Human Relations

The United Methodist Church worldwide designates this coming Sunday as “Human Relations Day.” It is one of 6 special Sundays of the year. It is timed intentionally to coincide with Martin Luther King Day but this year it seems especially relevant in light of the shootings in Arizona last week. (Also: January 11 is recognized around the world as Human Trafficking Awareness Day and “Call+Response,” a documentary film that goes undercover to expose the global slave trade, will be shown at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 16, at Whitefish Middle School Auditorium.)


The Sojourner’s faith community (http://www.sojo.net/) is promoting a “Peace and Civility Pledge. (see text below or follow the link)

While these national issues are extremely important they sometimes feel out of sync with the day to day issues of personal life.

Most of my time this week has been devoted to pastoral care with several people in the hospital and preparing for Arlene Barry-Fry’s Funeral this Friday at 11am. We also sent our daughter, Melissa, back to Bozeman for college and had a tense afternoon/evening waiting for news from their minor car accident along the way. (No one appears seriously injured and they did make it into Bozeman finally)

I’m not sure how these two steams of life come together or if they do. Sometimes our society objectives and our personal agendas are very different. Still, it is the journey of Life that God has given us. We just do our best to keep following God’s guiding light.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Peace and Civility Pledge


The church can offer a message of hope and reconciliation to a nation that is hurting and deeply divided. We urge those who claim the name of Christ to "put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:31-32).



We pledge to God and to each other that we will lead by example in a country where civil discourse and peacemaking are rare. We will work to model a better way in how we treat each other in our many communities, across religious and political lines. We will strive to create safe and sacred spaces for common prayer and community discussion as we come together to seek God's will for our nation and our world.



1.) We believe Jesus' teaching that "Blessed are those who make peace" (Matthew 5:9). We acknowledge that most of us have been guilty of violence in our hearts and with our tongues. We hold ourselves to the higher standard to which Christ called us: to refrain from not only physical violence but violence of the heart and tongue. "Do not commit murder. Anyone who murders will be judged for it," and "Do not be angry with your brother or sister" (Mathew 5:22-23).



2.) We commit that our dialogue with each other will reflect the spirit of the Scriptures, which tell us, in relating to each other, to be "quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry" (James 1:19).



3.) We believe that each of us, and our fellow human beings, are created in the image of God. This belief should be reflected in the honor and respect we show to each other, particularly in how we speak. "With the tongue we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God....this ought not to be so" (James 3:9,10).



4.) We pledge that when we disagree, we will do so respectfully, without falsely impugning the other's motives, attacking the other's character, or questioning the other's faith. We will be mindful of our language, being neither arrogant nor boastful in our beliefs as we strive to "be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2).



5.) We recognize that we cannot function together as citizens of the same community, whether local or national, unless we are mindful of how we treat each other. Each of us must therefore "put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body" (Ephesians 4:25).



6.) We commit to pray for our political leaders - those with whom we agree or disagree. "I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made -- for kings and all who are in high positions" (1 Timothy 2:1-2).



7.) We believe that it is more difficult to hate others, even adversaries and enemies, when we are praying for them. We commit to pray for each other, those with whom we agree and those with whom we may disagree, so that we may be faithful witnesses to our Lord, who prayed "that they may be one" (John 17:22).



Affirmed and signed by,

[Your Name]

[Your Address]

[City, State ZIP]