The Irreverent Reverend

A migrant mother and her two children drowned Friday night while trying to cross the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas. A South Texas Congressman told Border Report that state officials denied federal agents access to the river to help. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers blocked access to the park earlier this week. Mexican officials found their bodies on Saturday.

According to Borderreport.com, “Border control attempted to contact the Texas Military Department, the Texas National Guard, and the Department of Public Safety (DPS) Command Post by telephone to relay the information but were unsuccessful. Border Patrol agents then made physical contact with the Texas Military Department and the Texas National Guard at the Shelby Park entrance gate and verbally related the information. However, Texas Military Department soldiers stated they would not grant access to the migrants– even in the event of an emergency—and that they would send a soldier to investigate the situation.”

Talk about too little, too late. At some point one has to ask the question, when does obeying the law or a direct command violate the basic tenet of being human? This is inexcusable. It is impossible to imagine standing by, doing nothing while a mother and her two children drown. It boggles the imagination. Post traumatic stress will surely accompany the Border Patrol agents who were forced to stand by and watch this horror unfold.

Arresting migrants and providing humanitarian relief is the job of the US Border Patrol. But last Wednesday, Governor Greg Abbott (R) seized that authority when he took control of a public park in Eagle Pass, a heavily crossed section of the Rio Grande. In a interview with NPR, Mayor Salinas commented that “this was NOT something the city agreed to.”

Governor Abbott’s controversial Lone Star border security program, which uses Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and Texas National Guard soldiers to deter migration is at the center of a conflict between Abbott and the Biden administration. This is not the first, just the most recent, conflict between the two entities.

Surely, we need a better immigration policy and a better border policy. The situation in Texas is untenable over the long term. That is not in question. It is interesting to note, however, that a bipartisan immigration bill is being stymied by Republicans to bolster their hardline anti-immigration stand until the election and then blame Democrats for failing to find a solution.

Somewhere in the solution there needs to be a humanitarian focus. Asking “who would Jesus let drown?” focuses the question well. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a compassionate answer to that question when a mother and her two children drown, and people stand by and watch as if they are helpless. Sometimes people need to decide for themselves what they are made of and what their priorities are. Not saving human lives in obedience to an unjust order is one of those times.

Aside from all the political kvetching, which never solves anything, the real issue at hand is what it means to be human and to whom our ultimate allegiance belongs. The religious preferences of any of the players is not known, but at the very least a human response would have favored intervention.

Governor Abbott is quoted as saying, “The only thing we are not doing is we’re not shooting people who come across the border because, of course, the Biden administration would charge us with murder.” That’s a pretty a pretty low bar. Joaquin Castro (D) San Antonio said in a NPR interview, “Intentionally keeping people from saving a drowning mother with her kids—that’s bloodthirsty. You know, that’s ‘Lord of the Flies’ stuff.” Well said.

What is just as troubling is the lack of public outcry against Governor Abbott and this inhumane policy. You don’t have to live in Texas to be concerned about immigration. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican is irrelevant. What is relevant is who you are as a human being and what you hope might happen for you if you were in that mother’s situation.

This year Americans are expected to spend between $942 and $960 billion on Christmas. The average American will spend just under $1,000.00, a slight decrease from last year. That noted, holiday sales have grown year over year for over a decade. Twenty-five percent of Americans still have holiday debt from last year. Approximately one third of Americans take on debt for Christmas spending.  Seventy percent of Americans say they will overspend their budget to buy Christmas gifts.

This is all to welcome the birth of Jesus, who owned nothing and was homeless. It is as tragic as it is ironic. We spend money we don’t have to buy things for those who already have too much. And the hungry will still be hungry when the Christmas basket is gone. The homeless will still be homeless, People will still have to choose between paying a utility bill and buying the medication they need to treat chronic health problems.

I am not a Scrooge and I do not feel bah humbug about Christmas. I am, however, deeply troubled by the farce that Christmas has become. It troubles me that I go into the grocery store to buy food for the food pantry and hear “O Holy Night” play on the Muzak right after “Santa Clause is coming to Town.” Sacred Christmas carols and secular holiday music have blended together and the sacred carols are the losers.

