I am a little sad this morning. We may see the end of an era in the next few weeks. I have always been proud to be Presbyterian. I believe we are doing our best to be faithful in difficult time. I believe that in being a democracy our denomination makes better decisions by following the will of the majority rather than the dictates of one. But we are sinful and don't always make the most Godly decisions.
Our Board of Pensions has always followed suit. They had a wonderfully Christian policy. Your retirement and health care costs were a percentage of your salary. Everyone paid the same percentage. Whether you made $12,000 a year or $500, 000 you paid the same percentage. The big churches thus supported the little churches. The big guys held up the little guys. It may not have made sense in the world's standards, but it was a wonderful blessing on the poorer pastors and churches. It showed the New Testament principle of all in the church sharing with each other and caring for the least of these. In fact that same percentage covered you and your family. There were no extra payments for those with spouses or children. We truely took care of our own.
Now, because of rising health care costs they are having to rethink. So, the Board of Pensions is considering doing what the rest of the secular world is doing... And in good Presbyterian fashion, it is going up for a vote. They will still have the percentage payment to cover the pastor, but if you want your spouse or children covered you will pay a set fee per month. For me that fee is 36% of my salary! For that minister making $500,000 at a mega church, it is pocket change... Yes, that is how the rest of the world does it. I understand that something must be done to cover the rising cost of health care... So one option is charging a fee... That is why most of the working poor have no health insurance, or their families don't. That is why Obama sought to have universal health care... And oddly enough, why health care costs have gone up forcing this change.
So, if the vote goes that way in a few weeks, we Presbyterians will say goodbye to our special Christian care and love that we showed by upholding each other. We will become just like the world, at least in terms of our health care. Small churches and the pastors that feel called to serve them will be the ones who suffer. I wonder what will happen to "the least of these" as the world adds more and more burdens on the poor and the small... In Jeremiah's day they got overrun and carried into exile... Perhaps we can mend our ways before it goes that far... China owns most of us already...
Lord have mercy on us sinners...
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Disturbing Statistics
Today many of my friends have been remembering the Roe Vs. Wade decision by posting either positive or negative articles about abortion. I generally try not to be political, so I skim over them or skip them all entirely. I know the facts. I know my position. Why get involved in this divisive debate, right?
Well, one of the posts seemed so skewed and ridiculous that I decided to take the stand of my son's government class and fact check it. I would then, quietly and privately, give him the correct information. I mean, you shouldn't let friends post inflammatory propaganda, right?
So, I went to the www.census.gov web site to find the correct information to give him. His statistics were right... I am actually sick to my stomach for knowing this...
In the US every year 27% of all pregnancies end in abortion. Sad, but not that surprising. What I had never seen was the statistics broken down by race... Only 21% of Caucasian pregnancies end in abortion compared to 63.9% of all African American pregnancies. Well over 50% of African American pregnancies end in abortion??? 505 out of every 1000 African American fetuses are terminated.
Now, I do not believe that the government should be allowed to dictate how a woman cares for her body or what she and her doctor thinks is medically best. Although I myself could not ever see me getting an abortion, I do not believe in taking the right to choose away from other women. But that being said, something in our society is really messed up here!
I don't believe, like my friend's rant states, that it is a nefarious plot of the racist head of Planned Parenthood. I support planned parenthood for all the good they do for confused young people. I am not going to change my political stance over this disturbing statistic, but I do wonder what should or could be done.
I don't have any answers today. I don't know if this is somehow related to racism, or cultural differences, or a failure of our education system. The best I can say is that we are somehow failing these women. All I can think to do is pray, and deal compassionately with the women who come to me seeking council. I do know that in our fallen and sinful society what we really need is the compassion and grace of our Lord, Jesus. I know that Jesus loves these women and knows that they are hurting.
I know that this doesn't leave any of you satisfied. My heart will hurt for quite a while over this. But we can pray for a better tomorrow. We can pray for all of the women, young and old, who are faced with this decision. We can love, accept, and uphold all God's children, rather than judge them. That is what we are called to do.
Peace...
Well, one of the posts seemed so skewed and ridiculous that I decided to take the stand of my son's government class and fact check it. I would then, quietly and privately, give him the correct information. I mean, you shouldn't let friends post inflammatory propaganda, right?
So, I went to the www.census.gov web site to find the correct information to give him. His statistics were right... I am actually sick to my stomach for knowing this...
In the US every year 27% of all pregnancies end in abortion. Sad, but not that surprising. What I had never seen was the statistics broken down by race... Only 21% of Caucasian pregnancies end in abortion compared to 63.9% of all African American pregnancies. Well over 50% of African American pregnancies end in abortion??? 505 out of every 1000 African American fetuses are terminated.
Now, I do not believe that the government should be allowed to dictate how a woman cares for her body or what she and her doctor thinks is medically best. Although I myself could not ever see me getting an abortion, I do not believe in taking the right to choose away from other women. But that being said, something in our society is really messed up here!
I don't believe, like my friend's rant states, that it is a nefarious plot of the racist head of Planned Parenthood. I support planned parenthood for all the good they do for confused young people. I am not going to change my political stance over this disturbing statistic, but I do wonder what should or could be done.
