Tag Archives: grace

August 8, 2014 · 1:19 pm

On my heart and mind: children

Child soldiersA while back, I posted a sermon about children. Grieving the many places where children endure unimaginable violation, it affirms our call to care for children:

In this place, I am reminded that God is at work in all places. And that sustains and challenges me to look for how God is at work and, as the Holy Spirit gives me grace, to join in that work.

Children have been in my heart and on my mind this week.

Faith in God in Christ have put them there.

And in this place, God invites us all to join in caring for the children. The children of this congregation. The children of this community. All the children, all God’s children of the world. May we hear and respond.

Today, my friend Laura Mariko Cheifetz posted a reflection on children “Children Aren’t Disposable“. She reaches a similar conclusion:

I think children matter. I think everyone’s child matters. I do not believe that parents or communities or even children need to be virtuous or free of fault in order to think their children and perhaps even their parents deserve protection and generosity. You can make all the bad decisions you want, but I still believe you and your children deserve life. I extrapolated this from the lesson my parents drummed into me: You do not have to earn grace. It has already been given.

…

Children matter. Their families matter. Grace has already been given. Let’s act like it.

And she does a better job of lifting up ways to act:

Support the Children’s Defense Fund. They do great work at a policy level.

Read Toxic Charity. Consider changing your mission to be less charity and offers more agency to people. Bulk discounts (for your Sunday school or book group) are available. http://www.thethoughtfulchristian.com/Products/9780062076212/toxic-charity–paperback-edition.aspx

Write letters to migrant children. http://www.groundswell-mvmt.org/faithshare/people-are-writing-letters-to-the-migrant-children-and-they-are-beautiful/

Advocate for immigration reform that will allow people dignity and a path to regularization. Congress has recessed for August, so there isn’t legislation to advocate for. But you can still leave a message with your U.S. and state congresspeople urging them to support meaningful immigration reform and humane immigration processes, particularly for children and their parents who may be eligible for asylum, rather than increased criminalization and security measures. TheThoughtfulChristian.com has many books and downloadable studies to help you and your church talk about immigration and take action.

Oppose zero-tolerance policies in schools, stop and frisk public policing, and other ways that disproportionately criminalize black and brown youth.

You may give to UNICEF and UNRWA, who work with children in Gaza and the occupied territories. You can also ask your congresspeople to reconsider our typical military aid package to the nation of Israel. You could work with local peace organizations to advocate for an end to the blockade and the occupation.

Children matter. Join in caring for them.

See you along the Trail.

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July 20, 2014 · 2:43 pm

In This Place

This is the manuscript I took into the pulpit at Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church today. The preached sermon varied from the manuscript in some instances as the preaching event took place.

People often ask if I miss serving as a pastor in a congregation. I reply that I miss the community, the shared life. But I feel called to my work at the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations. I make mistakes; challenges and frustrations arise, but I believe I am where God has called me.

And then come those Sundays when I have the privilege to take part in the sacrament of baptism. And in the joy and wonder of the moment, I feel a tug to parish ministry.

Because I knew I would have that privilege this morning, I have spent a great deal of time thinking about children. Of course along with the filled expectation of the sacrament, this week has also brought tragedy and sorrow and hope.

Children have been in my heart and on my mind this week.

Israeli children who listen for sirens and take refugee in bomb shelters.
Palestinian children killed upon a beach, under the crushing weight of collapsed homes, on the streets of Gaza.
Israeli and Palestinian children bound together in the violent spiral, not of their making, of occupation and resistance.

Children have been in my heart and on my mind this week.

Nigerian girls abducted from schools and homes, wrenched from their families, held by a rebel group.
Children of Sudan’s Nuba Mountains who huddle in caves as bombs dropped by the government rain around them.
South Sudanese children whose stomachs knot from hunger and malnutrition that threaten their lives.
Syrian children caught in a chaotic cross fire.

Children have been in my heart and on my mind this week.

