Pastor Frank

“Not my responsibility.”

Palm/Passion Sunday, 2023

Matthew 27:11-26, 35-50

Jesus was brought before the governor. The governor said, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “That’s what you say.” But he didn’t answer when the chief priests and elders accused him. Then Pilate said, “Don’t you hear the testimony they bring against you?” But he didn’t answer, not even a single word. So the governor was greatly amazed. It was customary during the festival for the governor to release to the crowd one prisoner, whomever they might choose. At that time there was a well-known prisoner named Jesus Barabbas. When the crowd had come together, Pilate asked them, “Whom would you like me to release to you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?” He knew that the leaders of the people had handed him over because of jealousy. While he was serving as judge, his wife sent this message to him, “Leave that righteous man alone. I’ve suffered much today in a dream because of him.” But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and kill Jesus. The governor said, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” “Barabbas,” they replied. Pilate said, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”

They all said, “Crucify him!” But he said, “Why? What wrong has he done?” They shouted even louder, “Crucify him!” Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that a riot was starting. So he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I’m innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It’s your problem.” All the people replied, “Let his blood be on us and on our children.” Then he released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus whipped, then handed him over to be crucified.

…

They crucified with him two outlaws, one on his right side and one on his left. Those who were walking by insulted Jesus, shaking their heads and saying, “So you were going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, were you? Save yourself! If you are God’s Son, come down from the cross.” In the same way, the chief priests, along with the legal experts and the elders, were making fun of him, saying, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself. He’s the king of Israel, so let him come down from the cross now. Then we’ll believe in him. He trusts in God, so let God deliver him now if he wants to. He said, ‘I’m God’s Son.’” The outlaws who were crucified with him insulted him in the same way. From noon until three in the afternoon the whole earth was dark. At about three Jesus cried out with a loud shout, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,” which means, “My God, my God, why have you left me?” After hearing him, some standing there said, “He’s calling Elijah.” One of them ran over, took a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a pole. He offered it to Jesus to drink. But the rest of them said, “Let’s see if Elijah will come and save him.” Again Jesus cried out with a loud shout. Then he died. 

The other night, Grace’s Journey Toward Racial Justice team hosted a dinner here in the Celebration Center called “Gather at the Table.” About 25 people from the community, even a couple of out of state guests, gathered at tables for a meal and conversations about where our anti-racist ministry could go next. At my table, Marilyn mentioned a line she heard at a recent leadership training event: “Culture eats strategy.” It really shook us. Our plans, our ideas, our intentions will always be subject to culture. “Culture eats strategy.” 

Perhaps Pontius Pilate skipped out on the training where that valuable piece of wisdom was shared, because during his decade-long tenure as Governor of Judea, the southern part of Israel that included Jerusalem, he never made any progress with those under his supervision. As the appointed official, Pilate served as the emperor’s proxy in this western province of Rome. Job #1 was to maintain order and peace- and he was ruthless in his use of force when necessary. Pilate knew that Jerusalem was not only Israel’s capital for a 1000 years, but it’s a religious center, housing the Lord’s Temple for more than nine centuries. Pilate knew that religious festivals, like Passover, would draw pilgrims not just from the countryside but from wherever Jews lived throughout the empire. He knew that a few times every year he would have to leave his gorgeous, modern seaside compound to set up court in Jerusalem to protect the peace from the constant threat of religious violence, and that he would be constantly interrupted from job #1 to receive requests from religious leaders to resolve disputes they should handle themselves.

During one of his ten Passovers in Jerusalem, Pilate was introduced to a traveling preacher from Galilee who was in town for the festival. He had been arrested by the Jewish authorities for blasphemy, and they wanted him executed, but Jews didn’t have that authority under Roman rule. Pilate questioned the man, found no reason for him to be arrested, much less executed, and wanted him dismissed. Even his own wife pleaded with him to dismiss Jesus- she had had nightmares about him. Back and forth they went, but Pilate could not gain any ground. So he had an idea: a choice. The people could pick: release Jesus the teacher, or Barabbas, a known insurrectionist and murderer– the kind of person Pilate had been appointed to keep under control in the first place. That didn’t work either. Finally, unable to win, Pilate sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion, a Roman punishment reserved for the worst of criminals. Washing his hands of the whole thing, he imagined he would not be responsible for any unfortunate outcomes.

