What's The Essence Of Your Faith?

We’ve had some great weather lately. It’s funny how weather can often times determine our mood.

I remember walking to school one day when I was a kid. It was about this time of year. Winter was in the not-too-distant past, Spring was in the air and Summer was just around the corner. I was excited about all that, because as a kid I loved baseball. I would dream, think and talk about baseball all the time. I would play it whenever I could. (Not well, but I still had fun.) If you would have asked me back then what my religion was, what I worshiped, what the essence of my faith was, I’m sure I would have said, “Jesus.” But I didn’t dream, think and talk about Jesus all the time. Baseball was my religion, it’s what I worshiped, it was the essence of my faith, the way basketball is to some people.

Did you see the NCAA championship game between Duke and Butler? Some of us who didn’t have a dog in that fight were rooting for the underdog, Butler, to beat Duke. You probably know that Duke won, by 2 points. But Butler won the hearts of many Americans. It was probably fitting that the Final Four of March Madness (which now extends into April – it’s really mad!), was played in Indianapolis, because basketball is such a big deal in Indiana. If you asked many people in Indiana what’s their religion, what do they worship, what’s the essence of their faith, I’m sure they’d say, “Jesus,” even though many other people would suspect that basketball is the state religion in Indiana. Just like football seems to be the state religion in Texas.

To some people, sports is like a religion; they seemingly worship it; in many ways it’s the essence of their faith. They probably wouldn’t admit to that. They’d insist that Jesus was their Lord and Savior, or the Buddha or whoever but you’d sure get the impression that the World Series is their doctrine, the NBA finals is their dogma and the Super Bowl is their creed. Now don’t get me wrong. Sports can be a pleasant pastime, it’s just that some people seem to obsess about it. Of course, it could be worse.

Some people give the definite impression that their religion is money; they seemingly worship it; in many ways it’s the essence of their faith. Again, don’t get me wrong; we all need money to survive. But I’ve often gotten the impression that some people don’t even pretend that Jesus is their Lord and Savior or that they’re working on the Buddha within. Stocks are their doctrine, bonds are their dogma and greed is their creed.

What do you worship? What is your religion? What’s the essence of your faith?

My professional life has centered around politicians, who I used to cover; talk show hosts, since I used to be one; and religion, which hopefully I’m all about now. And I think I see a connection with all three of them. Maybe you see it too.

Some politicians, talk show hosts and religious leaders seem to specialize in fear. Fear is their stock in trade, or their shock in trade, if you will. Their message can basically be boiled down to: Be afraid! Be very afraid! Be scared half to death!

And yet, other politicians, talk show hosts and religious leaders specialize in the opposite of fear, which isn’t courage, but compassion. Their message can basically be boiled down to: Fear not! Be not afraid! The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!

Why the difference? Why do some politicians, talk show hosts and religious leaders preach fear, while others preach compassion? I think it has to do with theology. I think the politicians, talk show hosts and religious leaders who emphasize fear attract people who are afraid, people whose theology is based on fear, people who believe in a vengeful, hateful, hurtful God, a God to be feared, rather than loved.

I think the politicians, talk show hosts and religious leaders who emphasize compassion attract people who are concerned about compassion, people whose theology is based on compassion, people who believe in a compassionate, forgiving, understanding God, a God to be loved, rather than feared.

I don’t understand why people would choose politicians, talk show hosts and religious leaders who emphasize fear, rather than compassion. Although Jesus probably understood it very well; he must’ve understood that it’s a lot easier to get people to fear thy neighbor than to get them to love thy neighbor. It just seems to me that if you were looking for a meaningful point of view, the basis for your religion, the essence of your faith, love thy neighbor would be a better choice than fear thy neighbor. What’s the essence of your faith?

It’s often difficult to discern the essence of someone’s faith.

I went to a church once where they sang contemporary Christian songs for the first 20 minutes or so. Once the singing was over about a tenth of the crowd – about a hundred people - left before the preaching started. What was the essence of their faith? Maybe it was music; perhaps music lifted their spirits. And once the music was over, they left. (Or maybe they just wanted to avoid the sermon.)

What is the essence of people’s faith? I think there are at least 6 reasons people go to a house of worship (not counting: because their parents make them go). It seems to me that one or more of these would be the essence of someone’s faith. Spiritual. Communal. Ritual. Intellectual. Philosophical. Theological. Let me give you some examples.

To some people the essence of their faith is spiritual. They do go to church or temple or synagogue or mosque to meditate or to feel moved by the spirit.

To some people the essence of their faith is communal. They go to church or temple or synagogue or mosque to be with others, to see their friends.

To some people the essence of their faith is ritual. They go to church or temple or synagogue or mosque to receive communion or to dip their hands in holy water or to light a candle.

To some people the essence of their faith is intellectual. They go to church or temple or synagogue or mosque to hear a poem read or an idea explored.

To some people the essence of their faith is philosophical. They go to church or temple or synagogue or mosque to be reminded of a universal principle, like the Golden Rule, found in many faith traditions and Greek philosophy.

To some people the essence of their faith is theological. They go to church or temple or synagogue or mosque to be reminded of the tenets of their religion, to hear the sacred scripture read or to recite a creed.

Some people may find the essence of their faith in some or all of these qualities. What’s the essence of your faith?

One of the enjoyable things about being an interfaith chaplain is trying to determine what is the essence of other people’s faith. What are their beliefs and practices? Maybe you enjoy learning things like that, too.

We watched a documentary on the Buddha on PBS the other night. As you may know, the Buddha is said to have lived 25-hundred years ago. After that much time, it’s not always possible to separate fact from fiction, to determine what is truth and myth. The Buddha was born into a wealthy ruling family. He gave all that up to search for enlightenment. The Buddha became enlightened when he discovered that all people suffer and that the way to alleviate suffering is to let go of possessions, desires, ego, which is not always easy; that’s why so few people do it. That seems to be the essence of the Buddha’s faith.

What is the essence of other people’s faith? Do they worship God as fervently as they welcome the stranger, and vice versa?

What is the essence of other people’s faith? Do they believe in a God who forgives sins and do they therefore forgive the sins of others? Do they themselves also forgive their own sins?

What is the essence of other people’s faith? Do they ponder the present as much as they do the past?

I find it fascinating, seeing and knowing what others believe and whether and how they put it into practice. It’s like that great philosopher, Yogi Berra, once said, “You can observe a lot by watching.” What do you observe is the essence of other people’s faith? What is the essence of your own faith?

My thinking on this topic has evolved since I first started seriously pondering it. Not so long ago I would have dismissed what many people consider the essence of their faith. I’m not proud of that. I don’t do that anymore.

I remember one time in seminary; a group of students led one of our daily chapel services. Now our chapel services were pretty laid back, especially the student-led ones. Students wore jeans and sweatshirts, sneakers. But on this particular day, the students entered the chapel in fancy robes and hats, they carried candles and the Bible above their heads. It was quite elaborate. I said some smart-aleck remark to one of the professors after chapel. I said, “I’m not sure I was worthy enough to be at this service.” He said, “Yeah, pretty highfalutin wasn’t it?” Now, I look back on that worship service with fresh eyes and a reverential attitude. That kind of service was part of the essence of my classmates’ faith. Now, I understand and respect that.

