The Holy Family, Our Holy Families

The Holy Family, Our Holy Families

So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. . . . After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. (Luke 2:15-21)

Jesus was raised in a family because it is the only way any of us can grow to be fully human, much less, perfectly human.  Even as “Son of God, Son of Man," Jesus did not come into the world with the full knowledge and wisdom of a full grown adult, much less with the full knowledge of God.  He had to develop physically, morally, emotionally and spiritually at each stage of his life.  So when we hear the words from the beloved second verse of Away in a Manger:  “The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.”  We should probably assume that we are looking at art and not child rearing. 

Jesus’ growth to maturity took place in the context of a human family.  The author, Ann Rice, after her re-conversion to Roman Catholicism wrote a very interesting and thoughtful novel, The Christ, Out of Egypt.  The book is a modern day midrash, an imaginative expansion, of the Biblical story of Mary, Joseph, Jesus and their extended family moving from Egypt back to Nazareth after the death of King Herod.  Along the way Jesus hears stories from his mother and father, aunts and uncles about his birth and the stories tied to that birth about shepherds and wise men and blessings in the Temple.  In this book, Ms. Rice helps us to think about Jesus’ budding understanding of God’s purpose for him in this life and of what this means for him and for the people in his life.

Jesus and his family suggest a pattern for us and our children and grandchildren.  The Christian family can also be the context in which we grow to physical, mental , emotional and spiritual maturity.  This is true in our personal families as well as in that entity which we at times refer to as “our church family.”  Though at times comparing a church or a congregation to a family can open us up to some of the same pathologies that other families have, it can, in fact, give us a useful way to see ourselves in relation to God and to other people.  St. Paul in his letter to the church at Galatia says that “Christians are adopted as full sons and daughters of God.” (Galatians 4:4-7).  This would make us all God’s children and brothers and sisters with one another and with Jesus, suggesting that God has no grandchildren, but only children.  This is actually a very healthy way to look at what it means to be in right relationship with God and with each other.  We are all brothers and sisters and therefore all members of the same family.  I believe that this applies not only to those of us who consider ourselves to be Christians, but to all who see themselves as children of God and related to the rest of God’s children on this planet of over seven billion souls.

Paul goes on to state that “we are heirs and family members in the Kingdom of God.”  As members of the Kingdom there are opportunities open to all of us.  We invite others to hear the good news of God’s love to us; we share with them about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and our part in that mystery.  We hope and pray for the restoration of peace and justice in the world and between people and nations who are estranged.  We have the opportunity to assist those in need of food, clothing and shelter, whether they are or ever become members of our or any other Christian community in the world.  We do this without regard to race, creed, color, national origin or legal status in this or any other nation.  The fact is, Jesus’ Mission was NOT to make Christians of all people, BUT to feed, cloth, shelter, liberate all people, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

So, Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and people.  This new year, this time of new beginnings may well provide a wonderful opportunity for your family, your congregation,  to grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and all people.

As we begin this journey together, "May the Lord bless us and keep us, may the lord make his face to shine upon on us and be gracious to us, may God lift up his countenance upon us and give us peace.” (Numbers 6:22-27)

Resurrection—Mystery—Dreams—Mystery

Resurrection—Mystery—Dreams—Mystery

Greg Cory and I were friends for four years before his untimely death on February 1, 2010.  We will, in fact, always be friends, because as our faith teaches us, even in death life is changed, not ended.  Greg was a retired Air Force Police Officer and Dog Handler who actually served eleven of his Air Force years in Minot, North Dakota, and loved it (I never understood that).  After leaving North Dakota, Greg finished his career as a recreation specialist.  After retirement from the Air Force, Greg became a Pastor in the United Methodist Church.  When I met Greg, he was serving a church in Selma Alabama and a year later retired medically from full time ministry and moved back to Wetumpka with his wife Pat, a member of Trinity Episcopal Church where I was Rector.

At 39 years old, just after Greg retired from the Air Force, he had a massive heart attack.  His life was saved because he happened to be in the Emergency Room at a local hospital when the attack occurred.  (He was there for chest pains).  After a great deal of rehab, Greg was able to study to become a licensed Methodist Minister and serve God and the world in that way for many years.

