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Category: Humanity

An Open Letter to J. K. Rowling

Hello Joanne!
I have desired to write to you for many years. Ever since I read the first Harry Potter book. Admittedly, I was not part of the target audience. I was in my 50s. Still, I was hooked by the magical world that you created. I and my daughter, also an adult, waited with bated breath for each new episode as you wove strands magic from that Great River of Creativity that flows through the universe into a new magical world where the impossible becomes, not only possible, but reality. How could I not be captured by that? For that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I also want to note your works of charity and benevolence. I was adopted at the age of 6 months. During extremely important first months I was in an institution. Of course, I don’t remember that. However, not having the love and nurture that a child requires during those months did leave its mark. Some things cannot be undone. I was fortunate. I was embraced by warm and caring people who were unable to conceive their own child. So, became the first of two blessed souls who would live with a new family name, a new history, and a new hope. I do hope and pray that Lumos continues to work and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Weaving together hope and unity in families is a truly noble work. Your conceiving Volant Charitable Trust is also a mark of your warm and caring heart. Those who are the most vulnerable and at risk need the support of people with means, like you. Thank you so very much for these and other works of benevolence that find their root and home in your heart.
I, like you, think that every child, every life, has a right to live, thrive, and find joy. Our lives on this planet truly are too short. To acknowledge and allow others who don’t have our privilege to continue in disadvantage is a grievous sin. That’s why we work to tirelessly to give these others hope. Isn’t it?
All of this leads me to scratch my head, Jo. (You don’t mind if I call you Jo, do you?) Yeah, scratching my head at your apparent lack of knowledge about humanity and the human condition. You seem to see many things that are good and necessary. But, only in part. Please, if you will indulge me for a moment. Perhaps I can explain.
We both read and accept the Holy Bible as Sacred Writ. The stories and tales that were written so many centuries ago still have a hold on our hearts and minds. They tell us of God’s relating to the Cosmos, in particular, humanity. I love the arch of God’s faithfulness to the World from the beginning of relationship through to the culmination in the life, death, and resurrection of Messiah Jesus. How wonderful is that? Truly a story of hope for all people.
Have you ever read Psalm 139? In that psalm are some of the most beautiful words ever written. The psalmist wrote,
For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well
.”
Aren’t those words beautiful. They inspire awe at the Majesty and Goodness of our God. May His Name be Praised! The thought that God sees us as we are secretly formed in the darkness of the womb. That God Most High is Present as the knitting takes place creating from nothing a true work of art and beauty! Who can comprehend such a thing?
My daughter is an avid knitter. She concentrates on the task with the focus of a surgeon, fingers moving deftly. Each stitch given a purpose and place within the whole. It’s truly a joy to watch the magic happen as strands of yarn become a whole piece composed of countless thousands of such stitches. Sometimes, however, a stitch may be dropped. Or, perhaps, that ‘knit one; pearl two’ is transposed to ‘knit two, pearl one.” It happens. Or, maybe when one color gives way to another, this new color is added one stitch too soon or too late? That, too, happens.
How would that look in our psalmists view? A dropped stitch? Perhaps that would result in a child born with Downs Syndrome or cleft palate. Starting a color in the wrong place? A child born without a limb or a brain that never developed. Does that make that child any less a work of wonder? Have you ever looked into the face of a Downs child? Truly you are looking into the face of God! We cherish these folks. They are truly God’s Children. No less than you or me. I’m sure that you agree.
Did you know that there are children who are born truly androgynous? Born with two complete sets of genitals, one female, the other male? What happens to such a child? Well, usually the parents and doctor make a decision. They choose one gender over the other. But, what if they choose wrong? Will not that young girl grow up trapped in a body that is not hers? Is their no hope or respite for her? I’m sure that you can see the injustice of such a thing. Such a person, fearfully and wonderfully made must be able to sprout her wings and fly freely among the clouds!
But, Jo, what if that dropped stitch involved a persons heart and mind? What if the person is born with differences in the unseen realm? I’m quite sure that a person with a fertile imagination as you can visualize such a thing. Perhaps a different way that hormones work their magic on the development of the person could result in a person who has the character of a saint. Or, not. Could not such a fearfully and wonderfully made person be born whose affections are different than yours or mine? What if that young girl’s body doesn’t produce estrogen as it should as she grows and matures? She, too, might find herself trapped in the wrong kind of body. One which denies the reality of who she KNOWS that she is? Are we so omniscient that we can see and understand and render judgment on such a person? That we can judge with impunity her own experience? My dearest Joanne, I can’t imagine the arrogance that it would take to be that person. And, yet, you have deigned to be that judge. Even with all of the gifts that you have been given, intelligence, imagination, wealth, and privilege, you cannot seem to see that these other people have received different kinds of gifts. Where I live, many Native American nations consider these ‘Two Spirit’ people. They are revered and honored because they have the gift of seeing things in two worlds. I like that, don’t you?
I guess, Jo, that my point is who are we to judge that which has been created in the image of God? What right do we have to deny the reality that so many millions of our fellow humans live? Does a trans woman in Mexico really affect you? Are we not fellow passengers in this life? I suppose the bottom line is, Please, Jo! Knock this shit off. You are consciously hurting others. Other human beings who are simply trying to live their own lives.
Affectionately,
Mike

