Sermon and Worship Service March 31, 2019 at Federated Church of Orleans

 Sermon on Matthew 25:1-13
 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHK__LU1t7g

I am proud of this sermon. I think my illustration regarding the Academy Award winning documentary, PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE., was appropriate. I talked about a subject that needs to have some light shed on it, menstruation. If you watch the documentary you would better understand why the illustration made sense. I received some affirmation about the sermon and also an official reprimand. I would do it again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdlKervJ0-Y

Be the Church: Love God (August 5, 2018)

Mark 12:28-30 (CEB)
One of the legal experts heard their dispute and saw how well Jesus answered them. He came over and asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”
Jesus replied, “The most important one is Israel, listen! Our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your mind, and with all your strength.

1 John 4:16-21(CEB)
We have known and have believed the love that God has for us.
God is love, and those who remain in love remain in God and God remains in them. This is how love has been perfected in us, so that we can have confidence on the Judgment Day, because we are exactly the same as God is in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear expects punishment. The person who is afraid has not been made perfect in love. We love because God first loved us. If anyone says, I love God, and hates a brother or sister, he is a liar, because the person who doesn’t love a brother or sister who can be seen can’t love God, who can’t be seen. This commandment we have from him: Those who claim to love God ought to love their brother and sister also.

Message
do you have something to write with? You will need something so find something
Question for you … what is a noun? What is a verb?

Simply … a noun is a thing.
And a verb is an action.
A noun is usually something you can see, taste, touch, smell, hear.
A verb is something you do …

Alright! Good, now we are going to play a word game!
I will hold up a card and you tell me if it is a noun or a verb.

Start with the easy ones, and offer lots of encouragement!
Catch— Bird— Sing— Singer— House

Then hold up the LOVE card last.

What do you think of this one?
Is love a noun?
You can feel love, right?
We know when we love someone or when someone loves us, so maybe it is a noun.

But, maybe it is a verb, too.
Love is something that you do, too!

Think about that for a minute.
When you love somebody you want to do good things for them.
You want to make them feel good, and you want to take care of them.
So love is a noun AND love is something that we do.

We have this story again… JC is asked @ greatest command
they are looking for 1
JC puts all 10 together…
JC says the most important thing you can do is to love.
Love God, love yourself and all the people around you.

Memo: love is a noun AND a verb!

To LOVE neighbors & ourselves—have to do SOMETHING
    We have to care for them,
        we should do good things for them,
            we should work to make them feel good, joyful and safe.

That is a difficult thing to do, and I think that Jesus knew that when he said it.

To love God— same thing

What is loving God like?
        What does it feel like?
        What does it sound like?
        What does it look like?
        How is it present in your life as a person of faith?
       
GUIDED MEDITATION:  LOVE IS
Written by: Steve Dalton
Take a moment to get comfortable.  Take a deep breath. 
Take a deeper breath and as you exhale allow all the tension our of your muscles. 
Take another deep, deep breath and as you exhale allow your mind to clear.
Like wiping a whiteboard clean with your next deep breath allow all the distractions and stress to be wiped away.
You are not thinking about anything but the sound of my voice. 
Just focus on my words.
Love
Love
Love
Picture “Love” it in your mind.
Just allow the images to come into your mind. 
Don’t analyze them or judge them. 
Allow your mind to freely go wherever it goes when you hear the word LOVE.
Love
Love
Love
In your mind’s eye, what do you see when you hear the word LOVE?
Do you picture a person? 
Do you envision a romantic or passionate scene? 
Are your thoughts of love filled with red and pink hearts and warm and fuzzy feelings?
Love is most certainly those things. 
But love also much, much more.

As Eric plays I invite you to focus on your Love of God handout…

Loving God looks like _____________________.
Loving God smells like ____________________.
Loving God sounds like ___________________.
Loving God feels like _____________________.

Share with someone sitting nearby
Anyone want to share with the group?

