There Is Injustice In America

(The following remarks were delivered by Bill Freeman at a progressive political rally called "Jam For Democracy" on Sunday, July 31, 2011, at the Orbit Room in Grand Rapids, Michigan.)

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” There is injustice in America. When the governor and the legislature give 1.7 billion dollars in tax cuts to the wealthy and the well off, at the expense of the poor and the middle class and retired people: There is injustice in America. When the governor appoints an Emergency Financial Manager to replace the elected leaders of Benton Harbor: There is injustice in America. When the Holland City Council refuses to pass a gay rights ordinance: There is injustice in America.

Good evening, I’m Bill Freeman, Chaplain of Interfaith Congregation in Holland. About a year ago I asked the Holland City Council to pass a gay rights ordinance. I can’t understand why they won’t. How many people have been to the Holland Tulip Parade? For those who haven’t, it’s a wonderful parade. People dress in strange costumes; women dress as men; women dance with women, women dressed as men dance with women. It is the gayest parade this side of San Francisco. So I don’t understand why Holland won’t pass a gay rights ordinance.

We need to take America back! Now I don’t mean that the way some people do. They want to take America back to the 1950s, before blacks had Civil Rights. They want to take America back to the early 1900s, before women had much of a voice in politics. They want to take America back to the 1800s, before there were child labor laws. That’s not what I mean when I say we need to take America back. We need to take America back from Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly! We need to take America back from Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter and Michele Bachmann! We need to take America back from Glenn Beck and the Tea Party and the Fox News Channel!

We can never again be led by people who are ignorant and incompetent! And yes, I’m talking about George W. Bush and Dick Cheney! We can never again be led by people who are ignorant and incompetent! And yes, I’m talking about Mitch McConnell and Eric Cantor and John Boner – I mean Boehner! We can never again be led by people who are ignorant and incompetent! And yes, I’m talking about Justin Amash and Bill Huizinga and Rick Snyder!

We need to be led by people who know that the wealthy and the well-off have to pay their fair share of taxes! We need to be led by people who know that Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid are necessities not luxuries! We need to be led by people who know that our future depends on public schools and public school teachers! We need to be led by people who know that unions got us the 40-hour work-week and weekends off! We need to be led by people who know that government is not the problem; government is “We The People”!

“This land is your land, this land is my land, from California to the New York Island, from the redwood forests to the gulf stream waters, this land was made for you and me.” This land was made for you and me. This land was made for black people and white people and Hispanic people and Asian people and Native American people. This land was made for Christians and Jews and Buddhists and Hindus and Muslims and atheists. This land was made for people who were born in Hawaii and people who were born in Kenya and people who were born in Mexico. And if people don’t understand that, then let’s take the plaque off the Stature of Liberty, the plaque that says, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free;” and let’s send the Statue of Liberty back to France and say, “Sorry, we can’t live up to this anymore.”

Now, I want to address my remarks to those people who are here to spy on us for the wealthy and the well-off. You know they’re here, you know they’re here. They’re the ones who are squirming right about now. Listen to me, go back and tell your bosses that we are real people. We’re not people who were paid to be here by the Kock brothers or the Heritage Foundation or the Fox News Channel. We are not Tea Party people! We are real people! We are people who have finally said to ourselves, “Wake up and smell the coffee – and not the tea.” We have finally realized that we’re getting screwed by the wealthy and the well off in this country and we’re not going to take it anymore.

So what can you do about all this? After all, you’re just one person. So what can you do? You can speak up! You can speak up on behalf of the poor and the middle class and the elderly! You can speak up on behalf of public schools and public school teachers! You can speak up on behalf of people who happen to be lesbian and gay and bisexual and transgender! Also, you can sign recall petitions, to get rid of politicians who are ignorant and incompetent. And you can vote! The wealthy and the well off hate it when you vote! Because when you vote, you’re on the same level that they are. They have one vote. And you have one vote. But there are a whole lot more of us than there are of them. So please vote.

President Kennedy said, in his Inaugural Address, “Let us go forth to lead the land we love; asking [God’s] blessing and [God’s] help, but knowing that here on earth, [God’s] work must truly be our own.” Ladies and gentlemen, let us go forth to lead the land we love; asking God’s blessing and God’s help, but knowing that here on earth, God’s work must truly be our own.

Thank you and God bless you and Yahweh bless you and Allah bless you and Dios bless you and the universe bless you.

We Give Thanks For Teachers

Let us lift up our thoughts and prayers.
All that is holy, loving and true:
We give thanks for teachers,
who help children learn.
We give thanks for teachers,
who help children think.
We give thanks for teachers,
who help children have fun.
We give thanks for teachers,
who help children grow.
We give thanks for teachers,
who help children know.
Now and forevermore:
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.

Class Warfare

His first day of life began not so well
When his inherited stock in IBM fell.
By the age of three his life was a mystery
At Harvard would he study business or history?
Business it was and boy were his parents proud
When he graduated with honors, magna cum laud.
He began his career with great pomp and promise
His first job was to fire Susan, Frank and Thomas.
He was grateful each one of them left without a fight
Although they’re over 50, they’ll find new jobs, right?
Everyday after work he passed the same homeless man
He avoided eye contact and never dropped a dime into his can.
He voted for those who kept his taxes low with every maneuver
The party of Harding and Coolidge and Herbert Hoover.
He believed that Jesus died for his life as a sinner
An easy belief where at least every Christian was a winner.

Then on the evening news he saw an image giving him pause
A child starving in Africa: Was he part of the cause?
For the first time in his life he felt something deep in his heart
Something called compassion and it tore his world apart.
He sold all his possessions and gave the money to the poor
He worked tirelessly to end poverty, so the poor would be no more.
He no longer believed that only Christians would be saved
That all others were somehow morally depraved.
He stopped going to the club and his church membership ended
The politicians he used to vote for he no longer defended.
He supported other politicians and found a new house of prayer
A spiritual place where they welcome everyone there.
Some thought he was crazy, half out of his mind
Giving up his privileged life, leaving his riches behind.
But he felt he was right, as if called from above
To seek a world filled with justice, peace and love.

We Give Thanks For Poetry

Let us lift up our thoughts and prayers.
All that is holy, loving and true:
We give thanks for poetry,
for words that convey meaning and feeling.
We give thanks for poetry,
and for poems that don’t always rhyme.
We give thanks for poetry,
and for poets, like Robert Frost, Emily Dickenson and Maya Angelou.
We give thanks for poetry,
and for people who appreciate poetry.
We give thanks for poetry,
that helps us to see and understand.
Now and forevermore:
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.

We Give Thanks For Blueberries

Let us lift up our thoughts and prayers.
All that is holy, loving and true:
We give thanks for blueberries,
which are now in season.
We give thanks for blueberries,
which are abundant and cheap.
We give thanks for blueberries,
which we hope are brought to market by well-compensated workers, farmers and others.
We give thanks for blueberries,
which are so darn plump, juicy and delicious.
We give thanks for blueberries,
which either prove the existence of a gracious God or prove the existence of an exquisite evolution.
Now and forevermore:
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.

We Give Thanks For America

Let us lift up our thoughts and prayers.
All that is holy, loving and true:
We give thanks for America,
at least for the America that supports the poor.
We give thanks for America,
at least for the America that supports a strong middle class.
We give thanks for America,
at least for the America that supports the super rich and big corporations paying their fair share of taxes.
We give thanks for America,
at least for the America that supports protecting the environment.
We give thanks for America,
at least for the America that supports public education.
We give thanks for America,
at least for the America that supports equal rights for all.
We give thanks for America,
at least for the America that supports peace all around the world.
Now and forevermore:
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.

We Give Thanks For Justice

Let us lift up our thoughts and prayers.
We give thanks for justice,
for those who work to make the world a better place.
We give thanks for charity,
for those who act compassionately toward people in need.
We give thanks for inclusion,
for those who welcome all people with open arms.
We give thanks for forgiveness,
for those who are able to replace revenge with love.
We give thanks for lifelong learning,
for those who search for truth and think for themselves.
We give thanks for community,
for those who find strength in sharing laughter – and sometimes tears – with others.
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.

Property rights vs. equal rights

I used to work with a TV photojournalist. Sometimes, when he was frustrated by one thing or another, he’d walk over to a wall and bang his head against it. The first time I saw it I asked him, “Why do you do that?” He said, “Because it feels so good when I stop.”

Back in May 2010 I did something that some probably thought was like banging my head against the wall. I asked the Holland City Council to ban discrimination of people based on “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” in housing, employment and education. The city already has a couple ordinances prohibiting discrimination of people based on race, age, religion, etc. This would just add four simple words to those ordinances. As you probably know, it was not that simple. Recently the council voted against that request, 5-4.

Several council members said if they added sexual orientation and gender identity to the existing ordinances, it would take away people’s “property rights.” As I understand it, here’s how. Let’s say someone owns an apartment building in Holland and has a rental unit available. And let’s say Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi show up to rent it. And let’s also say the owner doesn’t like the fact that they’re a lesbian couple. If the owner were forced by law to rent to them, that would be taking away the owner’s property rights.

Of course, the owner is already forced by law not to discriminate against Chris Rock because of his race, Betty White because of her age and the Dalai Lama because of his religion. So the owner has already lost property rights. If you want to do business with the public, you can’t discriminate against a segment of the public. Except in Holland. At least for now.

Now, I’m no expert on history, but I believe the argument that property rights trump equal rights has been decided at least twice in our nation’s past. Back in the 1960s, when Congress passed Civil Rights legislation, it said in part that a restaurant owner had to serve black people, even if that owner didn’t like black people, because equal rights trump property rights. Before that, in the 1860s, we fought The Civil War in part to say that the equal rights of black people (you know, the right not to be slaves), trumped a slave owner’s property rights.

I announced after the council’s vote that I’d collect signatures to put this issue before the voters of Holland. That’s how several council members said it should be decided. If a majority votes that down, I’ll go back before council members next year, when their new term begins, and ask them again to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the city’s equal rights ordinances. Why do I want to keep banging my head against the wall in Holland? Because, to paraphrase the TV photojournalist I used to work with, it’ll feel so good when I stop.

