Our country has always been a nation of immigrants and entrepreneurs. Throughout our nation’s history, immigrants from around the world have kept our workforce vibrant and contributed to building a diverse population. So, the question as Caring Christians is ‘How to love our immigrant neighbor?”
Love our (immigrant) neighbor:
Our country has always been a nation of immigrants and entrepreneurs. Throughout our nation’s history, immigrants from around the world have kept our workforce vibrant and contributed to building a diverse population. So, the question as Caring Christians is ‘How to love our immigrant neighbor?”
The simple answer is given to us in the Bible, “Love thy neighbor as thyself. “ It should be easy for us to follow this commandment, but of-course we are human, with our human failings, and so we make it more difficult than it needs to be. We become judgmental, or act out fear. We forget to trust in our God who watches over all people. To become more open to the possibility of loving our immigrant neighbor and indeed all our neighbors, perhaps we need to do our best to ‘Be Christ to others and to See Christ in others.’ Maybe remind ourselves that the person we encounter who is so very different than ourselves in appearance might be going through the same ups and downs in life that we are experiencing. If we are open to accepting that each person is unique and different but still a beloved child of God maybe our perception will change and we will remind ourselves continually that we should reach out to everyone in Christian love because God, our Father, created them.
Lord God, Father of all creation, let us reach out to each person we meet as our neighbor. We want to follow your word and love all our neighbors as ourselves. Our immigrant neighbor, our neighbor who makes us feel uncomfortable, the neighbor we have been quick to judge and the neighbor we don’t really want to interact with. Teach us to reach out to everyone in Christian love. Send us out into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you, through Christ our Lord. Amen
What is white? Is it like a blank piece of paper waiting for color so that it has purpose and use? I don’t feel like I’m that blank.
What is white?
Is it like a blank piece of paper waiting for color so that it has purpose and use? I don’t feel like I’m that blank.
Yet, I’ve been a part of discussion groups enough to know that many cultural foundations are built on white understandings—a sort of assumed starting point. A tabula rasa, so to speak. One way that I began to realize this inherent white understanding is when I noticed that no one, when describing me, would include my race. They’d say my height and gender and age, but didn’t bother with “white.” That was assumed.
I wonder what else is assumed.
A lot of assumptions are being challenged in this day and age. If I’m being honest, I can admit that makes me nervous. I don’t want some of the assumptions that I like to go away. And yet, if I’m being honest, I can also admit that some of these assumptions hinder me; that they keep me in a box that I spend a good deal of time protecting. I’m really not sure where to go with all of this.
A prayer:
Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(BCP, p100)
I am guided by the words of Dabru Emet: A Jewish Statement on Christians and Christianity, published in 2002. In the decades since the Holocaust, the relationship between Jews and Christians has changed dramatically:
I am guided by the words of Dabru Emet: A Jewish Statement on Christians and Christianity, published in 2002. In the decades since the Holocaust, the relationship between Jews and Christians has changed dramatically: many official Church bodies have publicly acknowledged remorse for nearly two millennia of institutionalized Christian mistreatment of Jews and Judaism. Though much of our shared history has been fraught with conflict and antisemitism, today we can confront together the hatred and bias that exists in our world. We worship the same God, we seek authority from the same book, we accept the moral principles of Torah—the “inalienable sanctity and dignity of every human being.” How can we work together for justice and peace?
The stories of Creation in Genesis are a beginning: God rested on the seventh day, but did not retire. The world is not yet complete! As a Jew, I feel a divine obligation to engage with others and guide creation towards completion through acts of Tikkun Olam B’Shem Adonai—repairing our world in the name of God. As much as we wait for a promised messianic era when the world will be at peace, a time that the Biblical prophets including Isaiah, Amos, and Micah described and foresaw, we can recognize our potential having an important role in bringing about that messianic era. Our prayers and our right actions, our commitment and efforts to make the world a better place, will lead us to the messianic era speedily, in our own days. I am proud to live in a country and community with citizens of all religions, skin colors, and ethnicities where we all aspire to be free from fear, bigotry, and prejudice.
May the time not be distant, O God, when all shall turn to You in love, when corruption and evil shall give way to integrity and goodness, when superstition shall no longer enslave the mind, nor idolatry blind the eye. O may all, created in Your image, become one in spirit and one in friendship, forever united in Your service. Amen. From Mishkan T’filah
There are an estimated 19 million refugees in the world today…
There are an estimated 19 million refugees in the world today – mostly in Africa, but also from the Middle East and parts of Latin America. When you read about refugees, think of two human emotions – fear and courage.
