Christian Peacemaking Workshop

What is Christian Peacemaking?

Holy Cross Lutheran in Bellevue invites you to a round table discussion, "What is Christian Peacemaking?" on Saturday, January 30th from 8 - 10 a.m. at Holy Cross Lutheran, 4315 129th Pl SE, Bellevue.

Based on materials produced and distributed by the Lutheran Peace Fellowship, the discussion will expose and examine the various myths and stereotypes regarding peacemaking. By doing so, this session will help participants respond to the gift and call of Jesus' way of shalom. Glen Gersmehl, national coordinator of Lutheran Peace Fellowship will facilitate the discussion.

The Lutheran Peace Fellowship is a community of Christians across the U.S. and around the globe responding to the gospel call to be peacemakers and justice seekers. Based in Seattle since 1994, it offers workshops and forums, support for fellowship, brochures and other materials, and support for education and dialogue on issues of war and peace, justice and non-violence. For more information on the Lutheran Peace Fellowship, visit their website at www.lutheranpeace.org.

This roundtable is one of a series of discussions hosted and facilitated by Holy Cross Lutheran of Bellevue. For more information, call 425.746.4848.

Christmas Truce in Seattle

Being back in Seattle, I thought I might start organizing peace and justice concerts and events again - my little votes for a more assertive peace church personality for my local congregation (and denomination). I was playing songs for my daughter about the incredible "Christmas Truce" on the Western Front of World War I in 1914, when I realized that this year is the 95th anniversary of that belief-defying night.

On Christmas Eve, 1914, soldiers on both sides along the trenches from Flanders to the Swiss Frontier spontaneously and almost universally negotiated with each other an informal "truce" for the night. In the night, soldiers from both sides came out from their trenches and met each other in No Man's Land, exchanged greetings, cigarettes, and trinkets. Carols were sung, improvised Christmas Trees decorated, contraband liquor shared. The next morning, the truce miraculously held, and each side gathered the dead from the battlefield and buried them together side-by-side. In many places, the truce lasted past New Year's Eve, by when of course Generals and Colonels had heard about this treasonous truce negotiated without their consent - and were taking steps to stop it (replacing and moving regiments about that had participated in the truce so that they were facing troops along the trenches that they hadn't met and comisserated with over the holidays). And WWI went on. But not without a profound note of the possibility of Peace being heard across a continent mobilized for war.

I am organizing a celebration of the 95th anniversary of this momentous event, and it seems the stars are aligned, because so much is coming into place so quickly. West Seattle Neighbors for Peace and Justice is on board for helping with promotion and logistics. The Seattle Labor Chorus has eagerly agreed to participate. The Seattle Peace Chorus is considering amending their already-busy holiday schedule to include the event. I have a readers theater piece about the event almost fully cast with fine readers. I have a sound system lined up to use. Organizations and other local events are very cooperative in advertizing and promoting the celebration. People are coming out of the woodwork to help. And just today I received a cd of a singer who performs one of the best songs about the 1914 truce - and he wants to play at the event.

I am giddy with excitement and amazed that this event is coming together with so little time to be put together. Somebody must want us to celebrate peace, I tell ya!

The event, if you'd like to come, will be at the Highland Park Community of Christ (8611 11th Ave SW, Seattle), at 7PM, December 24th (Christmas Eve). It will tell the story of the Christmas Truce in narrative, letters, songs and images from the period. There will be an opportunity for other local peace and justice organizations to set up tables for people to look at and learn more about them. There will be no charge for the event.

I'll try to post updates as the event develops. Needless to say, I am thrilled to death about this, and can't wait until Christmas Eve! :-)

Back in the Saddle Again

Well, that didn't take long...

Our old home church in Highland Park was short a "guest minister" for this coming Sunday, so they scraped the bottom of the barrel and asked me.

Ridin' the range once more

That's right, fans, I will be preaching this Sunday, in West Seattle. The theme: Speak Boldly. Oh yes... yes, I will.

Totin' my old .44

The Old Testament has 44 books in it (well, almost). The scripture for this Sunday? The story of Esther, a daring heroine who saves the Jewish people from disaster in Persia!

Where you sleep out every night, and the only law is right

Esther is practically a Marxist dramedy (seriously!). It is one of the only books in the Bible not to mention God at all (really!). It is fraught with tension, irony and humor (no, really!). The collaborationist bourgeoisie get their comeuppance (well, they get hanged), and the ruling class is a pawn of their own vanity and the conspiracies of capitalist climbers, and in the end the workers come out on top (well, they survive at least).

Back in the saddle again.

Yeehaw! That's right, folks, the greatest show on earth is BACK! (And, besides the Puyallup Fair, I'm preaching, too!)

Seriously, if you have any inkling, you're more than invited (I mistyped "incited" just now... hmmm) to come.

