Tell Ohio Gov. John Kasich: Pardon Kelley Williams-Bolar

During his campaign, Ohio Governor John Kasich pledged to bring jobs into the state and help heal Ohio's distressed economy.

How will he handle the situation of Kelley Williams-Bolar, an Akron woman who wanted the best for her children but is now in jail and may be prevented from having a job? More than 11,000 Change.org members hope he'll do the right thing.

Thousands of people across the country have asked Gov. Kasich to pardon Kelley Williams-Bolar, an Akron, Ohio woman sentenced for sending her daughters to school in a district where they did not have residency.

Williams-Bolar was jailed, given 80 hours of community service and slammed with three years of probation after she was convicted of falsifying residency records so that her two daughters could go to school in nearby Copley, Ohio, where her father lived. Williams-Bolar, an African-American single mother, lived in public housing in Akron.

Williams-Bolar maintains that she was worried about her children's safety and never meant to deceive school officials. Even if she did do something illegal, forcing jail time on a mom trying to give her children a better life is a senseless punishment. Even worse, her felony conviction could cripple her career as an educator. Currently just classes away from a teaching degree, she works as a special education assistant. As a convicted felon, she'd be barred from teaching in Ohio.

This wrongheaded decision has led to fiery debate about education, race and upward mobility in America today. For many, it's also become a call to action. Spreading the word on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and the blogosphere, more than 11,000 have signed a Change.org petition created by member Caitlin Lord (read Lord's insights here) in support of Williams-Bolar. That petition, which was updated and focused today, asks Ohio's new governor, John Kasich, to pardon Williams-Bolar for this victimless crime.

Sign the petition and tell Gov. Kasich to pardon Kelley Williams-Bolar. After you sign, tweet the link to your friends using http://bit.ly/williamsbolar and #savekellywilliamsbolar (sic).

Photo credit: Miss Jia

A Letter to Rev King

Dr Rev King,

Today in the United States we are celebrating you. It is a national holiday. I am grateful that as a country we recognize the contributions you made toward equality for African Americans. I also appreciate that you are quoted widely as having said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” For many of us, you are our champion, our teacher, and our inspiration.

Don’t get me wrong, you are still hated by many. People of colour are deemed less than white people by too many white people. Well, even if it was only by one white person that would be too many. I wish I could report to you that bigotry, prejudice, and hate was a thing of the past. I can’t. There is still hate and oppression and violence. Systemic oppression – invisible to or ignored by most of the perpetrators – wields a heavy hand in every city, office, church, and family no matter how intentional we are to create a free and equal environment. I’m sure there are lots of folks who will get angry that I wrote that to you, but from my experience it is true.

Yesterday I went to the movies. I don’t go very often and I don’t keep up with what is playing at the cinema. One of the previews was for an upcoming show call “Cowboys and Aliens.” It disturbed me. The preview wasn’t very long, but the show seems to be about Cowboys being the normal people and Aliens being the non-normal people. The Aliens are a threat to the Cowboys. The storyline says, “these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.” Why is it, Rev King, that those in power relegate some people to the category of monster when what they know is being challenged? Why is it that movies are so often made to depict those who challenge the status quo as being vicious, manipulative, and scary? Is power that fragile?

There is still so much work to be done. Your leadership was crucial and I thank you for being so courageous. I have to admit that I’m not sure I have the same courage or tenacity that you possessed. There are times when I wonder if I can continue to go forward in my work. As a Christian typically I look to Jesus for my inspiration, but I want you to know that often I look to you as well. Just like Jesus, you did not cower when you were told to sit down and be quiet. Just like Jesus, you did not retreat when the opposing side advanced. Just like Jesus, you did not hide when you were threatened. As I live and work and love, I look to you as an example of how to follow Jesus, the one that I call Christ.

Thank you … for everything.

Baptized For A Purpose

Texts:Isaiah 42:1 – 9 & Matthew 3:11 – 4:1

This is the First Sunday after Epiphany, which was celebrated January 6th. According to the church calendar, today we celebrate the baptism of Christ. In western Christianity, Epiphany is predominately the celebration of the visitation of the Magi while in eastern Christianity the focus of Epiphany is on the baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan.

The visitation of the Magi to Jesus and the baptism of Jesus are events that speak to the divine nature of Jesus as Christ. The birth of Christ – the incarnation – we celebrate at Christmas. The miracle of the divinity of the physical Jesus we celebrate at Epiphany.

The Magi, following astronomical signs and bearing gifts, declared Jesus to be the infant king. According to the Gospel of Matthew "they were overwhelmed with joy," “knelt down and paid him homage,” and “offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

The baptism of Jesus declares him to be the Christ in different ways. First, John the Baptist in a private conversation with Jesus says, “I need to be baptized by you.” Then, after John consents to baptize Jesus, the heavens were opened, the Spirit of God descended like a dove, and a voice from heaven declared, “This is my Son, the Beloved.”

Jesus – infant king, adult messiah. Jesus – hope for a nation whose people are held captive by tyranny. Jesus – bringer of wholeness and health. Jesus – the messiah foretold according to the apostles of the new covenant. Jesus – outspoken, dedicated, and a little bit crazy. He did, after all, push those in power until they killed him.