We are the church when we LOVE GOD.
We are the church when what we do reflects that we LOVE GOD.
let’s Love God with all our hearts and our souls and our minds.

And from that we’ll be able to do all these other things that it means to BE THE CHURCH! Amen

Children's Message from Easter 2016

This is by no means professional... but done from a pew on Easter morning by my husband, Jim. And we all know..."kids can say the darndest things!" Enjoy!

This was delivered at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Fairport, New York.

Everybody Prays

A meditation by the Rev. Tomi Jacobs-Ziobro shared on October 16, 2016 at First Church, United Church of Christ in Sandwich, Massachusetts.

Luke 18:1-8 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”



According to theologian Frederick Buechner in his book "Wishful Thinking," everybody prays whether we think of it as praying or not
There is that odd silence we fall into when something very beautiful is happening or something very good or … even very bad
The ahhhhhhhhhh! that floats up out of you as out of a fourth July crowd when the sky rocket bursts over the water
That stammer of pain… or tears shed at someone else’s pain
The bubbling of personal or shared joy
Whatever the words or sounds may be that you use for sighing over your own life or life as a whole

These are all prayers in their own way
These are all spoken not just to yourself but to something even more than yourself

Formal prayer takes many forms and is practiced at many different times in our lives:
bedtime prayers, here in Sunday worship, there are the prayers we say when we are afraid or desperate, the “grace” we sometimes say before eating, are but a few.

Jesus prays many times in the Gospels, and even provides a model for us in the Lord’s Prayer. But there’s more.
Jesus speaks further not just of the prayers we might offer, or the frequency and persistence of our prayers,
but here he speaks of the nature of our God who hears the deepest longings of our hearts.
According to Jesus, by far the most important thing about praying… is to keep at it. Keep praying— and don’t lose heart.

The images Jesus uses to explain this are all rather comical
As though Jesus thought it rather comical that he should have to explain it to us at all
There is the story that says… God is like a friend you go to at midnight to borrow a loaf of bread
The friend says in essence “Drop dead” but you keep knocking anyway until your friend relents and gives you what you want so you will go away and he can go back to bed (Luke 11)
Or this parable today about a crooked judge who refuses to hear the case of a poor widow, presumably because there is nothing in it for him, no way for him to profit
But the widow persists, she does not lose heart— until the judge finally hears her case to just get her out of his hair
This parable is as much – or more – about the nature of God than it is a “nice” little instruction on prayer.

And yet, and yet.
What is at the heart of Jesus’ exhortation to “pray always and not to lose heart”?

Be importunate- persistent- unrelenting Jesus tells us
Not, one may assume, because you have to beat a path to God’s door before God will open the door
But rather because until you beat the path maybe there’s no way of getting to your door.
Maybe not so much that you get God’s attention
But rather so that you have your attention on God
God wants you to have the desires of your heart… but without taking the time how will you know what those desires are,
without believing God how will you believe you can have them to even ask or ponder them

Whatever else it may or may not be, prayer is self talk
And self talk in and of itself is not a bad idea
It is a good thing for you to Talk to yourself about your own life, about what you have done and what you have left undone
 about who you are and who you wish you were
about those you love and also about those you don’t love
Talk to yourself about what matters to you most, because if you don’t you may just forget what matters most to you
Even if you don’t think anybody is listening, at least you will be listening
Believe Somebody is listening— God is listening

But there is more to prayer
Prayer will move us within and without

Is it not within our power at times to be the answer to the prayers of others?
Are we not called, as individuals and as the church, to be part of the response, in particular to the prayers and needs of the powerless, the marginalized, the outcastes of society at any given time?
If we are not part of that response, in what ways are we like the unjust judge?

One commentator  suggests that “To those of us who have it in their power to relieve the distress of the widow, the orphan, and the stranger but do not,
the call to pray night and day is a command to let the priorities of God’s compassion reorder the priorities of our lives.” (paraphrased from The New Interpreters Bible, Luke, page 339).

