I never met the book of Micah until I was in seminary and was studying for the Bible Ordination exam. We had probably studied it as part of Sunday school, but it never really stuck out and its infrequent appearance in the lectionary made it quite foreign. However, once introduced, I became enthralled by its language message. Through the years I came to learn that its inclusion in the Bible was probably due to its popularity at the time the canon was cemented, and I understood why.
Micah as a book, unlike much of the Hebrew texts that are speaking to a large audience, seems to be speaking directly to its reader. Through this short book, in almost a magical way, it develops a relationship with the reader. While similar to the other prophets, to me Micah reads like an old, wise professor teaching rather than a decree, though that language is still present. I think what makes it so personal is that unlike many of the prophetic writings, the Book of Micah seems to transcend the community, putting the emphasis on what the individual can do to change the world to build a stronger community. This week we are going to dive into Micah 4:1-5. You probably know part of this passage, in the Christmas narrative, though it is not always identified: He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Micah 4:3) Many of the prophetic books try to deal with keeping faithful in times of exile, bringing the community to a more faithful place, creating a more comfortable community and peaceful world. But often the burden of many of the prophets is directed at the leadership in the communities or the communities as a whole. Micah, though not the only book of the Old Testament to do this, focuses on what an individual can do to bring about peace in this world. This is why as I started this letter I did so by saying when I met Micah. This is because for me, it was not reading and understanding another book of the Bible, it was a hard-core reality check and well as a tough love letter from God to his people. Over the past few weeks with everything going on in the Presbytery with churches leaving, in the denomination with fights over who’s right and wrong, I often am left to wonder exactly how we can achieve peace. So as I sat contemplating that question, the book of Micah popped up in something I was reading and like a spark turning into a fire, that brought me to recognize that peace can only start when everybody is equally vested in bringing peace, but most importantly, peace can only happen when you as an individual are open and willing to allow the spirit to let peace take hold. I remember doing a solo when I was a kid, back when I could still sing, it was the song, “Let There Be Peace On Earth.” You probably know the song, often sung around Christmas. In this prayer song it starts with the call for peace and then moves to a seeking for the strength to let peace start with me. The recognition in the song is that probably the hardest place to start the pursuit of peace is our dedication to set aside our ego, our desire to be right, and to let the spirit have a chance to bring peace into this world. In Christ, Bryan
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My pardon for any wording mistakes, I am VERY tiered after 15 hours of listening to people talk!
The Prayer Breakfast was another highlight of a week of highlights so far. It was a challenging speech for many of those in attendance. Though for early in the morning it was clear and beautiful in its call for different churches and groups to stop hating each other. She pointed out that we are in a time where people who go to church make that choice not for business or social promotion, but because they are looking to experience God. This means that we need to be bold and unafraid in our pursuits in faith. The morning on the committee on the Middle East was a time of listening, 40 overture advocates, and 2 denominational presentations. It was amazing at both the passion and the lack of any new information. The hard part is trying to listen through the passions of particular individuals and listen for the ways to make Peace. The thing that makes this harder is that we disagree on how that looks. I have learned in ministry that sometimes the closer you are to each other the more people can get entrenched in their positions. Everything to do with the Middle East is difficult. Seeking the best decisions and discerning God’s call for us is hard. The good of the afternoon is that the committee was able to overwhelmingly support a “Resolution on Equal Rights for All Inhabitants of Israel and Palestine and on Conversations with Prophetic Voices” Something that was almost unanimous only 4 against and one abstention. Also an overture “On Affirming Occupation-Free Investment in Palestine.” It goes to show that we are unified on our belief that the actions of Israel are bad, yet we are committed to peace and working with both Israel and Palestine. That agreement down, we began the difficult part of this process, the BDS discussion. This is something, which we have been engaged in from late afternoon until we broke for dinner and picked up all evening. I am convinced that Roberts Rules are not helpful in the case when you have a room full of people who are genuinely wanting to do what is right and the process seems to get in the way. I know there is a point but it still seems that we could take everything, cut paste and reduce to one or two with out the confusion of process. Which we spent a good amount of time in process. The thing about GA, regardless of how the votes go is that we know whatever happens it will be a SoundBits and whatever happens someone is going to be vilified and mostly whatever happens still has two more steps!!! But the thing that wont be said is how deeply everyone care and how much work, research, thought, and prayer has gone into these decisions, and we have to trust that what we end up with at the end of the day to send to the full assembly will be God’s Voice for us this day. In Christ, Bryan The afternoon started with an awesome witness of Rev. James Reese who has been to more Presbytery meetings then I have been alive, his first was in 1974! WOW! As a elder statesmen in our denomination, he has see many things in our denomination both good and I am sure bad. But he highlighted the fact that the Presbyterian Church has and is an inclusive body. As the first mainline denomination to elect a African American Moderator we have and do give voice to the voiceless and power to the powerless. The best witness was that the Church is better when all of us bring our gifts and work through our differences.
