I Have a Dream – The Week After

 

I feel honored and more than a bit humbled that several people have asked me to post my sermon from last week.  Imperfect as it is, it is now posted.  If you’ll click on “worthwhile links” in the navigation bar and scroll to the bottom you’ll find it.  Or, it occurs to me, through the magic of web stuff I don’t begin to understand, you can click here.  Feel free to pass it along if the spirit moves.

 

And in the “I wonder if this happens to other ministers” category, AFTER I gave the sermon I found some notes I had made for the sermon that had ended up under a pile of paper.  This was something I had very much wanted to include in the sermon.  I think I found another way to do it, but this, I think, expresses it best:

 

This day has not come without setbacks.

This day has not come without trial.

This day has not come without sacrifice.

But this day has come.

And it is good to pause and savor the moment.

 

And savor the moment we did last week.  The choir sang a wonderful song written by Grace Lewis-McLaren, “I Have a Dream.”  We also sang a song that I had to teach the congregation.  It was a tad humbling here too, as I had been convinced that EVERYBODY knew it.  It’s an old spiritual.  I sang it in the sixties, but would rush to tell you that no one was threatening to shoot me or turn a fire hose on me.  It was, in some ways an anthem if not the anthem of the civil rights movement.

 

Oh freedom,

Oh freedom,

Oh freedom over me.

And before I’d be a slave

I’ll be buried in my grave

And go home to my God

And be free.

 

We also used the words of Dr. King as a responsive reading.  And our guest musicians, the marvelous “Real Folk” sand a hauntingly beautiful version of “We Shall Overcome.” 

 

It was a truly magical service.  I am grateful for all who made it possible…

 

Our musical guests, Real Folk;

Our magical choir;

Our caring congregation;

And, more soberly, all who suffered, including the many who died, to make the day possible.

I Have A Dream

 

I’m working on Sunday’s sermon.  It’s my great joy that following our celebration of the life of Martin Luther King on Monday, and the inauguration of Barack Obama on Tuesday, I get to lead the service this Sunday.  What a privilege!!

 

We are, I think, a somewhat manic country.  We are either giddy with the joy of how far we have come, or overwhelmed with sadness and even bitterness over how far we’ve yet to go.  My hope, as I write the sermon, is to strike a balance.

 

We have come so far that for many of our youth, the United States of the 1960’s is a foreign country.  It is important, I think, to remember (if we were alive then) or to learn (if we weren’t) just how much was sacrificed by so many to get us here. 

 

I had hoped to work into the sermon a book I’ve recently finished.  It doesn't look like I can, but I do want to mention the book here.  It is “Slavery by Another Name” by Douglas A. Blackmon.  It is a book that needs reading.  But be warned, it documents a horrific part of American history – from the post Civil War era to World War II and how far too many African Americans faced virtual re-enslavement in the South.  It took me two months to read it.  I could only read a few pages at a time. 

 

To know where we are going, we must know from whence we have come.  This is a part of our history and we need to know it … even as we move forward, even as we realize Dr. King’s great dream, at least as embodied by our new president, that one day we shall judge each other based on the content of our character and not the color of our skin.

 

But the great joy of the sermon, I HOPE, is that dreams are worth dreaming.  Dreams can become real.  It takes work.  It takes community.  It takes sacrifice.  But dreams are worth dreaming and dreams can become real.

 

Indeed, if we are to have a future for our children and their children, we must dream.  We must always be dreaming of a better world, visioning that better world, and then working to make that dream of a better world a reality.

 

I’m not really sure why some of us stop dreaming.  Or maybe I do.  Life can be cruel, and hard, even oppressive.  How many times can one see his or her dreams seemingly smashed and then pick up and keep dreaming?

 

Yet for me that is the great message of Dr. King, and the great hope that Barack Obama being judged not by the color of his skin but the content of his character can give us. 

 

Is there hope for the future?
Say the brown bells of Merthyr*

 

Yes.  Oh yes, there is hope for the future.   If we will dream. 