When Greg and Pat moved back to Wetumpka he and I started playing golf together and with other friends, and eating lunch together and “solving the world’s and the church’s problems together.  Greg had a wonderful understanding of the world and of God and of people, including me.  At times, I believe he knew me better than I knew myself.  Often when I got stuck in my work as a priest and preacher, a conversation with Greg would get me back on track.  When I had tough decisions to make, Greg was a good listener and an objective counselor.  I can safely say that Greg Cory was one of the best and most faithful friends I have ever had in my life and I miss him tremendously.

On January 28, 2010 Greg and I played golf with two other friends and then had lunch together at Aw Shucks, a local oyster house.  We even got Greg to eat ONE oyster.  The first he had ever eaten.  The next day, Friday, January 29, Greg came by Trinity Episcopal Church to take me to lunch at Smokin S Barbecue for one of their real, honest to goodness hamburgers.  We had a great visit and then came back to the church, where Greg, whose sense of humor was interesting to say the least, asked my secretary, Shauna Baker, “what she was going to do when her job ended in two weeks?”  Greg thought it was funny; Shauna almost had a heart attack and then almost murdered me before I could explain that Greg “was living in his own little world. 

On Monday, February 1, Greg’s wife Pat called me at 4:00 a.m., as both her friend and her priest, to let me know that Greg had stayed up late to watch the news and apparently had another heart attack and died peacefully sometime during the night.  Lynn got up with me and we immediately headed to Pat’s and Greg’s to be with her, to pray for both of them and with both of them in this most holy and saddest of moments in human life.  Greg was 54 years old.

Two months later, I was walking “the lonesome valley” of Holy week with the congregation of Trinity Episcopal Church.  We were sharing the very human drama of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, his celebration of the Passover, his betrayal and his crucifixion.  As we entered Good Friday, one of the holiest and most mysterious days of the year, walking the Stations of the Cross and sharing in the Good Friday Liturgy I approached one of the most difficult times in the life of a preacher.  The preparation of a sermon that would proclaim the mystery of Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection in a way that would touch the hearts of people and preacher, and that would not be an explanation as much as it would draw us into the mystery of “the dream of God.”

As I drifted off to sleep on Good Friday evening, knowing that on Saturday I would be preparing my sermon for Saturday night’s Great Vigil of Easter, and Sunday Mornings two celebrations of the Easter Resurrection, I had no idea how I was going to present and proclaim this mystery and this Good News!  And this is when God or Greg or both gave me this dream.

Shauna, my secretary, and I were sitting in my study trying without much success to deal with some very difficult conflicts that were going on at the church.  As we continued to run into roadblock after roadblock, Greg walked into the church, as he often did, and asked if he could join us.  We invited him in, shared with him what was going on, our frustration and our hopes and dreams for Trinity and our inability to get past the many issues we believed were holding us back.

Greg listened quietly and thoughtfully.   Then gave us his thoughts and ideas and told us he truly believed that everything would work out.  Greg then asked me for a ride back to his home.  As I drove him home, the location changed from rural Wetumpka to a much larger city (as dreams often do) and I let Greg out of the car at a downtown cul-de-sac so he could walk to his apartment.  I thanked him again for his help, he assured me again that all would be well and turned to head for home.  Just as he walked away, I called to him and said, Greg I need to ask you a question.  He turned toward me and said sure, go ahead.  I said, “Greg, your dead aren’t you?” and he smiled that wonderful smile of his and said, yes.

When I awoke, I knew that Greg was right, that all would be well, that the people of Trinity would be fine, that Shauna would be fine, that I would be fine and that with confidence I could preach the Mystery and Good News of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the hope of the Kingdom of God!

