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Imagine This

A story from prison

by Nancy Hastings Sehested
(Excerpt from an upcoming book of stories from work as a prison chaplain.)

            Forty inmates lined up for smudging to enter the sacred circle for the Native American prayers. I spotted Genaro and a little alarm went off in my head. “Genaro, can I talk to you for a minute?” He smiled and nodded.

            The shade of the building sheltered us from the blistering noonday sun and got us out of hearing range of the other men. “Genaro, you know that you must either go into the circle to smoke the pipe, or stay outside the circle by yourself. Last week I noticed that another guy sat with you outside the circle. If custody staff sees that, they assume you’re passing tobacco.”

            A glint of sun struck his face as he erupted. “Who told you to say this to me? You racist like everybody. You discriminating against Latinos. I write a grievance. You pickin’ on me. Why you say to me? I just helpin’ a brother. I not passing tobacco. I got no contraband. What you say I doin’?”

            He turned away, his arms flailing with each billowing Spanish word that I didn’t need a translator to understand. A dozen Latinos broke their line and encircled him. I walked closer to them, clutching my radio. Officers who could have offered assistance were inside a locked door on the other side of the building, exactly where I wanted to be at that moment. My eyes squinted as I held my gaze on the group and my finger on the radio. Genaro tapped into his anger—for him, an endless renewable energy—and he wanted others to join him.

Right: Cross necklace made from plastic bags by a prisoner.

            But instead the men grabbed his thrashing arms and pulled them down by his side. One man rested a hand on his shoulder. A chorus of voices shouted through his yelling. They stopped him. He shrugged them all away and found a place in the grass to sit alone.

            Crisis averted, I sat back down in the shade to watch the men offer their prayers. I offered some of my own, praying first that my heart would dislodge from my throat. By the end, I was thinking I needed to sound a warning. I was convinced that I should chide, instruct, and impress on them the dire consequences of their outbursts—and retrieve my reputation as a fair-minded person.

            I asked Juan if he would translate for clarity. He agreed, but as he stepped beside me, he whispered, “Chap, could you let it go today? Jus’ let us take care of things our way. I assure you this isn’t gonna happen again. Let us deal with this brother. We’ve got our prison ways to deal with things.”

            “I know some of those ways. I’ll agree on the condition that no one—and I mean no one—gets hurt. Okay?”

            “Sí, sí, sí.”

            It’s not my instinct, but I remained silent until we entered the building. Then I asked Genaro to come to my office. He had no choice but to follow me. He remained steely-jawed as I invited him to sit down.

            “No. I stand.”

            “Okay. That’s fine. Stand if you like. I just have one question. What’s your favorite song?”

            He cocked his head. “What?”

            I asked him again.

            “John Lennon. ‘Imagine.’”

            “Really?” I asked. “You’re so young.”

            “Sí, but my parents play Beatles a lot in my house growing up. I always like them.”

            I quickly found the song on my computer and played it.

                  Imagine there's no heaven
                  It's easy if you try
                  No hell below us
                  Above us only sky
                  Imagine all the people
                  Living for today…

                  Imagine there's no countries
                  It isn't hard to do
                  Nothing to kill or die for
                  And no religion too
                  Imagine all the people
                  Living life in peace…

                  You may say I'm a dreamer
                  But I'm not the only one
                  I hope someday you'll join us
                  And the world will be as one

            The song ended. Genaro smiled as he extended his hand for a handshake. He said, “I love you, Chaplain.”

            Imagine that.

Nancy Hastings Sehested previously served as a prisoner chaplain at a maximum security prison for men. She is also co-founder and co-pastor of Circle of Mercy Congregation, Asheville, NC. ©prayerandpolitiks.org

           

 

al-Nakba

Meditation on Israel, Palestine, and the calculus of power

by Ken Sehested

        15 May is the anniversary of what Palestinians call al-Nakba, translated as “the Catastrophe” in reference to the day following Israel’s formation as a state in 1948. Some three-quarters of a million Palestinians were forced from their homes. Four hundred Palestinian villages cease to exist. The heirs of the expelled now number five million, most living in refugee camps on the West Bank, Gaza, and surrounding countries.

        I was in my 30s when I first heard the word Nakba, and the historical moment it represents, well into a career requiring broad knowledge of global affairs. In my experience, few here in North America know the word.

        A more evocative translation of al-Nakba could be “the Humiliation,” since in English “catastrophe” is often associated with “natural” disasters. As such, no human agency is implied—only the brute hand of climatic turbulence well beyond our control or even prediction.

        Al-Nakba was not natural, not beyond control, likely not even beyond prediction.

§  §  §

        The only vague memory I have of this period in Palestine’s history is watching one of Paul Newman’s early films, Exodus (1960), based in part on Leon Uris’ book by the same title, loosely retelling the dramatic saga of Holocaust surviving Jews attempting to reach Palestine from France after the war.

        I don’t remember that movie saying anything about Irgun and Lehi, Jewish terrorist groups, which carried out bombings and assassinations against British governance and military (during the “British Mandate” rule) and the predominantly Arab population.

        By the way, in my research I notice that Wikipedia prefers to speak of “Jewish paramilitary” groups who engaged in “Zionist political” military action during this period. The difference between terrorists and freedom fighters is almost always decided by whose future gains the upper hand.

§  §  §

        Among the vilest things I’ve ever heard about Jews came from the imam of a mosque in Basra in southern Iraq. Afterward our group quizzed our translator to make sure he wasn’t exaggerating. “Actually, it was a little worse,” he said.

        And some of the most reprehensible statements about Muslims I’ve seen were scrawled on the closed shop gates of Arab merchants in Hebron, spray painted by residents of the nearby Jewish settlement in the heart of that ancient West Bank city.

        One of the good recent articles regarding the situation in Gaza is by Rabbi Edward Retting of Rabbis for Human Rights in Israel, an organization that does courageous work. “There is only one way toward peace,” he writes. “That is the recognition that our dispute concerns two just causes [that of Jews and of Palestinians] tragically thrown into opposition one to the other.”

        Yes, I say in response. But one is an elephant, the other is a mouse. Without recognition of this premise, without clarifying the calculus of power, whatever conclusions emerge will only deepen the cycle of violence which now feeds on itself, like the record-breaking warmth of the Gulf of Mexico turning always-destructive hurricanes into monster storms.

§  §  §

        The work of reconciliation in the midst of conflict can never sidestep the question of power relations between conflicting parties. To illustrate that disparity, here are some figures from Israel’s 2014 invasion of Gaza.

        Between 10,626 and 10,895 Palestinians were killed (including 3,374 children, of whom over 1,000 were left permanently disabled). Sixty-six Israeli soldiers, five Israeli civilians (including one child) and one Thai civilian were killed and 469 Israeli soldiers and 261 Israeli civilians were injured (the latter by rockets fired by Hamas into southern Israel). The Gazan casualty rate was 65%-70%. (“2014 Israel-Gaza conflict,” Wikipedia)

        Until recently I could see no way forward in addressing this conflict other than the so-called “two state solution,” with the nation of Israel and a newly-created Palestinian state residing side-by-side, with a negotiated land swap that would approximate the pre-1967 war’s border.

