CONNECTIONS • Staff-Parish Relations Committee meets Monday, October 15, 6:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall. • Administrative Council meets Monday, October 15, 7:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall. • Lunch Bunch meets at Madison Bar and Grill, on Madison, between 11th and 12th, Tuesday, October 16, 12:30pm. Bev Read makes reservations. • Trustees meet Tuesday, October 16, 6:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall. • Post-Cruise Gathering, Wednesday, October 17, 7pm, Errol Stephenson Hall. • Women’s Beach Trip, October 19-21, 2007, Neskowin. • Outreach Committee meets Sunday, October 21, 12:45pm, Errol Stephenson Hall. • Rev. Karen Crooch will fill the pulpit on Sunday, November 4.
THE LARGER CHURCH • Catholic tradition worship service, Second Saturdays, 5pm, Sanctuary, UPUMC. • Fall Connectional Ministries Convocation, Saturday, October 20, 8:30am-4pm, Portland First UMC.
THE COMMUNITY • Game Days, First and Third Sundays, 2-5pm, University Park Coffee Shop.
FUTURE EVENTS, FOR YOUR CALENDAR • All-church Charge Conference, Sunday, November 18, 5:30pm. • Celebration Sunday, November 25, 2007
WEEKLY AT UPUMC • Choir practices Sundays at 9:30am, Tuesdays at 6:30pm, Sanctuary. • Alcoholics Anonymous, Narthex, Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays at 8pm, weekly. • Overeaters Anonymous, Wednesdays at 7pm. STAYING IN TOUCH Edna Riddle, Sunrise Adult Care Center, 11945 SW Butner Rd., Portland OR 97225; 503-841-1295.
Harriet Bonhorst, Pioneer Tower, 515 P Street #202, Sacramento, CA 95814; phone: 1-916-446-4863.
Erica Martinez, 182 E Nevada St. Ashland, OR 97520. Cell phone: 1-503-791-3680.
Jeanne Pulliam, 8603 SE Causey Ave, Apt 202; Happy Valley, OR 97086-2604, Telephone 503-594-2539.
Aleena Sologar, 775 Cascade St. #1316, Oregon City, OR 97045, her son Jonathan’s home. Phone, 503-387-3813.
PLEASE DON’T GO HUNGRY. WE HAVE FOOD IN OUR PANTRY, LOCATED IN THE HALLWAY LEADING TO ERROL STEPHENSON HALL. TAKE WHAT YOU NEED.
THE NURSERY IS STAFFED DURING WORSHIP FOR CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN SCHOOL AGE.
CELEBRATIONS FUND-RAISER July $470.00 August $318.20 September $445.16 2007 total $1,233.36
Each Sunday, after church and during the coffee and fellowship time we will celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations by putting pennies, dimes, quarters, dollars or whatever you choose into a Celebrations bank. This is an effective fund-raiser. Let’s make it fun!
WOMEN’S BEACH TRIP For over a decade, women of UPUMC have been going to the beach together each October and April. The trips started as a part of a Women’s spirituality Group that first met when Dee Dee Walters was the pastor and have continued ever since. The house in Neskowin, Oregon will sleep 10. What do we do? Walk the beach, talk, watch movies, talk deep and long, support one another, share cooking and care, refresh ourselves and grow closer to one another and to our faith. The next trip will be October 19-21. Talk to Judy Griffen, 503-283-4331, for more information or to sign up.
WESTERN JURISDICTION MEETS HERE The Oregon-Idaho Conference will host the 2008 Western Jurisdictional Conference from Wednesday, Jul. 16 to Saturday, Jul. 19, 2008. We need at least 100 willing volunteers from congregations in the Metro area and throughout our region to set up, assist with registration, be available for other tasks as needed, and for "breaking down" the conference. If you can help or find others to share these duties, please contact Jaime Hurst, Metro District Office,
or 503-249-1851.