Beans, Rice and Blessing

After I retired on April 1, 2011, I was privileged to be invited to serve at the Church of St. Michael and All Angels in Anniston, Alabama during Holy Week and Easter of this year as well as a few weeks prior to Holy Week and a week during July of 2011.  I met some really wonderful people who love their Lord and had a passion for ministry and mission to the people of their city and their neighborhood.  St. Michael’s is located in a “Blue Collar” neighborhood which has been greatly affected by the economic recession of 2007 and 2008, the affects of which continue to trouble our nation to this day.  Unemployment in Alabama is still over nine percent.  Construction work, which employed a significant number of men in our state, is down and many families are reduced to one or even no income.

During my time at St. Michael’s, I was invited by many people (especially Pam Roberts, Harvey Roberts and Bette White) to participate in a ministry they were calling their “Beans & Rice Ministry.”  Pam and Harvey learned of this ministry from Trinity Episcopal Church in Clanton, Alabama, where this small church had been making a difference in their community for several years.  Finally, eight months after my first invitation, I was able to participate in this “bridge” ministry (as Harvey calls it) which St. Michael’s began during this time of economic crisis in our nation and our world in September 2010 in response to the command of Jesus Christ to feed the hungry.  Harvey refers to this as a bridge ministry because it bridges the gap between the time people run out of money for food and the time they receive their next check, whether pay check or disability or social security or some other source.

This past Saturday I left my warm bed at 4:45 a.m. to brew and ingest enough coffee for the two hour trip to Anniston.  I arrived at St. Michael’s just a few minutes before 8:00 a.m. in order to participate in the hour and a half or two hours of bagging and boxing of the food in preparation for distribution to those who would come to the church between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon to receive it.  As Harvey and Pam got us started, I had a real sense of “organized (sort of) chaos.”  Everyone appeared to know what their jobs were and what needed to be done in order to be ready to serve their “guests” by 10:00 a.m.  There were over thirty volunteers there, bagging rice, bagging beans, putting cans of vegetables and sacks of flour into bags, preparing bags of fruit, baking potatoes, and sweet potatoes; and, at this special time of year, Christmas candy and ornaments were also available to be given as a special treat for children and adults alike.

A little before 9:00 a.m., all of the volunteers held hands forming a circle around the food, and prayed that God would bless the gifts, as well as those who gave and those who would receive the gifts.  By 9:30 we were ready for the crowds.  We took a deep breath and prepared ourselves for the giving of the food to those who came looking for a blessing, both spiritual and physical, in the name of Jesus.  Two-thirds of the recipients were from the neighborhood in which the church is located.  Others came from all over the community. 

The doors were opened at 10:00 a.m. and within the first thirty minutes, 145 people, representing as many families, came through the Parish Hall and received food that will help them make it through the end of the month.  Between 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 noon, another 73 people showed up bringing the total families served to 218. 

As stated earlier, St. Michael’s began this feeding, caring ministry in September of 2010, knowing that there were many people in the neighborhood and the larger Anniston area who had been and continued to be affected by the economic downturn in our country and in the world.  The idea for this ministry was introduced by Harvey and Pam Roberts, who very soon were joined by over thirty members of St. Michael’s who gather once a month to put together the donations of food and the food purchased by the donations of money in hopes that the church can make a difference in the lives of people in their local community.   The parishioners at St. Michael’s have taken seriously Jesus’ command to feed the hungry among us, knowing that if they “have done it unto the least of these, my brothers and sisters, they have done it unto Jesus.” 

In addition to the people who volunteer their time to this life changing ministry, many among them as well as others make donations of food items and/or cash contributions in order to help purchase additional food.  As a “visitor,” to St. Michael’s, I feel that I have been honored and blessed to be a part of this ministry and to see the giving hearts and spirits of these wonderful people who give selflessly of their time, talents, and money to make a difference in the lives of the people they serve.  I am humbled by the invitation I received to participate in this ministry and even more humbled by the realization that the people who received the gifts that were offered in the name of Jesus, also gave a blessing to us as well.  I cannot put into words all the flood of emotions that I felt as I worked side by side with people serving God and their neighbors.  I can, however, say that it brought new meaning to a song that I learned in Sunday school so many years ago:  “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.” 

