Recent

Signs of the Times  •  10 March 2016  •  No. 62

¶ Processional. St. Mary’s Academy (New Orleans) Marching Band.

¶ Invocation. “Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua. Osanna, Osanna in excelsis” (“Heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Hosanna, hosanna in the highest”), “The Ground,” by Ola Gjeilo, performed by the Heritage Concert Choir at Western Washington University.

Right: Chimney Rock, Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico. Photo by Patti Temer at Sol y Luz Photography.

¶ Call to worship. “Who then will contend, or with malice descend with a heart made bitter with blame? No longer shall dread rear its fraudulent head, for my Vindicator stands by my way. —read Ken Sehested’s “Sustain the weary with a word,” a litany for worship inspired by Isaiah 50:4-9a

¶ This decision has encouraging long-term implications. “The U.S. Supreme Court, without hearing oral argument, has unanimously reversed an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that denied parental rights to a lesbian adoptive mother who had split with her partner. The decision is a direct repudiation of an Alabama Supreme Court decision that refused to recognize a Georgia adoption.” —Nina Totenberg, NPR

¶ Paulley Perette (key character on the highly successful “NCIS” TV series, and now executive producer of “An Act of Love”) offers concise (45 seconds) Wesleyian theological affirmations in support of LGBTQ people in the United Methodist Church. —Reconciling Ministries Network

¶ Encouraging news. “[Georgia] Governor Nathan Deal, a reliably conservative Republican, cited Jesus last week to cast doubt on the wisdom of broadly worded ‘religious liberty’ legislation that has passed Georgia’s legislature and awaits his action. His stunning words might signal that the anti-gay fever that has swept conservative Christian America, especially in the wake of the 2015 Supreme Court gay marriage decision, could be about to break.” —David Gushee, Religion News Service

Left: Honduran environmental activist Berta Caceres accompanied The Nation‘s expose of the US role in her death. (image: Goldman Environmental Prize)

¶ Women’s History Month profile. Berta Cáceres, Honduran environmental activist supporting the rights of indigenous people, was murdered in her home in La Esperanza on 3 March. A winner of this year’s Goldman Environmental Prize, many think Cáceres was targeted by the Honduran government which came to power in a 2009 US-supported coup against former President Manuel Zelaya. —see Adam Johnson, FAIR
       For a longer background piece on the US role in recent Honduran politics, see Greg Grandin, The Nation.

¶ Confession. “We walk on through the darkness / we walk on through the light / through the confusion and illusion / through the floods and the fire / we walk back to the future / we walk back from the flame / we walk back to the beginning / where we’re given a new name.” —“We Walk On," Tonio K. (Thanks, Keith.)

¶ On International Women’s Day, “It is right and proper to retrieve and celebrate the memory of women of significant achievement who model excellence, infused with righteousness, for us all. However, the vast majority of such women (and men) are highly contextual, inconspicuous, and will only be known to a handful of witnesses. Kathy Waters is one of those.” —continue reading Ken Sehested’s “Wedding on the oncology ward: A meditation on the hurried-up wedding of my youngest and the occasion of International Women’s Day”

¶ “Know your history” (see art at right) is the first of “Seven sacred works for young activists (like me)” by Lydia Wylie-Kellermann, from “For the Love of Justice,” Geez. 

¶ Prophetic word from Republican Senator Margaret Chase Smith in 1950, decrying the state of her political party: “I don’t want to see the Republican Party ride to political victory on the Four Horsemen of Calumny—Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry and Smear. . . . I don’t believe the American people will uphold any political party that puts political exploitation above national interest.”

¶ Women who changed the world. If you’ve not already seen this, get a visual preview (2:08) of 48 female Nobel Laureates.