A refugee has given everything up, out of fear – fear of death, or injury, or jail. That means leaving everything physical behind except for what a person can carry: home, personal property and business possessions, photos, clothing, toys. It also means leaving one’s native culture and often one’s native language. In many cases it also means leaving family members, some of whom cannot leave, some of whom are scattered around the globe. Often friends and relatives have been killed or disappeared.
Some small portion of these refugees get the opportunity to re-settle in a new place — starting life over – at age 30, or 40, or even 50. Accepting that change takes courage – a special kind of courage, one sustained by faith – faith in oneself, faith in one’s God, and faith in the greater good of humanity. Courage to learn a whole new language, learn new customs and ways of living. Courage to find a way forward when one’s education and credentials don’t mean anything.
Dear God,
Please extend your grace to the many millions of refugees who are displaced in our world today. Please give me the grace to understand the plight of the refugee, and to not have my fears of the unknown compound the fears these many have already faced. Please help me grow in my faith in You and in humanity, so that I have the courage to face the uncertainties and challenges of the world, however large – or small – they may be. Amen.
Love your Latin neighbor.
What does it mean to be Latin? As I sit here trying to answer this question…
Love your Latin neighbor.
What does it mean to be Latin? As I sit here trying to answer this question, I find myself questioning every answer I give, mostly because the term “Latin” refers to such a broad group of people. Latin is anyone who lives in a “Latinized” culture and speaks a romance language. Certainly it would be impossible to claim to know or fully understand such a broad group. So, for the sake of this writing, I will point out the differences and similarities growing up Latin.
I guess I can start by pointing out the obvious; we are a bit tanner, most of us have darker hair, we enjoy spicier foods, we speak very loudly and with passion, we speak Spanish or Portuguese, we have different customs and cultures and we grew up looking at the stars in a different part of the world. It is difficult to remember a time when I could see us as a family struggling to make ends meet. I think back on how difficult it was for me trying to fit in and make new friends when I had torn shoes and a thick accent. As an adult and part of a community, that one might call affluent, I see now that most of us have had the same struggles that all humans have regardless of color, race or religious affiliation; to feel accepted and secure. In the end I think we all want to be loved and respected for our individuality. Although we share more similarities than differences, each one of us is unique.
I think Jesus said it best so, I am going to leave you with his words. ”You shall love your neighbor as yourself, there is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:31)
Dear God, Teach us to see past our differences. Let us embrace those we do not understand. Open our hearts and mind’s to lead with love. Help us be the change we want in the world. Let us stand united as unique individuals. Amen.
Black lives matter.
The phrase itself sets off a flurry of conversation. Of course black lives matter, because all lives matter.
Black lives matter.
The phrase itself sets off a flurry of conversation. Of course black lives matter, because all lives matter. So, why has this phrase become a phrase when other “lives” don’t have a phrase of their own?
Somehow there is a need to open a conversation that has been locked into sound bites and statistics. There is a need to prioritize talking about something that takes us beyond what is familiar. There is a need to look at the assumptions that undergird our understanding. There is need to listen and trust.
We could talk forever about what got us here- to this point. But the fact of the matter is that this is the point at which we find ourselves. And we can’t go forward without setting aside our fear of shame and confusion and the possibility that things could be different.
For those of us who have the privilege of limited and mostly positive assumptions placed upon us, we can open ourselves to listen, allowing ourselves to be influenced and shaped by those to whom we listen. When I feel myself become defensive, I wonder to myself, How could that have been told to me in a way that I wouldn’t feel defensive? Often I come to realize that my defensiveness is simply because I don’t want to hear it.
It is God that draws us together in our common humanity for the sake of all humanity. And for the love of Jesus, we are called to listen to one another and allow our futures to be shaped together.
For the Human Family, BCP p815
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Love Your Neighbor Sign
Each Sunday we’ve prayed for our efforts to “love your neighbor.” Highlighting a particular group on our sign every week has helped us consider how we might pray best in relationship to the particular needs of each affinity group. We’re about half way through the list. At this point, I’d like to share that the sign has generated a lot of conversation, not least of which has been naming groups who aren’t on the sign. So, this Holy Week, let us focus on the universality of the message through a parishioner’s reflection.
Loving, caring, and ensuring the well- being of ALL of our neighbors, regardless of race and culture is what God requires of all of us.
The two great commandments – love God and love thy neighbor as thyself- are the foundation of unconditional love. Loving specific groups of people based on their race and culture, makes “Love” conditional, and thus detracts from God’s greatest love when His Son, Jesus Christ, paid the ultimate price of dying for All of us.
As Christian Members in Christ, we have the spiritual responsibility of leading a life of love, compassion and mercy that strengthens the community in which we live and serve, and making sure that all peoples receive unconditional love because God creates All of us in His own image and likeness- God’s love has no superiority over anyone.
