Light on the Arts: Taize Candles photograph by Marite Jones

"For you are my lamp, oh Lord, and my God lightens my darkness." (2 Samuel 22: 29 o lo mismo en Español)

Luz Sobre Justicia: Solidaridad con Haiti y con Cristo

2da Parte de Solidaridad con Haiti y la Teología de la Cruz

La predicación de la prosperidad, al igual que la idea de Pedro de que Jesús debía evitar la cruz, no viene de Dios, sino de la naturaleza humana. Así que-¿Dónde está Dios en el contexto del crisis en Haiti? ¿Y cómo podemos servir a Dios con nuestros corazones y mentes, y con todas nuestras fuerzas en esta situación?

1)Dios está con aquellos que sufren, es por eso que Jesús murió en la cruz por nosotros. Dios está con todos nosotros, y especialmente con Haití.

2)Cuando servimos a los necesitados y los oprimidos, también servimos a Jesús (Mateo 25:31-46).

3)No sólo está Dios con nosotros cuando sufrimos, Dios levanta a los necesitados y los oprimidos para cambiar el mundo para bien (Dos grandes ejemplos de esto de la Biblia: en el Éxodo, Dios libera a esclavos y les hace el pueblo especial de Dios, y Jesús, el Rey Salvador, nace desamparado, sin hogar.)

Si todo esto es verdad acerca de Dios, tal vez tenemos que hacer más que ayudar al pueblo de Haití. Tal vez también tenemos que aprender de ellos.

Unas Cuantas cosas que Cada Persona (Especialmente los Cristianos) Debe Saber a Cerca de Haití:

1) Haití dio el don de la libertad al hemisferio occidental.

Haití fue el primer país en abolir la esclavitud en las Américas. Los esclavos haitianos se liberaron ellos mismos, gracias al mismo espíritu indomable de libertad que fluye en todos nuestros corazones, y por el genio militar de sus líderes como Toussaint L'Ouverture.

La revolución haitiana tuvo lugar entre 1791 y 1804. (Las personas que viven en los EE UU, también deberían considerar que la mayoría de la tierra al oeste del Mississippi pertenece a este país, gracias en parte a los primeros luchadores por la libertad de Haití. Al perder su base en Haití, Napoleón decidió renunciar su imperio en las Américas y vendió el territorio a los EE UU. La compra del territorio de Luisiana del 1803, se debió principalmente a que Francia había sido derrotada en la revolución de Haití.)

2)¿Cual fue la raíz de la pobreza en Haití?

Haití fue sumamente rentable para los franceses, porque los franceses no le pagaban a los esclavos, mientras exportaban el azúcar haitiana a países más ricos donde se encontraba de gran demanda. La riqueza de la economía haitiana fue basada en esta exportación. Haití se quedó pobre después de su revolución, porque todos los países ricos se negaron a negociar con ella. Por lo tanto, si no hay exportaciones, no puede haber ningún ingreso. La pobreza de Haití comenzó con el crimen violente de la esclavitud y el embargo de los países ricos después de la esclavitud. No fue una maldición del diablo, sino de los Estados Unidos e Europa. Los EE.UU., por su parte, se negaron al comercio con Haití hasta 1863.

3)La mayoría de los haitianos (96%) son cristianos (80% católicos, 16% protestantes, según el World Fact Book de la CIA). Los haitianos se han mantenido en Cristo, a pesar de las cosas horribles que, los llamados países cristianos le han hecho. ¿Cómo le parece este tipo de perdón?

4)El vudú haitiano es una religión basada en animistas africanas. Sus practicantes creen en un Dios supremo, y creen que toda la creación se compone de energía viviente. No es culto al diablo. No es hostil al cristianismo. Jesús dijo: "Quien no está contra nosotros, es para nosotros." (Marcos 9:40). Debemos respetar el vudú, al igual que debemos respetar todas las demás religiones no violentes del mundo.

Por lo tanto, oremos:

Gracias, Dios, por los muchos dones que Haití ha dado al mundo. Ayúdenos a ver el apoyar a Haití, como obra de justicia, y no solamente de caridad. Permite que sigamos aprendiendo sobre el Evangelio por el ejemplo de nuestros hermanos y hermanas de Haití. Señor, ten la bondad de traer curación a Haití, y acercanos más a ti, al acercarnos más a Haití.

En el nombre de Jesús,

Amén.

Light On Justice: Walking with Haiti, Walking with Jesus

Part 2 of

Standing with Haiti and the Theology of the Cross

By Marcos E de Jesús

Prosperity preaching, just like Peter’s idea that Jesus should avoid the cross, does not come from God, but from human nature. So…Where is God in the midst of the Haitian crisis? And how can we serve God with our hearts and minds, and all our strength in this circumstance?