Every year I hear complaints about not singing Christmas carols during Advent. I am a bit like the Advent Police. The four weeks that precede Christmas are a time of introspection and preparation. The haunting lyrics of Advent carols call us to slow down and remember what this season is supposed to be about. The world may run the mall and the shopping industry, but it doesn’t run the church. So we will sing, “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” and “O Come, O Come, Emanuel” and tell our rushing spirits to slow down and consider the true gifts of this season: Peace, Hope, Joy and Love. From where I sit the world is in much more in need of these than another plastic thingamajig that will be forgotten by New Year’s.

People say that Christmas is for children and use that as an excuse for overindulging children with more than they need. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we taught that Christmas is for children, and that means giving to children who don’t have enough? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if children learned the joy of giving and not just receiving? 

I am proud of the teachers and children at Ledyard Congregational Church where I serve as interim pastor. Our children are learning about giving and sharing with others. They have conducted a food drive for the St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen and a pet food drive for the hungry animals that live in shelters waiting to be adopted. Making God’s love concrete in deeds of generosity and care is the message of Christmas that I want all children to have.

Instead of buying holiday gifts this year, why not take all the money you would spend on gifts and give it to the food pantry or the fuel fund? Why not pick names out of a hat and buy one gift for that person with a limit of $25.00? Why not make handmade gifts this year?

There are so many ways to celebrate Christmas without going into debt and over-indulging children. To welcome the Christ child into the world and into our hearts is to welcome those he came to make whole; the last, the least and the lost. Try stepping out of the rat race and the mad house of it all. Enjoy Advent. Prepare your hearts. Slow down. Listen to an Advent song or two. 

Advent Blessings.  

The warm fuzzy holiday we celebrated on Thursday with huge meals and family gatherings has a far more unseemly history than appears. Thanksgiving, as we know it, was declared by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 as a way of easing tensions between the north and the south during the Civil War. The year before Lincoln’s declaration there was a massacre of Dakota-Sioux tribal members.

The first Thanksgiving is claimed by various people in various places, but was not (as we have been taught) celebrated the first year the settlers arrived in what they called the New World, which is Plymouth Massachusetts.

There are some shreds of truth in narrative we have constructed to make ourselves feel better. There was a three day feast in Plymouth at some point. It did celebrate the harvest. There is no evidence the Wampanoag Native Americans were invited. A few tribal members showed up when they heard gunfire. It was part of the celebration, and after deliberation, they decided to stay.

In the pilgrim’s first encounter with the Wampanoags they stole from the tribe’s winter provisions. It wasn’t until later that tribal leader Ousamequin form an alliance between the pilgrims and the Wampanoags. It was not, however, about harmony and making nice. In fact, by the time the alliance was made the Wampanoags had been decimated by diseases brought by the pilgrims from Europe. The alliance was to assure the survival of the remaining Wampanoags.

After the first harvest celebration there was a bloody war between the colonizers and the Native peoples (beyond the Wampanoag tribe). In general, the colonizers showed their appreciation to the Natives by stealing their land, imprisoning their leaders and selling tribal members into slavery in the West Indies. Not long after that bloody war came the Pequot massacre of 1636 and the beheading of Wampanoag leader Metacom.

Rather than the wholesome family, faith and friends narrative that attends this holiday, it is a story of genocide, tribal decimation and erasure of Native American culture from American history.

Native Americans mark Thanksgiving as National Day of Mourning. It has been marked in Plymouth Massachusetts since 1970. Participants in National Day of Mourning have, in this remembrance, celebrated their ancestors and honored their struggle to survive. Part of their mission is to educate Americans about the history of Thanksgiving. It is organized by United American Indians of New England.

If you are looking for a more honest way to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, visit firstnations.org. They offer a comprehensive reading list for all ages.  Look for films like, Our Spirits don’t Speak English, Dreamkeeper, Imprint or The Cherokee Word for Water.

Correcting the false narrative of history is step one in a more just, honest and faithful understanding of Native American culture, pain and eradication from the American narrative. It is time we teach history honestly.

As wars and mayhem rage around the world, the state of Illinois passed a new law that gives a small glimmer of hope in an otherwise all too dismal world. On September 18^th Illinois became the first state to abolish cash bail in its legal system. In a landmark court ruling, “The Illinois supreme court upheld the Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act, which abolishes cash bail and specifies procedures judges must use to impose pretrial detention.” (American Civil Liberties Union website).