¶ Words of assurance. “You who endure contentious tongues, threatened by gangsters and banksters of every sort, / Come to the Sheltering Presence of the One who knows, / The One who tapes your photo to Heaven’s refrigerator door, / The One who rekindles in you the gift of love on the wings of a dove.” —continue reading Ken Sehested’s “By Thy might,” a litany for worship inspired by Psalm 31

¶ Needless to say, not all women’s history is salutary.  Few remember that 23 October 1923 was declared “Ku Klux Klan Day" at the Texas State Fair in Dallas, drawing many thousands to march downtown and crowd the fair grounds. Some 800 women were welcomed as new members of the Klan’s female auxiliary. 5,631 men pledged the new member loyalty oaths. —Bryan Woolley, Dallas Morning News

¶ Lenten lesson from Phyllis Tickle. "And in these last months, Phyllis has been teaching me about one final, very important (and yet not so important), matter: death. Mainly, that it is nothing to be afraid of. Death is merely the next step, the next part of the journey toward the heart of God." —see more of Jana Riess’ tribute to Trible, who died 22 September 2015

¶ St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick wasn’t Irish, didn’t expel snakes from Ireland, has no “miracle” attributed to him (which now is required for sainthood), and didn’t write the poem “St. Patrick’s Breastplate” (which was likely penned 3-4 centuries after Patrick died in the late 5th century). Ironically, though, his fame was sufficiently established in his lifetime that his followers waged a war for custody of his body. Relatively little is known for certain about his life, but this much is documented: He was likely the first early church leaders to speak out against the abuse of women.

¶ Hymn of praise. Among my all-time favorite recordings is “The Deer’s Cry,” aka “St. Patrick’s Breastplate,” performed here by Angelina.

¶ Listen to Sinead O’Connor sing the mournful song, “Skibberren,” about the Irish famine of 1846-47, when as many as 400,000 died of starvation and related disease even though British landlords were exporting huge amounts of food. For more on that history see Bill Bigelow, “The Real Irish-American Story Not Taught in Schools.”
        “Oh, it's well I do remember, that cold December day,  / The landlord and the sheriff came, to drive us all away  / They set my roof on fire, with their demon yellow spleen  / And that's another reason why I left old Skibbereen.”

¶ As preparation for Holy Week' confrontation, watch this amazing storm photos video. (42 seconds. Thanks, Susan.)

¶ In case you hadn't already figured this out, you can listen to the musical recommendations on this page while you read the text. Simply open the prayer&politiks site on two different tabs, listening on one, reading on the other, switching back and forth between them.

¶ Best one-liner humor. “God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently God thinks I’m a bas-ass.”

¶ “Faith-based efforts are a common but often underplayed component of the progressive coalition,” says Jack Jenkins, regarding Flint, Michigan’s struggles to overcome its horrific water crisis, “It’s worth noting that . . .  most of the first responders turned out to be faith groups of all stripes and creeds, with Unitarians, Catholics, Muslims, and other religious institutions working together. —“Last Night’s Democratic Debate Went Theological. Here’s Why That Matters,” ThinkProgress

Left: St. Brigid, Patron of Ireland, Students, Infants & Saint for House-Blessing.

¶ Prayer of intercession. “Who said that everything's lost? / I'm here to offer my heart, / So much blood carried away by the river, / I'm here to offer my heart.” —first verse in English translation of “Yo vengo a ofrecer mi corazón,” Mercedes Sosa

¶ Highly relevant Lenten discipline. On the first Sunday of Lent, Annapolis, Maryland United Church of Christ Pastor Rev. Ryan Sirmons was one of several faith leaders who encouraged his congregation to give up plastic bags instead of chocolate. They have the backing of environmental groups that are pushing a bill in the Maryland General Assembly that would ban plastic bags and levy a 10-cent fee on paper bags. —Pamela Wood, The Baltimore Sun

¶ Prophetic photo? A fuel truck (at right) broke through the ice on one of the Canadian Northwest Territories “ice roads” crossing Great Bear Lake near Deline. (Thanks, Margaret.)
        • Federal meteorologists say the winter that has just ended was the hottest in US records, thanks to the combination of El Nino and man-made global warming. Last month was the second warmest February. The fall of 2015 also was a U.S. record. —Seth Borenstein, Associated Press
        •In January scientists report that 2015 was the globe’s hottest year on record, breaking the previous record set in 2014.

