Tag Archives: Common Good

Much Ado About Nothing

tvLiving in the Spirit
September 12, 2016

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 8:18-9:1

My joy is gone, grief is upon me,
   my heart is sick.
Hark, the cry of my poor people
   from far and wide in the land:
‘Is the Lord not in Zion?
   Is her King not in her?’ –Jeremiah 8:18-19

William Shakespeare wrote Much Ado About Nothing in 1598-99, a comedy about court politics. It seems not much has changed. We live in serious times needing serious attention. In search of information on which to base our judgments, we seem to thrive on character assassination. A larger than life reality show has taken over our media. I fear it will continue as long as it makes the large media companies money.

Jeremiah’s lament relates to serious times ignored for reasons of power and greed. We live in a nation proclaimed as having a Government of the people, by the people, for the people about which Abraham Lincoln proclaimed shall not perish from the Earth*.

 The privilege of participative government depends on our willingness to take responsibility for it. We are not living in a reality show where at the end we can push the off button and not worry about the outcome. What we do matters not just for us but for the generations to come.

Prayer: Lord, give us the wisdom of a Jeremiah. Help us perceive the difference between information and manipulation. Guide us not to back away from our civic duties but to search for the truth and demand governance targeted at assuring the Common Good for all. Amen.

*From the Gettysburg Address. See at http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm

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All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

On not letting Distractions become Our Way

Dees-family-watching-hypnotic-TV-screenLiving in the Spirit
July 6, 2016

Scripture Reading: Psalm 82

‘How long will you judge unjustly
   and show partiality to the wicked?
Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
   maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
   deliver them from the hand of the wicked.’ –Psalm 82:1-3

While the USA government was founded on the principle of religious freedom, there is no question that many of its tenants derive from some of the founders Judeo-Christian backgrounds. The very center of government’s responsibilities to assure the Common Good lies at the heart of that background. It, however, also has very practical applications. As I write this the US Congress is considering how to fund a response to the Zika virus that is beginning to invade our land. Zeka’s mosquito carriers do not differentiate between the rich and the poor, the haves, and the have-nots, the sinners, and the saints. We have a shared responsibility to do whatever we can to prevent the spread of this disease wherever it may strike. Some in Congress are using it as a tool for political leverage even when time is of the essence.

We do not wisely judge when we invest our souls in power and greed instead of the Common Good. There is room for discussion and negotiation regarding every issue considered. Having people with diverse backgrounds and knowledge bases leads to better decisions. In my work for social justice, I have learned much from small business owners about the challenges of paying a minimum wage much less a living wage. I still strongly believe that wages need to be adjusted, but done so in a way that allows a business to remain solvent. Problems often arise when other interests cloud the issues.

The Psalmist is calling us to task in our scripture today for letting those other interests overrule what is the best for all of God’s people.

Prayer: Lord, keep us so centered in your love that we can readily recognize distractions for what they are and circumvent them toward finding your will in our lives. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Responsible Citizenship

CitizenshipLiving in the Spirit
July 5, 2016

Scripture Reading: Amos 7:7-17

And Amaziah said to Amos, ‘O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.’  

Then Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”
‘Now therefore hear the word of the Lord.–Amos 7:12-16a

Amaziah, the priest, works to run Amos out of town for challenging the King of Israel. Think of the clergy who blindly backed Hitler. What is it that each of us are called to do and be in our world today even though we may only be herdsmen or arborists, teachers or electricians, nurses or police officers?

I am writing this on the 4th of July when we citizens of the USA celebrate the founding of a country dedicated to the principles of a democracy ruled by elected representatives.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed* (Emphasis Added)

In 2014 in Oklahoma, Statewide, 40.7 percent of registered voters showed up, the lowest recorded rate since 1962. Oklahoma started tracking voter registration at the state level in 1960**. The estimated percent of the voting-eligible population that voted was 30%***. When we give up our right to consent to the type of government we want, we are turning our responsibility over to special interest groups and lobbyist.

If you are withdrawing from the messiness of democracy because you are already tired of the presidential race, let me remind you that much of the problems in our government lay at the feet of Congress and state legislatures. If we truly seek the Common Good for all, we need to elect representatives to these bodies who demonstrate a willingness to work together for the Common Good and not be led by the will of special interest or lobbyist.

As the fireworks end and we all head back to our daily walk, we need to take with us not only our dedication to a democracy that protects our freedom of religion but we also need to examine ourselves to see if we are holding up our end of the bargain.

Prayer: Lord, help me to carefully discern the candidates who are most committed to establishing the Common Good and to give them the support they need to make it a reality. Amen.

