"And Bless The Hearts And Hands That Have Prepared It"

Thanksgiving is a good time to reflect on where our food 
comes from, and to whom, besides God, we owe our gratitude.

In thanking and blessing God for the bounty on our Thanksgiving tables, I like a phrase often associated with our prayers of gratitude, the one where we ask God to bless the "hearts and hands" of those who have made the meal possible. 

This is usually noted in reference to the good cooks who roasted the turkey, mashed the potatoes, baked the pies and prepared all of the other delicacies on the table. But Thanksgiving could also be a good time to reflect on even more of the literally thousands of people from near and far who make such feasts possible.

For example, we could thank God for all of the turkey hatchery workers, the farmers who grow the grain for their feed, for all of the poultry feed industry employees, for the growers who raise the birds, the truckers who haul them, the processing plant workers who prepare and package them, the supermarkets who sell them. We could even think of all of the specialized equipment involved, the building materials for turkey houses, the industries that provide paved highways and storage plants and fuel and other forms of energy that are vital to the process.

The same could be said for every item on the table, cranberries from far off places like Wisconsin and Massachusetts, potatoes, originally from Ireland, now grown in places like Maine and Idaho, sweet potatoes, originating in tropical locations in Central and South American and now grown in states like North Carolina and California, fruit products from large plantations all around the world, with labels like Dole, Del Monte and United Fruit Company (now Chiquita). We could likewise remember multitudes of migrant and other hard working farm workers involved in the harvesting of many of our food crops, increasingly replaced wherever possible by fuel guzzling mechanical harvesting equipment used by corporations focused on ever increased profits for their shareholders.

This as only the beginning of what could be some productive food for thought for conversations around Thanksgiving and other meals. Who and where are all of the unimaginable numbers of "hearts and hands" of fellow human beings to whom we will always owe a debt of gratitude?

And if our prayers include some mention of those who are hungry and who are less privileged than we, this would be a good time to add some generosity to our gratitude, as in a gift to organizations like this:

https://donate.mcc.org/cause/relief

Can We Revive Augsburger's Mennonite Dream?

Menno Simons' most quoted text was "Other foundation can
no one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

In the 1970's David Augsburger, as speaker on the Mennonite Hour, wrote a widely acclaimed piece called “The Mennonite Dream,” as follows:

From the beginning in 1525 through the present, Mennonites have pursued a dream,

• That it is reasonable to follow Jesus Christ daily, radically, totally in life.

• That it is practical to obey the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and the whole New Testament, literally, honestly, sacrificially.

• That it is thinkable to practice the way of reconciling love in human conflicts and warfare, nondefensively and nonresistantly.

• That it is possible to confess Jesus as Lord above all nationalism, racism or materialism.

• That it is feasible to build a communal church of brothers and sisters who are voluntarily, disciplined, and mutually committed to each other in Christ.

• That life can be lived simply, following the Jesus way in lifestyle, in possessions, in service.

Sixteenth-century Anabaptists, forebears of today's Mennonite, were not all of exactly the same mind, but generally embodied the above as what it meant to be followers of Jesus. True communities of faith were not simply to affirm certain correct beliefs but were to actually apply the teachings of Jesus to their daily lives. 

Most of today's heirs of that legacy profess the same vision, but I wonder whether our "dream" even remotely resembles those of our spiritual ancestors.

I must ask myself, "Am I moving toward, or ever further away from, the Jesus who is all about good news for the poor, release for the captives, and relief for the oppressed? Or am I/are we becoming ever more a people of wealth and privilege who see ourselves as benefactors who do lots of good but who remain entitled to all the comforts and conveniences of well-to-do North Americans?"

Adam M. L. Tice wrote the lyrics to the following award winning hymn, “The Church of Christ Cannot Be Bound” based on Menno Simons’ well-known quotation: “True evangelical faith cannot lie dormant. It clothes the naked, it feeds the hungry, it comforts the sorrowful, it shelters the destitute and serves those who harm it. It binds up that which is wounded.”

It is hymn #392 in the new Mennonite hymnal Voices Together:

The Church of Christ cannot be bound
by walls of wood or stone.
Where charity and love are found,
there can the church be known.

True faith will open up the door
and step into the street.
True service will seek out the poor
and ask to wash their feet.

True love will not sit idly by
when justice is denied.
True mercy hears the homeless cry
and welcomes them inside.

If what we have, we freely share
to meet our neighbor’s need,
then we extend the Spirit’s care
through ev’ry selfless deed.

The church of Christ cannot be bound
by walls of wood or stone.
Where charity and love are found,
there can the church be known.

“The Church of Christ Cannot Be Bound”

Text by Adam M. L. Tice, © 2005 GIA Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproduced by permission of GIA Publications, Inc. Any further reproduction requires permission from the publisher. For congregational reprint licensing, contact ONE LICENSE: http://www.onelicense.net

Here's an interesting postscript from Elwood Yoder's recent history of the Trissels Mennonite Church, where Augsburger served as pastor for much of the time he was the speaker on the Mennonite Hour:

"Twenty years after he left Trissels, while in an office at the Claremont School of Theology, from where Dr. David Augsburger earned his Phd, a stranger heard David's voice and asked if he was "David Augsburger." The man remembered Augsburger's voice from a radio broadcast twenty years earlier. While traveling across Oregon by car with his parents, the family had the radio on and happened to be listening to Augsburger's "Mennonite Dream" program. That night, in that car, the man told David Augsburger, "I became a Mennonite."

