The American Dream at Its Best

Their faces weary.

Their steps tired.

Their clothes, mostly neat, and old.

Their hands tell a story of hard, hard, labor, and so do their shoes.

They ride the LA trains and buses - thank God for public transportation.

Nestled in between theaters in various states of life and death and old office buildings on Broadway - shops, markets, newsstands, vendors with small carts selling baubles and bangles and fruit drinks, hole-in-the-wall restaurants and bridal shops with billowy white baptism gowns hanging from the ceiling like so many angels dancing frivolously to entice customers ... and lots of people, lots of languages, lots of faces of all different kinds.

A few shop-keepers on the street inviting passers-by to "stop in; check out the store; good deals here."

Music seeping out of the stores.

An elderly man playing the accordion on a busy corner ... a few dollars in a hat laying on the sidewalk beside him. He has a pleasant smile on his face. Wonder what he's thinking. Is he tired? Is anyone listening?

Lots of families here.

Kids in tow, in strollers, in arm.

People laughing.

Some by themselves, heads down, lost in thought, intent on their way somewhere, in a hurry.

Hard-working people.

None of them rich ... hanging on to their dreams.

I salute them.

I honor them.

I bless them.

They are the representatives of the American Dream at its best.

State of Israel Struggling for Racial Purity?

The State of Israel is struggling to find its identity for the 21st Century; what began with great idealism and dreams of democracy is slowly eroding under the impulse of the worst kinds of human instincts. The following two articles from the Los Angeles Times tell an ugly story of fear and racism.

The first article describes the plight of 60,000 African immigrants, many of whom arrived on foot from Ethiopia, through Egypt, to find safety in Israel's Democracy. Their mistreatment is obvious, and clearly an expression of racial hatred. The young hooligans terrorizing these immigrants is reminiscent of Kristalnacht, 1938, Germany.

The second article details the efforts of Israel's medical schools to curtail Arab enrollment.

20% of Israel's population is Arab. Exempt from compulsory military service (after all, who wants to train and equip Arabs - sounds like the British in South Africa who used Black soldiers from other countries but not from SA itself), Arab students are eligible for medical school a few years earlier than Jewish students. While the schools deny any such effort aimed at a specific group of people, it's hard to see this as anything else but a concerted effort to isolate and exclude a group of people.

Thanks to the LA Times for good reporting.

The Plight of the Rhino

Unbound: On the Horns of a Dilemma in South Africa -- National Geographic Traveler

A fine piece of writing with a dramatic proposal - shoot-to-kill, not the rhino, but the poacher.

Driven by Asian prosperity and folk-medicine claim's for the healing and and sexual-stimulant power of ground rhino horn (you might as well eat fingernails or hair, because that's what the horns are made of), on the street, it's worth more than gold and heroine.

This National Geographic writer is clear, and so am I - if we want to preserve the rhino who has no defense against poachers with high-powered machine guns and rifles, only drastic measures will do it.

A shoot-to-kill policy, high fines and prison terms.

Yet, this will only deal with the poachers, not the demand.

If anything, it'll only drive up demand.

Most needed: the UN and other organizations need to step up to the plate and challenge Asian governments to counter folk-medicine silliness (not all folk medicine is silly, I know that, but this is) and impose serious penalties on anyone dealing in rhino horn. Not only must measures be taken at the site where the rhino lives, but at the point of demand.

It's high time for China and other Asian countries, dripping with cash, to confront this tragedy.

Abortion as "Child Abuse"?

From my good FB friend Craig Hexham:

He writes:

Driving home from work today, came across a billboard paid for by Michigan "Right to Life" [sic]. It stated, "Abortion: the ultimate child abuse." 


Struck me as odd. How about the two year old who experiences weeks and months of abuse--burns, hits, pinches, and neglect, before finally being dashed to death against the living room wall? 


How about the four year old who, in imitation of his policeman father, gets the gun while dad's not looking and kills himself? 


How about the six year old who's repeatedly sexually molested by her grandfather? 


How about the ten year old with medical problems who is stuffed upside down in a trash can at school by his peers because he is small and wears leg braces? 


How about the fifteen year old who is wanted by neither parent when they divorce? 


How about the seventeen year old with skittles and iced tea who is terrorized by a maniac with a firearm? 


How about the eighteen year old who's told he's a man when he's killed his first "enemy combatant? 

...and these are just the ones from the last few days news. I haven't gotten started about the kids in other countries who aren't as "lucky" as the ones I've already mentioned.