Children forced to carry guns larger than they are tall in combat.
Children who breathe air-filled with dust and sometimes toxic gases in mines for gold.
Children used, violated, and exploited.

Children have been in my heart and on my mind this week.

Children fleeing rape and gang recruitment and violence in Honduras, El Salvador, and parts of Guatemala who make their way to the United States to be placed in detention centers where they may experience cramped cells without enough food, beds, toilets or showers.

Children have been in my heart and on my mind this week.

Children who lost a parent when a plane went down over the eastern Ukraine.
Children with AIDS or whose parents have AIDS whose lives will be affected by the loss of the researchers and scientists on that plane.

Children have been in my heart and on my mind this week.

Children in our country whose lives are constricted and diminished by racism.
Children bullied because of their sexual orientation.
Children who know violence in their homes, their schools, and their communities.

Children have been in my heart and on my mind this week.

New babies, long-awaited, welcomed, cherished.
Children who receive encouragement, affection, support, and nurture.
Children who enjoy life, bring delight to friends, and share love with family members.

Children have been in my heart and on my mind this week.

And I have wept.
Sweet tears of joy and grace.
Hot, bitter tears of grief and pain and anger.
Purging, cleansing tears that have renewed my commitment.

And I have prayed.
For the circumstances that wound children.
For the children. By name when possible.

Prayer opens me to God.

Prayer also opens me to the children and circumstances for which I pray. It binds me to the children be they in Damascus or Detroit. It calls me to commit to act on behalf of the children for whom I pray.

Prayer makes and nurtures the relationships, key to pursuing justice. And prayer for justice and wholeness in one setting draws me out of myself to experience anew the connections between all forms of injustice. It reminds me of the interdependence of people and life. It transforms me as it leads me to pray—and then act—more broadly than I would have otherwise done.

Children have been in my heart and on my mind this week.

And I have advocated with government officials and others who are in positions to act to reshape realities for children.
And I have made contributions to groups caring for children in the United States and abroad.
And I have invited and challenged my family and friends to learn and pray and act.

Children have been in my heart and on my mind this week.

And I have come to this place, this sanctuary, this congregation.

I come to stand in community. For community is essential to confront the realities of the world. Only together can we stand against the forces that violate children; alone we cannot stand.

I come to sing songs, break bread, share the cup.

I come to celebrate with a family as they present their children for baptism. Affirming their faith in Jesus Christ in a world broken, fearful, and frightening. Proclaiming hope. Sharing love.

I come to remember the grace of God in Jesus Christ. In ways that may surprise us, frighten us, awe us, God is at work. Here. Now. In this community.

When I experience the presence of God, I join Jacob in his affirmation of wonder and faith: “Surely God is in this place — and I did not know it!”

And knowing that God is in this place, reminds me, fills me with hope that God in Jesus Christ is in all places. Even in places where heartache and horror seem strong; even in places where violations occur; even in places where people and relationships are most badly broken and fear and wrong seems strongest, God is at work.

In this place, I am reminded that God is at work in all places. And that sustains and challenges me to look for how God is at work and, as the Holy Spirit gives me grace, to join in that work.

Children have been in my heart and on my mind this week.

Faith in God in Christ have put them there.

And in this place, God invites us all to join in caring for the children. The children of this congregation. The children of this community. All the children, all God’s children of the world. May we hear and respond.

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April 21, 2014 · 8:54 pm

Hope, courage, love

Luke and Merdine TI have posted several times about my friend and mentor Merdine T. Morris. At her memorial service on April 12, I saw a photo of Merdine T. with her husband, Lucas. Luke. During the memorial service, Merdine T.’s friends and colleagues and pastors witnessed to her deep commitment to justice and peace and the countless ways she lived out those commitments. 

Listening, I recalled the photo and remembered how Luke made Merdine T.’s witness possible. He stood with her, prayed for her, provided transportation for her. Luke was the good, good man who stood beside this good, good woman.