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Remembrance

Last Thursday was Maundy Thursday. That’s the day that Christians around the globe commemorate the Last Supper that Messiah Jesus ate with His disciples before His crucifixion. I had the joy of preaching at St. B’s that night. Some said I may have been a tad harsh. Others that I was just preaching to the choir. You can make up your mind on where my mind may have been.

Be Blessed!

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Confronting the Human Condition: A Reflection on Anger and Faith

Back in January I wrote a post about the suicide death of the sister of a co-worker. That particular death struck hard at my heart and mind. I shared my anger about it. Why this death? A person I never met. I still hurts to think about it.
I’ve realized that my anger wasn’t/isn’t directed at the single loss of innocent life. It isn’t even about the feelings of loneliness and desolation that ended in this final act of desperation.
I wrote a second post about the I call the “Human Condition.” In that I argued that the question of theodicy, or why a all powerful and loving God can allow evil to remain in the world. I stated that what we call “evil” is simply the Human Condition that our species has always lived in. Deal with it.
Today I want wrap this topic up. I want to define the anger that I felt then, and continue to feel now. I will expose the ultimate object of my anger.
But, first a short digression about God’s actions, or inaction. The story that the Bible tells reveals the way in which God chose to deal with the Human Condition. It describes the condition in terms of sin and disobedience. Although, I think disobedience is simply a result of the Human Condition. Anyway, it seems that God wanted to identify for us what we were dealing with. An all powerful drive toward, well, self-destruction. Through war, greed, poverty, seeking power, and all sorts of mean, nasty things that humanity perpetrated on itself and the world, God pointed out our inability to do much, if anything, to change that.
Enter Messiah Jesus. The Gospel story tells us how God changed the trajectory of humanity. Through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Messiah God, somehow, destroyed what the Bible calls the Power of Sin and Death. These, according to the text, are the driving force behind the Human Condition. In doing this God also created a community. Some call it the Church or the Body of Christ or whatever. Jesus in the Gospels, particularly the Sermon on the Mount, described life in this community, or the Kingdom of God. This community has trusted in Messiah Jesus. It accepts and proclaims the resurrection of Jesus. It lives in selfless service to one another and the world at large.
Until it doesn’t.
And, it hasn’t since its birth. This community of faith continues to struggle within the Human Condition rather that to be a voice of hope. That it should offer an alternative to that litany of mean, nasty things I mentioned earlier. We, and I mean “We,” have more than dropped the ball. We intentionally kicked it into the woods and walked away. The mandate the Jesus gave us on the night that He was betrayed was, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. I have loved you in order that you also love one another,” (John 13:34, my paraphrase). The Church, at least the variety that I spent more than 30 years in, has looked at this verse and said, “Ok. I can love my sisters and brothers just fine, thank you. That doesn’t mean that I have to love those foul vermin on the outside, right?”
Wrong.
Jesus never limited His love to those inside the club. In fact, He reserved some of His most cutting condemnation on them. Yet, we still keep our eyes firmly on our collective navels and clutch our pearls so tightly that we nearly choke ourselves when someone on the ‘outside’ tries to knock on the door.
This, my dear readers, is the definition of Failure! I don’t care if we discuss the fundagelical world that I escaped, the Roman Church, the Episcopal Church, or any other incarnation of Orthodox or protestant ‘Members Only’ club out there. We have ALL failed! Period! End of discussion!
My heart is genuinely broken at the loss of my co-worker’s sister. The loss to her family is greater than I can imagine.
And, I am angry at the Systems that backed this beautiful, young person into a corner that she could not escape.
My true anger is directed at the Church. Where were we when this girl needed help? I know, we can all say that unless she asked, what were we supposed to do? (Shrug.) That’s not the point. My emotions run hot about this because the Church has been neutered. By it’s own doing! Our voice has been silenced because we have chosen to follow the and embrace THE VERY SYSTEMS THAT ARE KILLING PEOPLE!!! How can we claim to be a voice of hope in a hopeless world when we, ourselves, are hopeless? How are people to know that the Church is here for them unless we prove trustworthy? Unless we have shown by our love and praxis that they can come to us when they are in need?
I don’t know. I’m ranting. But, that’s what I’m good at. Sue me.
If we don’t embrace our calling as a Peculiar People who stand with the people of the world and against the Powers that Be, we are above all people to be pitied. For, then, we prove that we have truly lost our way.