It seems that people of faith, in the Hebrew Scriptures and in the New Testament, and down through the centuries of church history and in the very life of the church today, often are tempted to equate righteousness with their prayer life rather than with their passion for justice,
Do not think I am calling you to a pious prayer life that does not change how you act and behave in the world
The prayer I am calling you to, that Jesus calls us to will have an effect on our participation in bringing in the Reign of God, God’s beloved community
That reign of God is the shalom that is the fullness of peace, healing and wholeness not just for a few but for all,
including the widows and orphans, the stranger at the gate and the unwanted person knocking at the door, the poor.

Yes Prayer will move us beyond ourselves
And internal prayer will make us live and be our prayers
They will cease to be just something in our head but something that moves our hands and feet and mouths to work for justice

Many who read the Bible know this, for God has been clear about despising our religious festivals and burnt offerings – whatever form those take today –if we do not act with justice toward the widow, the orphan, the poor, the oppressed, those who are hated, marginalized, excluded from the goods of life that God so abundantly provides, and expects us to share.

As Jesus ends the “nice” little lesson on prayer – or so it seemed at the beginning – with a jarring and ominous question,

“And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

we too wonder about our faith, our mustard seed faith that has the potential to move mountains or uproot trees,
and ask if we have indeed heard the cry of the widow and responded?

In doing so, we will have heard the voice of God, calling us to prayer, to pray always
and the call to true religion and true righteousness.  Amen

Meditation of the Bent Over Woman in Luke 13:10-17

An audio recording of this meditation can be found on the website of the First Congregational UCC in Fairport New York or by following this link: http://fairportucc.org/page/service_august_21_2016

Luke 13:10-17
Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had ailed her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment." When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day." But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?" When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.



It's a simple enough story: on the way to Jerusalem, while Jesus is teaching in a synagogue, a "bent-over" woman passing by evokes Jesus' compassion.

Today I want to focus mostly on the subject of the story
On this woman who went to synagogue – who she was and what this encounter with Jesus meant to her
on what it means to be bent or challenged and straightened out

Feminist Biblical scholar Sharon Ringe describes the life of the bent-over woman very well,
Her condition could be translated as "a spirit of weakness."
She calls that weakness a kind of power that kept her bent-over and captive in "a world defined by the piece of ground around her own toes or looked at always on a slant". 
Ironically, while this woman's line of vision has been severely affected by her ailment these many years, she has no problem seeing that help is on the way, standing right in front of her, in the person of Jesus.
She has no problem recognizing the source of her healing as God.

Does the woman ask for healing? No.
Does Jesus seem to care that it's the Sabbath, when healing non-life-threatening conditions is not permitted? No.
Without being asked, he calls her over to him, and sets her free from her longtime ailment by placing his hands on her, just as one would in blessing.
The woman is blessed and freed and has sense enough to recognize the source of the freedom she's been given at last, freedom from the little bit of square footage she's been limited to visually for almost twenty years.

Years ago when I was studying this passage I wrote a few poems that express some of my musings on being bent, those who are bent among us and the joy of being freed— living standing straight

Poetic Musing on
the Bent Over Woman
in Luke 13:10-17
I can see her
over there
that old, bent over woman
aching to stand straight

always looking down
needing to be lifted
to meet all eye to eye

cranky and embittered
from being ignored
dragging herself around
longing to be included
challenged by her mind
and her physical imperfection
daring to dream of what some call
wholeness
missing the gifts that her infirmity brings

will it be any better
when she can walk straight?

Each Sunday, all sorts of burdens are carried into our church.
Some, like the bent-over woman's condition, are more visible than others.
If we looked around the room today we might be able to see the weight of many years of suffering on one person's face, the crushing hurt of a new and painful reality in another's eyes: divorce; the loss of a loved one; financial worries; poor health; a child who is struggling with addiction.

Is it enough?
Is it enough?
I’ve read all your comments
I’ve studied the text
but still have questions
unanswered

What of the women still bent?
What of the men challenged by addiction,
children unable to walk straight?

