Ministerial Musing - November 2009

In her book An Altar In The World, Barbara Brown Taylor writes, “Reverence stands in awe of something--something that dwarfs the self, that allows human beings to sense the full extent of our limits--so that we can begin to see one another more reverently as well. An irreverent soul who is unable to feel awe in the presence of things higher than the self is also unable to feel respect in the presence of things it sees as lower than the self [says philosopher Paul Woodruff]. This raises real questions about leaders, especially religious leaders, who cite reverence for what is good as their warrant for proclaiming who populations of people evil.”

This sentiment came back to me as I watched the antics this week of Randall Terry and some of his cohorts with Operation Rescue at the Capital Hill press conference sponsored by Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and other members of congress when they unveiled their version of the Healthcare Reform Bill, to be debated later this week.

Terry, dressed as the Grim Reaper (a bit of character casting if you ask me) and others put on a goulish performance in the protest area with people dressed as Rep. Pelosi and Sen. Reed being beaten by devils yelling out in torment and Randall Terry yelling over a loudspeaker “Nancy Pelosi, you will burn in hell.” The good Congresswoman responded “Thank you, insurance companies of America!” Terry and two other members of his group were apparently arrested for their attempted disruption and hauled off by the capital police.

It is a sign of the times I guess that we as a country have lost the ability for civil dialogue and have resorted to all manner of antagonisms to make the point that we differ, often strenuously. I stood watching this event unfold and responded with silence when I too was addressed as a shameful example of a minister for advocating reproductive justice. It is no wonder that town-hall meetings have become a sore point in many communities, and false information the name of the game.

I grew aware of how appreciative I am and continue to be for this community of faith and the larger tradition we share that encourages dialogue and listening, especially at those moments when we most disagree. In this way, the reverence that Taylor describes turns into respect. And it is respect more than agreement that will win the day, if the day is to be won at all.

In the coming weeks and months, as conversations evolve in the public square, home, work, or church about issues where there are strong feelings, heed Taylor's admonition. Remember your capacity for reverence, which I take fundamentally to be humility in action toward something larger then one's self.

Blessings,

Ministerial Musing - January 2009

Ministerial Musing - November 2008
The Work of Democracy
(based on Howard Thurman's The Work of Christmas)
Rev. Aaron Payson

When the chants of victory have faded,
When the lights have gone out in the polls, When the elected have returned for a well earned night or slumber, When the masses begin to dream again of a brighter tomorrow, The work of Democracy begins:
to breach the divide between haves and have-nots, to heal the wounds of partisanship, to feed those who hunger for a more just tomorrow, to release those held captive by circumstances beyond their control, to rebuild the nation, to bring peace and prosperity to the world, to hope once again.

Let us endeavor to make the coming years ones that our children can tell their grandchildren about. Beginning with an historic election, but made real because of the changing of hearts and minds to believe, befriend, and behave in a way that the world too will celebrate its own potential to make history and be enlivened by a peaceful, prosperous people.

Blessings,

Ministerial Musing - October 2008
Rev. Aaron Payson

I have wondered these past few weeks if the theological lesson of the current economic crisis has been missed entirely. What has captured my imagination is the Hebraic concept of sabbatical, where in every seventh year farmers were entreated to let the field they had plowed so diligently the past five, lay fallow. A sensible construct in order to allow the field to gain soil strength in order to continue to remain productive for years to come. It is a concept related, in to another Hebraic notion, that of jubilee, written in Leviticus, chapter 25, where upon every fifty years (the year following the completion of seven cycles of sabbatical) "the people were to (1) release all debts, (2) set the slaves free, (3) let the lands lie fallow, and (4) lands were to be returned to their original (and rightful) owners: all the farm lands that farmers had been forced to sell due to debt." (see Ian Ritchie, Jubilee - A Biblical Concept, http://www3.sympatico.ca/ian.ritchie/jubilee.biblical.htm).