LAY SPEAKERS CLASS Five spaces remain for "Lay Speakers Preach," advanced lay speaker class, scheduled for Oct. 27 and Nov. 3, Forest Grove UMC, with Rev. Gwen Drake. To assure your place, please register by Oct. 15. The class is presented under the auspices of Western District Lay Speaking Ministries, Susan Jensen, director. To register, contact Jensen at 503-648-3040 or
The class will meet from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each Saturday. Participants are expected to read two thin books and prepare a short sermon to share in class. The cost of $35 covers materials and amenities.
FOOD DRIVE IN NOVEMBER Oregon food banks in urgent need In Oregon we have an immediate and urgent need. Many of our food pantries are very low on food. Also the Oregon Food Bank has put out a call for food and dollar donations. The Bishop's Initiative Task Force invites churches near food pantries to start food drives. Others may want to raise funds to send. Again, the situation in Oregon is very critical. This requires immediate action.
UPUMC will hold our annual Fall food drive the entire month of November. We bring food to worship and then donate it to the Good Samaritan Food Bank of North Portland. It is our pride and joy to give all that we can, spending the month of November being grateful for all of our blessings.
POST-CRUISE GATHERING Everyone who went on the FUNd-raising Alaska Cruise is invited to a post-cruise gathering in Errol Stephenson Hall on Wednesday, October 17, at 7pm. We’ll meet to share some goodies, catch up, share stories and photos, and discuss whether we have future plans.
CLEAN NURSERY RUG On Friday afternoon, October 12, Judy Griffen and her sister shampooed the nursery room rug, leaving the colors much brighter. It is so good when members take it upon themselves to care for the building.
TIME GETS BETTER WITH AGE This concludes an article begun last week. I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terribly after they die. Age 53 I've learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life. Age 58 I've learned that if you want to do something positive for your children, work to improve your marriage. Age 61 I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. Age 62 I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back. Age 64 I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you. Age 65 I've learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision. Age 66 I've learned that everyone can use a prayer. Age 72 I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. Age 82 I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch-holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. Age 90 I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. Age 92
It's About Faith Jeremiah 29:1, 4-14, Psalm 66 October 14, 2007
"Make a joyful noise," the Psalmist says. Something bad has happened in his/her life and God has delivered him/her. So "make a joyful noise to God, All the earth! How awesome are God's deeds! Your (God's) enemies cringe before you!"
Imagine that exultation and joy; then imagine that you have been taken into exile in Babylon. All that is precious to you is gone--home, possessions, perhaps family members, the center of worship, the Temple where God literally sat enthroned upon the cherubim atop the Ark of the Covenant. Everything is gone. You're in a foreign land. You don't understand the language. There are different customs. For all intents and purposes, you're a prisoner and even if you could leave, there's nothing to back to. The only glimmer of hope is prophecy. There are prophets, the ones who are part of the temple hierarchy, who are saying that the sojourn in Babylon will be short. God won't be angry forever. God will deliver you and your people and soon you'll be able to go home, to rebuild and resume your life. Somehow the exultation of the Psalmist and that scenario don't fit.
In my imagination there are a whole mix of emotions that come from the idea of exile: Sadness and anger at the loss of home and stability Curiosity about the new place and the people there Distrust of the new place and the people there Fear, excitement, worries also come to mind Into this mix comes Jeremiah's letter--my imagination says there was a public reading. The elders who received the letter got groups of people together and let Jeremiah's words be known. Of course, there are other ways that the word could have gotten out, but the fact is that now, you and everyone you know has gotten the word that you should settle in, build houses, plant gardens and eat the produce. You should marry, have children and they, in turn should marry and have children. Moreover, you should pray for the welfare, the shalom of Babylon and not for the shalom of Jerusalem as you have been taught. Then Jeremiah says that in Babylon's shalom you would find your own. Jeremiah's are amazing words especially when you consider that these are the same people who are angry enough that they wanted to dash Babylonian children's heads against the rocks.
What Jeremiah is saying is that in the midst of the anger, humiliation and loss, the people of Judah should build community because God had plans for them. God had a future for them. God had not abandoned them. God's plans were not in the immediate future, but they could not take place unless the people cooperated.