The use of cash bail has resulted in tens of thousands (by some accounts up to 400,000) being incarcerated as they await trial, simply because they cannot afford to pay bail. Sometimes the amounts are relatively small, but when you are dealing with the poor, these small amounts are insurmountable. This, in effect, penalizes poor people. Given the other structural injustices that are part of the criminal justice system, people can remain in prison for years awaiting trial as the system dawdles and gives attention to higher profile cases.

This legislation levels the playing field. The ruling states that everyone is entitled to pre-trial release. It does not mean that everyone will get pre-trial release, but it makes it possible. As one might imagine this ruling was hotly protested by victim’s advocate groups and law enforcement officers, despite widespread support for the measure. Multiple lawsuits ensued and the case made it to the Illinois Supreme Court. Ultimately they rejected all the arguments.

According to the ACLU, the Court ruled:

• “Bail” doesn’t require money. There are plenty of ways for courts to ensure that people return to court, and keep everyone safe, without ordering a person to pay for their freedom.
• Abolishing cash bail does not harm victims. Under the new law, judges must consider safety risks posed by release and give victims notice of relevant bail proceedings.
• Abolishing cash bail is squarely within the legislature’s power. Separation of powers means that it’s up to judges to apply the law in individual cases. But changing the legal framework—here, eliminating cash bail—is perfectly appropriate for the legislature to do.

The Coalition to End Money Bond, whose members include Christian organizations like A Just Harvest, Nehemiah Trinity Rising and the Chicago Metropolitan Association of the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ, pushed for the passing of the Pretrial Fairness Act, the legislation responsible for eliminating cash bail.

In a very real sense, this legislation is an embodiment of the words Jesus used when he entered the temple to begin his public ministry. Quoting Isaiah in Luke 4 we read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind.”

Of course, if you read on in chapter 4, the hearers at the temple in his hometown were ready to pitch Jesus off a cliff after he rolled up the scroll and sat down. Anyone who champions the underdog and threatens the systems of domination and empire are in a vulnerable position in relation to cliffs. It is never a popular position. It is, however, a biblical position.

In our highly divisive and partisan times, legislation like this is a cause to rejoice because it is a concrete example of doing the right thing. And having a state Supreme Court that doesn’t have its head in the sand is a cause to rejoice as well.

There is bound to be some hiccups in the roll out of this legislation, which will give credence to the naysayers who opposed it. This legislation is still the most significant progress made in criminal justice reform in many years. Bravo, Illinois!

As the battle between Israel and Gaza rages on with no end in sight, there are some important things concerned citizens of the world can do, instead of just wringing our hands in despair.

First, this is a complicated situation. We must resist one-sided easy answers based on political proclamations that favor one side or the other. We must be willing to question our own government’s unconditional support of Israel which is committing war crimes as frequently as Palestine. This is not an either-or situation. Both sides are violating international humanitarian law and no one is playing referee. By unconditionally supporting the U.S. in its unconditional support of Israel, we minimize the war crimes and laws that are being broken. Token humanitarian aid to Gaza doesn’t balance the scales. It is an irreconcilable disconnect that the U.S. is supplying Israel with weapons AND sending humanitarian aid to Palestine, which is the target of the weapons.

Second, understanding International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and the pronouncements it can (and must) make on both sides is critical.  IHL, according to the Comite International Geneve states, “International humanitarian law is a set of rules which seek, for humanitarian reasons, to limit the effects of armed conflict. It protects persons who are not or are no longer participating in the hostilities and restricts the means and methods of warfare. The Geneva Convention of 1949 contains a major part of IHL. Additional protocols from 1977 relate to the protection of victims of armed conflict.

Other agreements forbid the use of certain weapons and tactics and protect certain categories of people and goods. Under the guise of destroying Hamas tunnels under Gaza city and other places, a bombardment of munitions has decimated the city, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians who are not participants in the war. In similar fashion the Palestinian attack on a music venue that sparked this entire conflict must also be called to account. 

Third, IHL requires, among other things, the rapid and unimpeded passage for humanitarian aid during armed conflicts, the freedom of movement for humanitarian workers in conflict areas, the protection of civilians (including medical and humanitarian workers) the protection of refugees, prisons, and the wounded and sick. 