Show starts at 11AM at 8611 11th Avenue SW, Seattle WA 98106.

And who knows, afterward lunch buffet at Maharaja?!

Upcoming Local Young Adult Event

The Young Adults of Puget Sound (YAPS) will be co-hosting a young adult activity with the Vancouver congregation Jan. 12-13. The activity will include a trip to the UBC Museum of Anthropology (small fee) on the afternoon of the 12th, and then a spaghetti dinner, games & karaoke that evening at the church. Please attend as many or as few of these activities as you like, but let us know if you plan on coming for dinner.

On the 13th, the visiting young adults will be in charge of the regular morning service, to be followed with a potluck lunch. The potluck will be a chance to show our appreciation for the service offered by this group. All young adults are invited to the activities on the 12th, and all are invited to attend the service & potluck on the 13th.

Contact Sean Langdon (seanmlangdon@hotmail.com) or Shannon McAdam (shannonmcadam@shaw.ca) for more information, or to rsvp for the activities on the 12th (we need to know how much spaghetti to make).

Last Gig in Seattle (for a while)

I'll be preaching next weekend in West Seattle - my last preaching gig stateside for who-knows-how-long. Come see the blowout sermon!

A going-away reception will be held afterwards (from 1-4PM) complete with cake from the El Salvadorean Bakery (yummm!).

December 16, at 10:30AM, at the Highland Park congregation (8611 11th SW), right next to Highland Park Elementary School and Playfield.

The theme is "Leap for Joy." How can you leap for joy knowing this is my last sermon in the States for (perhaps) years? Come and find out! :-)

Soldiers of Conscience

Local Film Screening: Nov. 2 - 8
Come to the Seattle opening of "Soldiers of Conscience," an award-winning documentary, at the Seattle International Film Festival Cinema (McCaw Hall at the Seattle Center), 321 Mercer Street from November 2 to November 8. The film features soldiers in Iraq facing the most difficult moral decision of their lives, to kill or not to kill. Eight soldiers, torn between the demands of duty and the call of conscience, including four who decide not to kill, highlight a realistic yet optimistic film about war, peace and the power of the human conscience. Produced by Catherine Ryan and Gary Weimberg, the film is co-presented by the Church Council of Greater Seattle. To learn more about the film, visit http://www.socfilm.com. For more information about screenings, call Michael Ramos at (206) 525-1213 x3950.

Local Efforts Continue to Address Homelessness

Religious leaders work to tackle homeless problem
By JOHN IWASAKI, P-I REPORTER

While chatting with friends Wednesday morning at a coffee shop in Ballard, Carolyn Swanson mentioned that she was headed to a meeting to learn how local churches could host Tent City 3, the traveling homeless encampment now in North Seattle.

Because Scandinavians pride themselves on "pulling themselves up by their bootstraps," she said, her astonished friends fired back questions:

"You're going to do what?" "Why don't those people work?" "Isn't that great to live off the state?"

Homelessness is a complex issue, and those with a roof over their head often don't understand it, said Swanson, a member of the justice committee at Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church.

Representatives of 16 congregations met Wednesday at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral to gather information on homelessness and Tent City 3. The encampment will be moving from Haller Lake United Methodist Church to Riverton Park United Methodist Church in Tukwila on Sept. 22.

The larger question, not on the agenda at the St. Mark's meeting, is how to make homelessness a problem of the past. That daunting topic will be discussed Tuesday when an interfaith group holds its seventh-annual conference on "creating the political will to end homelessness."

Read the whole article at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Sunday At the Meaningful Movies

West Seattle Neighbors for Peace and Justice is sponsoring a free public film series and discussion afterwards. September 16, at 6PM, at the Fauntleroy UCC Church (9140 California Ave SW). This screening is of the compelling documentary "Why We Fight."

Christie and I own this film, and few things will better inform you or make you more mad - mad that our country, culture and economy is organized this way. The film brilliantly escorts the viewer through the development of our national arms-industry and its place in the political and popular life of our nation. It takes a brave and honest look at the history of American state-violence, and tries to make a fair and insightful analysis of our national psyche. This film, in short, is tremendously worth watching.

And what better way than for free, with other West Seattlites of like mind and concern? West Seattle Neighbors for Peace and Justice are fun folks, who thankfully haven't lost sight of either long-term dedication or a healthy sense of humor. If you haven't met anyone from this group yet, you really should. They're a hoot.

And there's free popcorn!

"Sometimes crossing the street can save a life."

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Seattle's fairest and most objective major daily newspaper) last week featured an article about an outreach program focused on people on the streets. It tells the story of Mary Williams (who also happens to be an active member of Community of Christ) and her on-the-street "ministry" (my word) of compassion and help to people weighed down by poverty, drugs, abuse or any of a host of other inner-city plagues.

The outreach starts simply with offering a drink of water. How tremendously appropriate.

