How Would Jesus Vote??

OK, I just wanted to catch your attention with the title. I have received so many letters and notes and forwards about this upcoming election that I am looking forward to Wednesday when it is all over. But like you, I have been thinking about the election for over a year and a half now and I am curious as to what is going it happen. Will we have our first African American President? Will we have our first female Vice President? It is very interesting and has made for high drama.

All that being said, I am pretty disappointed so far in the response from the church so I thought I would jump in on a couple of things. I am not endorsing any candidate; I just want to talk about some positions that I have heard that I think are distractions for making a good decision. For example, let’s talk about abortion, one of the most divisive issues in our times.

I ask the question which seems for many to be a foundational one. What does it mean to be pro-life? Specifically, what does it mean to be against abortion? I think that most of you would say, especially after seeing the Jardine triplets do so well after only 26 weeks in the womb, that life begins before birth, that it is before 40 weeks of gestation. With that knowledge, I think that most reasonable people Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and non religious people would say that it would be better to not have abortions than it is to have them. Most, if not all, people would say that reducing or even stopping all abortions would be a good thing for society.

It has been the position of many of my Christian brothers and sisters to accomplish this through pushing for the illegalization of abortions. There is a referendum in South Dakota that if passed will make abortion illegal except in the case of rape, incest or if the mother’s life is in jeopardy. This strategy has been the focus of the Catholic Church, the Religious Right and many others. Their position is that if you make abortion illegal you will stop abortions from happening.

My question is this. What is more important? Making abortion illegal or stopping abortions? If you had to choose what would you choose: reduce abortions by 50% over the next four years or make abortion illegal in this country and not reduce abortions at all? Or more realistically, what if you had the choice between making abortion illegal and reducing it by 5 % or not affecting the legal status of abortion and reducing abortions by 50%. For me that is the question that I ask myself. What policies are likely to reduce abortions?

Here are some interesting facts. Four out of ten pregnancies are unplanned; two out of ten pregnancies result in abortion. What is interesting is that the legality or illegality of abortion does not effect the abortion rates. In places like Central America, where there are strict restrictions regarding abortions abortion rates are higher than in countries where it is legal. What is a factor in abortion rates are access to healthcare, birth control and education. The countries with the highest abortion rates are the poorest and ones with the lowest have the highest per capita income. See Study

In a different study women in the US cited why they were having an abortion and cited economics as being a factor in their decision making. “There were a number of responses women gave to the question as to what was "the most important reason" they had their abortions: they were "not ready for a(nother) child/timing is wrong," cited by 25%; they "can't afford a baby now," cited by 23%; feelings that they had "completed my childbearing/have other people depending on me/children are grown," cited by 19%; and "having relationship problems/don't want to be a single mother" was cited by 8%.” see study

I say all this because I am interested in knowing if we are serious about stopping abortion instead of making it illegal. Why are we so stuck on making it legal or illegal and not focused on unwanted pregnancies? When we push to make it legal and illegal, when we fund and lobby and try to influence the government to stop moral issues, we hand over our responsibility to the government. What if, instead of focusing on the legality or illegality, we focused on seeing what we could do to lower abortion rates in the world over the next four years? What if those in the church who are passionate about this issue decided they would no longer spend a dime or any of their time and energy on making abortion illegal and spent all of their time on lowering abortion rates?

It seems to me that we have heard from the religious right that the only issues that we should care about are making abortion illegal, stopping gay and lesbians from marrying each other and getting the ten commandments posted on the wall’s of courthouses? Then I ask the question: when and where did Jesus say that any of these issues mattered to Him? Cite me the passage where Jesus teaches about homosexual marriage? Cite me the passage where Jesus says anything about abortion. When we vote Tuesday, and I want all of us to vote, then I think we should vote based on our religious and moral beliefs. I just do not want anyone, including me, to limit your thinking. I do not want you to think that this is the Christian candidate because someone says that they are or because someone told you that is the main issue that Christians should care about. I don’t want anyone to accuse you of being pro abortion because you do not think making abortion illegal will accomplish much. I do not want you to think that you are watered down follower of Jesus because you do not feel it is your right to force your religious belief on people with the might of the United States Government as your enforcer.

Take out the Gospel of Luke this week and when an issue is mentioned, write it down. Write down the people that Jesus loved and cared about, write down the things that he did and spent his time doing. Then at the end of the Gospel, think which candidate best represents the values that Jesus held and taught.

Then Vote!!!

Pray for peace
Edwin

“Jesus Was a Capitalist?????”

The other day I had the strangest conversation that I had participated in quite a while. I can’t give too many details (to protect the innocent). It was not with any of you or anyone that you know so stop wondering. I would not do that to you. (FYI before I drop names or specific situations I send my blog to those mentioned first to get permission so as to not offend.)