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Must We Always Live Under “Same As It Ever Was?”

Well, here we are at the end of yet another year. On the cusp of 2025 many of us share hope that the next year will be different. Spoiler alert: it won’t be. I’ve seen nearly 70 of these calendar pages turned. Nothing really changes. Except that I’ll forget the year on checks for a while. That’s why I use auto-pay a lot! So many people focus on what’s to come. And, too few of us truly reflect on what was. I think that’s a mistake. There is much that we have all accomplished that should be held high and celebrated. There are also those things that we would rather not been done.
Such is the way of it.
By “it” I mean the human condition. This is something that I’ve reflected on a great deal this past year. It is the true equalizer in the world. No one is beyond its influence. I even grasped that Jesus, the son of Joseph, was not above it. The only difference that I can see between Him and everyone else is that He chose to enter into it. But, that’s a story for another day.
This condition is universal in scope, yet appears differently to different cultures and classes. By definition, though we are all subject to it. I see this condition as one of misery, desertion, poverty, and anxiety. I think for many, 2024 taught us that. While we may live in our nice homes with all of the food and comforts that we desire, we still by our insurances and stock up ‘just in case.’
The year now winding down to its conclusion caused no shortage of anxiety. Not only in the U.S., but all around the world political and economic uncertainty has made us wary, not only of those who are different from us in race or culture, but of our own families and friends. These are the characteristics of the “human condition.” Not the outward appearance of well-being. That’s at best cosmetic. No, this condition is internal. It’s what we are born into. The evolutionists may say that this is simply a vestigial holdover from an earlier age when survival made suspicion and distrust necessary. Maybe. Only to me it seems that we as a species are more suspicious than ever. Of course, I have no way to prove that. It’s just my gut saying it.
I don’t know. Maybe I’m just getting old and cynical. Perhaps that’s part of the human condition, too. We see the reality of living. We are witness to suffering of other humans in war and poverty. Every. Single. Day. Fear is used as a tool to achieve wealth and power. Fear, that universal scourge that infects every living thing. Fight or flight. “Stay away from me and my stuff!” It’s no wonder that we crawl into our homes and view the world from the supposed safety of our various devices. Well, except those who can’t afford either a home or devices.
Such is our lot as we trek and toil toward…what?
A new year?
New hope?
New resolutions?
But, as David Byrne and the Talking Heads sang, “Same as it ever was, same as it ever was.”
Qoheleth, the Teacher, who wrote the Biblical book Ecclesiastes saw this over 2,000 years ago. He wrote, “Vanity! All is vanity…What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing new under the sun.”
Does this mean that I must remain in a cynical, hopeless life?
No, of course not. There’s always hope. It’s just not in politics or the economy or how good our insurance is. I think that any hope that we might find is in that which we distrust.
Each other.
Community is where we came from. Our earliest ancestors learned that as they began to walk and live in a hostile world. They needed each other then. Just as we do now. To hide in our ‘safe’ homes is an illusion. We can never hide from ourselves or our fears. Together, however, we might just learn to trust and walk in the light.
Much, (all?), of what I’m thinking in this regard comes directly from my study of the Bible and the community of faith that I’m part of. Most, however, has been discerned as I sit quietly with God. I think that this quietness is the beginning of community. After all, God exists in community; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But, then, I believe in stuff that most of the world doesn’t.
While I have no trust in the ways and systems of this world, I do have a fleeting hope in humanity to see outside of itself. To grasp the truth of our need to trust, not only one another, but the earth and all that it contains. We are all floating around on the wet ball. If we can’t learn to trust to this reality and the God Who lives here with us,
Who can we trust?