We Give Thanks For Fathers

Let us lift up our thoughts and prayers.
We give thanks for fathers,
at least for the ones who are involved with their children;
we can’t help but give thanks for them.
Some fathers were only there at conception,
perhaps they would have made lousy fathers,
so maybe we should give thanks for absent fathers.
Some fathers simply donated their DNA,
so other people could have children;
we can’t help but give thanks for them as well.
Some fathers come into the picture
to help raise another man’s children,
treating them with love and support;
we can’t help but give thanks for them too.
Some single moms play the dual roles of mother and father,
we can’t help but give thanks for them also.
Let us give thanks on this Father’s Day
for all those who are good fathers.
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.

We Give Thanks For Equal Rights For All People

Let us lift up our thoughts and prayers.
We give thanks for equal rights for all people,
even though sometimes it’s only on paper and not always in practice.
We give thanks for equal rights for all people,
regardless of their race.
We give thanks for equal rights for all people,
regardless of their gender.
We give thanks for equal rights for all people,
regardless of their age.
We give thanks for equal rights for all people,
regardless of their nationality.
We give thanks for equal rights for all people,
regardless of their income level.
We give thanks for equal rights for all people,
regardless of their ability or disability.
We pray for the day when all people will truly enjoy equal rights,
regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.

We Give Thanks For June In Michigan

Let us lift up our thoughts and prayers.
We give thanks for June in Michigan.
What a magnificent month.
A month of long days, sunshine and the official start of summer.
We give thanks for long walks on the beach,
vegetables growing in the garden
and fruit ripening on the vine.
If there is such a thing as eternal life
and every day somewhere over the rainbow
is like June in Michigan,
that would truly be heaven.
May we recognize heaven on earth whenever we encounter it,
especially in Michigan in June.
Now and forevermore.
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.

Love Wins, Hate Comes In A Close Second

I like the Creation Story in the Hebrew Scriptures. I may not believe it, I may think it’s a parable, I may think it’s a myth; but I like it. “God created the heavens and the earth. God created all the animals. God created humankind. And God saw that it was very good.” Peace prevailed; it was the Garden of Eden; it was heaven on earth. The lion lies down with the lamb and doesn’t devour it. The alligator lies down with the deer and doesn’t devour it. The televangelist lies down with the widow’s retirement money and doesn’t devour it. Love is all around. Love is everywhere. Love wins. But wait. The serpent is slithering towards Adam and Eve, preparing to fool them into doing something wrong. And they do. Love wins, hate comes in a close second.

Oprah did her last TV talk show this past week. I watched it, which I don’t think most men did, or would admit to. I liked her show. I’ve always liked Oprah. Maybe because we were both born the same year. Or maybe because Oprah is worth billions of dollars and I’m, you know, priceless. Actually it’s because I thought Oprah was the greatest preacher in America. She lifted people’s spirits. She inspired people to be better. She got people reading – actual books, not just Facebook. She made people look at the stuff in their lives they’d just as soon ignore. She spoke truth to power. To me, Oprah personifies love in the way Buddhists believe the Dalai Lama personifies love, in the way Hindus believe Gandhi personifies love, in the way Christians believe Jesus personifies love. Oprah always had a classy show. Oprah’s show was filled with love. Other shows were filled with hate, with chair throwing and fists flying and hair pulling. And Oprah always beat those other shows in the ratings. So Oprah proved that: Love wins, hate comes in a close second.

On this Memorial Day Weekend, the world is at peace. Which means there aren’t any wars being fought in America. Of course that doesn’t mean America isn’t at war. It is: in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Libya and who knows where else. This weekend we’re supposed to honor those who’ve fallen in war. And we do. I just wish we’d honor them by not starting any more wars and getting out of the wars we’re in. Wars are started at the drop of a hat, on a whim, sometimes without any reason or with manufactured reasons. So while billions of people are at peace this Memorial Day Weekend, tens of millions if not hundreds of millions of people have died in wars in recent years. So: Love wins, hate comes in a close second.

Rob Bell wrote a book recently, as you know, called, “Love Wins.” Inexplicably, it generated a lot of hate. All Rob Bell said was, essentially, God doesn’t hate anybody, God doesn’t want anybody to spend eternity in Hell, God wants everybody to get to Heaven. And many Christians went nuts. I don’t get it. I don’t understand why Christians say, “Oh no, Rob Bell; you don’t understand, God’s heart is filled with hate for a whole lot of people.” Then why not change the lyrics of a popular Christian song, from “Our God is an awesome God,” to, “Our God is a hateful God”? I don’t understand why Christians didn’t say, “Thank you, Rob Bell; I never have understood how Jesus could be so loving and yet God, his Father, could be so hateful.” Love may win, but many Christians seem to want to make sure hate comes in a close second.

The Rapture didn’t happen this past Saturday. Many people were disappointed. The man who predicted the Rapture happening on May 21st has revised his prediction. Now it will come October 21st. I have to admit; I don’t understand the Rapture. God’s people will be lifted up to heaven? Then Jesus will come in a cloud and start killing his enemies? Come again? Jesus, the guy who said, “Love your enemies,” will come back and kill his enemies? Jesus, the guy who said, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” will come back and wage war? Jesus, the guy who said, “Forgive and you will be forgiven,” will comeback and be unforgiving? Does that make any sense? What will Jesus look like, Rambo? Will Gandhi come back as Godzilla? Will the Buddha come back as Hitler? And many people seem positively gleeful over Jesus coming back to kill his enemies. Not to mention people spending eternity in hell. Why would that make anybody happy? What if love wins, period?

Moses killed a man before he started his spiritual journey. You may remember, a Jew and an Egyptian were fighting and Moses came along and killed the Egyptian. Then he fled. God called Moses from the burning bush, according to the Hebrew Scriptures. God helped Moses lead his people out of Egypt. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. God showed Moses the Promised Land. All that after he’d killed a man. I think the point of all that is: No matter how we start out on our spiritual journey, love can win over hate.

On my radio show a couple weeks ago, I said I believe that all, or most all churches, will welcome gays into the pew and into the pulpit within five to ten years. Our guest said that I’m the most optimistic person she’s ever met. I am an optimist, but I’m not the only one. If I’m an optimist, so is Dr. King, who said, “The arch of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.” If I’m an optimist, so is Mother Teresa, who said, “Peace begins with a smile.” If I’m an optimist, so is Jesus, who said, “I give you a new commandment that you love one another.” Dr. King, Mother Teresa and Jesus all knew that love wins, even if hate comes in a close second. Maybe love will win sooner, rather than later.

A new poll shows, for the first time, that a majority of Americans – 53 percent – support same-sex marriage. So 53 percent of Americans, who’ve presumably heard all the hateful words against gays, all the hateful biblical passages against gays, all the hateful misinformation against gays, choose to ignore it all. They come down on the side of love. They see loving gay couples and loving lesbian couples, who just want to get married like everyone else and they say, “Go ahead.” A few states allow gay marriage. Many do not. When the whole country allows gay marriage, we’ll be able to say: Love wins, even when hate comes in a close second.

I went before the Holland City Council a week or two ago. I reminded them that I’d come before them one year ago this month, asking them to pass a gay rights ordinance. I wondered where things stand. The mayor told me they’d take it up in June. I got to thinking about a 7th grade boy who’s gay, who’s just about to come out of the closet. I got to thinking about a 7th grade girl who’s lesbian, who’s just about to come out of the closet. If the Holland City Council won’t offer equal rights to gays and lesbians, will that gay boy and lesbian girl say to themselves, “I guess Holland doesn’t want someone like me here. I better stay in the closet until I graduate, then I’ll leave Holland for good.” And if the city votes against equal rights, what will it say to the 7th grade boy who’s a bully or the 7th grade girl who’s a bully? Will they say to themselves, “Well, if the city of Holland isn’t going to protect homosexuals, I guess I’m free to bully them”? The Holland City Council has a huge responsibility. I hope they decide to let love win, even if hate comes in a close second.

James Reeb was killed working for equal rights in the world. He was a Unitarian Universalist minister. He marched for Civil Rights in Selma, Alabama in 1965. Segregationists beat him and killed him. His death outraged Americans. A few days later, President Johnson’s Voting Rights Act reached Congress. Many people were killed during the Civil Rights struggle. But the killings didn’t stop Civil Rights laws from passing. Love wins, even when hate comes in a close second.

So where are you on your spiritual journey? Are you a supporter of equal rights, like James Reeb? Are you self-actualized, like Oprah? Do you inspire people? Do you lift them up? Do you help them? (I know many of you do.) Wherever you are, my hope for your spiritual life is that: Love wins and hate comes in a far, far, far distant second.

The Other F-Word Cee Lo Green Forgot

I’d never heard of Kenny Chesney until several years ago. Kenny Chesney was a successful Country singer for years before I’d heard of him. Then he had a crossover hit. “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.” I love that song – it made me laugh! I’d never heard of Alan Jackson until several years ago. Alan Jackson was a successful Country singer for years before I’d heard of him. Then he had a crossover hit. “Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning On That September Day,” about 9-11. I love that song – it made me cry. I’d never heard of Cee Lo Green until several months ago. But that’s okay, because he’s probably never heard of me either.

Cee Lo Green is a rap singer and music producer. Cee Lo Green is one-half of the duo, Gnarles Barkley, who had a hit song a few years ago called “Crazy.” I didn’t know any of that. I didn’t see Cee Lo Green until he was on The Colbert Report last fall. That’s when he sang his new hit song, “Forget You.” That’s a euphemism for another phrase that we won’t get into here in church. Stephen Colbert being Stephen Colbert, had Cee Lo Green replace “Forget You,” with the words, “Fox News.” “I see you driving ‘round town with the girl I love and I’m like, ‘Fox News.’”

