Prayer of Confession – Homelessness

Gracious and lovely God, forgive us for calling you “Lord” while refusing your rule. As a nation, we have allowed homelessness to become a demographic of people, and we have used it as a designation for people that we find hard to look in the eye. Help us to find our own humanity in the search for greater fellowship with those who live on streets and those in penthouses, those who’s minds are clear and those who’s minds have become a prison. Help us to reach beyond our own fears, so that hope becomes the driving force in every interaction. Amen. (silent prayer)

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Preamble for Old Blog

This was imported along with posts from a previous blog titled "When Did I See You?" The title expresses a fundamental view of mine. The proclamation that we serve God through serving others trumps doctrine and dogma. It reminds me that I don't serve others because it wins me points, but rather because they in their weakness and poverty have more blessing to offer me than I in my abundance have for them. So, social justice trumps political correctness and affiliation. Common bonds of human experience trump allegiances of all other kind. And in this space I hope to build some conversation about how these ideas translate into a "new" way of being in the world that has actually been around for about two thousand years or more. Obviously by the slant of the above argument I am of the class of the "haves" rather than one of the "have nots." Even though I'm not wealthy by US standards, I am filthy rich by global standards. There are cer...

Emails from Baton Rouge

Clint Mitchel, mentioned in the previous article, is an Associate Pastor in Baton Rouge. They have set up a shelter for expectant and new mothers and are involved in providing assistance reuniting displaced families. I'll post an email here from a list serve that several of my friends from seminary are on. I'll post a few more as comments. Feel free to add your own comments about how your congregation or group is responding. Presently the congregation I serve is taking up a special offering. Some members are also taking in students who have been relocated to VA. Here's what Clint needs/is doing: Martha, Our church has set up a shelter for expectant and new mothers and infants. We are working with people from all over on supplies. Right now, monetary donations are most helpful, partially because the needs are changing from day to day. Our church has set up a fund for Hurricane Relief efforts. To send a donation, please make a check out to University Presbyterian Ch...

The Question

I saw this on a card at the beach while on a clergy retreat. This and Matthew 7:7-8 are the inspiration for the title of this blog. Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day. - Rainer Maria Rilke Letters to a Young Poet

Rev. Zach

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