Theme – Seeing Gray: Faith, Morality and Politics in a Black and White World “What Would Say to America?” May 18th, 2008 at First – Durango

Jeremiah 9:24, Jeremiah 22:3-5 and Luke 12:48b 24 But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. 3 This is what the Lord says: “Be fair-minded and just. Do what is right! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors. Quit your evil deeds! Do not mistreat foreigners, orphans, and widows. Stop murdering the innocent! 4 If you obey me, there will always be a descendant of David sitting on the throne here in Jerusalem. The king will ride through the palace gates in chariots and on horses, with his parade of attendants and subjects. 5 But if you refuse to pay attention to this warning, I swear by my own name,” says the Lord, “that this palace will become a pile of rubble.” 48b When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required. SLIDE “What Would Jesus Say to America?” Please take out of your bulletin your sermon notes and your study guide. The sermon notes are a chance for you to follow along in today's message and in particular I am going to be giving you definitions or three words that are in the outline. You will want to write down the definitions of those words and so I encourage you to have that out and to use a pen or pencil you find in the seat back or pew in front of you. The study guide is a chance for you to do some reading of the Bible on your own during the week ahead and I encourage you to take it home and use it in the coming days to build on what we are talking about this morning. Jim Wallis has written a book called, The Great Awakening. Towards the beginning of the book he tells a story about two senators, one is a Republican and one is a Democrat. They are talking about faith and politics while sitting in the Senate dining hall. As they are eating, the Republican turns to the Democrats and says, "You Democrats don't know

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 1 anything about religion." The Democrat was offended and said, "What is he talking about? We know a lot about religion." The Republican came back with, "No you don't! I am sure you don't know anything about religion. I will even bet you $20 that you cannot even recite the Lord's Prayer." The Democrat said, "I will take you up on that bet and then I will take your $20. Are you ready? Here it is. ‘Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep.’" The Republican reaches for his wallet and said, "Darn it! I didn't think there was any way you could do it." A lot of folks in politics talk about Jesus, but I wonder how much they are really familiar with his words? Today we conclude series of sermons we began almost 2 months ago entitled, "Seen Gray: Faith, Morality and Politics in a Black and White World." We have been using the book by the same title by the Reverend Adam Hamilton at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection as our jumping off point. We have been doing this series of sermons because we live in a world where there is so much polarization, especially in the area of politics. Wait until we have for certain presidential nominees from each of the political parties. What happens when we have one Democrat and one Republican with very different ideologies about how you solve the world's problems, or what those problems even are? You know what this is like because every four years we walk through this where we find ourselves at odds with one another. We sometimes can't have civil conversations with our best friends if we don't agree when it comes to politics. The world seems to be shaped in black-and-white terms and part of the reason for this series was to challenge that and to ask, "Maybe the world is not always black and white. Maybe there is a way for us to focus on the things that we agree upon and work together and listen to one another to solve the problems facing our nation and our world." We talked about this in the area faith and in the area of morality and today we come back to talk about it once more an area politics, and in particular in the area of government.