¶ Anticipating Easter’s promise: "And the desert shall bloom." Watch this video (1:01) of a “super bloom” of wildflowers in Death Valley.

¶ More promising news. “After years of being ravaged by severe weather and shrinking habitats, the monarch butterflies hibernating in the Mexican mountains rebounded last year. The World Wildlife Fund said that the species, which fly more than 2,500 miles each year from Canada and the United States to a cluster of mountain forests in Mexico, covered about 10 acres this winter, an area more than three times as large as the space they covered last year.” —Victoria Burnett, New York Times

¶ Preach it. “The greatest threat to children in modern liberal societies is not that they will believe in something too deeply, but that they will believe in nothing very deeply at all.” —William Galston, Liberal Purposes

¶ You could say this as well about more than a few Methobapterians. “Her Episcopalian friends were persuading her to their wishy-washy way of worship. They really believed you could get to heaven without any shouting.” —novelist Dorothy West, The Living Is Easy

¶ My “Most Creative Electoral Commentary” award goes to “Ralph Cramden Rips Donald Trump a New One.” (54 seconds. Thanks, David.)

¶ Lectionary for Sunday next. “With glad songs of vict’ry, from the formerly vanquished, let the festal procession loot the treasury of fear. With soul-rested hope doth my voice still rejoice. Incline us, consign us, to steadfast Embrace.” —read Ken Sehested’s “Mutinous lips,” a litany for worship inspired by Psalm 118

¶ Spectacular photos. See the winners of the 2016 World Press Photo Contest.

¶ Call to the table. “What a Wonderful World,” Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.

¶ Altar call. “Swing Low Sweet Chariot,” B.B. King.

¶ Benediction. “Lord, Now lettest Thou Thy Servant Depart In Peace,” by Sergey Rachmaninoff, performed by the Orthodox Singers Male Choir.

¶ Recessional. “God Be With You Till We Meet Again,” Gospel-styled by Gene Martin.

¶ Just for fun. An indigenous instrumental rendition of “Unchained Melody” (remember the Righteous Brothers’ 1965 version?) by Alex North and Hy Zaret.

#  #  #

Featured this week on prayer&politiks:

• “Sustain the weary with a word,” a litany for worship inspired by Isaiah 50:4-9a

• “By Thy might,” a litany for worship inspired by Psalm 31

• “Wedding on the oncology ward: A meditation on the hurried-up wedding of my youngest and the occasion of International Women’s Day”

• “Mutinous lips,” a litany for worship inspired by Psalm 118

Other resources for Lent

• “Raucous: God’s mutiny against Lenten tedium and patriotic pablum,” particularly if Lenten piety gets wearisome or politician’s God-promotion makes atheism a viable option

• “Fasting: Ancient practice, modern relevance”

• “Wilderness: Lenten preparation: A collection of biblical texts that speak of wilderness”

• “Lent is upon us,” a liturgy for Lent

• “Deepening the Call: A wilderness fast opposing a “Desert Storm,” a Lenten essay protesting the 1991 Gulf War

©Ken Sehested @ prayerandpolitiks.org. Language not otherwise indicated above is that of the editor. 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.

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 klsehested@gmail.com.

 

Signs of the Times  •  3 March 2016  •  No. 61

¶ Processional. “I Want Jesus to Walk With Me,” Fannie Lou Hamer.

Right: This lavender labyrinth, in Germany, was developed by Christa Wendling in 2005. It is a replica of the one laid in the floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France in 1220.

¶ Invocation. “We know the road to freedom has always been stalked by death.” —Angela Y. Davis

¶ Call to worship. “Woke Up This Morning,” Fannie Lou Hamer leading group singing.