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Who Is The True Enemy Of Our Humanity? Hmmm…?

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, “Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” So many of us are caught up in the chaos and fear that holds the world in thrall. It’s absolutely true that we live in uncertainty. We wonder where our place in society actually is. Weren’t the things that we learned as a child absolute? For those of us who grew up in the White Middle Class these fears seem especially alive. We were taught that if we just worked hard we could have anything that we desired. The world was “our oyster.” We had “the world on a string.” We could “move that rubber tree plant” if we just have “high hopes.” Now, however, we feel as if all of that has been taken away from us. What thieving, conniving, son of a bitch had the kahonas to do that? Why I oughta….! I know that we’ve all felt this. That some injustice has overtaken us. And, it was “THEM” that did it! Damn them! We then rail and rant against those other people who cause us so much anxiety and anger. In the U.S. right now those others range from illegal migrants who threaten to take our jobs. Or, it might be the Main Stream Media that are trying to teach our kids how to be some kind of ‘woke Libtard.’ Of course, the whole of Washington, D.C. is a swamp that desires to suck the life out of us. They want to take our guns and force some kind of “Homosexshul” agenda down our throats. Of course there are many who feel that conservatives are trying to drag us back into the Victorian Era. They want to control our lives by telling us what we can or can’t read or who we are able to love. We mustn’t forget the rich elites on both sides who are bankrolling the destruction of our country. For some it’s all about “God, Guns, and Country.” For others it’s about inclusivity and equality. Our anger is directed at all who seem to be stepping on our rights. OUR Rights! We turn the saying of Jesus around and say, “Anyone who is not for us is against us.” Rather than, “Whoever is not against us is for us.” We’ve divided ourselves into warring factions where there’s no room for common ground. And, it’s exhausting. There is another way. Paul alluded to it in the text from his letter to the Church at Ephesus I quoted above. Our true enemy is not that person who just cut us off on the freeway. It’s certainly not the Trans person who we saw at the grocery. In fact, no one is our true enemy. That position is reserved for what Paul described as “rulers,” Authorities,” and “Cosmic Powers.” In today’s vernacular those are referred to as Systems of Oppression. That includes Systems that instigate racism that are baked into our culture as well as our founding document. They include Systems that objectify people based on gender or gender identity. Capitalism is a System that only exists on the backs of others. And, politics is a System that guarantees that the status quo is maintained for all of the other Systems. Let me give you a real-life example. Donald Trump. For some he is the return of Christ, a savior in flawed clothing. Others see him as the incarnation of the Anti-Christ. It’s not possible for both to be true. But, it possible that neither is true. The Systems that control society and culture allow for the rise of people like Trump. But, he is as much of a victim of those Systems as any other person. Let me state it again, Donald Trump is as much of a victim of those Systems as any other person. Please, don’t throw stuff! Let me explain. If anyone thinks that a person who is down and out, say, an unhoused person is a victim, why couldn’t the person at the top of the food chain also be a victim of some other influence or power? I think that they can. Now, don’t get me wrong. I do not like Trump. Not even a little. I find him wholly out of touch with reality. His narcissism knows no bounds. He lies pathologically. He’s an abuser and a bully. There seems to be nothing in him that’s redeemable. But, redemption is not my call. That’s way above my pay grade. My task is simply to love. My brothers and sisters. My friends. My family. My…enemies? Yes, my enemies. Those who I could just as easily “Other” as they could “Other” me. When I stop to remember who my true enemies are, those powers, principalities, and systems, I find that I am able to lay aside my own presumptions and prejudices. I am free to live without the burdens of judgment and anger. More importantly, I am free to lift these others up to God and ask that God free them from the bonds that hold them as slaves to those Cosmic Forces. So, as I pray each morning I take a moment to remember folks like Donald Trump. I ask God to release him and his family from the chains that bind them. May it be so, Amen.