 

 

*From “The Bells of Rhymney” Words by Idris Davies; Music by Pete Seeger

A Consumer’s Obligations

 

Mostly this week's blog is about us as consumers.  When there is talk about obligations, mostly we tend to talk about what the obligations of corporations are, or the obligation of government to protect us, but I’d like to spend some time talking about us.  What might be our obligations as consumers?

 

But before getting to that I want to note the passing this week of Ricardo Montalban.   I knew him.  You’ll hear he was a star.  True enough.  More importantly, I think, he was a true gentleman.  Salt of the earth.  The pool of human openness and genuine warmth on this planet is diminished by his absence.  May he rest in peace. 

 

So how do I transition from that!?  I can’t.  So let’s take a breath, and then just move on. 

 

 

1 January 2009

 

Dear CU,

 

There was a time that I renewed my subscription to Consumer Reports year after year.  For the past several years I have not.  You asked me to try again, and I accepted the trial offer.  But write to you to tell you that I will not accept your offer for a subscription to Consumer Reports.  You may or may not care, but I do want to tell you why.

 

We HAVE to move away from a society that is only interested in consumption – and massive consumption at that.  What is the best deal? can no longer be the primary question.  What is the best quality product? can no longer be the secondary question (and sometimes the primary one).

 

As a consumer, the questions I want answered are many.  They include the above, but I am not interested in, nor can I support a magazine for whom these two questions are the primary thrust.

 

Below is what I need to know about my consumer purchases.   I would urge, indeed beg you to consider reformatting your magazine to answer all, not just a few of these questions.

 

1) Green Factor

 

• What kind of packaging does it come in, and is it recyclable?

• What is the impact of the product on the environment? 
  1. How much energy is involved in its use?
  2. How much energy is involved in its production?
  3. What is its impact on resources? (what is it made of and what does that mean?)
• Is it reparable? (assuming we are not dealing with a food item) or must it be dumped in the trash if it fails to work?  Are there similar products that ARE reparable? 

 

2)  Value – how well made is it for the price?  This you do quite well already.

 

3) Cost Comparisons – What are comparable products running?  This you also do quite well already.

 

4) Use Factor – How long will it last?  Here you do an ok job, but could do a better job.

 

For you to concentrate on 2-4 and not give equal attention to #1 is to deny the consumer crucial information.  It also perpetuates the use and throw away culture that endangers not only us, but our children and the planet.  The truth of it is that everything we do as consumers affects other consumers.  The time has come where we must, as consumers, consider how our consumption affects the world.

 

Please cancel my trial subscription.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Rev. Steven Greenebaum

Israel, Gaza and Justice

 

It doesn’t happen every time, but it happens enough to give me pause.  If something comes to me and I write my blog early, by the time Friday rolls around there’s something else that seems more pressing and calls to be written about.  So it is today.

 

But today is different, in the sense that the blog here is in fact going to be quoting someone else’s blog.  The blog is by Eboo Patel, whose book “Acts of Faith” is recommended elsewhere on this website.  Mr. Patel not only writes eloquently about the justice-tangle that is Israel and Gaza, but also more sanely than I have read or heard in a very long time.  In the hope that his words and ideas will spread, I quote them here.

 

One caveat.  I don’t know what the copyright rules are for blogs.  I have written Mr. Patel asking for permission to reprint his blog here, but I’ve not heard back from him yet.  If this blog entry suddenly disappears, it is because I have heard from him and he has denied me permission to reprint his words.  That's his right.  These are his words.  Eboo Patel is founder and executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago-based international nonprofit that promotes interfaith cooperation. His blog, The Faith Divide, explores what drives faiths apart and what brings them together and is part of the Washington Post blog. Here then are the words of Eboo Patel.

 

Status Quo vs. Solution for Middle East

 

I spent much of the weekend communicating with Muslim and Jewish leaders on the recent crisis in Gaza. Here was my basic question: "Have you reached out to leaders in the other community to find a solution to the conflict?"

 

Here was the most common answer: "I'd love to talk to people in the other community. Can you give me the phone numbers of folks who agree with our position? If they'll appear with us at a media event, or put their name on our press release, that's even better."

 

That's a perfectly understandable instinct, but it doesn't lead to a solution. It's just a continuation of the logic that has led us here.