Forgiveness

Jesus then reminds the disciples of what is prayed in the LORD’S Prayer ever day, all around the world: If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; if you don't forgive them, they aren't forgiven.

We cannot mistake the words of Jesus as if he were saying “forgiveness is an option.”

“Will I forgive, or will I not?” - forgiveness is never an option in the Kingdom of God. To forgive is divine; to fail to forgive is death.

Forgiveness IS the story.

Forgiveness IS the life and work of Jesus.

Forgiveness IS the heart and soul of the gospel.

Forgiveness IS the power of peace.

Peace with God.

Peace with one another.

Peace among the nations.

God did not fail in the work of forgiveness.

Forgiveness is not an option for God.

As if God ponders the question:

Shall I forgive them or not?

Shall I release them from their sin, or shall I hold them accountable?

Shall I forget what they’ve done, so that we can all move on from here … or shall I wallow in my hurt and my pain, and constantly throw it in their face?

God doesn’t play games with forgiveness.

And neither must we.

But forgiveness always comes through the cross.

The New Testament is full of the language of the cross … our cross, our crucifixion, our death with Christ.

With Christ, our old instincts of violence and war are crucified, dead and buried.

The spirit of vengeance and grudge-holding that lurks in our heart …

Bitter memories that take up endless time and dominate our emotions … 

We die with Christ on the cross.

So that the old can pass away, and we’re raised up with Christ, with something new at the center of our life, something new to give away, a better way to live and a better way to love.

It's a Small, Small, World

This past Sunday, I asked our Confirmands, “Do any of you have Muslim friends?” They all raised their hands, and the father of one of our confirmands is a Muslim.

I thought to myself: “This isn’t my Gramma’s world!”

And it certainly isn’t the world into which I was born.

In the span of my 67 years, the world has changed dramatically, and I can only say, “Thank God!”

Because the world has gotten a lot smaller for all of us - as Walt Disney puts it.

it's a world of laughter, a world or tears

its a world of hopes, its a world of fear

theres so much that we share

that its time we're aware

its a small world after all

CHORUS:

its a small world after all

its a small world after all

its a small world after all

its a small, small world

There is just one moon and one golden sun 

And a smile means friendship to everyone. 

Though the mountains divide 

And the oceans are wide 

It's a small small world

We have Muslim neighbors, Buddhist and Hindu and Jewish and Atheist neighbors, co-workers, and who knows what else. Our children and grandchildren go to schools that are a virtual United Nations, even as is Calvary Presbyterian Church.

In many parts of the world, Christians have long lived with folks of other religions, and may have even been in the minority. Here in the States, Christians tended to know only Christians and have always been the majority. While Christianity remains the dominant religion of the United States, Christians are having to adjust to a very different world. While there was a time when it was easy for Christians to assume a sort of superior attitude, it’s a whole lot harder to do that.

Humility is a virtue, no doubt, and for Christians these days, we can all remember and celebrate that no one else has to be wrong in order for any of us to be right. There is a wideness in God’s mercy, and it’s good to remember that when the world is so small.

Walking a Labyrinth

From a dear friend and a very good writer, Dawn:

It was an interesting journey with lots of insight into how God leads us on the journey of life.  At first I was thinking of the path to the center as a journey toward God, but then at the center I realized that the red bricks beneath my feet there were the same as the red bricks under my feet all along the path and I thought about Christ's promise that he will never leave us or forsake us.

As I walked long sections in one direction I was grateful for the times in life when things go smooth and life is easy and joyful.  In the sharp turns I was reminded of our need to repent and thankful for the opportunity that God gives us to do so.

As I pondered the difference between walking by faith and walking by sight, I realized that I could still look about and see other choices and options with my eyes (sight) while I chose to walk by faith on the path representing God's good plan for my life.  Therefore, just because we follow God's plan doesn't mean that we won't have choices or temptations.  It is when we follow those other choices that we may wind up repeating or skipping parts of the path or if we stray far enough we may end up in the mud, brush, and briers.

The problem with walking by sight is that we tend to look straight ahead of where our feet are pointing.  If you stand on a curved section of the path, especially evident near a hairpin turn, you will notice that your sight is not looking in the direction that the faith path under your feet is taking you.  We walk by faith and not by sight.

Finally, from all places on the path the cross is always visible if we look up, which reminds me of Hebrews 12  - And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.  Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.

The Labyrinth is at Holy Cross Evangelical Lutheran Church, Livonia, MI. Click HERE to see some pictures.