But Pilate never appreciated that culture eats strategy. 

Last Friday, this editorial cartoon appeared in the Dallas Morning News:

It was a response to the horrifying news that at least 39 migrants died in a fire at a detention facility in Juarez, Mexico. Guatemalans were the largest group among those killed or injured. Others were from Honduras, El Salvador, Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador.

“The government must change its immigration policies,” José Guadalupe Torres Campos, the Catholic bishop of Ciudad Juárez, said during services at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral this week. “We have insisted – the Pope, the bishops – that the government has to change its migratory policies… We are all responsible by omission, by indifference… because we have not done the right thing. I assume my responsibility,” but the government still must review its actions.

“Global migration is at unprecedented levels, and requires action by many governments,” said Theresa Cardinal Brown, managing director of immigration and cross-border policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. “It’s a crisis of many levels,” said Brown, who has also worked for both Republican and Democratic administrations. “It’s a humanitarian crisis. It’s a resource crisis, an immigration crisis and a border security crisis.”

Mark Hetfield, president and CEO of HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society- the  world’s oldest refugee agency- said the fire reflects the “dangerous and uncertain situation” faced by those seeking safety. The fire and other losses of life for migrants also reveal the “urgent need for safe and legal pathways for refugees and migrants.”

Howard Campbell, a border anthropologist at the University of Texas at El Paso, has followed the humanitarian crisis for years and blames the administrations of López Obrador and President Joe Biden. The “tragedy signifies the failures of both U.S. and Mexican immigration policies,” he said. “On one hand, the mixed signals sent by the Biden administration have only increased migrant flows and created dangerous and desperate conditions for migrants. On the other hand, Mexico’s corrupt handling of the migrant issue has further endangered migrants, and also contributed to cruel events like the fire in Juárez,” he said. “The governments of both countries need to make sharp changes in policy for humanitarian reasons.”

This week I came across the image on the bulletin cover and screens. It’s called A Choice, created by Lauren Wright Pittman in 2018. It’s inspired by Mark 8:31-38, one of Jesus’ most important teachings on the nature of being a disciple: “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me. All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me and because of the good news will save them.” Here is how the artist describes the image:

A Choice © 2018 | Inspired by Mark 8:31-38

“Jesus offers the crowd (us) a layered and complicated choice, one that is as complex as his own dualistic nature. The first option is self-denial, a heavy burden, and a lost— but saved—life. The second is gaining the whole world, but forfeiting life. It’s easy for a seasoned Christian to take this choice for granted. This choice that Jesus calls us into may even seem like a no brainer, but in this moment, Jesus teaches of the terrors that will befall him and invites the crowd to knowingly face that path alongside him.

If we’re honest, it is extremely difficult to reject the tempting power and wealth this world has to offer and allow our life to take the shape of good news for all.

The choice isn’t an obvious one. One side looks like an opulent pile of riches, a crown, and endless power, while the other looks like tattered and worn hands with new life blooming out of wounds, work, burdens and relationships. This choice may seem like a distant decision made long ago, but it’s a decision to be made every single day, one moment at a time. In working for and with the downtrodden, poor, orphaned, widowed, ostracized, and oppressed, we will find ourselves.”

As Pilate approached Jerusalem from one direction, Jesus and his followers approached from another. The crowds but down palm branches and shouted, “Hosanna!” (“Lord save us!”). They are correct to proclaim Jesus as the one who brings God’s salvation to their lives. But they do not yet fully understand the kind of king Jesus will be. And of course neither does Pilate. After all, he has no understanding of Jewish culture, what Passover means, the place of Jerusalem or the Temple– it’s all just an annoyance and inconvenience. And when faced with the real significance of the matter, Pilate made his choice: washing his hands and abdicating responsibility. It’s your problem. You take care of it.

