PrayersPolitics embracing christian values in times of struggle & Peace “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, present your with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, requests to which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” God. Philippians 4:5-7 guidanceSunday, Oct. 30 - Saturday, Nov. 5 | Written by Ron Greer We turn to God’s Do not be conformed to this guidance so that we world, but be transformed by the can make decisions that renewal of your minds. reflect God’s thoughts Romans 12:2 and ways. 2 3 this week prayers, politics, & peace sermon: guidance sunday, oct. 30 8:45 & 11:15 am We are to be loving. nicaragua art auction We are to be kind. thursday, nov. 3 We are to be honest. 6:30 pm, the warehouse We are to be respectful. Lord, We are to be humble. help us to election prayer vigil friday, nov. 4, 3:00 pm - remember sunday, nov. 6, 11:00 pm who we are. 4 5 | Sunday, October 30, 2016 | Ron Greer | Monday, October 31, 2016 | Ron Greer Guidance Guidance Christian values are the ideals from our faith to which we aspire in our living and relating. We seek to make these “… to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 idealized values into our personal virtues – molding what we believe into what we live. In contrast, many of us have been dismayed at the tone of the presidential campaign, as the values we believe to be Christian have often been The tone of belittling, ridiculing, and dishonesty to which we have been exposed this year finds no home in the moral replaced by disrespect, dishonesty, and divisiveness. values of the Christian faith. In fact, this tone is the antithesis of the principles by which a Christian is called to be in relationship. The scriptures guide us clearly in our values. There are many passages on which we could focus as we This concern has nothing to do with political positions, but everything to do with how those positions are expressed. I set our moral bar, but there are two that stand out to me. One is from the Old Testament, the other from the New. am writing from the same voice I used in my thinking on integrity, urging us to embrace the relational values and morals Both are familiar. From the book of Micah: of our faith. For over a year we have been exposed to verbal attacks, hostility, and deceptiveness. Yet we know people can disagree without being dismissive or mean-spirited. Debating an issue does not require insulting one’s opponent. “… what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (6:8) Or, at least, it shouldn’t. And from the writing of Paul is that inspiring, guiding list of virtues: In this writing I am neither red nor blue. I am echoing the message of Jesus as he minced no words in his warning “By contrast, the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self- against “whoever insults his brother” and “whoever says, ‘you fool!’” (Matthew 5:22) I am writing from the same control.” Galatians 5:22-23 perspective as the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, when he wrote that his followers should “speak no evil of the person they voted against.” These two passages contain the criteria of the Christian life as it is to be lived out. This is where the moral bar is to be set in relating with others. This is who we are to become. For the remainder of this week, let’s think together about As this political ride has played out before us, my concern is that our society could come to accept this lowered moral the values to which we are called to aspire. If we are to relate as Christians: bar as the “new normal” – that we become acclimated to it and intuitively reset our default position. Just as dress or attire has become increasingly casual, which is fine, moral behavior could become equally casual, which is not fine. We are to be loving. We are to be kind. The disrespect to which our children have been exposed in this past year violates the earliest lessons they learned We are to be honest. from us. We taught them not to be rude or bullying or hurtful. I can only imagine how difficult it is for parents to insist We are to be respectful. on far better behavior from their children than they see on the evening news. We are to be humble. The words of the scriptures come back to us, “Do not be conformed to this world… but be transformed by the renewal of We are about the business of reclaiming these values in a season that sometimes turns them upside down. your minds.” Transformation is at the heart of our faith. “Do not be conformed to this world,” is our reminder to reclaim and live out our moral lives at their finest. The book of Isaiah expresses the words of the Lord saying, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.” (55:8) This week, as we will focus on these values, may we remember and reclaim what are ultimately God’s In our reflections this fall, may we intentionally decide not to be conformed to the diluted values of this world – but rather thoughts and ways. be transformed by the faithful renewal of our minds to the true values and ideals embodied in our Christian faith. Prayer: Guide us, O Lord, that your thoughts become our thoughts and your ways become our path. In Christ name. Prayer: Lord, help us to remember who we are. In Christ name. Amen. Amen. 6 7 Guidance | Tuesday, November 1, 2016 | Ron Greer Guidance | Wednesday, November 2, 2016 | Ron Greer “… the greatest of these is love.” I Corinthians 13:13 “… love is kind.” I Corinthians 13:4 Christian values begin with love. It is that simple. As Christians, the manner with which we relate with God, with Kindness is love in action. The motivation is love. The result is a life of kindness. “Love is kind,” as Paul so succinctly neighbor, and all of humankind – every faith, every race, every nationality – begins with love. This is Jesus’ perspective wrote. Kindness is not something you do as much as someone you become. It’s a way of living in the world, a way of as he speaks of the Samaritan kneeling at the side of the wounded Jew and doing all he can to help – as Jesus himself relating wherever you are, with whoever you are. Kindness is to relate out of a spirit of grace. reached over and put his hands on the leper, whom no one else would touch – as he called the most despised man in town out of the tree so he could have dinner with him. “Kindness” is linguistically related to the word kin. Kin refers to the natural feeling we all have for the welfare of our families. Then there are “kindred spirits” with whom we feel a special affinity or kinship. But kindness, as in loving- Agape. I care about you simply because you are a fellow child of God. A sister, a brother. How does that line go from kindness, expands the focus. It points to our wish for the best and our willingness to do what we can for the sake our hymn America the Beautiful, “America! America! God shed his grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood of anyone in the family of humankind. Kindness belongs with kin and kinship, for we are all related. Remember how from sea to shining sea.” Jesus put it, “… just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40 NRSV) In Jesus’ beautiful economy of words, he summarized the heart of his message. “You shall love the Lord your God… (and) love your neighbor as yourself.” Out of our love of God we look into our neighbor’s eyes and want their lives to be filled Kindness is a gentle spirit. It’s a tough world out there. The challenges, the battles are real. It is a world filled with with the same joy we seek for ourselves. Those are the fundamentals. This is what we are about as followers of his – those who deserve a word spoken with kindness. All it takes to touch a lonely or struggling heart is an act of kindness. responding to my neighbor as instinctively and lovingly as I would to myself. Ironically, the only phrase from a presidential convention acceptance speech I can quote from memory is from the early nineties when a nominee urged us as a nation to be “kinder and gentler.” Words of wisdom. A simple moment of kindness But Jesus’ teaching didn’t stop there. He then gives this message his grand finale as he adds,“On these two commandments reminds us we are all in this together. We are all kin. Kindness can encourage and connect. Kindness can transform. hang all the law and the prophets.” There is the exclamation point! This final statement puts love of God and neighbor in its proper place – at the center of our faith. Mary Oliver put it this way, as I pick up in mid-poem: All of the law, all of the teachings, all of our values are to be seen through the lenses of love of God and neighbor.