        Everybody knows that Hamas, Gaza’s ruling party (chosen by democratic election), still refuses to recognize Israel’s legitimacy. Few know, however, that Israel’s ruling Likud Party, along with other parties in its governing coalition, are officially and adamantly opposed to any meaningful two-nation arrangement.

        The US is hardly an honest broker in this conflict. Israel is by far the largest recipient of US foreign aid, now at $3.8 billion per year. US support for the Palestinians is a tiny fraction of that, almost all of which is routed through various UN agencies to support basic infrastructure and refugee provisions. (President Trump has already cut those payments and is threatening to cancel them outright.)

        While it’s true that US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital does not affect any concrete structural changes; it does however give symbolic strength to Israel’s claim of sovereignty over all of Jerusalem, in contravention of United Nations’ mandates (which also make all of Israel’s West Bank settlements illegal under international law).

§  §  §

        There is a popular saying among visitors to Israel/Palestine: Stay for a week, and you think you can write a book. Stay for a month, and you think, well . . . maybe an essay. Stay for a year, and you don't know what to say.

        I do not pretend in these spare comments to offer policy guidance toward a different future. I do know, as the saying goes, that when you find yourself in a hole, the first thing you do is stop digging. And I do know, without a shadow of a doubt, that the dominant narrative in American political culture is not only shortsighted but also complicit with Israel’s brutal occupation of Palestine’s population.

        The only genuine, lasting security is mutual security. At present, the West Bank and Gaza are more like maximum security prisons.

        Truth be told, over the past hours of writing I have fought off my own heart’s numerous pleas to cease and desist any public comments on this topic. I am connected to several communities for whom conversation about sexual orientation is a breeze compared to discussions of Israeli-Palestinian relations. The volatility quotient is enough to shut down meaningful dialogue. In addition, for people like myself, who at this distance face little existential threat, the subject easily becomes a conveniently liberal parlor exercise. When there’s no blood on the floor, talk is cheap.

        In the end, though, silence on the matter is both an abdication of liability (make it go away!) and a collaboration with infamy. We have the right neither to demand this conversation nor to abandon it. We sit, always, on a moral precipice—but that is exactly the proper posture of reverence. Shared reverence is our only hope.

§  §  §

        In the end, my political pessimism is held at bay because I know a few of the many (far more than you might think) Israelis and Palestinians—Jews, Christians, Muslims, and other people of conscience—who arise each day, indefatigably and almost beyond imagination, to practice truth-telling and justice seasoned with mercy and compassion. And I know a few others, here in the US and elsewhere, who persevere in their support for these militant agents of reconciliation.

        What to do? At the very least, dig deeper for information and perspective on this topic beyond what our dominant media supplies. Hold your heart open to the possibility of connecting with the network of resisters, healers, and visionaries who dream differently, inspired by the vision spoken of by the Prophet Micah, for the day when all shall sit under their own vine and fig tree, with none to make them afraid (4:4).

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©ken Sehested @ prayerandpolitiks.org. For more on this subject see “House to house, field to field: Reflections on a peace mission to the West Bank.”

News, views, notes, and quotes

Signs of the Times  •  25 May 2018 •  No. 162

Processional. Berzeit University (Ramallah, Palestine) performing the Palestinian Dabka folk dance. (58 seconds. Thanks, David.)

Above: The al Badawi olive tree in Bethlehem, which researchers peg to somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 years old, is likely the oldest living olive tree in the world. —Colin Shultz, Smithsonian

Special Edition
AL-NAKBA
(“The Catastrophe”)

15 May is the anniversary of what Palestinians call al-Nakba, translated at “the Catastrophe” in reference to the day following Israel’s formation as a state in 1948. Some three-quarters of a million Palestinians were forced from their homes. . . .
        “A more evocative translation of al-Nakba could be ‘the Humiliation,’ since in English ‘catastrophe’ is often associated with “natural” disasters. No human agency is implied in such catastrophes—only the brute hand of climatic turbulence well beyond our control or even prediction.” —continue reading al-Nakba: Meditation on Israel, Palestine, and the calculus of power

Invocation. “Shelter beneath kanfei ha’shechinah, / the soft wings of your divine presence, / those who still live under military occupation, / who dwell in refugee camps, / those dispersed throughout the world / still dreaming of return. / Gather them mei’arbah kanfot ha’aretz / from the four corners of the earth / that their right to return to their homes / be honored at long last.” —Rabbi Brant Rosen, “A Jewish Prayer for Nakba Day”

Right: A Palestinian refugee and her child separated from their home by the “green line” after the 1948 war. Getty images

Call to worship. “My soul magnifies you, O Lord, and my spirit rejoices in your Saving Presence. . . . Your power is sufficient to baffle the aims of the arrogant. Imperial might trembles at the sound of your approach; but the prison yards and the sweatshops and the slaughterhouses erupt in jubilation!” —continue reading “My soul magnifies you,” a litany for worship inspired by Luke 1:39-57 (Mary’s “Magnificat”)

¶ “The Nakba,” a short (6:13 video) introduction to the historical context of Palestinians’ expulsion from their homeland in 1948.

Not sure what the Palestinian “Right of Return” is? Watch this brief (2:08) video.

Hymn of praise. “From the north to the south / from the west to the east / hear the prayer of the mothers / bring them peace / bring them peace.” —Yael Deckelbaum & Prayer of the Mothers, “This Land” (English translation of Hebrew and Egyptian Arabic lyrics), a 14-member ensemble of Jewish, Arab and Christian women

In case you haven't already figured this out, you can listen to music selections on this page while reading the text. Open two prayerandpolitiks.org tabs, listen to music on one, read on the other, going back and forth as you choose.

Watch this short (6:07) video of Sharif Abdel Kouddous, “Democracy Now” correspondent, reporting from Gaza on Monday 14 May in protests demanding the “right of return” to their homes in Israel.

Left: Street signs like this were hung all over Jerusalem for the official opening of the US embassy.

Of the many pieces dealing with US embassy move and the brutal killings in Gaza, here is the best thing I've read: “Israel, Palestine and Us: A Response to Toba Spitzer,” Rabbi Brant Rosen, Evolve.

Confession. “If we keep these lands, popular [Palestinian] resistance to the occupation is sure to rise, and Israel's army will be used to quell that resistance, with disastrous and demoralising results”. —Israeli General Matityahu Peled (1923-1995), addressing Israeli Cabinet meeting immediately after the June 1967 war

Hymn of supplication. “I have no place / And I have no country / I have no home / With my fingers I make the fire / And with my heart I sing for you / The ropes of my heart cries.” —English translation of lyrics to “Nací en Palestina” (“I Was Born In Palestine”), Emel Mathlouthi

¶ “Israel's existence is a priori protection for American oil interests in the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iran.” —I. L. Kenan , lobbyist for Israel, in testimony before the [U.S.] Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives (July 22-23, 1970)

Israel is far and away the largest recipient of US foreign aid, which now totals $3.8 billion per year. US aid to the Palestinians $250 million, most of which is funneled through various United Nations agencies to support roads, schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure projects. Some $75 million goes to Israeli power and fuel companies to generate electricity to the West Bank and Gaza. President Trump has already reduced US support, from a pledged $125 million to $60 million, to a United Nations fund which provides food, shelter, education and health care for five million Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring countries.