I spent an afternoon with Mary Williams not too long ago, when she set up her table on the sidewalk brimming with brochures and helpline information, and a basket of cupcakes and bottled water. She is a sight to behold: unafraid to talk to anyone, to strike up a conversation, start building relationships, offering information without being the least bit pushy - in short, showing the passers by that she actually cares about them. She doesn't just see sickness or mental illness or depression or poverty or addiction. Williams manages to convey a healthy care in her work. That one afternoon was inspiring enough. The P-I article last week raised my estimation of her and her work even higher.

Read the article. It's enough to give me hope.

Bringing Up the F-word

The editor of Real Change - the Seattle weekly peddled exclusively by homeless people - posted a great discussion of "the f-word" (fascism). In Seattle, people of faith and other concerned citizens will be gathering for a "strategy session" on resistance to fascism:

My friend Rev. Rich Lang at Trinity United Methodist Church in Ballard has called an Emergency Meeting at his church for August 1, at 7 pm. I'm going. Rev. Lang has been concerned with the growing signs around us for some time, but a recent Executive Order signed by the President has him particularly concerned.

Rev. Lang's Real Change column from today's Real Change is posted there, too. It is worth reading, and the strategy session sounds worth attending.

Progressive Christian Radio?

Yup.
Living Faith Radio
is a weekly radio show from a progressive Christian perspective. Broadcast from Ballard (a Seattle neighborhood), it covers some really pressing and controversial issues. Some of the shows in the last month have been:
"Can we use our money for good? Investing as a Way to Change the World."
"Can the Church Be Gay? Homosexuality As Christian Sacrament."
"Does Lady Liberty still welcome the poor, tired, huddled, and homeless masses? The New Sanctuary Movement."
"Who would Jesus Bomb? Militarism & Christian Faith."
"What Happened on 9/11? The Church Under Empire."
"George Bush and the Spirit of Anti-Christ"
...and that's just the beginning. You should see his guest list alone. This guy isn't avoiding any conversation, and bringing in people who are in the streets and in the know. Today's topic: "None Dare Call It Treason: The Bush Administration and 9/11". Holy Moly! Leave it to community radio to ask the questions we all want answered. Listen to the broadcast today (Friday) at 2PM on KKNW 1150AM, or streaming online at http://www.livingfaithnow.org.

Earth Stewardship - Seattle at the Epicenter

A covenant to take care of the Creator's handiwork

Fifteen years after the pioneering Earth Ministry was founded in Seattle to link religion and the environment, the nation's attention will be drawn back to the city toward another, potentially broader spiritual awakening.

Next April, the national Episcopal Church will team with Episcopalians in Western Washington to host a conference to launch a multifaith campaign on climate change.

At the event, the Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will invite national organizations of Christians, Jews and Muslims to commit to reducing the carbon footprint of their churches, temples and mosques by a minimum of 50 percent by 2015.

Read the whole story at the Seattle Times.

Film, Faith and Justice

Four days of films, lectures, and discussion panels exploring issues of human rights and the theology of social justice.

University of Washington, Kane Hall, April 12-15

Film Festival
Eight films have been selected from the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival focusing on the issues of immigration, violence, globalization, and social responsibility. The HRW International Film Festival plays annually in New York and London. We are proud to premier the festival in Seattle.

Lecture Series
World renowned theologians and social advocates present a series of provocative lectures addressing the films' thematic elements within a theological context. These lectures will question, challenge, and stretch the structures of living a life of faith in an unjust world.

Discussion Panels
Drawing from their experience as filmmakers, scholars, practitioners, and local leaders, the featured panelists will engage in lively conversation on the issues at hand. All are invited to share questions and ideas at this compelling community forum.

http://www.filmfaithandjustice.com/

Christian Churches in Communist East-Central Europe Lecture @ UW

The Christian Churches as 'Free Spaces' in Communist East Central Europe: The Slovak and East German Cases

When: Thursday, March 08, 2007- 3:30 PM
Where: Communications 126 Details
David Doellinger (Western Oregon University) is a specialist on the history of Christianity in East Central Europe during the Communist era. He has published, among other things, articles on pacifism in Communist East Germany and religious pilgrimages in Communist Czechoslovakia.

Lecture at UW

The Legend of Mar Qardagh: Narrative & Christian Heroism in Late Antique Iraq
Part of the Simpson Center's New Books in Print Lecture Series

When: Wednesday, March 07, 2007- 4:00 PM
Where: Communications 202 Download e-Flyer

Drawing on both literary and artistic sources, this pioneering study by Joel Walker uses an early 7th-century Christian martyr legend to elucidate the culture and society of late antique Iraq. The legend of Mar Qardagh introduces a hero of epic proportions—one who hunts like a Persian King, argues like a Greek philosopher, and renounces his Zoroastrian family to live with monks high in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan.