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 2 SLIDE Three Hebrew Words Everyone Should Know. I want to begin by teaching you three Hebrew words. These words are very important and they dominate the when it comes to discussion about how Israel was governed and what God expected of kings and leaders. In part, God expects these three things from them because they characterize or define who God is in the Hebrew Bible. SLIDE MISHPAT = Justice. The first word is mishpat. Can you say that with me? This word appears 421 times in the Hebrew Bible. The frequency tells you that this is a very important word in the Old Testament. It is typically translated as Justice. It has an even broader meaning than that however. It means that everyone is getting what is fair, right and equitable. It is doing the right things by all people. You don't talk about justice for the people who have plenty so typically this word comes up when God is speaking to the elders and leaders of Israel, those who are kings and who own land, about those who are disenfranchised, powerless or the workers or the children or the widows and orphans, the poor and the aliens in the midst of the Israelites. So many times God speaks to those in power and says, "You have got to pursue mishpat so that all the people are treated fairly and equitably." We see this in particular in the Law and then again with the Prophets. God raises up profits for certain times in Israel's history where the leaders of Israel were not ensuring that there was justice for all people. God warns them and says that, "If you don't pursue justice then I will. I will execute justice in the land and in the process, if you refuse to do it, then I will see that your own nation falls." These were harsh words of warning given to those who would not pursue mishpat. In Psalm 146: 7-9 we find just one example of this. SLIDE 7 He [the Lord] gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly. 9 The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 3 Mishpat is making sure there is equity and fairness and the right thing is done by all the people, especially those who are not in power. SLIDE TSEDEKA = Righteousness. The second important Hebrew word is tsedeka. The first two letters are one letter that sounds like “ss” in the word “hiss.” Can you say that word with me? Tsedeka is translated as righteousness and often is combined with mishpat or justice in the same passage of Scripture or at least in the same context. Righteousness is more than just not cussing or not drinking in excess. Generally when the Old Testament speaks about righteousness is speaking about doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right place and for the right reasons. God is the standard by which we determine what is right but righteousness is making sure that in each situation we are seeking the thing that would really please God. What is the thing that God would have us do? This is not just a personal idea that God would have us ask ourselves. In the Hebrew Bible this was a question that kings were meant to ask about their policies and their way of governing. It was a question that the leaders in the nation were meant to ask, and if they did not pursue righteousness and then judgment would come. This yoking together of justice and righteousness is seen in the greeting that the Queen of Sheba gives King Solomon and 1 Kings 10. The Queen comes to visit the wise King Solomon and she indicates what the King was set apart for by God when she says: SLIDE 9 Praise the Lord your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness.” Another way of thinking about righteousness is that it is doing the good or caring thing even when the law does not obligate you to do so. When you are righteous you do the right thing not because there is a police officer standing there waiting to write you a ticket if you break the law, and not even because the law requires it, because sometimes the right thing is not necessarily mandated by law. But you do the right thing because God

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 4 demands of us. Typically this has to do with relationships with other people. SLIDE HESED = Steadfast love, kindness or mercy. The last word is hesed which means, "steadfast love, loving kindness or mercy." Is not a feeling so it is not about feeling love for someone else. Hesed is that you do love for someone else. You act with kindness towards someone else. It is a steadfast way of doing love, and you do it even if the other person doesn't deserve it. Hesed is sometimes translated as "mercy" because you are doing the kind of thing even though the other person is perhaps unloving or uncaring towards you. You love them steadfastly despite the fact that they are unloving and they don't merit your kindness. This is a defining characteristic of God because God shows us mercy, and gives us his loving kindness, despite the fact that often we don't deserve it. We fall away from God and even push God away and yet God continues to show us his steadfast love and kindness. This love is not a feeling and it really is what Jesus is talking about in the when he says to, "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Even though in the New Testament is in Greek the word that Jesus uses for love in this instance can be translated as hesed. We find this word yoked together with justice in a passage that most of you know which is Micah 6:8 where God says… SLIDE What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice (mishpat), love kindness (hesed) and to walk humbly with your God. All three of these words come together in a verse that we have already read this morning which is Jeremiah 9:24 where God speaks saying… SLIDE I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love (hesed) and who brings justice (mishpat) and righteousness (tsedeka) to the earth, and that I delight in these things. These three words define God and they are what God expects in our relationships with one another. They are what God demands of his people in the nation's and they are what God is holding leaders accountable to

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 5 pursue. The prophets warned that a nation which does not pursue these things will not stand. Again and again God says that if you do these things you will be blessed and if you do not do these things you will not stand. So we hear this word of warning in Jeremiah 22:3 -- 5. SLIDE 3 This is what the Lord says: “Be fair-minded and just. Do what is right! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors. Quit your evil deeds! Do not mistreat foreigners, orphans, and widows. Stop murdering the innocent! 4 If you obey me, there will always be a descendant of David sitting on the throne here in Jerusalem. The king will ride through the palace gates in chariots and on horses, with his parade of attendants and subjects. 5 But if you refuse to pay attention to this warning, I swear by my own name,” says the Lord, “that this palace will become a pile of rubble.” These three words are a place where Republicans and Democrats can come together and meet. This is not a Republican or Democratic issue. This is an issue of what the Lord asks of us and I can't imagine a Christian who is a Republican or a Democrat who would say, "No we don't want to do justice, and we don't want to pursue what is right and we are not interested in kindness or mercy." We all agree on these things. Where we disagree is how you administer them or what specifically each one of these looks like in given situations. But we can all agree that no child should go to bed sick and unable to see a doctor because they can't pay for one. Somewhere sick children need to be able see a doctor and someone needs to make sure to figure out how that happens. We might disagree about how this happens but the fact that it happens we can agree upon, because it represents mishpat, tsedeka and hesed. I think every faithful Christian, whether they are Republican or Democrat would agree that workers should be treated fairly. I think we all can agree that it is not good for employers to abuse their workers. The question of course is how this is administered in what form it takes. But we agree that you shouldn't do it in general because it would be against the ideas of mishpat, tsedeka and hesed. We all would agree that no one in America should starve to death.