So, thank you Pam, Harvey, Bette, and all my new friends at St. Michael’s for inviting me to participate in this wonderful ministry.  When I see God’s people living Jesus’ great commission, “love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself”, then I know that we, as people of God, will make it through this difficult time in our world’s history, restoring peace and justice to our world and sharing God’s blessing with one another, today, tomorrow and forever.

Blessings and Peace,

Ben Alford

Man—Woman—Birth—Death—Infinity

Man—Woman—Birth—Death—Infinity

(Television’s Ben Casey, 1961-1966)

Reflections after the Burial and Celebration of Life of My Friend, Johnny Harvey

(1944 - 2011)

There are times in life when we as human beings actually slow down and think about and reflect on the things that are really, really important.  The death of a friend is one of those times.  This past week I spent time at the Wetumpka Nursing Home with friend, Johnny Harvey, who was dying, and with his wife Carolyn.  Johnny had been seriously ill for a year and a half, with many, many bad days and thankfully, some good days as well.  He alternately had infections and times free from infection, times of lucidity and times of confusion.  Through it all, Carolyn and his family and his friends, both from Trinity Episcopal Church and from outside Trinity stood by him and prayed for him.  We also stood by Carolyn, and she by us.  Carolyn was a beacon of light and God’s presence among us during these times that were so difficult for Johnny and for her.

On Thursday as Carolyn and I prayed for Johnny and anointed him with Holy oil for healing, many thoughts and feelings passed through my mind.  Healing, by the way, often means a peaceful death and a perfect rest in the nearer presence of our Lord.  This was certainly true in Johnny’s  case.  As we sit in the presence of a loved one who is dying, the first realization is that we can do nothing.  It is enough to be there, to hold our dying friend’s hand and for those of us keeping vigil, to hold on to each other.  This can certainly be a time for tears, a time for laughter, a time for sharing memories and a time just to sit and be quiet.  The second century B.C. preacher says it best.

3For everything there is a season, and a time for

every matter under heaven: ² a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; ³ a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up; ⁴ a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance; ⁵ a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; ⁶ a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away; ⁷ a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; ⁸ a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3)

When we gathered on Tuesday at Trinity Episcopal Church in Wetumpka, Alabama to celebrate Johnny’s life and funeral I, and I am sure, many others opened our hearts and souls to the many feelings that had been washing over us the past few days.  I thought about Johnny and Carolyn and their love for each other, and about their children who love them even though their lives have taken them far away.  But, I also reflected on the people in my life who have changed me and pushed me and loved me and even those who have hated me, because they all helped to make me who I am and to make me stronger.

I thought about my forty year marriage to Lynn and the trials and tribulations we have been through together and about the good times.  I thought about my feelings for me son, Seth, who lives too far away to see on a regular basis and how much I love him and how proud I am of him.  I felt the presence of my parents: my dad who died way to young and how much I miss him.  I thought of my mother who I am blessed to still have in my life, who is 88 years old and lives only two and one-half hours away and what a blessing it has been to live close to her these past five years after living so far away for so long.  I also thought about my three brothers and many wonderful friends who have made a big difference in my life and many of us have actually gotten to know each other as real people just in the past few years.

One of the strongest feelings that swept over me in these past few days has been that of life as a gift from God and the people in our lives as gifts from God as well.  Having said that, what really touched my heart is how important it is for us to live every minute of every day to the fullest.  The greatest promise Jesus ever made to us was that “I come that you might have life and have it to the fullest.”  Life to the fullest, life in all its abundance, life as gift, life in relationship with God and God’s people, this is what we are called by God to do with what we have been given.  To borrow from Robin Williams’ character in the movie, “Dead Poets’ Society,” ‘Carpe Diem,’ ‘Seize the day.”  This day is the only day we have.  We do not know how many others there will be, so love long and hard, give and receive unselfishly and “live life to the fullest!”

I close with the words from a tape of Johnny singing at his daughters wedding.  This was played before the gospel at his funeral.  What a powerful statement of the love of the man who sang it and of the presence of the Holy Spirit in all of our lives.  Thank you Johnny for being our friend, and for teaching us how to live.  “Rest in peace and may God’s perpetual love be with you always.”