The US currently has $1.8 billion of military supplies in pre-positioned storage in Israel. The stock includes ammunition, smart bombs, missiles, military vehicles and a military hospital with 500 beds. The US Congress is authorized to release these supplies to Israel when requested. —“War reserve stock,” Wikipedia

Words of assurance. “Lo Yira” (“Will Not Fear”), Yuval Ron Ensemble.

Confessing our faith. “Our word is a cry of hope, with love, prayer and faith in God. . . . We declare that the military occupation of Palestinian land constitutes a sin against God and humanity. Any theology that legitimizes the occupation and justifies crimes perpetrated against the Palestinian people lies far from Christian teachings.” —for more about the 2009 “Kairos Palestine Statement”

Hymn of lament. “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” —“How long, Lord?” English translation of Fayrouz Eela Mata Ya Rabbou’s hymn of lament over the Israeli massacres of Palestinian protestors in the Gaza Strip (Thanks Loren.)

¶ “The pre-eminent obstacle to peace is Israel's colonization of Palestine. Israel's occupation of Palestine has obstructed a comprehensive peace agreement in the Holy Land, regardless of whether Palestinians had no formalized government, one headed by Yasser Arafat or Mahmoud Abbas, or with Abbas as president and Hamas controlling the parliament and cabinet." —former US President Jimmy Carter, who in 1979 negotiated the Camp David Accord treaty between Israel and Egypt

Confused about the hubbub surrounding the US embassy to Israel moving to Jerusalem? Watch this brief (2:54) video for a brief, graphic history lesson from If Not Now. (Thanks Shanta.)

President Trump’s favorite pastor, Rev. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas, delivered the opening prayer at the recent official opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem in its transition from Tel Aviv. This is the same pastor who, the day before, said Jews go to hell. —Lahav Harkov, Jerusalem Post

        Later the closing prayer for the event was offered by another US pastor, John Hagee, who once said that Hitler was sent by God to draw the Jewish people into Israel.

More on God’s supposed will. Among the US representatives at the US embassy opening in Jerusalem was Sen. Lindsey Graham who commented “It’s been U.S. policy since 1995, and if you have a problem, then you need to take it up with God.” —Washington Post

¶ “In Opening Its Embassy in Jerusalem, the US Has Slammed the Door on the Peace Process.” —Mustafa Barghouti, The Nation

¶ “Moving the embassy empowers the war-makers among Palestinians and attenuates the legitimacy of Palestinian peacemakers.” —Rev. Professor Yohanna Katanacho, of the Nazareth Evangelical College and Bethlehem Bible College

Hymn of intercession. “No fine song, no impressive music / can attempt to relieve my heart / in this hour I am called to grieving / lest no others will play this part.” —John Bell’s translation and arrangement of the traditional Palestinian song, “So Much Wrong,” performed by the Wild Goose Choir

In “early in1956, the Israeli chief of staff Moshe Dayan made a famous speech at the funeral of an Israeli commander killed on the border with Gaza. What, Dayan wondered, explained the Palestinians’ ‘terrible hatred of us’? Then he answered his own question: ‘For years now they have sat in the refugee camps of Gaza, and have watched how, before their very eyes, we have turned their lands and villages, where they and their forefathers previously dwelled, into our home.’” —excerpt from Footnotes in Gaza, Joe Sacco

By the numbers. The summer 2014 Israeli invasion of Gaza killed between 2,125 and 2,310 Gazans and wounded between 10,626 and 10,895 (including 3,374 children, of whom over 1,000 were left permanently disabled). 66 Israeli soldiers, 5 Israeli civilians (including one child) and one Thai civilian were killed and 469 IDF soldiers and 261 Israeli civilians were injured. More than 7,000 homes were destroyed and an additional 89,000 homes damaged. —“2014 Israel-Gaza conflict,” Wikipedia

When only the blues will do. “Blues for Gaza,” Aguabella.

Preach it. “Jesus was born under occupation, he spent his entire life under occupation and was crushed on the cross by occupation. How we can understand the historical Jesus without understanding what occupation means, what it does and how it controls life in its entirety?” —Rev. Mitri Raheb, Lutheran pastor in Bethlehem

¶ “If I was [a Palestinian] at the right age, at some stage I would have entered one of the terror organizations.” —Ehud Barak, highly decorated officer in Israel’s army, Minister of Defense and former Prime Minister of Israel

Can’t makes this sh*t up. “We shall endeavour to expel the poor population [of Palestine] across the border unnoticed, procuring employment for it in the transit countries, but denying it any employment in our country”. —Theodor Herzl (1860-1904), founder of political Zionism, from a Personal Diary entry 12 June 1895

¶ “The so-called ‘Palestinian autonomous areas’ are Bantustans. These are restricted entities within the power structure of the Israeli apartheid system.” —former South African President Nelson Mandela

Call to the table. And there can be no peace for the Jew / Till there’s peace for the Palestinian too / May the justice of God fall down like fire / And bring a home for the Palestinian / May the mercy of God pour down like rain / And protect the Jewish people.” —Rev. Garth Hewitt, “Ten Measures of Beauty”

Right: This ad was published as a full-page ad in Israel’s most widely read newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth.

The state of our disunion. “There is only one way toward peace. That is the recognition that our dispute concerns two just causes [that of Jews and of Palestinians] tragically thrown into opposition one to the other.” —Rabbi Edward Rettig, Rabbis for Human Rights in Israel
        Yes, I say in response. But one is an elephant, the other is a mouse. Without recognition of this premise, the conclusion will be inadequate.

Best one-liner. “Nothing, nothing justifies terrorism.” —Mahmoud Darwish (13 March 1941–9 August 2008), considered the Palestinian national poet

For the beauty of the earth. Now this is a lightning storm. (0:52 video. Thanks Linda.)

¶ This longer video (22:31) by Abby Martin provides a fuller account of this story: “The Empire Files: How Palestine Became Colonized.”

Altar call. “Sisters and brothers, lend your ears to this teaching, for it is true and lasting. Do not say with your lips, “The Spirit of the Lord! The Spirit of the Lord!” when your hearts are shackled in fear, enslaved to security. / Have you grown confused by the barking of market reports? By the demands of national security? By your 401K addiction?” —continue reading “Anointed,” a litany for worship inspired by Isaiah 61:1-2 and Luke 4:18

¶ “I am among those raised on ‘cowboy and Indian’ movies in North America, where the latter were stereotyped as barbarous, untrustworthy and bloodthirsty savages who prey on the weak and innocent. A similar portrait of Arab peoples has been painted by modern movies and news programs. Until that field of vision changes we will continue to be clueless in reading history and in charting a redemptive future.” —continue reading “House to house, field to field: Reflections on a peace mission to the West Bank”

Left: "In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful," written in Arabic calligraphy.