Each week they come here to worship
and no healing of body is seen
we make room for their wheelchairs
or provide self help groups

They still live bound by Satan
some well
and some bitter

Is there hope here for them?
will the healing of their spirits
be enough?

God,
I don’t know.

Living Life as A Straightened Up Woman
(Luke 13: 10-17)

I have questions about questions
and unknowingness to spare
there are tears I long to share
I stand here ready to jump
ready to go after my dreams
yet to be dreamt

It’s all open
and I’m ready
yet I can’t believe it’s true

Someone pinch me
someone wake me
to this life that I am living
to this smile that I am giving
to myself

I am no longer burdened
by a spirit of heaviness
I am strengthened from within
by a touch from without
I see everything differently
I face life…straight on

We should not lump all of Jewish teaching on the reaction of the synagogue leader who rather than rejoicing in the healing of this woman, is irate.
Who by speaking for the theologically and liturgically orthodox, criticizes Jesus for going to work on the Sabbath.

Jesus responds that whenever someone is in great pain and suffering, we embody the meaning of the Sabbath when we become agents of healing.
The Sabbath is made for rest, and it is also made for showing God’s love through acts of care and hospitality.
The text tells us that those present (Jews at synagogue) rejoiced at the wonderful things they saw Jesus doing

We are fortunate in many ways in our culture, but we are burdened, too.
For example, many children in our society are as pressed down as the bent-over woman with schedules that leave them no time to play or to just "be" with their families, friends, and nature itself.
And there are many children within 20 miles of here who live with the burden of poverty which presses down on them
And there are the men and women of color across our country bent over with the fear of being stopped by the police — mother and
We as adults are often over scheduled, and our health and the well-being of our families, our churches, and our communities are affected.
If we are bent over by worries then we cannot be a force for God’s good in a world in desperate need of our care.

I want to invite you to begin with Sunday, just to begin with Sunday, as a time of peace and rest, but even more, as a time to immerse ourselves in the promises of God, the promises that sustain us each day, during "regular" time, too.
As the bent-over woman's gaze was "lifted up" to God in praise, perhaps our perspective, too, will be raised and will lead us to new and deeper faithfulness and praise.
To new acts of showing God’s love in care and hospitality.
To live lives that are straightened out. Amen


Resources:
http://www.ucc.org/worship_samuel_sermon_seeds_august_21_2016
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/livingaholyadventure/2016/08/the-adventurous-lectionary-pentecost-14-august-21-2016/

Meditation for August 14, 2016 delivered in Fairport NY-- following the Baptism of twin boys.

Hebrews 11:29-12:2 (p. 274 NT)
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace. And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets - who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented - of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.


Meditation
Brothers and Sisters there is NO quick shortcut to raising children or to learning our Christian faith.
The writer of Hebrews reminds us that real human change usually isn't fast, nor does it happen in a straight line.
Real transformation usually requires a slower, meandering path that is rocky and difficult at times
The path of faith, says the writer, requires patience and perseverance.

I have had church folks tell me they don’t like studying the OT— to which I remind them that 60% of our brief NT is a retelling of OT Stories—this rings true in our passage from Hebrews today.
Hebrews 11 is often called the "faith chapter" because the writer uses the history of Israel as an example of the kind of slow-moving progress that many followers of Jesus make in striving for Christlike holiness.
These “super heroes" of the faith have their flaws, to be sure, and their mistakes and missteps may be as familiar to us as their triumphs.
All of them were on the way to somewhere, but never fully reached their destination.

Take the people of Israel and their journey from Egypt, for example.
After the miracle at the Red Sea, it took 40 years of wandering in the desert before finally reaching the promised land (v. 29).
It was only "by faith" that they kept following God and Moses, and that faith was not immune to difficulty.
The journey came with storms of hardship and deprivation.
When they finally reached the land promised by God, they had to practice patience in marching around Jericho for seven days, waiting for God to act on their behalf (v. 30).
Even then, their intel came from Rahab, a lady of the evening, who had enough faith to trust a God she had never known, despite the risk to her own life (v. 31).