Before, if people had told me that part of the essence of their faith was the stained glass windows in their church, I probably would have wondered: How could that be part of the essence of their faith? Now, I understand and respect that.

Before, if people had told me that part of the essence of their faith was coming to their house of worship just so they could hang out with friends, I probably would have wondered: How could that be part of the essence of their faith? Now, I understand and respect that.

Before, if people had told me that part of the essence of their faith was reciting a creed that was hundreds of years old and was now called by many scholars theologically out-of-date, I probably would have wondered: How could that be part of the essence of their faith? Now, I understand and respect that.

As a chaplain, especially as an interfaith chaplain, I understand that my role is not to decide for other people what is the essence of their faith or to pass judgment on what they have decided is the essence of their faith. My role is to help other people decide for themselves what is the essence of their faith. So, what’s the essence of your faith?

You Are Resurrected Everyday

Daniel Roebuck is a character actor. You’d recognize him if you saw him. He was in movies like “The Fugitive” and “U.S. Marshals” (which was really the same movie). He’s been on “Matlock” dozens of times as Andy Griffith’s assistant. I heard him on the radio the other day. He says he idolizes Andy Griffith. He says a hundred years from now people will still be watching the old Andy Griffith show, because of its timeless wisdom and values.

I remember watching “The Andy Griffith Show” when I was a kid. I think I watched it because Barney Fife, Don Knotts, was so funny. And it did have timeless wisdom and values. It treated people with dignity and respect. How many times did Andy go out of his way to avoid embarrassing Barney or to make Barney feel good about himself? When you watch old shows like that, you just might find yourself yearning for what seemed like a better time in America.

If you wanted to, you could pretend that the last 50 years or so never happened. You can go on Amazon.com and buy the first season of “The Andy Griffith Show,” from 1960, for about 16 dollars. You can go online and for about 20,000 dollars, you can buy a 1964 Mustang, the first year they were built. And for only about 25 dollars, you can buy a Nehru jacket from the ‘60s. Then you could make-believe that you’re living a half-century ago or so.

Some people want things to never change. They hate change. They want the world to always stay the same, the way it was back in “the good old days.” They themselves want to stay the same and never change, too. Usually they’re pretty successful at it. They believe the same things they did 50 years ago. They have the same friends (and the same enemies). They’re like the guy who goes to his 25th high school reunion and is proud of the fact that he acts the same now as he did then. “A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life,” says Muhammad Ali, a Muslim.

I wonder if the nine Christian militia members in Michigan (all white), who were arrested the other day for allegedly plotting terrorism, just really hate change. I wonder if they yearn for “the good old days,” when Presidents of the United States of America were white and Speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives were men and immigrants weren’t illegal because they weren’t people of color.

I wonder if the Tea Party protesters feel pretty much the same way. (Is it a coincidence that they’re all white, too?) They say they hate the deficit, but they can’t really hate the deficit, because they were silent when it was ballooning during the Bush years. They say they hate socialized medicine, but they can’t really hate socialized medicine, because many of them seem to be old enough to be on Medicare – socialized medicine. Or do they just hate socialized medicine for everybody else? Or do they just hate change? (Especially change from a Republican president to a Democratic one.)

Today, Christians celebrate what they consider to be the biggest change ever. Christians believe that 2,000 years ago Jesus went from Good Friday to Easter Sunday, from death to life, from burial to resurrection. It’s a miracle. Christians believe it had never happened before and it hasn’t happened again since. Nobody else has ever gone from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. Nobody else has ever died and come back to life. Nobody else has ever been buried and then been resurrected. I’m not here to confirm or deny the claim that Jesus was resurrected. I’m just here to wonder if people aren’t resurrected all the time, at least metaphorically.

Saul was a Jew who hated the teachings of Jesus, even though Jesus was a fellow Jew. Saul didn’t like the emerging Christian movement, even before it was called the emerging Christian movement. We don’t know whether Saul was one of the people at Jesus’ inquisition yelling, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” I think you could make a logical case that he would have been there. We do know that Saul stood by and watched one of Jesus’ followers, Stephen, get stoned to death. So he was at least an accomplice in Stephen’s murder and martyrdom. The early Christians, people of the Way, saw Saul as an evil man, at least before he traveled on the road to Damascus.

You probably know this story. Saul is walking along, on his way to persecute more followers of Jesus, when all of a sudden he is blinded by a light! Then he hears a voice! It’s Jesus! “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Eventually Saul regains his sight and changes his ways and his name. He becomes a follower of Jesus known as the Apostle Paul. Some say he was the most significant Christian ever, planting many churches and converting many to Christianity.

What happened to Paul on the road to Damascus? I would like to suggest that he went from Good Friday to Easter Sunday; that he died and came back to life; that he was buried and then was resurrected. Could that kind of thing happen to you and me? Could we go from Good Friday to Easter Sunday? Could we die and come back to life? Could we be buried and then be resurrected?

Nelson Mandela was an anti-apartheid leader in South Africa. Although he was an admirer of Mahatma Gandhi, who was all about peaceful civil disobedience, Nelson Mandela fought against the white supremacist government of South Africa, sometimes with violence. The U.S. government called him a terrorist. He was arrested, tried and convicted of sabotage and treason. He spent 27 years in prison. He got out in 1990.

When he got out of prison, Nelson Mandela did not go back to violence. He led South Africa through a peaceful transition, from white rule to multiracial democracy, from violence to reconciliation. He became the first president of South Africa to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. He served from 1994 to 1999. In 1993 he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

What happened to Nelson Mandela over the years? I would like to suggest that he went from Good Friday to Easter Sunday; that he died and came back to life; that he was buried and then was resurrected. Could that kind of thing happen to you and me? Could we go from Good Friday to Easter Sunday? Could we die and come back to life? Could we be buried and then be resurrected?

“Amish Grace” is a movie that aired on the Lifetime channel this past week. It was excellent. It was about the mass murders-suicide that happened at an Amish school in Pennsylvania a few years ago. The world took notice of that tragedy, because immediately afterwards, the Amish parents of the children killed went to the widow of the murderer and offered forgiveness and support. The world was flabbergasted that a group of religious people actually practiced what they preached, or heard preached. The story focused on Ida, played by Kimberly Williams-Paisley, the mother of one of the victims. In the story, she was unwilling to forgive, at least for a while.

Then one of the survivors of the shootings told Ida that her daughter said to the gunman that she would pray for him, which she did, just before he killed her. Ida broke down. She then offered forgiveness and support to the murderer’s widow, figuring she had to follow her late daughter’s lead.

What happened to Ida over the course of the movie? I would like to suggest that she went from Good Friday to Easter Sunday; that she died and came back to life; that she was buried and then was resurrected. Could that kind of thing happen to you and me? Could we go from Good Friday to Easter Sunday? Could we die and come back to life? Could we be buried and then be resurrected?

They say you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. Perhaps in a similar way you can lead a human being to truth, but you can’t make him think. I think of religious people who say they believe that the universe is only 10,000 years old; even though scientists tell us it’s billions of years old. The religious people don’t want to go against the timetable they see in the Bible. I used to be concerned about those religious people, but I’m not concerned about them anymore. It dawned on me that hundreds of years ago religious people believed that the sun revolved around the earth. They saw that in the Bible. Then Copernicus came along and said that the earth revolves around the sun. Religious people back then said that idea went against the Bible, so they rejected it, at least for a while. (I like to imagine that on the behinds of their horses those religious people had “rumper” stickers that proclaimed, “The Bible says it. I believe it. That settles it.”) But I don’t know of any religious people today who still believe the sun revolves around the earth. So eventually the truth was accepted by everybody, just as I think it will be – eventually – with religious people who believe in a “young earth.”