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The Rose:

Some say love, it is a river,
that drowns the tender reed,
Some say love, it is a razor,
that leaves your soul to bleed
Some say love, it is a hunger,
and endless aching need.
I say love, it is a flower,
and you, it’s only seed.

It's the heart, afraid of breaking,
that never learns to dance,
It's the dream afraid of waking,
that never takes the chance.
It's the one, who won't be taken
who cannot seem to be,
And the soul afraid of dying,
That never learns to live!

When the night has been too lonely,
and the road has been too long,
And you think, that love is only,
for the lucky and the strong!

Just remember, in the winter,
far beneath, the bitter snow,
lies the seed, that with the sun’s love,
in the spring, becomes the
Rose..

A Look at God’s Gifts and God’s Forgiveness

A Look at God’s Gifts and God’s Forgiveness

Based on Matthew 25:14-30

The story of the three servants and the talents has always encouraged and discouraged me at the same time.  As I begin reading Jesus’ parable I get a sense of the blessings that come from using the gifts and talents God has giving us to help build up the Kingdom.  The land owner blesses the faithful servants and multiplies their “talents.”  All this is well and good until I continue to read about the servant who buried his one talent in the ground, I have always understood that the servant did not use his God given gifts and therefore lost them, but find it difficult to understand his being thrown into outer darkness where he was punished with the gnashing of teeth.  I am left hanging, wondering about God’s forgiveness, and the opportunity to start over and try again.  (Thank about Noah’s story).

As I was reading and reflecting on this important parable this week I came across a suggestion that there may be two ways to read this story. I considered the possibility that Jesus may even have been telling two stories at the same time, in order for us to see two possibilities of how we can use our gifts to build up God’s Kingdom.

I invite you to join me as we explore the two stories within the story. The standard interpretion, the classic focus of this story is surly the  importance of investing our gifts and talents which God has given us to become, if you will, co-creators with God in building up the Kingdom.  This will always inolve risk, but faithfulness is surely the goal.  In this version of the story, the one talent steward demonstrates a failure of faith.  He is the fool and the land owner and the other two stewards are wise.

This interpretation hooks us: if we work hard, invest our talents and use all the gifts God has given us, we receive a blessing.  If we choose, as our one talent friend did, in either fear or self-protection, to bury that talent, we lose bigtime. 

Another way to read the story, and possibly a second meaning Jesus may have had, focuses on the landowner and the “one talent” steward.  Reading the parable this way, we see a story about a tyrant, a dishonest business man, rather than a benevolent and loving land owner.  The emphasis in this story falls on a master who prophets from  illegal, dishontst activities: “you reap where you did not sow and you receive what you did not earn.”  This dishonest gain is named for what it is by the only one in the story who refused to be co-opted.

In ths reading, the master and the stewards with the five and two talents are the fools and the steward with the one talent is wise, even though he pays the price for standing up for his values. 

This reading asks, whose voices matter in a world rife with power abuse, in a world where it can be much easier, and safer, to go along with the crowd?  This reading also asks us, “what does it really look like to use our talents to build up the kingdom of God?”

In this story, living faithfully means naming the reality of the abuse of power and standing with the one who is not cowed by that power but is bold and ready to suffer the consequences of that boldness.  This may mean confronting injustice and abuse in families, board rooms and church vestries, the work place and public arenas where injustice occurs.

Both readings emphasize responsibility and accountability: we either use or squander our gifts and talents.  We use the gifts God has given us, including the gifts of wisdom and discernment which guide is in making decisions to build people up rather than tear them down.  Wisdom is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and is not to be taken lightly.

Reading Jesus’ parable through these two lenses invites us into a full and fruitbearing life in the presence of God that is open, expansive and hopeful.

The kingdom of rightly ordered power that comes near us in Jesus sets us free from tyrany and directs us to life in all its abundance.