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Sojourning for a Little While. Let’s Do It Right.

On the Way shutterstock 723981925

Last week I wrote a rather harsh post directed toward those who say that they follow Jesus. I am so frustrated with my sisters and brothers who, like Esau who gave away his birthright as the firstborn because he was hungry. The quintessential short-sighted person. The Church has given away its birthright as well. And, for an equally short-sighted reason.
Political power and control.
Such a fickle mistress is politics. I have been around a long time and have seen political fortunes ebb and flow with the tide of public opinion. For the Body of Christ to embrace such nonsense is truly beyond frustrating.
I know that many, (most?), who read this think that I’m over reacting. All of this is simply a passing thing. Once humanity advances a bit more and becomes more empathetic and kind, these stone age ideas will pass just as the Neanderthal. There’s a problem with that thinking. Neanderthal DNA is still present in modern Homo Sapiens. It has persisted far beyond it’s original form. So shall the ideas and cultural baggage that my fellow pilgrims on this Way.
Let me give a couple of examples that I heard this past weekend. I was with some others having coffee. One of them spoke about someone who was a tad more liberal than he. Another person interjected something along the lines of, “What, is she some sort of liberal? Does she recognize the “Trans Movement”? The other said that it wasn’t about the “Trans Movement.”
The exchange was biting and hostile. And, a purely political exchange.
The same person who had replied to that earlier exchange shared a story about being in New York City for the Macy’s parade. After the parade there were apparently protesters outside of Macy’s. They were protesting Macy’s selling of mink coats. This person said that he went up to the protesters and made the statement that they must be Pro-Life. After all, if they protested the slaughter of animals they surely must be against the slaughter of innocent unborn children. He emphasized his argument until some of the protesters became uncomfortable. But, to him, this was a victory for God. I think that if he wanted to actually do something helpful he should have joined the protesters. After all, he is Pro-Life!
These examples seem to be insignificant to most people. Maybe you, dear reader. The ramblings of people who have no idea what the culture is moving toward. Ok. I’ll give you that.
For me, however, these are people who claim to believe in God the Father of Jesus. Their faith is wrapped up in how they interpret and understand the Scripture. The same Scripture that I love. This is painful for me. These folks have walked away from their First Love in order to embrace a particular political position. Then, they say that their position is godly and the Only True Way to Christian. In their judgment any deviation from their narrow, conservative political position amounts to heresy. And, heretics are to be stoned.
When I decry the way the Church has been compromised by the powers and politics of humanity I am sharing the pain that I feel. The pain that Jesus and the Church are being misrepresented by hateful people. The pain that the Church has allowed herself to be dragged down to such a level where she can no longer be the voice of God’s Love and Good Grace to the world. And, the pain that so many of my sisters and brothers are bound up in the chains which have lies for links.
If anything that I write or teach or preach may break some of those links, then I will rejoice.
If God’s Good Grace and Love may find a way into this world to reveal health and healing, that will answer prayers.
If I, and others, (I’m surely not alone in this), can represent Jesus and the Church in a way that honors both God and Humanity, my job will be done well.
So, when I rant about the Church and the ways in which she has been slandered and mislead, grant me some grace. This is my heart and my passion.