Benediction. “Psalm 117: Give Thanks to the Lord” (In Arabic. Thanks Tom.)

Just yesterday Israel’s defense minister announced plans to fast-track the building of 2,500 new homes on the West Bank in 2018 for Israeli settlers. —Ilan Ben Zion, Associated Press

Recessional. “Palestine Symphony,” Murat Malay and the Istanbul Symphony Orchestra.

Lectionary for this Sunday. “. . . to provide for those who mourn in Zion—to give them a garland instead of ashes. . . .” —Isaiah 61:5a

Lectionary for Sunday next. “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. . . . Extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” —Romans 12:9-14

Just for fun. “Battle Hymn of the Republic” adapted for current relevance. (4:51 video. Thanks Loren.) —Parody Project

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Featured this week on prayer&politiks

• "al-Nakba: Meditation on Israel, Palestine, and the calculus of power"

• “My soul magnifies you,” a litany for worship inspired by Luke 1:39-57 (Mary’s “Magnificat”)

• “Memorial Day preparation materials: Commentary, sermon, and other resources for worship preparation

Other features

• “House to house, field to field: Reflections on a peace mission to the West Bank,” an essay

• “Boycott, divestment and sanctions: Israel and the Occupation: We cannot ignore this contentious conversation,” an essay

©Ken Sehested @ prayerandpolitiks.org. Language not otherwise indicated above is that of the editor, as are those portions cited as “kls.” Don’t let the “copyright” notice keep you from circulating material you find here (and elsewhere in this site). Reprint permission is hereby granted in advance for noncommercial purposes.

Feel free to copy and post any original art on this site. (The ones with “prayer&politiks.org” at the bottom.) As well as other information you find helpful.

Your comments are always welcomed. If you have news, views, notes or quotes to add to the list above, please do. If you like what you read, pass this along to your friends. You can reach me directly at kensehested@prayerandpolitiks.org.

 

Memorial Day preparation materials

Commentary, sermon, and other resources for worship preparation

Memorial Day preparation materials

• “Memorial Day: A historical summary”

• “Conflicting memorials: The Lord’s Table of remembrance vs. the nation’s vow of preeminence,” an essay

• “Patriotic holidays in the US [we have a dozen]: The nation’s liturgical calendar celebrating our militarized history”

• “Memorial Day piety," a meditation on the day’s significance”

• “How long will you sit on the fence," a Memorial Day sermon

• “Memorial Day preparation quotes: The minority report”

• “Bowling in Baghdad: Which memorial will guide”

Readings from Jewish, Christian and Islamic scripture and tradition

Prepared for "A Penitential Opportunity," worship resources for a service in commemorations of the 50th anniversary of the My Lai massacre

§The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. . . . [God] raises up the poor from the dust [and] lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with the rulers and inherit a seat of honor. —1 Samuel 2:4-5, 8a

§You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also. . . . You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say unto you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. —Matthew 5:38-39, 43-44

§The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever is untrustworthy in his dealings has no faith, and whoever is not committed to his promises has no religion. —Bayhaqi

§By three things the world is preserved, by [restorative] justice, by truth, and by peace, and these three are one: if [restorative] justice has been accomplished, so has truth, and so has peace. —JT Ta'anit 4:2

§True evangelical faith cannot lie dormant. It clothes the naked; it feeds the hungry; it shelters the destitute; it serves those that harm it; it binds up that which is wounded. It has become all things to all. —Menno Simons (c. 1496-1561)

§Do then those who devise evil feel secure that ALLAH will not cause the earth to swallow them up or that the wrath will not seize them from directions they little perceive? Or that He may not call them to account in the midst of their goings to and fro without a chance of their frustrating Him? Or that He may not call them to account by a process of slow wastage? For your Lord is indeed full of kindness and mercy. —Qur’an, Surah Nahl, 45-47

§A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save. —Psalms 33:16-17

§Repay no one evil for evil. . . . Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God. . . . If your enemies are hungry, feed them. . . . Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. —Romans 12:17a, 19a, 20a, 21

§The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: It does not befit a faithful person to have a full belly while his neighbor goes without. —Bukhari and Muslim

§Not by military might, and not by force of arms. By spirit [nonviolence] alone, says Adonai.  —Zechariah 4:6

§Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. . . . And I heard a loud voice saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. [God] will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.” —Revelation 21:1, 3a, 4

§To each among you We have prescribed a Law and an Open Way. If ALLAH had so willed He would have made you all one community but [He wishes] to test you in that which He has given you, so compete with each other in good works. The goal of you all is ALLAH; it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which you dispute. —Qur’an, Surah Ma’idah, 48

§Seek peace and pursue it. —Psalm 34:15

§I am a soldier of Christ; it is not lawful for me to fight. —St. Martin of Tours (c.335-397)

§The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: When God created the creation, he inscribed upon the Throne, “My Mercy overpowers My wrath.” —Bukhari and Muslim

§Because you have trusted in your power, and in the multitude of your warriors; therefore the tumult of war shall rise among your people. —Hosea 10:13b-14

§When Christ disarmed Peter in the garden, he disarmed all Christians. —Tertullian (c.160-c.225)

§The recompense of an ill deed is the like thereof. But whosoever pardons and amends, his reward is due from God, who does not love tyrants. —Qur’an, Surah Shura, 40

§Do not do unto others that which is hateful to you. That is the entire Torah. Now go study. —Hillel

§Acquire the spirit of peace and a thousand souls around you will be saved. —St. Seraphim of Sarov (1759-1833)

§The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Mu’adh [as a governor] to Yemen and said, “Be afraid of the curse of the oppressed, for there is no screen between their prayer and God.” —Bukhari

§The accomplishments of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. suggest that Isaiah's dictum is not so much sentimentalism as it is realpolitik of the spirit: "For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In turning and stillness shall you be saved.  In tranquility and trust shall be your strength. . . ." (30:15) —Everett E. Gendler

§What causes wars, and what causes fightings among you? Is it not your passions that are at war in your members? You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. —James 4:1-2

§The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: That man whose neighbor is not safe from harassment has no faith. —Bukhari and Muslim

§Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. And the effect of righteousness will be peace. —Isaiah 32:16-17

§May we look upon our treasures, the furniture of our houses and our garments and [judge] whether the seeds of war have nourishment in these our possessions. —John Woolman (1720-1772)

§The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The best jihad is to speak a word of truth to an unjust ruler. —Abu Dawud

§He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me? Says the Lord. —Jeremiah 22:16

§Contrary to the rest of men enlist yourself in an army without weapons, without war, without bloodshed, without wrath, without stain. . . . If the loud trumpet summons soldiers to war, shall not Christ with a strain of peace to the ends of the earth gather up his soldiers of peace? A bloodless army he has assembled by blood and by the word, to give them the Kingdom of Heaven. —Clement of Alexandria (c.150-c.215)

§The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Help your fellow Muslim whether oppressor or oppressed.” “We know how to help the oppressed, but how are we to help the oppressor?” “Your help to him is to prevent him from oppressing.” —Bukhari