The list of those who took the long journey of faith reveals that the ride is never smooth.
There was Gideon, who had to trust that God wasn't setting him up when God told him to send home an army and, instead, defeat the enemy with 300 guys carrying some clay pots and torches.
Barak didn't move on a similar enemy without partnering with Deborah, a woman called by God.
Samson was a lunk-headed playboy who got in trouble over a haircut and yet trusted God to do the right thing through him in the end.
Jephthah made a unnecessary and rash vow that lead to the needless death of his daughter by his own hand.
David defeated Goliath with a sling and stone, but then blew it with Bathsheba.
Samuel was a good leader, except in his own household.

Despite all this dysfunction, fear and bad decision-making, God was able to use each of these flawed super heroes to preserve God’s people.
It was their faith and perseverance, and not their innate ability, that enabled them to be used by God.
It was "through faith" that they "conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight" (vv. 32-34).

The writer goes on to a long list of the hardships endured by people who took the journey of faith.

- They suffered death, torture and imprisonment.
- They suffered extreme poverty and persecution.
- They wandered through deserts and mountains, sleeping in caves and holes in the ground (vv. 36-38).          

Their character and faith development was neither fast nor easy.
The end of the journey wasn't completely clear (v. 39), and yet God was setting them up for a destination even better than they could imagine (v. 40).

Given the faithful example of this "great cloud of witnesses," the writer of Hebrews urges us to let go of our desire for the quick fix and the weight of sin that tends to slow us down.
We are urged instead, to "run with perseverance the race that is set before us" (12:1).
The life of faith is a process of being nudged along by God, who walks with us every step of the way.

The ultimate example of this, says the writer, is Jesus.
Jesus is the spiritual leader who pioneers and perfects the way of faith, having tested it in his own life on earth as the fully human incarnation of the fully divine God (v. 2).
Jesus understood the destination of life to be a place of "joy" —
In Jesus, heaven and earth come closer to each other.
To bring that about, however, he endured the cross and its accompanying stigma of shame and failure.
But we know that while Jesus' journey toward Calvary was about as slow and painful as a journey gets, it actually led to our redemption and his enthronement at the right hand of God, from where he will come to unite heaven and earth once and for all (v. 2).

And so, the writer says, consider the difficulty of Jesus' journey of faith on our behalf, "so that you may not grow weary or lose heart" (v. 3).
Jesus endured the hostility of sinners, the pain of crucifixion, the hurt of betrayal, and the weight of the world's sin all the way to the cross.
If Jesus could do that for us, suggests the writer, then we, too, can endure faithful suffering on behalf of Christ.

In a world that always looks for the path of least resistance, the path of faith looks dangerous and difficult.
Jesus rids us of that notion, reminding us that following him requires the mindset of a marathon runner with all the accompanying pain and sweat, rather than that of a sprinter.

The Christian life is best sustained slowly and steadily through faith in the midst of challenges.
It's about patience and about the winding way of the cross rather than the straight line of desire for human progress.
Whatever you are going through today, know that you can endure it in faith because Jesus walks through it with you.
Christ is able to "sympathize with our weaknesses," so let us approach his throne of grace with boldness, "so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (4:15). Amen

Resources: http://www.homileticsonline.com/subscriber/btl_display.asp?installment_id=93040980 

We are trampling the poor and needy

And audio version of this sermon delivered July 17, 2016 can be heard at http://fairportucc.org/page/service_july_17_2016 

Amos 8:1-12 NRSV
This is what the Lord God showed me—a basket of summer fruit. He said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me, The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again pass them by. The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day,” says the Lord God; “the dead bodies shall be many, cast out in every place. Be silent!”

Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, saying, “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat.” The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Surely I will never forget any of their deeds. Shall not the land tremble on this account, and everyone mourn who lives in it, and all of it rise like the Nile, and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt? On that day, says the Lord God, I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on all loins, and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and the end of it like a bitter day.

The time is surely coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.

What Do We See?( a basket of summer fruit was displayed)
Amos was shown a basket overflowing with fruit.
It was, for him, and for me—most likely for you— a symbol of abundance and plenty.
Makes your mouth water… right?
When asked what he saw, Amos stated the obvious.
God then uses the basket of abundance as a symbol of deprivation.
"This abundance you see? It will disappear, God says.
You see a basket of fruit, but you do not see the needy and the poor."
The prophet is shown an ordinary object from everyday life whose significance is anything but ordinary.
Instead of the bounty, security and prosperity symbolized by a basket of fruit ——  the object actually is a warning of neediness, violence and want— in other words, the end of all of its common associations.
The reason for these pending disasters of loss and mourning is the presence of social injustice.
I shared a version of this meditation with the Craigville Colloquy on The Bible, Faith & Economic Justice last Monday

I struggled with this passage… in the end I have more questions than answers—- pause
Now I know that many of you do not want to hear anything political on Sunday.
Most of you want worship to be joyful— you don’t want to hear about any divisions
But this is one of the lectionary passages for today.
As a congregation most of you feel the emphasis of the church should be on worship…
You are not alone…I am in the search process and for so many of our UCC congregations their emphasis is on worship

according to—Marcus Borg and JD Crossan In their book The Last Week—
“[t]here was an ancient prophetic tradition in which God insisted not just on justice and worship, but on justice over worship. God had repeatedly said, ‘I reject your worship because of your lack of justice,’ but never, ever, ever, ‘I reject your justice because of your lack of worship’”

And in the end of our passage from the prophet Amos we are told…
The word will be gone— there will be a famine of the Word of God
what will we do as believers?
There will be no worship as a result of neglecting justice
there will be no more comfort from God’s word

If an image other than a basket of fruit were shown to us today, what would it be?
A barbecue with a smoker, a two-car garage, a desk laden with technological gadgets, a spacious home, a chance to go to Cape Cod for the week?
Does God have something to say to us?
What do we see?
Are the poor and needy in our line of sight? Who do we see?

How can I help inspire you to pray for, to work for change? For justice?

It is overwhelming…
We are trampling the poor and needy as a country
Here in Rochester, NY, more than 51% of the children live in poverty— a large percentage of these children have brown and black skin…
the working poor are being crushed by low wages
I learned this week while the income of the 99% has stayed the same the income of the top 1% of the 1% has increased by unbelievable amounts
we know the gap between the wealthy and poor continues to widen
That too many have little to no access to healthcare—I recently learned there are 24 states without the Affordable Care Act

I wanted to ask some experts about how they feel we trample the poor today— in what way does the USA levi a poor tax on the needy
I asked 2 young women—about to turn 30
I wanted to hear their perspective from where they live and work

Shaina Brassard—Program Manager at Redesign- a private non-profit doing community development and policy advocacy — in Minneapolis MN

"I would say the war on drugs is a poor tax and trampling the needy.
Studies show that white, black and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, yet brown communities are much more likely (in MN it is 8 times) to be arrested for possession, and face high levels of policing and police brutality as well as incarceration. In practice the laws don't apply the same to everyone.

The fact that guns are more accessible than healthcare and jobs in certain neighborhoods leaves people with very constrained choices and ongoing trauma."

Last week too many died from guns… in MN, LA, TX
that’s only the shootings that made the national news— you can tell the same stories from where you come from…
every day gun violence claims the lives of men and women in the greater Rochester area—

yet at this time, in our country, talk about guns is more divisive than any other subject—

the other expert I asked for input was— Lydia Brassard—(they are my daughters)
Lydia is completing a PhD in Anthropology from the City University of NY—- she is the  Coordinator for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion and a visiting professor at Bennington College in Vermont—
"I wouldn't say that we are biased against the poor, so much as afraid of being poor. Those with political and economic power need alibis -- to explain and naturalize the existing global wealth gap, that emerged from the theft of land and the theft of labor, as inevitable. So as much as we are asking about our treatment of the downtrodden, what about our reverence and protection of the beneficiaries of maleness, whiteness, and the capitalist system?