Now here we are, more than two thousand years later. We about as far away from Jerusalem as someone can get, but it is still Palm/Passion Sunday. We have paraded through the worship space, waved palm branches, cried out for salvation, baptized a baby, even read out Pilate’s name- forever linked with Jesus’ suffering- in an ancient act of worship. Like Pilate and every disciple from the beginning, we have to ask and answer a question: What is Jesus up to now? And how will we respond? Will we turn away from human suffering when we witness it- immigration policy, natural disasters worsened by the climate crisis, school shootings exacerbated by our culture of violence? Will we take up our cross and follow Jesus into the messiness of it all? Will we respond to God’s gracious offer of salvation and use the awesome responsibility of discipleship to improve the lives of others? Or will we say to ourselves,

(dip hands in baptismal water)

“We are not responsible. It is not our problem. We wash our hands of it.”

1 Samuel 2:1-9

2 Then Hannah prayed:

My heart rejoices in the Lord.

    My strength rises up in the Lord!

    My mouth mocks my enemies

        because I rejoice in your deliverance.

2 No one is holy like the Lord—

    no, no one except you!

    There is no rock like our God!

3 Don’t go on and on, talking so proudly,

    spouting arrogance from your mouth,

    because the Lord is the God who knows,

        and he weighs every act.

4 The bows of mighty warriors are shattered,

    but those who were stumbling now dress themselves in power!

5 Those who were filled full now sell themselves for bread,

    but the ones who were starving are now fat from food!

    The woman who was barren has birthed seven children,

        but the mother with many sons has lost them all!

6 The Lord! He brings death, gives life,

        takes down to the grave, and raises up!

7 The Lord! He makes poor, gives wealth,

    brings low, but also lifts up high!

8 God raises the poor from the dust,

    lifts up the needy from the garbage pile.

    God sits them with officials,

    gives them the seat of honor!

The pillars of the earth belong to the Lord;

    he set the world on top of them!

9 God guards the feet of his faithful ones,

    but the wicked die in darkness

        because no one succeeds by strength alone.

Last week I pitched a new reality series, The Real Housewives of Bethlehem, starring Ruth, Orpah, and Naomi. This week’s spinoff is The Real Housewives of Shiloh, featuring two women married (at the same time) to one guy: Hannah and Peninnah are married to a real catch, Elkanah. Their household is a nightmare. Hannah is without children, but her husband loves her; Peninnah has several kids, but her husband does not care for her. And Peninnah uses her status as the fertile wife to make Hannah’s life miserable. Not the kind of home you want to be invited to for Sunday lunch after church.

Hannah is the wife of a total idiot, who, when he hears his wife’s crying due to lack of children and Peninnah’s teasing, says, “Hannah, why are you crying? “Why won’t you eat? Why are you so sad? Aren’t I worth more to you than ten sons?” This is the kind of comment that could fuel great discussions in couples counseling. At least he could have said, “Aren’t you worth more to me than ten sons?” Hannah’s answer is undoubtedly a hard NO. Carrying her grief to the place of worship, Hannah cries in prayer before the Lord. Mouthing a prayer but not speaking so as not to disturb others and draw even more attention to her shame than she receives at home, the priest, Eli, another real winner of a guy, says to her: “How long will you act like a drunk? Sober up!” “No sir!” Hannah replied. “I’m just a very sad woman. I haven’t had any wine or beer but have been pouring out my heart to the Lord. Don’t think your servant is some good-for-nothing woman. This whole time I’ve been praying out of my great worry and trouble!” Eli responded, “Then go in peace. And may the God of Israel give you what you’ve asked from him.” “Please think well of me, your servant,” Hannah said. “Then the woman went on her way, ate some food, and wasn’t sad any longer.”

In her prayer, Hannah promises God that if she has a son she will raise him to be a nazirite, a person set aside for the Lord’s service. They are not allowed to drink alcohol or cut their hair. In the Book of Judges, Samson is a nazirite; indeed his mother, was also infertile for a time, is a nazirite herself. After some time, Hannah does become pregnant, gives birth to a son, and names him Samuel, meaning God has heard. After three years, she delivers the boy to Eli, to be raised in the house of the Lord. “Excuse me, sir!” Hannah said. “As surely as you live, sir, I am the woman who stood here next to you, praying to the Lord. I prayed for this boy, and the Lord gave me what I asked from him. So now I give this boy back to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is given to the Lord.” She waited and pleaded for a son, and now that he is a toddler, she has to release him to God’s service. For her faithfulness, the text says God rewarded her with multiple sons and daughters in the coming years. Every year she would return to the worship space, bringing Samuel a new robe. Imagine her guessing with pride what size to sew the new garment, and the joy she must feel to present it to her son at her annual pilgrimage.