40 for 40

A Lenten Challenge

My wife wrote this article to raise awareness about global resource consumption, and to challenge us to take the Lenten season to focus on personal lifestyle changes as a way to take action in light of our new understanding. As stewards of resources and our lives, we have opportunities every day to make decisions based on conservation instead of exploitation, in other words to choose to see this world as holy and deserving of reverence and respect instead of merely fuel for our caprice.

Lent provides us a context of sacramental devotion in which we can consecrate a part of our lives to bringing us closer to God's transformative vision of the world. Read the article and consider covenanting with others dedicated to making a change in their lifestyles as an act of worship and as an act of faith in the possibility of a new world. (And who knows, you may even like the change!)

Can we find 40 people willing to challenge themselves for 40 days?

(click on the images below to view pages in jpg format)

Tired of American Politics?

Change your citizenship to the Kingdom of God!

This Sunday (Feb. 11), I'll be preaching in Renton, on the Sermon on the Plain (Luke's version of the Sermon on the Mount). The Sermons on the Mount & Plain have been called the constitution of the Kingdom of God. What kind of "country" is this "kingdom"? Can we be dual-citizens? Are there any new taxes? Which side is it on in the "War on Terror"?

These questions and more, discussed at the 11AM service at the Renton Community of Christ on Feb. 11.

Come check it out!

Combatants for Peace

On Thursday evening, February 8, two former fighters who now work together for peace between Israel and Palestine will speak at 7:30 p.m. at Seattle University's Lemieux Library. They are on a tour being organized by Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace. The event is also sponsored by the School of Theology and Ministry, Find Common Ground, Veterans for Peace, the Arab American Community Coalition and Temple De Hirsch Sinai. You are also invited to an Interfaith Breakfast on Friday, February 9, at 8:00 a.m. at Temple De Hirsch Sinai, 1520 East Union Street, Seattle. RSVP's needed for the breakfast to btvshalom_wa@yahoo.com.

Shimon Katz, a former Israeli soldier, and Sulaiman Al Hamri, a former Palestinian fighter, will share their transition from veteran fighters to peace advocates. They will speak on behalf of the Combatants for Peace Movement, founded in 2005 by Israelis and Palestinians who decided to put down their guns and fight for peace instead through dialogue, reconciliation and educational outreach.

The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future

Bill McKibben: ‘Deep Economy’
Wednesday, March 21, 7:30 PM, Town Hall Seattle
Bill McKibben is an environmentalist and author of books including The End of Nature and The Age of Missing Information. His forthcoming book, Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future, puts forward a new way of thinking about all the things we buy, the food we eat, the energy we use, and the money that pays for it all. McKibben’s animating idea is that we need to move beyond “growth” and pursue prosperity in a more local direction, with cities, suburbs, and regions producing more of their own food, energy, culture, and entertainment. He shows how this concept is blossoming around the world—with striking results.

Tickets are $5 at the door only.

Flannel Note: I post this because of my conviction that stewardship and discipleship go hand in hand, and that stewardship concerns more than our own pocketbook - it includes where I money comes from, where it goes, where our food comes from and how it gets to us, and what happens to our waste afterwards, and all the connected mechanisms of our lives and living. The earth, our fellow creatures, our fellow human beings, and our lifestyles are all interconnected. The talk mentioned above seems to address that kind of thinking. (Thanks to Jon for telling me about this.)

Lecture at UW

"Whole Sight: The Intersection of Culture, Faith, and the Imagination"
By Charles Johnson
*2006-2007 Solomon Katz Distinguished Lectures in the Humanities*
Thursday, February 1, 2007
7:00 pm
Room 120, UW Kane Hall
Reception to follow

From his creative beginnings as a political cartoonist and journalist to his success as a novelist, essayist, short story writer, screen-and-teleplay writer, and university professor, Charles Johnson's life is a model of interdisciplinarity. In his talk Johnson will address his personal journey in finding his passion as an artist, a writer, and a scholar. He will discuss how various interrelated factors such as race, culture, faith, and history converged to shape his work.

Charles Johnson holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy and is the S. Wilson and Grace M. Pollock Professor of English at the University of Washington. A 1998 MacArthur Fellow, Dr. Johnson received the 1990 National Book Award for his novel Middle Passage (1990) and was a 2002 recipient of the Academy Award for Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has published collections of short fiction, screenplays, and critical essays on literature and Buddhism, and has written numerous articles on writing, education, and other contemporary issues. Recent publications include Dr. King's Refrigerator and Other Bedtime Stories (2005), Turning the Wheel: Essays on Buddhism and Writing (2003), and Africans in America: America's Journey through Slavery (1998), the companion book for the PBS series co-authored with Patricia Smith.

For further information, please call (206) 543-3920 or visit www.simpsoncenter.org.