor. Illnesses and deaths in our congregations happen. Meetings and events are scheduled. Reports are due. The youth retreat is this weekend. The surprise vermin in the sacristy demands attention. And Sunday comes EVERY WEEK!</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">So what has worked for you? What are your challenges when trying to live a healthy life as a clergy person? </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">If you are inspired to take steps toward improving your own health in mind, body, spirit and relationships, I welcome hearing from you. Post a response about your challenges, insights, and suggestions for others. Supporting each other on this journey together will help us all live into our calling to take good care of the bodies, minds and spirits God has entrusted to us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Leah Schade is the author of the book </i><a href="http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #cc6666; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration: none;">Creation-Crisis Preaching</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">: Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">(Chalice Press, 2015). She is the Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky, and an ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. </i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-47630991587315915462016-12-27T04:03:00.000-08:002017-01-01T11:15:38.339-08:00Climate Change and the Modern-day Slaughter of the Innocents<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Refusing
to be Consoled: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Climate
Change and the Modern-day Slaughter of the Innocents<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">First
Sunday of Christmas 2016<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Assistant
Professor of Preaching and Worship <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lexington
Theological Seminary, Lexington, KY<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Author,
</span></b><a href="http://www.chalicepress.com/Creation-Crisis-Preaching-P1550.aspx"><b><i><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Creation-Crisis
Preaching</span></i></b></a><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">:
Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit</span></i></b><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> (Chalice Press, 2016)</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Text: Matthew 2:13-23<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"A
voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her
children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more." Matthew 2:18 (NRSV)<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This stark scene of children’s bodies lying limp in
their mothers’ arms comes crashing into our silent and holy nights of Christmas
peace and joy. Last week was the time
for celebration and the sweet smell of a newborn’s skin. This week is different. Because here we have the juxtaposition of the
state-sanctioned murder of babies and toddlers against the images we cherish of
Mary holding her precious baby boy in swaddling clothes. The jarring contrast is almost too much to
bear. We squirm in our pews and
anxiously wait for the reading to be over, and hope that the preacher won’t
make us think about these acts of evil perpetrated against the innocent. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">But this story is part of the Christmas saga. And it contains an awful truth. As much as we repeat the all-too-familiar
adage about Jesus dying for us to save us from our sin, this passage from
Matthew confronts us with one very difficult reality that we can’t ignore: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">All those baby boys died
because the baby Jesus lived.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jesus escaped with his
life. Those children died. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mary cradled her son
safely in her arms far away.
Hundreds of other mothers cradled their dead babies in their arms with
excruciating cries of grief. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Most of them probably did not even know why the
soldiers descended into their town, burst through their doors and reached into
the cradles. But we know. A despotic ruler crazed with anger kills all the other children because the one he wanted got
away. A generation of children paid
for Jesus’ life with their own.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Some will say that this story about the “Slaughter of
the Innocents,” as it’s come to be called, simply can’t be true. Some scholars say that there is no indication
in the historical records of such a genocide taking place. And that may be the case. Or it may be that the murder of Jewish babies
just wasn’t important enough to make the headlines. It wouldn’t be the first time that the
erasure of hundreds of lives by thugs-in-power simply went unnoticed or ignored. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPdpUl4A6hrCCvbmyZ1sBft8-jMJ15D3Bhvwo3Yzxc6kKZu43okpkPKrLAGGd-QuEHoEbf4Z0SMDDhElBgOrQMXwwypXyMJ5o2KrVSOWAgCo4u2YMKeLPCiAFOmVmnM32a0xpK-3BXyBX/s1600/aleppo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPdpUl4A6hrCCvbmyZ1sBft8-jMJ15D3Bhvwo3Yzxc6kKZu43okpkPKrLAGGd-QuEHoEbf4Z0SMDDhElBgOrQMXwwypXyMJ5o2KrVSOWAgCo4u2YMKeLPCiAFOmVmnM32a0xpK-3BXyBX/s320/aleppo.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmBnw8B7DLDdv483kQiOIN72SW9qWEKnLJrDbY_0AfMUdPKn7zEu4RLJQ8LP2cwv-isrUyf_pY3-Fm-86_nEWUhVAtGOzbCpx_Vh8p4tlzcDz6QLrinNU7WxABEtwaguYArXaggEeTU25/s1600/children+on+gurney.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmBnw8B7DLDdv483kQiOIN72SW9qWEKnLJrDbY_0AfMUdPKn7zEu4RLJQ8LP2cwv-isrUyf_pY3-Fm-86_nEWUhVAtGOzbCpx_Vh8p4tlzcDz6QLrinNU7WxABEtwaguYArXaggEeTU25/s200/children+on+gurney.png" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">As we listen to this Bible story today, we can’t help
but hear Rachel’s wailing and loud lamentation rising not just from Bethlehem,
but from other places around the world.
We hear those anguished cries piercing our ears and our hearts from the
dust and rubble in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/world/middleeast/syria-aleppo-children.html?_r=0">Aleppo, Syria</a>. As I
scroll through my Facebook page and see the pictures of a city bombed to sandy
piles of rubble, all vegetation gone, I come upon a video of a hospital where
children who have survived the latest round of bombs are sitting on gurneys. Their faces are dusty and blood-caked but
oddly quiet. They have no tears. But the
adults around them wail in grief. One
teenage boy comes in cradling a baby in his arms. But the baby does not move, because his tiny
body had been smothered in the rubble.
The teenager has already lost his parents and now clings to this little
body, crying like Rachel in Ramah.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Do you know why Rachel was crying? <span style="background: white;">Genesis 35:16-20
relates that Rachel, one of Jacob’s wives, died in childbirth on the road from
Bethel to Bethlehem. Her midwife tried to comfort her with the news that she
had born a son – the one who would be called Benjamin. So there is a bittersweet quality to her
tears. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">But in Jeremiah 31:15, Rachel
becomes a symbol for all of Israel who mourns the loss of their dead after
returning from exile and captivity in Babylon:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFPMsEXglgKbViIkpOi2f2k1vKhkruOtV2LgP2Of4yz9oEVxR5IALoKnuV72hyphenhyphen8XpXszt2IRmL7iIwtqgUApBVXYVH4odWFgl_PyUXi025N1lK0hTubOuN8tyKcXgtWut0cZMdEpOtfa6/s1600/rachel_weeps_gallery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFPMsEXglgKbViIkpOi2f2k1vKhkruOtV2LgP2Of4yz9oEVxR5IALoKnuV72hyphenhyphen8XpXszt2IRmL7iIwtqgUApBVXYVH4odWFgl_PyUXi025N1lK0hTubOuN8tyKcXgtWut0cZMdEpOtfa6/s320/rachel_weeps_gallery.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><sup><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">15</span></sup><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Thus says the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="sc"><span style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span></span>:</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">A voice is heard in Ramah,</span><br />
<span style="background: white;"> lamentation and bitter
weeping.</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">Rachel is weeping for her children;</span><br />
<span style="background: white;"> she refuses to be comforted
for her children,</span><br />
<span style="background: white;"> because they are no more.<span class="apple-converted-space"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="background: white;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In quoting this passage from
Jeremiah, Matthew takes it one step further with the image of Rachel weeping in
her grave at Ramah over the horrendous events taking place in Bethlehem.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">We want to move on quickly from this story, to go back
to our holiday celebrations, playing with our shiny new toys. But Rachel’s cries do not fade when we close
the covers of our Bibles and walk out of the church service. In Aleppo, in Sudan and Kenya, in Somalia,
Columbia, Ukraine, North Korea, and Afghanistan, and so many other countries we
see that war, gang violence, poverty, and rulers even worse than Herod are
killing children and ravaging families around the world. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">We’d like to think that Rachel’s cries from these
places, while heart-rending, are not our fault.
But actually we are partially responsible. What most people don’t realize is the role that climate disruption and
environmental devastation have played in exacerbating the situations in Aleppo
and other war-torn areas. Which means
that those of us who live in countries that have burned the most fossil fuels
share some responsibility for the carnage.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Alex Randall of the Climate and Migration Coalition
notes that “Problems arise when patterns of climate-driven migration collide
with existing violence.” Rafael Malpica
Padilla, executive director for ELCA Global Mission concurs: “As never seen
before, over 62 million persons have been displaced from their home by
violence, poverty and economic marginalization . . . But lately we have seen
the huge impact climate change is having on people’s lives,” <a href="http://www.livinglutheran.org/2016/11/seeing-jesus-in-the-face-of-the-other/">(K. T. Sancken,“Seeing Jesus in the face of the other,” The Lutheran Magazine, November 2016, 15)</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSxxVy-7nBxYcTwCyBog0RnpDOt1uiPzdLnI57usM3JidC8n72TV-E3GAilNczzC4Dkbg_o8TkVd9fxpRMswjDeJwvWl327HfgFenNWkpjGBVPwlyZEGL1ygn99MUypR-9ILPbPs0saIU/s1600/aleppotimeline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSxxVy-7nBxYcTwCyBog0RnpDOt1uiPzdLnI57usM3JidC8n72TV-E3GAilNczzC4Dkbg_o8TkVd9fxpRMswjDeJwvWl327HfgFenNWkpjGBVPwlyZEGL1ygn99MUypR-9ILPbPs0saIU/s640/aleppotimeline.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">https://thinkprogress.org/veterans-day-2030-could-look-like-syria-today-thanks-to-climate-change-1e4afafd523#.vep2f4qaw</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Climate change leads to drought and increased crop
damage from insect infestations and blights in some places, which drives
farmers away from the land and leads to uprisings. In other
places, rising sea levels cause entire towns and island populations to
relocate. When this many people are
forcibly displaced from their homes – a number higher than it has been at any
time since World War II – it creates the conditions for corruption, violence, and
authoritarian regimes thrive.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5rRVTccBbUt-r2IiyMpYMx8mI7EiEnlFDM4T5kphwFgp1gISy4I_szIBUJe1260s4Vak54BXudiuDyXkNdbTm85W9GR7fyItZgd3WUo-V0EhrryzFYDmuwRYKTLMc0DgxdZrloCyU-Or/s1600/aleppocamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5rRVTccBbUt-r2IiyMpYMx8mI7EiEnlFDM4T5kphwFgp1gISy4I_szIBUJe1260s4Vak54BXudiuDyXkNdbTm85W9GR7fyItZgd3WUo-V0EhrryzFYDmuwRYKTLMc0DgxdZrloCyU-Or/s320/aleppocamp.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">CREDIT: AP PHOTO/ALEPPO MEDIA CENTER AMC</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">War, in turn, consumes resources and destroys
infrastructure which in turn intensifies the cycle of misery for those trapped
in these areas. Diseases like cholera and other water-borne illnesses hit
children’s bodies the hardest. Rachel’s
tears weep for the babies whose bodies are depleted by intestinal
illnesses, malnutrition, and disease; for the children whose fragile lives are cut short by war and violence, leaving them limp in their mother’s arms.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">How are we to engage this kind of suffering? How do we avoid the sin of avoidance and the
passive evil of complacency on the one hand, without getting overwhelmed with
despair on the other? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our way through this double-bind is illuminated by a
Word from God. There remains the
proclamation of hope and the call to action.
In Jeremiah 31, after acknowledging the unimaginable pain of Rachel, the
voice of God says this:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><sup>16</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Thus
says the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="sc"><span style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span></span>:<br />
Keep your voice from weeping,<br />
and your eyes from tears;<br />
for there is a reward for your work, says the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="sc"><span style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span></span>:<br />
they shall come back from the land of the enemy;<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<sup>17</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>there is hope for
your future, says the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="sc"><span style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span></span>:<br />
your children shall come back to their own country.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is what they want, all those who have been displaced
– refugees, migrant workers, and those we incorrectly label “illegal” – all of
them want to find a home. They want to
live in peace. They want to raise their children and grow
their food and drink clean water and have access to basic health care,
education, and governments free of violence and corruption. They want to have meaningful work with enough
money to live comfortably and to pray in their houses of worship. Isn’t that what you want for yourself, what
you want for your own children? Which
means they are not so different than you and me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">And so there stands before us today the choice of how
to respond to what we have seen and heard.