§But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will deliver them by the Lord their God; I will not deliver them by bow, nor by sword, nor by war, nor by horses, nor by horsemen. —Hosea 1:7

§Imagine the vanity of thinking that your enemy can do you more damage than your enmity.  —St. Augustine (354-430)

§The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: God has mercy upon those who are merciful to others. —Bukari

§If a person of learning sits in his or her home and says to herself, “What have the affairs of society to do with me?  Why should I trouble myself with the people's voices of protest?  Let my soul dwell in Peace!” If he does this, he overthrows [destroys] the world. —Tanhuma Mishpatim

§The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. —Luke 4:18-19

§The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: There are people among the servants of God who are neither prophets nor martyrs; the prophets and martyrs will envy them on the Day of Resurrection for their rank before God, the Most High.” People asked: “Tell us, Messenger of God, who are they?” He replied: “They are people who love one another for the spirit of God, without any mutual kinship or exchange of property. I swear by God, their faces will glow and they will stand in light. They will have no fear when the people will fear, and they will not grieve when the people will grieve.” He then recited the Qur’anic verse: “Behold! Verily for the friends of God there is no fear, nor shall they grieve.” —Abu Dawud

#  #  #

The above quotes are selected from longer lists in “Peace Primer II: Quotes from Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Scripture & Tradition,” Lynn Gottlieb, Rabia Terri Harris, and Ken Sehested, Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2017.

All manner of things

Blessed are those whose hearts bow and whose hands fold in reverence to the Source of all life.

The bounty of the garden will fill their houses.

Their hope of redemption will guide the tempest-tossed to Heaven’s sheltered sanctuary.

Mercy is their guiding star; and justice, the blaze on their trail.

Like deep-rooted trees that endure fierce gales, such fearless compañeras of the Most High are steadfast in the face of every devil-driven wind.

Having known the delight of the goodness of God, they respond in kind to earth’s battered and bruised.

For such, all shall be well, all shall be well.

And all manner of things shall be well.

©Ken Sehested @ prayerandpolitiks.org. Inspired by Psalm 112 and using a line from Julian of Norwich.

Bewildering Word

When Jesus began his ministry, Rome was the sole superpower, governed by Tiberius, adoptive son of Caesar Augustus, whose praises were carved in stone.

From untamed territory a voice resounds: Prepare the Way! Unlock the gate! Make straight the reach of Love renowned.

Caesar was the “redeemer” who brought “salvation,” establishing “peace and security for the world,” the only true “Lord” in whom all should have “faith.”

Rise up you valleys! Recline you mountains! The Word breaks, unleashed, from every empire’s rule, every temple’s sway.

Not even Caiaphas, cipher of sanctity and broker of pardon, can corral the bewilding of heaven.

Repent and confess you creatures of flesh. Linger and hear, for mercy draws near, bewildering fear in its wake. Sinew and tear, every sword, every spear, shall yield to the triumph of Grace.

©Ken Sehested @ prayerandpolitiks.org. Inspired by Luke 3:1-6.

News, views, notes, and quotes

Signs of the Times  •  9 May 2018 •  No. 161

Processional. “Holy Mother, where are you? / Tonight I feel broken in two. / I've seen the stars fall from the sky. / Holy mother, can't keep from crying. / Oh I need your help this time, / Get me through this lonely night. / Tell me please which way to turn / To find myself again.” —Eric Claption & Luciano Pavarotti, “Holy Mother”

Above: April the giraffe’s new calf, born in 2017 at Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, N.Y. Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images. Watch this short (2:56) video of mom washing her newborn.

Special Edition
MOTHER'S DAY

Invocation. “. . . and his arms were made agile . . . by El-Shaddai [“the Almighty”] who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.” —Genesis 49:24-25

El Shaddai (feminine noun), literally “the God of the mountains” and translated “God Almighty” can also be translated “God of the breast,” conveying the quality of nourishing, satisfying and supplying needs. Used seven times in Scripture (see Genesis 17:1). The English translation of “El Shaddai” as “God Almighty” is misleading, because “almighty” suggests omnipotence, the capacity to overpower or destroy. Whereas “Shaddai” infers sufficiency and nourishment (i.e., “blessings of the breasts and of the womb”) and has a certain fecudity. —for a detailed, scholarly exposition of this word, see Roger Good, “El Shadday: It’s Meaning and Implications”

Call to worship. “Women: Arise, then, women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts, whether your baptism be that of water or of tears! / Men: Speak up, that all may hear! / W: Say firmly: “We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. / M: Say it loud, say it proud!  / W: Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. / M: Oh, brothers, can you hear? / W: Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.” —continue reading “Mother’s Day: A litany for worship, drawn from the words of Julia Ward Howe”

Hymn of praise. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all I need, / She makes me lie down in green meadows, / Beside the still waters, She will lead. / She restores my soul, She rights my wrongs, / She leads me in a path of good things, / And fills my heart with songs. —“Psalm 23,” Bobby McFerrin, using feminine imagery for God

Anne Jarvis is often credited as the organizer for our existing Mother’s Day cultural observances. However, “As soon as Mother’s Day became truly popular, Jarvis hated it. After it received official recognition, Mother’s Day quickly became commercialized as retailers focused on selling flowers, candy and greeting cards to those wishing to shower their mothers with love. Jarvis tried to control the holiday and boycotted events and threatened lawsuits.” —for more see Abigail Abrams, “Mother’s Day History And Traditions: 5 Surprising Facts You May Not Know About The Holiday’s Dark Origins,” International Business Times

Although others are given credit for founding the observance, Julia Ward Howe led in establishing what some believe to be the first observance of Mother’s Day in the U.S. (2 June 1872) after witnessing the carnage of the U.S. Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War in Europe. Howe’s concept of Mother’s Day was considerably different from today’s celebration. Her idea was to mobilize women as agents of resistance against the policies that led to injustice and war. In her Reminiscences she wrote: “Why do not the mothers of mankind interfere in these matters, to prevent the waste of human life which they alone bear and know the cost?” —continue reading “A brief history of Mother’s Day”

More background to Mother’s Day. “Mother’s Day Traditions Around the World,” care.com.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, has always played a large part in the lives of many Christians. Life magazine once estimated the prayer “Hail Mary” is said two billion times every day. Mary’s “Magnificat” (Latin for “[My soul] magnifies”), also known as Mary’s Song, is the powerful canticle she speaks when visiting her cousin Elizabeth, recorded in Luke 1:46-55.

        That prophetic speech has been deemed subversive by national governments. It was banned in the mid 1970s in Argentina after the Mothers of the Disappeared used it to call for nonviolent resistance to the military junta. In the 1980s the government of Guatemala banned its public recitation. After Chilean General Augustine Pinochet came to power in a 1973 military coup, he likewise banned the Magnificat as a public prayer.

        During the British rule in India, the singing of the Magnificat in church was prohibited because of its incendiary lyrics. So, on the final day of British rule in India, Gandhi, who was not a Christian, requested that this song be read in all places where the British flag was being lowered.