In her book How to Begin When Your World Is Ending: A Spiritual Field Guide to Joy Despite Everything, Rev Molly Phinney Baskette describes a ritual her church uses for those interested in becoming members of the congregation. They gather at a home, share appetizers and beverages, and she leads them through a process where each person shares their faith journey so far. She tells them,

 Your faith story is not your church story. It is much bigger than that, and might only be a little about church. It also is probably not a sweet, easy story. To tell it, you might use geographic motifs like the Bible does: mountaintop experiences, the valley of the shadow of death, a valley of dry bones…The stories that get told amongst our new members reveal that the faith journey is not a straight road, but a spiral. We don’t move up a gentle slope at a consistent pace toward a God with open arms. We find God, we lose God, or we feel that God has lost us. We spiral back to the same obsessions, fears, addictions, and quandaries… Most of us will not get through life unscathed. Resiliency comes not just from suffering, but the type of suffering that finds a broader perspective and the right supports to help us decide what to do next.

Hannah is one of many biblical women who struggled with infertility: Sarah, Hagar, Elizabeth, the unnamed mother of Samson. She is more than a baby incubator; her roller coaster ride of conflict at home, disconnected spouse, lack of spiritual support, and the misery of enduring all this on her own must not be reduced to biological function. Hannah’s roller coaster eventually comes to a satisfying conclusion- a faithful life leads to abundant joy. For millions of other women in contemporary life, the challenges continue. Some are unable to conceive, so they must endure expensive IVF treatments. Others cannot afford the option. Some conceive, but do not have health insurance or access to prenatal care. Others suffer from miscarriages or grieve stillborn children or adoptions that are not realized.

How do we offer support for those grieving the loss- or never realized promise- of children? A group of women who meet at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas called An Invisible Sisterhood. They come together for mutual support and encouragement. Many years ago I served as an on-call chaplain at Parkland Hospital in Dallas. Parkland’s Newborn nursery discharges numbered 10,908 in 2022; its NICU staff cares for more than 1,300 newborns each year, averaging about 100 newborns every month, and their Women’s clinic visits totaled 237,545 last year. When I offered pastoral support at the hospital nearly three decades ago, it was not unusual for me to be called to the Neo natal ICU to visit with parents of a newborn child. Occasionally those were babies who did not survive the birth process. A time or two I was asked to baptize a tiny infant who had died. We would offer prayer and the staff would take a picture of mom holding her tiny child, allowing space to grieve the loss of all the possibilities the promised life once contained.

An Anglican Church resource on ministering to mothers, or perspective mothers, grieving the loss of children or their ability to have children says this: “[God] invites us to voice our grief and anger, secure in the faith that a compassionate God hears our cries and will respond. The divine action may not always be what we hope for or expect; nonetheless it is important for our relationship with God to voice our honest reactions, even anxiety, grief, anger, and doubt. Throughout Scripture, we hear God’s people crying and lamenting. God hears the cries of the despairing and is present throughout the turmoil of grief.” Psalm 69 is a psalm of lament, the writer bearing their soul to the God who hears all of our prayers- even, perhaps especially, those prayed in moments of despair and heartbreak:

13 But me? My prayer reaches you, Lord,

    at just the right time.

God, in your great and faithful love,

    answer me with your certain salvation!

14 Save me from the mud!

    Don’t let me drown!

    Let me be saved from those who hate me

    and from these watery depths!

15 Don’t let me be swept away by the floodwaters!

    Don’t let the abyss swallow me up!

    Don’t let the pit close its mouth over me!

16 Answer me, Lord, for your faithful love is good!

    Turn to me in your great compassion!

17 Don’t hide your face from me, your servant,

    because I’m in deep trouble.

    Answer me quickly!

18 Come close to me!

    Redeem me!

    Save me because of my enemies!