A Conversation With The Parole Board Chair

Chairman Dotson's interest in the rehabilitation of offenders
became stronger, he says, as he presided over a drug court
in his southwest Virginia community. (TimesNews photo)

I had a half hour phone conversation yesterday with Chadwick Dotson, the chair of the Virginia Parole Board appointed by Governor Youngkin, about some of the  longstanding concerns many have had about our present parole system. He had read my column in the February 5, 2022 Richmond Times on parole and said he was in substantial agreement with the  reforms proposed by the Prison Policy Initiative as cited in my Times piece. 

The Chairman reiterated his desire to give every parole eligible person a fair hearing and a second chance, but admitted that so far the Board's grant rates haven't reflected the change in numbers he hopes to see in the upcoming months. Not all members of his Board agree on how, among other things, the seriousness of an individual's crime should affect a decision about their release versus the seriousness with which they have worked at their rehabilitation. He stated several times that he would like to be able to have more members have actual conversations with the individuals whose cases are being reviewed so they could interact with real persons and not just with data provided by board examiners. Since three of the five board members are only part time, this remains a challenge.

He also said that victims and victim families deserve to have a voice but not a veto in deciding a case, and that everything possible should be done to carry out the Parole Board's stated mission, which is to "grant release to those whose release is compatible with public safely." He also said he would seriously consider the suggestion made by many that all favorable votes be reported as well as unfavorable ones. Currently voting stops when three board members vote to deny release (via a remote computer) which means parole eligible persons never know whether the remaining vote or votes would have been a yes or a no.

Dotson agreed that the element of hope for release is vital to the morale of those incarcerated and to the safety of the prisons housing them, and that detainees deserve to know why they are repeatedly denied release time after time in spite of all of their efforts at remaining infraction free and in spite of their availing themselves of every rehabilitative program offered.

The chairman reported that he and other board members have visited numerous other states to see how they are working at granting parole, and says they are working on a new procedural manual that is to be presented to Governor Youngkin by the end of he month for his review and approval for the upcoming year. He hopes the 2023 Virginia Assembly and Senate will support these and other measures to help bring about positive changes in the way Virginia's criminal justice system functions.

As to the work of the Parole board, "Wait and see what happens in the next number of months," he said, "as we engage in 'structured decision making' regarding the future of all cases under review."

Here's a link to a report on Dotson's visit to Buckingham Correctional Center in May: 

https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2022/05/new-parole-chair-meets-with-buckingham.html

We Just Put Our Garden To Bed For The Winter, Tucking It In With A Warm Leafy Blanket

 

The next best thing to actually planting and caring for a
garden is planning and fantasizing about next year's crop.

Not wanting to have our first Park Village garden plot lie naked over winter, I agreed to help some non-VMRC neighbors next door rake their maple leaves recently for a share of their fall leaf harvest to cover our soil. Leaves are wonderful for the fertilizer and humus they provide for plants, earthworms and other living things gardens thrive on.

Now that I've tucked our garden in for the winter I'm already looking forward to waking it back up sometime in mid-March. My plan is to first remove the old tomato and pole bean vines, then gently pull back some of the maple leaves along each side of the pole bean fence and plant two rows of sugar snap peas, hardy plants that are resistant to frost. As recommended by one of my gardening mentors, David Alleman, I will make my furrows with a hoe rather than using a tiller to dig up the soil, which Alleman insists is harmful to our earthworm friends.  

After all danger of frost is passed and the peas have begun their rapid climb up the wire fence, I hope to plant a row of pole green beans just inches away from each of the pea rows. The resulting bean plants will then be making their way up the fence as the peas are being harvested, after which the bean plants will completely dominate the dormant pea vines. 

Meanwhile, I'll be digging individual holes for tomato, squash, cantelope and other plants throughout the rest of the garden, leaving the leaves in place to hold moisture, inhibit weed growth and provide plant food for the garden as they naturally decompose over the summer. 

If all this goes as planned, no fossil fuels will be expended, no chemical fertilizer will be used and no back breaking work will be invested in this life-enhancing project.

Now if I can just keep the rabbits at bay long enough to give all of our plants a head start.

Guest Post: "Thank You, God, For Letting Me Carry On My Granny's Legacy"

Phoebe Brenneman, pictured here with Catherine, one of her seven beloved grandchildren, will long be remembered as a faithful friend and servant much like the Phoebe of whom the apostle Paul once wrote: “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon (diakonos) of the church... she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well." (Romans 16:1-2 NRSV)

Catherine Brenneman, granddaughter of local resident Phoebe Brenneman and daughter of Joy and Tim Brenneman of Tifton, Georgia, wrote this touching tribute to her beloved grandmother, whose memorial service was held a week ago at the Zion Mennonite Church, where I served as pastor to Deward and Phoebe Brenneman and their family for over a decade.