¶ Lent’s threat is to our self-made delusions. Mixed martial arts fighting (MMA, aka, no-holds-barred cage fighting) is among the most savage sporting phenomena in our culture. Yet a recent comment by former MMA female champion Ronda Rousey after her surprising loss to a competitor, is instructive for understanding Lent’s interrogation of our inventive persona habits:
        “In the medical room, I was sitting in the corner, and I was like, ‘What am I anymore if I’m not this [the champion]?’ And I was literally sitting there and thinking about killing myself in that exact second. Like what do I do anymore? And no ones gives a sh*t about me anymore without this.” —Rousey speaking on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” reported in USAToday

Good news. “A bipartisan group of governors from 17 states has pledged to accelerate their efforts to create a green economy in the US by boosting renewables, building better electricity grids and cutting emissions from transport.” The states include California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. These states are home to around 40% of the US population. —The Guardian

The image at right is a drawing by Gabe Harper a photograph made by William Smith of Fannie Lou Hamer speaking outside the Capitol in Washington DC on September 17, 1965, first printed in "Hospitality," newsletter of the Open Door Community in Atlanta, Georgia.

¶ Born to sharecroppers in 1917 rural Mississippi, Fannie Lou Hamer grew up in cotton fields. She made a fateful decision, in 1962, to attend a meeting about African American voter registration. That cause became a life commitment, working the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and helping found the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, among many other involvements. Despite her limited education, she was among the most eloquent voices for freedom within the civil rights movement. And singing was always part of the way she moved in the world.

¶ “Fannie Lou Hamer never recovered from the beating she suffered in the county jail in Winona, Mississippi. A blood clot eliminated vision in one eye. Severe damage to her kidneys shaved decades off her life. The sadistic brutality Hamer and her friends endured in Winona beggars comprehension unless you understand the times.” —continue reading Alan Bean’s  “‘Songs got us through’: Fannie Lou Hamer in Winona.”

¶ Watch this video (3:40) of Hamer testifying on 22 August 1964 before the Democratic National Convention’s credentials committee, challenging the legitimacy of Mississippi’s all-white Democratic delegation to the Convention. —PBS American Experience, “Freedom Summer"
        •You can watch the entire “American Experience Freedom Summer” 2-hour film.
        •President Lyndon Johnson was so threatened by Hamer's testimony that he called an impromptu press conference to preempt news coverage of her testimony. The plan backfired—all three major television networks aired Hamer’s testimony that evening.
        •Engraved on her tombstone is her most memorable refrain: “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

¶ “8 historic women who pioneered the Civil Rights Movement,” photos and brief summaries. —Yohana Desta, mashable.com

¶ Hymn of praise. “This Little Light of Mine,” Fannie Lou Hamer leading singing.

¶ Practicing praise. Neuroscientists know that expressing gratitude is good for your health. “Fad diets aside, we all know the basic formula for greater physical health—eat less junk and exercise more. The same can be said for greater happiness. Sure mental health is hugely complex, but the research on how to promote basic, day-to-day well-being couldn't be clearer—just cultivate gratitude.” —Jessica Stillman, Menu Inc.  (Thanks, James.)

¶ As only McFarrin can do it. “Musician Bobby McFerrin uses the pentatonic scale to reveal one surprising result of the way our brains are wired. You will be intrigued by how humans process thoughts and think.” (3:05. Thanks Naomi.)

¶ Extraordinarily good news. “My vote for this Lent’s saint of the season is 8-year-old Amelia Meyer (watch this 0:39 video) of Kansas City. Amelia, who’s battling brain cancer, was selected by the Make-a-Wish Foundation to fulfill a dream-come-true desire. But instead of a Disney World escapade, she wanted to “take care of the world” by gathering with her friends to pick up litter in her city’s parks.” —continue reading Ken Sehested’s “No resurrection by proxy: What 8-year-old Amelia Meyer has to teach us about Lenten arrangements that lead to life’s flourishing”

¶ For the beauty of the earth. National Geographic video (1:51) of “The President,” one of the world’s largest trees. (It has an estimated 2 billion leaves.)

¶ Confession. “Oh Lord, You Know Just How I Feel,” Fannie Lou Hamer.

¶ The state of our disunion. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has never in 10 years spoken a word from the bench during oral arguments of cases before the court. He broke that silence Monday to indicate his discomfort with taking away “the Second Amendment right to own guns” from a man convicted of violent domestic violence. —Laura Clawson, Kaily Kos

¶ History we still don’t know. “In 1958, James Hanover Thompson [then 8 years old] and his friend David Simpson [7 years old]—both African-American—were accused of kissing a girl who was white. They were arrested, and taken to jail. Prosecutors sought a stiff penalty—living in reform school until they were 21.”