Friends, we need Jesus today as much as they needed him a couple of thousand years ago. We need a Messiah today. Our world is in tatters. The more I read history and the more I read current events, the more everything sounds the same to me. That's not to say that good things haven't been accomplished or that bad things haven't been addressed and overcome, but it seems that evil has so many venues and so much energy. And all too often evil, in its psychosis, actually believes it is good. And too often good is apologetic or weakened by evil’s manipulative rhetoric.

We need a Messiah who will not break a bruised reed. We need a Messiah who will faithfully bring forth justice. We need a Messiah who will not grow faint or be crushed. It breaks my heart that Jesus, the Messiah that we celebrate as Christians, is co-opted by the very systems and people that lead this nation deeper into violence against the helpless, the redistribution of wealth to the wealthy, and the removal of basic human rights to the other.

It also breaks my heart that yesterday, Saturday, January 8, 2011, Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head at one of her 'Congress on Your Corner' events. At the time of this writing, she is in critical condition. So far, six have died in this shooting spree and at least a dozen were injured.

In our Isaiah reading the prophet declares that there is a servant who is chosen and who will faithfully bring forth justice. Then the prophetic word turns toward those who were gathered saying, “I have called you in righteousness. I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations.”

In trying to make sense of the tragedies going on in our world, and in particular thinking about this shooting in Arizona, I cry out to God and say, “Where is our Messiah?” The answer I get is, “Look in the mirror.”

The mantle has been passed. The Holy Spirit has been given. According to our faith tradition, long ago the power of God was passed down to us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It seems to me that we humans are easily corrupted by power, even or maybe especially holy power. Rev. Anne Howard, an Episcopal priest and colleague reminded me through Facebook that, “In the first and second centuries, history records, Christians were known for their love.” How quickly Christianity became Christendom and the power of love was exchanged for the power of control.

As we celebrate the divine nature of Jesus and consider the role that baptism played in revealing Jesus as Christ, I think we have to consider our own baptism and our own calling. We must continue the ministry of Jesus in this world, offering hope and love through our actions of faith. We grieve when madmen open fire on gathered communities, we call for justice and participate in actions toward making that justice vision a reality, and we look for ways to love and participate in healing and wholeness.

Our baptism, although a one-time event, is like a river flowing within us. The current of this river always flows toward Christ. Jesus – bringer of wholeness and health. Jesus – outspoken, dedicated, and a little bit crazy. This river is not always tame and safe. Sometimes it is wild with white water rapids and hairpin turns. But this is the river that flows toward the reign of heaven on earth.

As hard as it is to love – or to even think of love – at a time like this when anger and grief are appropriate emotions, love is what will make the difference. Where do we direct this love? What shape will this love take? Does it matter? So long as we dedicate ourselves to outspoken love – the kind of love that promotes healing and wholeness – it doesn't really matter. Love is needed everywhere, especially during times of crisis.

The world needs us to function in the ministry of the Messiah. There is no gift to small to make a difference. Every act of compassion, every time we speak out on behalf of someone who is silenced, and every tear and laugh that we share, especially during the white water rapids and hairpin turns, is an act of faith following the call of our baptism. Too long has the power of the Holy Spirit been co-opted for controlling others rather than for loving others. When we call forth from within us the power of our baptism and remember it is to Jesus that we have been set apart, then we can stand up to violence and its consequences. We can name the hate and manipulation without getting caught up in it ourselves. Once again we Christians can be known for our love.

Sing Aloud And Live The Power

Texts: Jeremiah 31:7-14, Ephesians 1:3-14, John 1:1-18

We are in the beginning. January – the beginning of a new year. 2011 – the beginning of a new decade. It is not an absolute beginning. This is a re-beginning or a beginning again. The beginning that the writer of the Gospel of John is talking about is an absolute beginning. It precedes the Genesis account of creation by telling us that The Word was in the beginning with God and that not one thing came into being without The Word. Toward the end of the passage we understand The Word to be the person of Jesus Christ, but as we think about this baby whose birth we just celebrated and imagine him being The Word that spoke creation into existence, time flip-flops on itself and we come face to face with the enormity of Mystery and Eternity.

In the recorded words of John the Baptist in our gospel passage we hear the struggle of grasping with what feels to me like the cyclical nature of eternity. The Baptist says, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” The Word, who is creator and so precedes, is also the successor of John the Baptist, but by The Baptist’s admission, in his succession The Word as Jesus is also preeminent. Eternity is not about time never ending; it is about being outside of time entirely. The Word, as Jesus, slips into time after creating time and experiences time as well as being human. Verse 14 states this as, “The Word became flesh and dwelt amoung us.” In addition, we are offered the experience of eternity if we receive the glorious mystery of Jesus being in the world and also being The Word who brought the world into being. Verse 12 says, “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.”