If we are to be part of the fulfillment of God’s words of promise to
Rachel and all mothers who long for restoration, then we as Christians and as
the Church must take seriously what our role is in this world of Rachels who
cannot be consoled with mere words. As
we begin a new year, this is an opportune time to think about what we can do
both individually and collectively to help those in crisis – a crisis that we
are partially, though unwittingly responsible for. We may not be in a position to prevent the
immediate bloodshed, but we can do two things – we can advocate for displaced
persons, and we address the long-term causes that are contributing to the conditions
of displacement in the first place. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8ZmQ6B2Jxm7ZRhXM-EGjthJYZK8yca4eFLbUkeG9OSuvYRkmFt2IOapwinkmNgVjI2l7aQ-gUFdKzOEoFE1QGiD484-TXyLp0zvLIruRIuJQ7Sb1n56RKOtUQl8rM_celMXV-mejBa3L/s1600/tree4hope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8ZmQ6B2Jxm7ZRhXM-EGjthJYZK8yca4eFLbUkeG9OSuvYRkmFt2IOapwinkmNgVjI2l7aQ-gUFdKzOEoFE1QGiD484-TXyLp0zvLIruRIuJQ7Sb1n56RKOtUQl8rM_celMXV-mejBa3L/s320/tree4hope.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Jennifer Crist is a friend of mine who is an ELCA mission
developer in Harrisburg, Pa., and has done incredible
work with children in Guatemala through <a href="http://www.tree4hope.org/">Tree4Hope</a> for over a decade. She says, “I really want people and
congregations in the U.S. to know that there are so many things that they can
do.” She acknowledges that while there
are huge systemic problems, “we as a church have such a great asset in having
the </span><a href="https://www.elca.org/Our-Work/Publicly-Engaged-Church/Advocacy"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">ELCA Advocacy</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> office and the </span><a href="https://www.elca.org/Our-Work/Publicly-Engaged-Church/AMMPARO"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">AMMPARO</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">
strategy.” AMMPARO </span><span style="font-size: 16px;">(which is a play on the Spanish word </span><i style="font-size: 16px;">amparo</i><span style="font-size: 16px;"> which means “refuge”)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> stands for
Accompanying Migrant Minors with Protection, Advocacy, Representation and
Opportunities. It is a strategy approved by the 2016 Churchwide Assembly to
work with organizations to provide legal assistance, community outreach and
family reunification to migrants who are in the U.S.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In 2017, maybe your church can consider doing
a study about similar kinds of accompaniment strategies</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and discern where God may be calling
you to give “hope for their future” (Jeremiah 31:17).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Or perhaps your church can organize a teach-in to help
people learn about the effects of </span><a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/03/150302-syria-war-climate-change-drought/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">climate
change</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> and the ways in which it contributes to and </span><a href="https://newint.org/blog/2016/06/10/climate-change-and-the-syria-crisis/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">exacerbates
the refugee crises</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> across the globe. And then work on </span><a href="http://ecopreacher.blogspot.com/2016/06/2-minute-ecopreacher-what-can-person-of.html"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">ways
you and your congregation can help address climate change</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">,
including communicating with your local elected officials on the need to adapt
measures to mitigate climate disruption.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Or your church may decide to partner with organizations</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> to help resettle families in your local area (Lutherans can contact </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (</span><a href="http://lirs.org/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">LIRS</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">.
For example, </span><a href="http://www.glclex.org/outreach.html"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Gethesemane
Lutheran</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">, the congregation in which I now worship, has been
working with other neighboring Lutheran churches to collect household items for
refugees who will be settling in the Lexington area. And a church I once served in Media, Pa., not
only collected household items, but also organized volunteers to be
translators, help find jobs, and navigate the complexities of becoming U.S.
citizens, of settling into their new home.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">At the very least, our sermons and Sunday School
lessons must discourage the use of disparaging language when talking about the
human beings who are fleeing desperate situations in their home countries. They are not “illegal.” The religion they practice does not make them
“terrorists.” And the color of their
skin does not make their lives any less valuable than those of us with white
skin. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">As Christians who are celebrating the Nativity, we
have to remember that Jesus’ birth came at a price. But it’s obvious from the
life he lived and the death he suffered that he did not forget all those babies
who lost their lives. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">When the disciples wanted
to shoo the children away from Jesus, his rebuke of them was stern because he
knew that a generation of children had already been lost: “Let the little
children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the
kingdom of heaven belongs,” (Matthew 19:14). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">When his disciples were
arguing about who was the greatest among them, Jesus reached out for a little
child as an example of the ones who are the models of greatness in God’s Kingdom
(Matthew 19:1-4). He did not forget
those babies who had been murdered.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Even his dying request
for the Beloved disciple to care for his mother Mary shows that the cries of
Rachel weeping for her children were not far from his mind (John 19:26-27).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Of course we know that despotic rulers are still
killing children. Soldiers are still
murdering babies. Belligerent leaders
are still denying climate change and refusing to act to mitigate its
effects. Facebook posts and Twitter
feeds are still spewing forth hatred of immigrants, refugees, and desperate
people seeking to escape the horrors that have taken over their homelands.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">But the Word of God still calls to us. The Church still stands. Your congregation has work to do. And you have a role in the Kingdom of
God. Listening to Rachel’s cries is part
of our work. Taking action on refugee
issues and climate issues and immigration issues is an extension of our
Christian faith. As Malpica Padilla
reminds us, Matthew 25 is the test of whether or not we will see the face of
Jesus in these children in Aleppo, in Sudan, in Guatemala. “We see Jesus in the face of the other, the
vulnerable others, the refugee others, the marginalized others. At the end of the day, we will be judged not
by how much theology we know or how good our doctrine is, but how we have cared
for the vulnerable ones,” (Sancken, 19).
Jesus has heard the cries of these children and their mothers. And Jesus is opening our ears, our eyes, our
hearts to hear them, and to respond in faith.
Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj816lEyvAzKumM2EG_YPT7zgjR6ppGwkFF3JSb8a3Lrpq2NTUqF0pNrxKtci5nDnM6Qn09IP8yAyNxOO4G1aKrbQusMdPuxoX6GsYDwQl3omG7w_KEuP6Fb_krpRzLhKLjuhVPqB9JaG3R/s1600/jesus-and-child-featured.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj816lEyvAzKumM2EG_YPT7zgjR6ppGwkFF3JSb8a3Lrpq2NTUqF0pNrxKtci5nDnM6Qn09IP8yAyNxOO4G1aKrbQusMdPuxoX6GsYDwQl3omG7w_KEuP6Fb_krpRzLhKLjuhVPqB9JaG3R/s320/jesus-and-child-featured.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Looking for more ideas for preaching that addresses climate change and other environmental justice issues? Check out <a href="http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/">http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/</a>.</i></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj816lEyvAzKumM2EG_YPT7zgjR6ppGwkFF3JSb8a3Lrpq2NTUqF0pNrxKtci5nDnM6Qn09IP8yAyNxOO4G1aKrbQusMdPuxoX6GsYDwQl3omG7w_KEuP6Fb_krpRzLhKLjuhVPqB9JaG3R/s1600/jesus-and-child-featured.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sources: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Sancken, K. T. “Seeing Jesus in the face of the
other,” <i>The Lutheran </i>Magazine,
November 2016. </span><a href="http://www.livinglutheran.org/2016/11/seeing-jesus-in-the-face-of-the-other/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">http://www.livinglutheran.org/2016/11/seeing-jesus-in-the-face-of-the-other/</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Randall, Alex, “The role of climate change in the
Syria crisis: how the media got it wrong,” <i>New
Internationalist</i>, June 10, 2016. </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://newint.org/blog/2016/06/10/climate-change-and-the-syria-crisis/">https://newint.org/blog/2016/06/10/climate-change-and-the-syria-crisis/</a>, accessed Dec. 23, 2016.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Romm, Joe, "Veterans Day 2030 Could Look Like Syria Today, Thanks To Climate Change," <i>ThinkProgress, </i>Nov. 11, 2015, <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/veterans-day-2030-could-look-like-syria-today-thanks-to-climate-change-1e4afafd523#.vep2f4qaw">https://thinkprogress.org/veterans-day-2030-could-look-like-syria-today-thanks-to-climate-change-1e4afafd523#.vep2f4qaw</a>; accessed Dec. 27, 2016</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-46239433997956936542016-12-20T10:28:00.000-08:002016-12-20T10:28:32.219-08:00An Eco-justice Christmas Sermon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmPQptVGeUXIpLTaNZyrvG1fEPAcHyKeTuWGYpj9VxJ-1LigmzXi8l63719LrYEXDbL06TJ-PaJJV0M04EYK-BDe2Uqs_Lgd3Wn_UEMvy5mVSesxtN1zu9jX4Lvou_6nQIjgLlKmI_uwb/s1600/john+3-16.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmPQptVGeUXIpLTaNZyrvG1fEPAcHyKeTuWGYpj9VxJ-1LigmzXi8l63719LrYEXDbL06TJ-PaJJV0M04EYK-BDe2Uqs_Lgd3Wn_UEMvy5mVSesxtN1zu9jX4Lvou_6nQIjgLlKmI_uwb/s400/john+3-16.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i>What does Christmas mean for climate refugees, migrant workers, </i></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i>and our very Earth suffering under climate disruption? </i></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i>Jesus' birth interrupts us with a reminder about whose lives matter to God.</i></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b>The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade</b></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b>Assistant
Professor of Preaching and Worship, Lexington Theological Seminary, Lexington,
KY<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b>Author,
<i><a href="http://www.chalicepress.com/Creation-Crisis-Preaching-P1550.aspx">Creation-Crisis
Preaching</a>: Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit</i> (Chalice Press, 2016)<br />
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<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b>Text:
Luke 2:2-20 <br />
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In a congregation I
served several years ago, I sent out an informal email poll asking people the
following question: “What do you find to
be the biggest distraction when you attend a worship service?”<br />
<br />
There were a variety of responses. Some
people named cell phones, the sound of traffic outside, or the temperature
being too hot or cold. But by far, the
biggest source of annoyance during worship is . . . (you guessed it) <i>children</i>! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Some churches are
more welcoming of children than others.
But even the most forbearing among us can get a bit exasperated with the
interruptions of children. How about
when you have one of these lovable little urchins sitting in the pew directly
in front of or behind you. You watch Cheerios cascading to the floor,
lose count of the number of times the child goes back and forth to the
bathroom, and climbs up and down, up and down, as if the pew was a jungle
gym. And you hear all the juvenile prattle, despite the parent’s
continued admonition: “Use your inside voice!”<br />
<br />
If you are one of the parents or grandparents who actually has one of these
children in your care during worship, you’re lucky if you can even catch the
gist of the sermon or hear a phrase or two from the prayers. Worshiping
with a child is one big exercise in patience and interruption. Actually, life with a child is a series of
interruptions – diaper surprises, sudden sicknesses, nightmares at 3 a.m. <br />
<br />
Mary and Joseph understood what it means to be interrupted by a child. Nine
months ago, Mary was going about her life, happily planning for her upcoming
marriage, when an angel appeared from God and interrupted her: “Greetings, Favored One! The Lord is
with you. But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of
greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid Mary,
for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your
womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus,” (Luke 1:28-31).<br />
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Just like that --
girl interrupted. Life interrupted. <br />
<br />
The Gospel of Matthew records a similar incident for Joseph. Nine months
ago, he was just going about his life, engaged to a pretty young girl, busy
with his carpentry business, when an angel appeared from God and interrupted
him: “Joseph, Son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your
wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will
bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from
their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21).<br />
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Just like that --
man interrupted. Life interrupted.<br />
<br />
And that’s just the beginning. The rest of the story is also punctuated
with interruptions. The government interrupts their lives and tells them
they have to make the long trek to Bethlehem from their hometown of Nazareth in
order to pay their taxes. The innkeeper interrupts their lives to tell
them they have to stay in the barn with the animals because there are no more
rooms available. It’s one interruption after another. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xqY9zRxLQ47P6oLhcJ1acEZGPZ3pme-W4P4lJU8OovfCUMUB754Rg8K07h00pP3PekUlQBx-mC60E0jx1XeBNoAYsQOM5NfTciyFB0mwezRp_u0t_UrOIq52oK04XWD2r4w4Vv3c_N91/s1600/climate+disruption.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xqY9zRxLQ47P6oLhcJ1acEZGPZ3pme-W4P4lJU8OovfCUMUB754Rg8K07h00pP3PekUlQBx-mC60E0jx1XeBNoAYsQOM5NfTciyFB0mwezRp_u0t_UrOIq52oK04XWD2r4w4Vv3c_N91/s200/climate+disruption.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
As we revisit these age-old stories in at Christmas this year,
we find interruptions of a different kind are in need of our attention. Our planet’s ecosystems are interrupting
humanity with an urgency that cannot be ignored. Nearly everywhere we look
across the globe, the effects of human-induced climate change, pollution,
deforestation, and extreme energy extraction are interrupting and disrupting
the lives of billions of people. While
many of us and our parishioners will long for a sweet sermon of greeting-card
sentimentality, the reality is that for people living in poverty, dealing with rising
sea levels, escaping war-torn areas, facing environmental violation of their
homes or tribal lands, and trying to survive in a society that has told them
their lives don’t matter, such saccharine sentimentality is a luxury they
cannot afford. If our aim is to be true
to the text about this interrupting Christ-child, our preaching shouldn’t pay
for such a short-lived luxury either.<br />
<br />
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Because the truth
about this little family is that they were buffeted by forces beyond their
control. They were like so many families
today who live in areas gripped by violent regimes, or whose crops have been
decimated by drought, or who find themselves wandering as climate-refugees
seeking someplace with room at the inn where they can find shelter, a warm
place to sleep, a meal, a change of clothes, and a lead on a new life. Howard Thurman’s poem captures the reality of
these families:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
“Christmas
is Waiting to be Born” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
by
Howard Thurman (African American theologian and Civil Rights activist)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
Where
refugees seek deliverance that never comes<o:p></o:p></div>
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And
the heart consumes itself as if it would live,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Where
children age before their time<o:p></o:p></div>
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And
life wears down the edges of the mind,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Where
the old man sits with mind grown cold,<o:p></o:p></div>
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While
bones and sinew, blood and cell, go slowly down to death,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
Where
fear companions each day's life,<o:p></o:p></div>
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And
Perfect Love seems long delayed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Christmas
is waiting to be born:<o:p></o:p></div>
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In
you, in me, in all mankind.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWx6dwfOCEDHoAUsoDSVaE2MxABKL5DFkWVMa6GaJB1TdtUVRdyM2wf51CL-nd0Q29zNDDESmFNKZ6dtchxD2WUi1lt64T5UOjJM8dePqx7q0lgEpiOm957SOWILl3U1Qe4CG6UiLXSYHC/s1600/migrant+worker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWx6dwfOCEDHoAUsoDSVaE2MxABKL5DFkWVMa6GaJB1TdtUVRdyM2wf51CL-nd0Q29zNDDESmFNKZ6dtchxD2WUi1lt64T5UOjJM8dePqx7q0lgEpiOm957SOWILl3U1Qe4CG6UiLXSYHC/s200/migrant+worker.jpg" width="200" /></a>This doesn’t mean
that we should hammer away at folks with a litany of guilt-inducing
crimes against the planet and humanity. No
one wants to feel so overwhelmed by the complexities and compound fractures of
our human and Earth community that they limp from the church regretting having
come. So is there any Good News in the
midst of these interruptions?<br />
<br />
The shepherds would say: Yes! Living in the fields, keeping watch over
their flocks by night . . . the romantic vision we have of their simple,
bucolic life is another artificially sweetened misconception. Because, in
fact, a shepherd’s life was one that no one envied. Long days and nights
isolated and alone, these were people who society often rejected for one reason
or another. No one wanted to hire them, so the only job they could get
was watching sheep. It was a difficult life of being constantly on the
move with no hope of a promotion, no promise of a salary increase, no hope of
companionship beyond the other rejects out there with you. It’s a life all too familiar for today’s
migrant workers and “illegal” immigrants who, like the shepherds, are often
viewed as rejects and do the work no one wants to do, often the dirty work of
supplying our food, all while being blamed for taking jobs of the native-born
(who don’t want that kind of work anyway).
