Ego and the desire for power afflict many people. A new issue enters our discussion on forgiveness. George Lucas in an interview about The Revenge of the Sith observed, “Evil people don’t know they are evil.” Is forgiveness possible in such situations? As I stated in the first part, the first step toward forgiveness is to acknowledge the truth. What happens when a person neither knows nor can be persuaded of the truth? Where does that leave us? Evil In... Read more
The passing of Archbishop Desmond Tutu reminded me of his important truth. “There is no future without forgiveness.” His book about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission bears that title. Taking into account everything I have said up to this point about the schism of the UMC, I have not said a word about forgiveness. Just like in a divorce, one cannot reconcile with someone who wishes to leave. It is impossible. What then is the point of forgiving that person?... Read more
Christmas. God bless it. Matthew and Luke have a lot to say about Jesus’ birth. John and Mark leave the topic alone. None of them speak of Christmas. It’s really too bad. I could use some guidance each year. Family Christmas is about food, presents, and reunion. Church Christmas is about traditional hymns, sacraments, and candles. Christ the light has come into the world and will shine until Good Friday. What is Christmas to me? Stories told and retold every... Read more
We always talk about Mary during Advent and Christmas. Elizabeth is the other woman we discuss. But there is one we forget. Honestly, it is not a surprise. After all, we never see her in Christmas pageants. There is only one movie about Jesus in which we hear her. It is she who is the reason Bethlehem was remembered before Jesus. The woman who never got to hold the child to whom she gave birth. The person who died in... Read more
Natural disasters around Christmas enhance the tragedy for those who do not experience it. We ask, “how awful it must be and so close to Christmas too.” We send help out of a sense of pity. It is easy to mistake pity for compassion. The hand-out looks the same. Pity for the plight of others is temporary. Compassion lasts much longer. And yet, we fail to realize the need for mutuality the disasters should prompt in us. Climate change has been... Read more
I love my work. But sometimes I hate my job. Many friends are used to hearing me say this. I admit there is something disingenuous about the comparison. That problem is very clear during Advent. There is so much work to be done during this season. A clergy friend remarked last night after the Cantata at his church, “One more thing done for Advent.” I understand. Advent is the season of preparation for Christmas. But instead of preparation it is... Read more
Jesus made it clear to the disciples in Luke 9:50. “But Jesus said to him, ‘Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.” Mark expands the thought. “But Jesus said; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will soon be able to speak a word against me. Whoever is not against us is for us.'” (9:39-40) It appears straight forward then to say, Jesus has other people doing good in... Read more
They told me the prophet had been there by the riverside. Actually, the guide said two prophets stood there almost 900 years apart from each other. The Jordan was muddy here. It was not the clean waters in Galilee. The river is the lifeline of two nation-states today. And it boggles the mind to think about how many people over the centuries relied on it. This muddy river sung about by so many people who never saw it. The riverside... Read more
The whole Boy Scouts bankruptcy reminds me of why I did not become a lawyer. I often tell the story that at my High School reunion I was asked if I was a lawyer. “No, I work for the other side,” was my reply. Please, don’t misunderstand. I do not hate lawyers. I understand the need for these professionals. Our society needs people with legal training who advocate for the rights of other people. I am simply glad not to... Read more
Time is a redeemable gift. The Ephesians were counseled to live by “making most of the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16) The King James Version reads “redeeming the time.” American Protestants look at these words and immediately think it is about doing something with the time. Indeed the United Methodist Book of Discipline warns the ordained person to “Never trifle away time; neither spend any more time at one place than is strictly necessary.” But these statements... Read more
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