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More on the Letter that Kills

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Those of us who live in Ohio are becoming aware that this August 8 there will be a special election. The issue to be voted on will change the Ohio Constitution making it more difficult for certain constitutional amendments to pass. Currently, the threshold for approval of an amendment is 50% + 1. For those of us who struggled with math, let’s just call that a Simple Majority. That’s kinda how majority rule in a democracy works. The folks who put this amendment on the special election ballot want to change that to 60% of voters necessary to approve. That’s called a Super Majority. That creates a higher bar for any amendment to the Ohio Constitution to receive approval.

Now, I know the ramifications of this particular vote. I’m not going to get into that. I know how I’m going to vote. You all are intelligent folks who are capable of making a reasoned decision. Just make sure that you get out and vote!

What I want to address today is a sign. A sign that I saw in someone’s front yard. An election sign. Whoever put the sign in the yard apparently wants everyone to vote Yes on the issue this August. A yes vote will change the constitution to require that Super Majority thing I mentioned above. The subtext of the sign reads, “Protect the Constitution.” Ok, I get it, I think. Make things harder for special interests to change the constitution. Of course, special interests are supporting a Yes vote. But that’s a story for another time.

What struck me was the subtext. Why do we need to protect the Constitution and not the people whom that document is meant to serve and protect? Why are people concerned about legalities when ethics are tossed to the wind?

That, too, I think I understand.

So many folks in this country talk about how the U.S. is a nation of law. We tout the idea that no one is above the law. If people just obey the law everything will go swimmingly. The law is considered the bedrock of our democracy. We need to protect it at all costs. Just look at Jan. 6, 2021. We shouldn’t be surprised by this. While this country was not founded as a Christian nation. (Anyone who says otherwise is simply ignorant. You can walk away from them.) It was built upon a Protestant ethic. The reformers, particularly Calvin and Luther, set in motion the importance of the written word and the Law. Luther famously touted “Sola Scriptura”! Scripture alone is all that is required to know about salvation. The written word of God. Calvin carried the ball much further down the line. He established the criteria by which people could live and prosper. He even tried to establish a theocracy in part of Switzerland. The Law of God would rule people justly. Of course, that’s until people actually get involved. That, too, is another story for another time.

In time, this reformed notion of the written word morphed into legalism. The importance of the written law was finally established right here in the U.S. of A. From the very beginning the law and the courts became the final arbiters of what is right and what is wrong. Human ethics and morality became less important than the letter of the law. I hope that you can see where I’m going with this.

We, as a nation, have decided that it’s possible to legislate morality. People are set aside for a legal declaration of what’s good and proper for people’s lives. Rather than encouraging and teaching ethical behaviors that lift communities and empower people to live their best lives, we clamp a lid on that with laws that cannot do anything but hold people down and oppress them.

It is written, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” That comes from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. I wrote a bit about that here. Yet, people are putting signs in their yards so that we will protect the letter. They would have us abandon our humanity and our conscience so that a piece of paper filled with words can continue to hold people down rather than seeking ways to lift people up.

On August 8 there will be an election.

Please vote with your humanity and your conscience.

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Texas and Florida: The New Sodom

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What’s that?

Those are two of the Reddest Red States!
Aren’t they filled with all of those conservative christian types?
How can you say that they are the New Sodom?

I’m glad you asked those questions.

First, Yes! Yes, those states boast a large percentage of the population who are christian.
They believe the Bible and claim to read it and live their lives accordingly.
I’m sure that if anyone from one of those “righteous” states reads this they will begin to
gnash their teeth and say, “How dare that liberal commie punk say that about us!”

