More Money, Lesss Charitable?

An interesting article:

Why the Rich Don't Give to Charity by Ken Stern - The Atlantic, April 2013
The wealthiest Americans donate 1.3 percent of their income; the poorest, 3.2 percent. What's up with that?

A couple of excerpts:

Wealth affects not only how much money is given but to whom it is given. The poor tend to give to religious organizations and social-service charities, while the wealthy prefer to support colleges and universities, arts organizations, and museums.

Underlying our charity system—and our tax code—is the premise that individuals will make better decisions regarding social investments than will our representative government. Other developed countries have a very different arrangement, with significantly higher individual tax rates and stronger social safety nets, and significantly lower charitable-contribution rates. We have always made a virtue of individual philanthropy, and Americans tend to see our large, independent charitable sector as crucial to our country’s public spirit. There is much to admire in our approach to charity, such as the social capital that is built by individual participation and volunteerism. But our charity system is also fundamentally regressive, and works in favor of the institutions of the elite. The pity is, most people still likely believe that, as Michael Bloomberg once said, “there’s a connection between being generous and being successful.” There is a connection, but probably not the one we have supposed.

The article is worth reading!

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/04/why-the-rich-dont-give/309254/

A Prayer for the new Archbishop of Canterbury

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, through whom all things live and move and have their being; pour out your Holy Spirit and the boundless gifts of grace upon your servant Justin, that being daily renewed, he may faithfully serve you in the ministries which you have entrusted to him; giving glory to you, who with the Father and the Spirit, are One God, now and for ever, to the ages of ages. Amen.

(from the Episcopal Cafe: the Lead)

Palm Sunday Sermon

Gracious God, you are the source of life and love; Be present with us today in the Palms & in the Passion that your Word may inform our minds and your Spirit inflame our hearts; then send us out with that life and love and knowledge for all who seek you. Amen.

“The real witness of Palm Sunday is not the parade or what the disciples or secular authorities saw; it is the encounter between Christ and the power of death.” So says the late author & theologian William Stringfellow.

The power of death is the cross, a tool of terror and control by the Romans but it is in the power of the authorities to arrest, beat and kill, a world full of suffering at the hands of others. Jesus would experience all of this when he confronted those powers in Jerusalem.

The Power of Death. The Cruelty of this World. Is also our experience, many of us remember these violent events that have shaped our lives, to name just a few:

• December 7, 1941 – Pearl Harbor
• November 22, 1963 – JFK assassinated
• April 4, 1968 – MLK, Jr. assassinated
• January 28, 1986 – Space Shuttle Challenger Destroyed
• September 11, 2001 – The Terror attacks in NYC and Washington DC
• December 14, 2012 – Sandy Hook Tragedy

We have been shocked as a nation, our peace was shattered, how fragile life is. We all have witnessed the loss of life, the power of death come close. Even our families are not immune, death and tragedy have been part of all our lives, even if we tend to forget about those events. And yet, we live not in anxiety and fear, because we remember the moments of joy and love that we experience and we live in hope. That was true of the people in Jerusalem.

In the midst of the Roman occupation, Jesus was celebrated as he made a triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully, throwing down clocks and palms on the ground in honor of the humble king riding a colt.

Some among them knew how provocative this would be to those in power. They asked Jesus to tell his disciples to stop it. Jesus answered, “I tell you, if they were silent, the stones would shout.”

Jesus confronts the power of death as he enters in Jerusalem, just as he had done in the villages, by the sea, and out in the highways. Even in the presence of death, it was not time to back down, even the stones would shout out… "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!"

When Jesus threw the merchants out of the Temple, he would not only have angered the Jewish authorities who were looking for a way to arrest him, but also the Romans, who would want to quell the disturbance created by Jesus and his disciples.

Jesus resisted their power all the way to the cross, for he came to bring all of us life, but his confrontation with the authorities would lead to his death.

In the words of William Stringfellow, “Resistance to death is the only way to live humanly in the midst of the fall.” Such resistance and sacrifice is what Jesus did so we could understand what our lives were meant to be.

In a short story for children, Leo Tolstoy tells us about a king and his falcon, in a very subtle way, tells us about Jesus:

A certain King let his favorite Falcon loose on a hare, and galloped after him.

The Falcon caught the hare. The King took him away, and began to look for some water to drink. The King found it on a knoll, but it came only drop by drop. The King fetched his cup from the saddle, and placed it under the water. The water flowed in drops, and when the cup was filled, the King raised it to his mouth and wanted to drink it. Suddenly the Falcon fluttered on the King's arm and spilled the water. The King placed the cup once more under the drops. He waited for a long time for the cup to be filled even with the brim, and again, as he carried it to his mouth, the Falcon flapped his wings and spilled the water.