It seems only right to post a reflection about Luke. I wrote this for his memorial service.

Lucas Morris revealed hope.  In a world so horribly obsessed with race, any crossing of the racial divide is an act of grace.  As he lived, Luke endured the shifting and unchanging reality of being black in America where privilege is given to those who are white.  He was wounded.  But he was never broken.  He was not embittered.  He played a key role in helping to create the special relationship between St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church and Noble Road Presbyterian Church.  And when the time came, he was willing – he and Merdine T. chose – to have white pastors.  Amazing grace.  What a gift of hope.  If we refuse to give up, if we refuse to give in, if we keep on loving, maybe we can heal prejudices and remake systems and come together to live as God intends.

Lucas Morris revealed courage.  Frustration filled his recent years.  Illness touched him and it never let go.  Every time he made even the smallest step toward recovery, something went wrong and he took two or three or ten steps back.  Again and again and again my heart broke for him.  My heart broke for Merdine T.  But none of it neither the pain nor the procedures – neither the losses nor the limitations – none of it broke his spirit.  His contagious smile – his ready laugh – his concern for others – it all remained and shone through on even his worse days.  Our character is revealed not in times of ease but in moments of distress.  Luke was strong and true.

Lucas Morris revealed love.  He had deep, abiding love for Merdine T. and for his family.  He had deep, abiding love for his friends.  He had concern for all of God’s children.  When visited, Luke would ask about Merdine T., about his friends, about my family, about others in the church in need.  You may say it was a ritual.  You may say it was a way of shifting the focus from his own situation.  I know it was expressed his depth of feeling and caring.

Lucas Morris and I laughed together.  We cried together.  We prayed together.  We agonized over the fortunes of Cleveland’s baseball team.  That one year when Cleveland had no football team, we even followed the Pittsburgh Steelers together.  With Merdine T. and Sean and Eric we shared the body and blood of Christ as well as ice cream and brownies.  And one special morning when Merdine T. was in the hospital, Luke and I delighted in a high-class breakfast of Egg McMuffins.

I thank God for the gift of Lucas Morris.  I thank God for the honor and privilege of being Luke’s friend.  I thank God that for Luke all pain is past and he is received into the warmth and wonder of God’s love.  I thank God that within that mysterious reality of the Communion of Saints Luke goes with me, goes with us, now and always.  Amen.

See you along the Trail.

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January 23, 2014 · 6:44 pm

Life

In a world tattered and torn,
a world battered and worn;

In a world of sorrow and pain,
a world of horror and shame;

In a world where I weep for the evil we do,
a world where I grieve for what sisters and brothers endure;

In such a world,
I give thanks.

In this world,
I give thanks
for hope and faith
for love and grace.

In my world,
I give thanks
for tender mercies and boundless joy,
courage unexpected and strength unforeseen.

In our world,
I give thanks
for a baby’s first cry
and a parent’s first smile.

I give thanks
for life.

23 January 2014
New York, New York

For
Joann, Mike, and Austin
Roja, Joel, and their newborn daughter whose name I will list as soon as they tell me
And all new parents and babies

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December 4, 2013 · 10:50 pm

Let me be … a tree

Worship at a recent staff retreat included the poem “More Beautiful than the Honey Locust Trees Are the Words of the Lord” by Mary Oliver. This poem appears in her book Thirst.

It explores themes of worship and nature and church and creation. Filled with rich, surprising images, the words and structure give much to ponder.

Tree 2One sentence jumped out at me as I read it. It stays with me:

Instead I went back to the woods where not a single tree turned its face away.

And I wonder. When have I turned my face away? Who are the people, my brothers and sisters, from whom I have turned my face away? Why have I turned my face away? What does it say about me that I turn my face away? How can I learn to be like a tree and not turn my face away?

And I wonder. When has the church turned its face away? When have members of a congregation, some, a few, many, all, turned their faces away? Who are the people, God’s beloved children, from whom the church and congregations turn away? What does it say about the church, about a congregation, that faces turn away? How can the church learn to be like a tree? How can a congregation learn to be like the woods?