“Forget You” is a delightful song. I love that song. I listen to that song over and over and over again. Not for its lyrics; no, no, no. But the melody is…it’s what they used to say about songs on American Bandstand. “It’s got a good beat and it’s easy to dance to.” The lyrics are problematic, especially for a preacher. “I see you driving ‘round town with the girl I love and I’m like, ‘Forget you!’ I guess the change in my pocket wasn’t enough and I’m like. ‘Forget you and forget her too.’” The song goes on like that, with Cee Lo Green seemingly bitterly saying, “Forget you.” He told Stephen Colbert the song is not autobiographical. Stephen Colbert said something like, “Oh, because no girl would ever leave you for another man.” Cee Lo Green said something like, “That’s right.” I don’t want to make more out of this song than is necessary, but I do think there is something to be made out of this song. Spiritual leaders would say Cee Lo Green is making the wrong choice. He shouldn’t say, “Forget you.” He should say another word that begins with the letter “F.”

At a memorial service I say, “We mourn the loss and celebrate the life” of the deceased. What would I say if I were to conduct a memorial service for Osama bin Laden? “We celebrate the loss and mourn the life of Osama bin Laden”? When I first heard the news of Osama bin Laden’s death, part of me wanted to run outside, shout for joy and fire my guns into the air! (You know, if I owned any guns.) But upon further reflection, Lincoln’s words about the “better angels of our nature” came to me. And I remembered that Osama bin Laden was a human being just like you and me. Since I knew I would be speaking at a Unitarian Universalist church a couple weeks ago, I remembered the first principle of Unitarian Universalism, which affirms and promotes, “The inherent worth and dignity of every person.” Did the person who planned the 9-11 attacks have “worth and dignity”? However reluctantly we might answer that question, the only conclusion we can come to is: Of course he did. So, although I understood the feelings of my fellow Americans, who danced in the streets of Washington, New York and elsewhere, I would not have joined them. And I appreciated our president’s understated, non-smirking response to bin Laden’s death. Barack Obama was all business. And while his business as President and Commander in Chief of the United States of America was to bring Osama bin Laden to justice, my business as a pastor is to remind us of the words of Jesus and Swami Sivananda and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Jesus knows about forgiveness. According to the Gospel of Matthew in the Christian New Testament, “Then Peter came and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if someone sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy times seven times.’” We’re not to take that answer literally. He doesn’t mean forgive 490 times. He means forgive forever.

Swami Sivananda knows about forgiveness. Swami Sivananda was a Hindu spiritual leader. Swami Sivananda says if you forgive, “You will enjoy peace, poise and serenity. You will become divine.” In other words, we will become like God, who, if God exists, must be full of forgiveness. As the saying goes: To err is human; to forgive, divine.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu knows about forgiveness. Archbishop Desmond Tutu was chair of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission after Apartheid was ended in that country. Archbishop Desmond Tutu says, “[W]hen I talk of forgiveness I mean the belief that you can come out the other side a better person. A better person than the one being consumed by anger and hatred.” If only we could all be like Desmond Tutu.

When I was going through a divorce several years ago, I went to see a therapist, because I wasn’t very forgiving. She said basically that when you fail to forgive someone who has hurt you, “You let them live rent free inside your head.” And who wants to do that?

A woman is sexually assaulted. Understandably, she hates her rapist. The woman is consumed with anger. Her life is limited to reliving that nightmare over and over and over again. Her life is a repetition of feelings of: anger and hatred, anger and hatred, anger and hatred. Until one day she realizes her feelings are doing nothing to her rapist, who’s been sent to prison for many years. She is the only person being hurt by her anger and hatred. So after several years of therapy, she decides to forgive her rapist and is set free. She stops saying, “Forget you,” or words to that affect, and says instead, “I forgive you.”

A man is ripped off by a con artist. He invests money with him. He makes an incredible return on his investment for a few years. Ten, fifteen, twenty percent. So he ends up investing all of his life savings with the con artist. The man eventually learns he’s been the victim of a ponzi scheme. He looses his life savings. How could he be so stupid? They say whenever anything seems too good to be true, it probably is. Why didn’t he realize that? Understandably, he hates the con artist. The man is consumed with anger. His life is limited to reliving that financial nightmare over and over and over again. His life is a repetition of feelings of: anger and hatred, anger and hatred, anger and hatred. Until one day he realizes his feelings are doing nothing to the con artist, who’s been sent to prison for many years. He is the only person being hurt by his anger and hatred. So after several years of therapy, he decides to forgive the con artist and is set free. He stops saying, “Forget you,” or words to that affect, and says instead, “I forgive you.”

A girl is verbally abused by her father. “You’re stupid. You’re ugly. You’ll never amount to anything.” He told her that since she was a baby. For a time, she even believes her father’s vicious words. Understandably, she hates her father. The girl, now a woman, is consumed with anger. Her life is limited to reliving her childhood nightmare over and over and over again. Her life is a repetition of feelings of: anger and hatred, anger and hatred, anger and hatred. Until one day she realizes her feelings are doing nothing to her father. She is the only person being hurt by her anger and hatred. So after several years of therapy, she decides to forgive her father and is set free. She stops saying, “Forget you,” or words to that affect, and says instead, “I forgive you.”

Forgiving others is one thing. What about when we have to forgive ourselves, for a mistake we made years ago or just yesterday? If we don’t, we risk living that mistake over and over and over again. If we’ve made such a mistake, it’s time to stop saying, “Forget you,” or words to that affect, to ourselves, and to say instead, “I forgive you.” Then we will be set free.

So, while I love Cee Lo Green’s song – because it’s got a good beat and it’s easy to dance to – the words we all should live by are not, “Forget you,” or words to that affect. The words we all should live by are, “I forgive you.” Otherwise we risk living in an endless loop of anger and hatred, anger and hatred, anger and hatred. And we risk living that over and over and over again. Almost as often as I listen to Cee Lo Green’s song, “Forget you.”

We Give Thanks For This Community

Let us lift up our thoughts and prayers.
We give thanks for this community.
It is full of life and love.
We give thanks for being together.
It is where we find independence.
We give thanks for one another.
It is how we make it – here and everywhere.
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.

Prophet & Loss

Before I begin I want to thank you all again for inviting me to speak to you once more. I guess it would’ve been a bad thing if, after I spoke here last week, you all said, “Well, that’s okay, Bill, once was enough.” As you probably know, sometime after this service you all will vote for or against me to be your next pastor. I got to thinking, this is sort of like American Idol. You will all cast your ballots and I’ll either get chosen or not. Although I am the only contestant. So if I come in second to myself, that’ll be quite embarrassing.

I like to start my sermons with a joke; a funny story, a humorous anecdote. When I spoke here a year-and-a-half ago, I told you a funny story that I want to tell you again. I wasn’t going to tell it again, because I already told it once, but I want to tell it again for two reasons. One, it fits in perfectly with today’s sermon. And two, I think you ought to know, if you do hire me, that I do sometimes repeat my stories. (Hey, I only have so many of them and sometimes I forget if I’ve told a story already.) About 4 years ago, I went to the Secretary of State’s office to get my driver’s license renewed. Now I don’t know if I looked kind of raggedy that day or what, but I think the woman behind the counter thought I was a homeless man or something. She asked me, “Do you hear voices? Do you have hallucinations?” What? Those our strange questions. I said, “Well, I do have visions, but I think I’m supposed to because I’m a pastor.” She laughed and said to the woman next to her, “This one says he has visions, but it’s okay because he’s a pastor.” She laughed too. I want to talk with you today about vision; more specifically about prophets who have vision.

May 21st, that’s when a group says the world will come to an end. I’ve seen billboards that proclaim it; maybe you have too. Judgment Day they call it. But heck, I live in Holland, Michigan, where everyday is judgment day. Just try mowing your lawn on a Sunday; see how many judgmental, dirty looks you get. Some people would call those who predict the end times prophets. But I don’t call them prophets; they’re more like psychics. They’re like Jeanne Dixon predicting the future. Prophets don’t predict the future; prophets speak truth to power.

The Hebrew prophet Isaiah said, “The spirit of God is upon me, because God has anointed me; God has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of God’s favor.” That’s what a prophet does. He or she doesn’t predict the future; other than to say: your future’s going to be pretty bleak unless you help people. Prophets bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim the good news and speak truth to power. The Unitarian Universalist prophet Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “In the soul of man there is a justice whose retributions are instant and entire. He who does a good deed, is instantly ennobled. He who does a mean deed, is by the action itself contracted.” That’s what prophets do. They speak truth to power.

Gandhi was a prophet. Gandhi said, “I am a Muslim and a Hindu and a Christian and a Jew and so are all of you.” Prophets speak truth to power and sometimes say things people don’t want to hear. Dr. King was a prophet. Dr. King said, “I have a dream that one day…all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing.”

Jesus was a prophet; whatever else you might say about him, you’d have to say he was at least a prophet. He spoke truth to power. I know some people at a Unitarian Universalist church don’t like to hear about Jesus. But I don’t want to talk about the mythological Jesus: the walk on water, the turn water into wine Jesus, the Hollywood Jesus, who looked like Mel Gibson. I want to talk to you about the man Jesus, who probably looked Mel Brooks.
He was Jewish after all. I want to talk to you about the Jesus who looked revenge in the face and said, “Forgive and you will be forgiven.” I want to talk to you about the Jesus who looked hate in the face and said, “Love your enemies.” I want to talk to you about the Jesus who looked war in the face and said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” That’s why they killed him. They didn’t kill him because he had to die, they didn’t kill him because he lived to die, they didn’t kill him because he had to die to rise again, they didn’t kill him because he had die for our sins. He didn’t die “for” our sins, he died “because” of our sins. He died because we didn’t want to give up our sins of revenge and hate and war. We’d rather kill him. They killed him because he was a prophet, because he spoke truth to power. Just like they killed Gandhi, just like they killed Dr. King. Just like they’d kill Jesus again today.
Remember shortly after 9-11, when President Bush went to Ground Zero and had his arm around that firefighter? What if President Bush had had his arm around Jesus instead? When President Bush said: We’re going to war, we’re going to hunt these people down and we’re going kill them; imagine what would have happened if Jesus would have said, “No, no, no; don’t do any of that.” “Forgive and you will be forgiven.” “Love your enemies.” “Blessed are the peacemakers.” All across America people would be shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him! Crucify him!” Prophets usually don’t make it to retirement age, they don’t usually draw a pension, they don’t usually get a gold watch. They usually get killed.