I was in someone’s very nice single family home sitting in his very comfortable chair as he sat on his very large couch. I had never met the man before and he started talking to me about his church. How his church had changed and that it was full of “crapola.” “We keep hearing about the poor and the least of these and giving of ourselves, Jesus was not a socialist.” I asked, (mainly because I was tired and feeling a little up for a fight), what were Jesus' economics? He looked at me like I was a little crazy. “What do you mean?” “Well”, I said. “You just said that Jesus did not teach socialism, so I am wondering what he did teach. What were Jesus' economics?” I continued, “Jesus wasn’t a capitalist, was he?” “Sure he was, Jesus was a capitalist, He was a businessman, he was a carpenter, he had a shop and customers and his disciples were all businessmen who kept their businesses running and earned a living.”

I did not let that go. “We do not know if Jesus was a carpenter, he was the son of one, Joseph. We make assumptions as to his role. His disciples were tradesmen and laborers. One was a tax collector, there were some fishermen. They would catch fish and sell them at market. No indication that they had fleets, or wealth.” “We also know that when called, Jesus asked them to drop everything and follow him and some were not willing to drop their dependence on wealth. We know they still fished after being called, but it is unclear their role in the business of fishing after being disciples.” We also have clear teaching as to how the early church handled money. Do you know what those were?”

“No, why don’t you tell me!” he said with a crispness in his voice that made me think that he was getting pretty angry.

I answered, “In Acts 2:42 we read that the church was in the habit of selling off their possessions and giving the proceeds to the church and that the church would redistribute this so that everyone had enough.”

He looked at me, I was not sure if he was going to ask me to leave. Instead he smiled and said. “You know we have a lot in common. We don’t put up with the crapola.” I did not know what that meant. I was pretty confused, but that was all there was to say about that.

It got me thinking about our current economic situation.

So far from what I can tell and what I have read our economy is in a mess. It is in a mess because people started investing in concepts and not in people. What the early church did was take their money and invest it in each other. They took their money and invested it in the Kingdom. I am wondering in my simplistic view of the world that if we decided to make some basic economic decisions, would we still have these problems. What if instead of buying mortgage based securities, we found people who we knew, who otherwise could not afford a home and invested in them directly and underwrote their home purchase. What if we decided that $50k or 150k that we have set for our retirement or savings could go toward their down payment of a house for a family that we knew and when it was sold we would get our money back and any portion of the profit would be shared proportionately. Or if we took our money and invested it in a poor people bank that gives micro loans in the developing world. Or we invested in companies, not stock indexes, but companies that were doing things we believed in, their vision aligned with what we believed in. It seems to me much of what is going on is because people stopped investing in people. If you have stock in a company like that right now, why are you worried? You still have a part of a company that you believe in. That has not changed because someone else thinks it is not worth what you know it is. Be patient, it will be OK.

I know that things are tough and are just going to get tougher. I am thankful for everything God has provided me and my family and take none of it for granted. I also know that this is a great time to be a follower of Jesus. We can be the calm in the midst of the storm. We can set the peace and example by being generous and calm during these hard times. We can also make decisions with our wealth that make sense to God.

It is time to look around and make sure that we are all OK. It is time to take care of each other and be the community that we are called to be. It is time to show that we are followers of Jesus, the Jesus we read about in scripture not one that fits our lifestyle or politic. We follow the radical Son of God who calls us to live a life that is counter to the ways of the world.

Peace

Edwin

Seek Justice vs. Seek Comfort

It has been an interesting week for all of us to say the least. The Stock Market has swooned (a term a commentator used that I enjoyed). In the last two weeks the Dow dropped from close to 11 thousand to under 7 thousand and who knows where it will be when you read this. Many of you make your living taking care of other people's money. It is a huge responsibility to take someone's or in most cases many someone's life savings and ensure that not only will it be safe but will increase in value over time. I do not envy your responsibility and am praying for you and your vocation. The governments around the world have made unheard of moves to try and stabilize the economies with mixed results. Credit has seized, businesses are failing, people have started to ask the question, is this leading us into a second Depression?

This week while all of the turmoil was taking place I spent some time with the ministry of the International Justice Mission. I went to the banquet and Mark Kirchgestner invited me to a dinner with Pranitha Timothy, the Director of IJM's Chennai, India After Care. She told her story and the story of what takes place in her office. She said a couple of things that troubled me deeply. The first was that what most freed slaves were thankful for was that they could go to sleep when they wanted and they could eat whenever they wanted. The basic freedom of being in charge of their own schedule was the thing that they were most thankful. "Strange," Pranitha said. "But these simple things were what they came up with when asked, the ability to sleep and eat when they wanted."