As I think about this message from God via Jeremiah I see a mixed blessing--some areas where making a joyful noise and extolling God's goodness would be expected and other places where it would not. On the one hand, the exiles would not be going home in the near future, but that meant an opportunity to begin again and maybe do it better this time. On the other, the children born in Babylon would think of that place as home. They wouldn't long for the Temple and their own place of worship as their parents and grandparents would, but those children could be taught their history as a people and their parents and grandparents could know for themselves. These children could learn the ways of their ancestors and perhaps be more faithful than they were. Perhaps the lack of the temple would make the coming generations more attentive to the precepts of their faith rather than just the rituals.
There was great possibility and great risk in Jeremiah's announcement, but the thing that God asked of the people that held the most promise for them was that of community. By settling in and resuming ordinary life, the exiles had the possibility of living in community and being God's hands and feet for one another, to be God’s hands and feet for the Babylonians, that is, they could live in the Kingdom of God.
One of the sayings attributed to Jesus is that "the Kingdom of God is among you," or, alternatively, that "the Kingdom of God has come near." That is, it's here and now--not in the future or out "there" someplace. It's real and tangible and it comes in community. The Kingdom of God, then as now, takes all of us pulling together to make something different in our world. It takes sharing our gifts of time, talent and material possessions, as we are able and being honest about what those gifts are. It means loving one another, laughing and crying together, leaving space for people where there is need and drawing close where there is need for that.
The future that God has planned for us is found in community, in the honest sharing of ourselves, not in giving until it hurts or in doing more and more in the vague and vain hope of getting some approbation. God's plan is that we love ourselves so that we can love our neighbors, that is, learning to say "no" when there is pressure to say "yes." Learning to let go so another can exercise her/his gifts. Using the logic we have been given so we're not taken advantage of. Being there for one another without enabling people to continue living in unhealthy ways or rescuing them when they persist in their addictions It means saying “No” when someone asks to borrow money when you hardly have enough for your own needs or you know that the money will be used for the addiction, whatever that addiction is. It means speaking the truth when the truth is difficult to both hear and to say. It means, for instance, saying, “I can no longer live with the situation as it is. If you want me to stay, you must do these things.” Then you have to follow through.
Community is not a collection of houses where people live, although it can be. Community can be found any time 2 people meet. It can happen in those random conversations we all have with strangers that turn out to be meaningful. It can happen between co-workers. A woman I worked with in Anchorage had some sweaters that she was trying to sell and I went to her home to look at them. What might have been a fifteen or twenty minute process to see what she had, what I thought my daughters might like and what sizes she had, turned into a several hour conversation as she spoke about her youngest daughter and how her decisions had impacted Miriam's life. Community comes when groups meet. It can be in a 12 step programs, or in another sort of support group. It can be here in this church. Community is a gift that comes when we need it and, sometimes, when we least expect it. Above all, community comes in both the giving and receiving. A gift without a receiver isn't a gift at all. Community is to be found when we show our authentic selves, without pretense and without giving with some expectation of receiving someone's gratitude. Community is not about a place but about attitude. Community is anytime we become God's hands and feet and ears and voice.
The Kingdom of God is to be found in community. It is the place where we live out our faith. It’s the place where we see people who are not like us and, instead of seeing a category—Latino, African-American, fat, skinny, disabled, gay, lesbian, transgender, liberal, conservative--seeing a sister or brother. Community is God’s will for us. So, make a joyful noise, praise God for all God's wonderful deeds. Praise God because God does have plans for us. God's plan is about living in the Kingdom of God, in community, right here and right now.