I’ve been visiting an inmate every week for the past few months at the Ottawa County Jail. We talk and meditate and I try to lift his spirits. It may not be much, but I’d like to think that I’m trying to bind up the brokenhearted. I write a religion column for the Holland Sentinel every few weeks. I write about justice and compassion and peace.
It may not be much, but I’d like to think that I’m trying to proclaim the good news. I went before the Holland City Council a year ago this month. (I mentioned that last week.) I asked them to pass a Gay Rights ordinance. I’ve gone back to city hall many times in the last year, speaking in support of something that’s opposed by many religious and business leaders in Holland. It may not be much, but I’d like to think that I’m trying to speak truth to power. Does all this make me a prophet? What am I, joking?

I have a friend in the Reformed Church in America in Holland. He told me that at a Reformed Church in America meeting in Holland, where there were a bunch of clergy, a minister asked, “How can we be more prophetic in our ministries?” The leader of the group said, “Well, whenever I think of a prophetic presence in ministry, I think of Bill Freeman.” What is he, joking?

I met a businessman in Holland a few months ago. I’d heard of him before, but I’d never met him. He’s a minority. He’s a liberal. He’s my kind of guy. I saw him at an event back in November and went over to introduce myself. I stuck out my hand and said, “Hi, I’m Bill Freeman.” He brushed my hand aside, gave me a big bear hug and said in my ear, “I know who you are. I love what you’re doing in this town.” What is he, joking?

This church, like every church, needs a pastor, binding up the brokenhearted. This church, like every church, needs a preacher, proclaiming the good news: forgiveness, love and peace. This church, like every church, needs a prophet, speaking truth to power. Today, when you vote for or against me…vote for or against me, because I want to be your pastor, binding up the brokenhearted; vote for or against me, because I want to be your preacher, proclaiming the good news: forgiveness, love and peace; vote for or against me, because I want to be – with all humility and to the best of my ability – your prophet, speaking truth to power. And that’s no joke.

Oh, and by the way, there’s no rule or regulation, there’s no creed or code, there’s no doctrine or dogma that says only one person in a church can do the work of a pastor/preacher/prophet. I think you all know that. I think many of you have done the work of a pastor/preacher/prophet here at Harbor Unitarian Universalist Congregation. And I hope that if you agree to hire me, you’ll agree to help me: to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim the good news and to speak truth to power.

We Give Thanks For This Day

Let us lift up our thoughts and prayers.
We give thanks for this day.
May we always see the beauty of the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees.
We give thanks for this place.
May it always be a harbor of intelligence and forgiveness and love and peace.
We give thanks for these people.
May they always be curious and compassionate and committed and kind.
Now and forevermore.
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.

Who Am I? Why Am I Here?

Before I begin, I want to thank you all for inviting me to speak here today. I am humbled and honored that you would even consider me as a candidate for your part-time pastor position. The good news is, if you choose me as your pastor, I might be able to work for free. The other day I got an email from a widow in Nigeria. For some reason, she wants to give me millions of dollars. If that happens – and I don’t have any reason to think it won’t – then I’ll work here for free. I’m not a greedy man. So keep your fingers crossed for me.

“Who am I? Why am I here?” Those were the memorable words of Admiral James Stockdale back in 1992. Some of you may remember that Admiral Stockdale was Ross Perot’s Running Mate. They ran as Independents. Admiral Stockdale took part in the Vice Presidential debate, along with Al Gore and Dan Quayle. Admiral Stockdale was asked to say a little something about himself. That’s when he blurted out two, perhaps unintentionally profound questions. “Who am I? Why am I here?” Who are any of us? Why are any of us here? I’m not here to talk about Admiral Stockdale. I’m here to talk about somebody I know a little bit more about. Me.

A Christmas party is one reason I’m at a Unitarian Universalist church today. When I was in the 3rd grade, my public school had a Christmas party. (Not a Holiday Party, Bill O’Reilly would be happy to know: A Christmas party.) I looked around for a friend of mine and didn’t see her. I asked my teacher where she was. I was told, “Oh, she’s Jewish and they don’t believe in Christmas; so she decided to stay home.” I was shocked. I couldn’t articulate it at the time, but I knew this wasn’t right. How could my public school make my friend feel excluded? I would remember that incident many years later.

In August of 2009 I was planting a Christian church in Holland. Granted, I was trying to make it the most liberal Christian church ever, but it was still a Christian church. That month I was at a Christian conference on new church starts. I kept hearing about how new church starts must welcome everyone. “And that’s what we do,” the conference leaders were saying, “We welcome everyone.” They meant we welcome people regardless of color or age or sexual orientation. “We welcome everyone,” they said. I thought: No we don’t; we don’t welcome a Hindu who wants to remain a Hindu or a Buddhist who wants to remain a Buddhist or a Muslim who wants to remain a Muslim. We’d try to convince them to become Christians. I thought: I can’t do this; I wouldn’t try to convince my 3rd grade classmate to be a Christian rather than a Jew. I can’t do this. What am I going to do?

In September of 2009, one month later, I got a call from my denomination, which was paying me to plant this Christian church in Holland. I was told, the money has run out for the Christian church I was planting in Holland.
Really? So now, I’m no longer being paid to plant a Christian church in Holland. Was that coincidental or providential? We report, you decide. All of a sudden, I was free to plant the kind of church I wanted to plant. So I started meeting with people of various faiths; and none. Then on January 1, 2010, we started Interfaith Congregation. A few weeks before that, I ran into a Unitarian minister, I think from Ohio, at a conference. I told him I was starting a church that welcomes everyone, not just people regardless of their race or age or sexual orientation, but Christian and Jew, Buddhist and Hindu, Muslim and more. I said we’re calling it, “Interfaith Congregation.” He said, “Oh, you’re starting a Unitarian church.” I said, “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

In February of 2010, one month after I started Interfaith Congregation, I was summoned to a meeting of my Christian denomination. I was told that Interfaith Congregation was not a “legitimate ministry.” Really? I was invited to take a temporary leave of absence. Really? Instead, I decided to take a permanent leave of absence. That afternoon I went home and emailed the Unitarian Universalist Association. I said, “I think it’s time for me to become a Unitarian Universalist minister; I don’t seem to fit into the Christian church.” They wrote me back and said, “Isn’t it nice to finally realize where you belong.” Yes, it is nice. Since then I’ve been in the process of becoming a Unitarian Universalist minister. This past Christmas Day – for those who appreciate irony – I joined the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Larger Fellowship, the UU church without walls, the largest church in the UUA. So now, like many of you, I belong to a Unitarian Universalist church.

Osama bin Laden is why I became a minister. My birthday is 9-11. On my birthday in 2001, after watching the tragic events of that day, I decide to move from the media to the ministry. You probably know Duncan Littlefair, the longtime minister of Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids. I was a longtime member of Fountain Street Church. I had gone to Duncan a couple months before 9-11 and said, “Duncan, I think I should become a minister.” He said, “Oh no, Bill! That’s not for you! You need to stay in the media!” To me, Duncan was like the voice of God and the voice of God had just told me I shouldn’t become a minister. So I didn’t. After 9-11 happened, I went back to see Duncan. I said, “Duncan, my birthday is 9-11; I really feel called to become a minister.” He looked at me and said, “You must do this, Bill!” So now, the voice of God spoke to me again and told me I must become a minister. So I did. I wanted to pursue a path to pastoring to one day preach love in a sometimes hateful world. I hope I’ve done that.

Two songs sum up the response to 9-11. Both of them are country songs. One by Toby Keith; the other by Alan Jackson. The one by Toby Keith is called, “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” “Hey, Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list, and the Statue of Liberty started shaking her fist.” It’s all about revenge and hate. The one by Alan Jackson is called, “Where Were You.” “Where were you when the world stop turning on that September day? …But I know Jesus and I talk to God, and I remember this from when I was young; faith, hope and love are some good things he gave us, and the greatest is love.” It’s all about compassion and love. Those two song represent the two choices of the human heart, not just to 9-11, but to just about every decision we face. Will we choose hate or love? The decision we make makes all the difference.

Whenever I conduct a memorial service I say, “We mourn the loss and celebrate the life” of the deceased. What would I say if I were to conduct a memorial service for Osama bin Laden? “We celebrate the loss and mourn the life of Osama bin Laden”? When I first heard the news of bin Laden’s death, part of me wanted to run outside, shout for joy and fire a bunch of bullets into the air! (You know, if I owned a gun.) But then Lincoln’s words about the “better angels of our nature” came to me. And I remembered that bin Laden was a human being just like you and me. Then I remembered the first principle of Unitarian Universalism, which affirms and promotes, “The inherent worth and dignity of every person.” Did the person who planned the 9-11 attacks have “worth and dignity”? However reluctantly we might answer that question, the only conclusion we can come to is: Of course he did. So, although I understood the feelings of my fellow Americans, who danced in the streets of Washington, New York and elsewhere, I would not have joined them. And I appreciated our president’s understated, non-smirking response to bin Laden’s death. Barack Obama was all business. And while his business as President and Commander in Chief of the United States of America was to bring Osama bin Laden to justice, my business as a pastor is to remind us of the words of Gandhi, “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong,” and the words Jesus, “Love your enemies.”

So: Who am I? Why am I here? I’m a husband, a father, a friend. I’m a liberal minister and the founding chaplain of Interfaith Congregation in Holland. I went before the Holland City Council a year ago this month, asking them to pass a gay rights ordinance. I’m a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Larger Fellowship. And I hope I’m your future pastor, because one day I’d like to get to know who you are and why you are here.