Ok, whatevs.

I have a pretty strong case, though. In recent days there have been a couple of things happen that may or may not find air time on your favorite news channel. (I’ve found that the media, main stream or other, don’t report on these types of stories very often. I sometimes wonder why. Then, I remember, “Oh, yeah, $$$$.)

Immigration to the U.S. has historically been a problem. From banning Chinese immigrants in the 19th century to not welcoming Catholics and Irish and Italians and whoever the group du jour happens to be.. Americans, a nation of immigrants, has issues with allowing immigrants.

I get the concerns. Will there be adequate housing, jobs, schools, etc. to support any influx of people from other countries. And, while I think many, if not most, of those concerns are over-blown, there is reason for them. After all, when guests come to call the host needs to think about how to care for them.

I get it.

And, I agree that the Federal govt. really needs to pull their collective heads out of their asses and address this issue. It will not simply go away if it is ignored.
That’s why we elect those folks.

However, what two governors have done is not helpful. In fact, it is criminal. (Or, should be.)

In order to score political points Greg Abbott has been loading illegal immigrants into buses and sending them north to New York, Chicago, and D.C. He claims that it is to highlight the border problem in his state.
There is a problem there. I don’t think that anyone would deny that. People streaming across the border without any structure in place to adequately accommodate them is a big problem.
The strain on state and local governments is real. The local economies are not designed to handle the sometimes staggering number of people crossing. Federal, State, and Local law enforcement are overworked and simply not trained to handle all of the issues they are confronted with.

BUT…

Treating human beings, children, women, and men like pawns on a chess board in order to score political points is simply wrong. These are folks trying to escape crushing poverty and civil unrest. They are literally running for their lives. Gov. Abbott should be ashamed of how he is treating these people!

Florida Gov. Ron “Vecna” DeSantis is following Abbott’s lead. He recently sent two planes filled with immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard. (See NYT article here.) He did not give the folks there a heads up. He simple used taxpayer funds to fly people out of his state.
Fortunately, the good people of Martha’s Vineyard ramped up quickly to help. They welcomed the immigrants and began helping them get the support that they needed. They fed them and in one case gave someone a pair of shoes because he had none. It seems that those people understand the words that Emma Lazarus wrote that are etched on the Statue of Liberty:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

From Emma Lazarus’ “The New Colossus”

I don’t fault Local and State governments their frustration. Immigration is an issue that needs to be addressed.
But, treating people who are hungry, lost, and afraid like this is truly a sin that must be reckoned.
As the prophet Ezekiel wrote to the leaders of Jerusalem:

“As I live,” says the Lord, “your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. This is the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty, and did abominable things before me; therefor I removed them when I saw it.”

Eze. 16:48-50

As near as I can tell from this, both Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis are sodomites.

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Wrath of God?

How many of us have had conversations about justice for someone who committed a crime?
I’m sure that there was mention of “he got what he deserved,” or “she didn’t MEAN to shoot him! Why should she be punished”?
We all seem to default to some need to exact a fair retribution for any type of wrongdoing.
When I was a kid in school I was told to get good grades or I could expect to be grounded. When I was was disrespectful to adults, well, “just don’t do it.”
On a larger scale, the criminal justice system in the U.S. is built upon the bedrock of “do the crime; do the time.” All of this seems completely correct. Tit for tat; turn about is fair play; you slap me, I’ll punch you.
That’s the way it should be. Right?
After all, doesn’t the Bible prescribe this? An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth.
We could probably spend a lot of time discussing the exegesis of the texts that mention those. But, that’s not the purpose of this post.
Nor, is the purpose to critique the U.S. criminal justice system.

