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Pastor's Corner“In times when authoritarian movements are gaining strength, faithful Christian political engagement becomes even more crucial. When strongmen promise simple solutions to complex problems, when fear and division are used as political tools, when the vulnerable are scapegoated for society’s challenges-these are precisely the times when the church must not remain silent.” (p.34, “Building Beloved Community”)
Dear Colleagues in Ministry, I’m sure I don’t have to alert you to the seriousness of the moment in history that we are currently in. But I do want to take a moment to urge us to come together as community to begin to find our way through this dark time. The above quote comes from the Council of Bishops’ book, “Building Beloved Community: The Courage to Love in the Face of Tyranny”, and indeed, we are in a moment where we cannot remain silent. But if you find yourself wondering-what exactly am I supposed to say? How am I supposed to begin to talk about these complex and divisive issues-you are not alone. It’s time to put our faith into action as we encounter in the letter to James: faith is dead when it doesn’t result in faithful activity. Someone might claim, “You have faith and I have action.” But how can I see your faith apart from your actions? Instead, I’ll show you my faith by putting it into practice in faithful action. James 2:17,18 CEB And so, as a point of urgency, I am recommending this study to you and to your congregations: https://www.iaumc.org/newsdetail/19573540 Read the book yourself, take part in Bishop Kennetha’s Lenten Study, organize your congregation to take part in that study and/or create your own. Encourage your Adult Sunday School classes to read and discuss it. Pass them out to community members. As leaders, we need to lead our congregations through these times, and this resource is a solid and straightforward first step. Furthermore, let me know if you would like to receive a grant to help pay for books. Let’s begin to collaborate with a shared language and vision for the work ahead of us.
Blessings,
DS Rev. Scott Keele Kober
The Immigrant’s Creed –
by Jose Luis Casal* I believe in Almighty God, who guided the people in exile and in exodus, the God of Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon, the God of foreigners and immigrants. I believe in Jesus Christ, a displaced Galilean, who was born away from his people and his home, who fled his country with his parents when his life was in danger. When he returned to his own country he suffered under the oppression of Pontius Pilate, the servant of a foreign power. Jesus was persecuted, beaten, tortured, and unjustly condemned to death. But on the third day Jesus rose from the dead, not as a scorned foreigner but to offer us citizenship in God’s kingdom. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the eternal immigrant from God’s kingdom among us, who speaks all languages, lives in all countries, and reunites all races. I believe that the Church is the secure home for foreigners and for all believers. I believe that the communion of saints begins when we accept the diversity of the saints. I believe in forgiveness, which makes us all equal before God, and in reconciliation, which heals our brokenness. I believe that, in the Resurrection, God will unite us as one people, in which all are distinct and all are alike at the same time. I believe in life eternal, in which no one will be a foreigner but all will be citizens of the kingdom where God reigns forever and ever. Amen. *Jose Luis Casal is pastor of Beulah Presbyterian Church in Louisville, Ky. This prayer is adapted for Sojourners with permission from the author. |
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