<br />
<br />
And then one fateful night, the angel <i>interrupts</i>
them. “Do not be afraid; for see - I am bringing you good news of great
joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a
Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you:
you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” (Luke
2:10-12).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Just like that –
shepherds interrupted. Hopelessness
interrupted.<br />
<br />
This is startling to them. Imagine the feeling of a child when the first
big snow falls, and hearing the announcement that school is closed! You
run out and jump and roll in that beautiful, downy iciness, because you know it
means freedom. Freedom from the monotony of another day. A brief
reprieve from that big test you were dreading. Freedom to breathe a sigh
of relief and play and drink hot cocoa and enjoy the day as a gift.<br />
<br />
Imagine that feeling multiplied times a hundred. The shepherds “make
haste” – they’re running! They’re laughing and hooting, jumping and
singing the song they heard in the angel’s serenade: “Glory to God in the
highest!”<br />
<br />
These are men who <i>welcome</i> the
interruption. They long for something to break through the prison of their
poverty, disrupt the monotony of their dreary lives. For just this night
they have a brief reprieve from their desolate lives. They have freedom
to breathe a sigh of relief, inhale a breath of hope, and enjoy this night as a
gift.<br />
<br />
These are men whose ears are <i>tuned</i> to
hear the cry of a baby. They are happy to be interrupted by this child!
Because this infant’s cry is the most important revelation the world has yet
heard. God is with us! Emmanuel! <br />
<br />
These men run all through the city of Bethlehem, banging on doors, interrupting
the sleep of countless people, looking for the child. They <i>want</i> to
see the Cheerios making a mess on the floor. They <i>want</i> to hear the
incessant prattle of this little one. They <i>want</i> to be
interrupted. This is what they have longed for all their lives - a <i>holy</i>
interruption.<br />
<br />
Seeing these migrant workers in the doorway standing on tippy-toe to catch a
glimpse of the baby, Mary and Joseph probably sighed with exasperation. Another
interruption? <br />
<br />
But then the men speak. “We’re sorry to (ahem) interrupt. But we’ve just
been given the greatest news. This baby – your baby – is the One!
The angel told us! Do you know what you have here? This child is
the greatest gift God could ever interrupt the world to give. Whatever
you have to go through for this child, it will be worth it. Because this
child will bring peace where there had been no hope of peace before.” <br />
<br />
“And Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke
2:19). <o:p></o:p></div>
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She pondered these
words when the child grew to be a twelve-year-old, and interrupted their trip
to Jerusalem by disappearing for days, teaching in the temple.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
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Joseph pondered
these words when the child grew to be a young man, and interrupted his
promising career as a carpenter to journey to the Jordan River and seek baptism
and a life as a traveling rabbi.<br />
<br />
You see, Jesus’ life was all about interruption. <br />
He interrupted the sick to tell them that they were healed.<br />
He interrupted the sinners to tell them they were forgiven. <br />
He interrupted the outcasts to tell them they were welcome.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
But he also:<br />
interrupted the corrupt leaders to tell them that they were wrong.<br />
Interrupted the oppressors to tell them that God was seeking justice.<br />
Interrupted the whole system that marginalized the weak, forcing inequality,
and poverty, and violence on so many people. <br />
<br />
And of course, there was the most important interruption of them all – the resurrection.
Here evil and death were just going along, minding their own business, happily
consuming just one more child of humanity, this one delivered by a cross on a
hill at Golgotha. But then three days later in a cemetery garden,
suddenly an angel appears and interrupts the women and disciples in their
grieving, saying, “Do not be afraid! Why do you look for the living among
the dead? He is not here. He is risen!” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Just like that --
Death interrupted.<br />
<br />
If God found a way into the world in the midst of the interruptions back then,
perhaps we need to be more alert to God’s presence in the midst of interruptions
today. In fact, maybe that’s the only
way that God <i>can</i> get through to us. Maybe it takes a holy
interruption to shake us out of our routine, release us from our prisons of
monotony, break the ongoing cycles of violence and evil and pain in this world.<br />
<br />
We need this child, piercing the air with his cries, interrupting our lives
with this most important news: God is with us. Emmanuel. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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And this is good news
not just for humanity, but for the entire planet. “For God so loved <i>the world</i> that he gave his only son . . .” (John 3:16). Did you catch that? The whole world: Microorganisms! Mountains! Air! Rivers!
Coral reefs! Giraffes! Babies born to
Muslim women! Children sewing our
clothes in foreign lands! Teenage boys
with chocolate-brown skin! Your mother’s
child – you! All of these lives matter
to God.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijuvcHK7-NbFX2matH1JggU8Vc2lK0SoVCscMk9DN30_l0x1wYE_8N2GUk3AHp2uINv2h_izytHrboafkaozt-M_csg6jM-WMKnn_zeJHO2uJ4FFnDkyB1_IDqDHT7YhpxdWLBNoJT9Ak7/s1600/11+children+lying+in+circle+%2528524x291%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijuvcHK7-NbFX2matH1JggU8Vc2lK0SoVCscMk9DN30_l0x1wYE_8N2GUk3AHp2uINv2h_izytHrboafkaozt-M_csg6jM-WMKnn_zeJHO2uJ4FFnDkyB1_IDqDHT7YhpxdWLBNoJT9Ak7/s320/11+children+lying+in+circle+%2528524x291%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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Which means we need
to carry this holy interruption into the world outside the stable doors. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We need to interrupt
today’s corrupt leaders to tell them they are wrong.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We need to interrupt
the oppressors to tell them that God is still seeking justice.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We need to interrupt
the systems that marginalize people and force inequality, poverty, and violence
on so many.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisf9Y7bG_5AZ7yTobs4vzdseRvi_oMF_l2XJxCwFhEbo2j9oUdRB1BHr3H5ZjWxCVUe-rGhudvwK0PQEfweCNUWtbP4qWvzP-S0zO-t50L1YAS_G0AxLzWAUrhPqhyphenhyphenPng12jkvKlF5vLM2/s1600/holy+interruption.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisf9Y7bG_5AZ7yTobs4vzdseRvi_oMF_l2XJxCwFhEbo2j9oUdRB1BHr3H5ZjWxCVUe-rGhudvwK0PQEfweCNUWtbP4qWvzP-S0zO-t50L1YAS_G0AxLzWAUrhPqhyphenhyphenPng12jkvKlF5vLM2/s200/holy+interruption.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
As Charles Campbell and Johann
Ciliers remind us: "Jesus' birth <i>interrupted</i>
the old age with a radically new order, which turned the world upside down. . .
The Christmas festivals celebrate - again in communal, embodied form - the
incarnation, in which God became body, flesh - <i>carne</i>. God is born as a human child to common folk;
or in specifically carnivalesque terms, a baby is made king - an event
certainly as foolish and disruptive as the parodic exaltation of the
crucifixion. . ." (Campbell, Charles L. and Johan H. Cilliers, <i>Preaching
Fools: The Gospel as a Rhetoric of Folly</i>,
Baylor University Press; Waco, TX, 2012; 77).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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We, too, need to
interrupt the lives of today’s shepherd’s - the migrants and those labelled "illegal" - to tell them they deserve respect and
fair wages, and full citizenship. We
need to interrupt the lives of refugees to tell them there is, in fact, room at
the inn. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_J4OyAUHQ0nqHGbnmW_IDyipaxw7GiFRlHJ7Vy_aVvTRqJSr6lG_wpqCTLch6icipxOtxexEIDV5a0H7nz4HZxPDY_E7_XuSJvpvbEJS-XBcVJ1cmJieyDV2BcrbnLWFaKjqw-_Ktc6J/s1600/standing_rock_buffalo_snip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_J4OyAUHQ0nqHGbnmW_IDyipaxw7GiFRlHJ7Vy_aVvTRqJSr6lG_wpqCTLch6icipxOtxexEIDV5a0H7nz4HZxPDY_E7_XuSJvpvbEJS-XBcVJ1cmJieyDV2BcrbnLWFaKjqw-_Ktc6J/s320/standing_rock_buffalo_snip.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buffalo at Standing Rock protest site.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Even Earth itself is
joining in this holy interruption. I’m
remembering the tribal people gathered at the Standing Rock Sioux reservation
interrupting the plans of the oil pipeline companies, enduring water hoses,
tear gas and sonic grenades launched against them in their peaceful
protests. In an interview with one of
the tribal men about the impasse, suddenly the air is punctuated with whoops
and shouts of joy – a herd of buffalo thunders into view. Buffalo are not only a traditional source of
food and clothing for the Sioux, they are symbolic of the power of the land
itself. For the Water Protectors, these
buffalo announced good news – even the land itself is declaring God’s work in
the world. <br />
<br />
May you experience this most holy interruption. May God interrupt us with
the gift of this Christ child. And may all Earth experience this interruption
of grace and peace, love and joy. Amen. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-56202516232005998482016-12-13T17:58:00.000-08:002016-12-13T17:58:17.096-08:00Following God’s Call – Guest Advent Sermon by Rachel Schade<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9QV13d0R10dfccS1NC973YD9TWOBsTHE47-NYD1lXupDEYbWQ3LzLD5pfJFCtBK4F_8QzUIN0hICH9uQ-WfjTtCn4ydCVA-Ltki1AWbw0AhDhwf7p0zK_-PW79ca4EHjGnSom4dE7Eju/s1600/rachel+head+shot.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9QV13d0R10dfccS1NC973YD9TWOBsTHE47-NYD1lXupDEYbWQ3LzLD5pfJFCtBK4F_8QzUIN0hICH9uQ-WfjTtCn4ydCVA-Ltki1AWbw0AhDhwf7p0zK_-PW79ca4EHjGnSom4dE7Eju/s200/rachel+head+shot.png" width="185" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Rachel Schade, 13-year-old <br />budding preacher (and my daughter!)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">December 11, 2016</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gethsemane Lutheran Church, Lexington, Kentucky<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Text: Matthew
1:18-25 <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">[Rachel
Schade is in 8<sup>th</sup> Grade at Tates Creek Middle School in Lexington,
KY, and a new member at Gethsemane Lutheran.
She was invited to preach at their monthly evening praise service and
chose to focus on the theme of “calling” for this Advent service. This is her first sermon, and I am proud to
feature my daughter’s work in this special blog post. You can watch the video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3EajuT2ico">here</a>.]<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There are many things we think
about in our daily lives, such as our families, friends, jobs and school.
However, I think it’s safe to say that there’s something else that many people
don’t think about - <b>God’s calling for us</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> In Matthew
1:18-25, an angel appears to Joseph telling him to take Mary as his wife, “for
the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” I don’t know about you,
but if an angel told me to marry someone who was pregnant with a baby that
wasn’t mine, I’d be a bit concerned. But Joseph believed the angel, listened to
his dreams, and followed God’s call.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> But of
course, this isn’t all about Josephs’ calling.