Left: Art ©Julie Lonneman

Confession. “There'll be icicles and birthday clothes / And sometimes there'll be sorrow.” Mother’s Day is not always happy. In 1964 at age 21, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell’s boyfriend left her, pregnant. She kept it a secret from her family and gave her daughter up for adoption. Her 1970 song “Little Green” speaks to that experience. This grief is also behind her song “River”: “Oh, I wish I had a river so long / I would teach my feet to fly / I made my baby say goodbye.” She and her daughter reunited in 1997. Sometimes joy catches up from behind.

Words of assurance. “As truly as God is our Father, so truly is God our Mother.” —Julian of Norwich, 14th century English anchoress, Christian mystic and theologian

¶ “In the early years of our congregation’s life, we pastoral leaders put special effort in planning Mother’s (and Father’s) Day—though without the sentimental trappings—to highlight and honor the work of parenting. . . . But afterwards, to our genuine surprise, we got more than a little pushback.” —continue reading “The pastoral dilemmas of observing Mother’s Day”

Hymn of supplication. “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child,” Sweet Honey in the Rock.

Short story. “I remember the first time I encountered the image of God as a laboring woman. I was reading Isaiah” for a seminary class. When I got to the “middle of chapter 42, I was stopped cold: ‘For a long time I have held my peace, I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor, I will gasp and pant’ (v. 14). What came to mind was an old photograph, “grainy, black-and-white” of “a woman in a hospital bed . . . her face knotted in agony. . . . You could practically hear a low, loud groan emerging from her throat.

            “So there I was sitting on my sofa, reading Isaiah picturing . . . God’s face contorted in struggle; God groaning the way that a laboring woman groaned . . . and I felt profoundly uncomfortable. I felt disturbed.” (In addition to depicting God as a laboring woman, Isaiah also likens God to a midwife and a nursing mother.)

        These images “compel me in their suggestion of a divine body that suffers, changes, swells, and leaks. For me, a divine body that leaks is also a divine body that discomfits.” —Lauren F. Winner, “Divine contractions,” The Christian Century

Hymn of intercession. “From the north to the south / from the west to the east / hear the prayer of the mothers / bring them peace / bring them peace.” —Yael Deckelbaum & Prayer of the Mothers, “This Land”( English translation of Hebrew and Egyptian Arabic lyrics), a 14-member ensemble of Jewish, Arab and Christian women

Preach it. “When Pharaoh’s daughter goes to bathe in the Nile, she hears the cries of the infant, is filled with compassion, and seizes the moment to act. Some verses later, when Moses is already grown and God reveals God’s self to Moses, God uses the same words: ‘I heard the cries of my people.” So what we have here is not imitatio Dei. Here we have a story where God imitates us, a woman, no less, and an Egyptian daughter of a tyrant.” —Rabbi Naamah Kelman, in “The holy work of dialogue,” Changing the Present, Dreaming the Future: A Critical Movement in Interreligious Dialogue, Hans Ucko, editor

In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Day, see “Reversal of fortunes,” written with thanksgiving for the teachers and educational administrators who know that knowledge is more than information, that character is not subject to cost analysis, and that learning potential exceeds the boundaries of test results. Don’t just thank a teacher. Argue for a different definition of national security.

Hymn of resolve. “All the weary mothers of the earth will finally rest; / We will take their babies in our arms, and do our best. / When the sun is low upon the field, / To love and music they will yield, / And the weary mothers of the earth will rest.” —Joan Baez, “All the Weary Mothers of the Earth”

Can’t makes this sh*t up. “Energy Secretary Rick Perry says he thinks using fossil fuels can help prevent sexual assault. . . . Speaking at an event sponsored by Axios and NBC News, Perry said electricity also was important ‘from the standpoint of sexual assault. When the lights are on, when you have light that shines the righteousness, if you will, on those types of acts.’” —PBS News Hour

Call to the table. “My sweet Lord . . . are you not my mother and more than my mother? . . . For when the hour of your delivery came you were placed on the hard bed of the cross . . . and your nerves and all your veins were broken. And truly it is no surprise that your veins burst when in one day you gave birth to the whole world. . . . Ah! sweet Lord Jesus—who ever saw a mother suffer such a birth?” —Marguerite d’Oingt, thirteenth-century French nun

In 2018, spending on Mother’s Day is expected to top $23 billion, an average of $180 per person. The 2018 breakdown includes spending of $4.6 billion on jewelry, $4.4 billion on dinner or brunch, $2.6 billion on flowers, $2.5 billion on gift cards, $2.1 billion on clothing, and the same amount on electronics. —Susan Campbell, WPRI

The state of our disunion. No doubt one of the Britain’s royal couples, Duchess Kate and Prince William, received deluxe hospital care for the birth of their son, Prince Louis. Even so, the cost of that aristocratic delivery was about two-thirds the cost of average births here in the US. —USAToday

For the beauty of the earth. In praise of “mothering” work everywhere, of every sort, and by everyone. Birthing work almost always involves some level of discomfort and often risk. Watch this 5:07 video of a sea turtle’s exhausting work of getting back to the surf after laying eggs at Topsail Beach, NC. (Thanks Deborah.)

Altar call. “Mother Mary, full of grace, awaken. / All our homes are gone, our loved ones taken. / Taken by the sea – / Mother Mary, calm our fears, have mercy. / Drowning in a sea of tears, have mercy. / Hear our mournful plea. / Our world has been shaken, / we wander our homelands, forsaken.” —Eliza Gilykson, “Requiem,” written after the 26 December 2004 earthquake in the Indian ocean, creating a tsunami which struck Indonesia, killing over 260,000 (Thanks Steve.)

Benediction. “Slumber, my darling, till morn's blushing ray / Brings to the world the glad tidings of day / Fill the dark void with thy dreamy delight / Slumber, thy mother will guard thee tonight.” —“Slumber My Darling,” performed by Allison Krauss, Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Mark O’Connor

Recessional. “If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again,” Staple Singers. (Thanks Mike.)

Lectionary for this Sunday. Three litanies for worship inspired by Psalm 1:

• “We Shall Not Be Moved”

•”Multiply Their Presence”

•”Bound to this freedom”

Lectionary for Sunday next. “When Pentecostal power erupts, all / heaven’s gonna’ break loose. / The boundaries will be compromised; / barriers will be broken; and / borders will be breached. / Economies of privilege will be fractured / and the politics of enmity will be impeached. / The revenge of the Beloved is the / reversal of Babel’s bequest.” —continue reading “Pentecostal passion,” a poem for Pentecost

Just for fun. Making tacos in space—demonstration by an astronaut. (1:36 video. Thanks Sally.)

#  #  #

Featured this week on prayer&politiks

• “The pastoral dilemmas of observing Mother’s Day,” short commentary

• “Dry bones,” a poem inspired by Ezekiel 37:1-14

• A dozen new annotated book reviews under "What are you reading and why?"

 
Other features
• Resources for Pentecost Sunday worship planning: Litanies, poem, sermon, commentary, and a script for a choral reading of Acts 2:1-13

• “Reversal of fortunes,” brief commentary written with thanksgiving for the teachers and educational administrators who know that knowledge is more than information, that character is not subject to cost analysis, and that learning potential exceeds the boundaries of test results.

