In 1983, when we visited the Holy Land, we landed in Amman, Jordan and entered the West Bank by way of the Allenby bridge over the Jordan River. Israeli soldiers entered our bus halfway across the bridge, looked us over carefully and directed us to continue to the entry building. There, we were frisked, our luggage was opened and checked, much more than in our airports today and we continued our journey to Jericho.
It was an eye-opening experience for us in terms of the animosity that then existed, and still exists in the Middle East. When we were in Israel, our passports weren't stamped. Instead, the Israeli stamp was on a slip of paper inserted into them, which was removed when we left the country by way of Rafah at the extreme southern end of Gaza, when we entered Egypt.
When we were crossing the Allenby bridge, I thought of Joshua and the horde of Hebrews, led by the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant crossing the Jordan river on dry ground by the will of God just as Moses had led the people out of Egypt on the dry ground of the Red Sea. Here we were, crossing the river at another time of conflict, trying to comprehend what all sides were feeling in this seemingly endless dispute.
What we found in 1983 was turmoil. While we were in that country, terrorists bombed the United States Embassy in Beirut and it wasn't long before our marines were pulled out of there. Palestinians and Israelis were at loggerheads over their territories, and they still are. The Jordan river still flows under that bridge to the Dead Sea and the two sides (or are there three?) are still fighting over the same territory. Will there ever be an end to this struggle? Will the United Nations recognize Palestine as a member country and will Israel end its entanglement with these people? It certainly isn't likely.
Radical Orthodox Israelis keep the pot boiling over what they believe to be God's great gift to the Hebrew people through Moses. It is almost impossible to talk to anyone about the political situation with the religious overlay that infuses itself, sometimes only subtly into any discussion. People on both sides want to talk about freedom, justice and mercy, but quickly all of that is submerged in the religious expectations that are never quite laid on the table.
It is dangerous for us to take sides in this dispute. Jewish lobbies in this country heavily influence how congress thinks, and one crosses them at one's peril. All of us know this, but we put it aside as the dispute rages on.
In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is talking to his followers about the extreme religious leaders in his time. He talks about how they prance up and down with their broad phylacteries and their long fringes to show how religious they are. "Listen to them", says Jesus, "but do not do as they do, because they don't practice what they preach" We all know the truth of that. Over the years, I have had some extreme religious people in my congregations. They were always harsh judges of other people and didn't always practice the religion that they preached.
Certainty is a terrible affliction. It blinds us to our own failings and makes us sure of the failings of those around us. It is the reason that we are afraid to love one another. First, they have to change, then we will love them. But change is not what God is asking us to require of our neighbors. God says simply, "Love one another, as I have loved you." That love comes from God without requirement. It is the love that makes us change. It is our love for one another that will produce change in our society.
We have countless examples of this. Martin Luther King took his crusade for human rights all over this country. Who can forget his great speech at the Lincoln Memorial when he spoke of his great dream. How all of us, white and black, will walk together hand in hand and this nation will be knit together in harmony. He spoke like Moses, looking over the promised land from the top of Mt. Nebo, and like Moses, he died before reaching that exalted place, which we are still striving to reach. But King's example is ever before us. Because of what he did and what he made us look at in ourselves, African-Americans, women, gays and many others have the benefit of possibilities that he created with his life and his mission.
This church continues to move forward in mission today because of the work and leadership of those who are not afraid of God's call to us to be inclusive. Jesus told his disciples that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. That will always be true, especially for those who listen to the Gospel and follow where Jesus leads us. May God continue to bless us on this journey.
It was an eye-opening experience for us in terms of the animosity that then existed, and still exists in the Middle East. When we were in Israel, our passports weren't stamped. Instead, the Israeli stamp was on a slip of paper inserted into them, which was removed when we left the country by way of Rafah at the extreme southern end of Gaza, when we entered Egypt.
When we were crossing the Allenby bridge, I thought of Joshua and the horde of Hebrews, led by the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant crossing the Jordan river on dry ground by the will of God just as Moses had led the people out of Egypt on the dry ground of the Red Sea. Here we were, crossing the river at another time of conflict, trying to comprehend what all sides were feeling in this seemingly endless dispute.
What we found in 1983 was turmoil. While we were in that country, terrorists bombed the United States Embassy in Beirut and it wasn't long before our marines were pulled out of there. Palestinians and Israelis were at loggerheads over their territories, and they still are. The Jordan river still flows under that bridge to the Dead Sea and the two sides (or are there three?) are still fighting over the same territory. Will there ever be an end to this struggle? Will the United Nations recognize Palestine as a member country and will Israel end its entanglement with these people? It certainly isn't likely.
Radical Orthodox Israelis keep the pot boiling over what they believe to be God's great gift to the Hebrew people through Moses. It is almost impossible to talk to anyone about the political situation with the religious overlay that infuses itself, sometimes only subtly into any discussion. People on both sides want to talk about freedom, justice and mercy, but quickly all of that is submerged in the religious expectations that are never quite laid on the table.
It is dangerous for us to take sides in this dispute. Jewish lobbies in this country heavily influence how congress thinks, and one crosses them at one's peril. All of us know this, but we put it aside as the dispute rages on.
In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is talking to his followers about the extreme religious leaders in his time. He talks about how they prance up and down with their broad phylacteries and their long fringes to show how religious they are. "Listen to them", says Jesus, "but do not do as they do, because they don't practice what they preach" We all know the truth of that. Over the years, I have had some extreme religious people in my congregations. They were always harsh judges of other people and didn't always practice the religion that they preached.
Certainty is a terrible affliction. It blinds us to our own failings and makes us sure of the failings of those around us. It is the reason that we are afraid to love one another. First, they have to change, then we will love them. But change is not what God is asking us to require of our neighbors. God says simply, "Love one another, as I have loved you." That love comes from God without requirement. It is the love that makes us change. It is our love for one another that will produce change in our society.
We have countless examples of this. Martin Luther King took his crusade for human rights all over this country. Who can forget his great speech at the Lincoln Memorial when he spoke of his great dream. How all of us, white and black, will walk together hand in hand and this nation will be knit together in harmony. He spoke like Moses, looking over the promised land from the top of Mt. Nebo, and like Moses, he died before reaching that exalted place, which we are still striving to reach. But King's example is ever before us. Because of what he did and what he made us look at in ourselves, African-Americans, women, gays and many others have the benefit of possibilities that he created with his life and his mission.
This church continues to move forward in mission today because of the work and leadership of those who are not afraid of God's call to us to be inclusive. Jesus told his disciples that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. That will always be true, especially for those who listen to the Gospel and follow where Jesus leads us. May God continue to bless us on this journey.
I am so grateful for your blog posts, Dad. These are trying times and you keep us mindful that trying times are, in fact, the human experience. We have to keep re-learning the lesson to love each other. Thanks for the reminder. Jennie
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