Fourth, despite most independent States agreeing to abide by IHL, the victims of modern warfare are increasingly civilians. The evolution of war, which has always been inhuman, sees even more destruction and increasingly complex and targeted weapons. To violate the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols is regarded as a war crime. Make no mistake; war crimes are being committed by both sides. There must be accountability for both sides and an agreement to a cease fire while negotiations get underway. Both sides must be willing to enter into dialogue to find a compromise that can, at the very least, bring about a temporary peace.

Finally, it is up to us to make our opinions informed, to make our voices heard and to speak in balanced and informed ways to our elected officials. Further, it is up to us to check our language and attitudes for hints of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. The only way toward peace is for the Zionist state of Israel and the people of Palestine to come together in common respect and vision for a peace filled region.

There are some signs of hope. On November 4^th in Washington, DC, the largest pro-Palestinian rally ever took place. The participants were Jewish and Muslim and they protested together for a cease fire and a free Palestinian state. Additional marches took place in San Francisco, London, Berlin and elsewhere. If Jews and Muslims can agree on a need for peace and a free Palestinian state, why can’t the rest of the world, especially the United States, get out of the way and let it happen?

It saddens me to know that the November 4^th Free Palestine March had very few Christian protestors. There is a dearth of prophetic voices and protests from the Christian mainstream, and as usual, it means the loudest voices win. The loudest voices are political and religious zealots in a potpourri mash-up of skewed eschatological theology, blind allegiance to a one sided political agenda and general disinformation that makes for uninformed opinions that contribute to the problem. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is in desperate need of voices of reason that balance Jewish, Muslim and Christian perspectives. The Jewish and Muslim contingent seems in place. It’s time for a balanced Christian perspective to join the conversation.

Sources

Religious News Service

Comite International Geneve

International Committee of the Red Cross 

All Saints Day (November 1) is a day to remember we are borne on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. There are countless women, men, and children of every age who embodied the faith and left breadcrumbs along the path to nourish us on our way. Most of them are not known to us, but the faith and love they released into the universe abides in our time.

All Saints Day reaches back to the early years of the church when many Christians were martyred for their faith. Veneration of the martyrs was a strong emphasis in the life of the early Christian church. Their graves became sites of pilgrimage and the anniversary of a martyr’s death became a day of remembering their lives and the sacrifices made for the faith.

Over time came the realization that not all saints were martyrs and the breadth of All Saints Day was increased. Pope Gregory III (731-741) is credited with establishing All Saints Day on November 1^st. It was a way of unifying the varied celebrations of saints into one day. According to Christianity.com “The date was chosen to coincide with the dedication of a chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to “All the Saints.”

Today, All Saints Day is a day to honor all the saints, living and dead, well known or unknown who further the revealing of God’s realm in our midst. It is also a day to personally remember the people who have guided and encouraged our faith. Take a moment and remember the friends and relatives who have encouraged your journey of faith. Whisper their name like a prayer.

It is important to remember that sainthood is conferred by God and not by institutions. Sainthood embraces anyone who lives the faith and embodies trust in Christ. Paul wrote, “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours” (I Corinthians 1:2). In this and several other places in the New Testament it is clear that sainthood is used to describe anyone who is an example of faith and trust in Jesus Christ. It means you or I can be saints. It means that those who are raised up before you as giants in the faith are saints.

Here is an All Saints Blessing from Jan Richardson

Blessing: For Those Who Walked With Us

For those who walked with us,

this is a prayer.

For those who have gone ahead,

this is a blessing.

For those who touched and tended us,

who lingered with us while they lived,

this is a thanksgiving.

For those who journey still with us

in the shadows of awareness,

in the crevices of memory

in the landscape of our dreams,

this is a benediction.

Blessing to you as you remember and celebrate the saints in your life.

Sources

Christianity.com

The Painted Prayerbook  

The Middle East in general and Palestine in particular have a strange history. To understand the current political situation requires a general familiarity with the history and the major players.

Before that, however, it is of utmost importance to note that several players in the international community, most notably Russia, are engaging in intentional misinformation and disinformation campaigns. Social Media and less than reputable “news” outlets spread this propaganda for their own purposes and muddy the waters of current understanding.

Historically, Palestine has referred to a geographic region in the Fertile Crescent, a very desirable piece of real estate. This is a most important fact to understand if we are to properly contextualize history. Palestine comes from the Greek word Philistia and dates back to the 12^th century BCE. Calling the region “Palestine” came into common usage after the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. It includes Gaza and the West Bank, but there is no international consensus to the boundaries of the region. Much of this land is occupied by Israel.