I don't have any answers today. I don't know if this is somehow related to racism, or cultural differences, or a failure of our education system. The best I can say is that we are somehow failing these women. All I can think to do is pray, and deal compassionately with the women who come to me seeking council. I do know that in our fallen and sinful society what we really need is the compassion and grace of our Lord, Jesus. I know that Jesus loves these women and knows that they are hurting.
I know that this doesn't leave any of you satisfied. My heart will hurt for quite a while over this. But we can pray for a better tomorrow. We can pray for all of the women, young and old, who are faced with this decision. We can love, accept, and uphold all God's children, rather than judge them. That is what we are called to do.
Peace...
Sunday, January 13, 2013
I Don't Want to Go Alone
I have a very neurotic rescue dog. She has serious abandonment issues. She doesn't like us to leave, and fusses at us when we get home. At least now that we have had her six plus years, she has stopped destroying things in fear when we leave... But the weirdest thing is that she will not go to the "bathroom" alone. You have heard men joke about women being unable to go to the bathroom unless someone goes with them, well with Angel it is true. If we let her out and Snoopy doesn't feel like going she will stand at the back door and bark insistently until he gets up and has us let him out, too. Then, and only then, will Angel venture out into the back yard.
Today in my sermon I talked about the Holy Spirit going with us always. Sometimes it is like a dove sometimes a blazing fire. Sometimes we can't always feel it, but God's Spirit is always there. In the Bible, when God's people couldn't feel God's presence, they complained and called out until they got an answer. They were often neurotic and annoying, and there were even times when God didn't really want to be with the whiny people. For example, Moses had to beg God to go with them after the Golden Calf incident. "If your presence will not go, do not carry us from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, and I and your people if you do not go with us?" (Exodus 33:15-16) Like Angel, God's people didn't want to go anywhere unless they knew that God was going to go with them.
I think that may be part of our problem today. Many people don't care whether God goes with them or not. Some people feel that it's OK if God wants to come along, but they are fine either way. Some others would rather God not go with them. As a culture I think we have lost the deep need to know that God is with us. We no longer beg God, like Moses. We often don't even think about it. We try to live our lives on our own, and it doesn't always work out that well.
I want God to go with me, even though I am sometimes embarrassed that means that God will know what I think and do. God does promise to go with us. In fact, there is no place where we can go where God's presence isn't already there. So for those who hope God won't come along and see what they are doing... oops, sorry!
We sometimes feel God's presence very strongly. Sometimes the Spirit is like a fire in our life. Sometimes is is more subtle like a dove. Sometimes we won't even be able to feel it. That doesn't mean that God has left the building. That means that we are not in tune with what God's doing.
I think that maybe we would be better people if we were a little more like the Israelites, or even Angel. I don't mean whiny and annoying. But if we actually prayed for God to go with us. If we actually invited God along on our journey, then maybe we would think about our decisions more. Maybe we would worry less. (OK, in Angel's case I'm not sure that part works... other than, she has started to believe that I will come back when I go to work or the store...)
We don't have to go alone. God is with us. Perhaps the world would be a better place if we acted like it.
Peace
Today in my sermon I talked about the Holy Spirit going with us always. Sometimes it is like a dove sometimes a blazing fire. Sometimes we can't always feel it, but God's Spirit is always there. In the Bible, when God's people couldn't feel God's presence, they complained and called out until they got an answer. They were often neurotic and annoying, and there were even times when God didn't really want to be with the whiny people. For example, Moses had to beg God to go with them after the Golden Calf incident. "If your presence will not go, do not carry us from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, and I and your people if you do not go with us?" (Exodus 33:15-16) Like Angel, God's people didn't want to go anywhere unless they knew that God was going to go with them.
I think that may be part of our problem today. Many people don't care whether God goes with them or not. Some people feel that it's OK if God wants to come along, but they are fine either way. Some others would rather God not go with them. As a culture I think we have lost the deep need to know that God is with us. We no longer beg God, like Moses. We often don't even think about it. We try to live our lives on our own, and it doesn't always work out that well.
I want God to go with me, even though I am sometimes embarrassed that means that God will know what I think and do. God does promise to go with us. In fact, there is no place where we can go where God's presence isn't already there. So for those who hope God won't come along and see what they are doing... oops, sorry!
We sometimes feel God's presence very strongly. Sometimes the Spirit is like a fire in our life. Sometimes is is more subtle like a dove. Sometimes we won't even be able to feel it. That doesn't mean that God has left the building. That means that we are not in tune with what God's doing.
I think that maybe we would be better people if we were a little more like the Israelites, or even Angel. I don't mean whiny and annoying. But if we actually prayed for God to go with us. If we actually invited God along on our journey, then maybe we would think about our decisions more. Maybe we would worry less. (OK, in Angel's case I'm not sure that part works... other than, she has started to believe that I will come back when I go to work or the store...)
We don't have to go alone. God is with us. Perhaps the world would be a better place if we acted like it.
Peace
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