CONNECTIONS UPUMC • World Communion Sunday, October 7, 2007, with Festival of Breads. • Education Committee meets Sunday, October 7, 2007, 12:45pm, Errol Stephenson Hall. • Conversation about joining UPUMC, Sunday, October 14, 11:40am, Errol Stephenson Hall. • Staff-Parish Relations Committee meets Monday, October 15, 6:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall. • Administrative Council meets Monday, October 15, 7:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall. • Trustees meet Tuesday, October 16, 6:30pm, Errol Stephenson Hall. • Lunch Bunch meets at Madison Bar and Grill, on Madison, between 11th and 12th, Tuesday, October 16, 12:30pm. Bev Read makes reservations. • Post-Cruise Gathering, Wednesday, October 17, 7pm, Errol Stephenson Hall. • Women’s Beach Trip, October 19-21, 2007, Neskowin. • Outreach Committee meets Sunday, October 21, 12:45pm, Errol Stephenson Hall. • Rev. Karen Crooch will fill the pulpit on Sunday, November 4.
THE LARGER CHURCH • Catholic tradition worship service, Second Saturdays, 5pm, Sanctuary, UPUMC. • Three Pastoral Events in Pendleton October 8-11: Healthy Boundaries, Healthy Ministry; Sacred Spaces Conversation; Bishop’s Symposium. • Fall Connectional Ministries Convocation, Saturday, October 20, 8:30am-4pm, Portland First UMC.
THE COMMUNITY • Game Days, First and Third Sundays, 2-5pm, University Park Coffee Shop. • Morrison Center Training Event, Wednesday-Friday, October 10-12, 8am-5pm, Errol Stephenson Hall.
FUTURE EVENTS, FOR YOUR CALENDAR • All-church Charge Conference, Sunday, November 18, 5:30pm. • Celebration Sunday, November 25, 2007
WEEKLY AT UPUMC • Choir practices Sundays at 9:30am, Tuesdays at 6:30pm, Sanctuary. • Alcoholics Anonymous, Narthex, Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays at 8pm, weekly. • Overeaters Anonymous, Wednesdays at 7pm. STAYING IN TOUCH Edna Riddle, Sunrise Adult Care Center, 11945 SW Butner Rd., Portland OR 97225; 503-841-1295.
Harriet Bonhorst, Pioneer Tower, 515 P Street #202, Sacramento, CA 95814; phone: 1-916-446-4863.
Erica Martinez, 182 E Nevada St. Ashland, OR 97520. Cell phone: 1-503-791-3680.
Jeanne Pulliam, 8603 SE Causey Ave, Apt 202; Happy Valley, OR 97086-2604, Telephone 503-594-2539.
Aleena Sologar, 775 Cascade St. #1316, Oregon City, OR 97045, her son Jonathan’s home. Phone, 503-387-3813.
PLEASE DON’T GO HUNGRY. WE HAVE FOOD IN OUR PANTRY, LOCATED IN THE HALLWAY LEADING TO ERROL STEPHENSON HALL. TAKE WHAT YOU NEED.
THE NURSERY IS STAFFED DURING WORSHIP FOR CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN SCHOOL AGE.
CELEBRATIONS FUND-RAISER It’s a new thing. Each Sunday, after church and during the coffee and fellowship time we will celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations by putting pennies, dimes, quarters, dollars or whatever you choose into a Celebrations bank. Let’s make it fun!
WOMEN’S BEACH TRIP For over a decade, women of UPUMC have been going to the beach together each October and April. The trips started as a part of a Women’s spirituality Group that first met when Dee Dee Walters was the pastor and have continued ever since. The house in Neskowin, Oregon will sleep 10. What do we do? Walk the beach, talk, watch movies, talk deep and long, support one another, share cooking and care, refresh ourselves and grow closer to one another and to our faith. The next trip will be October 19-21. Talk to Judy Griffen, 503-283-4331, for more information or to sign up.
CONTACTING THE PASTORS Jeanne and Marcia will be attending clergy educational events out of town this week. We will still be available by cell phone—leave a message if necessary, and we will return the call. We also hope to have internet access.
JOINING THE CHURCH Have you been thinking that you would like to join University Park United Methodist Church? Are you just curious what it would mean to join? Plan to stay after church next Sunday, October 14, for a conversation about joining the church. We’ll serve pizza for all who come, and provide childcare for those who need it.