The people who have ruled this region and inhabited it through the centuries include Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Fatimids, Seljuk Turks, Crusaders, Egyptians and Mamelukes. The notion that this is and always has been Israelite land is blatantly false. There were inhabitants when the Israelites arrived and there are still inhabitants today. Israel was but one political entity vying for control of the region. As Israel was conquered by the Babylonians and other political entities, the Gaza strip and the West Bank were included.

At the end of World War 1, the League of Nations issued a British mandate that gave Britain administrative control over Palestine. It included a Jewish homeland in Palestine which was begun in 1923.

In 1947 the United Nations proposed a two state solution including both Jewish and Palestinian states in the Gaza strip and the West Bank.  Surprisingly, Jewish leaders accepted the plan, but Arab Palestinians vehemently opposed it primarily because of boundary disputes with assigned territories. In 1948 Britain withdrew from the partition plan and Israel declared itself an independent state. There was at least an implied consent to a Palestinian state. Within months war erupted and quickly became an Israeli vs. Arab conflict.

At this point the history becomes far more complex with other Middle Eastern countries vying for control of parts of the Fertile Crescent. There have been very few years where violence has not erupted between Israel and Palestine as well as other countries.

The October attack by Hamas on Israel was horrific. The retaliatory violence of Israel is equally horrific. The war being fought in the Middle East violates every rule of war in modern times. The United States has declared its unwavering support for Israel and given minimal lip service to the need for humanitarian aid in Gaza and the West Bank. There is notable bias in American reporting that reflects the US’s unconditional support for Israel. This is troubling given that more than 135 United Nations member countries recognize Palestine as an independent state.

 This geopolitical conflict is as old as history. As long as both sides are hell bent on destruction of one another, there is little hope for a resolution to the conflict. There is, however, an unseen player in this war that further complicates the current conflict. The religious right feeds the unconditional support the US has for Israel. The existence of Israel and its victory in restoring all of the “Promised Land” are pillars of a little known and less understood theological history.  It is known as Christian Zionism (This is different from Christian Nationalism which I will tackle in the near future).

Christian Zionism has a long history of pushing unconditional support for Israel. It is part of their belief that Scripture requires Israel to exist, a holy war to be fought, a new temple be constructed, and either the conversion or destruction of the Jews. Then the rapture will come, Christ the King will return, followed by a thousand year rule, the culmination of human history and the establishment of God’s eternal Kingdom. This perspective has been written about ad nauseum since the establishment of the state of Israel.

It seems to me that the support of the religious right and a relationship with Israel is a little disingenuous. Israel and Christian Zionists are strange bedfellows. After all, if the options are convert or die the agenda of support for Israel is a bit hollow. The Christian Zionists are appropriating this war for their own theological ends and making it the prelude to the rapture. Their voices, however, foment the religious right and their unconditional support of Israel, which translates to legislators who listen to their constituency, which influences American public policy.  

Christian Zionists are making this a Holy War. And there is nothing about this war that is holy. The indiscriminate murder of civilians on both sides, the denial of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians and the very real threat of Palestinian genocide embody the very nature of geopolitical evil.

It’s not just the right wing religious preachers who are spewing this garbage. Last week Lindsay Graham declared, “We’re in a religious war here and I am with Israel. Do whatever the hell you have to do to defend yourself. Level the place.” Marco Rubio called the Palestinians “savages” and said “they have to be eradicated.” The Gospel Coalition’s Peter Leithard likens Hamas to the biblical Amalekites and compares the Palestinian people to their hostages. In the end section of his Tweet he writes, “Yahweh vows to fight until the memory of Amalek is blotted out from under heaven.”

This is frightening genocidal, apocalyptic and ridiculous rhetoric. The willingness of the religious right to use this horrific geopolitical war to further their apocalyptic visions of the end of the world is egregious at best. In my view, what is more egregious is the silence of other Christian voices challenging this nonsense and speaking a word of theological reason and faith in the midst of a devastating reality.

_SOURCES

_{www.religiondispatches.org}

_{www.historychannel.org}

_{www.Britannica.com}

_{www.religiousnewsservice.org}