In terms of daily poor taxes, many of them are based on location -- lead paint affecting all types of developmental processes; environmental racism that results in people drinking poisoned water -- in Flint Michigan (mostly low income black people affected) and in Hoosick Falls, NY/North Bennington, VT (mostly low income white people); no banks, just pay day loan lenders.

Any discussion about a daily poor tax, MUST include an accounting of our daily subsidies that come with wealth and whiteness both in this generation and across generations."
What do I do about my white privilege?
how can I talk about race— ?
How can I inspire you to pray for, to advocate for, to work for change? For justice?

When I coach couples— in marriage preparation or otherwise or I speak to my own children about their relationships I always say “remember you can’t change anyone other than yourself.”
That is where I have to begin…
I think at times I have been trying to change whoever I am talking to instead of changing myself… and then sharing my story of change

I spent a week learning about economic justice— and the lack of it, some of the causes…

In the coming months I want to engage with others in studying  "White Privilege – Let's Talk," an adult education curriculum from the UCC designed to invite members to engage in safe, meaningful, substantive and bold conversations on race
Jim F has talked about doing a adult ed class here on Beyond Tolerance, using a series of Ted Talks… I plan to support that in any way I can.

The prophet is speaking to us… speaking to you and me
accusing us as it did Israel… we don't get a pass
the Rev Dr William Barber ll (a Disciples pastor in NC, the originator of Moral Mondays and the president of the NC NAACP) spoke at the NY Conference annual meeting last month— here in Rochester
And he reminded those in attendance that
our calling is to work for justice for the oppressed and the poor
we need a revival of prophetic inquiry
our work is not done
We are the richest nation and the poorest nation at the same time
this is not the time for the church to take a vacation
we can’t be quiet now

While I was on vacation I came across some hope and people making a difference from an unlikely source…. Edible Cape Cod —in between an ad for a surfing day camp and a farm to table Cape Cod wedding.. there is a story about Loving lunches—F4K— food for kids— feeds hunger and minds
a summer lunch program for children
I learned that 10,000 children from the Cape Cod canal to Provincetown are food insecure
Food for Kinds this is a federally funded program… that is underutilized on Cape Cod
These kinds of programs need people to make them happen— the funds are there
F4K are making a difference— but for only a small percentage of the children in need.
Initially sponsored by a church in Orleans, F4K brings together 170 volunteers from ages 5-90—  to assist some of the poor and needy children on Cape Cod
they prepare and deliver healthy lunches to 650 children Monday-Friday in the summer months.
There are so many ways we can make a difference— ways we are making a difference… please share them with one another this week… share ideas

my closing words were inspired by commentary by Dr John C. Holbert

As Christians we may feel the worst that can befall us is no longer to hear a word from God.
We make our way to our churches to hear a word from God each week, right?
Some of us read the Bible and intone in chorus, "This is the Word of God" and "thanks be to God."
And the preacher then does their best to interpret, explain, and illuminate that word for the people.
This is the word of God, right?
Sisters and brothers…According to Amos, while the poor are trampled and rejected and forgotten, while the needy are shoved aside in favor of the rich, no amount of reading and preaching and singing and praying can ever lead us into the presence of God.
These claims should haunt us each week as we sing and pray and read and preach and turn our eyes away from those in need.

God help us to see the people God calls us to see.
God help us to not participate in, the famine of the Word! Amen.

Resources:
Borg, Marcus J. and John Dominic Crossan. The Last Week, New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 2006, p. 44.
Turinng the tables—- Edith Rasell
http://www.patheos.com/Progressive-Christian/Famine-Word-John-Holbert-07-15-2013