19 You know full well the insults I’ve received;

    you know my shame and my disgrace.

    All my adversaries are right there in front of you.

20 Insults have broken my heart.

    I’m sick about it.

I hoped for sympathy,

    but there wasn’t any;

    I hoped for comforters,

    but couldn’t find any.

21 They gave me poison for food.

    To quench my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

Hannah’s story is not meant to be understood as the only result of faithful women longing for a child. As much as she and other biblical women who struggled to bear children and ultimately did are often portrayed as baby incubators, they are also often lifted up as examples of perfect devotion- God provided kids for them because they were perfect- leaving millions of women feeling as though God had abandoned them in their need. If only they had tried harder, prayed harder, loved harder. But guilt and shame- inflicted by ourselves or if we receive it from others- is not a path for healing or restoration. It only leads to despair. Yet we learn from Hannah’s story, and the stories of faithful women in every time have endured the varied challenges of becoming mothers, that despair is not the final stop on the roller coaster. Psalm 69 ends this way:

30 I will praise God’s name with song;

    I will magnify him with thanks

31     because that is more pleasing to the Lord than an ox,

    more pleasing than a young bull with full horns and hooves.

32 Let the afflicted see it and be glad!

    You who seek God—

    let your hearts beat strong again

33     because the Lord listens to the needy

        and doesn’t despise his captives.

And Hannah’s own song in 1 Samuel 2, sung after the birth and dedication of her son, says this: “My heart rejoices in the Lord.

    My strength rises up in the Lord!

    My mouth mocks my enemies

        because I rejoice in your deliverance.

    No one is holy like the Lord—

    no, no one except you!

    There is no rock like our God!”

Today is the 2nd Sunday of Lent. We are on a journey- 40 days in the wilderness of spiritual discipline and growth. We’re focusing on the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Joy. Joy is different from happiness; happiness is a fleeting emotion, subject to various whims. But joy endures. “Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). Jesus said, “When a woman gives birth, she has pain because her time has come. But when the child is born, she no longer remembers her distress because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. In the same way, you have sorrow now; but I will see you again, and you will be overjoyed. No one takes away your joy. In that day, you won’t ask me anything. I assure you that the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Up to now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive so that your joy will be complete” (John 16:21-24).

Our lenten journey through the wilderness is illustrated in the purple graphic in your bulletin. Following our receiving the Lord’s Supper this morning, we will sing together the hymn Stay with Us. Technically it’s an Easter hymn, recalling the walking of the resurrected Jesus with the disciples making their way to the village Emmus. But Jesus walks with us during Lent as well! When we sing together in a few minutes, notice the words of the 4th stanza: 

Stay with us,

Walk with us,

Talk with us, till we behold

A joyful life You will unfold

The hymn speaks of the promise of faith. It’s not a promise to never suffer, or for every prayer to be realized as we wish. It’s a promise that no matter what journey we walk, Christ walks it with us. We are never alone. Even in the midst of pain and sorrow, a joyful life is possible. Every step of her journey to motherhood, God walked alongside Hannah. Through every challenge, God’s presence was there. Joy is found walking with God through whatever wilderness we find ourselves in.

Let us pray.

A Song of Christ’s Goodness- Anselm of Canterbury (lived 1000 years ago)

Jesus, as a mother you gather your people to you; ,:.

you are gentle with us as a mother with her children.

Often you weep over our sins and our pride, ‘:·

tenderly you draw us from hatred and judgment.

You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our wounds, ‘:·

in sickness you nurse us and with pure milk you feed us.

Jesus, by your dying, we are born to new life; ‘:·

by your anguish and labor we come forth in joy.

Despair turns to hope through your sweet goodness; ‘:·

through your gentleness, we find comfort in fear. 

Your warmth gives life to the dead, •:-

your touch makes sinners righteous.

Lord Jesus, in your mercy, heal us; •:-

in your love and tenderness, remake us.

In your compassion, bring grace and forgiveness, •:-

for the beauty of heaven, may your love prepare us.

Ruth 4:9-17

Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I’ve bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon. And also Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, I’ve bought to be my wife, to preserve the dead man’s name for his inheritance so that the name of the dead man might not be cut off from his brothers or from the gate of his hometown—today you are witnesses.”

Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord grant that the woman who is coming into your household be like Rachel and like Leah, both of whom built up the house of Israel. May you be fertile in Ephrathah and may you preserve a name in Bethlehem. And may your household be like the household of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah—through the children that the Lord will give you from this young woman.”

So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife.

He was intimate with her, the Lord let her become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi, “May the Lord be blessed, who today hasn’t left you without a redeemer. May his name be proclaimed in Israel. He will restore your life and sustain you in your old age. Your daughter-in-law who loves you has given birth to him. She’s better for you than seven sons.” Naomi took the child and held him to her breast, and she became his guardian. The neighborhood women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They called his name Obed. He became Jesse’s father and David’s grandfather.

[summarize the Book of Ruth in the format of a pitch for a new reality show: The Real Housewives of Bethlehem)

I had a great line in a sermon a few weeks ago (I say that with all due humility). I said, “Leviticus is the place where New Year’s Resolutions with respect to the Bible go to die.” It’s true. It is a book filled with regulations, laws, and rules. It’s nearly impossible to read. But without Leviticus, the Book of Ruth doesn’t exist; it’s the most approachable vision for what God had in mind for the covenant community of the Isrealites. This is what a levitical economy and society looks like: protections for widows, orphans, and immigrants. Take a break from farming the land every seven years to allow the land to produce its bounty on its own- literally give the earth a sabbath year every seven years. Restore ancestral property to its original owners every fifty year, and eliminate all debt held by individuals. This makes generational poverty impossible. Allow freedom of movement across borders, so that people can safely settle where there are adequate resources- and it’s safe for their children. Survival is not dependent on the generosity of the wealthy, who can withdraw their support at any time. Protections for the most vulnerable are built in. compare the plight of Naomi and Ruth to immigrants and refugees today; not just those coming to America, but around the world: people fleeing war, climate change, drought, famine, unsafe living conditions, lack of adequate jobs and resources. 

The United Methodist Social Principles speak directly to many of the issues dealt with in the Book of Ruth- overcoming significant obstacles to achieve a sense of belonging and well being for all.

Poverty

In spite of general affluence in the industrialized nations, the majority of persons in the world live in poverty. In order to provide basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, education, health care, and other necessities, ways must be found to share more equitably the resources of the world. 

As a church, we are called to support the poor and challenge the rich. To begin to alleviate poverty, we support such policies as: adequate income maintenance, quality education, decent housing, job training, meaningful employment opportunities, adequate medical and hospital care, humanization and radical revisions of welfare programs, work for peace in conflict areas and efforts to protect creation’s integrity. Since low wages are often a cause of poverty, employers should pay their employees a wage that does not require them to depend upon government subsidies such as food stamps or welfare for their livelihood.

Because we recognize that the long-term reduction of poverty must move beyond services to and employment for the poor, which can be taken away, we emphasize measures that build and maintain the wealth of poor people, including asset-building strategies such as individual development savings accounts, micro-enterprise development programs, programs enabling home ownership, and financial management training and counseling. Poverty most often has systemic causes, and therefore we do not hold poor people morally responsible for their economic state.

Foreign Workers

For centuries people have moved across borders in search of work. In our global world this is still a relevant and increasing form of immigration. Improved wages, better working conditions, and jobs available are reasons for immigration due to work opportunities. Workers from other countries are in many societies an important resource to fill the society’s need of workers. But foreign workers too often meet exploitation, absence of protecting laws, and unreasonable wages and working conditions. We call upon governments and all employers to ensure for foreign workers the same economic, educational, and social benefits enjoyed by other citizens.

Rights of Immigrants

We recognize, embrace, and affirm all persons, regardless of country of origin, as members of the family of God. We affirm the right of all persons to equal opportunities for employment, access to housing, health care, education, and freedom from social discrimination. We urge the Church and society to recognize the gifts, contributions, and struggles of those who are immigrants and to advocate for justice for all. We oppose immigration policies that separate family members from each other or that include detention of families with children, and we call on local churches to be in ministry with immigrant families.

