Although the title of this blog may be copyright infringement, I'm going to do it anyway. For those of you who don't know this is a play off of the moral of "Horton Hears a Who" by Dr. Seuss. If you don't know the book go out and read it today, it's amazing.
I just got out of a chapel service that was about multicultural experiences. It was a pretty good chapel service although I struggled to sing some of the hymns because musically they were beyond me. Really the services centered around a couple of words: Do Not Be Afraid. The hot button issue obviously is immigration. Our sermon was really more of a poem with a great performance by Andy Bryan. This poem was pretty abstract in that it was a series of words more than anything else followed by I don't know. That was followed by do not be afraid. Then, he listed a new series of words and the pattern was continued. I don't think I explained it well, but it was thought provoking.
There were a couple of words that Andy said that made me really think. One of those words was naturalization. Obviously, this means the process of becoming a "naturalized" citizen of the US. I don't think I like that word very much. It is like saying that it is unnatural to be a non-citizen of the United States. I'm sure that is not the intent of the word, but that's what I think of. To me the word means to make natural, who the hell are we to make something or someone natural. Doesn't that fall more into the God realm of creation, not the human realm of creation.
He also listed the words personhood and neighbor more than once. If we are naturalizing people then wouldn't that mean that we are making them a person more fully. We are helping them to be what they are meant be because before that they were not natural. But according to Horton a person is person no matter how small. A person is a neighbor no matter how far. A person is a person no matter how legal. A person is a person no matter how religious. A person is a person no matter how tall. A person is a person no matter how short. A person is a person no matter how black. A person is a person no matter how white. A person is a person no matter how brown. A person is a person no matter how Asian. A person is a person no matter how mean. A person is a person not matter how nice. A person is a person!
I know that that last one is a very cheap definition of personhood, but coupled with all of the rest of my statements I think it makes sense. A person is a neighbor no matter how far. We are called to love our neighbor at least Christians and Jews are. I can't really speak for many other religions. A person is to be loved no matter how legal. Love is about getting to know people and embracing them no matter how different their views are from ours. I know that I struggle with this but as many angels have said throughout our canon of scripture DO NOT BE AFRAID. Do not be afraid to reach out to your neighbor (no matter how far away), and get to know them. What the worst that will happen? They will not reach back to you, and you are left with an ackward conversation. Maybe it could get worse, but that shouldn't keep you from loving them.
I feel like this is getting a little too long, and way too preachy for me. But I wanted to share with all two of my readers what this service made me think about. I hope that it makes you think as well.
Peace
mark
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Dreams
It was pointed out to me that it has been more than a month since I had posted on here. So at the request of Ron here is a new post.
Last night I had dream that wasn't at all life changing, but still made me realize something. This dream (it's rare that I remember these things) was basically about me buy a car without even consulting my wife. I don't think that the car was a real model or anything, but I really enjoyed test driving it so I bought it. My wife on the other hand was no where to be found it this dream. Suddenly in the dream I realized what I had done. I woke from the dream trying to figure out how to tell Christie, who controls the finances in the house, that I had indeed bought a new car.
The thing that I realized is that my wife and I are coming increasingly closer to needing to buy a new car. My 1996 Grand Caravan is in bad shape, and I don't know if it is going to hold up much longer. This is nothing surprising or new. But we can't afford to do this anytime soon, yet I am feeling the impending doom of the lovely "Green Bean." That's all I have to say about my literal dream from last night.
I do have another dream that I would like to make public to all of you who might not know yet (I'm not sure that anyone that actually reads this blog doesn't know this already). I would really like to get a Ph.D and teach at a Seminary. I have been toying with this idea for quite awhile now, but recently I have felt less attracted to the local parish and more attracted to abstract thought and expression. This really came about because I read "The Courage to Be" by Paul Tillich this summer, and thought about how much I would like to teach this. My dream is to write and teach something that can make a difference to many people in ministry and people who are interested in Theology. I would really like to make a difference, not by doing ministry in the local church, but by doing ministry with the people who are called to lead the local church.
This is my dream. What's yours? Please be as fanciful as you want.
peace
mark
Last night I had dream that wasn't at all life changing, but still made me realize something. This dream (it's rare that I remember these things) was basically about me buy a car without even consulting my wife. I don't think that the car was a real model or anything, but I really enjoyed test driving it so I bought it. My wife on the other hand was no where to be found it this dream. Suddenly in the dream I realized what I had done. I woke from the dream trying to figure out how to tell Christie, who controls the finances in the house, that I had indeed bought a new car.
The thing that I realized is that my wife and I are coming increasingly closer to needing to buy a new car. My 1996 Grand Caravan is in bad shape, and I don't know if it is going to hold up much longer. This is nothing surprising or new. But we can't afford to do this anytime soon, yet I am feeling the impending doom of the lovely "Green Bean." That's all I have to say about my literal dream from last night.
I do have another dream that I would like to make public to all of you who might not know yet (I'm not sure that anyone that actually reads this blog doesn't know this already). I would really like to get a Ph.D and teach at a Seminary. I have been toying with this idea for quite awhile now, but recently I have felt less attracted to the local parish and more attracted to abstract thought and expression. This really came about because I read "The Courage to Be" by Paul Tillich this summer, and thought about how much I would like to teach this. My dream is to write and teach something that can make a difference to many people in ministry and people who are interested in Theology. I would really like to make a difference, not by doing ministry in the local church, but by doing ministry with the people who are called to lead the local church.
This is my dream. What's yours? Please be as fanciful as you want.
peace
mark
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