Just, in Time

Some Thoughts on the Financial Crises

2008-09-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

A single mom loses her factory job because some CEO somewhere can increase his/her profits by outsourcing production to China. When she asks her government for assistance, it’s called “welfare.” Society tells her she needs to get a job and pull her own weight.

The CEO of an investment bank makes some bad business decisions and bankrupts his company. He asks his government for assistance, and it’s called a “bailout.” He generally walks away from the situation in much better shape than does the single mom, and society says it’s necessary to maintain a stable economy.

In Matthew 20:16, Jesus tells us “the first will be last and the last will be first.” When will we who profess Christianity learn from the one we proclaim as our Lord and Savior? Greed has no place in Christianity. In fact, it generally violates eight of the 10 commandments, if not all 10. It certainly flies in the face of Jesus’ command to love God and neighbor.

As early as Genesis 12, we learn that God blesses so those so blessed will be a blessing. Managing wealth and power is a tremendous responsibility. When those so called use that wealth and power to the detriment of others, it hurts all of God’s creation.

Global Warming -- a Practical Point of View

2008-08-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

In my work as Director of Justice and Advocacy Ministries, I travel quite a bit -- often late at night. Although I love music, I often get bored listening to the same tunes over and over so I find myself listening to talk radio. Even though I seldom agree with self-proclaimed "conservative" radio talk show hosts like Michael Savage and Rush Limbaugh, I find them "interesting" to listen to.

Though Dr. Savage and Mr. Limbaugh have little in common, both make a lot of fun of those who believe in global warming, and both promote off shore drilling as the answer to our problems at the pump.

I'll be quite up front. I believe global warming is a reality, and something we should take quite seriously. However, even if I did not, I would support the development and use of renewable energy sources because using renewable energy just makes more sense than does continued dependence on a not so renewable source like oil. God gave us powerful resources like wind and the sun from which we can derive economical and clean energy in abundance without concerns about depletion.

Renewable energy also makes sense from a faith perspective. In Genesis, God tells us to use the resources God provides to take care of God's creation. Why use up a resource we don't have to when there are alternatives. Also, in Isaiah 55:2, God asks, "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your labor for that which does not satisfy?" Indeed,with so much poverty in the world, why are we so intent on making a few people rich (research oil profits) when we could be spending a lot less on energy and feeding a lot more people. It just doesn't make any sense.

Charity and Justice not just Charity

2008-08-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

"He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8.

This morning I had the pleasure of serving communion to a very faithful parishioner who currently resides in a nursing home. As is our habit when we meet, I read to him from the devotional book he keeps on his bed stand. This particular devotion focused on Mark 6:42, "And all ate and were filled." It went on to talk about how important it is to offer charity to our neighbors in need. The author cited Hurricane Katrina as an example. He/she stated how important it is for us to help our neighbors who were devastated by Katrina with our charity.

I certainly have no problem with that. Charity is a good thing. However, charity, in and of itself is not what the Lord requires. The Lord also requires that we do justice. That's not quite as easy as doing charity because it involves asking questions about why certain people, particularly those living in poverty, weren't able to even get out of harm's way. It involves looking closely at our public policy and economic choices that leave people living in poverty and despair such that their choices are so limited. Sure we should help them rebuild. But, we also need to look more deeply at how the choices and the public policy positions we took prior to the disaster left people needing charity in the first place.

"The Canaanite Woman" -- a Justice Perspective

2008-08-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

Our Gospel text for this coming Sunday is from Matthew 15, in which Jesus encounters a Canaanite woman who is quite insistent that Jesus heal her daughter. The disciples are appalled that this "heathen" would even approach Jesus and urge him to send her away. Jesus carries on an interesting debate with the woman about why he shouldn't bother with her, but ultimately verbally acknowledges her faith and heals her daughter.

As I read that text in preparation for my sermon this week, I couldn't help but think about some of the ongoing public policy debates regarding terrorism and illegal immigration. On the one hand, we want to recognize the dignity of all human beings. On the other hand, we're afraid. Like the disciples, it's difficult for us to look at people who are different from us or who have different value systems than we do and see anything but a bunch of "heathens." Because we are driven by fear, we want to lock them all up or send them all away. Better yet, we want to keep them out by building fences or adopting restrictive city and state ordinances.
But Jesus calls us to look at things differently. He calls us to step outside of our comfort zones and offer his love to all people regardless of who they are or what they believe. Maybe if we can look beyond our fears, we will see what Jesus sees, which will help us clarify our public policy positions.