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 6 We might disagree on how to administer that kind of help and what the root causes are, but we all agree that these things ought to be done. I wonder what would begin to happen if we would lock hands and attempt to pursue these things even though we have different ideas on how to make it happen? What if we all agreed that these things were absolutely essential and it was a part of our vision as a country? I think it is a part of the vision of our country. SLIDE The American Dream I want you to think for a minute about the American dream. What is the American dream? Today isn't it that we will have a six figure income and a 3000 ft.² house with the three car garage (or for some of you is much bigger than that)? We may not all get there, especially in Durango, but we have this dream of success that includes a certain income and a certain way of life. Yet that was not the dream that the patriots were willing to die for. The American dream for them was much nobler. Of course it was the idea that we would have the opportunity to pursue happiness, but it was more than that. Take out a one dollar bill if you have one. Let me invite you to turn to the back. The great seal of the United States of America is found on the back of the one dollar bill. It is a two-sided seal and so you see both sides. SLIDE US Seal This seal was approved by Congress in 1782. I want you to forget everything you learned about this from the National Treasure and The Da Vinci Code movies. What you really want to do is go back and read what Charles Thompson said about the Great Seal. He was the one who designed it and presented to Congress. Let me quickly walk you through a few things about this seal. SLIDE US Seal Pyramid This side of the seal has the unfinished pyramid. This was meant to represent America because the pyramid is lasting. It also represents strength and wholeness. It was enduring. But you do notice that the pyramid is unfinished. Charles Thompson said the pyramid should always be represented unfinished because the

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 7 vision of America and what it represents will never be completed. Every generation is supposed to be working towards fulfilling that vision in its time, including our generation. At the bottom of the pyramid you find a scroll with these words. SLIDE “Novus Ordo Seclorum” = the new order of the ages. Here was the idea. The patriots and our founding fathers saw America representing something new that was so profound, so just and so righteous that it would fundamentally change how governments were ordered and how nations ordered themselves. America was to represent a new order of the ages. Thomas Paine in 1776 captured this with these words. SLIDE The cause of America is in great measure the cause of all mankind. This was a great and worthy cause, not just about what we could acquire for ourselves. It was meant to be something greater. You will notice above the pyramid it says these words. SLIDE “Annuit Coeptis” = looks with favor on our undertaking. This is an incomplete Latin phrase. Who looks with favor on our undertaking? What was that in reference to? It was a reference to the fact that the founding fathers believed that someone had looked with favor already upon the experiment that was under way called America. It was a hope for the future that someone would continue to look with favor upon America. That someone is represented by the eye inside the triangle. That is meant to be a divine eye of Providence which is God who is all seeing. Those founding fathers, even those who were not so religious, talked about God's providence and God's care in raising up this country and blessing the undertaking. Why…because America stood up for something that was important to God. America has stood up for and stood for justice, and doing the right thing and showing mercy or kindness. Have we always gotten it right? Of course not. But the idea was that as long as we continue to pursue justice, doing the right thing and showing mercy then God's grace would continually be shed upon us. But when we forget that, we no longer receive those favors.