Osama’s dead: Let’s bring our troops home

Thanks to our military men and women, and our president and commander-in-chief Barack Obama, Osama bin Laden has been brought to justice. While I wish bin Laden would have been captured, tried, convicted and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole, after nearly 10 years we can finally say: Mission accomplished.

Now that we’ve done what we set out to do after 9/11, with a deadly detour into Iraq, let us bring our troops home from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and wherever else we have boots on the ground. After all, the last time some other country had boots on the ground in our land, we resented it, hated it and rebelled against it and sent them packing back to England.

Once we welcome back our troops to America, saving billions of hard-earned taxpayer dollars, we will be able to focus on helping those in need in this country, educating our young and traveling down that long and winding road to peace on earth, goodwill toward all.

(Letter to the Editor, Holland Sentinel)

We Give Thanks For Flowers

Let us lift up our thoughts and prayers.
We give thanks for flowers.
We give thanks for tulips and daisies and lilies and roses.
We give thanks for the sun and the soil and the rain.
We give thanks for gardens and gardeners.
We give thanks for birds and bees and bushes and trees.
We give thanks for the beauty of the earth.
We give thanks for spring.
And we hold out hope that all people everywhere will one day be able to enjoy it.
Now and forevermore.
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.

Finding Interfaith Meaning In Passover & Easter

Chaplain: The story of Passover is the story of how one man led many people just like himself to freedom. It is an ancient story and a modern one.

Chaplain: Moses was, according to the Hebrew Scriptures, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, is traditionally attributed. Moses is the most important prophet in Judaism, and is also considered an important prophet in Christianity and Islam, as well as a number of other faiths. According to the Book of Exodus, Moses was born in a time when his people, the Children of Israel, were increasing in number and the Egyptian Pharaoh was worried that they might help Egypt's enemies. Moses' mother hid him when the Pharaoh ordered all newborn Hebrew boys to be killed, and Moses is adopted as a foundling by the Egyptian royal family. According to the scriptures, Moses has an encounter with God in a "burning bush." God calls on Moses to be the leader of the Children of Israel. After giving God many reasons why someone else would be better, all of which God rejects, Moses reluctantly agrees to lead the Hebrew people. One day God sends Moses to request the release of the Israelites. After Ten Plagues are released upon Egypt, Pharaoh relents and lets Moses’ people go. Moses leads the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. After that they base themselves at Mount Sinai, where Moses receives the Ten Commandments. Following 40 years of wandering in the desert, Moses died within sight of the Promised Land. In his lifetime, Moses led many people to freedom.

Ensemble & Congregation: ‘Tis A Gift To Be Simple

Reader: Mohandas K. Gandhi was a pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement. His philosophy and leadership inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Gandhi is often referred to as Mahatma or "Great Soul." Gandhi first employed civil disobedience while an expatriate lawyer in South Africa, during the resident Indian community's struggle for civil rights. After his return to India in 1915, he organized protests by peasants, farmers and urban laborers. After assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns to ease poverty, expand women's rights, build religious and ethnic friendship, end untouchability and increase economic self-reliance. Above all, he aimed to achieve the independence of India from foreign domination. Gandhi famously led his followers in the Non-cooperation movement that protested the British-imposed salt tax with the 240 mile Dandi Salt March in 1930. He launched the Quit India Movement in 1942, demanding immediate independence for India. Gandhi spent a number of years in jail, but eventually won India’s independence. In his lifetime, Gandhi led many people to freedom.

Ensemble & Congregation: We Shall Not Be Moved

Reader: Martin Luther King Jr. was an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the teachings of Gandhi. A Baptist minister, Dr. King led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957. Dr. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he expanded American values to include the vision of a colorblind society. In 1964, Dr. King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other nonviolent means. On March 29, 1968, Dr. King went to Memphis, Tennessee, in support of the sanitation workers, who were on strike for higher wages and better treatment. On April 3, Dr. King addressed a rally and delivered his "I've been to the Mountaintop" speech. Dr. King said, “Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. ‘Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.’” In his lifetime, Dr. King led many people to freedom.

Ensemble & Congregation: We Shall Overcome

Chaplain: The story of Easter is the story of how one man was martyred – killed – but lives on, at the very least, in the hearts and minds of his followers. It is an ancient story and a modern story.

Chaplain: Scholars believe Jesus was born about 2,000 years ago. They think he lived about 33 years. Tradition has it that his ministry – he was a Jewish rabbi or teacher – began when he was 30. During those three years, he taught his followers to love their neighbor and their enemy; to house the homeless and feed the hungry; to clothe the naked and care for the sick; to forgive, not 7 times, but 70 times 7 times, to welcome everyone into the beloved community. He taught them how to pray and he taught them how to preach. In his Sermon on the Mount he said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” In his Sermon on the Plain he said, “Blessed are you who are poor…but woe to you who are rich.” He said things like, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.” Because of saying things like that, religious leaders of his day wanted him dead. They got the Roman leaders to crucify him. According to Christian Scriptures, when his followers went to retrieve his body from a tomb, it was gone. The Gospel of Mark reports, “So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” Jesus’ death was not measured in terms of the century in which he lived, but in terms of history. Jesus, this child of God, this divine spirit, inspires many people today to live lives of love, compassion, justice and peace.

Ensemble & Congregation: Let There Be Peace On Earth

Reader: On January 30th, 1948, he was walking slowly from his home to attend a prayer meeting when a 39-year-old Hindu, who mistakably thought Gandhi was harming the Hindus by being friendly to Muslims, shot Gandhi after respectfully bowing to him. A few minutes later a man came out to the waiting crowd and announced that the little old man, who sacrificed all that he had for his country, who reshaped the lives of many, who changed the path of the world, who inspired – and still will inspire – humankind till the end of the world, was dead. That night the Indian leader Nehru spoke over the radio to the people and said,” Friends and Comrades, the light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere. I do not know what to tell you and how to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu as we call him, the Father of the Nation, is no more. Perhaps I am wrong to say that. Nevertheless, we will not see him again as we have seen him for these many years. We will not run to him for advice and seek solace from him, and that is a terrible blow, not to me only but to millions and millions of this country.” After a few days, following the custom of the Hindu religion, Gandhi's body was burned in the presence of a great crowd and the ashes were scattered over the waters of the sacred rivers. Gandhi's death was not measured in terms of the century in which he lived, but in terms of history. Gandhi, this child of God, this divine spirit, inspires many people today to live lives of love, compassion, justice and peace.

Ensemble & Congregation: If I Had A Hammer

Reader: Dr. King was booked in room 306 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. He had stayed there many times before with his fellow civil rights leaders. According to biographer Taylor Branch, Dr. King's last words were to musician Ben Branch, who was scheduled to perform that night at an event Dr. King was going to attend: "Ben, make sure you play 'Take My Hand, Precious Lord' in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty." At 6:01 p.m. on Thursday, April 4, 1968, while he was standing on the motel's balcony, Dr. King was struck by a single bullet. Rev. Ralph Abernathy heard the shot from inside the motel room and ran to the balcony to find Dr. King on the floor unconscious. According to Taylor Branch, Dr. King's autopsy revealed that though he was only 39 years old, he had the heart of a 60-year-old man, perhaps the result of the stress of thirteen years in the civil rights movement. At his widow's request, Dr. King's last sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church was played at his funeral, a recording of his "Drum Major" sermon, given on February 4, 1968. In that sermon, Dr. King said, “Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major. Say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.” Dr. King made a request that at his funeral no mention of his awards and honors be made, but that it be said that he tried to "feed the hungry", "clothe the naked", "be right on the [Vietnam] war question", and "love and serve humanity." Dr. King’s death was not measured in terms of the century in which he lived, but in terms of history. Dr. King, this child of God, this divine spirit, inspires many people today to live lives of love, compassion, justice and peace.

Ensemble & Congregation: Down By The Riverside

We Are Grateful For Easter

Let us close our eyes so that we might see.
We are grateful for Easter.
We are grateful for children.
We are grateful for Easter Egg Hunts.
We are grateful for Passover.
We are grateful for Ramadan.
We give thanks for all religious holidays or holy days.
We give thanks for the freedom to believe what we want to believe.
And not believe what we don’t want to believe.
We pray that all people will one day have religious liberty.
Now and forever more.
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.

Many Creations

Chaplain: Kentucky is the home of the Creation Museum. And while the Creation Museum follows the creation myth as told in the Hebrew Scriptures, there are many other creation legends, and at least one scientific theory, that attempt to explain the beginning of time.

Reader: According to the Iroquois, long before the world was created there was an island, floating in the sky, upon which the Sky People lived. They lived quietly and happily. No one ever died or was born or experienced sadness. However one day one of the Sky Women realized she was going to give birth to twins. She told her husband, who flew into a rage. In the center of the island there was a tree, which gave light to the entire island, since the sun hadn't been created yet. He tore up this tree, creating a huge hole in the middle of the island. Curiously, the woman peered into the hole. Far below she could see the waters that covered the earth. At that moment her husband pushed her. She fell through the hole, tumbling towards the waters below. Water animals already existed on the earth, so far below the floating island two birds saw the Sky Woman fall. Just before she reached the waters they caught her on their backs and brought her to the other animals. Determined to help the woman they dove into the water to get mud from the bottom of the seas. One after another the animals tried and failed. Finally, Little Toad tried and when he reappeared his mouth was full of mud. The animals took it and spread it on the back of Big Turtle. The mud began to grow and grow and grow until it became the size of North America. Then the woman stepped onto the land. She sprinkled dust into the air and created stars. Then she created the moon and sun. The Sky Woman gave birth to twin sons. She named one Sapling. He grew to be kind and gentle. She named the other Flint and his heart was as cold as his name. They grew quickly and began filling the earth with their creations. Sapling created what is good. He made animals that are useful to humans. He made rivers that went two ways and into these he put fish without bones. He made plants that people could eat easily. If he was able to do all the work himself there would be no suffering. Flint destroyed much of Sapling's work and created all that is bad. He made the rivers flow only in one direction. He put bones in fish and thorns on berry bushes. He created winter, but Sapling gave it life so that it could move to give way to Spring. He created monsters which his brother drove beneath the Earth. Eventually Sapling and Flint decided to fight till one conquered the other. Neither was able to win at first, but finally Flint was beaten. Because he was a god Flint could not die, so he was forced to live on Big Turtle's back. Occasionally his anger is felt in the form of a volcano.