I know, to my sorrow and shame, I know some of the times I have turned my face away. I know some of the people from whom I have turned away. I understand in some situations; in others it is not so clear why I turned away. I know some of the times that the church, and members of a congregation, have turned away.

But I don’t know all the times.

So I pray that I may be aware of my face and never turn my face away from my sisters and brothers; that I may have the grace to know when I turn my face away, because I will; that when I turn my face away, I may have the courage to repent and turn my face back to my brothers and sisters.

So I pray that I may be aware of when the church turns its face away; that I may be aware of when a congregation turns its face away; that I may have the grace and courage to work with the church and with congregations to repent and turn ts face back to my brothers and sisters.

So I pray let us be the woods let me be a tree. Amen.

See you along the Trail.

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September 10, 2013 · 7:39 pm

Come tomorrow

I knew Mary Mikhael before, but what we did together today – or more accurately what I witnessed her do – has forged a new level of friendship.

Mary is from the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon.  Until 2011, she served as the president of the Near East School of Theology in Beirut. After her retirement,the church has named her their interpreter and communicator in this time of tragedy and crisis for the people of Syria.

Today Mary and I went from New York to DC to meet five legislators and a State Department Official. Catherine Gordon in the Presbyterian Office of Public Witness arranged the visits.

I am now standing, well actually I am sitting on a train back to NYC, in awe of Mary’s courage and grace and strength as she told the story of heartbreak and horror and hope six times. A story she has lived. A story she is living. A story that develops as she tells it. She is exhausted and sleeps beside me.

Come tomorrow, she will again tell the story of the people and church of Syria. This time she will tell the story for a video project and in the UN community.

Come tomorrow, she will recall and relieve the tragedy.

Come tomorrow, she will renew the hope.

Come tomorrow, she will again exhaust herself in witness to her faith and on behalf of her people and church and country.

Come tomorrow, I will again stand in awe.

Come tomorrow, I will weep and smile and pray for peace and justice.

Come tomorrow.

See you along the Trail.

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May 31, 2013 · 9:40 pm

A blessed visit, a blessed day

IMG_1655 (1024x651)Near the end of my visit to the Republic of Korea, the Rev. JC Lee informed me that one of his Doctor of Ministry would come to the United States. The class itself would take place at Columbia Theological Seminary. But they would also do some sightseeing. Their Trail would bring them to New York.

I jumped at the opportunity to share a small portion of hospitality with my friend and guide who had showed me so much on my trip to his country. We began to plan and via email worked out a brief visit to the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations.

The visit happened yesterday – May 30. It was wonderful.

JC and nine students arrived about 10:30. Our staff greeted them warmly. Ricky, Marissa (who took two of the photos in this post), Brendan, Ryan, Sera, and I told about the work of our ministry and responded to questions.

IMG_1659 (1024x683)Pizza, traditional New York City pizza – we wanted to provide a New York dish, arrived at 11:15 or so. Over lunch, our guests shared about themselves and their ministries.

Our guests expressed interest in the Red Hands on our walls. I explained that the hands were part of the Red Hand Campaign to end the use of children as soldiers. Our Korean brothers and sister indicated a desire to participate and Red Hands were made.

After lunch, Sera and I accompanied the class on a tour of the United Nations. As we had requested, the guide conducted the tour in Korean. The group members had a marvelous, joy-filled time. We had so much fun and laughed so loud and hard with each other that our guide had to quite the group. Twice.

IMG_1739 (1024x683)Following the tour, we returned to our office where we bid each other, not good-bye, but “until the next time.” We walked our brothers and sister to the elevator amid great laughter. The class went to visit Midtown.

The elevator doors closed. With joy in our hearts, well at least with joy in my heart – I suppose I should not speak for anyone else, we went back to work.