A human being can change. A human being can be renewed. A human being can be reborn. A human being can be resurrected. Sometimes it’s altering your perspective. Sometimes it’s altering your attitude. Sometimes it’s altering your actions. If you believe you’re ignorant about something, you could go to sleep tonight determined to change and wake up tomorrow filled with a quest for truth. And after you’ve discovered truth, you could try to share it with others. If others don’t share your quest for truth, that’s okay. There’s nothing you can do about them. You can’t change them. You can only change you. And you have. You’ve changed. You’ve been renewed. You’ve been reborn. You’ve been resurrected. You’ve been resurrected from the dead; the dead state of ignorance, to a new life of truth.

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. But you can teach an old human being new tricks. And a human being can change. A human being can be renewed. A human being can be reborn. A human being can be resurrected. Sometimes it’s altering your perspective. Sometimes it’s altering your attitude. Sometimes it’s altering your actions. If you hate someone, you could go to sleep tonight determined to change and wake up tomorrow filled with love for that person. The next time you see that person, you could simply say to yourself, “I love that person.” Even if that person hates you; that’s okay. There’s nothing you can do about them. You can’t change them. You can only change you. And you have. You’ve changed. You’ve been renewed. You’ve been reborn. You’ve been resurrected. You’ve been resurrected from the dead; from the dead state of hate, to a new life of love.

They say a leopard can’t change its spots. But a human being can change. A human being can be renewed. A human being can be reborn. A human being can be resurrected. Sometimes it’s altering your perspective. Sometimes it’s altering your attitude. Sometimes it’s altering your actions. If you seek revenge against someone, you could go to sleep tonight determined to change and wake up tomorrow filled with forgiveness for that person. The next time you see that person, you could simply say, “Hello.” Perhaps that person will be taken aback. Perhaps that person will say, “Hello” back. Perhaps that person will ignore you completely. Or worse. There’s nothing you can do about them. You can’t change them. You can only change you. And you have. You’ve changed. You’ve been renewed. You’ve been reborn. You’ve been resurrected. You’ve been resurrected from the dead; from the dead state of revenge, to a new life of forgiveness.

When you go from ignorance to truth, when you go from hate to love, when you go from revenge to forgiveness, you’ve been renewed; you’ve been reborn; you’ve been resurrected. It’s a miracle. Happy Easter!

Healthcare: Justice For More Than Just Us

I sometimes like to begin a Talk with a joke: Some flight of fancy; some whimsical bit of humor that someone has fashioned out of whole cloth. A fictional piece of prose that might make you laugh. Today though, the truth is funny enough.

Alanis Morissette sings a song in which she asks, “Isn’t it ironic?” Unfortunately, she uses as examples things that aren’t ironic at all. She sings, “It’s like rain on your wedding day.” “Isn’t it ironic?” No, it’s not. The only time rain on your wedding day would be ironic is if you were a TV meteorologist and you had forecast sunny skies on your wedding day and instead it rained - that would be ironic. If Alanis Morissette is searching for ironic stories to sing about, please allow me to suggest three possibilities.

As you probably know, Rush Limbaugh opposes a government healthcare plan. He said this past week that if Congress passes a government healthcare plan, he’ll move to Costa Rica. Rush Limbaugh has now given Democrats a huge incentive to pass a government healthcare plan. And come to find out, Costa Rica already has a government healthcare plan. Isn’t it ironic?

As you probably know, Glenn Beck opposes a government healthcare plan. He said last week that he opposes a government healthcare plan because he says any government-run program is socialism. Glenn Beck said he knows about socialism because he read about it in a book. He said he got the book from the public library, which is, of course, a government-run program. Isn’t it ironic?

As you probably know, Sarah Palin opposes a government healthcare plan. She said this past week that when she was a kid and her family needed healthcare, they would get free government healthcare. Sarah Palin’s family would get free government healthcare by crossing the border into Canada, which, of course, has a government healthcare plan. Isn’t it ironic?

There you go Alanis. Use any or all of those three stories and you can truly sing, “Isn’t it ironic?”

If you listen to my radio show (called “Faith and Reason,” Friday mornings from 10 till noon on WPRR – a little plug) you might find this hard to believe: I don’t like to talk about politics. Really. In fact, I never do talk about politics. Let me explain.

A parishioner said to me once that she doesn’t like to hear politics mixed with religion. I don’t blame her. Neither do I. And I don’t like to mix politics with religion. (I especially don’t like church politics, but that’s a whole nother story.) I just wish that that parishioner had lived 2,000 years ago. Then she could’ve told Jesus himself that she doesn’t like to hear politics mixed with religion. I wonder what Jesus would’ve said to her.

Maybe you remember that Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Now to me that sure sounds an awful lot like an anti-war, political statement. And Jesus said it in a sermon! I wonder if that parishioner would’ve said to Jesus 2,000 years ago: I don’t like to hear politics mixed with religion. I wonder what Jesus would have said to her.

Maybe you remember that Jesus said, in what’s called the Sermon on the Plain, “Blessed are you who are poor…but woe to you who are rich.” Now to me that sure sounds an awful lot like an anti-capitalist, maybe even a pro-communist political statement. And Jesus said it in a sermon! I wonder if that parishioner would’ve said to Jesus 2,000 years ago: I don’t like to hear politics mixed with religion. I wonder what Jesus would have said to her.

Maybe you remember that Jesus said, when asked about paying taxes, “Render therefore unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s.” Now to me that sure sounds an awful lot like a pro-tax, pro-government political statement. I wonder if that parishioner would’ve said to Jesus 2,000 years ago: I don’t like to hear politics mixed with religion. I wonder what Jesus would have said to her.

I think Jesus would have said to her: I don’t talk about politics mixed with religion; I talk about justice. (And that’s what I say too on the radio: I never talk about politics mixed with religion; I talk about justice.)

Of course, the difficulty of me trying to talk about justice the way Jesus did is: I’m not Jesus. And I’m not one of the many prophets who’ve spoken about justice over the years, either.

I’m not the Hebrew prophet Amos, who said, “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” I’m not the Tibetan prophet The Dalai Lama, who said, “I believe in justice and truth, without which there would be no basis for human hope.” I’m not the American prophet Martin Luther King Jr., who said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Believe me, I know I can’t talk about justice the way they can. So what should I do?

Naturally, if I wanted to avoid talking about justice, I could just talk about what happened 2,000 years ago; what the religious leaders and the government rulers did and said back then. Some clergy have made a career of doing that.

Naturally, if I wanted to avoid talking about justice, I could just talk about how God wants you to be rich: drive a bigger car, steer a bigger boat, own a bigger house. Some clergy have made a career of doing that.

Naturally, if I wanted to avoid talking about justice, I could talk about nothing at all; speak soothing sounds of sanctimonious swill to people who like to check their brains at the door, along with their coats. Some clergy have made a career of doing that.