Lets just say the rest of the afternoon was best described as painful. It was speech after speech, all which blended into each other and nothing of much of substance. The evening, on the other hand brought the first taste of what my committee assignment is going to be like. In not so many words the Moderator summed up the feeling of the room when he lamented with us this assignment. We did not really did not do anything beyond get to know each other. Again I am surrounded by a wise and thoughtful cohort of people, that I have every confidence will do their best to find the will of God. It is safe to say that, like with the rest of the assembly so far, the feel of the group is very positive, and I think we are dedicated to make some kind of statement. What it will be, who knows. So all in all there is not much to say other then today was a bit of a transition day. And tonight will hopefully bring some good slumber! Tomorrow we look forward to an hour of open time to hear 40 people speak for and against the proposals. As it is tomorrow will be a 12+ hour day of meetings so prayers for stamina are welcome!!! I have to give props to a all of the candidates. They did a great job of answering the questions and though there was a lack of cooperative technology, it was amazing that Heath won with an overwhelming majority. I think it will set a good unifying spirit for the assembly. It was interesting from the questions and answers it sounds as if there is a spirit of moving forward to what’s next as a denomination.
I guess with the reality of 11 churches leaving our presbytery to ECO because they cannot handle an inclusive denomination, I am excited that we still worry on the denominational level how we include people who consider themselves evangelicals and conservatives. Though I lament that John Willkinson did not win, I have always looked up to his ministry, I think Heath can do a great job and his connections will bring healing and dialogue around the world and within our church. I also think that he will be an active Moderator guiding and challenging our denomination. The spirit of GA is great. And it is nice to see how we can celebrate in joy our differences. I have to make note that watching the excitement of the youth advisory delegates and the respect that the “non-youth” have for them is an incredible witness to the future of our church. Oh and the technology Glitches continue, hopefully by the time the difficult decisions come it is worked out, I think at least an hour or 2 were wasted today, just playing with tech stuff. GRR The afternoon at GA was one of those necessary but boring business meetings. I would call it orientation for lack of a better word. We did learn some very important things. First Technology is a useful tool, BUT only when it works! Second, Legos are fun, so much it cause me to stop following Facebook, twitter, and all those other fun things. Third, I think that we are working on singing every hymn in the new Hymnal, I like it!
The most interesting part of the afternoon was reflecting on how MLK impacted our view on racism. It is interesting as I thought about that and reflected on my changes and view based on my strange journey. But what really was powerful was when the woman who sat behind me and talked about the institutionalized racism. Namely, She told us a story of the day before. Though we are part of an inclusive denomination this woman, who is African American, was sitting at the table with a friend. When a couple others joined them and a conversation ensued, all the other folks focused their engagement towards her white friends. This really makes me wonder how many times I may have done this without knowing. Next . . . The Moderator Election The Presbyterian General Assembly can be overwhelming. But sometimes overwhelming can be good. This morning after some self-care, sleeping in until 7:30! I got up, and got ready and did something I do well, I got lost. I found my way to where I wanted to be an hour and a half later, Thankfully, it was nothing important, just a walk through the massive exhibit hall. There were some interesting things there but overall it was a witness to the work our denomination does and enables others to do.
The highlight so far was the Orchestra and Choir at the worship time. I could have just sat and listen to them for hours. To me, hearing the classic hymns and music of the church brought tears well up in my eyes as I saw thought about the powerful witness of these songs, as well as thinking about how some of these songs were probably sung 220 GA’s ago. The reality of the music was grounding for me. GA might be overwhelming because of the work, when you think of the saints that have gone before and those who will come, makes it all the more so. However, further grounding comes in the realization that we are here for God and God alone takes the overwhelming feeling fall aside and realty is that God is in control and whatever comes out of this assembly, God will use it and us to further God’s ministry in this world. More later on the First Plenary and this evenings business. There are many reasons why I like San Jose and the Bay Area. A big one is you just don’t need to travel far, I mean even if your Jonesing for winter in August, all you have to do is go up to San Francisco. Today was a full day of travel. It starting at 3:30am with a beautiful Full moon to wake me, and by 4:30, I had locked down the house, double check everything and hit the road. Many Thanks to Bob Slater who was at the house at 10 after 4 just to be safe!!!