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 8 SLIDE US Seal Eagle You will notice the American bald eagle on the other side of the seal. The eagle is holding in its mouth a scroll which says, “E Pluribus Unum.” SLIDE “E Pluribus Unum” = out of many one. This referred to the fact that we were a nation of immigrants. Originally this seal had six little symbols representing the six Nations that most colonists had come from. This was a reminder that we were something unusual in different. We brought together people from other parts of the world, spoke different languages, had different faiths and yet out of that we would become one. There was a wonderful idea that this is actually our strength. Our strength comes from the fact that we have people who see things differently and come from different backgrounds bringing with them different heritages. That is part of what makes America great. Of course that is also captured in this. SLIDE The Statue of Liberty backside. Lady liberty stands and faces the nations of the world and welcomes them as a beacon of light. She has in her hand the torch of light as a reminder that America saw itself as a beacon of light to the nations, but also welcoming the nations. Somehow this was a part of our strength and a part of our mission. SLIDE Bronze poem. The poem which is inside the Statue of Liberty is called the New Colossus. It is printed on bronze and was written by Emma Lazarus. Here Lady Liberty says these words as she stands at the harbor. SLIDE Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free—the wretched refuse of your teeming shore—send these, the homeless, tempest tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door. I spent many hours reading about the issue of immigration which is a challenging issue in this year's election cycle. I am skeptical of any candidate who is running for office and has this thing all figured out, because there is this tension that we feel. The tension is the fact that we are a nation of immigrants and all of you in this room, with the exception of

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 9 those of you who are Native American, are from immigrant families. Even you who are Native American came over on the bridge during the Ice Age to become a part of this country. Many of my long-lost relatives were Scottish and Irish. They landed in New York and were not welcomed with open arms. At the time my great- great grandparents came the Irish were looked down upon and despised. They moved west to be able to make a name for themselves. Their name was changed from McLanen to Lane in part to hide their heritage. But they found a home here. We know that we are all here by the grace of God and the fact that somebody welcomed us. This is why today there are millions of people who want to come into this country and yet we struggle with what to do with this. I am not certain about the answers. But there is one thing I am certain of and that is what ever answer we come up with must treat the immigrants and aliens with mishpat, tsedeka and hesed. God demands this in the book of Leviticus over and over again. God commands Israel to treat the foreigners with justice, righteousness and loving kindness because they were once foreigners in a strange land and oppressed by the Egyptians, therefore don't do to them what was done to you. You are to treat them with justice, righteousness and loving kindness. That is not a policy but it should shape how we look at the issue and we have to incorporate these fundamental ideas. As you continue to look at the seal you will find the eagle has in its talons two sets of things. SLIDE 13 Arrows and the Olive Branch The 13 arrows represent the militias of the 13 colonies and represent military strength which is important for maintaining the peace and pursuing peace. But it is not all there is. In the other talon you find the Olive branch which is a reminder that peace is to be pursued. Charles Thompson who designed this talked about this as the power of peace. He intentionally designed the face of the eagle to face towards the Olive branch to say, "This is what we are to be focusing on—pursuing peace." But it has to be a just peace and there are times which that requires military strength. Our struggle is how to balance these two things—military strength and the pursuit of peace.

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 10 I am not sure we have this right just yet. We have many people in our church and many of your children serve in the military. Many of them are doing wonderful humanitarian work. Some of them are on the front lines in Iraq trying, in a war which is a bit of a challenge for people and about which we have great debate, to administer as best as they can as soldiers justice and righteousness and mercy. I've seen pictures of our men and women doing these things and my heart leaps with pride. But we have to be careful as we enter any war that it is the last resort and the only way we can accomplish something. Benjamin Franklin himself said he could not imagine any good war and he just fought through the Revolutionary war, but he still thought war was hell and was to be avoided at all costs if possible. The fact that these talons are holding both things means that both of these things are important. One of the realities that our country needs to wrestle with is how we use our resources for these two things. We spend a large portion of our resources on military armament and some of that has to be. But we spend a very small amount of our money and time on diplomacy and humanitarian aid to those in other countries who need help. We think we spend a lot more than we do so let me give you an idea of this balance right now. Last year our military budget was $600 billion. 150 billion was for Iraq at 450 billion was for general military expenditures and the debt on past military expenses. It is hard to get a handle on $600 billion until you begin to compare that to what the rest of the world spends on military. Our 600 billion is more than what the rest of the nations of the world spend combined. China is the second on the list and they spent $60 billion on military. Of every income tax dollar that you send into the federal government $.41 goes to military expenditures. This is when you do not include social security in the federal budget. How much goes to peace efforts, the diplomatic corps and humanitarian assistance to other nations? One penny. Again I am not saying that we should not have military because we have to have that, but there is a question which runs through my mind. Is it possible that if we spend more money in working in developing nations and helping people and working on diplomacy, could we perhaps spend a little bit less money over here on the military because our own security wouldn't