¶ “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard to Talk to White People About Racism.” —Robin Diangelo, The Good Men Project (Thanks, Alan.)

¶ This 2-minute dialogue from TV’s “black-ish” sitcom sums up what needs to be heard if black lives are to matter.

¶ “To survive, you must tell stories.” —renowned Italian novelist, literary critic and philosopher Umberto Eco, who died last week

¶ Satire from The Onion. “According to a report published Thursday in the Journal Of Applied Psychology, the act of getting out of bed in the morning dramatically increases the risk of things becoming even worse.”

¶ Here’s a trend to applaud. “At least 85 of America’s top colleges are now endorsing the idea of emphasizing community involvement over personal success in their admissions policies. A new Harvard Graduate School of Education [‘Turning the Tide’] report is basically saying the best way to succeed for students who are applying to college is to relax, and be nicer to your family and neighbors.” —Terry Turner, GoodNewsNetwork

Left: Ricardo Levins Morales, ©RLM Art Studio.

¶ Powerful spoken word performance. “Indifference,” by Brook van der Linde. (3:08. Thanks, Bruce.)

¶ Words of assurance. “And I’ll rise up / I'll rise like the day / I’ll rise up / I'll rise unafraid / I'll rise up / And I’ll do it a thousand times again / And I’ll rise up / High like the waves / I’ll rise up / In spite of the ache / I'll rise up / And I’ll do it a thousands times again / For you.” —Andra Day, “Rise Up”

¶ Oscars. Chris Rock’s 10-minute opening monologue was widely anticipated, given the controversy over the fact that no African Americans were nominated for an Oscar award. Rock jumped on it right out of the gate—and did a stunningly funny  job (despite a misbegotten swipe at Asian Americans)—proving again that humor’s sharp edge makes for a better scalpel.

¶ More Oscar news. The most poignant moment in the Oscars show was Lady Gaga’s emotively-charged rendition of “Til It Happens to You” (a nominee for Best Original Song, written by Diane Warren) from “Hunting Ground,” the documentary movie about rape on college campuses. (Both Gaga and Warren are sexual assault survivors.)
        Midway through the song, the stage curtain in back lifted and some three dozen survivors of sexual assault joined her on stage, each with a phrase like “not your fault” or “survivor” written on their forearms. As the group exited the stage, Brie Larson, who won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in “Room,” the film about a woman held hostage for seven years, hugged every one of them. 

¶ Sexual assault occurs on average every 107 seconds  in the US, and the vast majority of victims are women. 18.3% of females, and 1.4% of males, are raped at some time in their lives. Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten. The good news is that sexual assault has decreased by more than half since 1993.
        •Worldwide, at least one in three women have been beaten or sexually assaulted during their lifetimes, and most of the abusers are family members.
        •Every day in the US more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends.
        •Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women—more than car accidents, muggings and rapes combined.

¶ Preach it. “In the rule of St. Benedict, the momenta mori [reminder of one’s mortality] . . .  challenged me to incorporate the awareness of death into my daily living, for that is what it really amounts to. It isn’t primarily a practice of thinking of one’s last hour, or of death as a physical phenomenon; it is a seeing of every moment of life against the horizon of death, and a challenge to incorporate that awareness of dying into every moment so as to become more fully alive.” —“Learning to Die,” Bro. David Steindle-Rast (Thanks, Deborah.)

¶ Call to the table. “I’m Going Down to the River of Jordan,” Fannie Lou Hamer.

¶ Good question. “Every notice how journalists always ask how Bernie will pay for free college, but never ask how we will pay for endless war?” —from the internet

¶ Altar call. “Precious Lord,” Fannie Lou Hamer.