It’s about Mary’s calling as well. Remember Luke 1:26-38 which tells us that
the angel Gabriel gives Mary the message that she will conceive a son named
Jesus. Let’s break this down. In today’s society, we don’t like to think about
our kids bearing children at a young age, let alone marrying someone twice their
age. Even though Mary is much perplexed by his words, she accepts God’s calling
for her even though it’s uncertain what lies ahead.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> So why would
Mary and Joseph agree to follow this call? I can tell you one thing - the list
of reasons why they <i>shouldn’t</i> is VERY
lengthy: rejection by their loved ones, disapproval by religious leaders,
uncertainty about their future, the list goes on. But to understand why they
chose to follow God’s call, I think we can discern three qualities in both of
them that opened their hearts and minds to God.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKzG1WigAinMvXZuTNyfmcU8HIS7NMdtku3VQQRXWqkluIRL9Dy7zsssCdtL3vGggQxWyYAdtGHF_ZWpP7mGSfJrs3Lq6QQcmEYyL_iTyLiGbb9kD0KwY1gk5NlfU7eUYyWDjKnXTNu-5/s1600/trust-e1436536636481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKzG1WigAinMvXZuTNyfmcU8HIS7NMdtku3VQQRXWqkluIRL9Dy7zsssCdtL3vGggQxWyYAdtGHF_ZWpP7mGSfJrs3Lq6QQcmEYyL_iTyLiGbb9kD0KwY1gk5NlfU7eUYyWDjKnXTNu-5/s200/trust-e1436536636481.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The first
quality was <b>trust</b>. They trusted the
will of God, the assurance of the Angel, and the promise Holy Spirit. They also
had to trust and believe in themselves. And just as important – they had to
trust each other. And this trust helped them to build a better relationship in
order to do what God wanted them to do. Overall, trust was and extremely
important quality in this for both of them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The next quality was <b>courage</b>. Courage is feeling afraid, but going forward
anyway. In Luke, we can tell that Mary
is very brave. She says “Behold, I am the lord’s servant; let it be with me
according to your word.” Not only is she agreeing to the angel’s words, she’s
taking it upon herself to make sure that God’s will is being done. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Joseph, on the other hand,
shows bravery in a different way. He takes the chance of moral embarrassment to
follow God’s call. In those days, I’m sure it was mortifying to know people
would be talking about you, whispering that your wife must have been unfaithful
to be carrying a child who is not your own.
But he faced this humiliation to carry out the will of God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The final
quality was <b>commitment</b> - commitment to
God, commitment to each other, and commitment to their child. For Mary, she had
to take the initiative to keep her relationship with her spouse as healthy as
possible. Not only that, but she took on the responsibility of parenthood. For
Joseph, he showed many examples of commitment. It would’ve been easy for him to
walk out on Mary at any point, even abandon her on their way to Bethlehem. But
no. He kept his attention on Mary for their whole journey, and this is what
helped them to answer God’s call. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> So, there
you have Mary and Joseph’s story. But what about yours? <b>What is God’s call for your life at this time?</b> Maybe you’re considering a career
change. Maybe you’re thinking of what
college you might attend. Maybe you have
a big decision coming up. Well, I
suggest that we all take the steps that Mary and Joseph did; 1) Trust, 2)
Courage, 3) Commitment. You might be asking, “How do I acquire these qualities?”
Let’s think about this for a minute. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <b>Trust</b>. What do you think of when you
hear this word? Well, I personally think of it as putting your faith in someone
or something, because you have confidence that what you’re doing is right. And
that’s exactly what Mary and Joseph did; they put their trust in God and the
Holy Spirit. Remember that like Mary and Joseph, just because you answer God’s
call doesn’t mean life will suddenly be easy for you. In fact, sometimes it’s
just the opposite. But that’s exactly
why trusting God is important – to help you get through those challenges.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTJD7Kw8Z6axhx4zhrsuDF2SqRsManDtmU0Wwxrb1WjTIPrvBU3nYme0paTW6FaQpcvOrKmJJxqJKCcgcSggcBjb1Rh2Ycmq9F93PAQtzfHpggJqPVlQaZYA_DG2IHk5fG2YylgEXKkII/s1600/courage+heart.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTJD7Kw8Z6axhx4zhrsuDF2SqRsManDtmU0Wwxrb1WjTIPrvBU3nYme0paTW6FaQpcvOrKmJJxqJKCcgcSggcBjb1Rh2Ycmq9F93PAQtzfHpggJqPVlQaZYA_DG2IHk5fG2YylgEXKkII/s200/courage+heart.png" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Which brings us to <b>courage</b>. Courage, by definition, is “the ability to do something
that frightens you.” Let me ask you this, what frightens you? Think of that for
just one second. Maybe you’re like
Joseph, and you fear public humiliation.
Maybe you’re like Mary and you fear taking on a task that feels too big
for you. Now think about how God can help you overcome it. Remember that the
root word for courage means “heart” – you have to put your heart into God’s
call for you. And God will make sure you
have the gift of courage. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> But no
matter how much trust and courage you have, they won’t last long if you don’t
have the third quality - <b>commitment</b>.
We see today that so many people neglect the obligations, or give up, or simply
get distracted from God’s call. We see this in marital relationships, kids with
their school work, friendships, jobs, etc. But especially as Christians we must
show our commitment to the people involved most in our calling, and to God. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswni3yc48X4BP-7Bvi4ELY7GT0Pr26U5fd8c3rZRUdy8eZ5Q0m3Klx0RUTGNplwAckO2Q_X8DLF1DlOj0zcY5JuW5Qrc8vGHfOUr-YJonN-WVg7g6Fs38bU_z8sInoBUnlltyf9lrXhwF/s1600/commitment%252C+mary+and+joseph.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswni3yc48X4BP-7Bvi4ELY7GT0Pr26U5fd8c3rZRUdy8eZ5Q0m3Klx0RUTGNplwAckO2Q_X8DLF1DlOj0zcY5JuW5Qrc8vGHfOUr-YJonN-WVg7g6Fs38bU_z8sInoBUnlltyf9lrXhwF/s200/commitment%252C+mary+and+joseph.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Following
God’s call won’t be easy, and it will take lots of hard work to attain it. But remember that you are not alone in this
call. You have your church family to
sustain you as you follow God’s call. And through trust, courage and
commitment each of us - and all of us as a church together – we will be able to
follow God’s call. Amen. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-86012321554657695912016-12-08T22:09:00.001-08:002017-03-01T07:22:31.220-08:00Disintegrationism: How We Got Here, Where We Go Next<div class="MsoNormal">
The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9OjWwrq2bvhxEznDBVkZ-b3hEZF13pcD__5YFWGsv7G51U-JWMwFymkro6h2G2awmjcGv8jibiYLQSjfMBsvZ_ZpoxAIOZ6FOhDOhbRFceJfLdevhyphenhyphenDssPpgj1ZWDv3K-i4fbf-ZXp-J/s1600/gyre___the_centre_cannot_hold_by_scart-d8crmcp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9OjWwrq2bvhxEznDBVkZ-b3hEZF13pcD__5YFWGsv7G51U-JWMwFymkro6h2G2awmjcGv8jibiYLQSjfMBsvZ_ZpoxAIOZ6FOhDOhbRFceJfLdevhyphenhyphenDssPpgj1ZWDv3K-i4fbf-ZXp-J/s400/gyre___the_centre_cannot_hold_by_scart-d8crmcp.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Gyre - The Center Cannot Hold" - by scart, http://scart.deviantart.com/art/Gyre-The-Centre-Cannot-Hold-505173481</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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How did we come to this point where a man misled by a <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pizzagate-shooting-suspect-edgar-maddison-welch-intel-wasnt-100-percent/">fake
news story</a> about a completely made-up scenario of a criminal ring fronted
by a pizza shop walks into the establishment firing his gun?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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How did we come to this point where one-third of Americans
still do not believe the science about climate change, one of whom is the
president-elect who has called global warming “a hoax,” and another is his
newly-appointed head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, who
has perpetuated the patently false <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/07/us/politics/scott-pruitt-epa-trump.html?_r=0">statement</a>
that “scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extend of global warming
and its connection to the actions of mankind.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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How did we come to this point where fabrications about
entire groups of people (all Mexicans are “rapists,” all Muslims are “terrorists”) spouted by the president-elect of the United States can become accepted as fact and justify <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/20161129/ten-days-after-harassment-and-intimidation-aftermath-election">hate
crimes</a> against these communities? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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How did we come to this point where what is a lie becomes
truth, and what is truth becomes irrelevant?
Is there even such a thing as truth anymore? How did we get to this point where we actually
have to ask these questions?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>And from a progressive Christian perspective, what is the
church’s role in this time of unprecedented upheaval in reality?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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These questions have churned in my mind following the
presidential election, urging me to search for ways to make sense of this
bizarre reality we now live in. So I’ve
been wondering if what we are observing is an inevitable consequence of the era
of postmodernism? (I’m about to get a
bit academic and intellectual here, but stay with me – the pay-off is coming.) Postmodernism is a philosophical system that
emerged following the two World Wars and brought with it a questioning of all
received truth and ways of knowing. Postmodernism arose in response to <i>modernism</i>, a period spanning about 300
years (1648 – mid-1900s) that included the Age of Enlightenment which stressed
order, universal foundations, and truths based on science and reasoning. While modernism’s goal was enlightened human rationalism
and the establishment of power for the good of the many, in reality it was only
the white, wealthy male elite who benefited.
And the unified narratives not only discounted women, people of color,
and colonized people, they led to a clash of competing ideologies that resulted
in two back-to-back catastrophic global wars.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Like modernism, the goals of postmodernism were noble –
freeing people from oppression and validating alternative voices. Different perspectives and the deconstruction
of the totalizing hegemonic narratives enabled the rise of feminism, queer
studies, liberation theology, environmentalism, and post-colonialism. But the
rejection of objective truth has come at the expense of the ability to speak of
“truth” at all. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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For many decades, the strongest reaction against
postmodernism has been <i>fundamentalism</i>. Fundamentalism
not only insists on one truth, it claims that this truth has been divinely
revealed, and, further, it demands that this truth should be imposed on
everyone. In some ways, fundamentalism
is a throw-back to <i>pre-modernism</i>,
which was the predominant mindset of humankind up until the 1600’s. The premodern mind not only unquestioningly
assented to Ultimate Truth, it believed that God or the gods revealed this
truth to humanity. Thus sacred texts and
religious leaders were the primary arbiters of reality. Today, the evolution of fundamentalism in the
2000s has been like premodernism on steroids due to the reach and organizational
power of the Internet combined with the firepower of modern-day weaponry. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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(Understand, of course, that elements of all three eras –
premodernism, modernism and post-modernism/fundamentalism – have been present
throughout human history, despite whatever philosophical worldview was dominant
at the time. As well, this progression
of “eras” as I’ve described it is not only oversimplified, it is predominantly
a Western-based movement that does not always take other global cultures into
consideration.) <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The influences of premodernism, modernism and postmodernism
are still at work on human society at the individual and collective
levels. But now it appears as if another
phenomenon is taking hold which is cause for grave concern. The word to describe this period has not yet
been articulated. But a poem by William
Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939) entitled “The Second Coming” uncannily captures the
feeling of this phenomenon:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Turning and turning in the widening gyre<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> The falcon cannot hear the falconer;<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i> Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and
everywhere<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> The ceremony of innocence is drowned;<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> The best lack all conviction, while the
worst<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> Are full of passionate intensity.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaSQTAMV0XFnmyObPaihlDVWvxLU4btAC19RPEDwDatV2sfRJYXpORusjQEygFfeFKdZrWL41c9LocyFZ23ZbhhUFd06YIRCQgymekgvfoz0Wg1VzSI03wVXNosMnO-gcXRmNjU83sa83o/s1600/unravel.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaSQTAMV0XFnmyObPaihlDVWvxLU4btAC19RPEDwDatV2sfRJYXpORusjQEygFfeFKdZrWL41c9LocyFZ23ZbhhUFd06YIRCQgymekgvfoz0Wg1VzSI03wVXNosMnO-gcXRmNjU83sa83o/s320/unravel.png" width="320" /></a>Yeats’ words written at the conclusion of WWI eerily
foreshadow our own era. So we might call
this time we’re in “post-centerism.” Or perhaps
“disintegrationism.” However we choose
to name it, this phenomenon is beyond the post-structuralism and
deconstructionism that were off-shoots of the postmodern era. Because those movements sought
liberation. What we’re experiencing now
is like an auto-immune disorder, where the very systems that have served human
society (flawed though they were) have turned against humanity itself and result
in self-destruction. Something sinister has overtaken the premises of postmodernism in
order to unravel the fabric of human community, like a flesh-eating disease that
is attacking us at the cellular level. [For a more scholarly treatment of this phenomenon, please see this excellent article by Whitney A. Bauman, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Florida International University: <a href="http://wabashcenter.typepad.com/teaching_religion_politic/2017/02/confronting-alternative-facts-in-a-post-modern-classroom-educating-planetary-citizens.html">http://wabashcenter.typepad.com/teaching_religion_politic/2017/02/confronting-alternative-facts-in-a-post-modern-classroom-educating-planetary-citizens.html</a>.]</div>
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<br /></div>
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As a Christian, a recent pastor, and now a seminary
professor teaching preaching, I make the argument that the church’s role in
this time is two-fold: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>1) to reclaim the theological language we use to
describe evil</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>2) to re-establish a moral and ethical center based on
life-giving values shared with other religions and non-religious people of good
will.</b> </div>
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In Part Two of this series, we’ll
look at the first task of the church – naming and confronting evil. In Part Three, we’ll take up the second task –
identifying and establishing the moral and ethical center. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the meantime, if you have been feeling anxious,
unsettled, distracted, unfocused, angry and afraid during these last few weeks
and months, understand that those feelings are normal and actually
healthy. Because they are your mind and
your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. When something or someone messes with your
sense of reality, manipulates your perception of truth, and disorients you to
the point where you question your own sanity, this means that something wicked
is at work. One word for it is <i>gaslighting</i>, and it is one of the most
sinister forms of psychological abuse there is. (I suggest reading this helpful
article about <a href="https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/08/things-wish-known-gaslighting/">gaslighting</a>
before moving on to Part Two of this series.)