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 11 be threatened? There are a lot of polls out there about candidates and campaigns but one of the polls I am always interested in is the BBC World Service poll. They survey tens of thousands of people around the world and 47 different countries and they ask what the popular opinion is in those countries of different nations and policies. Back in 1998 a majority of people polled in other nations saw America in general as a positive force for good in the world. Even among our enemies there were many who saw us as a positive force for good. SLIDE BBC Poll In March of 2007 the latest report was released which surveyed and only 29% saw America as a positive force for good in the world while 52% see us as having a "mainly negative" influence. We want to be a force for good. That is how we picture ourselves and that is what we long to be, and yet there is a dramatic difference now between what we long to be and how other people perceive us which I think threatens our security and I think in the end is not what we want. Somewhere what we would like is for other nations to look at us and say, "We want to be like you. We admire you so much that we want to be like America. Not just our income levels but how we administer mishpat, tsedeka and hesed—justice, righteousness and mercy. Of course how you resolve that is complicated and each political party will have different ideas but I would hope that no matter what party you were in you would want for our nation to find a healthy balance between military strength and pursuing peace. It is challenging to figure out how to balance these things but it is something we must wrestle with. SLIDE What Would Jesus Say to America? This last week I tried to imagine for myself what Jesus would say to us if he came in bodily form to America. I pictured Jesus standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and addressing our nation. I envisioned thousands of people gathered before the reflecting pool, complete with television cameras and microphones. This may be what it would look like. SLIDE Lincoln Memorial Crowds. What would Jesus say if he was facing this crowd? What would he bring up?

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 12 Someone say that Jesus wouldn't talk about political issues or things that candidates are talking about these days. Some say that Jesus would simply talk about people's souls and how much he loves us and how much God loves us and how he gave his life to forgive us. I do think he would talk about all those things, absolutely! But do you think that is all he would talk about? Would he say anything at all about the issues facing our nation? Would he say anything at all about immigration? Would he talk about abortion or homosexuality? If he did, what would he say? What would he say about the war in Iraq or about how we use our resources? Would he mention health care or the environment and what would his take be on those issues? Would he talk about the materialism and America on the one hand and the poverty on the other? What would he commend us for? I think you would commend this and say, "I am proud of you for this?" What would those things be? And what would he chastise us for? I was reading through the Gospels this week wondering if Jesus came to America today would he say anything about the stuff we are facing today as a nation? Or would he only talk about "spiritual things." But as I read through parts of the Gospels I realized again that for God nothing is just spiritual because everything is spiritual. Everything is God's realm. The decisions we make, how we conduct our businesses, what we do as a nation and how we act in our marriages— all of those have to do with our faith and our spiritual lives. So when you read Jesus’ words you find things like this in the Sermon on the Mount. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness (tsedeka—doing the right thing in the right place at the right time for the right reasons)." Blessed are those who hunger for that for they will be filled. "Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are those who show mercy (hesed—kindness even when someone else does not deserve it,) for they shall be shown mercy." He told parables of the rich man and Lazarus the poor man who died at his gates. He told parables of the Good Samaritan and parables of the

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 13 sheep and the goats. He spent much of his time healing the sick, those people that everyone else had turned away from are the ones that he took time for and make sure they were cared for and made well. I think he would remind us as a country that true greatness, which is what we long for our nation, is not defined by our GDP or gross domestic product or by our military might. Greatness, true greatness, is seen in humility and servant hood and sacrificial love. I think he would remind us of the little children whose prayers he hears every night. He sees those children every night before they go to bed. In our world 30,000 children go to bed one night and don't wake up the next. Every 30 seconds a child dies from malaria in the developing nations which is a very preventable and curable disease. There are thousands of children in this country who are in homeless shelters every night, including our own homeless shelter here in Durango which houses families every night. Jesus sees all those children not just in America but around the world. What is his heart for those children? A few months ago I saw a film clip which was put together by Richard Curtis who started Comic Relief several years ago to deal with the issue of children's poverty and hunger. He had a cameraman go to India and told him to shoot just what he saw on the streets of Calcutta. He just wanted him to bring back some images. The cameraman was setting up his camera when he saw a little girl in a yellow dress and he quickly began to film as he watched to see what she would do. From the time that I first saw this clip it sees my heart. Jesus sees images like this all the time and I wanted you to see this one. VIDEO Girl in Yellow Dress—a girl slowly and carefully makes her bed on the sidewalk the streets of Calcutta as pedestrians walk by. It ends as she lies down to go to sleep for the night. Here is the web link if you would like to watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfAOVKjmDfg What is interesting is that people who walk right by the little girl and they don't do anything. The question for us is: do I walk by, or do I notice? Jesus says in Matthew's Gospel, "I was hungry and some of you gave me something to eat and some of you didn't. I was thirsty and some of you stopped and gave me something to drink and some walked right by. I was