*From the Declaration of Independence see athttp://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html

**Oklahoma Watch see at http://oklahomawatch.org/2014/11/04/oklahoma-sees-the-lowest-voter-turnout-for-governor-since-2002/

***United States Election Project see at http://www.electproject.org/2014g

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Informed Common Good

Common GoodLiving in the Spirit
June 25, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 9:51-62

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ To another he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’ –Luke 9:57-62

When is it the right time to say “No More”? Members of the federal House of Representatives staged a sit-in this week in Congress based on the message that something needs to be done about the mass shootings that are happening across our land. They are demanding a vote on bills to control the sale of guns. And yes, it was and is a totally political action. We live in a democracy, which is a political form of governance and relies on the people to elect representatives. We do not have a monarch who inherits his or her role nor do we have a dictator who holds governance by force. Many are questioning now whether we actually do have a democracy, since we seem to be moving closer and closer to an oligarchy where leader ship is controlled by a small group of people, in our case the people with enough money to by “our” representatives.

The responsibility a democratic form of governance places on each of its citizens is great. It is not easy to determine what is the best way to meet the Common Good. We generally want things that are best for ourselves. The Common Good demands that we see what is best for ourselves through a broader scope. Is it better for me to have criminals rehabilitated rather than having them stored together in crowded, unhealthy conditions that just breeds more crime? Is it better for businesses to have a well education workforce from which to make hires? Is it better for me to pay taxes to keep roads in good repair rather than making expensive repairs to the suspension system on my car? Is it better for me to live in a world where disease and contagion are held to a minimum?

Those of us who long for the full fruition of the Kingdom of God have an even higher calling to a broad brushed approach to the Common Good. Our love of God and love of our neighbor as ourselves must also inform our civic responsibilities. The time is now, circumstances for our action will never be perfect or we would not be worrying about the issues in the first place.

Prayer: Lord, write on each of our hearts your will for the Common Good and give us the courage to seek it with all our being. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

The Prime Directive

African proverbLiving in the Spirit
June 9, 2016

Scripture Reading: Galatians 2:15-21

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law. But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! –Galatians 2:15-17

Laws exists to bring order out of chaos, to identify actions and activities that promote the Common Good into becoming universal practices. Thus, laws are fluid, they are adjusted to changing times and circumstances. Laws about where to hitch our horses may still be in statute but have, in general, been rendered unnecessary. Whereas, how, where, and how long we park our cars is very important. Whether we follow a law depends on many things. Some of us just do it automatically, others seek what they can get away with, and still others apply laws more practically based on the current situation.

God’s laws may be described in the same manner with the one exception that such laws are based in our relationship with God. Based in the sure and certain knowledge that we are each loved by God and that our best expression of response to that love is loving God in return and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. This raises the pursuit of the Common Good to a higher plain where our decisions become interdependent. Love rules. We are called to become a majority who lives like Jesus lived, loves like Jesus loved,and moves the world toward wholeness in the process.

It is indeed a call to move mountains when we feel like tiny ants, each trying to move a piece of sand. God’s call to wholeness can only be fulfilled by God’s grace that serves as the sinew knitting us all into one Body with the guidance of the Holy.

Prayer: Lord, help us as a society to work together to assure the Common Good for all in response to your prime directive to love. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights
reserved

Equal and/or Equitable

shapeimage_5Eastertide
April 27, 2016

Scripture Reading: Psalm 67

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
   and guide the nations upon earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
   let all the peoples praise you. –Psalm 67:4-5

The United States was founded on a principle of equality for all and I support that and think it is a good thing. God seems to take it a step further. The Psalmist, quoted above, talks about our being judged with equity. Equity is defined as:

a free and reasonable conformity to accepted standards of natural right, law, and justice without prejudice, favoritism, or fraud and without rigor entailing undue hardship; justice according to natural law or right; a free and reasonable conformity to accepted standards of natural right, law, and justice without prejudice, favoritism, or fraud and without rigor entailing undue hardship : justice according to natural law or right*

Jesus addresses this in Luke 12:48b when he says, From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.

Our tax system is based on both of these principles. Sells taxes are charged equally to all who purchase. Our income tax system is based on equity. The challenge for our leaders now is discern the fairest way to raise enough revenue to prudently meet the common good. It is a very complex and difficult task. I invite all of us to spend time in prayer for our leaders who must make the final decisions of what needs to be equal and what needs to be equitable.

Prayer: Lord, be with each of our elected representatives. Write on their hearts the best ways not only to identify what is necessary for the common good but also to raise the revenue necessary to provide for the common good in equal and/or equitable ways that also reflect the common good. Amen.

*http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/Equity

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Discerning Agreement on What Justice Is

Martin Luther KingEastertide
March 28, 2016

Scripture Reading: Acts 5:27-32

When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, saying, ‘We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.’ But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority. –Acts 5:27-29

What does the phrase We must obey God rather than any human authority mean to you? It calls to my mind the image of Dietrich Bonhoeffer standing in absolute humility, rather than humiliation, awaiting his death by hanging after resisting Hitler’s oppression. The picture of Martin Luther King Jr. also comes to mind. He is peering out of the bars from the Birmingham jail where he was imprisoned for seeking a non-violent end to racial injustice. It is from there he wrote his letter from the Birmingham Jail which states in part, “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” Both of these men understood the injustice of the events in their worlds at their times and willingly invested their lives in rectifying such oppression.