<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4U4KFpGrIfObF-lDdD_xcbyZ6ou8GzGiix_vZtcppDUUjDEsI6Cr9SPGCrNe8ih7u2mob7ZSgVUU4FR0I7i2pdNyYA46lzZ1N8bYs5TK1MNt2h9r5rqg-uq7ZCGDjs6yt8P3dTkVHEoWi/s1600/dna_unraveling_by_babyb371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4U4KFpGrIfObF-lDdD_xcbyZ6ou8GzGiix_vZtcppDUUjDEsI6Cr9SPGCrNe8ih7u2mob7ZSgVUU4FR0I7i2pdNyYA46lzZ1N8bYs5TK1MNt2h9r5rqg-uq7ZCGDjs6yt8P3dTkVHEoWi/s200/dna_unraveling_by_babyb371.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"DNA Unraveling" by babyb371,<br />
http://babyb371.deviantart.com/art/DNA-Unraveling-136229497</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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You may have noticed that no matter how hard you’re trying
to be positive, make a contribution to the good of the world, and align
yourself with acts of resistance to the evil at hand, you just can’t shake this
feeling that something is off, something is amiss. You’re not crazy. Something <i>is</i>
terribly wrong. And together we’ll follow this through to find
the strategies to neutralize this evil and return ourselves – and our world – to
a place of centered sanity and re-integration.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>Leah Schade is the author of the book </i><a href="http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/">Creation-Crisis Preaching</a>: Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit <i>(Chalice Press, 2015). She is the Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky, and an ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The views expressed in this blog are her own and do not necessarily represent the institutions she serves.</i> </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-43988311391327190502016-11-29T19:51:00.000-08:002016-11-30T09:24:39.953-08:00Fight Evil Fire with Holy Fire: A Call for Prophetic Preaching<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade</span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Text:
Matthew 3:1-12<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsq3F3zMznkzUpFyXH00pqMLtfRldfkYgS7s7RtQn29HHBtolh1sn9p1BTcfWL4ABWa4O2BNZcarb6oYRyNH8F3ld9Q-W88P2o2T-4uffivF5o7uVlDXCBkfypK6x3COuwfDme4-tEN3q/s1600/fire+next+time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsq3F3zMznkzUpFyXH00pqMLtfRldfkYgS7s7RtQn29HHBtolh1sn9p1BTcfWL4ABWa4O2BNZcarb6oYRyNH8F3ld9Q-W88P2o2T-4uffivF5o7uVlDXCBkfypK6x3COuwfDme4-tEN3q/s320/fire+next+time.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsq3F3zMznkzUpFyXH00pqMLtfRldfkYgS7s7RtQn29HHBtolh1sn9p1BTcfWL4ABWa4O2BNZcarb6oYRyNH8F3ld9Q-W88P2o2T-4uffivF5o7uVlDXCBkfypK6x3COuwfDme4-tEN3q/s1600/fire+next+time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></a><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 76.5pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>God showed
Noah by the rainbow sign,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 76.5pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>No more
water, but fire next time.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>-<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->“Mary
Don’t You Weep,” spiritual<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 76.5pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 76.5pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 76.5pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>“I baptize you with
water. But one who is more powerful than I is coming. He will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit and fire.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>-<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->John the Baptist</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It’s
the Second Sunday of Advent. The Christmas decorations are up and the shopping
has begun. So we’re supposed to be
feeling pretty good right about now. But here are these words from John
the Baptist: “You brood of vipers!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Who
does he think he is, talking to us like that? We’re in the midst of the holiday
season, and he wants to start calling us snakes? What’s going on
here?<br />
<br />We had a prayer in seminary: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lord, when we are shaken up, comfort
us. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>And when we are comfortable, shake us up.<br />
</i>So hold on -- we are about to be
shaken up.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54UwXhpA4dlWFh7qr2M2Cbn9RzNdGHTkq_SDOBsUKQ8f7x47oBovsHAKKlVIbuNavKkOdvRChAQuuskZehLZcUSS3HZNcJVmKIasCBX1pk8PshjSn0Kui8fgz8l25KnY0j0AmAtrLhf09/s1600/brood-of-vipers-300x225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54UwXhpA4dlWFh7qr2M2Cbn9RzNdGHTkq_SDOBsUKQ8f7x47oBovsHAKKlVIbuNavKkOdvRChAQuuskZehLZcUSS3HZNcJVmKIasCBX1pk8PshjSn0Kui8fgz8l25KnY0j0AmAtrLhf09/s200/brood-of-vipers-300x225.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This
scene takes place on the Jordan River where people are coming to this strange
prophet to be baptized. These are ordinary people like you and me – office
workers and bankers, people who work for the government, people who’ve served
in the military. Both men and women,
teachers, parents, builders, lawyers and healers. And just like us, they are basically good
people. These are not hardened criminals. So why is John calling them a brood
of vipers?<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">John didn’t know Martin Luther, but he probably would have agreed with a Latin
phrase that Luther used to describe people like us: <i>simul justus et peccatore. </i>It
means, at the same time saved and sinner, simultaneously justified and
condemned, healed and broken. It’s the paradox of the human condition. We
are at once loved and embraced by the grace of God, yet we hurt each other and damage
our world, both individually and as a global human system.<br />
<br />
So when John describes us as a brood of vipers, we know there is some truth to
what he is saying. But he gets even more provocative when describing the
One who is coming: “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than
I is coming. It would be a big deal for me just to tie his
shoelaces. You have no idea what you’re in for. He will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit and fire. His
winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the
wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Winnowing
fork? Chaff? Unquenchable fire? What can
all of this mean?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxdOEs7syMuQ8gWGldnP0rfEXa3EZKm3-zecjt_AJcoiUmgmEifbpW3dLRCG6fu-C3ucFd708l-7DDiFcSZdkVqTh4eRv6ytSuCyCwYWD57CANRy5lRFkktwZ7nNC6Lo5ljRCOTVAwBMd/s1600/baldwin%252C+fire+next+time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxdOEs7syMuQ8gWGldnP0rfEXa3EZKm3-zecjt_AJcoiUmgmEifbpW3dLRCG6fu-C3ucFd708l-7DDiFcSZdkVqTh4eRv6ytSuCyCwYWD57CANRy5lRFkktwZ7nNC6Lo5ljRCOTVAwBMd/s200/baldwin%252C+fire+next+time.jpg" width="129" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 1963 author James Baldwin wrote a book entitled <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Next-Time-James-Baldwin/dp/067974472X/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8">The Fire Next Time</a> </i>which takes its title
from a line in the spiritual “Mary Don’t You Weep.” <span style="background: white; color: #333333;">Baldwin’s book consists of two personal and
poignant letters written on the occasion of the centennial of the Emancipation
Proclamation. His words exhorting
Americans – both black and white – to confront the terrible legacy of racism
were an intellectual rallying cry for the Civil Rights Movement. But reading them now, over four decades
later, in light of recent events following the presidential election, his words
have just as much, if not more potency.
Because in many ways it feels as if a fire has burned across the
political, cultural and social landscape of this country. But this is not a holy fire. It is the fire of white supremacy, racial and
religious hatred, androcentrism, and eco-cidal domination.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’m thinking of a video of <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/richard-spencer-speech-npi/508379/">White Supremacist Richard Spencer</a>
speaking openly about the supposed superiority of whites and his intention to
return America to white people (as if it ever actually belonged to them). I’m thinking about the <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2016/11/18/update-incidents-hateful-harassment-election-day-now-number-701">hundreds of reported incidents of racial and religious hatred </a>displayed throughout the country over
the past three weeks. I’m thinking of a teacher
friend of mine telling about a white elementary school student telling their dark-skinned
classmate, “Now that Donald Trump is president, he’s going to send your parents
away and you’ll have to live here all by yourself.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Baldwin’s words in 1963 echo loudly today: "[Whites] are still trapped in a history
that they do not understand, and until they understand it, they cannot be
released from it. They have had to
believe for many years and for innumerable reasons that black men are inferior
to white men." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I receive these words as a white, female Christian preacher and
teacher of preachers, a woman who has benefited from the privilege of my race,
my education, and my religion. From this standpoint, it is
becoming increasingly clear to me that what has happened since the election is
a burning away of the chaff that barely covered the brood of vipers lying
beneath. As the saying goes, “We have
met the enemy, and he is us.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is a truth that people of color have known for years, for
decades, for centuries. But this truth
comes as a punch in the gut to those of us who existed in the comfort of our
privilege. The thin veil of decency has
been burned away to reveal the truth about who we are as a nation. The ugly, dangerous, venomous truth has come
to light and shown us in no uncertain terms that we are in need of serious
repentance – <i>metanoia</i> (Matthew 3:2). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">After the election I was feeling particularly despondent thinking
of the ways in which so much of the tenuous progress we have so carefully built
in terms of interfaith relations, race relations, environmental protections,
equal rights for women and the LGBTQI community could be rolled back in the
coming years. A friend said to me, “It’s
like an arson came in the night and just burned down the house.” I agreed.