What did this series of rest periods accomplish? The revitalization of the natural resources used to sustain community, and the reduction of stress and anxiety produced for generations which found themselves stressed, often beyond their means, because of a variety of changing circumstances (crop failure, war, etc.) to make good on the promises made to those who had extended debt.

What might this have to do with our present circumstance? Imagine what might be the result if the bailout (or rescue plan if you prefer) had focused on relieving the anxiety of the indebted instead of debtors? What might be the outcome if instead of pumping more money into the system so that more credit could be extended, what happened was an attempt to relieve those indebted from the burden of paying debts which increased overtime for reasons much beyond their control? What if banks were required to buy back (a modern form of releasing from debt) a portion of the mortgages they held in order to make the mortgage more manageable for those who find themselves beyond their means? Such a move might revive an otherwise failing economy by putting resources back in the pockets of consumers who then could invest their loosed financial means into paying off other debts and investing in other ventures which might well bolster the economy in ways hitherto unmentioned (purchasing more energy efficient cars for example).

Instead of a tax break, how about a debt break? The concept of Jubilee was an attempt at communitywide revival which placed responsibility in the hands of those who held debt to realize the potential of reducing communal anxiety and the vision of a longer future then their own purse could project. It was an act of faith, that the duty to the survival of the community outweighed any desire for personal gain.

As a matter of personal spiritual discipline, what might the concept of jubilee mean to each of us? In what ways do we hold the key to the indebtedness of others (emotionally, physically, spiritually)? How might each of us respond to the mandate to take responsibility for reducing the risk of the community at large and envisioning a future much larger then any of our personal economies can plan for adequately? How might what has transpired on a national and international lesson provide opportunities for us to reconsider our own priorities? Instead of participating in the blame-game that is only now heating up in our media, how might we turn this crisis into the spiritual lesson that is not only transformative, but necessary for the very survival of the communities we love and serve? I will leave you to ponder these questions and hope we can talk more about them in the coming year.

Blessings,

Ministerial Musing - September 2008
Rev. Aaron Payson

When asked to define prayer, my father once remarked, “Prayer is the ability to envision the world as it should be. . .” to which I add, and then to muster the energy and courage to help make that vision a reality. As we begin another fall season, I come back to this admonition I learned in my youth, especially this year as our Religious Education Program has chosen prayer to be its theme. It is a term that is not without some controversy for the way in which it has been employed historically. I like my father’s definition because it centers on the creative capacity of human beings to take up the work of beloved community.

It has been a summer of varied experiences: Olympic competition, violence in various parts of the globe, and in our own religious backyard, historic political activities, storms on the horizon, time for summer leisure, and the increasing anxiety about an economy headed toward recession, have made this a summer where “rest” might be defined by some as a four letter word. How to cope with such ups and downs? Consider prayer.

I’m often deeply moved by the response that comes from that time in our service when we consider the depth and breadth of experience offered during joys and sorrows in prayer and meditation. It is a ritual of embrace which gives each of us an opportunity to find our place in the midst of the varied experiences shared. I believe it too provides us with a clue to the way in which we might approach the larger joys and sorrows of the world. What that ritual provides for me is an opportunity to experience that array that has the potential to overwhelm me personally within the embrace of a community which cares and embraces each of its members; a community that also has made its mission to envision and work to make the world as it should be.

I saw this again this past weekend when I met with 15 adults who will mentor our youth in the Coming of Age Program. Far from the often cynical way in which youth are often described or visualized in the media, in this community we have taken our mission to envision the world as it should be to heart and in this group of caring adults we find yet another example of the kind of concern and integrity which can be life transforming.

So this fall, I invite you to consider the ways in which you envision the world as it should be, the ways you pray or meditate, the ways you can reenter the embrace of this beloved community and find here ways to approach the larger joys and sorrows of your own existence and our common life together.

I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday, September 7th at 11 am for our ingathering Water Ceremony, a time to reconnect with each other, remember the heart of the prayer/meditation at the core of your existence, and to renew your own resolve to help recreate the world as it should be.

Blessings,