In a spirit of thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day--already--tomorrow--how can this be! That can only mean two things--the annual holiday overeating season is beginning and Christmas will be here before you know it. But seriously...

I love this time of the year. Being a native Minnesotan I love snow and cold--or at least I still can convince myself of that fact. I also love the fact that this is the time of the year when families gather--despite their differences of opinions and life choices--to remember that--as family--what binds us together can be stronger than what pulls us apart. Now that doesn't mean that there won't be times when we choose not to spend time together or that there won't be times when we will never come to agreement over certain issues. It does mean that when all is said and done--family is still family--and remembering that might make it easier to love each other.

I think the same could be true if we remembered that all people are children of God and that makes us family.

Pitching Tent

I preached the first of a two-part series yesterday on the Ruth & Naomi saga of leaving the country of Moab for the town of Bethlehem. The first part of this saga--the decision to set out for a place of unknown circumstances reminds us that courage, love and faithfulness can open our eyes to new possibilities. It was Ruth's deep love for Naomi that caused her to leave behind her own family to insure that whatever they would find in Naomi's hometown there would be at least one person who would always be there to care for her. It also reminds us that most of us are the children of immigrants and that we are called to value the gifts they can bring to us over and above the concerns that their presence among us can bring.

The second part of the story--the "pitching tent" part--finds Naomi & Ruth back in Bethlehem making the best they can of the circumstances in which they find themselves when Naomi's love for Ruth prompts her to insure Ruth's well-being and acceptance into this community in the most unusual of ways. It's a great story and I hope you come to church this Sunday to discover how their actions changed our world.

The Need for Grace

I usually use this space to begin sorting through thoughts for my next sermon. Today I want to spend some time reflecting on some events of the past few days and the atmosphere that typically surrounds an election period.

I, like most of you, were shocked and saddened by the news that came out of Colorado Springs last weekend when allegations of sexual misconduct were lodged against Ted Haggard, president of National Evangelical Association and lead pastor at a large conservative church. While the allegations were saddening enough in and of themselves--I was equally saddened by the spin that was so easily trotted out. Haggard's spin that it was a false accusation trying to sway the outcome of a referendum against same-sex marriage--his accuser's spin that he was outraged when he "suddenly after two years" he discovered that this man with whom he had been having monthly tyrsts was leading the campaign to pass this measure. What saddens me is that this deep personal tragedy--whatever truth will finally be known--has become fodder for our politcal system--fodder for use by others--mindless that real lives are being shattered. The same holds true for the spin being putting on the sentencing of Saddam Hussein. If the allegation is true that this sentencing was timed to influence the voting public--then shame on whoever did such a thing.

In a time when individual lives are devalued and it matters little to others that they are destroying lives in the name of some political advantage--we, as people of faith--are called to model for the rest of the world a different way. We are called to be givers of grace--givers of love--givers of forgiveness. The world sorely needs us.