Sometimes History Finds Us In the Midst of Life

Sometimes History Finds Us In the Midst of Life

“Those who do not remember their history are condemned to repeat it:” George Santayana

By Ben Alford, Albertville High School, Senior Class of 1966

On September 30, 2011, members of the Albertville High School Senior Class of 1966 gathered for a pre-homecoming game meal at the home of classmate, Harriett Dunn.  One of those classmates was Robert Manzy, one of two black students who entered our class in the fall of our senior year.  The following reflections are based on conversations among thirteen or so classmates who left the game just after half time and walked back to Harriett’s to visit for awhile.  It is amazing what we all saw and felt during those days and how different our experiences were.  It was enlightening to hear Robert’s memories of this day, the events which led up to this day and the year that followed.  I hope and pray that it was just as enlightening for Robert to hear about our experiences as well.  Not only did we get to know Robert better, and he us, but I believe that many of us came to know in a different way people we have know for over sixty years.

In the Fall of 1965, a group of seventeen and eighteen year olds, mostly interested in cars and football and members of the opposite sex found ourselves in the middle of events that shaped and changed our world and our lives.  Public schools in Albertville, Alabama admitted thirteen Black children and teenagers.  I write these reflections forty-six years after that late summer morning when a yellow school bus showed up in front of Albertville High School and four black teenagers, three boys and one girl, got off to begin their first school experience in a school with an otherwise all White student body and faculty. 

As Robert talked about that first day and all that led up to it and as we, his White classmates, shared our experiences, all of us got to know one another better.  Forty-six years of life has shaped and changed us all and we are different people and yet, the some people who gathered on that hot, late summer morning.  My goal in this essay is to share last Friday evening’s conversation and reflect some on how this experience helped make us who we are.

Robert’s story begins in the summer of 1965 when a group of Black parents approached the Marshall County Superintendent of Education and told him that they wanted their children to go to school in Albertville, the school in their home town.  The Superintendant, Wayland Cooley, informed the parents that he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan and asked them to continue sending their children to Lakeside School in Guntersville.  All the black children and teens in the county at that time were bused to Lakeview.  Lakeview had no science labs and no indoor plumbing.  Roberts mother asked to speak and told Mr. Cooley that her children were smart and she wanted them to go to a good school, in their home town, where they could get a good education. 

On the big day, a school bus showed up in the one “black neighborhood” in town and picked up the students.  The bus was led by a police car behind which was a car with the mayor and other city officials in it.  The bus was also followed by two more police cars with officers “brandishing shotguns.”  None of the rest of us remembered this nor had any idea of the police protection and how dangerous this was for Robert and the other 12 Black students.  There was probably some danger for us as well, but we were too young and invincible to know it.  Robert told us that the police did pick up one person with a gun.

Some of our classmates remember that we all gathered at the flag pole to welcome our new classmates and that Frank Hughes walked over, shook their hands and welcomed them.  Others of us do not remember this at all.  Robert does not remember this either.  Becky Lang Gore remembers greeting Robert in homeroom trying to make him feel welcome and again Robert does not remember this.  Harriett Dunn told us that other “girls” in the class refrained from speaking to the Black boys for fear that they might cause trouble for them if they were seen talking to a “White girl.”  It is fascinating to hear these stories forty-six years later.  I sense that most of us did not talk much about these things when they were happening.  We just did our best to live life a day at a time.  We were seniors in high school, we wanted to study (a little), play a lot and move into the rest of our lives which lay ahead of us.  And yet, this experience of being the first class in our school to graduate with black students changed us forever. 

Over our short lifetimes we had all seen restrooms for “men, women, and Colored,” and water fountains for “White and Colored,” and we all went to the Carol Theater to watch the movies.  Robert and his Black friends and family, however, had to enter by a different door and sit in the balcony.  Some of our classmates did mention that they always wanted to sit in the balcony because they believed the view would be better.  None thought it a good thing that Robert had to enter through a different door. 