¶ Lectionary for Sunday next. “‘Behold, I am doing a new thing, beyond your wildest dreams and favored calculations!’ In forgiving, we do not forget; we remember in a different way. Violation cannot be undone. But with time, wisdom, and care of a Good Shepherd, its poison can be drained, its tear stitched, its trauma calmed, its power annulled.” —continue reading Ken Sehested’s “Remembering in a different way: A meditation on communion, forgiveness and reconciliation's labor, inspired by Isaiah 43:16-21”

¶ Benediction. "Salvation does not divide. Salvation connects, so that one sees oneself in others and others in oneself. . . .” —novelist James Baldwin

¶ Recessional. “I Want Jesus to Walk With Me,” Marion Williams.

¶ Just for fun. “Simon Beck (2:10 video) has an incredible passion and talent for creating elaborate snow murals by taking one step at a time. What started out as just a fun way to exercise, later became a unique art.” (Thanks, Andrew.)

#  #  #

Right: Linocut art ©Julie Lonneman

Featured this week on prayer&politiks:

• “Remembering in a different way: A meditation on communion, forgiveness and reconciliation's labor, inspired by Isaiah 43:16-21”

• “No resurrection by proxy: What 8-year-old Amelia Meyer has to teach us about Lenten arrangements that lead to life’s flourishing”

Resources for Lent

• “Raucous: God’s mutiny against Lenten tedium and patriotic pablum,” a poem

• “Fasting: Ancient practice, modern relevance”

• “Wilderness: Lenten preparation: A collection of biblical texts that speak of wilderness”

• “Lent is upon us,” a liturgy for Lent

• “Deepening the Call: A wilderness fast opposing a “Desert Storm,” a Lenten essay protesting the 1991 Gulf War

©Ken Sehested @ prayerandpolitiks.org. Language not otherwise indicated above is that of the editor. 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.

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 klsehested@gmail.com.

 

Signs of the Times  •  25 February 2016  •  No. 60

¶ Processional (and celebrating the rising of the women). The ceremony marks the first aboriginal women—Melanie Mark—elected to British Columbia (Canada) legislature.  (Thanks, Lee.)

¶ Photo at right. Colima Volcano in Mexico shows a powerful night explosion with lightning and incandescent rockfalls. This photo, by Velasco Garcia, took second place in the 2016 World Press Photo Contest.

¶ Invocation. “Fill my heart with song and / Let me sing for ever more / You are all I long for / All I worship and adore.” —7-year-old Angelina Jordan, from Norway, singing “Fly Me to the Moon.”

¶ Call to worship. “Let the lost rejoice in the Lamb who rules, / for the Tendering Day draws near! / When the grumbling accountants of shame / and chagrin trap the erring, / consigned to regret, / When the safeguarding coins are scattered, astray, / and tattered hearts freeze with fear and dismay.” —continue reading Ken’s Sehested “Let the lost rejoice,” a litany for worship inspired by Jesus’ parables of loss in Luke 15

¶ Good news you likely didn’t hear. Susan Dancy Aldrich, a stay-at-home mom and part-time preschool teacher in Charlotte, NC, faced a vocational fork-in-the-road when the last of her children left home. After a coffee shop chance encounter with a friend starting a new non-governmental organization (NGO) in Panama, Susan hatched the idea for what became, in 2010, “One Library at a Time,” a project to establish and strengthen libraries serving young children in underdeveloped regions of the world—mostly in Central America—building on existing linkages with various NGOs to promote sustainability and relational development with communities here in the US. Consider stirring interest in your congregation to “adopt” one of these libraries.

Left: US & Cuban flags on a balcony in Havana. Photo by Yamil Lage, Getty Images.