These are not meant to be a utopian, unobtainable fantasy of an idealized society. Allowing people to find a home, resources, and well being, in a new place with a different culture and practices is an act of hospitality. It also affirms their human dignity and their identity as children of God. The culture of Ruth and Naomi, Moabite and Israelite, was highly centered in community, and so there were able to at least survive. American culture, on the other hand, is highly individualistic- dangerously so. Sociologist Philip Slater said this in the article “The Pursuit of Loneliness”:

Three human desires that are deeply and uniquely frustrated by American culture:

The desire for community- the wish to live in trust, cooperation, and friendship with those around one.

The desire for engagement- the wish to come directly to grips with one’s social and physical environment.

The desire for dependence- the wish to share responsibility for the control of one’s impulses and the direction of one’s life.

Each of these desires is subordinate to its opposite in the American character. …Americans have voluntarily created, and voluntarily maintain, a society that increasingly frustrates and aggravates these secondary yearingins to the point that they threaten to become primary. Groups that in any way personify this threat have always been feared in an exaggerated way, and always will be until Americans are able to recognize and accept those needs within themselves. This is why the quality of life in America is so unsatisfying. Since our economy is built on inflated vanity, rather than being grounded in the real material needs of the people, it must eventually collapse, when these illusions can no longer be maintained.

For this reason, it is highly unlikely our Real Housewives of Bethlehem pitch is likely to move forward. It has all the makings of a great reality series- romance, struggle, characters trying to work the system, cultural conflict, prejudice.. But there is no clear winner. No one person will receive a rose for outmaneuvering everyone else. No one person will receive $10 million for humiliating themselves the most. If this show was made, Orpah would challenge Ruth to some kind of battle for Boaz’ affections, and the winner likely would have had to take on Naomi in the championship round! But no. In the Book of Ruth, there is no clear winner at the cost of everyone else’s misfortune or manipulation. 

• Naomi wins restoration
• Ruth wins character and devotion
• Orpah wins community, family, and rootedness in her culture
• Boaz wins a bride and a son
• Obed wins a kingly grandson 
• The women of Bethlehem win the right to name the child
• The society wins because protections are in place, ensuring the most vulnerable are welcomed and provided for- everybody wins

Today is the first Sunday of Lent. We are walking through the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. The Book of Ruth is often thought of as a love story- a sort of romance novel in the middle of all these history books like Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles. The love on display in the book, however, is not romantic- it is possible Ruth and Boaz do love one another, but marriage in biblical times was much more a financial transaction than anything else. No, the love on display is in connectedness: the love of neighbors, mothers in law, and immigrants. The love of culture, even among differences. It’s agape love, the love of God, which is not romantic love- it’s grace, unmerited favor. It’s the love embodied by Jesus, who said, “No one has greater love than this, to give one’s life for one’s friends.” The Beloved Community. Love wins.

“Don’t urge me to abandon you, to turn back from following after you. Wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord do this to me and more so if even death separates me from you.”

Christy and I are excited to announce that I will be appointed to serve as the Senior Pastor of Spring Valley United Methodist Church in Dallas, effective July 1. It is a real honor to receive this appointment in one of the most diverse and dynamic communities of our conference. The church was founded in 1957 by one of my favorite human beings, the Rev Jack Gibson, and has been served by many pastors whom I hold in great esteem: among them the Revs Anna Hosemann Butler, Larry George, Clara Reed, and its current pastor, Paul Gould, who is retiring. To stand in that tradition is overwhelming. In fact, the very first meeting I had with North Texas Conference officials after I decided to permanently transfer my membership here was held at, you could probably guess, Spring Valley.

When we arrived in Sherman seven years ago, James was entering high school, Miles sixth grade, and Linus 4th. As we leave Grace, James will soon begin his senior year at Austin College, Miles will graduate high school and enroll at Hendrix College in August, and Linus is cruising toward his junior year at a new high school. Serving at Grace, in the Sherman community, has been one of the high points of my ministry. 

The change of appointment will not impact my previously announced renewal leave, which will still take place the day following Easter, April 10, through the end of June. Our last Sunday at Grace will be June 11, and first at Spring Valley will be July 2. Thank you to everyone for your continued support and encouragement throughout this incredible and unpredictable life of ministry. Thanks be to God for this indescribable gift!

