A monthly column for the church-at-large by The Reverend Bruce Reyes-Chow, Moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) This month, the column is written by the Reverend Dr. Byron A. Wade, Vice-Moderator of the 218th General Assembly.

What happens when the bush stops burning?

March 2009

I remember very well the day of commencement from Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary. I was graduating with honors. I had a master’s degree from Union Theological Seminary-Presbyterian School of Christian Education. I was definitely ready to serve a congregation and was energized to do ministry.

The commencement speaker that day was the Reverend Dr. Renita Weems, former professor of Old Testament at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Her message was entitled, “What Happens When the Bush Stops Burning?” from the call of Moses in Exodus 3. She asked us, “What will you do in-between the first time you heard from God and the next time you do?”

In her message, I was reminded of the “burning bush” moments when God is present in our lives – ordination and installation of pastors, marriages, births of children, formation of friendships or relationships, and so forth. Those are the times when God’s presence burns brightly in our lives.

But as life goes along, things happen – church conflicts, broken relationships, loss of loved ones, periods of economic recession, loss of employment, and more. In those times, we cannot feel the presence of God, and we don’t know when we will hear next from God.

Rev. Weems ended her message that day by telling the story of a time when she was invited to be a guest preacher. She recalled that she was going through some difficulties in her personal life that particular Sunday. As the choir sang, she heard the most beautiful voice. She wanted to see who was singing, so she turned around to look at the choir. The voice was coming from a man whose face was totally disfigured. She knew then that God used that man to speak a word of comfort to her in a time of need.

What happens to you when the bush stops burning? What do you do in-between the last time you heard from God and the next time?

For me, it is helpful to remember Rev. Weems’ message, especially during this Lenten season. God speaks to us in unexpected ways to let us know the “bush is still burning.”

February 18, 2009
What have we got to lose?
A monthly column for the church by the General Assembly moderator
by the Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow
Moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

SAN FRANCISCO ― I was privileged last month to participate in the Congressional Black Caucus inaugural interfaith prayer service as a representative of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

And while the historic nature of the presidential inauguration was certainly important, I was most struck by the constant remembrance of the Rev. Martin Luther King’s commitment to non-violence in response to the shackles of oppression.

As I sat there, I could not help but wonder what it is that shackles us today. Where are our acts of civil disobedience called for in the world, our communities, and the church? Yes, things have changed much since the days of the greatest tensions of the civil rights movement, but we as human beings must always be vigilant to those places where we hold each other down, respond to evil with evil, and stay silent when we should speak.

Dr. King talked about the power of non-violence resting in the fact that it does not offer a response in-kind to those who choose violence and intimidation. A non-violent response to violence changes the terms of the relationship. It disarms ― maybe not at first, but in the end, the love, power, and spirit of non-violence conquers all.

When it comes to the future of the PC(USA), I think we need to claim and live out words of non-violence. Too many times, I have seen words lofted between people with the sole purpose to cause pain, marginalize, bully, and shackle the other into some rigid characterization not of their making. We use words to hurt or conquer. We use words to flex our muscle, hold onto our power, and, too often, destroy the other.

What if we were to use words of non-violence that do not respond to evil with evil or exacerbate conflict? What if we were to use words ― challenging, prophetic, and loving ― that are meant to change the ways in which we move through difficult times?

What if we were to use words that confuse the status quo of intentional, destructive interactions and, instead, allowed ourselves to be all that God intends ― a community of people working to be a model of peace and reconciliation in a world that yearns so desperately to see one?

What if? What have we got to lose?

This will be my prayer and my commitment this Lenten season. I hope you will join me.

Please continue to be part of the many conversations online.

It’s not to early to plan!  Rhashell Hunger, Director of Racial Ethnic and Women’s Ministries/PW writes,

“March 8, 2009 is Celebrate the gifts of Women Sunday and International Women’s Day.  By action of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly (Orlando, 1993), Celebrate the Gifts of Women appears in the planning calendar each year.  Congregations and individuals are encouraged to celebrate this day each year, recognizing the gifts women bring to God, the Church and community.”

More resources for this event can be found here

A monthly column for the church-at-large by The Reverend Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Thanksgiving for things not visible to the human eye

November 2008

Maybe we should skip Thanksgiving this year.

After all, it has been a rough fall. Our investment crops have been devastated. Our long election campaign has left us an angry divide. We still have sons and daughters in harm’s way. The number of people who are homeless, sick, and hungry grows daily.

Perhaps a look back at the roots and the two sets of personalities that make up our Thanksgiving tradition would be helpful at this point.

The pilgrims and the Native Americans known as the Pakanokets who gathered together in the fall of 1621 make up the first set of personalities.

Nathaniel Philbrick has written an excellent account of the pilgrim experience in his book Mayflower. He tells the story of the first fall harvest, with the ready availability of wild game (including turkeys) and the five freshly killed deer that the Pakanokets brought to the event. They did not have a long table with a white tablecloth in the dining room; rather, theirs was a giant outdoor picnic where the dinner guests outnumbered the continent guests by about two to one.

The second personality to our Thanksgiving tradition is Abraham Lincoln who issued the Thanksgiving Day proclamation in 1863.

Both those in 1621 and in 1863 did not have much reason to give thanks back then. The little pilgrim band did not have a family among them who had not suffered loss during that first year. Less than half of those who landed on Plymouth Rock were still alive. And Lincoln’s proclamation came during the Civil War. The nation was a country of widows and grieving parents. The bloodiest war in its history had destroyed families and fields.

Perhaps their acts of thanksgiving were a reflection of the great Hebrews 11:1 definition of faith – “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Thanksgiving this year may be one of those times when we will be reminded that the things not visible to the human eye are what bring us the greatest joy and peace.

A monthly column for the church-at-large by The Reverend Bruce Reyes-Chow, Moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Musings on race in a post-race America
November 2008

When “Barack Obama has been elected President of the United States of America” rang out, I wept, cheered, and prayed. Our world has changed. Our children’s view of “American” will never be the same – here or around the world.

While Obama is not just a person of racial designation, we must not underestimate the symbolic nature and corresponding power of having a person of color as president. The memories of my grandparents’ struggle through injustice in this country came flooding back. My Filipino grandmother in Alabama struggled with where to sit on the bus because no one knew if she was white or black. Miscegenation laws were repealed just decades ago that would have prohibited my White wife from marrying this Filipino man. At least a few layers of historical injustice were pealed back through this election to reveal a reality of pure joy. I felt, if just for a moment, a promise was fulfilled.

However, let us not be naive and think this election has made us a post-race culture and world. We have a long way to go before we have solved racism.

The biggest concern I have is the idea that this generation is somehow so past race that we no longer need institutional safeguards against systematic and institutional injustice. I strongly believe we would be foolish to claim success in defeating racism simply because we have elected an African American president and/or all the generational assessments about race that have punctuated the political discourse.

At the same time, I don’t think this idea is totally off. I see glimpses of truth that hold the potential for changing the way we deal with issues of race. Those glimpses include our flattening world and the increasing interactions between different ethnic groups; open source technology, with the idea that the community will correct and police itself along the way; and changes in population percentages.

I hope we will embrace the opportunity and challenge to talk about and deal with issues of race in new ways, with new vernacular and new institutional approaches.

Live in hope.

Please join the many conversations taking place at Bruce’s Moderator blog: www.mod.reyes-chow.com.