But: I don’t think you came here today to hear me give you an irrelevant history lesson, I don’t think you came here today to hear me tell you how to fatten your wallet, I don’t think you came here today to hear me say some sweet-sounding sentences signifying nothing. I hope you came here today to hear about justice.

Some of the words I’m about to say may be difficult for some people to hear. I’m thinking of people who believe America is the greatest country on earth. I’m thinking of people who believe America can do no wrong. I’m thinking of people who believe America has the best healthcare system in the world.

A study conducted by Harvard Medical School and the Cambridge Health Alliance and published late last year by the American Journal of Public Health found that nearly 45,000 people die annually in America for lack of health insurance. You’ve probably heard about this. 45,000 Americans die each year because they don’t have health insurance and they can’t afford to go to the doctor or they can’t afford the medications that will keep them alive or both. 45,000. Americans. Dead.

Where’s the outrage? Where’s the outrage from Right To Life? Where’s the outrage from Michigan Congressman Bart Stupak? Where’s the outrage from the tea-baggers? We’re not talking about some abstract numbers in a budget. We’re talking about 45,000 Americans who die each year because they don’t have health insurance.

America does have the best healthcare system in the world, but it’s the best healthcare system - money can buy. And if Americans can’t afford to buy into it, the attitude of many lobbyist-loving lawmakers in Washington is: too bad. Too bad.

Thank God that apparently most House and Senate members support the healthcare bill making it’s way through Congress. Hopefully it will be signed into law by President Obama in a few weeks. It’s not perfect. Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio opposes it because it’s not a single-payer, Medicare for all bill. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont also wishes it were a single-payer, Medicare for all bill, but supports it because it will mean 30 million Americans who don’t have health insurance now will have it under this bill.

I hope people like Dennis Kucinich – whom I admire – won’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. We saw that in 2000, when Ralph Nader said there was no difference between Al Gore and George W. Bush. Really? Do you think he still believes that, one war of choice and tens of thousands of deaths later? I hope people like Dennis Kucinich learn from Ralph Nader; for the sake of those 30 million people without health insurance. And I hope people like Dennis Kucinich remember those 45,000 Americans who die every year for lack of health insurance.

I sometimes like to conclude my Talks with a moving piece of poetry or the touching lyrics of a song. Today, I’m going to end with a television commercial. (Please forgive me.)

I saw an interesting ad the other day. The sad thing is, the ad has been running for about four years - and I just now saw it? Oy! Anyway, the ad shows one person helping someone and somebody else notices that and then later that person helps someone and somebody else notices that and then later that person helps someone and so on and so on and so on. Maybe you’ve seen the ad. The tag line is: “When it’s people who do the right thing, they call it being responsible. When it’s an insurance company, they call it Liberty Mutual. Responsibility. What’s your policy?” It’s a delightful ad. Liberty Mutual received many emails supporting it. Their business increased dramatically. The company has started The Responsibility Project, continuing to encourage people to be responsible. I think it raises some interesting questions about responsibility regarding healthcare and justice.

If we ourselves already have health insurance, do we have a responsibility to make sure other people have health insurance too? If so, how do we go about doing that? If House and Senate members themselves already have health insurance (and they do have really good health insurance), do they have a responsibility to make sure other people have health insurance too? If our House and Senate members vote against making sure other people have health insurance, do we have a responsibility to vote against them and for their opponent in the next election?

I find it fascinating that countries where they say Christian churches are relatively empty on Sunday, like England and France, respond to people’s healthcare needs in the most Christ-like way, by caring for the sick, as Jesus said to; while America, which some people claim is a Christian nation, responds in the least Christ-like way, by telling the sick and the poor they’re on their own – something Jesus never said to sick and poor people. (Oh, and by the way, Liberty Mutual is an insurance company, but it’s not a health insurance company: too bad. Too bad.)

Don't Worry, Be Happy...In Holland?

Last Sunday I gave a talk at a church in Grand Rapids. My wife was in the congregation. She told me later that she was trying to get my attention. She was smiling at me, in hopes of getting me to smile. I guess I wasn’t smiling enough. I told her I wasn’t thinking about smiling, I was thinking about what I was saying. But she has a point: I should smile more when I speak. (:-)

You’d think I would smile more, because I’ve lived in Holland now for a year and a half and Holland is said to be the second happiest city in America. You’ve no doubt heard about this. Holland was just behind Boulder, Colorado and just ahead of Honolulu, Hawaii in a Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. They scored each city on health and well-being, what they called happiness. The results are based on more than 350,000 telephone surveys across the country. I mean no disrespect, but I know several people who got a chuckle out of Holland being a happier place than Honolulu. Holland? A happier place than Honolulu? Huh?

After the story about Holland came out, I saw a bumper sticker on a car outside an area restaurant. It said, “I wish Hillary Clinton had married O.J.” Yikes! Well, that’s not a very a happy thought. Hopefully, that’s not a true reflection of Holland.

I Googled “Holland Happy” the other day and it came back, inviting me to “Holland Happy Hour” in May. I’m thinking: During Tulip Time? Really? “Enjoy drinks and food with us,” the website said. In Holland? Then I noticed it was talking about Holland the country. Of course, in Holland, Michigan within the last year or so voters did approve the sale of beer and wine on Sundays. Hey, I’ll bet that made many people happy.

Perhaps some people were surprised that Holland is considered a happy place, because of the history of Dutch immigrants coming to America, to places like Holland. Many people came to America from Europe a couple hundred years ago, to escape religious restrictions, seeking spiritual freedom. In contrast, many Dutch people came to America from Europe a couple hundred years ago, for just the opposite reason: they were escaping spiritual freedom, seeking religious restrictions. Now that may be a little exaggerated, but not much. Europe was too religiously loosey goosey for them, and too liberal in other ways also. (Politically. Sexually.)

You’ve probably heard the old story about Holland from many years ago. A Catholic guy moves to town. One Sunday afternoon, the Catholic guy is out mowing his lawn. His Dutch Reformed neighbor comes over and asks him not to do that because, “We don’t work on Sunday.” The Catholic guy says, “Gee, I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” He stops mowing his lawn. That Friday, the Dutch Reformed guy is out grilling hamburgers. His Catholic neighbor comes over and asks him not to do that because, “We don’t eat meat on Friday.” Religious wars have probably been started over less. I would suggest that story describes how Holland used to be, not how it is today (although my wife doesn’t want me to mow our lawn on Sunday; she’s afraid our neighbors won’t like it).

I was listening to NPR the other day. The Diane Rehm show. I caught it in the middle. A professor was talking about the choices we make. She said people choose Coca-Cola because it makes them happy. Scientists have proven this. They’ve hooked people up to MRI machines and found that Coke causes the happy part of people’s brains to light up. She said it’s due to marketing. Maybe you remember the happy ad from years ago, where people are singing on a hillside, “I’d like to buy the world a Coke.” Many, many years ago, Coke had an ad campaign that portrayed Santa Claus the way many of us think of old St. Nick today, as a jolly old fat man in a red suit, the same color red as a can of Coke. What makes you happy? Coke? What do we mean by happiness? Is it walking around all day with a goofy grin on our face?