Big news! I am taking renewal leave this year.

From time to time there is a need for pastors to recharge and reconnect with God. United Methodist clergy are encouraged to take extended time away from pastoral duties for needed rest and spiritual renewal. The United Methodist Book of Discipline outlines several ways in which pastors may experience rest, renewal, and spiritual growth: 

A clergy member may request a formational and spiritual growth leave of up to six months while continuing to hold an appointment in the local church.  Such leaves are available to clergy members who have held full-time appointments for at least six years.  Such a leave shall be with the approval of the committee on pastor-parish relations, the church council, and the district superintendent.  – Par. 350.3  

Renewal leave is different than sabbatical leave. There is no content to present. Clergy typically use this kind of leave to pursue a hobby or passion, or simply rest. Some learn to play the guitar or take poetry writing classes. One of my passions is baseball. I have been on a journey for several years to visit all of the Major League ballparks. So far I am halfway through. I have kept a running diary over the years, writing brief reviews and ranking the ballparks. The last update was May 2022, when James and I visited Progressive Field in Cleveland. Check it out:

 https://www.pastorfrankdrenner.com/2015/06/reviewing-half-of-major-league-ballparks.html

My pilgrimage will allow me to finish the tour, traveling by Amtrak in the Midwest, California and Florida. I will also make a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY and the Louisville Slugger Museum. Fun fact: I will see the Texas Rangers twice on the trip! 

My leave, approved by our District Superintendent, Rev Todd Harris, and Grace’s Church Council last year, will begin the day after Easter, April 10, and continue through  June 30, 2023. 

Which ballparks, you ask??

Chicago White Sox

Detroit Tigers

Toronto Blue Jays 

Philadelphia Phillies

Cincinnati Reds

Milwaukee Brewers

Minnesota Twins

 Oakland A’s 

San Francisco Giants 

San Diego Padres  

LA Angels 

May 14-16: Christymas

May 21: James bday

May 26: Miles graduation

June: Tampa and Miami

Yesterday I did something that I once did regularly but haven’t done in a long while: I went to a teenager appropriate movie in the cinema without the boys. I didn’t really have any plans to see the new Avatar, but after a Peloton session and a walk in the park I decided I needed to get out of the house and get to the cinema on my own. Plus, late December is a stressful time for clergy types, so anything we can do to recharge before the coming surge of worship experiences is a good thing!

No one in the family has seen the first one, even though it is readily available on Disney+ (Christy doesn’t like 3D movies and the boyos really only jump on Disney if it’s a Star Wars or Marvel experience). They haven’t even mentioned seeing this movie, despite its opening weekend box office of more than $130 million. Anyway, I liked the first one, which came out 13 years ago, but mostly for the spectacle; the story is.. well, there are a 1000 movies out there with similar themes. But the technology, the vision, the ambition– those were the big sellers for me.

For years, director James Cameron has promised sequels, and every year they were delayed. But now The Way of Water is here, and… wow.

On its own, just as a movie, Avatar 2 is brilliant. Throw in the things that made Avatar great, and it’s even better.

Again, the spectacle: 100%. Even with my 3D glasses constantly fogged up while trying to breathe through my mask (not an issue in 2009), I was astounded at what I was watching, hearing, and feeling. This is an emotional movie. The first was as well, but this one is centered on family, primarily focuses on the children, and really gives them the voice to lead the story. So yeah, as a parent of kiddos roughly the same age as those on the screen, I was involved emotionally. I cried more than once!

The Way of Water is greater than the sum of its parts. Beyond the story and spectacle, it’s a movie that can only be fully realized in a cinema. Sure, Avatar is available to stream on Disney+ , but it just won’t have the impact. And it’s not just about the film’s pricetag, which had to be in the 100s of millions. This is 2022’s 2nd best film, behind Everything Everywhere All At Once, which didn’t have anywhere near the budget of Avatar 2. But we go to the movies to escape- to be transported to worlds or realities different from our own. It’s hard to escape when you are watching a movie from the same place you watch the news or your football team. So see this film on screen in a cinema to appreciate the art form that for more than a century has dazzled and amazed audiences.