THREE CUPS OF TEA Is there an alternative to war in South Central Asia? Could we be doing anything else? Recently, I read a book that Judy Griffen has donated to our church library, called Three Cups of Tea, about the work of Greg Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute. Mortenson founded the CAI to build schools, especially schools that educate girls, in Pakistan and Afghanistan. His story is enlightening, challenging, and hopeful. I recommend it.—Jeanne
TIME GETS BETTER WITH AGE Carolyn Hammett sent this along. It will conclude next week.
I've learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we sings "Silent Night". Age 5 I've learned that our dog doesn't want to eat my broccoli either. Age 7 I've learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back. Age 9 I've learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up again. Age 12 I've learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up. Age 14 I've learned that although it's hard to admit it, I'm secretly glad my parents are strict with me. Age 15 I've learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice. Age 24 I've learned that brushing my child's hair is one of life's great pleasures. Age 26 I've learned that wherever I go, the world's worst drivers have followed me there. Age 29 I've learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it. Age 30 I've learned that there are people who love you dearly but just don't know how to show it. Age 42 I've learned that you can make some one's day by simply sending them a little note. Age 44 I've learned that the greater a person's sense of guilt, the greater his or her need to cast blame on others. Age 46 I've learned that children and grandparents are natural allies. Age 47 I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. Age 48 I've learned that singing "Amazing Grace" can lift my spirits for hours. Age 49 I've learned that motel mattresses are better on the side away from the phone. Age 50 I've learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. Age 51 I've learned that keeping a vegetable garden is worth a medicine cabinet full of pills. Age 52
THE CHILDREN AT THE GATE Luke 15:1-2; 16:1-31 September 30, 2007
Today, September 30, is a very important day for the lives and well-being of about 10 million children in the United States because today is the day that the authorization for a program called SCHIP expires. SCHIP, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, was adopted in 1997 to give the states resources to provide health insurance coverage for low-income uninsured children. It has been a successful program, one that has reduced the percentage of uninsured children in families with incomes below twice the Federal Poverty level from 23% in 1997 to 14% in 2005. The program, popular with both Republican and Democratic governors, has wide-spread support. Today, the program expires.
This is not because Americans do not want to continue it. No, a bipartisan majority of 265-159 in the House of Representatives voted on Tuesday not only to continue the program, but to expand it to cover uninsured children whose families have income between twice and three times the federal poverty level, providing coverage to 5 million children who would otherwise be uninsured. President Bush has promised to veto the bill.
SCHIP currently costs $40billion for 10 years. Because of rising medical costs, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that it will require an additional $14 billion over the next five years to provide the same level of coverage to the children already covered. Congress wants to expand the number of children who are covered; President Bush is not willing to increase the authorization by more than $5 billion, an amount that will reduce the number of children covered year by year over the next five years.
There are those who will tell you that gospel has nothing to do with politics. I am not among them. And today’s lesson, from the Sixteenth Chapter of Luke, is a very conspicuous testimony that you can’t separate Gospel from politics, not then, not now.
We have two parables in today’s reading, separated by remarks that Jesus made to the Pharisees who ridiculed him. In his response to them, he quoted a passage about marriage and adultery. Were you puzzled, as I was, initially, that Jesus only picked out only one part of the law to quote to the Pharisees? Why did he chose to speak about divorce and adultery right between the story of dishonest managers and the story of Lazarus and the rich man? Why not speak about coveting, or putting God first, or stealing, all of which might seem more important, at least until we factor in the political situation of Jesus’ time. Then, it begins to make a lot of sense.
