Things that Matter

I have a sticker with a quote from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on my bulletin board next to my desk that says “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” I visited with a member of the church who told me about how she kept silent with a person that she traveled with who had very different ideas about how the country should be run. I understood her silence and probably would have made the same decision because I know that some people will refuse to consider another way, no matter the evidence. And that is really the problem that we have- we can’t trust the evidence or the witness because so many people lie or misrepresent. Trusting our sources of information has become a difficult task of cross checking and verifying. The pain of losing relationships that matter to us, can often keep us silent. Speaking out is a risky proposition.

Our new representative for District 67 of Tulsa is Rob Hall. He came and knocked on my home front door twice while he was running for office. He engaged us in conversation and answered my questions about where he stood on different issues. Then after he was elected, he sent postcards and follow up emails to all the pastors in our district inviting us to gather at his home church. Even though it was scheduled during one of my regular weekly meetings, I shifted my calendar that week so I could go and hear him speak. Because I felt like this was an important opportunity to hear and to be heard about the many topics in Oklahoma. I went to the gathering of pastors in his district and turned out that I was the only one that showed up. I have to give him credit that he stayed the course and gave me his speech and then spent the rest of the allotted time in active conversation and debate with me. The piece of that conversation that stuck with me so deeply was his understanding of the roles of government and the church. He believes that government is responsible for justice. His definition of this term was punishment for those who broke the law. He also told me grace was the responsibility of the church. My concern about those who were the most vulnerable in society, according to Rob, was that it was the church’s responsibility to take care of them. Despite the history of our country (since Franklin Roosevelt) and helping Americans meet basic needs. He had clearly defined roles for both government and church. Yet, when we talked about the proposed teaching of the Bible in school, he believed that it should be done and that it could be used from a simply historical perspective. I disagreed. My argument was that I had gone to seminary to obtain a Master’s degree of eighty four hours to prepare me to teach the Bible and that our school teachers were not trained. I argued that the Bible is powerful and that people can be deeply influenced in both positive and negative ways by how the Bible is taught. I wanted that to stay in the task of the churches. I couldn’t understand how the church could be responsible for meeting the needs of the community but not for teaching the Bible? I have thought of that day often. I respect and appreciate Rob Hall for the time that we had together and his willingness to listen to the pastors in our area. I am so glad that I went and that I did not stay silent. I prayed over him before I left that day.

This week our national government passed a budget that seems to worry both Republicans and Democrats. The projections of additional debt in the trillions has everyone concerned. I wish that I understood the bill deeply enough to speak wisely about it, but I don’t. Most of my research around the bill was how it would impact my Senior parents who are on a fixed income. Because those projections and decisions are not just politics but people. People we know in our neighborhood and church. People in our families and people that we love. In a world where the church has often seen as unnecessary, we are being called into ministry to help fill the gaps. This is not new work for us. We are very active in helping the vulnerable and providing for those on the fringes. Thank you to all of you who voted for the naming of our new community garden. The name chosen by 54.6% of you was “Giving Garden.” I understand that the Bixby Outreach Center has a deep need for this food that we will be growing. Our new Bixby location has asked that they can have a raised bed too. They are also considering a free hot meal each week as part of their ministry to the community.

This day is a day where we celebrate freedom. This freedom was fought for and many people lost their lives to make it so. I pray that you find the freedom to speak about things that matter to God. Jesus is a witness that we can trust. He can be the source of our strength. I pray that we continue to be people of GRACE for the world and that our witness can be trusted. I pray for those who don’t feel free and have limited choices. I pray for you as you celebrate this freedom that we have

Love,