When the King filled his cup for the third time and began to carry it to his mouth, the Falcon again spilled it. The King flew into a rage and killed him by flinging him against a stone with all his force. Just then the King's servants rode up, and one of them ran up-hill to the spring, to find as much water as possible, and to fill the cup. But the servant did not bring the water ; he returned with the empty cup, and said :

"You cannot drink that water ; there is a snake in the spring, and she has let her venom into the water. It is fortunate that the Falcon has spilled the water. If you had drunk it, you would have died."

The King said, "How badly I have repaid the Falcon! He has saved my life, and I killed him."

The falcon gave his life to save the king. This fable, by Leo Tolstoy, mirrors Luke's narrative of Jesus' passion and death. In the Gospel, we see the "poison" – the power of death that leads Jesus to his cross - and to ours. In giving his life, Jesus shows us how to live our lives in the peace, wholeness and grace of God. This Holy Week, let us enter the events of Jesus' passion, death and resurrection with open hearts and attentive minds, aware that the power of death – violence, anger, selfishness, greed and arrogance that brings Jesus to crucifixion are the poisons in the streams we drink from every day of our lives.

Such drink doesn’t cause immediate death, but as Pink Floyd would say, it makes us comfortably numb. It is up to us to not take that drink, not wait for stones to shout, we need to shout out with our lives even in the midst of the power of death, the promise of life that Jesus has given us. Amen.

A Prayer for the new Pope

Most Holy and Gracious Father, we give you thanks for the Roman Catholic Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ. With them we celebrate and offer you our thanks and praise for the election and calling of Pope Francis. Fill his heart with such love of you and of all the people, that he may feed and tend the flock of Christ, exercise without reproach the high priesthood to which you have called him, serve before you day and night in the ministry of reconciliation, declare pardon in your Name, offer the holy gifts, and wisely oversee the life and work of the Church.

By your grace, and sustained by the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Francis, and all the saints, make him an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let him sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

In all things may he present before you the acceptable offering of a pure, and gentle, and holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and power and glory in the Church, now and for ever. Amen.*

*Adapted from the Book of Common Prayer, “The Ordination of a Bishop,” and the Prayer of St. Francis by Rev. Michael K. Marsh. a priest of the Episcopal Church serving a parish in the Diocese of West Texas.

A Prayer for the Conclave

Gracious God, watch over our brothers and sisters in the Roman Catholic Church as they await the election of their new pope. We pray for the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the cardinals who are in conclave. May the hearts of the cardinals be open to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit as they elect the next pope. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

- Posted using BlogPress from my mystical iPad!

The Bible in Perspective

The history channel is offering "The Bible" each Sunday for two hours - (according to its website)

The Bible comes to life in HISTORY’s epic new series. From Genesis to Revelation, these unforgettable stories unfold through live action and cutting-edge computer-generated imagery, offering new insight into famous scenes and iconic characters. Created by producer Mark Burnett and featuring an international cast that includes Roma Downey, this 10-hour docudrama explores the sacred text’s most significant episodes, including Noah’s journey in the ark, the Exodus and the life of Jesus.

As I have watched the docudrama and reflect on the stories they picked for it, I came across two good articles that got me thinking about the Scriptures we read:

R-rated: How to read the Bible with children
Christian Century - Feb 25, 2013 by Sarah Hinlicky Wilson

When my son was very small, his favorite story in The Beginner’s Bible was the one about Rahab from the book of Joshua. It must have been because of the pictures: Rahab shrugging her shoulders innocently at the city soldiers while the Israelites’ bulbous eyes peer down from under a thatched roof; then the Israelites clambering down a rope while Rahab leans precariously out a window. The heroine is cute, blonde and dressed in a pink robe. She rushes to her eventual husband at the end of the story in cheerful exuberance. It’s a nice story about rescuing the good guys from the bad guys.

Of course, this retelling omits a few details. Like the fact that Rahab was a traitor. That she gave over the entire town’s population to slaughter in exchange for the immunity of her own kin. Or that the reason she met the Israelites in the first place was her line of business, namely prostitution. It’s odd to include this of all stories in a children’s Bible, given the amount of bowdlerization necessary to make it palatable. But then who am I to criticize Jesus’ great (times 29) grandmother?

The simple fact is that the Bible is not a book fit for children, neither in its unsavory parts—murders, rapes, genocides, betrayals, mauling by wild animals, curses, divine retribution and apocalyptic horrors—nor in many of its neutral or even uplifting parts, including statutes and ordinances, proverbs, genealogies, geographies, prophecies, censuses and pretty much all of the epistles. It’s no surprise that most of these sections get dropped from children’s versions altogether, though at some point we may begin to wonder with what justification they still call themselves Bibles. Scripture is definitely something to ease the little ones into, not drop them in cold. So what’s the best way to go about it?  (Read more! Follow the link above.)