I post this with Catherine's kind permission:

I love you, Lord.

You're so bright in this darkness of death.

Thank you for the 25 years I had with my Granny. She taught me a lot about loving others. She loved me so much.

Thank you for the promise that I will see her again; it may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but I have the assurance that I will see her again.

Thank you for opening my heart and making me happy because only You can make me happy right now.

Thank you for opening my heart in 2003 and becoming my Lord and Savior. This gives me the assurance that I will see Granny and Pop-Pop again. This is the only way I can be happy. Thank you, God, for the happiness in my heart. Thank you, God, for being everywhere and giving me peace.

God, you are my shepherd, my healer, my provider and I thank you for that.

Thank you, Lord, that you know my feelings. Help me control them and use them for your glory.

Help me to live heavenly minded right now, Lord, from this earth.

Lord, help me share the gospel through this sadness because I know that is what you would want me to do. Granny would want me to do that, too.

Help me, Lord, to cast my cares on you like my Granny did.

Help me carry out her legacy and help me understand how many people she touched.

Help me be a vessel for you, a mouthpiece for you like my Granny.

Help me be still in your Word.

Let my light shine for you, Jesus, even in this dark time help me to always talk about you, Lord, no matter how hurt I am.

Help my weapon to be worship at all times, Lord.

God is greater than my feelings, so Lord, help me to be at peace and to not let the devil steal my joy. He must go away. Help me to always put on the armor of God because it fits me well and that is what will help me get through this.

Help me to read your word and follow me more, Jesus, like my Granny Phoebe did. Thank you for letting me come to you; give me rest, Lord, just like you gave my Granny.

I love you, Jesus, through the hard times and the good times. I will always love you.

If you know the Lord as your Savior you will be able to see Granny again one day. We are all sinners; each one must believe that Jesus died on the cross and confess their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. That is the only way you're going to have that blessed assurance and see Granny one day.

I know she is happy with Jesus and Pop-Pop in heaven. Thank you, Lord.

You can read Phoebe's obituary and some of many other tributes she inspired here.

War Itself Must Be Seen As Our Gravest Enemy

We've come to see so called "conventional" warfare as being morally acceptable whereas the use of nuclear or chemical weapons is not. For its victims, is there any real difference?

I submitted the following letter to the editor of the Daily News-Record this week:

I often disagree with columnist  Rich Lowry, but his 11/1/22 piece on the editorial page of the Daily News-Record on diplomacy in Ukraine deserves our attention. Something must be done to end the holocaust in Ukraine other than adding ever more fuel to that awful fire. Even as we condemn Putin's invasion and support Ukraine's right to sovereignty, when will Christians, Jews, Muslims, pro-lifers, environmentalists and people of compassion and goodwill everywhere simply condemn war itself as an unthinkable evil?

     Whenever we use evil means to resist evildoers we perpetuate ever more evil, whether it’s Maccabees fighting against Greek invaders, medieval Crusaders attacking Muslims occupying Jerusalem, or even the Allies opposing Hitler in WWII.

     In the case of the latter, citizens of one of the most Christianized nations in Europe, Germany, failed to resist the Fascism, racism and extreme nationalism of the Nazi regime with every non-violent means possible, thus becoming complicit in the annihilation of some six million Jews and other targets of their hatred. Then in the war that followed some 50 million lives were lost.

     When we engage in the same massive destruction as Hitler and other evildoers we become ever more like them. Their violent and barbaric tactics actually win, and the world is in ever increasing danger of destroying itself.

     Professional policing within a nation's borders may sometimes involve the legitimate use of force, but engaging in the wholesale destruction of God's children and God’s earth, whether with nuclear, chemical or "conventional" weapons, must be ruled out as an intolerable evil.

     By everyone.

A Radio Spot Deemed Too Controversial To Air

In consultation with the sponsor of my daily radio spots and the local station that produces them we decided not to air the following piece, given how divisive the issue of abortion has become in our society. 

A wise decision? I welcome your comments.

It’s clear that all human life begins, or rather continues, at conception, but there have always been debates over when “ensoulment” happens, as in “When does a human life become a human person?” In ancient Jewish tradition full personhood was believed to happen at birth, when a child drew its first breath, when that intricate organism within the womb became an autonomous, breathing, separate soul. This is in line with our practice of officially naming and documenting someone’s existence only when a birth has taken place. Also, our life stories, biographies and memoirs begin with our birth date rather than the date of our conception or viability. This birthdate, so linked to our identity, is celebrated annually, required for verification at medical appointments, and is memorialized on our tombstones. Likewise, when it comes to census taking or a passenger ticket, someone pregnant is still counted as only one person. It's also true that with massive numbers of natural abortions (miscarriages), we normally publish obituaries and hold memorial or burial services only for stillbirths or for infants already born, and although we have hopefully begun to do better in supporting those grieving these losses, we still have not normally erecting grave markers to memorialize prenatal life. Having said all that, my prayer is that we can all gain a greater appreciation and respect for the gift of human life at all levels and in all forms--but without equating all abortions with murder.