Chaplain: In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness God called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Ensemble & Congregation: Morning Has Broken

Reader: According to the Greeks, in the beginning there was an empty darkness. The only thing in this void was Nyx, a bird with black wings. With the wind she laid a golden egg and for ages she sat upon this egg. Finally life began to stir in the egg and out of it rose Eros, the god of love. One half of the shell rose into the air and became the sky and the other became the Earth. Eros named the sky Uranus and the Earth he named Gaia. Then Eros made them fall in love. Uranus and Gaia had many children together and eventually they had grandchildren. Some of their children become afraid of the power of their children. Kronus, in an effort to protect himself, swallowed his children when they were still infants. However, his wife Rhea hid their youngest child. She gave him a rock wrapped in swaddling clothes, which he swallowed, thinking it was his son. Once the child, Zeus, had reached manhood his mother instructed him on how to trick his father to give up his brothers and sisters. Once this was accomplished the children fought a mighty war against their father. After much fighting the younger generation won. With Zeus as their leader, they began to furnish Gaia with life and Uranus with stars. Soon the Earth lacked only two things: man and animals. Zeus summoned his sons Prometheus (fore-thought) and Epimetheus (after-thought). He told them to go to Earth and create men and animals and give them each a gift. Prometheus set to work forming men in the image of the gods and Epimetheus worked on the animals. As Epimetheus worked he gave each animal he created one of the gifts. After Epimetheus had completed his work Prometheus finally finished making men. However when he went to see what gift to give man, Epimetheus shamefacedly informed him that he had foolishly used all the gifts. Distressed, Prometheus decided he had to give man fire, even though gods were the only ones meant to have access to it. As the sun god rode out into the world the next morning Prometheus took some of the fire and brought it back to man. He taught his creation how to take care of it and then left them. When Zeus discovered Prometheus' deed he became furious. He ordered his son to be chained to a mountain and for a vulture to peck out his liver every day till eternity. Then he began to devise a punishment for mankind. Another of his sons created a woman of great beauty, Pandora. Each of the gods gave her a gift. Zeus' present was curiosity and a box, which he ordered her never to open. Then he presented her to Epimetheus as a wife. Pandora's life with Epimetheus was happy except for her intense longing to open the box. She was convinced that because the gods and goddesses had showered so many glorious gifts upon her that this one would also be wonderful. One day when Epimetheus was gone she opened the box. Out of the box flew all of the horrors which plague the world today - pain, sickness, envy, greed. Upon hearing Pandora's screams Epimetheus rushed home and fastened the lid shut, but all of the evils had already escaped. Later that night they heard a voice coming from the box saying, "Let me out. I am hope." Pandora and Epimetheus released her and she flew out into the world to give hope to humankind.

Chaplain: And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

Ensemble & Congregation: Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Reader: According to West Africans, two spirit people were accidentally sent down to earth by the sky god. Lonely, the people decided to create children from clay, but felt they must hide them when the sky god came down. Because they are hidden in fire, the children soon turn to various shades based on how long they had been exposed to the heat. Over time, these clay children grew up and moved to various regions of the earth, ultimately populating it. This story serves a two-fold purpose: it explains both the creation of humankind, as well as accounts for the differences among us. This tale shows the West Africans value these differences because they feel that all people are created equal and should be treated as such.

Chaplain: And God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together God called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it." And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

Ensemble & Congregation: For The Beauty Of The Earth

Reader: Hinduism believes there are times when the universe takes form and times when it dissolves back into nothing. The in-between times are known as the days and nights of Brahma, who is the Hindu god of creation. Before time began there was no heaven, no earth and no space between. A vast dark ocean washed upon the shores of nothingness and licked the edges of night. A giant cobra floated on the waters. Asleep within its endless coils lay the Lord Vishnu. He was watched over by the mighty serpent. Everything was so peaceful and silent that Vishnu slept undisturbed by dreams or motion. From the depths a humming sound began to tremble, Om. It grew and spread, filling the emptiness and throbbing with energy. The night had ended. Vishnu awoke. As the dawn began to break, from Vishnu's navel grew a magnificent lotus flower. In the middle of the blossom sat Vishnu's servant, Brahma. He awaited the Lord's command. Vishnu spoke to his servant: “It is time to begin.” Brahma bowed. Vishnu commanded: “Create the world.”
Chaplain: And God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth." And it was so. God made the two great lights - the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night - and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

Ensemble & Congregation: This Little Light Of Mine

Reader: This is a story from China and it tells of the time when light and warmth came from ten suns. The suns were the ten children of Di Jun, the god of the eastern sky. Each morning one of the suns would rise, climb into a chariot pulled by a dragon, and ride across the sky bringing light to the different parts of the world. In this way the earth got the right amount of sunshine, at the different seasons of the year. But the ten suns grew bored. They wanted to work together and, one day, they woke early and rode across the sky together in their chariots. The Earth hated it. It burnt. It cracked. The rivers ran dry. Animals and people grew weak with the heat. But the ten suns were enjoying themselves and would not listen to those who asked them to stop. They laughed and carried on, riding around the sky.
Even their father, Di Jun, had no influence over them. To save the world he sent for the Divine Archer and gave him a magic bow. The Archer flew on the wind, down to the highest mountain he could see. He had nine arrows in his quiver and, one by one, he shot an arrow at each of the suns. As each arrow struck, the sun exploded and turned into a bird. By the end of the day, only one sun remained. Next day he rose again and his sad tears filled the rivers and made the plants grow again. And that is the sun we see today.
Chaplain: And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky." So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

Ensemble & Congregation: All Things Bright And Beautiful

Reader: According to an Egyptian creation story, at first there was only Nun, the primal ocean of chaos that contained the beginnings of everything to come. From these waters came Ra who, by himself, gave birth to Shu and Tefnut. Shu, the god of air, and Tefnut, the goddess of moisture gave birth to Geb and Nut, the earth god and the sky goddess. And so the physical universe was created. Men were created from Ra's tears. They proved to be ungrateful so Ra, and a council of gods, decided they should be destroyed. Ra created Sekhmet to do the job. She was very efficient, when Ra relented and tricked her into stopping. Thus was the present world created. Against Ra's orders, Geb and Nut married. Ra was incensed and ordered Shu to separate them, which he did. But Nut was already pregnant, although unable to give birth as Ra had decreed she could not give birth in any month of any year. Thoth, the god of learning, decided to help her and gambling with the moon for extra light, was able to add five extra days to the 360-day calendar. On those five days Nut gave birth to Osiris, Horus the Elder, Set, Isis, and Nephthys successively. Osiris became the symbol of good, while Set became the symbol of evil. And thus the two poles of morality were fixed once and for all.

Chaplain: And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." So God created humankind in God’s image, in the image of God God created them; male and female God created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw everything that God had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Ensemble & Congregation: This Land Is Your Land

Reader: The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological theory of the early development of the universe. According to the Big Bang model, the universe was originally in an extremely hot and dense state that expanded rapidly. This expansion caused the universe to cool and resulted in the present diluted state that continues to expand today. Based on the best available measurements, the original state of the universe existed around 13.7 billion years ago, which is often referred to as the time when the Big Bang occurred. The Big Bang theory is the most comprehensive and accurate explanation supported by scientific evidence and observations.

Chaplain: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that God had done, and God rested on the seventh day from all the work that God had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that God had done in creation.

Ensemble & Congregation: What A Wonderful World

Chaplain: We now invite children and animals – companion pets or stuffed animals – to come forward to be blessed.

Metaphor For God: "Monsters, Inc." Or "Monster"?

Christian ministers got together – this isn’t the beginning of a joke, I was there [Crowd laughs] – Christian ministers got together and one says, “We have something in common.” Another one says, “We preach what we don’t believe.” Yikes! What? I don’t preach what I don’t believe. But I understood what he meant. I remember the senior minister of Fountain Street Church once saying that he had talked to ministers in downtown Grand Rapids, Christian ministers; he was a Unitarian. They told him basically, “We preach what we don’t believe.” They preach about a virgin birth, but they don’t believe that. They preach about a man walking on water and turning water into wine, but they don’t really believe that. They preach about Christianity being the only way to heaven, but they don’t really believe that. They preach about a physical resurrection of Jesus, but they don’t really believe that. I don’t preach what I don’t believe. I couldn’t do that. Now, there are times when one Sunday I believe something and the next Sunday I believe something else. That happens! [Crowd laughs] But I could never preach what I don’t believe. You don’t call that preaching, you call that lying. That’s why I don’t call myself just a Christian minister, I call myself an interfaith chaplain because I don’t consider myself, in a narrow sense, just a Christian minister. I’m independent, non-denominational. I have an affinity for all faiths, but I’m not affiliated with any faith tradition.

Terry Jones is a so-called Christian minister down in Florida. You’ve undoubtedly heard of this man. About a month ago, he put Islam on trial. Surprise, surprise, Islam was found guilty. As Fred Wooden, my friend, colleague and co-host of our radio show said on Friday, “Islam was found guilty of not accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior.” As a result, Terry Jones’ church burned a Qur’an. What God must Terry Jones believe in? What metaphor for God must Terry Jones have? A narrow-minded, mean-spirited, hateful God; a God, I think, made in Terry Jones’ own image.

Muslims, as a result of the burning of the Qur’an, killed twenty innocent people in Afghanistan. Those Muslims, a small number of Muslims, didn’t do themselves, or Islam, any favor. They fed into the stereotype that many Christians have of Islam. What image, what idea, what metaphor must they have for God? I think similar to the one that Terry Jones has: a narrow-minded, mean-spirited, hateful God that I think they created in their own image.

