God is Not Stupid

Rev.  Andy Tiver

As a Christian I am offended by what the President has said, God is not stupid, nor are the bible stories that shape and form my faith stupid.  All people who share the faith of Abraham – Christians, Muslims and Jews – must be offended by the President’s slander against God. While I am appalled at his words, I also know that God is in no need of a defender, God can take care of God’s own self.  In any contest between a pretentious human ruler and the God of justice, it is God who will prevail. There is a deep irony in the president’s slander of God and his contempt for the scriptural story of Adam’s expulsion from the garden. This story which in different ways is found in the scriptures of Muslims, Jews and Christians and tells of the original man Adam who in given a special place in a garden paradise but he eats a fruit that God has forbidden and as a result of this rebellion against God Adam is cast out of the garden into corruption. It is neither a stupid story nor is it about a stupid God, rather it is about a stupid man. A man who thinks that he can disregard the commandments and constraints placed on him by the living God, a man who in his stupidity thinks he can rival God.

Again and again President Duterte has shown that he respects neither God nor those who have been created in the image of God. He has continually spoken against the basic rights inherent in the human person, he has promoted the violation of the civil and political rights of the people, under his rule there are now some 23,000 ‘deaths under investigation’ as a result of the actions of police or vigilantes, through his TRAIN law he has placed harsh burdens on the poorest and weakest in society, and he has continually insulted and degraded the dignity of women through his words and actions. He has turned his back on opportunities for peace and has traded away the sovereignty of the nation and the future of our young people to foreign powers and he has bowed down to China. President Durterte is unwilling to accept the limitations that the commandments of God and the justice of God place on his actions. Duterte can only see a God that would constrain his excesses as being a stupid God, and a story that speaks of the consequences that come to those who rebel against God as a stupid story.

There is another story in the scriptures; perhaps the president would also find it a stupid story. It is a story about how the people when they were oppressed in Egypt cried to the Lord, and the Lord heard their cries, and the Lord liberated them from oppression.  Today in our nation the mothers of the young men who have fallen in the presidents drug war cry out for justice, those who have no home but the streets and are detained without cause cry out for justice, the workers who were promised an end to endo cry out for justice, the farmers who continue to wait for genuine land reform cry out for justice, the people tired of conflict and who yearn for peace cry out for justice. This one who Duterte calls stupid hears theirs cries and will certainly come to liberate the people from harsh oppression. Then we will see who is really stupid.##

June 24, 2018, 5th Sunday after Pentecost* We are Calm and Collective!

Johanna (Tikay) de la Cruz, NCCP

Psalm 107:23-26, 28-31

Job 38:1, 8-11

2Corinthians 5:14-17

Mark 4:35-41

Johanna (Tikay) de la Cruz, NCCP

 

With what is happening around us nowadays, being calm is such a luxury. I have experienced my days battled with back to back protests that can start as early as 4am to night time vigils. Sometimes, weeklong protests— angry and infuriating ones, calling for justice, moving heaven and earth. Times like these is anything but calm.

 

We live in a world where daily killings come as often as your Facebook notifications. We live in a world where more people are also being killed by merciless government policies that devour the good out of the poor, their life, their meager salaries, their soul, and whatever dignity they still may have. TRAIN law being implemented, many suffer due to rising prices of commodities,with the same rate as the rising of repression and oppression among our people. These times, call for anything but to be calm?

 

A few days ago, the NCCP went to the picket line of the NutriAsia workers. We were there with many of our partner organizations and churches to be in solidarity with the workers. We witnessed how NutriAsia as a company have practiced unfair labor practices against the workers for years. Out of their 1400 workers, only 100 are regularized. And when they try to unionized, many of them were forcibly dismissed. We also heard about the violent dispersal last June 14, where many of them were beaten, and jailed after by only asserting their rights. The situation of the NutriAsia Workers is not an isolated case. Contractualization, de-regularization of jobs that cut down fundamental rights of the workers have been happening for decades in the Philippines.

 

On that same day, Black Friday protest was held in front of NCCP to call out the government against its “Operation Tambay” that allows arbitrary arrests to so-called Tambays in communities, infringing rights and liberties of people, of whom mostly are already mired in poverty, in their own poverty stricken communities. We also protested mightily with our hearts and lungs strung out to stop the killings, and stop these anti-people and anti-poor policies such as Oplan Tokhang, and now operation-tambay that wreaks havoc and fear over communities, and we protested hard, we protested well.