1) God is with those who are suffering, that’s why Jesus died on the cross for us. God is with us all, and especially with Haiti.

2) When we serve the needy and the oppressed we also serve Jesus (Matthew 25:31-46).

3) Not only is God with us when we suffer, God also lifts up the needy and the oppressed to change the world for good (Two big Bible examples: In the Exodus God frees slaves and makes them God’s special people, and Jesus the Savior King, who was born homeless).

If this is true about God; maybe we need to do more than help the people of Haiti. Maybe we also need to learn from them.

A Few Things Everyone ( Especially Christians) Should Know About Haiti

1) Haiti gave the gift of freedom to the western hemisphere. Haiti was the first country to abolish slavery in the Americas. The enslaved Haitians freed themselves, thanks to the indomitable spirit of freedom that flows in all our hearts. And, through the military genius of their leaders, former slaves themselves, like Tousaint L’Ouverture. The Haitian Revolution took place roughly between, 1791 and 1804.(People living in the USA should also consider: Most land west of the Mississippi is a part of this country partly thanks to those early Haitian freedom fighters. The French decided to give up their empire in the Americas and sell it to the US in the Louisiana purchase of 1803, mainly because they had been so badly defeated in the Haitian revolution.)

2) What was the root cause of Haiti’s poverty? Haiti was immensely profitable for the French because they paid the slaves nothing, and exported sugar produced there to richer countries where it was in demand. The wealth from the Haitian economy had been export based. Haiti was poor after it’s revolution because all the rich countries refused to trade with it. Thus no exports, and no income. Haitian poverty began with the crime of slavery and the embargo from rich countries after slavery. There was no curse from the devil, only from the United States and Europe. The US, for example, refused to trade with Haiti till 1863.

3) Most Haitians (96%) are Christians (80% catholic, 16% Protestant, according to CIA World Fact Book). Haitians have remained in Christ, in spite of the horrific things that supposedly Christian Countries have done to them. How’s that for forgiveness?

4) Haitian Vodou is an African based animist religion. It’s practitioners believe in one high God, and believe that all of creation is composed of living energy. It is not devil worship. It is not hostile to Christianity. Jesus said:” Whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mark 10:40). We should respect Vodou, just like we should respect every other nonviolent world religion.

So let us Pray,

Thank you God for the many gifts Haiti has given the world. Help us to see helping Haiti as working for justice, and not just charity. Let us continue to learn about the Gospel by the example of our Haitian brothers and sisters. Lord, draw us closer to you, by drawing us closer to Haiti.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Light on Justice: Standing With Haiti and the Theology of the Cross

Part 1 “Get behind me Satan!” Responding to Rev Pat Robertson by Marcos E de Jesús

The Bible says:

“From that time on Jesus began to say plainly to his disciples,’ I must go to Jerusalem and suffer much from the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law. I will be put to death, but three days later I will be raised to life.’

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.’ God forbid it!’ he said ‘That must never happen to you!’

Jesus turned around to Peter and said:’ Get away from me Satan! You are an obstacle in my way, because these thoughts don’t come from God, but from human nature.’”-Matthew 16:21-23 Good News Bible

The day after a 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti Rev Pat Robertson said:” [S]omething happened a long time ago in Haiti and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. Napoleon the Third and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil…But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other, desperately poor. “-Rev Pat Robertson on the 700 Club January 13, 2010.

In the aftermath of the tragic earthquake in Haiti, many of us have wrestled with painful questions, like: Where is God? Many of us felt the need to be Christ’s hands on earth in any way we could by giving, praying, and advocating for our Haitian sisters and brothers. While at least one influential TV preacher saw the opportunity to say that the Haitians were suffering because they had made a deal with the devil.

Rev. Robertson’s attitude toward Haiti reflects the ugly underside of prosperity preaching. Which goes something like this:” If you have God’s favor you will be prosperous. So if you suffer, are poor, and rejected by the world, it must be because of God disapproves of you.”

When Jesus was confronted with this belief from one of his own disciples, his rejection of it was forceful and unequivocal. He said:” Get away from me Satan! ”

Rev Robertson would claim he just teaches what the Bible says, literally. But in fact this whole concept that people can make a deal with the devil is not from the Bible, or from the normative creeds of the early Church. It comes from the myth of Theophylis of Andana by Eutychianus. written hundreds years after the last book of the Bible.

Rev Robertson’s creative, fictive, and hurtful storytelling about Satan, lays bare something real about religious fundamentalism. Fundamentalists, like Robertson, do not offer us the chance to “take God at his word”, but rather to take the preacher’s words to be God’s words. That is not what God wants for us. God wants us each to “know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). To discern truth we must love God with all the strength of our minds, as well as that of our hearts (Mark 12:33). We must listen, think, pray, meditate, interpret, and discuss.