A rabbi said – now this isn’t a joke either, I heard him say this [Crowd laughs] – a rabbi said that he likes the name the Jewish people use for God, that they don’t say, many of them, because they revere the name so much. He said he likes it because it sounds like you’re inhaling and exhaling: [inhaling and exhaling] YAH…WEH, YAH…WEH, YAH…WEH. I like that because it gives us an image of God that is as close as our breath.

People have many names for God: God and Yahweh and Allah, which is not a different god, but just the Arab word for God, I think we all know that. The same thing as Dios, which is the Spanish word for God, but not a different god. I think there are as many names for God as there are metaphors for God.

People have many metaphors for God. Jesus had a couple of them. Jesus saw God as Father, our heavenly Father, and Spirit. In the Christian New Testament, 1 John 4:16, “God is love.” In the Hebrew Scriptures there are many names and images and metaphors for God, including “rock,” which is where the hymn “Rock of Ages” comes from. Gandhi’s metaphor for God was Truth. Buddhists don’t believe in a god, but they do believe in nirvana. Theologian Paul Tillich had a couple of metaphors for God. God was our “ultimate concern” and God was “the ground of being.” God wasn’t a being, but God was “the ground of being.” There are many metaphors for God.

“Monsters, Inc.” was a delightful movie, one of the Pixar animated movies. Mike and Sulley were the stars of “Monsters, Inc.” Mike was voiced by Billy Crystal; Sulley was voiced by John Goodman. Their job, working for Monsters, Inc., was to go into little kids’ bedrooms in the middle of the night and scare them. When the kids would scream or be fearful, that would create energy and they would capture that energy to fuel Monsters, Inc. and the city they lived in. I think many people have a metaphor for God that is like Mike and Sulley in “Monsters, Inc.” They see God, not as a supreme being, but as a supreme bully, somebody to be feared, somebody they’re afraid of.

In the second half of “Monsters, Inc.” Mike and Sulley realize that if they make kids laugh, that creates even more energy. Much more energy than making them afraid. I think that’s another metaphor for God that some people have – not a supreme being, not a supreme bully, but a supreme buddy, that loves us and wants us to enjoy life.

“Monster” was a scary movie. I don’t know if you saw that, it was a movie starring Charlize Theron. She won an Academy Award for that. They made her look ugly, which I think takes some doing, Charlize Theron is a very beautiful woman. In the movie she was abused by men her whole life long, as a kid and as an adult. Then at some point in the movie, she snaps and begins killing men relentlessly, cold-heartedly. I think some people have that as a metaphor for God. Not God as a supreme being, not God as a supreme bully, not God as a supreme buddy, but God as a supreme hit man, who kills people relentlessly, cold-heartedly.

A televangelist a few years ago said that a hurricane hit Florida because DisneyWorld had a gay day and allows people who are gay to work there. What image must this televangelist have for God? A God that is a monster; a supreme hit man, who kills people relentlessly, cold-heartedly. I always find it interesting that God hates the same people that the televangelist hates.

[Bill singing] “He’s got the whole world in his hands. [Congregation joins in) He’s got the whole wide world in his hands. He’s got the whole world in his hands. He’s got the whole world in his hands.” Now that’s the metaphor for God I learned as a kid in Sunday School class. God as a warm pair of hands that holds us in his palms. I think some people hold onto that image, that metaphor for God, all their lives. It works for them. It no longer works for me, really, but for those it works for, more power to ‘em.

About a month ago, I wrote a religious column that appeared in both the Holland Sentinel and the Grand Rapids Press. When I was writing that column, it was like I wasn’t really writing it. It was as if I was just a conduit for the universe. I was a conduit for, dare I say it, God. I was a middleman for God. Just taking dictation, in a way. I know it sounds weird, but that’s what it felt like. It’s at times like that that I feel a oneness with the universe, a oneness with God. It’s at times like that that I believe in God. I don’t always believe in God. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. When a tsunami hits Japan and kills thousands of people, I lose faith in God. When people respond to that and go and help, or, as this congregation did, send money to help, then my faith in God is restored. You might say, “Wait a minute, Bill, you didn’t lose faith in God, you lost faith in some kind of magical father figure. And you didn’t regain faith in God, you regained faith in humankind.” That may be true. But I’ve struggled most of my life trying to come up with a theology, a metaphor for God.

We all, I think, have to have a metaphor for God. A theology. We are all our own theologians. Now your theology for God might be, “I don’t believe in God.” I think that’s fine. I will defend to the death your right to have that theology, even in Holland. But I do have a theology for God, at least sometimes. Actually, I have two theologies for God [Crowd laughs] because, you know, I’m a liberal guy and sometimes one theology works and sometimes another theology works. I have a long version and a short version. The long version of my theology goes like this:

I believe in God, not as a white-bearded man sitting on a cloud or a wizard standing behind a curtain, but as a spirit of love, who did not create us to hate us, but to love us; who certainly wasn’t surprised when we weren’t perfect and most definitely didn’t require a blood sacrifice to atone for our sins, when, God knows, we couldn’t help but sin or make mistakes or miss the mark along the way, because we’re human beings. If God had wanted us to be perfect, God would have made us angels, not humans. I see God in nature and as an energy force (God=E=mc2), who does not have an ego that needs to be stroked every Sunday; who did not make us to worship God, but who made us so that we’d seek understanding and wisdom and have some fun along the way. God also made us to bless us and we are blessed, whenever we love and forgive one another, seek justice for more than just us and learn from our mistakes.

That’s the long version. The short version of my theology or metaphor for God was inspired by Kurt Vonnegut. Kurt Vonnegut died a few years ago. A few years before that he said, “If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph: THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD WAS MUSIC.” The short version of my theology goes like this:

I believe in God whenever I feel a loving touch, hear birds singing, smell a rose, taste chocolate, see the smile of a child.

That’s my theology, my metaphor for God. What’s yours? What’s your theology? What’s your metaphor for God?

We Give Thanks For The Earth

Let us close our eyes so that we might see.
We give thanks for the earth.
We give thanks for rainbows and sunsets.
We give thanks for people who protect the earth.
We are grateful they don’t pollute the air, water and land.
We hold in our thoughts those who don’t protect the earth.
We hold in our thoughts those who do pollute the air, water and land.
May they see the error of their ways.
We hold out hope for the day when the earth is free from pollution.
We hold out hope for the day when everyone protects the earth.
Now and forever more.
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.

A Better Way For Churches To Contend

Dear Editor,

I’ve noticed all the letters lately berating Rob Bell for his open-minded view of heaven. While I agree with what Pastor Bell writes in his book, “Love Wins,” (yes, Virginia, I have read it), I wish his detractors would find better uses for their time. It would be wonderful if, rather than debate over dogma, Christians would compete over compassion.

“We feed poor people chicken!”

“Chicken? What a laugh! We serve them steaks!”

Or, instead of combating over creeds, it would be delightful if Christians jousted over justice.

“Our church writes a letter to Congress and the president every month, urging them to bring our troops home!”

“Every month? What a bunch of wimps! Our church writes them every week!”

God knows, if churches squabbled over social justice instead of dueling over doctrine, it would be…heaven.

We Are Grateful For Health

Let us close our eyes so that we might see.
We are grateful for health.
We give thanks for healthy people.
We hold in our thoughts those whose health is not good.
We give thanks for nurses, doctors and hospitals trying to help improve people’s health.
We give thanks for scientists and researchers searching for cures for diseases like cancer and AIDS.
We give thanks for improvements made in healthcare coverage, it’s not perfect, but it’s getting better.
We give thanks for countries that have universal healthcare – they’re setting an example for the world.
We pray for those who don’t have healthcare, in America and around the world.
We pray for the families and friends of the 45,000 people who die every year in America for lack of healthcare.
We pray for the day when everyone will have the healthcare they need.
Forever and ever.
Let it be. So be it. And: Amen.

How Old You?

Before there were Tweets, there were telegrams. If you wanted to get a short message to someone quickly, that was pretty much your only option. Just like with Twitter, you tried to use as few characters (back then we called them words) as possible. Legend has it that the late Cary Grant was interviewed by a reporter. The reporter forgot to ask Cary Grant his age. So the reporter sent him a telegram, “How old Cary Grant?” Cary Grant replied, “Old Cary Grant fine. How old you?”

So: How old you? Or rather: How are you? If you’re like Holland, you’re probably pretty good. A year ago, Holland was called the second happiest place in America. Just recently, we were called the healthiest place in Michigan. But what’s true for the whole may not be true for a particular part. Are you happy and healthy? Are your loved ones?

If you answered “no” to either of those questions and you’re feeling depressed or suffering in some other way, I hope you’re seeing a psychologist, psychiatrist or licensed therapist. If you can’t afford them or your insurance doesn’t cover them, there is a free alternative: your clergyperson.

Holland is said to have more than 170 churches. If you attend one (and I assume you do, since this is Holland), your clergyperson, as busy as he or she is, would undoubtedly talk with you.

If you’re really desperate and have nowhere else to turn, you can contact me. But please be advised, I’m a chaplain, not a professional counselor (I don’t even play one on TV). But if you want to talk about the state of your world or the state of our world, I’d be willing to listen. If something in your world doesn’t make sense to you, like why God allows you to suffer; or if something in our world doesn’t make sense to you, like why people who supported regime change in Iraq all of a sudden oppose regime change in Libya, and you want to talk, I’m all ears.

You can email me (I don’t Twitter, although I do twitch sometimes). Or you might see me around town. I’m often walking (some might call it sauntering), usually while practicing my sermon, to make sure I have it memorized for Sunday. So if you see someone strolling the streets of Holland muttering to himself, chances are it’s me. Just come up and introduce yourself. But don’t blame me for ambling and rambling; blame my preaching professor, Jim Green (whose name has been changed to protect the innocent; he shouldn’t be blamed for what I preach, but only for recommending that we memorize our sermons, thus prompting me to plod around town, honing my homily).