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 14 naked and I was sick and I was in prison and some helped and some pretended not to see. In as much as you pretended not to see you won't be seen in the kingdom of heaven." We all, Democrats and Republicans, see the world differently and come to different conclusions about the solutions to the problems that we see. But somewhere along the line we have to at least see the problems and we have to be able to say that the defining characteristics of what makes our nation great and what God requires of us as Democrats and Republicans who are Christians is mishpat, tsedeka and hesed. I know it's complicated and there is no way to do justice in one series of sermons to all the complexities that faith and politics bring to the table. We are entering into a time where there will be lots of conflict and will struggle a bit as a nation to find our way forward. I got a taste of this last October when I was with a group of Methodist pastors for a retreat that we do every year. We were watching the World Series game one and it was rather boring because the Colorado Rockies were getting blown out. So to take our minds off of the game I said, "Hey, let's talk about politics for a little bit!” We talked about the issues of immigration and universal healthcare and the war in Iraq and poverty. It was clear that each of us had a very different opinion even though we had all attended the same seminary and we were all United Methodist pastors. We shared some things in common but we all had different assessments of the problems and different ideas of the best solutions. On one side of the table was a strong Republican and on the other side of the table was a strong Democrat. At one point but to have the strongest opinions began to elevate their voices and you could feel the tension and so I tried to diverse us back to the Rockies game! And as I looked around the table I realized that the six of us were very close friends. These people love each other and are members of the same church. These people pray for one another and we singing alongside each other at this retreat. They read the same Bible and they are all followers of Jesus, and they are all moderately intelligent! What stunned me is that despite the fact that I had the superior arguments in each case these boneheads refused to actually admit that and see that I was the one who is right.

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 15 Do you know why it's that way? Because the world is not always black and white. Because the world is complex and complicated. There are certain things we can agree upon like the reality that we want to pursue justice and righteousness and kindness and mercy. But we will have different strategies for how to do that which calls us to be able to look at other people and say, "Though we disagree and we are in different political parties I still want to listen to you because you are my brother or my sister." We must learn to offer our opinions with humility and not as though we absolutely know the truth, but recognizing that we could be wrong about this issue. We must see how we can begin to work together on common aims and common ends even though we disagree. I was reminded of this as I read through this new little book by Shane Claiborne this week entitled Jesus for President. While I don't agree with everything in Shane’s book, these words really caught my attention. SLIDE “The prophets point us to what is ahead—the fulfillment of God’s dream for creation. And they invite us not simply to wait but to begin enacting that dream now. The danger is that we can begin to read the Bible through the eyes of America rather than read American through the eyes of the Bible.” --Shane Claiborne in Jesus for President I think most of us in this room would agree that we would like America to be great, and that we want other nations to be inspired by who we are as a nation. My guess is that we don't want people to be inspired by America because of our military might but by the way we give of ourselves. My hope and my dream is that we would be a nation who would pursue with compassion what is just and what is right and what is the loving thing to do. I want to encourage you as we close to participate in the political and voting process over the next few months. Whether you are Republican or Democrat or Independent, you are some of the most caring, thoughtful, intelligent and compassionate people I know. Our process needs you to care and to be involved. My hope and prayer for us as we go through this political season when our nation can be torn apart is that we might be those people who

