Heavenly Hebrew

It's been years since I've watched the Grammy's and Sunday evening was not an exception even though a Canadian, Alessia Cara, won the best new artist award.

Another Canadian won the best old artist award, or the best artist in heaven award, if you like. Improbably, Leonard Cohen and the cantor and choir of his Montreal synagogue got a Grammy for best rock performance. Not bad for a guy in his eighties who's been dead for more than a year.

Jeffrey Salkin is an American rabbi who is a smart and witty writer of books and the blog Martini Judaism – for those who want to be shaken and stirred. After the Grammy's Salkin noted that Cohen's song You Want It Darker is, to the best of his knowledge, the first with Hebrew lyrics to receive the award. While Cohen throws in some Christian imagery and practiced Buddhist meditation his final album returns to his Jewish upbringing in Montreal. There tends to be a fair amount of God-gratitude sloshed around at award shows, but Salkin's take on this song is worth reading, so, why don't you? Enjoy!

https://religionnews.com/2018/01/29/leonard-cohen-grammy/

Light in the Darkness

The Council of Canadians was honoured to partner with artists Melisse Watson and Syrus Marcus Ware to create these portraits to commemorate the six victims of the attack on a mosque in Quebec City on January 29 2017

Domestic terrorism. A generation ago - ten years ago? - this term would have been unfamiliar to many of us, but we are certainly aware of it today. In places around the world, including cities in Asia and Europe terrorism happens close to home, in subways and hotels, in market squares and on bridges. The defining domestic terror event in the United States was 911, the explosions in New York and elsewhere which put that nation on high alert and led it into two messy, lengthy wars.

In Canada we have been largely spared from domestic terror with a couple of attempts thwarted. The incident which comes to mind readily is the attack on parliament hill which resulted in the death of Corporal Nathan Cirillo, a ceremonial sentry. The perpetrator was himself killed in a wild shootout in the centre block of the parliament buildings while our legislators huddled in hiding. It was a terrible event motivated by a mentally ill man with tenuous ties to Islam.

What is the worst incident of domestic terrorism? Surely it was the attack on a mosque a year ago yesterday in Quebec City. Six worshippers were shot dead by a gunman and another left paralyzed. This was not an ISIS member killing in perverted loyalty to Allah. A Caucasian, home-grown Canadian murdered innocent people with families because of their religion.

Yesterday a somber memorial was held in Quebec City to acknowledge this heinous act. Members of the families of the dead spoke about their loss, and the injured survivor was present. It was important to shine this light in the darkness. While there was an outpouring of support for Muslims in Quebec following the massacre the incidents of Islamophobia in the province have actually been on the rise in the past twelve months, and mosques have been the targets of racist graffiti and slurs. A community turned down the establishment of a Muslim cemetery.

This  memorial and others were an important reminder that love is the answer to hatred. Christians groups have been in solidarity with the Muslim community in Quebec in the past year as have Jews and other religious groups. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was there to once again affirm a Canada which is inclusive and upholds religious freedom. Children at a nearby public school created messages of peace which were attached to the windows looking toward the mosque. There was also an interfaith service on Sunday which brought people together from different faiths.

We can pray that this sort of domestic terrorism never happens again for any reason. And we can all work toward common understanding, respect, and the love which is at the heart of our various faiths.

Comments?

Sacred Singing

Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing.   And Miriam sang to them:

“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.”

 

The Song of Miriam Exodus 15:20-21

I'm a little surprised that I'm writing about music two days in a row, but why not? I discovered on Friday that yesterday was the yearly Shabbat Sirah or Sabbath of Song in some traditions of Judaism. It is an opportunity to focus worship on music and the many ways in contributes to our life together in every aspect from praise to lament. The scriptural anchor for this Sabbath is the story of Miriam and her song of celebration once the people of Israel are delivered from the pursuit of Pharaoh's army through the Sea of Reeds.