I have the privilege of leading Bible studies at the church I attend. I try not to make them like the typical studies that are held in many churches. I don’t tell people what to think or believe. I certainly don’t tell them how they should live their lives in some “godly” manner. Hell, I don’t even know how to do that myself!
I try to let the text speak for itself. Exegesis means to “read or lead out.” So, what I try to do is let the text “lead” me toward any meaning or interpretation. Of course, total objectivity is impossible. But, it’s important to try to be as objective as possible so as not to imprint my own world view or interpretation on the text.
In our study group this is important because some of the texts deal with negative ideas. Every time we read something about God’s wrath or some kind of holy retribution many in our group are taken aback. They wonder how God, as revealed in Jesus, could ever do anything like that. After all, aren’t the Gospels pretty clear in revealing God’s unlimited love for the world? However, our experiences in life don’t back up that gilded image of Christ the lamb-carrier. Rather, we see everyday how wrong is punished. When we question that, we are invariably told “Well, the Bible tells us to.” So, if God practices retributive justice, so should we.

But, is that an accurate understanding of God?

Notice that I didn’t write “understanding of how God works.” No, the question of justice and love cut to the very heart of Who God Is. God’s very character is seen in how God acts. By the way, that’s how it works with people, too. Like James wrote, “Y’all can tell me about your faith all day long. I’ll show you my faith by what I do” (James 2:18 my paraphrase).
So, we tend to view God by what we see, or read, God doing. And, Lawd A’Mighty! There are a lot of examples of God’s wrath wreaking havoc among humanity. I’m not going to list them here. Just consider all of the folks alive at Noah’s time before and after the flood. Not a great ending for all but, what, eight people and a menagerie of critters.
In our journey through the Book to the Hebrews, we have read about the people who left Egypt with Moses. They came to the very border of God’s promised land. Then, they forgot all of the things that they had witnessed. The plagues in Egypt; the Red Sea parting; the fire and cloud on Mount Sinai; God’s provision of bread and drink in the desert…all forgotten. God told them that because of the lack of trust they would all perish in the desert. Well, all except two. We read about how “vengeance is mine” and “it’s a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.” These texts met with diverted looks and head shaking. Again, how could a loving God do such things?
I admit that much of what we read in the Bible is troublesome. If I know that such violence and anger is wrong, how could God not? If God’s moral compass seems more skewed than mine, why should I follow God at all?
There are a couple things to consider. The first one I’m not going to dwell on now. That’s a topic for another post. But, it goes like this.
The Scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit. Both in their creation and their canonization. However, they are all wholly human documents. Written by specific people for a specific reason, intended for reading by other specific people. That’s not to belittle God’s inspiration. That’s just the way it is. As such, they will contain all of the humanness and worldview of those writing. The End.
The other consideration for these raw stories’ inclusion in Holy Writ is one not usually thought of by many, (most?), believers. That is because of the rhetorical impact of the stories. In the above examples from Hebrews, the writer wanted to make a point. He used the story of the Israelites’ failed entrance into the Promised Land to implore his readers to “Not. Be. Like. Those. People.” I would suggest that the original story may have had that idea behind it. The point is to remain faithful and trust God and you will reach the reward. Don’t be like those who don’t trust. The effect is motivation to stay the course. The same thought is behind the other statements. They are not statements that describe God as angry and wrathful. The statements were made in the context of people acting faithlessly in the face of God’s promises. Don’t be like them!
That begs the question, “well, what about ‘those people’?” Isn’t God still portrayed as the big bully who gets his boxers in a bunch when people don’t do exactly what God says? Not really. Does any hypothetical example require a physically real expression? Of course not! Nor do the writers of the Scriptures need to be reporting about actual behaviors of so-called sinners and apostates in order to draw conclusions from what may be their actions.
This rhetorical tool may be found in many other portions of the Bible. The writers, inspired by the Holy Spirit, tell of dreadful possibilities and outcomes in an attempt to persuade their hearers to take a preferred path in their lives. Do this! Don’t be like those people who didn’t.
I know that there are lots and lots of folks who will take issue with these thought. That’s ok. I don’t need to be right. But, I do need to be consistent in my claim that Jesus Christ is the only true representation of Deity. Through what I read in the Gospels about Jesus, I think that my position is a solid one.

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