¶ US-Cuba relations continuing to thaw
        •US President Barack Obama has announced he will visit Cuba on 21 March, the first sitting president to travel there since Calvin Coolidge in 1928.
        •Cleber LLC, a US manufacturer of small tractors, is the first business granted permission to establish a manufacturing plant in Cuba. —Melissa Block, NPR
        •On his second day in office in 2008, President Barack Obama issued an executive order mandating the closing within one year of the Guantánamo Bay Prison. Seven years later, Obama—frustrated by Congressional obstruction—has renewed his commitment to dismantle the military prison.      
        •The present cost to US taxpayers is $4 million annually for each of the 91 prisoners at the Guantánamo prison. For more background information, see the ACLU's “Guantánamo by the Numbers.”
        •The US and Cuba signed “a civil aviation agreement in Havana [Tuesday 16 February] re-establishing air service between the two countries,” up to 20 flights per day to Havana and as many as 10 daily flights to other Cuban cities. With 10 international airports in Cuba, that means there could be as many as 110 flights daily. —Laura Wagner, NPR

¶ For more background on Cuba:
        • “Thirty-give interesting facts about Cuba and its US relations,” by Ken Sehested. 
        • “Reflections on Changes in US-Cuba Relations,” by Stan Hastey, guest columnist.

¶ For the beauty of the earth. Aerial video of Multnomah Falls, Oregon. (2:25. Thanks, Michael.) 

¶ Hymn of praise. “Ode to Joy,” James Turner, glass harp virtuoso.

¶ When praise is something else.
        •“We either praise or blame according to whether the one or the other provides the greater opportunity to let our power of judgment shine. —Friedrich Nietzsche
        •“We seldom praise anyone in good earnest, except such as admire us.” —François de La Rochefoucauld

¶ A convenient opportunity for religious literacy. Harvard University, along with its Divinity School and Wellesley College are offering a free online series on world religions.

¶ Left. Mural portrait In Baltimore of Trayvon Martin, killed in February 2012 by George Zimmerman. Martin would have been 21 this year on 5 February.

¶ Suspicion of Lenten piety. “It has been said: Our weakness is our only claim on Jesus. ‘Come to me, you who are weary. . . . For my yoke is light’ (Matthew 11:28, 30).
        “‘Aha!’ you say. ‘Just as I suspected. What God really wants is to keep us subservient and dependent! On our knees, rather than on our own two feet. This religion business is nothing more than a form of social control.’”
        “If that were true, I would say: This ‘God’ is nothing but a pimp and his disciples are but hustlers. But something else is at stake—something so subtle that it cannot be said directly but only ironically. Rather than slavery, this ‘weakness’ is the key to freedom.” —continue reading “Claim on Jesus,” a call to worship and litany inspired by Luke 15:11b-32, the story of the “prodigal son”

¶ War costs in dollars. It’s estimated that the total costs of the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq will be between $4-$6 trillion, once you factor in not only the direct costs but also interest on borrowing (virtually all the war costs were put on a credit card), long-term medical care and disability compensation for wounded veterans, and supply and equipment replenishment.
        •The George W. Bush Administration forced Lawrence Lindsey to resign as head of its National Economic Council shortly before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, after he said the cost of a war with Iraq might reach $200 billion. A month later, just before the U.S. invaded Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld suggested the war’s total cost would be “something under $50 billion.” And the US, he added, would share that bill with its allies.

Right: Marine Abrams tank with the words "New Testament" painted on the barrel, Anbar Province, Iraq, 2005.

        •According to the Congressional Research Service, it costs $3.9 million annually for each American soldier in Afghanistan. —Mark Thompson, Time

        •The US war in Afghanistan has cost at least $1 trillion (1,000,000,000,000—that’s one thousand billion dollars) in direct expenses (i.e., not counting things like debt on war-expense borrowing and long-term medical costs for wounded US troops). Which mean the US, instead of invading, could have cut a $33,000 check to each of Afghanistan’s 30 million citizens. In a country where the annual average per capita income is $670, that would last nearly 50 years per citizen. (Life expectancy in Afghanistan is 60.5 years.) —Peter Apps, Reuters

¶ State of our disunion. In August 2015 the Birmingham, Alabama, city council voted to raise in two stages the minimum wage from $7.25 (the federal level—Alabama has no state law for such) to $10.10 in 2017. (Adjusted for inflation, the latter rate would be only about 10¢ higher than the federal minimum wage rate of 1970.)
        Now state Representative David Faulkner, from neighboring Mountain Home, has drafted legislation forbidding Alabama cities from setting their own standard.
        Background. The median household income in Mountain Home is $131,281; median home value is $542,800; poverty rate is 2.6%; population is 97% white. While in Birmingham: median household income is $31,445; median home value, $85,000; poverty rate, 31% (50% for children); population rate, 70% African American. —see Audie Cornish, NPR