 

That eventful day did not conclude with chants with the black Friday protest outside the NCCP building. Organizations like Rise UP for Rights and Life, and PCPR rushed to Sauyo, in Quezon City to visit the wake of Genesis “Tisoy” Argoncillo, 25 years old, who was the latest victim of Operation Tambay. He was just outside near hheir house, waiting for his phone load when the police arrested him because he was just not wearing a shirt –Tambay-looking kasi. Days after, his body was found beaten, lying dead while under the Police Custody of QC Police District 4. Such a hard life for the poor. That night,  we were reminded of how the poor in society ruled by tyranny such as ours are left with no choice but to struggle for life, and hang on to community.

 

These precarious situations calls for anything to be calm. These calls for our continuing commitment to be on the side of our beleguerd people. But how do we as church people maintain such luxury in such a time like this? Where do we find such tranquility, such unperturbed demeanor when the image of God in our people is under attack?

 

The text in Mark 4: 35-41 brings us to Jesus and his disciples, travelling in the midst of the storm.

 

Jesus taught us to have faith,  when he   went sailing with his disciples that one stormy night. Jesus taught us to be not be afraid of the storms of our life,  but to continue on sailing/working on the rough waters of our time, knowing that eventually, peace based on justice will reign. Jesus calls us to put our complete trust on him and to one another,  fully knowing well that God is the God of justice,  and that God is on our side.

Jesus calms the weariness in us and that so that we can “calmly” weather the storm, together,  ever trusting to the people’s resolve and ever committed to change the stormy situation of our lives.

Prayer:

Ever loving God, may you give us serenity amidst the craziness of our situation.  May you help us be firm and remain strong in our journey with your people,  trusting that your are with us every step of the way. May your loving arms be upon us, transforming our weariness into action, believing, trusting the victory for your people shall come.##

June 17, 2018, 4th Sunday after Pentecost*The Kingdom of God is like….

   Rev. Andy Tiver,  Uniting Church in Australia

 

http://www.southboonechurch.org/blog/tag/mustard-seed/

Psalm 92:2-3, 13-16

Ezekiel 17:22-24

2Corinthians 5:6-10

Mark 4:26-34

 

 

 

 

Those who don’t look for it will not see it. Those who are focused on their own power will not find it. Those who are living under the illusion that their own wealth, power and status will somehow keep them safe and secure have no idea what is happening. A seed has been planted, it grows underground, beyond sight, and its roots go down deep into the earth. When it eventually breaks through the top soil and begins to shoot up, those who have not been looking for it will be caught off guard. They will be surprised because this plant will be strong and healthy; it will produce such a great quantity of new seed.

A tiny seed, you might think it is the smallest seed in the world, you might think that it is of no account, you might think being so small it will not produce anything of significance. Like the other things that are small in this world, you who have power might make the mistake of thinking that small means insignificant. But you are wrong! This smallest of seeds will cause you no end of strife and trouble. It will grow into a big shrub, the kind of shrub that spreads out; the kind you can’t control, the kind that will get into you crops and you will not be able to root it out. What has grown from small beginnings will eventually take over, your kingdoms will be pushed aside, and in its place will be a new world.

There has been some liberty taken in the extended paraphrases above, but they are an attempt to draw out the inner logic of two of the parables we encounter in chapter 4 of the Gospel of Mark; the parable of the growing seed (Mark 4:26-29) and the parable of the mustard seed (Mark 4:30-32).  In Mark 4 we are presented with an extended section of Jesus teaching the crowd in parables – the first parable is what is usually called the ‘parable of the sower’ but a more accurate title would be the ‘parable of the seeds’ (Mk 4:1-20). The characters in this parable are the seeds; each casting of seeds has a different story to tell depending on how they respond to the conditions they encounter; hardship, persecution, or the deceitfulness of wealth. Some of the seed lands in good soil, sends down roots, and becomes surprisingly productive. In this productive seed we get a glimpse of the kingdom of God that Jesus has come to inaugurate. In the parables that follow this seed image is developed further as a way of exploring what the kingdom of God is like.

In Mk 4:26-29 the focus is on how the growth is happening underground, out of sight, all by itself (the Greek word here is automatē  from which we get the English word automatic. It happens without a visible cause or process being perceived). The growth is hidden, secretive and mysterious, but then all of a sudden it breaks through to the surface – building up to a climax; ‘… first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head …”

This is what the kingdom of God is like, it is happening out of sight of the powerful, they cannot control what is happening, and then suddenly it will break through and rise up.

In Mk 4:30-32 Jesus is drawing on a biblical image that would have been very familiar to the people. In the Prophet Ezekiel the image of a giant cedar tree which grows from a small twig is used as an image of how God will send a royal messiah to make the nation of Israel great again.