Please come back for part 2 tomorrow. You can make a financial contribution to Haitian recovery through Lutheran World Relief( LWR ), and check out LWR's impressive track record for efficiency at charitynavigator.org.

Luz Sobre la Justicia:Solidariad con Haiti y El la Teología de la Cruz

1era Parte “¡Apártate de mí, Santanás!” Respondiendo a Rev Robertson

La Biblia dice: 21 A partir de entonces Jesús comenzó a explicar a sus discípulos que él tendría que ir a Jerusalén, y que los ancianos, los jefes de los sacerdotes y los maestros de la ley lo harían sufrir mucho. Les dijo que lo iban a matar, pero que al tercer día resucitaría.^[h] 22 Entonces Pedro lo llevó aparte y comenzó a reprenderlo, diciendo:

--¡Dios no lo quiera, Señor! ¡Esto no te puede pasar!

23 Pero Jesús se volvió y le dijo a Pedro:

--¡Apártate de mí, Satanás, pues eres un tropiezo para mí! Tú no ves las cosas como las ve Dios, sino como las ven los hombres’-Matteo 16: 21-23

El 13 de enero de 2010, el día después del terremoto en Haití, el reverendo Pat Robertson dijo en su programa de televisión: “Algo sucedió hace mucho tiempo en Haití y nadie quiere hablar de ello. Los haitianos estaban bajo la bota de los franceses — Napoleón III y lo que sea. Y ellos se reunieron y juraron un pacto con el diablo ... Pero desde entonces, han sido maldecidos por una cosa tras otra, desesperadamente pobre.”

Desde la tragedia del terremoto en Haití, muchos de nosotros hemos luchado con preguntas dolorosas, como : ¿Dónde está Dios? Muchos de nosotros sentíamos la necesidad de ser las manos de Cristo en la tierra de cualquier manera que pudiéramos, donando, orando, y abogando por nuestras hermanas y hermanos de Haití. Mientras que, al menos un predicador de televisión quien influye a muchos vio la oportunidad de decir que los haitianos están sufriendo porque habían hecho un pacto con el diablo.

La actitud del Rdo Robertson hacia Haití refleja la parte fea de la predicación de prosperidad, que suena algo como esto: “Si usted tiene el favor de Dios, usted será próspero. Si usted sufre, es pobre, y rechazado por el mundo, debe ser porque Dios le desaprueba.” Cuando Jesús se enfrenta con esta creencia de parte de uno de sus discípulos, su rechazo es fuerte y sin equivocación. Él dijo: “¡Apárate de mí Satanás, pues eres un tropiezo para mí!” Jesús no iba a perder su camino hacia el Padre. El camino de Jesús pasa por el centro del sufrimiento humano hasta la cruz.

Rdo Robertson probablemente diría que él sólo enseña lo que la Biblia dice, literalmente. Pero en realidad todo este concepto de que la gente puede hacer un trato con el diablo no es de la Biblia, o de los credos normativos de la Iglesia. Se trata del mito de la Theophylis de Andana, escrito por Eutiquiano cientos de años después del último libro de la Biblia.

Las narraciones creativas, ficticias, y odiosas como las del Rdo Robertson acerca de Satanás, revelan algo real sobre el fundamentalismo religioso. Los fundamentalistas, como Robertson, no nos ofrecen la oportunidad de “tomar a Dios en su palabra”, sino más bien piden que tomemos las palabras del predicador sobre la palabra de Dios. Eso no es lo que Dios quiere para nosotros. Dios quiere que cada uno “conozca la verdad y la verdad los hará libres” (Juan 8:31-32). Para discernir la verdad, debemos amar a Dios con toda la fuerza de nuestras mentes, así como la de nuestros corazones (Marcos 12:33). Tenemos que escuchar, pensar, orar, meditar, interpretar y dialogar.

Favor de volver aqui para la 2da parte mañana. Ahora mismo es un buen tiempo para dar al trabajo de Lutheran World Relief ( LWR ) en Haiti. Revisa el buen record de LWR en charitynavigator.org.

Light On the Faith Journey: Light of the World

"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life."-John 8:12

When Jesus, our Master and Teacher, calls us to recognize him as "the light of the world". Jesus invites us to the center of the true reality of our lives; That ultimate reality which indwells all, and flows through all and in all. We do not walk in darkness, because Jesus reclaims us as children of light and together we will have eternal life with him. Jesus' light is indestructible and will never perish. God simply asks us to be honest and fair in heart so Jesus´ light may live in us, for others also to rejoice in.

Make his light yours, so you may share this true life with others. Just as the sun's rays have a healing power, imagine the power of "light" from the Father and Jesus. Let us seek to recognize this light in Jesus himself and in his sisters and brothers.