¶ On 19 February 1942 President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. Listen to Japanese Americans—approximately 120,000, two-thirds of them naturalized US citizens—reflect on their time in internment camps during World War II. (4:02. Thanks, Ashlee.)
        •Laws preventing Asian Americans from owning land, voting, and testifying against whites in court, among other things, had already been in effect for decades.
        •“In 1940 and in early 1941, President Roosevelt secretly commissioned studies “to assess the possibility that Japanese Americans would pose a threat to U.S. security.” Both reported no credible threat, but both were ignore.”—Wikipedia
        •Here is a map of the Japanese American internment camps.

¶ Confession. “What a chimera, then, is man! What a novelty, what a monster, what a chaos, what a contradiction, what a prodigy! Judge of all things, feeble earthworm, repository of truth, sewer of uncertainty and error, the glory and the scum of the universe.” —17th century French mathematician, physicist and philosopher Blaise Pascal

¶ Words of assurance. “Even with darkness sealing us in, / We breathe Your name, / And through all the days that follow so fast, / We trust in You; / Endless Your grace, O endless Your grace, / Beyond all mortal dream.” —Stephen Paulus (from his “The Three Hermits” opera), lyrics by Michael Dennis Browne, adapted from a Russian Orthodox prayer.

¶ Preach it (in anticipating Women’s History Month in March). “Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says, ‘Oh crap, she's up!’" —bumper sticker

¶ Call to the table. “For with you is the source of life, in your light we see light,” (sung in Hebrew and English), David Zeller.

¶ Altar call. “I can say no to myself, I can say yes to God, and then every single day there are tests to prove whether I meant it. I may have meant it yesterday, but I would like to take it back today. Somebody has said, 'Living sacrifices keep crawling off the altar.'" —Elizabeth Elliott

¶ Lectionary for Sunday next. “Sunday school, like the ministry of reconciliation, has been tamed. In 2004, shortly after the release of gruesome photos of abuse and torture in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison, a ranking U.S. Senator responded this way to a reporter’s question: “This is not Sunday school. This is interrogation. This is rough stuff.”  —read Ken Sehested’s “There is a new creation: The Apostle Paul’s vision of the ministry of reconciliation,” commentary on 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

Right: “Real life” artwork ©Brian Andreas, Storypeople

¶ Benediction. ““I believe the light that shines on you will shine on you forever . . . though I can’t guarantee there’s nothing scary hiding under your bed.” —Paul Simon, lyrics in “Father and Daughter”

¶ Recessional. “Eies irae” from Giuseppe Verdi’s “Requiem.”

¶ Just for fun. Why do we still have pennies, considering the fact that each penny costs 1.7¢ to make—and the US Mint still produces eight billion new ones each year? Watch John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight” hilarious takedown of this phenomenon and learn about, among other things, the “Americans for Common Cents” lobby, the zinc industry, and the Lincoln Library. (9:35)

#  #  #

Featured this week on prayer&politiks:

• “Claim on Jesus,” a call to worship and litany inspired by Luke 15:11b-32, the story of the “prodigal son”

• “Let the lost rejoice,” a litany for worship inspired by Jesus’ parables of loss in Luke 15

• “There is a new creation: The Apostle Paul’s vision of the ministry of reconciliation,” commentary on 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

Resources for Lent

• “Fasting: Ancient practice, modern relevance”

• “Wilderness: Lenten preparation: A collection of biblical texts that speak of wilderness”

• “Lent is upon us,” a liturgy for Lent

• “Deepening the Call: A wilderness fast opposing a 'Desert Storm,'” a Lenten essay protesting the 1991 Gulf War

©Ken Sehested @ prayerandpolitiks.org. Language not otherwise indicated above is that of the editor. 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.

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 klsehested@gmail.com.