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 16 stand in the middle as a bridge. I hope we can recognize that each side has something important to say and what is most important is that we pursue justice and righteousness and kindness. Let's pray. I would like to ask you to simply pray right now for our nation. Pray for God's guidance for us. Pray for those who are running for office—they are offering themselves, risking danger and personal harm in order to provide leadership for our country. Please pray for them and those who will be gathering at the conventions to make those final selections in the coming months. God give us wisdom. Let's pray quietly… God we pray for those who are running for the presidency and all political offices in the coming months. We pray that they would have on their heart a deep desire to do what is just and right and kind. We pray you would give them wisdom for a job that is too big for any human being. We pray that you would pour out your favor upon us as we seek to do the things that please you. We pray that America might be a beacon of light and hope for the rest of the world and that others might be inspired by our witness in our example—that once again America would be a place at the nations of the world see as the best hope for the world—as an example of what justice and righteousness and kindness look like. Guide us as citizens and helpless to be involved, even though we don't have all the answers. Help us to model for others how we listen with humility and how we work together for the common good. Forgive our mistakes and draw us to you. In your holy name we pray. Amen.

I offer my life to you in your holy name, amen.

Seeing Gray: Faith, Morality and Politics in a Black and White World

“What Would Jesus Say to America?” Jeremiah 9:24, Jeremiah 22:3-5 and Luke 12:48b 24 But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things.

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 17 3 This is what the Lord says: “Be fair-minded and just. Do what is right! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors. Quit your evil deeds! Do not mistreat foreigners, orphans, and widows. Stop murdering the innocent! 4 If you obey me, there will always be a descendant of David sitting on the throne here in Jerusalem. The king will ride through the palace gates in chariots and on horses, with his parade of attendants and subjects. 5 But if you refuse to pay attention to this warning, I swear by my own name,” says the Lord, “that this palace will become a pile of rubble.” 48b When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.

I. Three Hebrew Words Everyone Should Know A. MISHPAT B. TSEDEKA C. HESED

II. Icons of America A. “Novus Ordo Seclorum” and the Unfinished Pyramid B. “Annuit Coeptis” and the Eye of God C. “E Pluribus Unum” and the Statue of Liberty D. “In God We Trust”, the Arrows and the Olive Branch

III. What Would Jesus Say to America?

“The danger is that we can begin to read the Bible through the eyes of America rather than read American through the eyes of the Bible.” --Shane Claiborne in Jesus for President

Conclusion: What Will You Do? This weekend we concluded the sermon series, “Seeing Gray: Faith, Morality and Politics in a Black and White World,” with considering what a vision for America might look like. This week we will study scripture that will help us think about God’s vision for the world - a world for which we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” Monday, May 19 - Read Matthew 5:1-11

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 18 This passage begins what in Matthew is called the Sermon on the Mount - an extended collection of Jesus’ teachings which includes descriptions of how we are to live as Christians and how God calls us to live together in community. The passage today describes those who are blessed. Do you see yourself described in any of these categories? Do you see leaders in our country described in these verses? How might you live as one blessed by God to be a blessing to others? Tuesday, May 20 - Read Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus continues speaking to believers as those who are the “salt of the earth” and “light of the world.” How do you understand these references today? Jesus calls us to “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (5:16, TNIV). How do you see First United Methodist Church living into this vision? How might we do better at this? Does this vision make sense for America? If so, in what ways? If not, why not? Wednesday, May 21 - Read Matthew 9:35-38 Imagine Jesus traveling through your city and seeing the people of the community going about their daily lives. Do you think that Jesus’ response would be the same as what you read in the verses today? What about in other cities and towns of America? Sometimes we are the ones that live as “sheep without a shepherd” (9:38, TNIV). Do you find that this comparison makes sense in your life? How could you live as one of God’s “workers” today? Thursday, May 22 - Read Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 These verses tell the story of those who “hear the message about the kingdom” (13:19, TNIV). In what ways do you see the reality of this parable in your life? In the life of the Four Corners region? In the life of America? Jesus describes seed that falls on good soil as bearing great fruit for God’s kingdom. Is America “good soil”? How can you improve the environment around you so that others might be able to respond to the invitation from Jesus to love God and love others? Friday, May 23 - Read Matthew 28:16-20 In Matthew, these final words from Jesus paint a picture of how the people who follow Him are to live - making disciples, baptizing and teaching others. God calls us to a lifetime journey of becoming a deeply committed Christian. Does this journey make an impact on how you live in America? What do you think God’s dream for America might be? How could you live as a part of that dream?

Jeff Huber’s Sermon –May 18, 2008 – page 19