That’s what it feels like.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxy4Yv6eU8rZU0qEJlwb6RerohXGNYvHQ8XCJIK3LJ4ler4_5tzLaQGNwN56GxDOipF5o42cHhuI5eEk5owE2Y4iVLMiYWIp7-bkbaC1nTZ1baj_Niq7beFeT_A5O9goyQ_VeuK2u-3vu/s1600/burning_house-7501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxy4Yv6eU8rZU0qEJlwb6RerohXGNYvHQ8XCJIK3LJ4ler4_5tzLaQGNwN56GxDOipF5o42cHhuI5eEk5owE2Y4iVLMiYWIp7-bkbaC1nTZ1baj_Niq7beFeT_A5O9goyQ_VeuK2u-3vu/s200/burning_house-7501.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">But as I’ve sat with this image for the past couple weeks, and
contemplated these last few days the image of the <i>holy</i> fire, I’ve realized that there are other images at work
here. For example, controlled fires can
be used to stop wildfires by carefully burning a strip of land and depriving
the wildfire of fuel. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNOeqpbw0rHwQjLUBFAngvCIV-Njey7OGgnoH2jqYPQ6vjGJrqMTEfN4GTHWv51vJZr-7UaNXcCHoNKc75yJyXgsvph7tPDQPxba7jkdREAKVCTTR-GujCew14Lg3-wNdgWcSiBiNXgWJ/s1600/controlled+burn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNOeqpbw0rHwQjLUBFAngvCIV-Njey7OGgnoH2jqYPQ6vjGJrqMTEfN4GTHWv51vJZr-7UaNXcCHoNKc75yJyXgsvph7tPDQPxba7jkdREAKVCTTR-GujCew14Lg3-wNdgWcSiBiNXgWJ/s320/controlled+burn.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">"Watching the Old Go," Mary Anne Morgan, <a href="http://www.maryannemorganblog.com/musings/burning-away-the-chaff/">http://www.maryannemorganblog.com/musings/burning-away-the-chaff/</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">And natural fires
that occur in the forest not only allow the saplings to see the light, but also
release seeds that need the heat from the fire in order to grow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJX6AAT6PAACrbvFVBMM9ClJI6J4v9OlFJsjyoksblIgOOSkhULjXqhVqmxpWRqJRhuxtSC-8FlEEw4eKGkUcbdTGYoqj-WN32Ijae2e_VPZwNwj0Q9hR6YGNsYGeIOYoxPl3xp5S-YSHY/s1600/fire+in+forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJX6AAT6PAACrbvFVBMM9ClJI6J4v9OlFJsjyoksblIgOOSkhULjXqhVqmxpWRqJRhuxtSC-8FlEEw4eKGkUcbdTGYoqj-WN32Ijae2e_VPZwNwj0Q9hR6YGNsYGeIOYoxPl3xp5S-YSHY/s320/fire+in+forest.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">"Fire in the Night," Mary Anne Morgan, <a href="http://www.maryannemorganblog.com/musings/burning-away-the-chaff/">http://www.maryannemorganblog.com/musings/burning-away-the-chaff/</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">With these two images in mind, I make the case that as preachers,
indeed, as Christians, our task now is to do two things: </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">1) We need the
“controlled burn” of Jesus’ prophetic fire to deprive the wildfires of evil of
their fuel. </span></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">2) We need to point to the
new growth of saplings and seeds that are sprouting up from the ashes. </span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGk_nxOqsr5ov0M9DnxdLfcZSTiMte78Frx-69LJVD2K7cu5uqLNiJtnQBJyIGttmV8JHueCh1DVcZkdsaPJoUJDo7Or5ykeN2UepAaMzUWTfD39U-vG0XSBjIL-JbHK9PW4BVE6lCuYW/s1600/new+growth+after+fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGk_nxOqsr5ov0M9DnxdLfcZSTiMte78Frx-69LJVD2K7cu5uqLNiJtnQBJyIGttmV8JHueCh1DVcZkdsaPJoUJDo7Or5ykeN2UepAaMzUWTfD39U-vG0XSBjIL-JbHK9PW4BVE6lCuYW/s320/new+growth+after+fire.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The
controlled burn of prophetic speech means speaking boldly in our pulpits and
pews against racial hatred, Islamophobia, misogyny, anti-Semitism, and all the
“isms” that are rearing their fanged heads with impunity. It means taking bold actions as churches to
divest from fossil fuels in order to deprive the wildfires of runaway climate
change of the fuels that are consuming us, even as we consume. Holy fire can fight unholy fire. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Of course, as John warned
us, this will not be a comfortable process. We will experience pain, we
will come to know deep sorrow, and we will come in contact with that
sinful part of our own nature and the sinful nature of others. But that
discomfort will be a sign that the holy fire is burning away the chaff.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">As proclaimers of the gospel, we also need to ask: Where is God
creating new growth? What are the seeds
of hope that need to be nurtured, even as we are still mourning in the
ashes? We need to point to that new
growth and lift up stories of resistance and renewal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmv9pyV9FeiZA6plZP8JxT39xHaMruP2P0BTnzaD6hquQpvkRlKVAwRu162l9gg0ENqPMmAwbJkVEdhS1sEl3aCf9xPx6UJUoCMQP15ERXM_Z1cOjq7G8wAgO2NfCmbhQIdsU3xZdAOVp/s1600/flower+after+fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmv9pyV9FeiZA6plZP8JxT39xHaMruP2P0BTnzaD6hquQpvkRlKVAwRu162l9gg0ENqPMmAwbJkVEdhS1sEl3aCf9xPx6UJUoCMQP15ERXM_Z1cOjq7G8wAgO2NfCmbhQIdsU3xZdAOVp/s320/flower+after+fire.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Michael Quinton/Minden Pictures/National Geographic </span><a href="http://www.natgeocreative.com/photography/1158747">http://www.natgeocreative.com/photography/1158747</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Regarding our planet, I’m thinking of the growing numbers of
<a href="http://content.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2016/08/new-sierra-club-report-cities-committed-100-percent-clean-energy">cities </a>and <a href="http://www.climatenetwork.org/press-release/historic-breakthrough-48-countries-commit-transition-100-renewable-energy">countries </a>that are pledging to move to 100% renewable energy in the
coming years – new growth, even in the midst of ashes. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3q7XnhdydBhKM8w-Vq9pUAQE-TGiP-2vRUTwQ8UXzoKoJQPw2Kqusl3wFF7dkny88UrERW9hHOhsA-I4NjG1KU6OsuI6nAD6g62wF6Ty6JzosRG2SMDWhenJpmYKdQCEPvLeAx2g2rE-m/s1600/safety+pin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3q7XnhdydBhKM8w-Vq9pUAQE-TGiP-2vRUTwQ8UXzoKoJQPw2Kqusl3wFF7dkny88UrERW9hHOhsA-I4NjG1KU6OsuI6nAD6g62wF6Ty6JzosRG2SMDWhenJpmYKdQCEPvLeAx2g2rE-m/s200/safety+pin.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Regarding racial hatred, I’m thinking of the
growing number of safety pins seen on the clothes of those who want to signal
that they are a safe person, even in the midst of raging fires. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Regarding Islamophobia, I’m thinking of the
man in Texas man holding sign in front of mosque: <span style="background: white; color: #333333;">"You belong. Stay
strong. Be blessed. We are one America."</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5THUi-SPnIAw805FxFJPpZVKzjqcLmsbLI1QwN8tvhU7AqPhVdhMauUbEVM9xiSDhlw0ykCwTscv_Mr9Xq0tK4MxLrdQGLu7Yy30r6of_snz9Sa2Teb0j9Drd0LfwW7na9xDzKSRnHMg/s1600/texas+man+in+front+of+mosque.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5THUi-SPnIAw805FxFJPpZVKzjqcLmsbLI1QwN8tvhU7AqPhVdhMauUbEVM9xiSDhlw0ykCwTscv_Mr9Xq0tK4MxLrdQGLu7Yy30r6of_snz9Sa2Teb0j9Drd0LfwW7na9xDzKSRnHMg/s320/texas+man+in+front+of+mosque.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The man’s name is <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/news/irving/2016/11/29/man-holding-belong-sing-front-irving-mosque-lauded-photos-go-viral-facebook">Justin Normand</a>, a 53-year-old man
who owns a sign shop in Dallas. "This was about binding up the wounded.
About showing compassion and empathy for the hurting and fearful among
us," Normand wrote in his Facebook post. "Or, in some Christian
traditions, this was about washing my brother's feet. This was about my
religion, not theirs."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">That is a controlled burn. And it shows that new growth and new hope is
springing up in places we would least expect to find it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is what we need to be watching for during this
Advent season – new growth after the controlled burn. So be on the lookout for
that holy fire. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It starts with only a
small spark . . . in a manger full of dry hay. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">The Rev. Dr.
Leah Schade is the Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington
Theological Seminary (KY) and an ordained Lutheran minister (ELCA), though the
views expressed in this post are her own and do not necessarily reflect the
institutions she serves. She is the author of the book<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><a href="http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/"><span style="background: white;">Creation Crisis Preaching:
Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"> </span></span><i><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">(<a href="http://www.chalicepress.com/Creation-Crisis-Preaching-P1550.aspx">Chalice
Press</a>, 2015).</span></i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-2333461304039202382016-11-10T06:53:00.003-08:002016-11-17T12:44:41.012-08:00How to be a Christian (and a Pastor) after the Election<div class="MsoNormal">
The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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My colleague, Dr. Dale Andrews from Vanderbilt Divinity
School, and I sat with students at Wake Forest University Divinity School
(North Carolina) the morning after the election for what was supposed to be a
conversation about the intersections of race and environmental justice. We were there for the school’s Prophetic
Ministry Week and were prepared to talk with them about what prophetic
preaching looks like in the face of eco-racism and related issues. But that morning as the tears flowed and
audible sobs were heard throughout the room, the feelings of shock, confusion
and utter despair meant that we needed to process with these theologically-trained
Christians – some of whom were preparing for ordained ministry – what had
transpired for our nation. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9hFo4ndsMg0vtgVUUa9hrV6H55JFIhxfMjyOvwXeGwAeh_He3XJb_Px4v_ePF_0yLB4s_qsRIUuiha8oxEpkic7n0TgoXh958qS2i5Q-bECPyD9S0FlcUk2ANUvZGNLA5NIfrjCrbeHZ/s1600/crying+in+church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9hFo4ndsMg0vtgVUUa9hrV6H55JFIhxfMjyOvwXeGwAeh_He3XJb_Px4v_ePF_0yLB4s_qsRIUuiha8oxEpkic7n0TgoXh958qS2i5Q-bECPyD9S0FlcUk2ANUvZGNLA5NIfrjCrbeHZ/s320/crying+in+church.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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“<b>How are we supposed to go into our churches on Sunday
morning?</b> What are we supposed to say and
do? How can we face those who are going
to gloat over this victory? How are we
going to endure the pain of those who are devastated by the outcome? What does it look like to be church in the
midst of all this?” These were the kinds of questions they were asking.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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My first response was to remind them that <b>ensuring people’s
safety is top priority</b>. Given the
rhetoric of the man who is now president-elect, a significant portion of this country
is experiencing alarm and legitimate fear about their physical and emotional
safety, or for their family members, friends, fellow students and co-workers. Women, people of color, immigrants and their children,
people of differing sexual orientations, people with disabilities, those who
rely on health care from the Affordable Care Act, and Muslims are among those
who are desperately worried about their safety and health as the new
administration comes into power. So if
you are a pastor or leader of a congregation, it must be clearly stated that no
kind of hateful rhetoric or disparaging remarks about those who are now
threatened will be tolerated in God’s house of worship. The church is called to
be a place of refuge. And if you are a
Christian, you are part of the body of Christ, which means that you are to
refrain from that kind of talk even outside of the church. You represent Christ in the world. Behave in a manner that reflects the one whom
you worship.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXdKBlGP5pGEtBwKA-wcFFV1U3x6t6iyZldrrXCQ9bmjgXZpqVuLaOLgBtB6dYRsp8oKSjAr3qGwfZfQsvI6Lb9W8vOXeQ_kY0sVsqXYOlz8AppwyyRMjBOqRpaH-lGte4a76URQXUNOs/s1600/schade+and+andrews.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXdKBlGP5pGEtBwKA-wcFFV1U3x6t6iyZldrrXCQ9bmjgXZpqVuLaOLgBtB6dYRsp8oKSjAr3qGwfZfQsvI6Lb9W8vOXeQ_kY0sVsqXYOlz8AppwyyRMjBOqRpaH-lGte4a76URQXUNOs/s320/schade+and+andrews.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rev. Dr. Leah Schade and The Rev. Dr. Dale Andrews</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dr. Andrews astutely reminded the students that <b>this is
exactly why they are called to be Christian, to preach, to minister</b>. “For such
a time as this,” he said, invoking Mordecai’s words to Esther when she was
faced with going into a place of potential danger for herself, carrying the
burden of her people’s safety in her hands (Esther 4:14). In other words, this is exactly the time when
pastors are needed, even if they are feeling devastated themselves. God is already in the tomb even after it
appears sealed forever. Jesus has
already gone ahead to Galilee to meet you.
The Spirit is already at work in ways that may not yet be evident. So you are called to be a pastoral presence
and to use all of your skills in pastoral care for reflective listening,
empathy and silent but attentive presence.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>And if you are a Christian (including a pastor) who is
celebrating the results in this election, now is the time for restraint. Do not gloat.
</b>This is not like the Sunday after the World Series, or after the
Superbowl. This was not just some
political game where the victors can good-naturedly rib the losers. For half of this nation, this loss represents
a crumbling of the basic foundations of decency, respect, and the means by
which to preserve the common good. For those
who are concerned about the environment and climate change and have worked so hard to protect God’s
Creation, the thought of the new administration rolling back every protection
is terrifying. For those whose very
lives are threatened by people now empowered to strip their rights from them,
the results of this election are panic-inducing. So if you are celebrating after this
election, remember – if it had gone the other way, you would be understandably
disappointed and angry. But you would
have had no reason to fear for your health and safety. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Thus refrain from insisting that people need to “come
together.” Avoid using words like “unify”
and “move on.” </b> You cannot expect or even
ask people to unify with a person whose words have authorized homophobia, misogyny,
xenophobia, gun violence, sexual violence, racism and white privilege. Or to “come together” with someone who has
supported those values by voting for the person who encourages all of that. So if you are coming to church Sunday with
feelings of elation, exercise compassionate restraint. Even if you feel like
sidling up to your fellow Trump supporters during coffee hour and giving a knowing
wink and sly high-five – resist the urge.
I would have given the same exhortation to Clinton supporters if the
election had gone the other way. Being a
Christian during this time requires space-giving. Eventually we will need to talk about where
we go from here. But understand that
this is a time of deep grief for many.