You could also talk to me at a local coffee shop, restaurant or ice cream parlor. (I’m not a particularly good example of why Holland is considered healthy.) Perhaps you’ll recognize me from my newspaper picture. Stranger things have happened. The other day I was walking downtown and was stopped by a TV reporter, who wanted a comment about a news story. He introduced himself. I said, “Hi, I’m Bill.” He asked me a question and after I answered it he exclaimed, “You’re Bill Freeman, the pastor!” Guilty.

Hopefully you’ll recognize me someplace too. If you do and you want to talk, I’d be happy to talk to you. It’d be a nice change of pace from talking to myself.

Taking Exception To American Exceptionalism

George Washington was America’s first president, of course. When I was a kid, I heard a story about George Washington and the cherry tree, you probably heard the same thing, that George Washington apparently chopped down a cherry tree and when he was asked about it by his father, or somebody, “George, did you chop down this cherry tree?” he said, “I cannot tell a lie; I did chop down this cherry tree.” Later, when we were older, we learned that that story was itself a lie. It was a legend, a myth, told to little kids so that they’d think that their first president wouldn’t have lied. Maybe the implication was that when the leaders of Russia were kids, they would have lied; the leaders of China, when they were kids, they would have lied, but America’s first president would not have lied. It’s called American exceptionalism - the idea that America is better than every place else.

Ronald Reagan was shot thirty years ago this past week. At the time we were told that, when Reagan went into the operating room, he looked at the doctors and said, “Well, I hope you’re all Republicans.” Now maybe I’m a cynic, but at that time I thought, “Now that’s not true. He didn’t say that. That did not happen. That’s just his media handlers putting that story out.” But I didn’t have any proof of that until this past week. On the thirtieth anniversary of his shooting, they interviewed the doctor who was in charge. Now Reagan was shot in the chest. He was spitting up blood. The doctor in charge of the hospital said that when Reagan entered the emergency room, he collapsed. He was out. By the time they rolled him into the operating room, he would have been so full of drugs he wouldn’t have said, “Well, I hope you’re all Republicans.” I don’t believe that happened. I think that was a myth. Now maybe it was a myth for our benefit so that we’d think that Reagan was well and alert and his avuncular self. Maybe it was for the Russians or the Chinese saying, “Hey, don’t mess with us.” I mean, Reagan gets shot in the chest and he’s still joking. It’s called American exceptionalism – the idea that America is better than every place else.

Jason Bourne is a fictional character created by Robert Ludlum in his Bourne books, which were made into movies. Matt Damon starred as Jason Bourne. I’ve seen a couple of them. Very entertaining movies. Jason Bourne, probably the American equivalent of James Bond. Jason Bourne – James Bond. If you’re not familiar with the story, Jason Bourne is part of some secret agency in the U.S. government, not the CIA, some even more secret agency, and he’s sent out, as are others in the agency, to assassinate people. Well, he goes out to assassinate a world leader and as he’s about to shoot him, he notices the guy’s child there. He kind of wigs out. It turns out that Jason Bourne has been brainwashed. All of the people who’ve been sent out as assassins have been brainwashed. I got to thinking about this later. Now wait a minute. The implication, of course, is that when a Russian kid comes out of the womb they’re ready to kill and assassinate people. When a Chinese kid comes out of the womb they’re ready to kill and assassinate people. But American children, when they come out of the womb, they’re are all loving and peaceful. They have to be brainwashed in order to assassinate somebody. Just like I’m sure the people who tortured prisoners down in Guantanamo Bay had to be brainwashed in order to do water boarding. It’s called American exceptionalism – the idea that America is better than any place else.

England is a country I’ve traveled to a few times. The first time I went to England, many years ago, I saw the currency in England, which, as you know, is different colors for different denominations and it’s got a picture of the queen on there. I thought: this looks like Monopoly money. Real money is green, of course, and it has pictures of the president or statesmen on it. It’s American money. Of course, I was engaging in American exceptionalism – our money is better than any place else. But when you think about it, having different colors for different denominations is probably a good idea so you don’t confuse a ten and a twenty. Maybe America could learn something from another country. People who suffer from American exceptionalism tend not to see that. They can’t see that maybe another country has a better idea than we do, because, when you suffer from American exceptionalism, you have blinders on. You can’t see reality sometimes.

9-11, the worst terrorist attack in American history, on American soil. It was horrendous, of course, it was barbaric, it was brutal, it was a demonstration of man’s inhumanity toward man. We all can see that. We all know that. One of America’s responses to 9-11 was the invasion of Iraq. We were told that there were weapons of mass destruction. We know that’s not true. We look at that now and we see the invasion of Iraq, which killed tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of innocent Iraqis, was barbaric, was a demonstration of man’s inhumanity toward man. But people who suffer from American exceptionalism can’t see that. They have blinders on. If America did it, it can’t be wrong. The problem with American exceptionalism is we sometimes can’t see reality.

Michael Moore had a TV show on several years ago called TV nation. It was a wonderful program. I remember one episode, he wondered, if you had a broken ankle, where would you get better health care: in America, in Canada, or in Cuba? Turns out, if you had a broken ankle, the best health care you’d get was in Cuba. The second best place was Canada. America came in third, according to Michael Moore. Now you might say, “Come on Bill, this is Michael Moore; he hates America.” [Laughter] Okay. I looked it up. Where does America rank in terms of health care with all 190 countries in the world? America isn’t first; it’s not second; and it’s not third. America comes in 37th place. Now people who suffer from American exceptionalism probably can’t accept that. They’d say, “We have the best health care,” and I would say we do, but you have to finish that sentence. “We have the best health care…money can buy.” People who suffer from American exceptionalism can’t always accept that. American exceptionalism causes us to sometimes not be able to see clearly.

In elementary school, we weren’t taught American exceptionalism. It was just in the air. We just picked up the fact that, of course, America was the best place in the world. We weren’t told that, but it was implied in everything. In Sunday School, I wasn’t told that my religion was the best religion in the world, but it was in the air. It was just assumed or presumed. I wasn’t taught about Buddha or Gandhi or Lao Tzu. I only heard about Jesus. American exceptionalism and religious exceptionalism oftentimes go hand in hand.

Head of State was a movie several years ago starring Chris Rock. I think I and about three other people saw it, so if you didn’t see it, that’s OK. But I thought it was a wonderful movie. Chris Rock plays a Washington, D.C. councilman, who through one fluke and another runs for president as a Democrat. He’s the Democratic nominee. The Republican nominee for president is the sitting vice president and whenever the Republican nominee gives a speech, he says at the end of it, “God bless America – and no place else!” and I thought, “That’s what a lot of presidents mean when they say that.” God bless America – and no place else! Then Chris Rock comes along and says, “Why not God bless America and everyplace else! Why not God bless America and God bless South Africa and God bless Canada and God bless Mexico?” American exceptionalism and religious exceptionalism often go hand in hand.

“This is My Song.” When I first heard that song at Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids, it was like scales fell from my eyes. I think it’s the Finnish national anthem or something. It says, “This is my song, O God of all the nations, a song of peace for lands afar and mine.” It talks about people here having hopes and dreams, but also about people elsewhere having hopes and dreams. What? This is my song, O God of all the nations? You mean God isn’t just the God of America? You mean people in other countries have hopes and dreams? (I mean, besides the dream of becoming the 51st state?) How can this be? American exceptionalism and religious exceptionalism often go hand in hand.

A pastor friend and I had lunch the other day and he was decrying all these buildings that you see with rich people’s names on them. He said, “Don’t these people realize that 100 years from now or 1000 years from now those buildings will all be dust. Their names will all be in the dust.” He said that all of us, each one of us is written in the Book of Life. I said, “Yes, and they’re all written in the same font size.” He said, “That’ll preach, Bill!” [Laughter] We are all equal. I take exception to religious exceptionalism because we are all equal.

Charles Grodin had a talk show on MSNBC a few years ago. It was very interesting. One night he had a psychic on, who claimed to be able to contact people on the other side, people who are in heaven. He took phone calls from people who wanted to contact their dead relatives. He had a caller on the line who wanted to contact his dad. So the psychic said, “I’m connecting with your dad and he says he loves you; there’s nothing that divides you; one day he’s looking forward to when you’re both in heaven together.” The caller said, “Well, that’s fine, but is there anything special about my dad? Do you notice anything different?” The psychic said, “No, he just wants you to know he loves you; there’s nothing that divides you, and one day you’ll be together in heaven.” But the caller was persistent. He said, “Are you sure there’s nothing different about my dad? There’s nothing special in any way?” The psychic said, “No, he just wants you to know he loves you; there’s nothing that divides you, and one day you’ll both be together in heaven.” Well then it was revealed that on the line was Patrick Wayne, John Wayne’s son. So the psychic was demonstrated to be a fraud. Obviously if he had contacted John Wayne, he’d know that it was John Wayne because he was…John Wayne! Charles Grodin knew the guy was a hoax, Patrick Wayne knew the guy was a hoax, the audience knew the guy was a hoax, I knew the guy was a hoax. But later I got to thinking, wait a minute. Maybe in heaven John Wayne isn’t somebody special. Maybe he’s just like everybody else. Maybe in heaven John Wayne doesn’t have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Maybe in heaven John Wayne doesn’t have an airport named after him. Maybe he’s just John Wayne in heaven, no better and no worse than anyone else. I take exception to religious exceptionalism because I think we’re all equal.

In the Christian New Testament there’s a verse that deals with both these issues, American exceptionalism and religious exceptionalism. The verse says, “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one.” There’s no longer Jew or Greek, there’s no longer Christian and Jew and Buddhist and Hindu and Muslim or anyone else. We’re all one. I take exception to religious exceptionalism because we’re all one. We’re all equal. We’re all the same. And that’s okay. There is no longer Jew or Greek. There’s no longer American and Mexican and Russian and Chinese and Iranian. I take exception to American exceptionalism because we’re all one. We’re all equal. We’re all the same. And that’s okay, too.