The second statement she made was that in her country the average cost of a slave was $90. That it was only $90 blew me away. As we talk about lost dreams and lost investments I took stock with a reality check. The $90 bottle of wine or the $90 pair of shoes or the $90 that it takes to fill our gas tank is the same amount of money it costs to purchase one of the 27 million slaves in the world today. Most of the slavery that occurs in India today is economic in nature. The most common way it occurs is that someone has an unforeseen economic event: medical, death in family, sickness. They go to a local person and borrow $5 or so and then they also agree to work off the debt. The lender sets it up in such a way that the money can't be paid back with the wages he pays and the interest he charges. So that after awhile the debt increases and the hope diminishes.

$90 to buy someone's freedom.

I know that we have mortgages to pay and car payments to make. I know that real life collides with faith in times like this. I think that instead of worry and anxiety about our financial future, we should spend some time looking at our priorities and where our treasure is stored. It is time to ask God, “are there things that I have made my treasure that I need to hand over to Him?  What am I holding too tightly too?”

Luke 12:18-21

18 "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '

20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

Luke 12:27-31

27 "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

NIV

 

Pray for peace in our world and justice to come down.

"God, where can I practice justice today? Help me to be brave enough to work for it even when it is difficult. Amen"

Peace

Edwin

The Forgotten Ones

I know that we see them every day, the men and women who live on the street and keep things going by holding out a hand and asking for our help. I have regulars that I see and so do you. There are a couple of men I see on Geary right in front of the Walgreens at 17^th Ave. They seem to take turns at the spot and seem to make a pretty good go at it.

Every once and awhile I get a hankering for a donut so I make an early morning run. The donut shop is two doors down from the Walgreens. Last week I headed out to get some donuts for the family. The man was there asking for some money in his usual spot. I asked him if he would like a donut, he said sure. I asked him what kind and he said a bagel with cheese (I thought that this was a better choice than a donut). I said, cream cheese and he said yeah. I bought him a bagel with cream cheese and a coffee. I handed to him, he said thanks and I walked over to the car. I started to drive off then I paused and looked up at him. I saw him sit on his piece of cardboard, reach into the bag, pull out his bagel and as his hand shook, bring the bagel to his mouth and take a big bite. It was during this observation that I saw him as a human being, one of God's own precious creations.

We see our neighbors and we forget that they are all part of God's creation. He created all of us in his image and he loves each one of us. Because this man was asking for money, my instinct was to put him in a category that was less than, when he belongs in the category of blessed. He would have been much more comfortable hanging out with the crowd that followed Jesus than I would have been. They would have looked a whole lot more like him than me. Somehow I had forgotten that Jesus made the conscious choice to live amongst the poor, the homeless, the hungry. Jesus did not have a place to lay his head or money or any home.

I do not have the answer to poverty and homelessness, but I do know that I am called to love my neighbor, even when they do not have a permanent address. To love them I need to start by seeing them the way God sees them.

"This day God help me to have your eyes to see all of your creation as beautiful and valuable. Amen"

A Neighbor Remembered

Last week I wrote about the murder of Jordon MacKay two blocks from my house. Last night family members, neighbors and bicyclists gathered to remember him. At first there was a small crowd of about 30 people who stood around in the dark with a few candles lit by a tree where Jordan was shot.  We waited in the quiet and the crowd slowly grew. Then a woman announced that there would be a community meeting at the Richmond precinct about the shooting Wednesday night.

We waited in the quiet when the cyclists arrived. There was about 100 of them who came quietly down the hill. Then there were many different expressions of grief. One man came and placed crystals down and meditated over them. Others brought flowers, lit candles, and pictures. It was a somber quiet time.  There were tears expressed by some.

I kept thinking that there should be some words of comfort, there should be some songs of hope. If I were braver I would have started singing Amazing Grace. Instead I waited.

I started to pray. I thought of the scene where Jesus encountered the crowd weeping and mourning for his friend Lazarus. I thought how he wept. I thought of the passages of scripture that say blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted, and the 23 psalm. I kept thinking that there was a need for words.

Then it happened. A brave soul, an older person, (in relation to the crowd) started singing Swing Low.

Swing Low

Sweet Chariot,

Coming for to carry me home

Swing Low

Sweet Chariot

Coming for to carry me home

 

I looked over Jordan

And what did I see

Coming for to carry me home

A band of angels

Watching out for me

Coming for to carry me home

Then she did sing Amazing Grace.

 

Amazing Grace how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost,

But now I am found

Was blind

But now I see

 

She sang beautifully from the heart. Others including myself joined in, but many did not.

 

I wondered did they not know the words? Did they not believe them? I was curious as to what the crowd was thinking?

 

I prayed for those who were mourning that they would be comforted.

 

I prayed for those singing, that they would sing the songs of hope whenever there was need for hope.

 

I prayed for those listening that their hearts would be warmed to God and they would seek Him.

 

It is at times like this that our culture is at a loss of what to do. My prayer is that we will continue to seek out how to communicate the Good News that we know.

 

Peace

Edwin