Jesus, who is The Word, gives us power to become children of God. How cool is that? This is a re-beginning, a birth not of blood or by our own will, but a birthing from which we enter into the cycle of Mystery and Eternity. We also read in Ephesians that God “chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.” While The Word was with God and being God, before all things came into being through The Word, we were already being enveloped into the cycle of Mystery and Eternity by the intent of The Beloved. Doesn’t that blow your mind?

We understand time – January 1st through December 31st; 2010 transitions to 2011. We age year by year; watch our bodies change shape; marvel at the growth of the children around us; and observe nature transition from season to season. We experience linear time. Some days feel longer than others. As we age each year seems to go faster. Still, things seem to progress from one year to another. We come to count on it even when we don’t like it. But these ancient words that shape our understanding of God and ourselves tell us that there is so much more to Life in the larger sense. This linear existence is created just like we are. God lives outside of time and invites us to participate in that existence … and not just invites us, but created us with that in mind.

We often think about our eternal destiny in terms of our death, but I believe that we are given power to become children of God for today as well. The scripture does not say that we would someday have the power to become children of God, but that we have been given this power. In Ephesians it says we are blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. We are called to participate in the cycle of Mystery and Eternity today.

But what does that mean? What is this power we are said to have received? What is the mystery? How can we live out of time, in eternity, even as we live in this world guided by linear time? I would love to be able to tell you that I have the answers to these questions, that I have studied the scriptures and can now point you to The Right Answer. Some claim to have definitive answers to questions like these … but I am not one of them. The very nature of Mystery resists the notion that there is one right simple answer. Our concept of Eternity is limited by our immediate immersion in linear time.

Because I do believe that there are answers to these questions I’ve decided to approach this the way we typically approach solving mysteries … by looking for clues. Here is what I’ve found in today’s readings.

When Jesus walked the earth, his glory is said to be “full of grace and truth.” Through Moses came the law, but through Jesus came grace and truth. Jesus lived at the crossroads of linear time and eternity. In doing so he made God known to us. We are destined to be children of God and we are bestowed with the glorious grace of God through the Beloved, who is Jesus. The riches of God’s grace have been lavished upon us. Through Christ, the mystery of God’s will to gather up all things in heaven and earth is made known to us. We are marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit to the praise of God’s glory, which is full of truth and grace. This is just a sampling from the Gospel of John and from Ephesians. There are more references to grace, glory, and praise.

It seems to me that when the Word who became flesh and lived amoung us, whose glory is grace and truth, who was in the beginning with God and who is God gives us power to become the children of God -- at least some of that power is to live in, be filled with and lavishly share grace and truth for the purpose of gathering up heaven and earth (which I understand to be eternity and finite time) to the praise and glory of God. In addition, since Jesus is sharing his power as God with us it makes sense to me that part of that power is the power to share, and what feels important to share at least in this context is the grace and truth that we have received so that heaven and earth might be gathered up more fully to the praise and glory of God.

Gathering together heaven and earth, or time and eternity, cannot be limited by the restrictions of time or earth. Using our power as children of God we must reach outside of time, into the Mystery, into the beginning … the absolute beginning, and begin again within the framework of our linear life. Beginning again and again as we gather together all things in Christ speaks to the cyclical nature of the intersection of heaven and earth, but it isn’t just a linear loop. Out of the clues I find that our linear loops weave in and out of time. The grace, truth, and glory of God that fills us reaches toward eternity while our minds, bodies, emotions tug us toward this linear existence. This power that we have been given enables us to walk like Jesus walked, as beautiful created beings in a brilliant construction we call time while we contain the glory and truth of The Word to the praise of the eternal God.

Here is where I hear the voice of the Beloved in the passage of Jeremiah that we read. “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Everlasting love. Eternal love. A love that provides grace in the wilderness. A love that says, I will build you again. We will begin again. You will pick up your tambourines and dance for joy because of the way I share my love with you. Sing aloud! Shout for joy! Dance!

The words of the prophet Jeremiah say that God will gather together those who were scattered. Those who are lame and blind, and those who are pregnant and in labor will be gathered together. The strong and cunning aren’t mentioned. The generals and the wealthy aren’t mentioned. We assume those folks are included, so the prophet makes it clear that among those gathered will be the blind and the lame, as well as the women who are pregnant. In other words, those who are considered unclean, undesirable, or vulnerable are given power to be children of God not secondarily but right along with those who are powerful, wealthy, and healthy. All will be lead down a path by the brooks of water where they will not stumble. All shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion and be radiant over the goodness of the Lord. Everyone will dance together, everyone will find comfort, everyone will be filled with joy.

The prophet Jeremiah says, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.” The gospel of John says, “to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.”

I say, sing aloud people of God and live the power that you have received as children of God. Live in grace and truth. Lavishly share the grace and truth with which you have been gifted. Know that all: the healthy and the sick, the weak and the strong, the poor and the rich are loved by God and are gathered together in Christ. Sing aloud and live your power as children of God to begin again and again and again, remembering that you are empowered by The Word, from the absolute beginning to begin again in the now of time. Sing aloud, walking and dancing at the intersection of eternity and time, living in the cycle of mystery. Sing aloud to the praise and glory of the name of God.