There's Just Something About a Rainbow

 As June draws to a close we pause for a moment to acknowledge that this is Pride Month.  It is that time each year when we set aside a month to recognize, honor and celebrate the
wide variety of differences in sexual orientation and gender identifications found in the human family.  A veritable rainbow of differences!

I've been thinking about rainbows.  It is the beginning of rainy season here in Florida, and so we are being blessed with more rainbows than usual.  The other day my wife Linda even saw a full double rainbow!  Gorgeous!  

Now don't misunderstand what I am about to say.  All colors of the rainbow are beautiful.  Indigo.  Purple.  Red.  Yellow. Green.  Orange.  Each color brings its own specialness to the overall picture.  But a full-fledged rainbow, with every color, is something else altogether!  It is an exquisite expression of the beauty God has created in this world of ours.  Each color is enhanced by the presence of the other colors.  Each color is made all the more stunning by the others.

So it is when it comes to humanity.  Our differences are not cause for alarm.  Rather our differences are cause for celebration!  For our in our diversity there is great beauty.  And without the whole spectrum, it is just not the same.  Imagine a literal rainbow without red, for instance.  Just not the same!  Thankfully today we can and do acknowledge more freely the wonder of our diversity!  It is a beautiful thing to behold!

 

One More Time: Prayer in Public Schools

I believe in prayer, and engage in it daily.  And prayer is not impossible for children in public schools.  In fact, as one wag once put it, "More prayer happens in school before an algebra test thyan in church before the sermon."  But prayer shouldn't be mandated in schools funded with public monies.  Period.

But here in Florida folks persist in their effort to do just that.  The latest attempt is a new piece of legislation signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis, mandating a moment of silence at the beginning of the school day for all K-12 students in public schools.  On the surface, it sounds like a good idea.  A bit of time to silently pause and perhaps reflect on the day ahead, is good for all of us.  The trouble is, this is a thinly veiled attempt to get around the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state.

On signing the bill, the Governor said, "The idea that you can push God out of every public institution and be successful, I'm sorry, our founding fathers did not believe that."  And the signing took place in a synagogue.  How more obvious can one get?

It is also rather presumptuous to think anyone can push God out of any place!  That of course, is a theological view.  A religious view.  But there you have it.  But the question isn't whether or not God is present in public schools.  The question isn't whether or not prayer happens there.  God is, and prayer does.  Trust me.  But my religious perspective, nor that of any one else, should be forced on students.  Not at school.  
Period.

Books--Can't Live with 'Em, Can't Live Without 'Em!

Books have always been an important part of my life.  I was read to as a child.  From early on, one of my favorite gifts was a new book.  I collected biographies in late elementary school.  The signature series.  Biographies written especially for young people, with an imprint of the subject's signature on the cover.

I continue, decades later, to favor biographies.  Though I also enjoy a good novel and frequently read volumes on religion and society.  Frankly, I can't imagine my life without books.  I have borrowing privileges in three different library systems, and am on a first name basis with the owner of our local independently owned bookstore.

As you can imagine, I own hundreds, make that thousands, of books, and as I consider retiring in ten months or so, I will have to make some serious decisions about what to keep and what to give away.  Some may go to colleagues, others to family members, still others to local libraries.  And some, no doubt, will go to our congregation's used "bookstore."  But many of them I will want to keep, partly becuase I enjoy being surrounded by books, partly because some have sentimental value (my complete set of John Steinbeck paperbacks acquired in high school when I tore through everything he wrote, as an example)
and others because I will have need of them for research and comfort in my retirement.

I'm not sure I'd take on this vital task if not for the prompting of my wife, who has made it clear our condo isn't big enough for all of them.  She's an avid reader as well, but relies on the library for her selections.  I'll keep you posted.  So far--well, so far I haven't even begun! 

FEAR, ANGER AND MASKS

I am part of the Iona Community's Prayer Circle.  Every day I pray for a group of ten or twelve complete strangers who have requested that folks connected to Iona include them in their prayers.  

One of the benefits of being a part of the Prayer Circle is receiving the e-mail letter with updates  sent out from Glasgow Scotland by the Circle's coordinator, Chris Polhill.  Chris often has some real wisdom to share.  Last week I got the June edition of the letter, and was especially struck by part of what Chris had to say: "Fear," wrote Chris, "is a reasonable emotion for life in the time of a pandemic, it motivates us to live more safely and leads us to be more compliant with advice and rules  . . . It is not a very healthy or uplifting emotion however, and the relaxing of it allows space for other emotions to surface."  Emotions, Chris goes on to say, like anger.

There seems to have been a lot of anger about masks in this country.  I know there have been fights over them on airplanes and in stores.  Fortunately there have not been such outbursts here at church.  This past Sunday I was able to announce that we are changing our mask policy to coincide with the CDC recommendation that those who are fully vaccinated will no longer be required to wear masks in worship.  It was received with applause.  But I also said we continue to recommend that those who are not vaccinated do wear masks.  I wonder if that made anyone angry?  I hope
not.  It is being offered up for the good of those who are unvaccinated as well as the community at large. 

Perhaps we would all do well to closely monitor our own emotions as the fear engendered by the pandemic begins to wane.  And if we find ourselves feeling anger, perhaps we can follow the good advice offered up by Chris in that same letter.  It is my view that the safest place for anger is before God."  In other words, pray your anger.  Shout at God.  Punch a pillow as you mutter your words of anger to the Holy One.  For God can handle it.  As Chris writes, "God absorbs our anger and continues to love us."  And that is good news!