©Ken Sehested @ prayerandpolitiks.org. Language not otherwise indicated above is that of the editor, as are those portions cited as “kls.” Don’t let the “copyright” notice keep you from circulating material you find here (and elsewhere in this site). Reprint permission is hereby granted in advance for noncommercial purposes.

Feel free to copy and post any original art on this site. (The ones with “prayer&politiks.org” at the bottom.) As well as other information you find helpful.

Your comments are always welcomed. If you have news, views, notes or quotes to add to the list above, please do. If you like what you read, pass this along to your friends. You can reach me directly at kensehested@prayerandpolitiks.org.

 

News, views, notes, and quotes

Signs of the Times  •  2 May 2018 •  No. 160

Processional. “Garden Song” (“Inch by Inch”), Pete Seeger.

Invocation. “How, indeed, shall we then live / in this enduring season between / Easter, / God’s Resurrection Moment, and / Pentecost, / God’s Resurrection Movement?” —continue reading "The Little Flock of Jesus," a poem for Eastertide

Call to worship. “You can never hold back spring / You can be sure that I will never / Stop believing / The blushing rose will climb / Spring ahead or fall behind / Winter dreams the same dream / Every time / Even though you've lost your way / The world keeps dreaming of spring.” —Tom Waits, “You Can Never Hold Back Spring”

Good news. In March, Portugal generated more than 100% of the country’s energy needs! Watch this brief (0:44) video. (Thanks Linda.)

More good news. The small town of San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala, has taken the extraordinary step of banning plastic bags and containers. Watch this short (3:05) video. (Thanks Linda.)

¶ “What will it look like for a Baptist-flavored Southerner to do theology ‘in context’?” Cone asked me. The phrase ‘theology in context’ was in vogue at the time. The question came out of the blue and caught me off guard. But I knew immediately what it meant: I needed to return to the South, and to my babdist subculture, from which I had fled several years prior. And for a split second I understood the Prophet Jonah’s fearful dread upon learning of his assignment to Nineveh.” —continue reading “James Cone: A brief remembrance”

Hymn of praise. “In colors, / In colors the fields are dressed / In the springtime / In colors, / Colorful are the little birds / That come from far away / In colors, / Colorful is the rainbow / That we see shine / And that is why the great loves / of many colors are pleasing to me” (English translation). —Joan Baez, “De Colores”

Over the past 50 years, the Amazon rain forest in Brazil has lost nearly a fifth of acreage—an area larger than the state of Texas—cut down for farming, ranching, and logging, Yet Rodrigo Medeiros and Conservation International, in collaboration with others, plans to spread seeds from over 200 native species, including grasses and trees, across 70,000 acres. —Bruce Lieberman, Yale Climate Connections 

Confession. “I’m not interested in talking about America’s history because I want to punish America. I want to liberate America. And I think it’s important for us to do this as an organization that has created an identity that is as disassociated from punishment as possible.” —Bryan Stevenson, on the opening of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, quoted in “A Lynching Memorial Is Opening. The Country Has Never Seen Anything Like It,” New York Times

Overlooked historical marker on the separation of church and state. On 5 May 1773 Baptists in Boston agreed to refuse payment of taxes due to support the state-sponsored pilgrim-puritan church of the region. Such historical memories help us remember who we are and thus more able to account for the hope that is within us. —continue reading “Accounting for the hope that is in you,” a sermon based on Luke 24:44-53

Hymn of supplication. “And my Lord, He said unto me / Do you like my garden so pure / You may live in this garden, if you keep the waters clean / And I'll return in the cool of the day.” —“Now is the Cool of the Day” performed by Coope, Boyes & Simpson

Words of assurance. “С нами Бог"” (“God Is With Us”), Divna Ljubojevic and Melodi.

Professing our faith. “Greater love hath none than this: / Than to calm the fears of a child. / Greater love hath none than this: / Than to offer all you can to what you adore, and withhold your consent from every imperial demand.” —continue reading “Greater love hath none than this,” a litany for worship inspired by John 15:13

Quotes on gardens

§ Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace. ~May Sarton

§ It is forbidden to live in a town with no greenery. ~Jerusalem Talmud, Kiddushin 4:12

§ Those who believe and humble themselves before their Lord, they will be companions of the garden. ~Qur’an, Sutra 11:23

§ The earth laughs in flowers. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

§ Earth is here so kind, that just tickle her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest. ~Douglas William Jerrold

§ Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes. ~author unknown

§ To dwell is to garden.  ~Martin Heidegger

§ I think this is what hooks one to gardening: it is the closest one can come to being present at creation. ~Phyllis Theroux

§ Gardening is the slowest of the performing arts. ~Mac Griswold

§ Anyone who thinks that gardening begins in the spring and ends in the fall is missing the best part of the whole year. For gardening begins in January with the dream. ~Josephine Nuese

            See more of a larger collection of quotes on gardens in “Life began in a garden: A collection of quotes on gardens”

Short story. “Madrone's eyes were far away. Slowly she drew her attention back to the room, and shook her head.
        "I know my destiny," she said. "I had a dream."
        She turned to meet Bird's eyes, and gave him a little, hesitant smile, almost like an apology.
        "What kind of dream?" he asked, knowing before she spoke what she was going to say.
        "That kind of a dream," she said lightly. "The kind that messes up your life. It said, 'Build a refuge in the heart of the enemy.'" —"City of Refuge" by Starhawk

Hymn of intercession. “We are stardust / We are golden / And we’ve got to get ourselves / Back to the garden.” —Good Harvest performing Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock.” (Thanks Deborah.)

Preach it. At the annual Alliance of Baptists convocation in Dayton, Ohio, I heard one of the best sermons I’ve heard . . . ever. The preacher was Rev. Deborah DeMars Conrad, pastor of Woodside Baptist Church, Flint, Michigan. Her sermon was titled “Terra Forma,” working from the story of Naboth’s vineyard (Kings 21:1-16). Here’s the video of the entire service. The scripture reading and sermon begin at 48:17. This is a “creation care” sermon in all its fullness.
            Or you can listen to the audio-only sermon at Deb’s “Mending the World” website (31:25 minutes).

Can’t makes this sh*t up. Speaker Paul Ryan quietly fired the House of Representatives’ chaplain, Fr. Patrick J. Conroy. “Padre,” Ryan told Conroy (both of whom are Roman Catholic), “you just got to stay out of politics.” The offense was Conroy’s prayer last November, opening a House session to debate the Republican tax reform bill. Conroy prayed for lawmakers to “guarantee that there are not winners and losers under new tax laws, but benefits balanced and shared by all Americans.” —for more see Elizabeth Dias and Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times

More CmtS*u. "When you hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years?! That sounds like a choice.” —rapper Kanye West on TMZ

When only the blues will do. “Improvisation in Cm,” Indiara Sfair.