In Service,

German Lorenzo

Luz sobre la vida espiritual: La Luz del Mundo

¹²Y hablóles Jesús otra vez, diciendo: Yo soy la luz del mundo: el que me sigue, no andará en tinieblas, mas tendrá la lumbre de la vida.-Juan 8:12

Cuando el Maestro nos invita a reconocerle como "la luz del mundo", nos invita al mismo centro de la realidad de nuestras vidas. Esa es, el morara y fluira a traves de Todo y de todos. Entonces, no caminaremos entre tinieblas pues el nos reclama como hijos de la luz y junto con el tendremos vida eterna. Su luz sera indestructible y nunca perecera. Solo nos pide que seamos honestos y justos de corazon, para que su luz habite en nosotros, y otros tambien se regocijen en ella.

Haz tuya su Luz para que puedas compartir la vida verdadera con los demás. Asi como los rayos del sol tienen un poder sanador, imaginate cuanto poder tiene "la luz" que proviene del Padre y Jesus,en el mismo y en sus hermana/os.

En Servicio,

German Lorenzo

Light on our congregational community - by Helen A.

I grew up in a very conservative and very loving church, one filled with immigrants from The Netherlands. Many of the members had, like my parents, left their home country after World War II to seek a new life in America. Their parents and siblings remained behind, and so the bonds formed between these new immigrants were tight, like family.

As I grew up, though, my politics changed, as did my sense of myself. When I landed in New York, I sought out a progressive congregation. It was hard to find a place that challenged me, though. Many pastors preached messages on the general goodness of the world, the general goodness of the congregation—we just had to tap into that central reservoir of love a little more strongly and all would be ok. It’s not a bad message, but I got the gist after a few weeks. I yearned for something more.

In the meantime, Dan and I married, and he moved to New York. We searched for a new church home, and Trinity—a Lutheran church, in the tradition Dan grew up in—was just a few blocks away! The pastor had written a cool book I’d heard about. We decided to give it a try, and it wasn’t long before we knew we were home.

New York City is obviously in the same country as our native Oregon, but it often feels like a different world. Trinity ministers to many who actually have immigrated to the States, and the challenges those particular members face are often enormous, but I think many of us—even Americans—feel like immigrants to this magnificent, powerful, sometimes-frightening city. Many of Trinity’s members are far away from family. And so I have found a place not unlike that of my childhood church, where the members form a surrogate family.

I’m not going to lie, though: Dan and I have looked at each other more than once and said, “Couldn’t we have at least found a congregation where the walls aren’t crumbling down? Would that have been so hard?” I think we serve on five different church committees or groups between the two of us, and it can be easy to feel the demands on our time as a burden. Sometimes I want to say, “Hey God, so when I was yearning for ‘something more’ back at the nice plush progressive churches, I wasn’t quite yearning for this. I was thinking maybe just one committee would need me. And maybe the church could be at least breaking even?”

But God doesn’t always answer our prayers in the manner we expect. I suspect God knew Dan and I would find ourselves challenged by the sermons Pastor Heidi preaches, pushed to look at the world—and the way we operate in it—in entirely new ways. I think God knew that even if we don’t think we have more time to give, we probably do—and that it is important for our sanity to occasionally step back from the competitive, self-focused nature of our jobs and serve a larger community. And those crumbling walls? Well, they are a constant visual reminder that we need to give monetarily, too, and perhaps God knew that we would need that kind of push to give at a level more appropriate to our finances than we had been giving. (And if seeing the walls was a push, serving on the Capital Campaign committee has been a much-needed kick in the pants to actually start writing bigger checks.)

Trinity stretches us every day, but we are mightily blessed in return. The congregation has become our home away from home, a spiritual haven in a tumultuous city, a genuine reservoir of love freely given, humbly received.

Welcome

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Welcome to Shine On Trinity! -- our church's new devotional blog, created as an online vessel for your reflections and creative offerings during the season of Lent 2010.

Please feel free to share your prayers, your thoughts on cherished Bible passages, or your inner world in the form of prose, poetry, artwork, photography, or even music.

You may find it helpful to focus on the overall theme of Light, especially meaningful as we make the dark journey toward Good Friday in the sure knowledge that the Resurrection will come, bringing the return of light, hope, and life everlasting.

Choose from among the following 7 "angles," or create one of your own:

- Light on our congregational community - Light on diversity - Light on bricks and mortar - Light on justice - Light of our youth - Light of the arts - Light on the faith journey

Please send your offerings by email to Peggy Crane or Marcos De Jesus. That's pegcrane48@gmail.com or marcosedejesus@gmail.com.

Our hope is that the Shine On Trinity blog will enrich your spiritual life throughout Lent and beyond--and that it will serve to bind us together as a diverse and powerful community of faith.

Peace, hope, and love,

The Spiritual Life Committee