Many years ago, people got a kick out of the Bobby McFerrin song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Bobby McFerrin sang, “Here’s a little song I wrote, you might want to sing it note for note, don’t worry, be happy. In every life we have some trouble, but when you worry you make it double. Don’t worry, be happy. Don’t worry, be happy now.” How do we go about not worrying and being happy?

Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence. “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” What Jefferson meant by “Happiness,” what philosophers mean by happiness, isn’t what many of us mean by happiness. It isn’t about walking around in a state of bliss. It’s about a life well lived. But what’s a life well lived?

Buddhism teaches that we all want to avoid suffering and we all want to achieve happiness. I think what Buddhism is talking about, avoiding suffering and achieving happiness, is getting to the point of having peace of mind, the peace that passes understanding, inner peace. In other words, don’t get bogged down in petty problems.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, a Unitarian, said, “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” I think Ralph Waldo Emerson is talking about having peace of mind, the peace that passes understanding, inner peace.

In the Christian New Testament, in Philippians, we read, “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” It seems to me if we, “think about these things” – whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, any excellence, anything worthy of praise - we’ll be on our way to having peace of mind, the peace that passes understanding, inner peace. In a word, happiness.

I have to admit, I never in a million years thought I’d live in Holland. I thought of Holland as a small town, suspended in time, in about 1950. But what I’ve come to know about Holland in a year-and-a-half of living here, is that Holland is a small town, sure, but one that is alive with activity, with many friendly people, who care about others, including the less fortunate. A serene, peaceful place. One might even call it happy.

If you’re wondering what you can do in Holland to be happy, and maybe even achieve inner peace, might I make a few suggestions? How about a trip to the Holland Area Arts Council, the Holland Museum or Holland’s soon-to-be-open African American Museum? (Yes, Holland is going to have an African American museum.) For outdoor lovers, how about walking on the beach, seeing a sunset over Lake Michigan or enjoying one of the city’s many parks? For food lovers, how about a hash brown omelet at the Windmill Restaurant, an ice cream cone at Kilwin’s or a pizza with everything but (anchovies) at Fricano’s? (For those who are seeking inner peace and inner pizza.)

When the story about Holland being a happy place came out, ABC News arrived in town, with a great deal of skepticism. Basically, they couldn’t believe that people in Holland are happy. They talked about the city's double-digit unemployment rate. They showed somebody stumbling in a snowstorm. But the ABC news story said that there are more than 170 churches here and that many people in Holland care a great deal about their loved ones. They concluded that maybe those two things, faith and family, make Holland a happy place to live. And those are the kinds of things – faith and family - that make even a serious-looking minister smile. (;-)

Live Your Life Fully Alive

[Delivered at Unity Church of Practical Christianity in Grand Rapids.]

Before I begin I want to thank Marty Lovse for asking me to speak here today. And I especially want to thank you all for showing up (and not sleeping in). I have an affinity for Unity churches. My theology and yours is pretty much the same, I think. We like a lot of the same people. Jesus, of course. And also Marianne Williamson, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Neal Donald Walsch, Eckhart Tolle. So I’m honored to speak to you today.

I heard a guest minister preach one time. Before she began she told the congregation: Let us agree on one thing, when I am through speaking today, you will not applaud. What? I thought: Well that’s kind of presumptuous, isn’t it? I would like to change what she said just slightly. Let us agree on one thing, when I am through speaking today, you will not boo (you know, unless you absolutely have to).

I’ve never preached a sermon at the suggestion of a parishioner. Not because I don’t value and listen to what parishioners want me to say, but because no one has ever asked me to preach a sermon on a particular topic. Until recently. I concluded a sermon a couple months ago basically by quoting St. Irenaeus, who said that “the glory of God is a human being fully alive.” I said that you are to live your life fully alive. That was pretty much the end of the sermon. Then afterwards a couple of people said, “What do you mean: live your life fully alive? Why don’t you preach a sermon about that?” OK. So, that’s what this is today. I think there are seven steps to take to live your life fully alive. Awareness. Gratitude. Truth. Compassion. Justice. Joy. Peace. Let me explain.

When I was seven years old or so, I remember being in my front yard all by myself, but then all of a sudden not feeling alone. I looked around, but there was nobody or nothing that I could see; just me and our tree in our front yard. What was that I felt? Was it the presence of God? Was it the presence of Jesus? Was it the presence of the Holy Spirit? I don’t know. Maybe it was that for the first time in my life I was conscious – I was aware of my self, of being a part of creation. I think the first step to take to live your life fully alive is to seek awareness. We can seek awareness in many different ways. The easiest way I’ve heard of to seek awareness is to simply breathe. When people say, “Take a breath,” I think what they mean is: be conscious, be aware of who you are and what you’re saying and what you’re doing. Simply breathe. Another way they say to seek awareness is to meditate. I try to meditate everyday. I don’t always do it, but I try, usually just to clear my mind of all thoughts and just be. Another way they say to seek awareness is to exercise or go for a walk in nature. I try to do that everyday. I don’t always make it, but I try. I don’t think you can live you’re your life fully alive without taking the first step: seek awareness.

Meister Eckhardt, a 13th century Christian mystic, said, “If the only prayer you ever say is ‘Thank you,’ that is enough.” I think the second step to take to live your life fully alive is to express gratitude. I think it goes hand in hand with being aware. Once you’re aware, of yourself and the world, you’ll want to express gratitude – for life, for creation. Now I know there are people who like to think they’re a “self-made man” or a “self-made woman,” that everything that they have, they got from their own effort. But we didn’t create ourselves. We didn’t create the ground we walk on. We didn’t create the air that we breathe. We at least should express gratitude for those. To God, to the universe, to whatever your belief system tells you. I don’t think you can live your life fully alive without taking the second step: express gratitude.

Gandhi is one of my spiritual heroes. Gandhi says, “God is truth.” I think the third step to take to live your life fully alive is to pursue truth. Now I realize that there are some religious people, many Christians unfortunately, who are afraid of the truth. They’re afraid of what the truth will do to their belief system. They don’t want to see the truth in evolution because they’re afraid that that means they’re calling God or the Bible a liar in the story of creation. They can’t wrap their minds around the possibility that God created evolution. It’s like the Jack Nicholson character says in “A Few Good Men,” “You can’t handle the truth.” They can’t handle the truth, so they pretend that the world is 10,000 years old, rather than billions of years old, which scientists say it is. I don’t think that you can live your life fully alive without taking the third step: pursue truth.

The Dalai Lama says, “Love and compassion are not luxuries, they are necessities. Without them humankind cannot survive.” I think the fourth step to take to live your life fully alive is to act compassionately. Love and compassion are synonymous, at least the way I use them and the way the Dalai Lama uses them. Compassion, unconditional love, is the feeling we have for our loved ones, and it’s also the feeling some people have for complete strangers. That’s why they feed the hungry, house the homeless, clothe the naked. We all ought to feel that way. I don’t think you can live your life fully alive without taking the fourth step: act compassionately.

The Hebrew prophet Amos said, “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” I think the fifth step to take to live your life fully alive is to do justice. When we act compassionately, we help the poor. When we do justice, we try to eliminate poverty. Archbishop Dom Helder Camarra of Brazil said once, “When I fed the poor, they called me a saint. When I asked, ‘Why are there poor?’ they called me a communist.” It’s asking, “Why are there poor?” that justice demands. It’s picketing for peace in the world. It’s demanding healthcare for the 30 or 40 million Americans who don’t have it. I don’t think you can live your life fully alive without taking the fifth step: do justice.