The phrase We must obey God rather than any human authority is not representative of any movement that implores human authority to enforce one faith’s beliefs on everyone else. Indeed, the United States of American was formed based on the need to support free religious expression and not to support any governmentally defined religious beliefs. The US Constitution’s first amendment states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….

The challenge in a democratically governed country is for all people to come together and discern the values that they do share to establish ways of providing for the Common Good while respecting the rights of people of faith to follow their tenets of belief. The process by its very definition is messy and of necessity requires compromise. Jesus probably said it best. We are to ‘Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ (Mark 12:17)

Prayer: Lord, it is so very difficult to do justice when we disagree on the definition of justice. Help us discern your justice while continuing to work together to meet the Common Good of all the people of our nation and world. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Prodigals All

repentance1Lent
March 6, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. –Luke 15:13-14

I fear, we, the people of the United States, have all become prodigals. While we may react in horror at some of the political shenanigans that are occurring across our great land, we are only getting what we are asking for. We each as individuals and all of us collectively need to step back a few moments from the rhetoric and determine what it is we really want our government to be.

The form of government our founders proposed, which by the way was a messy process in and of itself, is a government that provides for the Common Good. I know there are those who have eradicated themselves from that basic premise, but it is still the case. It is my hope and prayer that it is still the vision of most of our population once we think about it. As a follower of Christ, I believe we are seeking the Common Good not just for Americans but for all of God’s children around the world.

Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic stated While we do our good works let us not forget that the real solution lies in a world in which charity will have become unnecessary. It is a world where God’s justice rules, where all God’s children are loved and nurtured, where all have enough of the necessities of life, where all live in peace resulting from mutual respect and love. That is the Common Good. It is not socialism, it is not communism, it is not capitalism. It is a way of being that can thrive in any form of governance, if we the people make it so.

Prayer: Lord, order our lives to claim your vision of our future. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Love: Always the Right Answer

GreatestLoveEpiphany
January 29, 2016

Scripture Reading: I Corinthians 13:1-13

Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. –I Corinthians 13:8-13

I think, Paul is saying in these words that love is the only complete, whole thing we know at this time and in this place. At least that is implied. He makes the succinct statement Love never ends and then he ventures off describing several things that are important to people of faith as being only known in part, incomplete, or not perfect. We people of faith sometimes get tangled in webs of partial realities when the solution to what we seek is among us whole and complete: love.

I just returned from a totally depressing seminar on the Oklahoma state budget problems. We have been living in the fantasy land for some years that we can have our cake and eat it too. The theory is, if we cut taxes the economy will grow so much there will be gains in state revenue. Tell that to the 7,000+ developmentally disabled persons on a waiting list for services, some as long as nine years, and to their aging parents who only what to be assured their adult child’s needs will be met if they outlive their parents. Tell it to the school teachers who have to buy supplies for their classrooms while working a second job to pay their own bills. Tell it to the prison security staff dealing with totally unrealistic ratios of prisoners to guards. Tell it to the prisoners who are offered no restorative services. Tell it to the people in need of health care whose only local hospital has closed.

Most of us probably don’t even consider that paying our fair share of taxes is an act of love or that assuring the common good is being provided in adequate and productive ways is also an act of love, but they are.

Prayer: Lord, help us to recognize our responsibly to ourselves and each before it is too late. Amen.

Taxes and the Common Good

commongood-signpostLiving in the Spirit
November 8, 2015

Scripture Reading: Mark 12:38-44

He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’ –Mark 12:41-44

Regressive taxation is still in vogue today. The tithe as defined by the Hebrews was a flat tax of 10% of income. Flat taxes are in general regressive taxes. For a poor person who does not have enough money to pay the rent or buy food, 10% is insurmountable. For a wealthy person 10% of their income would most likely exceed the amount required to meet basic needs. If we look deeper into the history of the Israelites, we will see that they also made allowances for income based on need. The offerings required for various occasions might require a perfect lamb for a richer family, two doves for poorer one. This is what is called a progressive tax. Our income tax is a progressive tax. Sales taxes, for example, are regressive taxes.

Our scripture today is an object lesson presented to his disciples. It leaves them to decide the justice in the system. It leaves us to decide the justice in our system, too. We would most likely say that giving to the church today is not a tax, it is a matter of choice and that would be true in our country where church and state are separated, but that was not the case when the tithe was created. Both types of taxations are probably needed depending on the situation. Our federal gas tax is a flat tax designed to support the maintenance and development of highways and bridges and that may be appropriate. Social Security taxes are flat taxes with reimbursement based on the amount paid with a basic payment that is stable for all. Thus It is a combination of both a flat tax up to a maximum level then reducing the amount paid by people with higher incomes becoming a progressive tax benefiting the wealthy. The payout distribution is a somewhat more progressive system.

We need enough funding to meet the common good. Defining how we do that and what is the Common Good is the challenge for all citizens. We would do well to include today’s object lesson in our thinking of what type tax system we need to meet what we believe to be the Common Good.

Prayer: Lord, we asked your guidance in our decisions regarding what is the Common Good and how shall we pay for it. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.