It is my prayer that God’s abiding love open the hearts and minds of all those that are closed to experiencing the true feeling of unconditional love- to love God, love all their neighbors – then love themselves.
Love Your Asian Neighbor
According to the 2010 US Census, Asian Americans constitute 5.6 percent of the total American population. In Ridgefield, 3.0 percent of the population identify themselves as Asian. An “Asian” in America is anyone who can trace their ancestry to one or more Asian countries. While considered a minority nationally and locally, globally, Asia dominates in landmass and population. The “Asian” label masks deep diversity in culture, cuisine, religious affiliation, economies, environments, government systems, historical ties, geographies, nations, languages, and social constructs.
Speaking as an “Asian Neighbor” I, Gus Shippert, struggle with how I want you to see me as both the “same” and “different”. I also struggle with representing a group of people so diverse that it is impossible to speak on their behalf. I cannot claim to know what is “Asian”, beyond my own experience with its people and growing up in Indonesia. What I can suppose is that, while we seek inclusion, we also want people to see beyond the visible features…beyond the ‘mask’…to see what is unique and can be learned. I welcome the opportunity to share my Balinese culture, my religion, my family’s history and my journey to America, with all of its challenges and triumphs.
Dear God,
In all your wisdom, you created diversity amongst people so that we may learn and grow in love, tolerance, generosity and kindness towards all. Help us celebrate what is different and to look beyond our ‘masks’ so that we may unite in Love and solve for common challenges guided by your Word. Amen.
A Prayer for the Wealthy. A Prayer for Us.
Half of the world’s population lives on less than $2.50 of day. Over a billion children suffer in poverty. Will you sleep with a roof over your head tonight? Do you have more than one pair of shoes? Did you eat breakfast this morning? You live in a rarified world where your children get a good education, food is wasted with abandon, and all the information in the world is available to you on your handheld supercomputer. You, my neighbor, are wealthy.
But, Jesus says, “No man can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:13). It is not by chance that vows of poverty are fundamental to so many who devote their lives to their faith. We cannot serve two masters.
So is it wrong to be rich? It just might be so. Focusing on our wealth — our clothes, our cars, our homes — means that we are not focused on God. We cannot serve two masters.
We tell ourselves that if we give a little each month then we’re doing our part. We tell ourselves “Others have more, let them give.” We tell ourselves that we’re going to give it all away—but only after we’re gone. We cannot serve two masters.
Wealth is a weight of the world chaining us to a small life, a life where we continuously fear losing our wealth. To renounce wealth takes great courage. Actually, it takes more than courage, it takes faith. Faith that our life will become more with less. Without wealth our fears will fall away, our vision will become clear, and our spirit will soar. Then, in that moment, we find God. We cannot serve two masters.
Loving God, help all us who are burdened with worldly wealth to find the faith to eschew our hoarded treasure. Help us to find the faith to know that with the burden of wealth gone, you will fill the void. Help us to find the faith to serve you first. We know that we suffer and severely limit ourselves by divided loyalties.* Amen.
*This last sentence is taken from a written piece by Richard Rohr, O.F.M.
Love your disabled neighbor
Speaking as a “disabled neighbor” is a bit daunting. Part of the intimidation is that there are so many of us (the U.S. government has estimated that up to 20% of the adult U.S. population has a disability) and that we and our disabilities are so varied. Part of it is that so much of the experience of disability isn’t very appealing. With those caveats, I can offer some observations, which may apply to others, but certainly apply to me. The first of these is that disability has an enormous impact on how we define ourselves and our relationship with the world outside ourselves, regardless of what our particular disabilities are. This process of self-definition is continual and it takes time: I have struggled with feelings of intense loss, anger, disappointment, shame, longing, envy, and insufficiency. I have also experienced feelings of gratitude, love, hope, relief, and acceptance. I have developed a complex relationship with the idea of normalcy: I crave it, but I appreciate it when others can accept when I cannot achieve it and take steps to enable me to participate in “normal” activities. I do not want to draw attention to myself, but I also do not want to be forgotten. I strive every day to find the elusive balance between mastering my disability, contributing to the life of my community, and not being too proud to accept the help of others when I need it. The pursuit of this balance has been my life’s struggle and it will continue as long as I do.
A Prayer
Good Lord, we thank you for all that you have given us. Whatever our abilities, give us strength and courage to meet our todays and tomorrows with optimism, creativity, and enthusiasm. Do not let pride or shame keep us from accepting a helping hand when it is offered and also help each of us lend our own hand to others whenever possible. Free us from assumptions when we notice others’ particular abilities. May we always be open to learning something new from one another. Amen.