Call to the table. “We are free to act boldly because we are safe. We are safe because we are at rest. We are at rest because we have been forgiven. We are forgiven because we have come to know that Jesus meets us in our weakness, not our strength.” —continue reading “Such is the journey: A call to Jesus’ memorial table”

The state of our disunion. Republican buyer’s remorse. “There’s no evidence whatsoever that the money’s [from the Republican tax cut] been massively poured back into the American worker.” —Rep. Senator Marco Rubio, The Economist

President Trump and Republican congressional leaders promised that the new tax law would bolster businesses’ ability to raise workers’ income and create new jobs. But “the advocacy group Businesses for Responsible Tax Reform polled entrepreneurs in Maine, Arizona, Tennessee, and Nevada and found that seven in 10 had no plans to hire new employees as a result of the tax plan, while 60% said their workers would not be given raises.
        "Clearly the new law—which has come under fire for heavily favoring large corporations—is not going to do much to help small business owners grow their businesses," wrote Frank Knapp, co-chair of the group —Julia Conley, CommonDreams

¶ “Here’s all the data Facebook and Google have on you.” —Dylan Curran, The Guardian

How to take control of your Facebook account.

Hymn of longing. “Jesus and Tomatoes Coming Soon,” Kate Campbell.

Best one-liner. "If you are speaking on behalf of social justice then by definition there's going to be controversy, because if it wasn't controversial somebody would have already fixed it." —former President Barack Obama

For the beauty of the earth. In my neck of the woods, each spring the Smoky Mountains National Park has one of the country’s greatest light shows. Lampyridae, a family of insects in the beetle order Coleoptera. They are winged beetles, commonly called fireflies or lightning bugs. —CBS Sunday Morning (6:04 video)

The happy factor. In a new study, psychologists “asked nearly 400 Americans aged 18 to 78 whether they thought their lives were meaningful and/or happy. Examining their self-reported attitudes toward meaning, happiness, and many other variables—like stress levels, spending patterns, and having children—over a month-long period, the researchers found that a meaningful life and happy life overlap in certain ways, but are ultimately very different. Leading a happy life, the psychologists found, is associated with being a "taker" while leading a meaningful life corresponds with being a "giver."
        “’Happiness without meaning characterizes a relatively shallow, self-absorbed or even selfish life, in which things go well, needs and desire are easily satisfied, and difficult or taxing entanglements are avoided,’ the authors write.” —Emily Esfahani Smith, “There’s More to a Life Than Being Happy,” The Atlantic

Altar call. Resurrection, as Clarence Jordan says, is God's refusal to stay on the other side of the grave. “God raised Jesus, not as an invitation to us to come to heaven when we die, but as a declaration that He himself has now established permanent residence on earth. The resurrection places Jesus on this side of the grave, here and now, in the midst of this life. The Good News of the resurrection is not that we shall die and go home with him but that he is risen and comes home with us, bringing all his hungry, naked, thirsty, sick, prisoner brothers and sisters with him.” (cf. Luke 24:44-53)

Benediction. “Beloveds, now we know for sure. Every day is grace and every night is gratitude. . . . May you wear down the pathway to the sanctuary of your soul. May you speak up for the silenced. May you befuddle the brutal, bewilder the bullies, be intolerant of the intolerable. Lament and laugh. And may laughter get the best of you.” —continue reading “Keep ringing the bells of holy hope,” by Nancy Hastings Sehested

Recessional. “Spring Waltz,” Frédéric Chopin.

Lectionary for this Sunday. “Open your mouths, oh people of praise. Unchain your lungs and unleash your lips. / Let joyful noise erupt from every muted tongue, thankful hymns from every muffled mouth. / Compose a new song for the Chorister of Heaven. A cappella or symphonic, let the sound rise like leaven. / Whether big band or bluegrass or rhythm and blues.” —continue reading “Big band or bluegrass,” a litany for worship inspired by Psalm 98

Lectionary for Sunday next. “One empty tomb poses no threat / to present entanglements, / any more than annual and / specially-adorned sanctuary crowds / encroach on Easter morn. / It’s Easter’s aftermath / resurrectus contagio, / contagious resurrection / that threatens entombing empires / with breached sovereignty.” —continue reading “Easter’s aftermath,” a poem inspired by Luke 24:13-35 and Matthew 25:1-13

Just for fun. 217 skydivers, jumping from 10 aircraft at 19,000 feet, create sky art and set a new record. (Thanks Sally.)

#  #  #

Featured this week on prayer&politiks

• “James Cone: A brief remembrance”

• “Life began in a garden: A collection of quotes on gardens”

• “Keep ringing the bells of holy hope,” by Nancy Hastings Sehested

• “Big band or bluegrass,” a litany for worship inspired by Psalm 98

• “Accounting for the hope that is in you,” a sermon based on Luke 24:44-53

• “Greater love hath none than this,” a litany for worship inspired by John 15:13

• “Easter’s aftermath,” a poem inspired by Luke 24:13-35 and Matthew 25:1-13

©Ken Sehested @ prayerandpolitiks.org. Language not otherwise indicated above is that of the editor, as are those portions cited as “kls.” Don’t let the “copyright” notice keep you from circulating material you find here (and elsewhere in this site). Reprint permission is hereby granted in advance for noncommercial purposes.

Feel free to copy and post any original art on this site. (The ones with “prayer&politiks.org” at the bottom.) As well as other information you find helpful.

Your comments are always welcomed. If you have news, views, notes or quotes to add to the list above, please do. If you like what you read, pass this along to your friends. You can reach me directly at kensehested@prayerandpolitiks.org.

The music of Mary Lou Williams

A review

Reviewed by Dale Roberts

When Mary Lou Williams converted to Catholicism in the 1950s she turned away from her career as a jazz musician, thinking that music played in bars had no place in the realm of the spirit. She came to realize that, as her friend Duke Ellington said, “Every man prays in his own language, and there is no language God does not understand.” Williams and Ellington were among the first jazz artists to write sacred music in the jazz idiom and perform jazz in churches.

Mary Lou Williams (born Mary Elfrieda Scruggs, 1910 – May 1981) was an African-American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger whose career spanned the history of jazz from early swing through the big band era, bebop, and beyond. She stood in the first rank of jazz pianists. She wrote and arranged music for Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and other bandleaders.

After two priests and her friend Dizzy Gillespie persuaded her to return to playing jazz she performed with Gillespie’s band at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival.

Throughout the 1960s and beyond she composed and performed sacred music rooted in jazz. She wrote hymns and jazz settings for the Catholic mass. In 1971 one of the masses, Music for Peace, was choreographed by Alvin Ailey and performed by the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater as Mary Lou's Mass.

Her compositions include "Black Christ of the Andes" (a hymn honoring St. Martin de Porres), "Anima Christi," and "Praise the Lord."

“I am praying through my fingers when I play,” Williams said. “I get that good ‘soul sound’, and I try to touch people's spirits …. When I'm playing, it seems as though someone else takes over. What I play comes from God, and I write it for the benefit of other people.”

You can hear Mary Williams perform her sacred jazz pieces here:
     • Praise the Lord  
     • Animi Christi   
     • St. Martin de Porres   

Dale Roberts is a retired teacher, vocational counsellor, and musician from Asheville, NC.