Saint Luke's Episcopal Church 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Home
Staff
Lay Ministry
Schedule
Outreach
Music Ministry
Church Ministry
Directions
Contact us
Youth Ministries
Adult Ed
Audio Sermons
Vestry
Faith Journey
newsletter
Monthly Calendar

 

 

                                   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Random Thoughts

June 2007

 

 

 

bulletThe last posting on this site was a letter I wrote to Lou Dobbs, a commentator on CNN.  He had been suggesting quite strongly on his nightly program that the church had no business interfering in the affairs of government.  I wrote to tell him that he could not be more wrong on that issue.  I said that the church not only has the right but the responsibility to address the important issues facing our country.  I offered my theology which supports such a claim.  He did not respond to my letter.  I suppose he knew I was right.
bulletMr. Lou Dobbs used to be a news person but has now become an advocate for legislation that would be, in my view, harmful to immigrants.  This whole issue of how to deal with the illegal immigrants, most of whom come from Spanish speaking countries, is a volatile one and one that has no easy answers.  For one thing, one has to wonder if God recognizes national borders.  On the other hand, all societies must order themselves in some fashion or chaos will prevail.  Should we allow the illegal residents already here to stay, or find a way to allow them to earn citizenship, or round them up and ship them home?  If we do the latter what do we do with their children who are citizens?  As I say, there is no easy answer to this dilemma.  As for me, I would find a way to allow them to stay and become legal.
bulletAnother thing Mr. Dobbs and many of the politicians he supports want to do is to build a wall along our border with Mexico.  Then I suppose we could build a wall along the Canadian border.  Then we would be like Israel, completely walled in on ourselves, isolating ourselves from all who are not like us.  I would imagine God would not be too happy with that either.
bulletSpeaking of Israel and the Holy Land, Gaza and the West Bank are just about to explode.  Hamas and Fatah are going to have to find a way to live and work together if the Palestinian people are to ever have a chance to live peaceful lives in their own country, on their own land.  As I watch the violence unfold between these different factions of the Palestinians, and as I see the continuing violence and mayhem in Iraq among the various factions there, I wonder if the human race is capable of turning their/our lives over to God and living with one another in peace.  Sometimes it is hard to keep going in the midst of all of this.  Sometimes it makes me wonder if I am wasting my time preaching peace and justice.  Sometimes it makes me wonder if I am wasting my time preaching about a God of forgiveness, mercy and love.  Sometimes it just makes me wonder.
bulletFollowing on the above bit about wasting my time, I think maybe I have mentioned that I am writing a book.  It started out as something of a memoir but a publisher friend of mine suggested that I write fiction, giving myself license to say more than I otherwise would have said.  Anyway, of course what I write is what I know so I am writing about a fictional priest in a fictional parish in Washington, D.C.  This fellow is looking back over his life and his ministry and is wondering if he has made any difference in the world at all.  All of his preaching, all of his teaching, seem to be for naught because it is hard to tell any difference in the world from when he began until he ended his ministry.  It makes him sad.  He wishes he could have been more effective.