All of us had experienced segregated life in Alabama, but only Robert, among us, experienced segregation as the one who was “segregated out.”  Robert and I first met at the Albertville Health Department when we were around six years old.  We had gone there for our pre-school vaccinations.  We were both skinny little six year old boys, but our experiences were very different.  Robert shared with us Friday evening that a man had come up to him, taken his face in his hands and said, “I am not going to slap your face because you are a ‘nigger.’”  Neither of us are quite sure what that meant but we are both sure that it did not happen to me.  As Robert talked with us about having to use separate restrooms and water fountains, and being “bused” to Guntersville to go to school, and being told both verbally and non-verbally that he was worth nothing, I began to get a better sense of “the other side of segregation.”  I saw not only how we as a society treated Robert and others like him, but how we continue to treat with disdain, hatred, fear and anger those who are different from us: people of other races, nationalities, religions, sexual orientation and any other difference we as human beings can find to set ourselves apart and to “make ourselves better” than “the other.”  Robert told us that two factors in his life, his mother and his church, continued to impress upon him and remind him that he was worthy and that he was a child of God, and therefore as good as anybody else in all of God’s creation.

Many of our classmates served in the military forces of the United States during the late 1960’s, and many, including Robert and his brother, Bernard (Yeshua), served in Viet Nam.  Robert told us one last story that broke my heart and I can only assume, the hearts of others in that room on Friday evening.  Robert tells that, “after two years of serving my country and fighting for its freedom in Viet Nam, I came back home to Alabama.  I went to Gadsden to visit my mother and while there, took my date to the Skating Center.  I was told by the manager at the Skating Center that ‘niggers’ were not allowed to skate there.  This was the most insulting and devastating experience of my life.”  As we let this story sink in, all of us were quiet and thoughtful and reflective. 

We are all, Robert, me, and the entire Senior Class of 1966, who we are today because of where we grew up and when we grew up and because of what happened on that historical day in 1965, and all that led up to it and all that has followed it over the past forty-six years.  We have grown up a great deal since that day.  Our Nation has grown up a great deal since that day.  Have we grown to the full maturity God would have us reach?  No.  Has our Nation reached its full potential as hoped for by God and human beings alike?  No.  But, we have changed and we have grown and we are better people and the world is a better place.  And Robert Manzy and the entire Albertville High School Senior Class of 1966 have helped to make this so and will continue to do so as long as God gives us life and breath.  The even better news is that our children and grandchildren and all of those whose lives have crossed paths with ours will continue this legacy for as long as the world shall last and as long as the sun continues to shine.  I am proud and blessed to have been and to continue to be a part of “this blessed company of faithful people.”

I hope that Robert and other members of our class will add to, correct and continue this ongoing conversation.  HBA

Some Reflections on 9/11/2001,

Some Reflections on 9/11/2001,

Beginning with Scriptures about Judgment and Forgiveness

Romans 14:1-12: Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. . . . Who are you to pass judgment. . . ? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister?  Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

Matthew 18:21-35: Peter came and said to Jesus, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.  "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, `Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt.

Sept. 11, 2011 Revisited

We all have stories to tell about 9/11/2001 and where we were and what we were doing when we saw or found out that planes were flying into and through buildings in New York and Washington and into a field in Pennsylvania.  I was in a Hospital room at Baptist Hospital in New Orleans to pray with and anoint Norma Salinger before her early morning surgery.  The television was on and a 12 year old girl from Lafayette was playing the fiddle.  All of a sudden the screen switched to the world trade center with smoke pouring out of it.  As we watched, a second plane flew into the other tower.  And the rest, as they say, “is history.”  When I left the hospital I went to the Bluebird Café for breakfast, and heard people talking about planes flying into the Pentagon and, of course, I corrected them.  “No,” I said, “it was the World Trade Center,”  And the rest, as they say, “is history.”

            I know all of you here, if you are old enough, have your own stories as well and I hope you will share them with your friends and loved ones.

            What I pray that we can do today with our time together in worship is to remember those who died on that day and those who have died in the ten years which have followed, both from the United States and from other places around the world.  I also want us to reflect on who we are as Christians, and how we as followers of the prince of peace can help bring about justice, peace and reconciliation around the world.