I was lucky in the airport and on my flights. I got to go through the TSA pre-check, pretty cool! I also got to travel with the McCreath’s What a cool couple! Anyhow, my one worry was that the agent who booked my flight put me on the later flight out of Salt Lake City, so while in San Jose I asked to get on standby for the earlier flight. And I am thankful that I did because I got on that flight and from the time I touched down 3pm local time until just now 10:22. It has been running here there and everywhere!!! All this is to really say that nothing of note happened today, I did meet the moderator candidates and One of them was utterly impressive, one seemed like he could do the job, but I am not sure and one that seemed, well just not exciting at all! The first candidate, though deeply trenched in the fight for GLBT rights in the denomination, seemed like someone who could rally a divided church and bring us to a new day. I do look forward to hearing their speeches tomorrow and see if I get the same impression then. Also, I have decided to join a commissioner resolution calling for a response from the PCUSA to the Global Crisis for the LGBT people and their families. I like the wording especially because it does not force anyone to do anything but brings attention to a growing international problem of people being harmed and even killed because of their sexual orientation. I am sure I will say more about this if it gets out of Bills and Overtures. That’s all for now, I am looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings! I learned early in life that what people say and what people do are two different things. A lot of kids spend a good amount of time with their parents, but when you go to and from the hospital you end up spending a lot of time with your parents. It was always interesting driving with my mother because her musical choices were not typical for the average suburban housewife. It was a mix of Barry Manilow, Culture Club, and Peter Paul and Mary, when I told that to a friend their response was “well, now everything makes sense!
Of the three groups I liked Peter, Paul and Mary the most. In my pre-teen years they were fun songs with a catchy tune, but as I got older my mother explained what the songs meant. Yes, some were about drugs, but others were about war, and whether they were about war, sex, or drugs, they were songs that told the story of frustration from a frustrated generation trying to understand the world they were in. Sadly, what that turned into was anything but nirvana and the wars that permeate our society are so ingrained one can be left to wonder if peace is even a real possibility. For me growing up everything was a war. There were the wars in the Middle East, the cold war, but the idea of war permeated everything to say that we have a war on drugs, battles for civil rights, fighting for equality. A friend of mine once said “Americans are addicted to pornography of violence; this addiction means the only way we can look at things is win or lose.” The sad thing is that, as it seems, every year, every election, the quest for the best answers, the best solutions are relegated to come second to the quest to win at all costs. Sadly, if the pre-GA material is consistent with what I encounter there, the groups are fighting battles trying to win a war and they are no longer working towards discernment and seeking truth. My prayer as I head off to my restorative yoga practice, then bed down for the night is that at this GA we take the time to discern, come to understandings and not just fight for the win. I think if we do that, we can be the prophetic voice that our society somehow lost to the wars of the last few decades. I leave for GA in a little over 40 hours and the whole experience is seemingly overwhelming. As my stuff is spread out across my dining room table, my sandwiches are made and sitting in the freezer, I am contemplating the issues that are going to be discussed. This includes the ones that I don’t care about, mostly having to do with edits and clarifications, the ones that I deeply care about like Gay Marriage, and the ones that I find frustrating as all get-out like the BDS.
Being on the committee discussing BDS is really helping me to see the fundamental issue of the Presbyterian Church. I worry that we have moved away from education as the reasoning and have moved towards emotion as the main factor in our decision-making. I have come to this over the past few weeks as I have read and researched issues related to the committee that I am on and the General Assembly in general. Two months ago I had no clue how I was going to get ready and just after Easter when I found out what committee I was on almost instantaneously I felt overwhelmed. The issues surrounding the Middle East can do that to you! But I diligently sought out information and also had the joy of others coming to me sharing their insight. It has been interesting, especially in how emotional the responses are, but when pushed go nowhere. Take BDS for example. For a boycott to work, you have to have an overwhelming support and resolve of the organization and you have to commit. This means that while you might get 51% on an issue like this, unless you have the resolve of the whole body, because the other 49% are not “sold” on the idea the energy to actually move on the issue will get mired down. Secondly, who’s really fighting the battle? When I first read through this I thought this does not seem to be very Presbyterian. I know that is pejorative, but . . . As I looked I learned that this was something that has a life outside the church, to be honest 10 years ago when I had my first discussion on the issue with a rabbi friend I thought it was. The group that is behind it is a very pro-Palestinian group that is fighting for a Palestinian one-state solution for the Middle East. As Presbyterians, our calling card has always been that we are people of the middle way. There is an old joke about Presbyterians that says “Presbyterians are republican congregations lead by a democrat pastor.” As with all jokes there is a bit of truth in