One of my favorite Christmas carols is, “Joy To The World.” “Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her King.” Ironically, one of my favorite songs is also entitled, “Joy To The World,” by Three Dog Night. “Joy to the world, all the boys and girls now, joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea, joy to you and me.” I think the sixth step to take to live your life fully alive is to experience joy. Whatever it is that brings you joy - being with loved ones, playing cards with friends, climbing Mount Everest - do that. If your job doesn’t bring you joy, find a job that does. Or, if that’s not possible, find some creative endeavor – painting, sculpting, writing – that does bring you joy. I don’t think you can live your life fully alive without taking the sixth step: experience joy.

One of my favorite verses in the Christian New Testament is found in Luke chapter 2, verse 14. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward all.” I think the seventh and final step to take to live your life fully alive is to achieve peace. The peace I’m talking about here is inner peace, the peace that passes understanding, at least as much as we can achieve that kind of peace this side of the rainbow. And I think that we achieve peace when we achieve those other six steps - seek awareness, express gratitude, pursue truth, act compassionately, do justice and experience joy – I think that’s when we can achieve peace, at least as much as is humanly possible. I don’t think you can live your life fully alive without taking the seventh step: achieve peace.

Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” I think Jesus was all about teaching people to: live your life fully alive. He liked a good party. He liked to eat and drink with friends, so much so that they called him a “glutton and a drunkard.” I don’t think he was a glutton and a drunkard, I just think he liked a good wedding reception. He liked a good glass of wine every now and then. Now I know there are people who can’t drink a glass of wine because they’re alcoholics or can’t eat what they’d like because of cholesterol or they refuse some food or drink for spiritual reasons. That’s fine. But I hope that people who can eat and drink, do so. I think to live your life fully alive is to make the most of life whenever you can: eat, drink and be merry – in moderation.

Baha’u’llah, who founded the Baha’i faith, says that, “we should live in the rose garden of the spirit.” I hope that I’ve made it clear (if I haven’t, let me do so now) that when I say: live your life fully alive, I’m talking about life in the spirit; that we are more spiritual beings with bodies than we are bodily beings with spirits. By spiritual (and I don’t always like that word, because it’s so nebulous) but by spiritual I mean whatever it is you do to: live your life fully alive, living out of your whole brain, your left brain and your right brain, your intellectual side and your emotional side, thinking and feeling at the same time. That’s how I think you live your life fully alive.

Who would you say lives their life fully alive? At the risk of stating the obvious, I think that one person who lives their life fully alive is…OPRAH WINFREY! Not because she’s worth a billion dollars or more. Not because she has a talk show every day. Not because she publishes a monthly magazine. Not because she’s produced plays and movies and won an Academy Award for the first movie she ever acted in. I think she lives her life fully alive because she seems to me to be spiritually grounded. I think she is full of the spirit and that helps her to live her life fully alive. I think that’s how she can do all the things she does. So I think Oprah Winfrey would be a person who shows how to: live your life fully alive.

I was reading a story a week or two ago about a popular African American Gospel singer: Tone’x (toe-nay) I think is how you pronounce it. He’s 34 years old. He was married for four years. He had all kinds of singing engagements lined up at churches and religious conventions. Then, I think to live his life fully alive, to live in truth, he came out of the closet. He admitted, in so many words, that he’s gay. Immediately, all his singing engagements, at churches and religious conventions, cancelled. Not everyone wants everybody else to live their life fully alive. Some people want other people to live their life in the closet, to live a lie, to live their life half-dead. But that’s no way to live. Tone’x, the gospel singer, finally realized that. I hope you realize that too. To live your life fully alive you have to be who you truly are.

I was listening to the radio recently and I came across Dave Ramsey, the financial guru. He tells people to live life debt-free. He tells people to “Live like no one else so that some day you can live like no one else.” He was addressing people’s fear about the future of the economy. He says, “I’m not afraid of the future. My house is paid for, my car is paid for, I have some money in the bank (I suspect he has millions in the bank.), so I’m not afraid and I don’t think we should live in fear. We should live in abundance.” He said, “Wouldn’t it be great to go out to dinner and leave the waitress a $100 tip? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to go to coffee and put a $50 bill under your coffee cup for the waitress?” (I imagine that every waitress in the country listens to Dave Ramsey.) Dave Ramsey is talking about how to live your life fully alive, which I think we’re meant to do. I think we can do that - by seeking awareness, expressing gratitude, pursuing truth, acting compassionately, doing justice, experiencing joy and achieving peace. If you do all that, I think you will: live your life fully alive.

Jay & Dave: A Lesson In Reconciliation?

Some of you may know I used to work in television. (I know, you’re thinking: With that face? But it’s true.) I was a TV news reporter for channel 8 in Grand Rapids for several years. I remember many years ago, on Christmas day, watching our 6 o’clock news. The anchor, who was Catholic, and who I believe had gone to Catholic schools all his life – grade school, high school and college – began the newscast by saying something like: Today is Christmas, the day the birth of Jesus is celebrated by Protestants and Christians. What?

Now we might laugh at that today, but when you think about it, it’s kind of sad. Remember, this was many years ago, so perhaps that anchor, who is no longer in Grand Rapids, has changed his perspective during that time. But obviously he learned, presumably in church and in school, that Catholics are the only true Christians. Protestants? Well, they used to be Christians, but then, in the 1500s, they left the one true church. That kind of thinking apparently happens the other way around as well.

Last Sunday morning about 7:30 I turned on the TV. I wanted to see what religious programs are on at that hour. I came across one with, I assume, a protestant preacher. He said that Jerusalem was the spiritual home of four faith traditions. Four? I’d always heard it was three – people who call themselves Jewish, Muslim and Christian. Who was the fourth one? I wondered. He said it was people who call themselves Jewish, Muslim, Protestant and Catholic. What?

He was dividing up Christians into Protestants and Catholics, presumably because he figured it was all right to lump all Protestants together into the Christian church, even though many Protestants seem to believe that only their particular denomination, and maybe only their individual church congregation is truly Christian. And Catholics? Why, everybody knows they’re just a cult, right? (Yeah right.) A 2,000 year old “cult” that traces its roots back to Jesus’ disciple, Peter. Maybe the best thing to do when we see these theological disputes is just to laugh them off. Sometimes that's easy to do.

A year or so ago a Protestant church and a Catholic church in Kentucky had dueling church signs. Maybe you saw this. The sign in front of the Catholic church said: All dogs go to heaven. Then the Protestant church across the street put up a sign that said: Only humans go to heaven – read the Bible. The Catholics responded with: God loves all his creations – dogs included. The Protestants fired back: Dogs don’t have souls – this is not open for debate. The Catholics shot back: Catholic dogs go to heaven – Protestant dogs can talk to their pastor. The Protestants countered: Converting to Catholicism does not magically grant your dog a soul. The Catholics replied: Free dog souls with conversion. The Protestants reacted: Dogs are animals – there aren’t any rocks in heaven either. The debate ended when the Catholics put up a sign that said: All rocks go to heaven.