We’ve talked before about the fact that Jesus was a follower of John the Baptist, that he listened to him, was baptized by him, and, when John was killed for his political preaching, chose to pick up the mantle and go on. And, what was the political situation? Well, it functioned on two levels. On the deepest and most important level, the situation was that Rome occupied the land and had appointed the local ruler, Herod Antipas, to govern for them. Herod Antipas was one of three sons of King Herod who had ruled until 4 BC, the King referred to in Matthew’s birth narrative. That King Herod, a Samaritan by heritage, although technically a Jew, was in fact Roman in all his loyalties and thoroughly hated by the Jewish populous. When he died, in 4BC, the Jews petitioned to be put under the rule of the King of Syria, but the Roman Emperor Tiberius divided Herod’s realm into three portions, one for each of his three sons. Herod Antipas was appointed Tetrarch of Galilee. His very first act was to quell the rebellion that took place during the feast of Pentecost of 4BC, a rebellion in direct response to his assumption of rule. He acted quickly and brutally, lining the roads of Galilee with crucified rebels. Needless to say, the people of Galilee hated him.
Herod Antipas was a builder of cities, the most notable of which was Tiberius, named after the emperor, and located on the Western shore of the Sea of Galilee in an area well-known for good climate, fertile soil, tasty fish and natural hot springs. Herod Antipas took land from those who had lived upon it and gave it to retainers, who had to promise never to abandon him. As was the custom, the land grab and the building were financed by taxes levied against the Galileans farmers and fishermen. He decorated the city with busts and statues of the Roman rulers, an affront to the Jewish laws against “graven images.” He did not grow more popular with the common people as time went on.
It was in this setting that the religious rulers, Pharisees and scribes, decided that the most prudent course of action was to play down the radical, political, dangerous words of the prophets and to emphasize the legalistic forms of religion. Deciding, perhaps, that they had more influence as allies than as enemies of Herod, recognizing his Jewish ancestry even as they ignored his Roman practices, they refrained from calling him to account, as they would be entitled to do as leaders of the faith.
Things came to a political head when Herod Antipas decided to divorce his wife in order to marry his brother Philip’s wife Herodias. Here was an issue blatantly against the Law. John the Baptist, who had gathered many followers, condemned Herod’s adultery. As Herod Antipas grew nervous about the influence John might have, about the possibility that he might foment yet another rebellion, he found the occasion of a birthday party and a drunken oath to be reason enough to have John executed, presenting his head to Herodias as a token of devotion.
It is against this background that we hear the parables of today’s reading. Doesn’t it become clear that Jesus is criticizing the dishonest managers, the religious leaders, who would so easily discount the behavior owed to God, refusing to hold Herod Antipas accountable for theft, for murder, for disregard of the poor and displaced. Oh, can you hear the sarcasm in Jesus’ story, his assertion that the master will praise the dishonest manager? Do you see how it leads so directly to the charges that the Pharisees justify themselves in the sight of others while refusing to challenge Herod even on his adulterous marriage?
What Jesus was doing was political and dangerous. He didn’t have to name the rich man, dressed in purple (the color of rule, reserved by the Romans for rulers) and fine linen, feasting and making merry. Who else would it be but Herod Antipas, ruler, thief of land and occupation, creator of poverty? When we gather for potluck, as we will do today, we usually use napkins to clean up any food that might mark our faces. The Roman rich used bread for that purpose, wiping their faces on hunks of bread and then tossing them to the dogs that lurked under the tables. So here was the rich man, here was Herod, greasy with purloined food and wealth, totally oblivious to the fate of the poor outside his gate. And here was Jesus, the prophet, proclaiming that there would be a reversal, that God would take the poor to God’s heart and leave the ones who used power to build their own riches, leave those ones outside of the realm of God, not in some magical punishment, but as the natural consequence of their choice to live as though God didn’t exist and didn’t matter, as though Moses and the prophets hadn’t already proclaimed that God desires justice and mercy, food for the poor and care for the widows and orphans.
Did you notice that the rich man didn’t do anything to harass Lazarus? He didn’t persecute him; he didn’t drive him away. He was simply oblivious to him. And that is a moral sin; that is a holy crime. Gerard Hughes, writing in his book, God of Compassion, observes:
We see ourselves as individuals struggling to live as best we can. The effort to do so can so preoccupy us that we simply do not notice what is happening to others. One political party promises a reduction in taxes, while the opposition threatens to raise them, so why not vote for the party offering the tax cut? Jesus’ thinking is different. He thinks not in terms of ‘me,’ but of ‘us,’ and ‘us’ includes all human beings. What glorious breadth of thinking, and how very awkward for those of us whose security depends upon our ability to ignore the plight of others. The gap between the rich and the poor of the world is widening rapidly, not primarily because of a lack of resources, but because of their unfair distribution.
