The spiritual practices of Jesus were broad.  They certainly included solitude, regular communion with God in prayer and quiet moments of reflection.   There were at least two other important components:   First, engaging strangers in a way that recognizes both their value as human beings and their personal need; and second, being public about the values that Jesus claimed to be at the heart of the Jewish faith.  The Sermon on the Mount is one public expression of those values.

Bryan Stevenson, an attorney who fights for death row inmates and the author of Just Mercy,  often encourages people to “get proximate!”  Allow yourself to get to know people who are different than you.  Allow yourself to hear their pain and to recognize the common humanity you share with them.  Professor Edward Antonio* in a series of addresses at the recent synod assembly urged the same thing:  Allow yourself to get to know “the Other.”

Aristotle and Alexander the Great had different attitudes toward non-Greeks.  Aristotle saw them largely as “barbarians,” fit primarily for servitude.  Alexander not only engaged non-Greeks in battle but allowed himself to get to know them as human beings.  In so doing he saw the talents, aspirations and struggles that are common to both Greeks and the Other. By allowing himself to get proximate to non-Greeks, he began to see them as potential allies and friends!**

It seems to me that getting proximate to the Other naturally leads to another step, namely going public.  That can mean something as simple as publicly standing with a fellow human who is in pain.  It can also mean becoming vocal in a public way.

The Sermon on the Mount is an example of Jesus persuasively engaging the polis (Greek for city or community); the sermon is political.  There are many illustrations of Jesus engaging in public  discussion and debate for the advancement of the “common advantage” (Aristotle) as well as for the good of the individual.  I am deeply committed to going public, specifically being political as a means of addressing human pain and advancing the common good.  Unfortunately, it can easily pit Christians against Christians as seen in America today.

Together Colorado is an unusual group.  It is a faith-based community organizing association of religious organizations with a marvelously broad umbrella.  It includes Jews, Muslims, Christians, and people of other religions who hold to a common belief in the dignity of humanity and the conviction that God’s desire is for the health and well-being of all people.  Together Colorado and other community organizing groups formulate and support legislation that, for example, could bring greater fairness to the tenant-landlord relationship (Colorado Legislature, SB21-173) or could improve the “show-up” method of identifying an alleged perpetrator of a crime (Colorado Legislature, HB21- 1142).

At the local level, I have seen faith-based community organizers experience success in getting ordinances passed that improved rental property standards, reduced reliance on cash bail in courts and strengthened the public oversight board of a large police department.  It’s hard and sometimes frustrating work, but Jesus’ work with his closest friends proved to be hard and frustrating as well.

I invite you to consider these two components of a spirituality practiced by Jesus:  “Get proximate”; allow yourself to hear the pain, particularly of the marginalized.  Then “go public!”  You don’t have to do it alone.  Do it with a group that shares the core values that emerge from the faith.   Go public in an effort to stand with the marginalized and advance the good both of humanity and of the earth.

Chuck Hubbard

*Dr. Edward Antonio is the Chief Diversity Officer and Professor of Humanities at Concordia College in Minnesota.

**Irina Frasin, “Greeks, Barbarians and Alexander the Great: The Formula for an Empire,” Athens Journal of History, Vol. 5, Issue 3 (July 2019), 209-224, available in PDF on the Internet.  Within this article see particularly, “The Empire of Alexander the Great:  The Other as Ally, as Co-citizen and as Friend”, 217f.

In the familiar Matthew judgment story of separating the sheep from the goats, in reference to feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, etc., the king said, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one the least of those who are members of my family, you did it to me.” We at Our Saviours choose to “clothe the naked” every fall in our annual drive for warm clothing for the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Our country has systematically thrown the Native Americans into poverty throughout our history together.  Just one example most of us do not know about is that 60% of their “family land” is leased out by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to non-tribal members for far below market value, sometimes as little as 50 cents/acre. Without land to farm and few jobs on the reservation, how can they sustain their lives? Here are some statistics:  Pine Ridge Reservation is the poorest county in the U.S.; TB rates are 800% higher than national average; almost 50% of adults suffer from diabetes; teen suicide is 150% higher than national average; schools are in the bottom 10% of funding in Dept. of Ed. and BIA; average of 17 people are living in each family home, sometimes up to 30, due to lack of heating in many homes; 33% of homes lack uncontaminated water, sewer and electrical service; life expectancy is 55; the reservation has no banks, discount stores, or public transportation, and only 1 large grocery store. Imagine yourself living there!

Because the Native Americans are largely hidden away on isolated reservations, we don’t see their plight.  They certainly classify as “the least of these.”  I am reminded of the story of the little boy on the beach throwing stranded starfish into the water.  When a man told him he could never make a difference with so many starfish, the boy answered,” but I can make a difference to that one.”  We can do the same.  The gratitude of the people in response to our gifts of clothing is amazing.

God, give us the will and the means to help meet the desperate needs at Pine Ridge, and thus let them know that we as your people care about them.

Devotion by: Carol Bisbee

At a meeting of Fort Collins Interfaith Council, where I first learned about ISAAC as a coalition of local churches committed to walking with immigrants and refugees in our local community, the presentation ended with a reading of this poem. As a mother and a grandmother, I never forgot the feelings I experienced when I heard the despair in these words. Since then, Our Saviour’s has joined the ISAAC coalition. I pray that we will continue to grow in our understanding and action on behalf of immigrants and refugees: https://isaacnoco.org/

Reflection: La Ruta de las Mujeres (The Women’s Route)
Written by Rev. Delle McCormick

I walk the path that you took
hours or days ago.
Stones and slope and thorns
threaten each step with
danger.
I see where you slept
under the mesquite tree
home to spiders, snakes, ants –
familiar to coyotes, Gila monsters,
God knows what.
A piece of plastic,
grass woven into the branches
for shade against the merciless sun,
a tuna can,  toothbrush,
tortilla cloth, used bus ticket –
all part of your story,
your life lost in this desert.
Nearby a tiny silver spoon
engraved, a love letter,
your bible, a pair of panties,
birth control pills,
breast cancer medicine,
a baby bottle, diapers,
one chancla, perfume bottle,
a pair of pants with
a name and number written in the inseam.
O, what you leave behind
haunts me
I know you
Sister, mother, friend,
Lover, aunt.
Some day

we will all be held
accountable for your
your suffering, your loss.
Some day, we will
celebrate your courage,
your story, your making
your way to the Promised Land.
Some day we will name this Exodus
and thank God that
some of you make it
across.

Devotion by Beth DeHaven

Changes in our own faith journey can be dramatic, and that’s ok.  I talked to one member who has been trying to reconstruct her faith by tearing down the foundation to discover and understand what is at its base.  The base for her comes from an upbringing that centers on a God of judgement and anger.  It is hard because some good things were a part of her faith, but its core left her empty.  

As she attempts to create a foundation built upon love, I remind you that deconstructing your faith is not a bad thing, but it can feel and be hard.  The difficult part is that the structure of faith has had significant investment.  It can leave one feeling defeated and apart from God.  Scripturally you have some pretty good company in the Apostle Paul and others who invested significantly, but eventually found something new.

I hope this time in the wilderness of COVID (perhaps other things) has allowed you to reflect on your faith.  Set up an appointment to talk with one of us pastors about your faith, or ask for a Stephen’s Minister to walk with you through a trying time. 

Pastor Michael