Credo 8/16/2020
I am
writing this to post on Facebook, my blog at reveldon.blogspot.com, and
twitter. As I read that which is posted, it is easy to become discouraged,
disheartened, and depressed often leading to anger at the way we treat one
another, the lack of love we have for God and others if not ourselves. I fear
that we have lost the heart of the gospel of Jesus. We, and I include myself,
have become a nation of selfishness and more concerned about what benefits
only myself. I see this in all levels of government that have lost the ideals
of Abraham Lincoln of being for the people and of the people. Maybe this
pandemic has made these concerns more apparent. The racial divide, the abject
poverty, the lack of consideration of the lives of others with this virus, seems
to become almost like a cancer if one would depend on social media. I cannot
count the number of times I have deleted reposts from people that have never
taken the time to find out the truth of the issues. And because for some it is
so inconvenient to do the simple things such as wearing masks, hundreds of
thousands of people die.
As I am
writing, I recognize that I am as those that I condemn. I, too, can be as
judgmental as others. I, who have born as a white male into a life of
privilege, can act without awareness towards others in ways that donot
exemplify Christ. I just ask for forgiveness for those times. I pray that my
eyes be opened to see that BLM because of the suffering and history of the way
people were treated. To love those that I find unlovable. To love those who
only preach hatred, greed, and who are so dogmatic that they lose sight of the
gospel. To love those who are different than I and to respect their differences
without demonizing them. To pray for those who put their lives on the line to
protect us on the streets, in our homes, and in our hospitals as well as care
centers.
Just
when my discouragement reaches the peak, I decided to read or reread some of
the books that I kept from seminary or bought during annual conferences. The
very first one I decided to read was “Credo” by William Sloan Coffin. Rev. Coffin was ordained in the Presbyterian
Church and later in the United Church of Christ. He was a chaplain at Yale
University where the influence of H. Richard Niebur’s social philosophy led him
to become a leader in the Civil Rights movement and the peace movements of the
1960’s and 1970’s. He was an ardent supporter of gay rights. He died in 2006.
The book contains segments of his sermons, his published and unpublished
writings. The chapters are titled Faith. Hope, Love; Social Justice and Civil
Liberties; Social Justice and Economic Rights; Patriotism; War and Peace;
Nature; Life in General; The Church; and The End of Life. I would encourage
those who are interested to purchase the book if available. I would like to
share some of the quotes daily. I hope to do so without infringing on copyright
but as an alternative to what we hear predominately in social media.
The
first couple come from the chapter of Faith, Hope, Love that is based on Cor.
13:13.
Make love your aim, not biblical
inerrancy, nor purity nor obedience to holiness codes. Make
love your aim, for
‘Though I speak with the tongues
of men and of angels’—musicians, poets, preachers, you are being addressed;
‘and though I … understand all
mysteries, and knowledge’—professors, your turn,
‘and though I bestow all my goods
to feed the poor’—radicals take note;
‘and though I give my body to be
burned’—the very stuff of heroism;
‘and have not charity, it
profiteth me nothing’ (I Cor. 1-3).
I doubt if in any other scriptures
of the world thee is a more radical statement of ethics. If we fail in love, we
fail in all things else.”
As I close this, one may call a rant, I want to add this
from Coffin. “Of God’s love we can say two things: it poured out universally
for everyone from the Poe to the loneliest wino on the planet; and secondly,
God’s love doesn’t seed value, it creates value. It is not because we have
value that we are loved, but because we are loved that we have value. Our value
is a gift, not an achievement.” I hope that this may help in this time.
Shalom
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