Like Jesus, we live in a world where politics impact the lives of people, especially people on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder. What are our realities? In recent years, our country has set economic records for personal bankruptcies, people out of work, and real estate foreclosures. Now, we are looking at cutting medical coverage for the most vulnerable of poor children. Can we possibly think this is right, or good, or moral? Do we wish we could pretend it is accidental, or unpreventable? How similar are we to the rich man of Jesus’ story? And how willing are we to speak out for the reality that, so long as Lazarus finds his only solace in the dogs that lick his wounds, we are all of us living in hell.
Today, I have handed out an affirmation modified from one written by Diane E. Wendorf. I ask you now to take it out and to read it, deciding whether it is true for you or not. And then, insofar as it is true for you, would you join me in reading it aloud:
I believe it is a matter of faith to insist that God judges our nation by how we care for the poor and vulnerable. I believe it is a matter of faith to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. I believe it is a matter of faith to recognize equally and love all members of God’s human family whatever their race, creed, color, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental ability. I believe God’s creation is good, beautiful, sacred, and that to condemn any portion of God’s creation is to condemn a portion of God. This is sin. I believe Jesus Christ came to us to free all people from sin and to make disciples—people willing to live Christ’s discipline of love and justice for all. I believe the Holy Spirit is that power within us that gives us courage and stamina to face the truth and to live it, even to die for it, as Jesus died. I believe that the power of life, hope, love and truth is greater than the power of death, despair, hatred, lies and greed. Glory be to God. Amen.
I do not believe that our community of faith should ever identify itself with any political party or candidate. That does not mean, however, that religion is, or ever can be, apolitical. We live our lives of faith within a community, a state, a nation and a world. In all things, we are called to seek, and to proclaim, God’s love and justice. Today, the children, some of them children of this very congregation, are waiting at the gate. Will any but dogs lick their wounds? What does Gospel demand?
Dear Members and Friends of the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference,
Riding in a vehicle designed more for safety than for comfort, and in the company of the other bishops of the Western Jurisdiction, I bumped along a dusty desert road in Arizona. We had journeyed to Tucson where we connected with Humane Borders, a faith-based organization whose mission is to respond with humanitarian assistance to those risking their lives crossing the border from Mexico into the United States. Humane Borders also encourages the creation of public policies toward a humane border with Mexico.
I was struck by the stereotypical desert scene: the hot, dry landscape with cactus and other arid-country plants; sandy ground, brown mountains and hillsides. Above, large black birds circled lazily in the cloudless sky. "Turkey buzzards," our driver and guide, Annie, stated.
"He will probably stop." Annie was referring to the Rev. Robin Hoover, an ordained pastor of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and founder of Humane Borders. Robin was driving the van in front of us with some of the other bishops. Annie explained that when turkey buzzards circled, there might be a body of someone who had died while trying to cross into the United States. I felt a chill.
Sure enough, we stopped and looked at the desert floor under the circling buzzards. "Just road-kill," Annie explained as we resumed our journey. I was relieved. Almost 200 persons have been found dead in the desert thus far this year.
That morning, we bishops were traveling in the desert that separates the city of Tucson from the Mexican border crossing station at the town of Sasabe.
On the way, we stopped to check one of the numerous water stations maintained by Humane Borders. Large drums holding clean water, each station identified by a blue flag flying high in the desert, are checked regularly and cleaned and refilled. That morning we saw evidence the station had been used by migrantes to quench their thirst. Migrantes are Mexican immigrants crossing the border to the United States.