that, but what this one hits on is that while we have differing points of view we find ways to work together, because liberal, conservative, or whatever we accept that the real answers can be found only when we work towards a solution together. From the looks of it and the previous resolutions there really has not been any work to try and come to a joint solution or understanding. Creating what we Americans love, a fight with a winner and loser, but is probably the most un-Christian thing imaginable. Thirdly, BDS seems to be a Bully type of a move. A Bully is one who puts someone else down so they can feel good about themselves. Often times a bully will approach someone directly, but just as often they will use a go-between to do their dirty work. Either way, the bully is never in the position to get hurt directly. When looking at the overtures, and reading the rationales, the people who are pushing these have no skin in the game. Two of the companies that are being divested from are not within the borders of the Presbyteries. Moreover, if successful the jobs that would be lost would not be the Jobs of the people so passionate about the issue. You could see the glaring difference when you contrast that with the Gay Marriage and Gay Ordination debate. Many pastors and elders have had to take bold and brave stances on Gay Marriage and ordination, which lead to some losing positions and in some cases being asked to set aside their ordination. Churches have lost members and individuals in congregations have even lost friends. I guess the whole spawn of this letter, or rant as one might say, is that someone equated holding an anti-BDS position as being akin to supporting the Jim Crow South. I find that sad, since I know the people fighting against BDS desire peace just as much, they just have different views of how to get there. My hope is that we can somehow find our way back to a place were we can accept the middle ground and be excited to support things that can make us proud to call ourselves Presbyterians taking bold stances and making a real difference. The second committee that will be getting a lot of attention at the General Assembly meeting happens to be the committee that I have been assigned to; committee 4: Middle East Issues. In this committee we are setting out to bring peace to the Middle East. Don’t laugh! You ask what can a small denomination do to bring peace to the Middle East? And that would be a good question.
My first memory of Middle East issues growing up is one of my mother’s favorite stories to tell. I was very small at the time. We were in the midst of the Iran-Contra affair and on the news they were talking about sending arms to the Middle East. I became very agitated and told everyone they needed to get shirts with sleeves and hide their arms so they would not be sent away. Gotta love a child’s mind! I don’t remember the part of telling everyone else, but I do remember the fear of being sent away and war with all that meant. I do not know why, maybe because I had two older brothers or the constant display in the news, but I knew about war, I knew people died in war, and I knew it was something to fear. As I got older and up to today I cannot help but think that there is a better way to solve problems than with fighting, but as is often the case, we take sides and battle. The Presbyterian Church seems to be good at that these days. Probably influenced by our culture which continues to get more and more polarized, the Presbyterian church keeps getting into these situations where they are taking sides and making choices that are not going to work towards peace; rather, they are just going to irritate and cause more derision. In the case of my committee the big issue revolves around a couple overtures that are around something called BDS, which stands for Boycott, Divest, and Sanction. This is meant to be a punishment to the Israeli government against their behavior towards the Palestinians with the hopes of driving the American corporations that supply materials to Israel out. This is problematic, especially for me and reminds me of another time when I was a kid. I had been playing in the back yard with my brother, and while we were roughhousing I got a cut. My brother, trying to play doctor, went and got some alcohol to rub in my wound, you know to, sterilize it. Putting alcohol on a wound was not a bad thought. But my brother dabbed the alcohol on a dirty cloth, rubbed it into the wound, and kept at the torture long after the tears began as he kept saying this is good for you it’ll make it heal quicker. It did not; it actually made it worse and probably was the cause of an infection. My brother meant well and from watching my parents thought that he was taking good care of his little brother, but the reality of the practice was much different. To be honest I am still in process of learning all I can. Thanks to insights from people like Ross who have spent a lifetime learning about international relations, I am beginning to understand more. But my worry is that in our pursuit of peace we just agitate the situation even more. What really scares me, especially since this is done under the auspice of peacemaking, is that when you take sides in peacemaking you lose the ability to mediate, or help both sides to come to a common ground. The reality of the situation in Israel is that the only way they are ever going to find peace is when the hearts and minds are changed. My worry, though, like many things, especially since the overtures are coming to the GA this year, in almost the same form as last time (which failed), is that people have made this their fight without looking into better ways or seeking new understanding. This will be my last letter before GA; Chris will be doing a Special Christian Education-focused Newsletter next week. I will also be blogging starting Friday night, when I get the chance, on my website www.yatt.org. More than anything I ask for prayer of discernment and understanding. In Christ, Bryan |
AuthorRev. Dr. Bryan James Franzen Archives
September 2018
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