Now that would be even funnier if it wasn’t so sad. Forget about negotiating a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. Maybe Jimmy Carter should go to Kentucky and see if he can achieve peace between two churches, one Protestant and the other Catholic. If so, maybe he’d win another Nobel Peace prize. If only religious people could learn from a couple of comedians.

Did you see the Super Bowl a couple weeks ago? The Indianapolis Colts were heavily favored to win against the New Orleans Saints. But as you probably know the Saints beat the Colts. Perhaps some people saw that as a miracle. Maybe. But I think an even greater miracle that night was when David Letterman and Jay Leno appeared together in a TV commercial. The commercial was actually a promo for David Letterman’s The Late Show. If you didn’t see it, David Letterman was at one end of a couch, Jay Leno was at the other end and Oprah Winfrey was in the middle. It wasn’t special effects; it really happened. Dave says, “This is the worst Super Bowl party ever.” Oprah says, “Now Dave, be nice.” Jay says, “Oh he’s just saying that ‘cause I’m here.” Then Dave mocks Jay in a high-pitched voice, “Oh he’s just saying that ‘cause I’m here.” Jay sighs. Oprah throws up her hands in exasperation.

It was brilliant. It had comedy. It had tragedy. It had Oprah Winfrey. What more could you ask for? And all this happened within a 15 second promo.

After the Super Bowl promo aired, Jay said of Dave, “He was very gracious. We talked about the old days. We told some jokes. It was really good to see him.” He added, “whatever happened [between us] in the last 18 years disappeared.” I watched Dave the night after the Super Bowl. He downplayed the whole thing for comedic effect. He said, “Weren’t the actors who played Oprah and Jay great?”

I read an interview with Rob Burnett, David Letterman’s Executive Producer, about the promo shoot. David Letterman was given 15 seconds during the Super Bowl, which aired on CBS, to do a promo for his show, which also airs on CBS. Dave wrote it himself. Then Dave’s people got a hold of Oprah and Jay’s people and asked if they would be willing to do it. Oprah said yes and Jay jumped at the chance.

Let’s examine what happened to bring Jay and Dave together, to bring about, apparently, reconciliation. Maybe other people can follow the same steps and bring about reconciliation in their lives if they’re estranged from a co-worker, a friend or a relative. Maybe you and I can follow the same steps and bring about reconciliation in our lives if we need to.

The first thing Dave did apparently was to forgive Jay. As you probably know, Dave had been angry with Jay for almost 20 years, because Jay had been chosen by NBC to take the place of Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. Dave wanted that job, thought he’d earned that job for hosting Late Night for many years. But of course it went to Jay. So step one was forgiveness. (And I suppose Jay had to forgive Dave for all the nasty comments he’s made about Jay on the air over the years.) Step two was reaching out. Dave invited Jay to come to his studio to record the promo. Step three was the friendliness that Dave showed toward Jay while they were together. As I mentioned, Jay said Dave was very gracious. It really wouldn’t have worked if Dave had just berated Jay from the moment he walked in till the moment he left.

We probably shouldn’t read too much into all this, of course, but it seems to me that if Jay and Dave could get together, maybe there’s hope for the rest of the world. President Obama on one end of a couch and Dick Cheney on the other. Bill O’Reilly on one end of a couch and Keith Olberman on the other. Glenn Beck on one end of a couch and Rachel Maddow on the other. And it all begins with forgiveness.

According to the Christian New Testament, when Jesus was hanging from the cross, dying, he looked at those who put him there and said to God, “Forgive them for they don’t know what they’re doing.” How could that be? How could they not know what they’re doing? Didn’t they yell, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”? Didn't they hammer nails into his body? Jesus knew all that, but he apparently knew something else as well.

I heard someplace once that if we really knew what we were doing, if we really understood what the ramifications were of what we were doing, we wouldn’t do anything to hurt someone else. If a murderer really knew and understood the impact he would have, not just on the person he killed, but on the person’s family and friends, on the murderer’s own family and friends if he’s caught and sent to prison, and the impact on his own soul, he’d never kill. But he does kill. And you can almost hear Jesus saying to God, “Forgive him, for he doesn’t know what he’s doing.” Other religious figures and faith traditions talk about forgiveness, too, of course.

Gandhi says, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” In other words, vengeance doesn’t work. It just ends up hurting the vengeful person. Mother Teresa says, “If we really want to love, we must learn how to forgive.” I heard once that when we refuse to forgive, when we’re bitter and angry and seek revenge, it’s like taking a dose of poison everyday and expecting the other person to die. It just doesn’t work.

My wife dragged me to the movies the other night. The reason I say it that way is because we went to see the movie, “Avatar.” Avatar is a science fiction film. I don’t like science fiction films. Avatar had war scenes in it. I don’t like movies with war scenes in them. Avatar morphed real human actors into animated figures. I don’t like movies that morph real human actors into animated figures. After saying all that let me quickly add: I loved Avatar. I loved Avatar, because it was a great story. I love great stories. I also love movies with a political message (that’s why I like Michael Moore movies so much). And Avatar definitely had a political message.

It seems clear to me and others that Avatar was all about America’s mistreatment of American Indians. Ignoring or degrading the richness of their spiritual lives. Stealing their land. Killing men, women and children, just because they weren’t white. Will American Indians ever be able to reconcile with America? I don’t know, but I think it’ll take more than being granted the right to make money off casinos.

Back when Bill Clinton was president, I visited Washington DC with my daughter. We were standing outside the White House about 6:30 at night when Helen Thomas, the longtime White House correspondent, came out, presumably going home for the night. My daughter got Helen Thomas’ autograph. As she was signing her name, Helen Thomas said, “I think President Clinton just solved the conflict in Northern Ireland.” I said, “And I’ll bet he won’t get credit for it either.” She stopped writing, looked right at me and said, “No. The armchair quarterbacks in this town don’t give him credit for anything.”

Now, I tell you that story, not to demonstrate that Helen Thomas and I are both a couple of liberals. (Although when I told that story to her niece, my then colleague, channel 8 anchor Suzanne Geha, she said of her aunt Helen and me, “You two are two peas in a pod.”) I tell you that story to get us to think of the possibilities. If Protestants and Catholics can get together in Northern Ireland (with President Clinton’s help, even if he doesn’t get credit for it), could Jews and Muslims get together in the Middle East? Could Christians and Muslims get together in America? Could Reformed and Christian Reformed churches get together in West Michigan? We started Interfaith Congregation in hopes of bringing people together – Protestants and Catholics, Christians and Jews, Muslims and Hindus, Buddhists and Baha’is.

I’m reminded of John Lennon’s song, “Imagine.” “Imagine all the people, living life in peace.” Yes, imagine that. It’s easy if you try. Well, almost easy.

Tiger Woods apologized Friday morning for his serial adulteries with women across the country. Did you see that? Some say he did it just to try to repair his tarnished image with the public and to make sure the endorsements keep coming, the ones that make him the richest athlete in the world. Perhaps. But he looked serious and sincere to me, especially when he sought forgiveness from his wife, Elin.

Presumably he’s looking for reconciliation with Elin. I’d say he doesn’t stand a chance. But then again, I saw David Letterman reconcile with Jay Leno. Right there on national television. So, maybe anything’s possible.

Wooden Shoe Be My Valentine?