We learned that migrantes cross the border for a variety of reasons. In many cases, they leave their families in Mexico or other countries south of Mexico to travel to the United States to find jobs. Some attempt to join relatives already across the border. Many have hopes and dreams of earning a decent wage to send back to their families or of saving until they can return home. In the past, most of the migrantes were men; in more recent times, women and children have joined them.
The migrantes' paths through the desert can easily be discerned by the trail of discarded items. Some items outlive their usefulness: containers of food or water, clothing, toiletries. Other items become much too cumbersome for the journey: strollers, toys, a Bible. These discarded items tell a tale of hardship, disappointment, desperation, even death. Sometimes the turkey buzzards in the sky signal that another migrante has died in the desert.
The experience at the border brought new awareness of the dangers of desert travel. The desert itself is far from life-affirming. Inhospitable and unforgiving, stretching for miles, plants with razor-sharp barbs, and insects and animals that can injure or kill a human present a daunting challenge even to the most hardy. I cannot imagine the migrantes' journey. Even in the air-conditioned, all-wheel drive vehicle I was riding in, I was weary and miserable.
There exists a wide range of opinions about the border. Indeed, the border is one of those "hot-button" topics today. The visit by your bishops was made because we wanted to have a clearer sense of the issue. Our being there was an opportunity to see for ourselves the conditions the migrantes face, what kinds of humanitarian aid is being offered, what the political reality of the border and the US Border Patrol are, and to ask for God's wisdom and guidance as we seek better understanding.
We spent three days at the border. We drove for long hours along rough, dusty dirt roads. In the heat of the summer, we also endured the seasonal torrential rains-the monsoons.
Along the way, we picked up two men who were walking to a village. They were relieved to have a ride. They would have walked for several hours as they sought emergency dental care for one of them.
After entering Mexico, we journeyed to the town of Altar where we observed migrantes preparing to cross the border. Shops around the square sold black backpacks and all manner of supplies. The Catholic church in the square offered free meals. We visited a guest house and talked with several migrantes. I spoke with a group that looked very young. They were preparing to cross into the United States to find their relatives in the mid-West. As we bowed in prayer with them, Bishop Minerva Carcaño (Phoenix Area) led us in prayer and as we departed, we wished them God's presence.
There were many other experiences and learnings at the border. Some people are absolutely convinced that there must be stricter border policies to prevent migrantes from crossing; there are some who are nonetheless yearning for a more humane approach to those who cross.
In one conversation, one of our Mexican colleagues reminded us that "since Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, we have all been migrantes." I appreciate that statement. I am longing for a political policy of immigration that is humane and Christ-like. A secure border does not mean a hostile border; rather, a secure border must allow for the safe flow of individuals back and forth. And until a humane political solution is found, we must be in prayer and we must offer aid out of the Christ-center of our hearts.
Until we do, women, children and men will be suffering and dying in the desert.
In prayer for Christ's shalom,
Robert T. Hoshibata
Loving God of all people, we ask for your wisdom in a difficult tiem. While the political powers and principalities seek a just resolution to the border issue, help us to be people of faith and compassion. We pray for migrantes who risk life and safety; and for their families who are left behind or who are companions in the journey. Give us compassionate hearts, O God, that we might act in ways that speak of our faith in you. Let the solution to this matter be found through prayerful discernment. We pray for those who offer humanitarian aid at the border. And we ask that Christ may be made known in our deliberations and our actions. In the grace of Christ we pray, Amen.
(More details of the journey by the Western Jurisdiction College of Bishops may be found in an article written by Bishop Minerva Carcaño at: http://desertsouthwestconference.org/desertconnection.)
University Park United Methodist Church (UPUMC) is located at 4775 N Lombard, Portland Oregon 97203. UPUMC is small, diverse, growing, laughing, committed, caring, serious, warm and REAL! We are a community that encourages each other as we grow in faith, in knowledge, in service, and in love of self, God and neighbor. At University Park we not only respect but welcome diversity in race, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical and mental ability, economic status and profession. We believe all people are equal before God and entitled to Gods grace and abundance. Pastors: Rev. Dr. Jeanne Knepper & Rev. Marcia Hauer http://www.upumc.net
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