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says… I will break off a tender twig from the topmost shoots and plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.” (Ezekiel 17:22-23)

 

This image of a renewed Israel as a great cedar, a tree with large branches upon which birds would perch and find shade would have been very familiar to people in the time of Jesus. People would have been surprised when Jesus speaks of mustard (a smallish shrub) using the same language that was familiar to them in regard to the great cedar (a huge tree). Mustard was considered remarkable because of how very small its tiny black seeds are, but no one would consider it remarkable for its size. It was a shrub, a useful shrub, but also an annoying shrub because it was hard to control; it would spread out and grow among the crops.

In this parable Jesus appears to be disturbing and confounding people’s expectations. To those who are expecting the kingdom to come in a great show of power, in majestic glory, in military pomp and power, Jesus is saying “No!” The kingdom will grow from the smallest of beginnings and even when it grows those who are looking at things through the eyes of power and privilege may not even recognize it as being of significance. But beware because the kingdom of God is like this shrubby plant, it is insurgent, it will spread out, it will disrupt, those in power will reject it as no account but to those in need it will bring shade and relief.

Today from small and humble origins big things are beginning to grow, beneath the surface, out of sight of the powerful, underground, among the rejected and silenced the kingdom of God is growing. The mothers of those who have been murdered in the ‘drug war’ are finding their voice, the urban poor who are threatened with death for occupying unused government housing are becoming more courageous, farmers who have grown frustrated with promises of land reform are rising up, workers weary of idle chatter about ending endo and exhausted by the continual search for work are growing angry, women speaking out against the way in which those in power treat them like objects, soldiers are starting to grumble about how the country they have been trained to defend is being surrendered to foreign powers.

Deep in the soil of discontent growth is happening, this troublesome Kingdom of God, this movement of righteousness and justice will break through the top soil and leave the unjust and powerful stunned and surprised because they were never able to imagine that the kingdom of God would come from among those whom they despised and rejected.

June 10, 2018, 3rd Sunday after Pentecost* Jesus Accused of Being Beelzebul

Deaconess Norma P. Dollaga,

United Methodist Church

 

Bert Monterona , https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/400538960582905005/?lp=true

Psalm 130:1-8

Genesis 3:9-15

2Corinthians 4:13-5:1

Mark 3:20-35

“Sometimes we attribute certain things we

 do not understand to the demon,

not thinking they may be things of God that we do not understand.”

                                    – Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Of Love and Other Demons)

 

Beelzebul  (devil, “prince of the demons”) . The religious leader ran out of logic, and thus insisted on using cultural dominant thinking to demonize Jesus.  He was accused of having an alliance with Satan for he was casting out evil. The adversaries of Jesus wanted him to become irrelevant, and he was maligned for what he doing as something evil.

Jesus, by his method of healing, cast out the demons that make someone suffer from physical maladies like the boy with epilepsy, (Luke 9:40-44), a paralyzed man (mark 2:1-12), a man with leprosy (Mark 1:40-145), and other physical sickness and psychological maladies.

Jesus, who was never unfamiliar with the sufferings of the people, had shown mercy and compassion to them.  He did not only involve himself with the ministry of mercy and pastoral care, he did also a prophetic announcement of the coming of God’s reign. That is a threat to Roman Empire. While the empire wishes to rule forever, there is a kingdom that is more accessible and beneficial to people:

His authority shall grow continually,

and there shall be endless peace

for the throne of David and his kingdom.

He will establish and uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

from this time onward and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. (Isaiah 9:7)

 

The empire (state) had to demonize Jesus and promote “fake news” to make Jesus an enemy of the people. It wanted to isolate Jesus from the people whom he held dearly in his heart.  It devised schemes to hide the evil and the injustice that it did to the people. It used its laws to persecute Jesus, filed charges against him, manipulated a crowd to shout against him, and punished him by crucifixion.

When I first read the Gospel passage today, I was reminded of many of our martyrs who offered their lives for the sake of others. They were great, brilliant, courageous men and women who put forward the interest of the people and of our country.  Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio were charged with sedition. Macario Sakay was a Filipino General who took part in the Philippine revolution against American colonizers. He was accused of being a bandit, and he was hung by the American government. Gabriela Silang was a revolutionary during Spanish time. She was executed by Spanish government. What is common among them is that they did a noble option and action for the country, and that they were tagged as enemies of the ruling order.