            When evil happens in our world we need to recognize it for what it is and to bring it to an end.  What happened ten years ago today was evil by any standard.  Over 3000 people died at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.  Today we remember them and their loved ones in our prayers.  It is also important for us, as Christians, that we remember the almost 8000 U.S. service men and women who have died fighting terrorism.  As followers of the prince of peace, we are also called to remember the 16,000 plus civilians who have died in Afghanistan since 2001 and the over 150,000 Iraqi civilians who have died since 2003.

            War is hell and even when it is necessary, we as Christians should approach it on our knees with tears in our eyes.  This is the Christian posture of repentance and humility before God.  This posture can allow us to see all people, including our enemies as children of God.  This posture may help us to see that all Muslims do not wish to do us harm any more than all Christians wish to do harm to all Muslims.  It may also help us as a nation to use our military power judicially and to remember that we have other tools as well.  I am not offering easy answers; I am saying that life is “just simply complicated,” and that our faith and our relationship with God can assist us in our relationships with others of God’s people.

            In the days, weeks, months and years since 9/11/2001 we have found strength and unity in singing “God Bless America.”  As important as that is, I would like to suggest an alternative song for us as we remember the past and look to the future.  You may have heard it.  It was written by English Slave Trader and sometimes Anglican Priest, John Newton, in the late 1700’s.

                        Amazing Grace! how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!

                        I once was lost but know am found, was blind but now I see.

                        ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved;

how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed!

The Lord has promised good to me, his grace my hope secures;

he will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.

Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come;

‘tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.

This hymn reminds us that we depend on God not just to bless us, but to lead us and guide us and protect us.

            Emma’s Pennies: Theologian and Church Historian, Dianna Butler Bass tells the story of her then four year old who, after 9/11, came to hear as she was dressing for work and asked for some pennies.  Emma then went to her dad and asked for pennies and then back to her mom for more pennies.  Getting irritated, Dianna asked, “why do you want all this pennies?”  Emma responded, “I want to send them to the dead people in New York to help them feel better.” 

            Butler Bass tells one more powerful story about Emma, post 9/11.  Emma asked about Osama Bin Laden and why he did what he did.  Dianna’s answer was, his heart is filled with hate, but God Wants’ it to be a heart of love.  Emma did two things.  First she asked why his heart was filled with hate, to which Dianna tried to explain free will to a four year old.  Then she told her mother that she was going to pray every day that God give Osama Bin Laden a heart of love.  Emma frequently asked her mother, has the man’s heart change yet?

            A four year old understood that praying for one’s enemies is central to Christianity and essential for God’s forgiveness. 

Conclusion

Earlier this week I saw on YouTube, this short homily by Bishop Michael Curry of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina and want to share it with you.

“In July of this year, 76 children were killed at a summer camp in Norway.  The Prime Minister addressed the nation and the world that day and the following evening.  This is what he said:  ‘This was an attack on innocent people, young people at camp. It was an attack on all of us.’”

The Prime Minister went on to say, “those who did this will not destroy us or our democracy or prevent us from brining about a better world.  They cannot bomb us into silence or shoot us into silence, and they will not frighten us.  Tomorrow we will show the world that rather than destroying democracy, that democracy will grow stronger.” 

“We will bring to justice those who carried out these evil acts and we give thanks to the first responders who made this less of a disaster than it might have been.  We must never give up our values and we will show the world that our open society will pass this test too.  WE OWE THIS TO THE VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES”

Then Bishop Curry shared what he had shared with this congregation of St. Philips in Durham on 9/11/2001 when he had been present for the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation:

“When the whole world falls apart, we, the church, continue to do what we do; we baptize new people into the Body of Christ; we continue to form new disciples who will follow in Jesus’ footsteps to bring about God’s will in this world so that this kind of horror will never happen again.  We Christians join with other people of good faith to show the world that the way of God’s love becomes the way of life.”

“The Hebrew Prophet, Isaiah said it better than can I: ‘The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together and A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM.  The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.  The nursing child shall play over the hole of the vicious snake, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the snakes den.  They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea’”

“GOD BLESS YOU, GOD BLESS US ALL, AND KEEP THE FAITH!!”