A blessed visit. A blessed day.

See you along the Trail.

 

 

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May 14, 2013 · 7:30 pm

Bad habit meets guiding principle

I felt a tug on my arm as I left the number 7 train at Times  I turned to see the woman who had sat across from me. Her hand held a crumpled dollar bill. My crumpled dollar bill.

photo (4) (775x1024)I have a bad habit. Or I probably should say, “Among my bad habits is the fact that I carry bills in my pockets.”

I simply cram them into the pocket. They end up resembling the spit balls that my friends and I used to create in junior high school. Little wads of green.

Some interesting things result.

I receive bemused looks when I pay with cash. I dig into my pocket, pull out what bills are there and straighten them. I have reminded more than one cashier, “It all spends.”

I find little wet wads of green now and then when doing laundry. I delude myself with the line, “Made money again.”

And I drop bills from time to time. It happens. I confess I do not know how often it happens. Sometimes I find the fallen bills. Sometimes, as today, I rely on the kindness of friends and strangers.

When this happens, I come up against one of my guiding principles for money. If I find money, I first try to find the owner. Failing that, I give it away. Coins end up in the hands or cups of strangers on the street. Larger bills usually go to a program addressing hunger in some way. It may feed people or help people feed themselves or work to change the reasons people are hungry in the first place.

I will join today’s dollar to some others and pass them along before the evening ends.

Guiding principles trump bad habits. At least on this one.

See you along the Trail.

 

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April 10, 2013 · 10:47 pm

A friend prays

Apparently I am not the only one who writes while traveling. On her way home from Ecumenical Advocacy Days, my friend Joann Lee wrote a powerful prayer that addresses her personal situation and expresses universal realities at the same time. Here are some excerpts:

Dear God,
There are so many moments when I am grateful that I am not pregnant and without children:

  • Every time I gorge myself on sushi and beer or enjoy a glass of scotch in the evening, I give you thanks;

…

But God, despite all these blessings, I still really, really want to be pregnant, have a baby, and raise children.

Sometimes, I feel like those formerly barren matriarchs of the Bible:

  • like Hannah who prayed fervently in the temple, asking, as if drunk, for a child, seeking refuge in her faith and bargaining her child’s future profession in exchange for answered prayers – like Hannah, I say, “Me, too, God. I’ll force my child into ministry, too, if that’s what it takes!” [note: Joann is an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)]

…

Because I just want so much to…

  • to see two lines on that plastic pregnancy test, and since we’ve already experienced that, to then also hear a heartbeat on the ultrasound and witness a healthy baby being born;

…

I want all these things, God. But in the mean time, I’ll continue to eat sushi, drink scotch, travel, and be grateful. Because this, too, is a blessing.

Amen.

Check out Joann’s whole prayer.

I stand in awe of her grace and courage, faith and hope. I hold her and Mike in my prayers in this season of waiting. I pray for all who yearn for a child. I pray that all children experience love. May it be so.

See you along the Trail.

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April 9, 2013 · 7:32 pm

Second (again) chance

“But what about second chances?”

When her son posed that question, Grace Ji-Sun Kim reflected on the role of second chances in life:

Where would I be without second chances? Where would most of us be without second chances in life? Most of us are only where we are because we got second chances. People who experience serious accidents and survive are given second chances in life. When we think about our faith journey, isn’t that a second chance at life? Isn’t that the essence of God’s grace?

Specifically, Grace pondered the role of second chances in her life, particularly in terms of self-care. Her words resonated with me as I fail to do well at that.

I have tried. Over the years I have tried. I have had moments of success. And more moments of failures. Last fall I actually walked 1,000,000 steps over a three-month period. I ate everything in sight. But I did walk.

I have had momentary gains. False starts. Serious backsliding. I am way past a second chance – and even the fourth chance that Grace mentions.

But today … for some reason, I cannot name or explain … today seems a day to try again. I extend myself grace and start anew.

See you along the Trail. 

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