WE still witness today that we are a nation that has never run out of great and honorable people who share their gifts, knowledge, talents, time and lives in serving the people. They risk their lives in siding for justice and truth. Some call them activists, others call them human rights defenders. But just as Jesus was tagged as an ally of Beelzebul, these people are also being tagged as terrorists and trouble-makers. They are being attacked as enemies of the people, while they fight for the rights of the farmers, workers, migrants, and indigenous people. Among their causes is the call to STOP the Killings, increase the salaries, STOP TRAIN, to Respect Human Rights, defend sovereignty and democracy, and fight for freedom and justice. They disturb our apathies and indifference, yet they remind us of our human responsibility. Unlike the bureaucrat capitalists who transform public services into personal-private   business ventures, the activists and human and rights defenders offer their personal and collective time, talent and commitment for public service and political engagements for people’s welfare. The only reward that they dream of is for meaningful change to take place in our society, so that everyone will have the privilege of enjoying life in its fullness. Neither are they terrorists, nor are they allies of Beelzebul.

 

To Jesus, they are his family members.

 

And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!  Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:34)##

June 3, 2018, 2nd Sunday after Pentecost, Ord Time 9, The Law Must

Deaconess Norma P. Dollaga,  United Methodist Church

 

artwork of Boy Dominguez https://artivista.wordpress.com/tag/artist/

Psalm 81

Deuteronomy 5:12-15

2Corinthians 4:6-11

Mark 2:23-28

According to a Social Weather Stations (SWS)An estimated 2.3 million Filipino families or close to 10% (specifically 9.9%) of the population said they suffered hunger in the first quarter of 2018.

If you read this, most likely you do not belong to the hungry ones.  As I surmise a hungry mother or father would not opt to sit and reflect on the text and that instead of reading this reflection, she or he looking for ways to survive and feed her or his family.

Perhaps the poor ones are not able to go to church today, not because they are unfaithful or they lack faith.  Perhaps they violated the law of observing the sabbath, as they need to work, scavenge, sell scraps and trash and do a number of back-bending jobs in order to earn and save the day from hunger and shame.

Jesus has practical wisdom to remind us that the essence of fulfilling the law is what we should be persisting.

The parable makes Jesus an ally of the poor when he lifted up the fundamental element in order to live- EAT.

When Jesus was with disciples, they must have been amazed by the bounty of the earth.   The fruit of the earth must be enjoyed by all. Certainly, the field is ripe and beautiful.  The hands that tilled the soil and cultivated the earth, tendered the field are farmers who must also in a  constant situation of food insecurity.

The parable invites us to ponder upon the issue of poverty and hunger.

Who am I in relation to the poor? What does my faith tell about it? Where is the church? Where do they come from? How do we solve the problems of impoverishment?

At times, we churchpeople are disturbed by this situation. The disturbance which leads us to be inspired by how the wealth of wisdom of the poor has to share us. Including how they fulfill the law and how law has been against them to live in dignity.

But the poor do not exist to only inspire the holy ones. Neither, they continue to thrive just for the few saintly to be in awe and curiously wonder in their capacity to eat garbage and inhale rotten air.  Must we create a momentous time, a kairos when we are no longer satisfied with getting an inspiration from their strength to survive? Perhaps we could go beyond a romantic admiration with the poor ones.   Must we create a  momentous time, a kairos when both our anger and inspiration would lead us to question why they are only breathing but not essentially living a  life with dignity and abundance?  How about finding ways to nourish the mutuality of changing the situation so that a human community will be living in abundance as promised.  Should there be an intimate mutual understanding and sharing of option, actions, dreams, and ways to fulfill them?

There comes a moment to decide, to take an option beyond being inspired. Until this inspiration is a constant state of encouragement to be one among them. We are invited to take an option beyond being inspired. Until this inspiration is a constant state of encouragement to be one among them, in pursuing the dreams that are sharply different from caprices.

 

I met a child in Smokey Mountain sometime ago. Her name is Irma. She was eating lollipop like she was the wealthiest girl in the world. Flies around her competed in supping the sweetness of her precious lollipop. Then she  politely asked me, “ Why are you here?”|

 

Sometimes,

I do not want to think that there is God of the hungry

If God is fair and just, why those who work hard in the rice field

Have nothing to feed for their hungry children and family?

I once heard a homily, paraphrasing from the Holy Scripture

 

That those who are lazy must not eat

How come those who work from dawn to dusk

Still are hungry and food is denied?

 

God of the hungry

You do not only hear the cries of our hearts

But you listen closely to our intestines that have nothing grind

You know very well, hungry as we are

The  imago dei would  impossible to see.

God of the hungry and God of the full

Tell us  how to celebrate life

While there is  feast on the table of those who are full

Here we are, with no table and food at all.

We were taught once that you love   both the sinners and the saints

Teach us  to know, the way to Your heart

While  we are hungry, thirsty and  homeless…..##