Especially for those “blue dots” in predominantly red churches.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguypgvDJO6jpe1RBX2FkZ8urD8YaJxqY3KbTrHJaHFNBMcsGKmNT38HeSj_yStT1aeAhDbpz65wWMXGIDUe_E1Hgj4MpOHV6h3oPRCiZG9Iqp4vJbwyvjDMRsbRfwg-7cgE9Huf-oazV7i/s1600/Women-at-the-Tomb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguypgvDJO6jpe1RBX2FkZ8urD8YaJxqY3KbTrHJaHFNBMcsGKmNT38HeSj_yStT1aeAhDbpz65wWMXGIDUe_E1Hgj4MpOHV6h3oPRCiZG9Iqp4vJbwyvjDMRsbRfwg-7cgE9Huf-oazV7i/s320/Women-at-the-Tomb.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Women at the Tomb" by Claire Elam</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Which is why some people may not even feel comfortable going
to church this Sunday if they cannot bring themselves to face what they fear
will be the triumphant jeers of their fellow Christians. That is perfectly understandable. But if you are a pastor, you don’t have the
luxury of absence. So I reminded the
students that the day after the crucifixion, the women did something that we
need to do. They showed up. The women were confused, angry, anguished and
in deep grief. But they went to the tomb
because they were faithful. They went to
perform the rituals – the sacred actions and words – that were part of their people’s
faith for centuries. <b>We, too, are called
to show up. </b> We are called to be
faithful. And we have actions and words –
rituals – that are designed to hold the vast range of feelings experienced by
the congregation. Rely on that pattern
of worship that is so ingrained in us – gathering, hearing God’s word, breaking
bread and sharing wine, and sending out into the world. Let the liturgy minister to you and your
congregation. Let it gather in all who
will come. And trust that the Spirit of
God through the compassion of Jesus Christ will indeed be in our midst.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<i>The Rev. Dr. Leah Schade is the Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary (KY) and an ordained Lutheran minister (ELCA). She is the author of the book </i><a href="http://www.creationcrisispreaching.com/">Creation Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit</a> <i>(<a href="http://www.chalicepress.com/Creation-Crisis-Preaching-P1550.aspx">Chalice Press</a>, 2015).</i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-26806331559289586312016-11-04T09:54:00.000-07:002016-11-04T09:54:16.708-07:00Blessings and Woes: The Christian Case for Hillary Clinton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiI467ggHo-Yvp9zIoAmSI4gckwKPf_cqvaQfG7vkIhSWlj0NqLFxivtBZ25EbvNSwSs5wvn15rgeDzvuRLYM6vVYHdX2Cb6vINxoo2NLvcpSVKrK8ytgol4-o8cD1n62EodPjnX-KUcQ0/s1600/keep+calm+and+vote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiI467ggHo-Yvp9zIoAmSI4gckwKPf_cqvaQfG7vkIhSWlj0NqLFxivtBZ25EbvNSwSs5wvn15rgeDzvuRLYM6vVYHdX2Cb6vINxoo2NLvcpSVKrK8ytgol4-o8cD1n62EodPjnX-KUcQ0/s200/keep+calm+and+vote.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you are a
Christian whose church follows the Revised Common Lectionary, the gospel
reading assigned for this coming Sunday is amazingly appropriate given the
national presidential election two days later.
The passage is Luke 6:20-31, known as The Beatitudes, where Jesus is
talking to the crowd about blessings and woes.
He begins by saying this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #010000; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Blessed are you who are
poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed
are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame
you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy,
for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did
to the prophets.</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #010000; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He then
follows with a list of woes for those who are rich, fat and happy with lots of
yes-men around them telling them how great they are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And in one
of the most profound religious teachings in history, Jesus gives instructions
for those who would follow in the way of God’s radical grace:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #010000; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But I say to you that
listen, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who
curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the
cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not
withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if
anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you
would have them do to you.</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #010000; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3xHvnI6NoR_lj3TqljN2kwSasbBOC9L_vMbvR8ChPgHfP-FSf1hZ1gmkPevPgnzWQqAd3lokmhE8DH_9wlOgxK_j3jIB-08UuTqOjAzxGpucGRhpv-fd8fKf76pL-OMM7b3HnSO5imsy/s1600/hrc-accomplishments-2.original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3xHvnI6NoR_lj3TqljN2kwSasbBOC9L_vMbvR8ChPgHfP-FSf1hZ1gmkPevPgnzWQqAd3lokmhE8DH_9wlOgxK_j3jIB-08UuTqOjAzxGpucGRhpv-fd8fKf76pL-OMM7b3HnSO5imsy/s320/hrc-accomplishments-2.original.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As I read
these words, and I consider my vote, it is all too clear which candidate aligns
with the values of Jesus, and which one is diametrically opposed to those
values. Donald Trump is the one who is rich, fat and happy surrounded by
yes-men telling him how great he is. While
Hillary Clinton has spent most of her 30 years of public service in advocacy,
defense and support of those whom Jesus calls “blessed” – the poor, the hungry,
the despondent. She herself has been
subjected to the kind of hatred, defamation and derision described in this
passage. And while she is admittedly a
candidate with flaws (as all humans are), from what I have witnessed, at her
core is a strong grounding in the Christian upbringing that instilled these
values of Jesus into her beliefs and actions.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijBUmKou2hSd5LzfadVbiLZn9hgT_sKwMLZhhZ-bIn7m1WnpKktZ-l_SQyxXbr_VJGalsi0Uh0PFnt0LjNgSJ-5yQ3qR5GC4kg7NI0ZmAmsmOsL4tOFADycoYvkPuJGBbjiat-xt-FG7G/s1600/firstlady2.original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijBUmKou2hSd5LzfadVbiLZn9hgT_sKwMLZhhZ-bIn7m1WnpKktZ-l_SQyxXbr_VJGalsi0Uh0PFnt0LjNgSJ-5yQ3qR5GC4kg7NI0ZmAmsmOsL4tOFADycoYvkPuJGBbjiat-xt-FG7G/s320/firstlady2.original.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Full
disclosure – I did vote for Bernie Sanders in the primary because I have
serious disagreements with Clinton’s stance on fracking (she mistakenly thinks
methane gas is a “bridge fuel”). And I do not think she takes climate change
seriously enough to confront her fossil fuel corporate backers. Nevertheless, at this point in the
presidential race, it is very clear that a vote for Hillary Clinton is much
more aligned with my values as a Christian than would be a vote for Donald
Trump. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“But, but,
what about the emails?” some sputter. I
reiterate what Forward Progressives co-founder Allen Clifton wrote in a recent
column: <span style="background: white; color: #1d2129;">"Until I start seeing the private emails of the RNC,
Donald Trump and everyone else who’s claimed her emails (even the ones Russians
hacked and gave to WikiLeaks to distribute) ‘prove she’s corrupt,’ she’s being
held to a standard that nobody else is being held to. I don’t see the RNC or
Donald Trump eagerly publishing thousands upon thousands of pages of their
personal emails for everyone to read . . .” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“But, but, what if she’s indicted?” Again, from Clifton: “The truth of the matter is, even if you told
me 6 months from now that the FBI was going to indict Clinton for mishandling
classified information, I’d still vote for her . . . just as long as it keeps
Donald Trump from becoming this nation’s president."</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> [Read Clifton’s full piece <a href="http://www.forwardprogressives.com/heres-still-dont-give-damn-hillary-clintons-emails/]">here</a>.] <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I need a
president who does not violate the very basics of human decency. I need a president with whom I can engage
with in the areas where we disagree by appealing to the shared values we have –
as a female, as a mother, and as an advocate for what Jesus called “the least
of these.” I need a president who will
not inspire and encourage the kind of bullying, racism, xenophobia and violent chauvinism
I have witnessed in the past year from Trump and his supporters. I need a president who I believe will do her
very best to move us from woes to blessings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Granted, this move is not some kind of Hollywood epiphany
moment with singing violins and credits rolling on happy faces at the end of
the movie. We will be engaged in a long
process filled with fits and starts, sudden jumps ahead, followed by stumbling backward
with mistakes and missteps. So we will
need each other, we will need our houses of worship, we will need all of our
resources of education, financial generosity, creativity, hearts for justice
and minds for organization to <i>apprentice
ourselves to the blessing.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That’s what the Christian life is about. We are apprenticing ourselves to the blessing. And this apprenticeship means taking up the
tools of the trade and learning to use them in order to help our country move
from woes to blessings. Among those
tools is our ministry in the world – our vocation in our work, our
volunteering, and yes, our voting. IF
you are a Christian, and IF you are considering whether or not to vote for
Trump, ask yourself – am I voting for blessings or woes? Am I voting for blessings for myself
alone? Or blessings to share in
abundance?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aHB3HbINGKej9uARJEyBHwu9QZ6Gl_1_aCac4helHfQm0QfqJvzMuWB5_plFezExTG5bLIKh638a3GIAztF9M1O1dwB2rn7a4UHJrXnw9DVQBw0ixfxNiQD6omUTHmoEjhBZSJ4_gtt7/s1600/clinton+with+girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aHB3HbINGKej9uARJEyBHwu9QZ6Gl_1_aCac4helHfQm0QfqJvzMuWB5_plFezExTG5bLIKh638a3GIAztF9M1O1dwB2rn7a4UHJrXnw9DVQBw0ixfxNiQD6omUTHmoEjhBZSJ4_gtt7/s320/clinton+with+girl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">IF you are a
Christian, the teachings of Jesus can and should inform your vote. As you consider the candidacy of Hillary
Clinton and the blessings and woes before us, cast your vote for the blessings.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">The Rev. Dr. Leah Schade is an ordained Lutheran (ELCA) minister
and is the Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington
Theological Seminary. The views in this blog belong solely to the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of the ELCA or Lexington Theological
Seminary.</span></i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-34899151138860549202016-11-04T09:42:00.003-07:002016-11-04T09:42:57.916-07:00Trump as Plumb Line: The Christian Case against Donald Trump<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCo-DXpuaqXft7ThBCQOyAYxTfbIFgE9GDdAoNgCsMqhvJp2Oc7G_vWaTZIT54-PWQC_3q0_JrROENYFAJ05AYpoaJPg6a1Y2X7__oJAml-cZGR3nTbyC1IfklZllHNUP9NtYAJqULZQ8/s1600/300px-Plumb_%2528PSF%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCo-DXpuaqXft7ThBCQOyAYxTfbIFgE9GDdAoNgCsMqhvJp2Oc7G_vWaTZIT54-PWQC_3q0_JrROENYFAJ05AYpoaJPg6a1Y2X7__oJAml-cZGR3nTbyC1IfklZllHNUP9NtYAJqULZQ8/s200/300px-Plumb_%2528PSF%2529.png" width="185" /></a><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Rev. Dr.
Leah D. Schade</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Watching
Confederate flags pop up all over central Pennsylvania in the summer of 2015 like
weeds cropping up in the garden overnight was my first indication that
something was terribly wrong. This
phenomenon followed on the heels of two surges – white supremacy following the
removal of the flag from South Carolina’s government buildings in response to the
massacre of African Americans at Mother Bethel Church; and the ascendancy of
Donald Trump.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGztpaORD-2xYTbGo8H36orhZl1w8xrgxGnuIRFGHU9joKWRlbm7CjxR2wHYc8ZQnMrfh6McVBK0fgzDJBBcdrA4oa76QDJblyjZMyqQT250gBzL3VDd6jaowerJSYi09MVV-0XSCglY8Y/s1600/IMG_20160322_082433819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGztpaORD-2xYTbGo8H36orhZl1w8xrgxGnuIRFGHU9joKWRlbm7CjxR2wHYc8ZQnMrfh6McVBK0fgzDJBBcdrA4oa76QDJblyjZMyqQT250gBzL3VDd6jaowerJSYi09MVV-0XSCglY8Y/s200/IMG_20160322_082433819.jpg" width="112" /></a><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Since then
the rise of hateful rhetoric, hateful symbols and hate-filled actions against
non-whites, foreigners, immigrants, refugees, those with disabilities, and
women by Trump supporters and the candidate himself is incredibly alarming. I am reminded of a passage from Amos 7:7-9
where the prophet is given a vision by God:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This
is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb
line, with a plumb line in his hand.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><i><sup><span style="background: white; color: #777777; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">8</span></sup></i><i><span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="sc"><span style="font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> said to me, “Amos, what do you see?”
And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “See, I am setting a plumb line
in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by;<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></i><i><sup><span style="background: white; color: #777777; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">9</span></sup></i><i><span style="background: white; color: #010000; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the
sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of
Jeroboam with the sword.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlKGjBlRG7z1p9yXoi5RXXo27GV6uSmb4NRbd7phVnm_5uRsT8gSESptH6elpntqMHYdGZltQ6Py0ue_EtS49dsy7NTrqasvZikOWZ3iwP7Vwq0ILE6sMDwGysfXM_bujhFIeBkx4jm6W/s1600/gods_plumb_line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlKGjBlRG7z1p9yXoi5RXXo27GV6uSmb4NRbd7phVnm_5uRsT8gSESptH6elpntqMHYdGZltQ6Py0ue_EtS49dsy7NTrqasvZikOWZ3iwP7Vwq0ILE6sMDwGysfXM_bujhFIeBkx4jm6W/s200/gods_plumb_line.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What is a
plumb line? It’s the weight at the end
of a line used by builders to show vertical direction. This is how you can tell if your walls are
straight and even. It is the means by which you can tell if what you’re
building is true or off-balance. And if
your building is off-balance what can happen? The walls will lean, doors won’t
close, and you’ll get cracks in the walls<i>. </i>Ultimately, unless the problems are
corrected, the house will eventually fall. When you hang the plumb line, it’s
measuring the trueness of the house. In
a sense, it is making a judgment about the house - revealing whether everything
lines up, or whether it is off-balance and headed for destruction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So what does
it mean when God puts a plumb line in the midst of the people? What we have here is a metaphor. It describes
God’s measuring the moral and ethical walls of our house to see if they are
lined up with God’s will. When the plumb
line drops, there are serious consequences, because the truth about the
way society is constructed is revealed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My fellow
Americans – <b>Donald Trump is our plumb
line</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vB_UxNJQ5fBeQ3wTXc07FiRY6gVKdcuM1NGP61hWE1FMlDZICYinQG4uZ5M78DiLQ38yBpkSxnqtlpIEtyrKB7WSiApFWVq4f03MRw7OvxKR-JYw9CKSmVUTisErX-lJb4fn8rXT-nRm/s1600/IMG_20160702_143259664_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vB_UxNJQ5fBeQ3wTXc07FiRY6gVKdcuM1NGP61hWE1FMlDZICYinQG4uZ5M78DiLQ38yBpkSxnqtlpIEtyrKB7WSiApFWVq4f03MRw7OvxKR-JYw9CKSmVUTisErX-lJb4fn8rXT-nRm/s320/IMG_20160702_143259664_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He is our
plumb line because his presence has revealed that the walls of our democracy,
our economic structures, and our American society are cracked. Does this mean that God sent Donald Trump to
reveal the truth about our house?