The Bible: What's up with that?
Abbey Letter, Easter by Br. Martin (pg. 5-6)

We need to acknowledge that when it comes to violence and depravity in
religious writings, precious few can hold a candle to the violence and
depravity that is condoned throughout the Bible. (It is important to say, given
the situation throughout the world, that the Quran doesn’t even come close
to the Bible. Christians who claim otherwise clearly have not read the Bible,
much less the Quran). The Book of Joshua, a text that sanctions genocide and
ethnic cleansing, justifying it as commanded by God, is a quick example. All
through the Bible, the so-called “good guys” commit the same atrocities as
the so-called “bad guys.”

So what’s up with that? And how is it that we can call these stories divinely
inspired, and encourage even children to read such horror stories as the

Exodus and the conquest of “the promised land?” After all, I have read and

know of Christians who use these stories to argue in favor of torture, and
criticize President Obama for stopping it. (Read more! Follow the link above.)

March 3 Sermon - The God Box

This may look like an ordinary shoe box. But it isn’t. It is a God Box & we all have one.

The God Box is our understanding of the one who created us. It is those experiences we have had with the divine that have touched us. It is the studies we have done. The prayers we offered. It is our faith.

The God Box is neither good nor bad, it is our way of trying to comprehend the ground of our being, of our connection to creation and one another. Of Jesus in the midst of us…

The problem with our God boxes is that we like them neat and tidy and with the cover on. Its safe and secure, God in our grasp but as Deacon Christopher beautifully pointed out last week, our God is not safe, but good…

Moses learned that. Leading his father in laws flock in the wilderness, Moses on Mount Horeb comes to a burning bush; it was aflame but it was not consumed. And God spoke to him… I suspect that was not in his God box… It shattered his understanding and God called him from the bush and would send him to Egypt to free the Israelites from their bondage.

Moses tries to persuade God that he is not the right choice, but God insists and tells Moses to let the Israelites know that “The God of your ancestors has sent him.” And Moses went to Egypt… and Moses understanding and experience of God changed and so to his God box changed.

As Jesus was walking along, people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices, others were thinking about the tower of Siloam that fell and killed 19. Many in that day (and today!) believed that pain and premature death were signs of God’s judgment. There must be a reason that happened! And their God box spoke of judgment and sin and reason. But Jesus said, No. No

They were not more sinful. They did not deserve such a death. Some were murdered. Others were killed in an accident. It is tragedy.

Jesus wants us to get out of that God Box, don’t think about their sin, worry about your own. Repent. Change your ways, he says.

And to illustrate his point, Jesus tells us a parable about a barren fig tree. The owner wants it cut down for wasting the soul because it has not produced anything for three years, but the gardener says to let it be, while the gardener tries again to help it produce fruit.

As a parable about the Kingdom of God, Jesus is reminding us that we are to produce such good fruit, fruit that comes out of repentance, that is born in a life lived fully. Jesus is the divine gardener who is looking to help our barren lives produce, the one who breaks out of our box to push us to bear fruit.

If we spend our times worrying about others for their supposed sin, pointing out where God has acted against them, we will miss God really acting in the world through us & others. We will not be bearing that good fruit.

And in the midst of tragedy, whether caused by the Pilate’s of our world who murder others, or in natural acts when earth shakes and towers fall, we are called to live into our faith.

And our faith commits us to showing up, not ignoring the suffering and not saying there is a reason, its a God’s will or anything else. When Job’s three friends sat with him on the dung heap after the calamity happened to his family, they did the right thing. And then they started to talk, big mistake!, about how sinful Job & his family were, they talked out of their God box which didn’t help Job nor were they right about God.

We are called out of our comfort zones in situations of great pain and we can’t get out of them with a few glib remarks. Moses tried - goodness how he tried to avoid going to a situation of great pain, and of spending the time required to remedy it. But ultimately, he answered God's call and a people were saved.

Miracles do happen, for our mysterious God moves in unexpected ways through our world, and who breaks out of the confines of our boxes and reminds us that God continues to act in unexpected ways, who is always with us, and wants us to move beyond those boxes we grasp so tight.

It takes guts, patience, & love to be open to the movement of God in our lives and in our world, to have our experience of God, our God box, be open and ready to be remade by God all the time. That is the mark of repentance and of good fruit.

For then we are at our best: open and willing to listen to those in need, to those who are suffering and to listen to Christ who will guide us in helping them. That is our calling. Amen.