 

As I stated in my previous post, the rules of rhetorical engagement for Muslim and Jewish organizations regarding the Middle East were set long ago. I'm starting to think of these as the Status Quo Rules for Middle East Engagement. If you like the status quo, these rules are for you.

 

Rule No. 1 is use the current crisis to advance your narrative. If you're Jewish, that story involves words like "security", "terrorism", and "right to exist". If you're Muslim, it includes terms like, "humanitarian crisis", "occupation" and "disproportionate violence".

 

Rule No. 2 is talk about how bad it is where your people live. If you're Jewish, that means highlighting the number of Hamas rockets fired into Israel and the number of lives lost and disrupted in cities like Sderot. If you're Muslim, it involves talking about the prison that is Gaza and the disaster that is the West Bank.

 

Rule No. 3 is blame it on the other side. If you're Jewish, that means pointing at the violent and belligerent defiance of Hamas. If you're Muslim, it means talking about the suffocation of the blockade in Gaza and the occupation in the West Bank.

 

Following these rules makes perfect sense for the parties involved because just about every one of their talking points is true. Hamas is violent and belligerent. The blockade and occupation is suffocating. Life in Sderot is rife with fear. Life in Gaza does feel like a prison.

 

Here's the only problem: the Status Quo Rules have not, and never will, lead anywhere but the status quo.

 

If we are going to move from Status Quo to Solution, we're going to need a whole lot of courage and a different set of rules. People are going to have to come up with the courage on their own, but let me offer a set of "Solution Rules" for Muslim and Jewish organizations regarding the Middle East.

 

Rule No. 1: Make your first phone calls to the people who disagree with you on the current situation, but who agree with you on the basic outlines of a long-term solution - two states, with security and dignity for all. That's a Coalition for a Solution, creative and courageous enough to get people's attention. This means, difficult as it might be, resist the instinct to use the current crisis to find more people who will wave signs for your side, show up at your rallies or sign on to your petitions. That logic serves mostly to further prolong the conflict. Instead, use the spotlight on the Middle East to reach out to those on the other side who have the courage to play for a long-term solution and say, "Look, the status quo is untenable for everybody. It's time for a different set of rules."

 

Rule No. 2: Acknowledge the real issues on the other side. Minnesota U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim in Congress, models this in his recent press release when he says that he has been in Sderot and has "seen firsthand both the physical and emotional destruction caused by the rocket attacks". That acknowledgment doesn't take away from something else that Ellison says - which is that conditions in Gaza are "unliveable". It merely means that Ellison has the eyes and the heart to imagine life on both sides of the fence.

 

In Status Quo Rules, recognizing the challenge on the other side makes you a traitor. In the Solution Rulebook, it makes you a true patriot, because it's the fastest way to build trust with the people you have to build peace with.

 

Rule No. 3: Recognize that certain players who claim to be on "your side" are part of the problem. The truth is, you don't want them on your side anyway. They are dangerous and destabilizing to your community. When peace is finally made with the other side, your first battle is going to be against them. Hamas is a destructive force to Israelis, and a destructive force to Palestinians. Muslims should feel no obligation to defend them. The militant settlers are murder to Palestinians, and also murder to Israel. No Jews should feel like they have to defend them either.

 

Rule No. 4: The politics of the Middle East is about where your family is. If your family is in Sderot, it is unbearable. If your family is in Gaza, it is also unbearable. Talking about whether scattered Hamas rockets are the equivalent of precision Israeli air raids, or whether Islamist rhetoric is as bad as Israeli occupation is logical but irrelevant. Logical because you can write press releases for your side using such talking points, irrelevant because it doesn't build a bridge to the other side, which is the only way to a solution.

 

The sad truth of the Middle East conflict is that many Muslims and Jews agree that the Solution Rulebook makes sense to them, but when the crisis escalates and hits the front page (like now), the old logic takes over and Muslim and Jewish organizations revert to the Status Quo Rules.

 

But here's the really sad truth. Every day is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and a humiliating subjugation in the West Bank. And every day is a security crisis in Sderot and tightening fear in Israel.

 

And all the well-meaning organizations following the Status Quo Rules, thinking they are serving their side, are really only prolonging the crisis.