Certainly not. But we need to
understand what a Trump presidency would mean for this country. Trump is so powerful because he is a result
of systemic, economic and cultural forces that have created a wave of
discontent. But more than that, he has
discovered a way to amplify and capitalize on that discontent by misdirecting
away from the very forces that caused the problems in the first place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The people who are supporting Trump
see the cracks in the walls. But rather
than work on ways to fix or rebuild the house, they choose to demonize and blame
the problems on the very ones who have been the historic victims of this system
for hundreds of years. For centuries,
whites have ignored the fact that our foundation was built on shifting sand. They have ignored issues of social justice,
choosing instead to insulate themselves within certain well-furnished rooms of
the house. What they did not realize is
that while they were living a comfortable life, the house is falling down
around them. Now they are panicking and
championing one whom they think can save them, when, in fact, he epitomizes all
the causes and reasons for the cracked walls in the first place. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After Amos’ prophecy, in a poetic
fulfillment of the judgment, Israel was later rocked by a devastating earthquake,
and their houses literally fell down around them. What people today do not realize is that a
vote for Trump will not make America great again. It will create more pressure on an already
unsteady structure. And when the walls
come tumbling down, they will not distinguish between whites and
non-whites. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">IF you are a
person of faith, and IF you are thinking of voting for Trump, I would strongly
urge you to reconsider. The plumb line
of Donald Trump has already revealed the truth about the choices we have to
make. And that can be quite
uncomfortable. You have to be honest
about where your own values are not lining up true with God’s values,
especially in terms of how you treat others, and the ways you benefit from a
system that favors you either because of your skin color, your gender and
sexuality, your occupation, your age, or your financial level.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You may not
agree with everything that Hillary Clinton has done in her 30 years of public
service. It may gall you to have to vote
for the candidate who is not of your party.
You may feel squeamish about having a female hold the highest elected
office in this country. And that’s
okay. I have a few disagreements with Hillary
myself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But I have
never witnessed her engage in the kind of hateful human-bashing that I see from
Trump. My Christian values leave me no
other choice than to vote against him and cast a prophetic vote on the side of
the plumb line that says: “Let’s get to work.”
Let’s set about the task of making sure that the walls are true, the
foundation is secure, and that justice and righteousness for all are the
measurements of our success, rather than the extreme wealth of a few. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">IF you are a
person of faith, the teachings of the prophets and the teachings of Jesus can
and should inform your vote. As you
consider the plumb line of Donald Trump, cast your vote for the whole house we
all share. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>The Rev. Dr. Leah Schade is an ordained Lutheran (ELCA) minister and is the Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary. The views in this blog belong solely to the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the ELCA or Lexington Theological Seminary.</i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01760478839598027696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653414895077719945.post-61928758161805032232016-10-26T12:27:00.000-07:002016-10-26T12:27:32.087-07:00Eco-Reformation Sermon: The Questions that Dare Not Go Away<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The
Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade</span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Assistant
Professor of Preaching and Worship, <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lexington
Theological Seminary, Lexington, KY<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Author
of <i>Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology,
Theology and the Pulpit</i> (Chalice Press, 2015)<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Texts: Romans 3:19-28; John 8:31-36<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDw_jZJPJ46GWlS17Guz-KOMbXbbnM0eRdKjOHbMEaLbbUub0t-r8z2R3lkjsRUSm00Cd5LXt6Gbwy2b6FG54WCJhyphenhyphen_CbFHVctWsYFgnriosVQfqLpu54tld2dYDOpuSO463ygtXhAmou/s1600/cross+on+creation.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDw_jZJPJ46GWlS17Guz-KOMbXbbnM0eRdKjOHbMEaLbbUub0t-r8z2R3lkjsRUSm00Cd5LXt6Gbwy2b6FG54WCJhyphenhyphen_CbFHVctWsYFgnriosVQfqLpu54tld2dYDOpuSO463ygtXhAmou/s320/cross+on+creation.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I was once cautioned by a Lutheran elder to beware of
my pursuit of developing a Lutheran approach to ecology and
environmentalism. “All this talk of
‘saving the earth’ that I hear nowadays sounds like works righteousness. We are
saved by faith, not works,” she reminded me.
“So you’re listing dangerously close to Lutheran heresy by insisting
that there is something humans can do to save the planet.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In one sense, she was correct. It is important to be aware of the risk of human-centered ecological
works-righteousness and firmly recognize that God is the source and agent of
human involvement. In other words, it is
not <i>we</i> who save the Earth, but the Triune God working in, through and
among us who saves us all. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But her warning also seemed
to shroud a more serious sin – ecological quietism. The danger of our Lutheran doctrine of being “saved
by faith alone” is that we go to the other extreme of what Dietrich Bonhoeffer
called “cheap grace” which requires no response and no action. Cheap grace excuses us from doing the work of
Christ in this world. Thus we can
rationalize avoiding taking action on any justice issue – including ecological
justice – by convincing ourselves that as long as we’re justified by faith, God
will take care of the rest. But that’s
not what Martin Luther meant, nor what he modeled. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The stories we will tell about Martin Luther on this
day and over the next year as we celebrate 500 years of the Reformation will be
so important as we remember who he was, what he did, and how our identity as
Lutherans is shaped by the events that happened five centuries ago. Would Luther approve of what Christians of
his namesake have been doing over the past 60 years working to restore
Creation? Or would he shake his finger
at our misguided deeds?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s helpful to remember that what
drove Luther to that church door in Wittenberg, Germany, with his theological
critique in hand was the fact that he paid attention to the suffering of souls
around him. And that his anguish for himself and for them led him to <i>ask questions</i>. In his book <i>What to Remember When Waking, </i>the poet David Whyte writes about
“the question which has no right to go away.”
On the cusp of Luther’s writing of the 95 Theses that would start a
tidal wave of transformation across Europe, Martin Luther raised questions that
had no right to go away. Questions like:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Who is this God we worship?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“What does God require of us?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Why are we told to be content with
the answers that have been given to us without our input?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“What has to change in order for us
to fully experience the grace of God?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And those questions led him to the
source of suffering located in a particular narrative about God and salvation
that had been constructed over the course of 1000 years. It was a narrative that benefited a select
few while putting undue burdens on the great majority to uphold that system. So
Luther’s questions started a conversation that did not fit into the dominant
narrative, that disrupted the pattern of what had been passed down for
generations. It was not well-received by
those in power, but Luther’s questions and the ensuing conversation were part
of a truth-telling that was intended to set us free (John 8:32). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lutherans today who are concerned
about re-forming the church toward an ecological responsibility are also
attending to the suffering of others.
From species disappearing, to coral reefs bleaching, to entire
communities flooded, and others devastated by drought, the effects of
fossil-fuel induced climate change and human violation of God’s Creation have
all spurred us to ask questions that have no right to go away. Questions like:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“How are we to understand God’s
Creation and our relationship to it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“What do God and Creation require
of us?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Why are we told to be content with
answers that have been given to us without our input?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“What has to change in order for
us, for all of humanity and the rest of Creation to fully experience God’s
grace?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Like the Reformation of the 16<sup>th</sup> century, this
Eco-reformation being led by a handful of Lutherans is also disruptive and
disturbing. It interrupts the way we’ve
been telling the story. That story about
humanity’s dominion has benefited a select few while putting undue burdens on
the great majority to uphold the system.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We do not do this work of Creation-care in order to <i>be saved</i> or to be justified by God. We do this work <i>because </i>we are saved and justified by God. For me, Martin Luther models the passion to
be angry about the way things are. This
is righteous anger that led him to take action: writing, preaching, debating,
reading, teaching, and speaking boldly against the powers that are causing
great and needless harm. This passion led
to <i>courage</i> to take action on behalf
of that faith active in love. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you know what the root word of “courage” is? It is the French word <i>cor</i>, which means “heart.” So
having courage means having the heart to ask the questions, to engage the
conversation, to name what is wrong and who is hurting. The Eco-reformation is inviting us into
<b>courageous conversation</b>. This
conversation is so difficult because we hardly know where to begin or what to
say, since what is happening is so huge, it is something we can barely wrap our
minds around. So there is, at best, a
hesitancy. At worst, there is a denial
that the conversation is even necessary.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMas2V-WMmJYONX7IP4DhN_idYjI_2-JehmHljowulWDpwAlM6g0BpcUkFQMpP3dXrtxGT8dBA2-ptFVpbyG8YVcoLiwI75mVp0SxsaWwxnOjYxZe3TIYv5C33_Bt5BUGz3wOHsRwWSvTb/s1600/dandelions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMas2V-WMmJYONX7IP4DhN_idYjI_2-JehmHljowulWDpwAlM6g0BpcUkFQMpP3dXrtxGT8dBA2-ptFVpbyG8YVcoLiwI75mVp0SxsaWwxnOjYxZe3TIYv5C33_Bt5BUGz3wOHsRwWSvTb/s320/dandelions.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But as Luther’s opponents discovered, once the
question has been asked, it cannot be unasked.
It cannot be contained. The Reformation spread like dandelion seeds
across a meadow and quickly took root as a thousand yellow flowers across a
landscape of despair. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Similarly, the
conversation about our relationship to God and Creation has already started.
It's a conversation that's going to happen with you or without you. So we have choices to make. We can either choose to be part of that
conversation, or we can resist it, deny it, or try to silence it. And then the choices will be made without
us. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You are invited to plop yourself down in that meadow
and immerse yourself in the beauty – as well as the pain – that the
conversation entails. In the meadow we
must ask ourselves, what is the courageous step for us to take now? When we ask that question, admittedly, it
leads us to the direction that we don’t want to take. Because it will mean leaving behind a way of
being and doing and driving and eating and selling and buying and consuming
that is causing great harm. But when we
ask those questions, we find ourselves being apprenticed to something much
larger than ourselves, to a God who invites us to <i>abad </i>and <i>shamar</i>, to till
and to keep (Genesis 2:15).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Like Luther, we are facing frightening prospects of
what lies ahead for us. At great
personal cost and sacrifice, he made his stand for truth. He could do no other. We can take heart – take courage – from the
God of Luther who knows that we face stakes even higher than the
pre-industrialized and pre-nuclear era of 1517.
In the face of planetary collapse we plant trees. We write letters to the editor and to our
elected officials. We march in
protest. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9G02ttZi90fVnHSLiRIf2mo0bskvRdl2_gZGgQ_nuYeHm_7lf8iyeGdinnQsYhDXO7rRCXU7zjoj1dHqsu2x8MFCt4OkkI6c_btOOBsgS0n_GfpBzjgvceQeYEGab_ILk0DrS0K0HvtNM/s1600/bishop+eaton+at+standing+rock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9G02ttZi90fVnHSLiRIf2mo0bskvRdl2_gZGgQ_nuYeHm_7lf8iyeGdinnQsYhDXO7rRCXU7zjoj1dHqsu2x8MFCt4OkkI6c_btOOBsgS0n_GfpBzjgvceQeYEGab_ILk0DrS0K0HvtNM/s320/bishop+eaton+at+standing+rock.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">ELCA Presiding Bishop Eaton, Bishop Jessica Crist, and Bishop Guy Erwin at Standing Rock, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;">standing with the tribes who are fighting against the pipeline on their sacred lands in North Dakota. For more info, click <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/doj-called-to-investigate-police-in-dakota-access-protests-246bed380d80#.4o4a6sp4m">here</a>.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We teach our children how to
ask questions and engage in those courageous conversations. We invent to ways to conserve and create
clean energy. We preach sermons that
proclaim the truth of the laws of nature, as well as the gospel of Christ’s
death and resurrection. And we remember
Bonhoeffer’s words in his book <i>Ethics</i>: “The world still stands; the end is not yet
here; there are still penultimate things which must be done, in fulfillment of
the responsibility for this world which God has created,” (127).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Take heart! Be
of good courage! The God of those small
but mighty questions is alongside us, within us, and – sometimes in spite of us
– still at work through us. This world
which God has created is ready for us to get to work! </b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Amen.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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