When I was in first or second grade, I remember looking for my first Valentine’s Day card. I still remember the one I found. It had a Dutch clog on the cover. You opened up the card and inside it said, “Wooden shoe be my Valentine?” I cracked up! I thought that was a hoot! (Now, remember I was only about 6 or 7 years old. Of course, I still think it’s funny, so, unfortunately, I don’t think my sense of humor has progressed much over the years. I still enjoy bad puns.) Did you give someone a Valentine’s Day card? Did someone give you a Valentine’s Day card? I hope so.

I remember a Peanuts TV Special, where Charlie Brown didn’t get any Valentine’s Day cards. Even Snoopy got a bunch of Valentine cards. But not Charlie Brown. Not even from the little red-haired girl he had a crush on. People can be so cruel, so thoughtless, sometimes, maybe without even knowing it.

But I remember back when we were kids, or at least when I was a kid, early in elementary school, you gave Valentine’s Day cards to everybody. Or at least to all the girls or all the boys in your class. You didn’t discriminate. You loved everybody. Or you didn’t want anybody to feel left out, like Charlie Brown. And you didn’t want to feel left out yourself, like Charlie Brown, so you hoped people gave you Valentine’s Day cards, too. It’s too bad we’re not still that way now, where we give Valentine cards to everybody. But by the time we’re an adult, many people have settled on one love in their life, on one Valentine, on one beloved.

Kathleen and I recently celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary. When we got married, I helped plan the wedding, wrote a bunch of what we said. Because of my support for same-sex marriage, I wanted to use words that were gender-neutral, not use terms like husband and wife. So I suggested calling her, “my significant other.” That didn’t go over well at all. Sounded too lawyerly. I redeemed myself, I think, when I called her, “my beloved.” Who is our beloved? Is our beloved only our spouse, our partner, our significant other, if you will? Who is our beloved?

My daughter was born 18 years ago this coming June. (Wait a minute. That can’t be right, can it? 18 years ago? Oy!) Anyway, when my daughter was born, the first thing she heard, at least from me was, “Hi Erin. Daddy loves you.” She was, and still is, and will always be, my beloved. So, our children are our beloveds, too, aren’t they? And if we have grandchildren, they’re our beloveds, too, don’t you think? Heck, some people treat their pets like their children, so I would imagine for them (and often times, for me, too, I must confess) our pets are our beloveds, too.

This past Thursday night, a couple friends and I went to the grand re-opening of the Little Mexico restaurant in Grand Rapids. We were there the night it burned down a year-and-a-half ago or so. (In fact, I think I might have even started the fire. That night, I had the hottest pepper I’ve ever had in my life. My mouth was on fire! I’m thinking that an ember fell from my mouth onto the carpet. Hopefully I’m wrong about that.) Anyway, we thought it was only fitting, since we were there the night it closed, that we should be there when it reopened. We waited an hour to get in, but it was worth it. And we had a good time, my friends and I. Our friends are our beloveds, too, aren’t they? For some people, complete strangers are their beloveds. Think of the people helping out in Haiti. I would think they see the people in Haiti as their beloveds. A couple weeks ago, this congregation gave money to help out in Haiti, I would imagine because people here see the people in Haiti as their beloveds. So, spouses, partners, children, grandchildren, pets, friends and complete strangers – many people would call them their beloveds. Think about God, God must have a ton of beloveds, don’t you think?

According to the Christian New Testament, Jesus takes Peter and John and James up to a mountain to pray. As Jesus prayed, his countenance changed and his clothes became a dazzling white. Then Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus. They talked about his upcoming death. Peter and John and James apparently were sleeping while this went on and then woke up. When Moses and Elijah were leaving, Peter says to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Then a cloud came and overshadowed them; and Peter and John and James were scared half to death. Then a voice came from the cloud, presumably God, “This is my Son, my Beloved, listen to him!” Then Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and didn’t tell anybody about all this until later.

In the New Revised Standard Version and in the New International Version, Jesus is called “My chosen.” But in the King James Version he is called, “My beloved.” I like that better. (Besides, as one preacher was heard to proclaim: If the King James Version was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me!) We heard Jesus called beloved when he was baptized.

In the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus came up out of the waters, the heavens opened up and Jesus saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove on him; then he heard a voice from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Is Jesus God’s only beloved? In the Christian New Testament, God does not refer to anyone else as God’s beloved. I checked the Hebrew scriptures; no one else is referred to as God’s beloved there either. Does God have only one beloved, Jesus? What about you? What about me? What about everyone else?

On Friday night, a bunch of us went to the Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony. They showed a biography of the late Thurgood Marshall. Before he was appointed as the first African-American to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court by President Johnson in 1967, Thurgood Marshall was a long-time civil rights lawyer for the NAACP. He was the lawyer, as you may know, who argued and won the Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954, ending Separate and Unequal education for our nation’s black children. If God exists, I have to believe that Thurgood Marshall is one of God’s beloveds.

A couple weeks ago, our Spiritual Cinema group watched the movie, “Gandhi.” Gandhi was a lawyer, also. He fought for equal rights in South Africa. He successfully ended British rule in his native India. He was called Mahatma, which means great soul. Many of us find guidance and inspiration in the way he lived. If God exists, I have to believe that Gandhi is one of God’s beloveds.

Kathleen and I are reading a book called, “The Faith Club.” It’s by three women, a Christian, a Muslim and a Jew. They came together hoping to write a children’s book explaining their three faiths. But then they became friends, curious about each other’s religion. It’s a wonderful book. I imagine it is helping spread the Interfaith message. If God exists, I have to believe that those women, a Christian, a Muslim and a Jew, are three of God’s beloveds.

As I look around this room I think: If God exists, I have to believe that all of you are God’s beloveds too.

A couple weeks ago, Kathleen, who is a church secretary, sent me the latest church bulletin bloopers. You may have heard about these. They’re the things hurried and harried church secretaries put in church bulletins without really thinking about how funny they sound. “The Fasting and Prayer Conference includes meals.” “The sermon this morning: Jesus Walks on the Water. The sermon tonight: Searching for Jesus.” “Don’t let worry kill you – let the church help.”

People give many reasons for going to church or a house of worship, like this one. Not just for the sermons (sad to say – I’m kidding!). Often times they go for the friendships, the relationships, to see the ones they’ve come to like, and maybe even love. They go to see their beloveds, if you will. Of course some people get that without even going to church.

The Dalai Lama says, “I believe that the practice of compassion and love – a genuine sense of brotherhood and sisterhood – is the universal religion. It does not matter whether you are Buddhist or Christian, Moslem or Hindu, or whether you practice religion at all.” It’s all about compassion and love. Who could argue with that?

One of my New Year’s Resolutions this year is to preach sermons, or give talks, where I don’t tell people – you all - what to do. Instead, I’m going to say what I’m going to do as a result of what I’ve just said. You’re welcome to do it, too, if you want. But this is what I need to hear, what I need to do. And what I need to do, what I want to do, on Valentine’s Day and everyday, is to treat everybody like we did back in elementary school, when we gave everyone a Valentine’s Day card: love everybody, love everybody, love everybody.

Happy Valentine’s Day! (And here’s a Valentine’s Day card for each one of you. Sorry, I’m not Oprah; I can’t afford to give you a car, only a card.) Now don’t take this the wrong way, but each one of you is my beloved.