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"Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise, God help me, Amen." ~ Martin Luther

The Heart of the Matter

I have had the privilege of traveling throughout the world, and have visited many countries. But no matter how beautiful or advanced the country I visit, I am always glad when we touch down on American soil because I believe as a nation, it has the greatest potential on earth.

Imagine what kind of world we would live in today if there never had been a United States of America. There would have been no one to turn back the Nazis and their allies in World War II, no one to stand up against the tyranny of communism over the years, and no one to stand up for the small nations that are unable to help themselves. That is not to mention the billions of dollars in foreign aid that has been sent to help those nations in need.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." At this point some of us would say those unalienable rights were often reserved for others. We may even say, the chickens have come home to roost. Neither can be denied

Our Declaration of Independence states that we have the right to pursue happiness. Are we happy people?
Some of us might think, "I would be happy if I could just be rich and famous and have disposable income." But if that were the case, why are there so many miserable wealthy people? One philosopher has stated, "The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness."

In the United States today, the accumulation of material goods are at an all-time high. So is the number of people who feel emptiness in their lives. Medicating the pain of our lives with alcohol, drugs, pornography and food to just name a few of the anesthetics we use. What has gone wrong? Even the person on the lowest rung of the economic ladder in America has it better than the majority of the people living in many other countries today. I've seen them, I've lived with them. In the least among us I have seen the fruit of the Spirit in a powerful way. Yet here, there is emptiness.

Why is there hopelessness in the hearts of America's youth? Why in these days has HIV become epidemic in the Senior Citizen community ? Why have we become more like Sodom and Gomorrah than Paradise ? The answer is that we have forgotten God. In our pursuit of freedom, we have lost sight of the Creator who gave us clear parameters to live by. For many, that pursuit of freedom has led to a life of bondage and despair, to being held hostage by our greed, lust, sloth, disobedience etc..
In all fairness, what did we expect ? After all, this is a generation that has been raised to believe we are products of the evolutionary process. We are told there is no God, there is no plan or purpose for our lives, and we are the masters of our own destinies. We are taught we are good inside and are simply products of our environment.

In the Bible's assessment of the problems of man, it doesn't say we are all victims, as some would assert. It doesn't say we all have diseases, as others would lead us to believe.It doesn't say we are merely dysfunctional.
It says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked . . . " (Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV). That is why we do the things we do.

We need to understand that no politician will save us. No act of Congress will turn America around. Even the president cannot solve our problems, even if he wanted to solve the ills of our nation.
America's problem is not political; it is spiritual. We have forgotten God. We need to turn back to God, and we need to do it soon.

We need to get back to the God our founding fathers believed in when they established this nation. We need to get back to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We need to get back to the God who sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sin. We need to get back to the true and living God who can save us.

I believe that America has two choices before her today. One is judgment. The other is spiritual awakening.
The heart of the matter, is a matter of the heart. We need a deep and abiding change of heart.

My veil is off to the non-canonical hermits who stood in prayer through the ages , unafraid to walk to the beat of a different drummer in Christ.

Our world is in chaos !

As we look at the horrors, human malice and the ignorance that continue to visit the world, as well as the toll of

natural disasters, we may ask, where is God ?

It is in this landscape of darkness, a valley of death, enemies and persecutions that God comes to us as a

shepherd and assures us: I am with you. It is in this landscape we find hope .

God is with us, we may not see him because we are blinded by the sorrows and tradgedies of life. Those who are

rooted in God will never be put to shame and those who cling to Christ will know hope. The sun will come out and

God will draw us into the light of wholeness. It is in this deeply rooted

radical trust that relationships are changed.

We know that reality shapes every human being as we are confronted with choices that are not clear. I do know

that the way I respond to others does matter.

I may think them selfish, mean spirited and bigoted. I may be right, I may be wrong. I can only make a choice

not to to put the same into the world. In doing so i may not see the poor surrounding me. I may use the poor and
others to attain my own ends.

When I bring radical hope and trust into these relationships, I say yes to life, over and over again and I challenge

others to believe that God is present.

In the face of the horrors that mankind and nature visit upon us, we ask the question, God where are you ?

The answer is found by those who are present to the darkness with their eyes fixed on Christ.

"You've got to be taught before it's too late, Before you are six or seven or eight, to hate all the people your relatives's hate, You've got to be carefully taught". ~ Rogers and Hammerstein

We have missed the point made so eloquently by Barack Obama in his speech.

Rev. Wright's passion filled sermon does not make him wacky, out of sorts or racist.

What it does is speak of the pain of generations of African-Americans.

Pain that few will ever hear outside the African-American community.

We know others simply do not want to hear it.

With Obama's speech we can seize this as an opportunity to learn just how disconnected from the other we have

been. We can bridge the chasm between us, if we choose to do so.

In order for this to happen hospitality of the heart is required on both sides of the divide.

Simply working with an African-American and sharing polite conversation does not mean you

know the others experience or the pain caused by racism and working with someone qualifies very few to

say "I have black friends".

Many denominations have signed agreements to permit all races to worship within.

This is nothing more than tolerance. Tolerance is not a substitute for love.

Tolerance in Christianity is marginalization. The marginalized do not fit in and are often considered inferior.

Anyone pushed from the mainstream to the borders of Christianity to be simply tolerated is marginalized.

The marginalized may include the poor and disabled, the Gay and Lesbian, people of color, the elderly, the infirm,

the incarcerated, the homeless and those stigmatized by the church and society with HIV/AIDS.

Even at this late hour Christ calls for us to grow in perfect love, not just to be tolerant, but perfect love.

Sometimes we must take a long hard look at ourselves. Sometimes we must take a long hard look at others and

say, I can do better ! I can do better is the recognition of the unlimited potential of the holy spirit. The spirit of

God that enables us to grow beyond all time and space. We are not limited to what we have been conditioned to

believe about ourselves or others.

Flee from the sin of racism so that together we can be overwhelmed by humility and stunned by the

possibilities of a life fully grounded in Christ.

Racism whether black or white is not the acceptable sin and heaven will not be segregated.

Yes Virginia, in spite of what you think 11:00 AM Sunday morning remains one of the most segregated hours in

America.

The world has its own set of values.

We want and demand certain things to give the appearance of this or that, we tend to define all things by

appearance. Is it any wonder we struggle with what cannot be seen ? Very human.

As Christians we struggle to live Gospel values, to conform and permit transformation of heart, mind and will to

the Divine's.

Smells, bells and, fine vestments are fine, along with the traditions that support them.

However, if Christ knocked at the door of your home or parish with dusty feet, hair matted with perspiration, oil and

dust, will we hold Christ to a worldly standard or invite him in ?

It is easier to follow a crowd or rage against a system while the real work goes undone.

Taking away the smells and bells you find a truth,you. When the incense has cleared, the bells silent, the fine vestments put

away you, the individual stand stripped bare, to love and be loved by the Divine.

There is my tall order.

It is life as it is, wrapped up in and, embraced by the Divine.

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Always here, He is waiting,

Unchanging, God is.

Chastising and loving into holiness, God is.

Transforming, God is.

All goodness. God is.

All goodness within, God is.

My Lover, God is.

Crying out to be heard, Our Lord.

God is.

No matter what we have suffered or lost we have all been given far more than we can ever give in return. When we

understand that we are poor and needy, that we have nothing of our own, not even our bodies, then we will be

prepared to be truly rich. True riches are not riches of the world, but riches of the spirit, the riches of God's love.

The Lord has done all the hard work for us.

Tracey Christopher+