Feed My Lambs

A rough-hewn handmade cross blesses the site. Rows of flowers mark the southern boundary. Then row upon row of vegetable plants begin their march to cover 3/4 acres of what used to be St. Timothy's lawn. A small garden has bloomed into an ecumenical project at my church this summer. A parishioner plowed and tilled the bigger space; others came and worked the soil, sowed seed and dug holes for plants. The first crop was radishes, of course! And they found their way to hungry people. Peas came next...30 pounds at one picking. The 150 tomato plants are predicted to produce 2 tons of tomatoes. Volunteers from other churches in the area help weed, harvest and re-plant; it's become a real community project. There is discussion about our church partnering with the Cathedral downtown to process and can produce as that church has a huge kitchen and the ability to meet food regulations. It's a big deal, this garden project. It's a response to Christ's instruction to 'feed my lambs' found in John 15:21.

But it's even more than that. Most of the harvest from this garden goes to non-governmental agencies, i.e. churches and non-profits that serve undocumented peoples...the homeless and those in this country illegally. During my garden photo-taking session, I spoke with one of the garden's founders who told me that all the 'official' Des Moines and state agencies require two forms of ID in order to help/serve clients. This effectively eliminates both the homeless and those undocumented workers in this country illegally; they are turned away leaving it to places like the Eddie Davis Center and churches in the area to help. I've been haunted by this knowledge ever since I heard it. No matter what your political persuasion or how you feel about illegal immigration, no matter if you think being homeless is a matter of poor personal choices...if someone comes to you hungry and in need, you have an obligation to help whether they have the proper paperwork or not!  Whether we decide to send someone back to their own country or back under the bridge to sleep, we should send them with full stomachs and maybe even a sack lunch for the journey. It's the least we can do to feed Christ's 'lambs.'

Montsegur

Help me understand....

This is Montsegur located in southwest France. It is a ruined Cathar stronghold that sits atop a pog. In 1243-44, 500 Cathar men, women and children were held at siege by the French army. Pope Innocent III decreed Cathars to be heretics and pressured the French king to assist him in destroying all Cathars in France. After almost 10 months, the besieged finally were overcome. The French demanded that they recant their heretical faith or be burned. 250 refused to recant and were burned on a huge pyre in the meadow marked by a memorial in the photo below. I climbed to the stronghold...a very difficult hike, but well worth it. The view from the top is magnificent, but loses some of its fascination when you consider that the people who were trapped here were this far above any help.

This is only one of the places that the burning happened. Eventually all the Cathars were eliminated. In fact, nothing remains of their faith except the writings of the Catholic church which explains why they were decreed heretics. Essentially they are people who rebelled against the excesses and exclusiveness of the Church. They did not believe in the Holy Eucharist, nor did they believe in infant baptism. They believed that the Bible should be written in the language of the people and made available to any believer, not just held in the hands of priests. The only sacrament they practiced was the consolamentum or laying on of hands to declare a person as a Good Man or Good Woman.

For these reasons, they were destroyed in the name of God.

Help me understand......

Guest Commentary: The Golden Rule

I regularly read an online newspaper column written by an acquaintance, Rich Mayfield. I met Rich several years ago when he was pastoring Lord of the Mountains Lutheran church in Dillon, CO. This is where my good friend, Anne, attends church and when I'd visit her, we'd always make Sunday service part of our weekend. Rich is a vibrant speaker who has the knack of provoking some really deep thoughts with his well-delivered, profound sermons. He's retired now and writes a weekly column on 'this and that' for the Summit Daily, a newspaper based in Dillon. I share with you today's column on the Golden Rule. I especially like the end of it when he quotes one of my favorite writers, Anne Lamott. Sometimes other people just get it right...thought I'd share.

Read it here

As I researched this entry, I found that Rich has his own blog, Reconstructing Christianity. Try it out!