David Stowe wrote a thoughtful article about this for On Being and offers this:  

As a cultural historian, I have been studying the relationship between music and religious experience for two decades. Music has been crucial to religious experience across history and region. Sacred music has a unique ability to engage both body and mind. It brings people together in expressing gratitude, praise, sorrow, and even protest against injustice.
More than three millennia after Miriam, singing continues to be a widely observed expression of thanksgiving and gratitude, whether or not couched in religious language or occurring in a sacred space.

This is so true, so well expressed. In the first months of my retirement we rarely got to church for a number of reasons. We've begun attending son Isaac's congregation and I enjoy singing again, especially since they incorporate newer hymns into the service.

Shabbat Sirah is a Jewish observance so I was curious to see whether Shaar Hashomayim, the synagogue of Leonard Cohen's youth will be doing so. The choir and cantor from the synagogue sang on Cohen's last CD and at his memorial concert last Fall. Yes, they did recognize the Sabbath of Song, as you can see from the poster.

 

Does music both console and encourage you? Could you worship meaningfully without music? Should we all figure out a Sabbath of Song at this time of the year, regardless of tradition?

The Music of the Spheres

Myth - Robyn Rennie

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
    Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
    Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,
    or who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together
    and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?

                               Job 38:4-7

This is God's wondrous world,
 and to my listening ears
  all nature sings, and round me rings
 the music of the spheres.

                               This Is God's Wondrous World

Okay, I really, really want to experience this event. The Dunlop Planetarium at the University of Toronto is offering a presentation called Our Musical Universe. The premise is that what we presume is the "silent movie" of the universe actually has a musical score which we can access. Here is how the program is described:

What is the sound of a twinkling star? Can planets keep a beat? How loud was the big bang? Contrary to what you might expect, our universe is actually buzzing with marvelous melodies, remarkable rhythms, and heavenly harmonies that can be heard by human ears. Join us for a sound-based tour of the cosmos, from the night sky all the way out to the edge of the observable universe. The show features enhanced visuals and descriptive narrations and is accessible to people with visual impairments.

https://universe.utoronto.ca/events/our-musical-universe-show-for-visually-impaired/

Ruth and I listened to the astrophysicist who is also a musician speak about this presentation and we were captivated by the notion. As he spoke I commented that scripture uses the metaphor of the musical night sky. When the poor schlemiel Job whines a bit to God about his trials and tribulations the Creator is not very pastoral. Read Job 38 and you'll discover how God points out that Job's difficulties are inconsequential in the bigger picture of the universe. The verses are both majestic and unsettling. And all the CGIT girls of another era will recall singing This Is My Father's World at every meeting with reference to the music of the spheres.

Perhaps these aren't metaphors after all. I love the notion of the literal marvelous melodies of the universe.

Here is the CBC Metro Morning interview http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1146572356001
Tell me you're not enchanted!

Christ's Unifying Love

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord,
beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another in love,
making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

                                                                             Ephesians 4:4-7

Well, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is over, with yesterday being the final day. Did you realize this? Probably not, because there are fewer and fewer congregations participating in this event each year. Twenty years ago I was calling it the Week of Prayer for Christian Apathy because there seemed to be so little enthusiasm for seeking unity even though we are supposedly disciples who celebrate "one Lord, one faith, one baptism."

I was blessed in some communities I served to develop worthwhile relationships with other pastors and priests of every background and my life was enriched by the experience. During my ten-year pastorate in Bowmanville a number of congregations closed church doors on a Sunday in June each year to worship in a downtown park. We all felt that it was a way of bearing witness to what we shared as Christians rather than our differences.

I was surprised when I came to Belleville and discovered that there wasn't a ministerial and very little cooperation between congregations. The joint sponsorship of Syrian refugees by three United Churches, and a Roman Catholic congregation, as well as the mosque and members of the Bahai community revived my faith in ecumenism. Even in retirement I chat with one of the RC members about the sponsorship at the gym.

I appreciated that some Christians are too pure and bible-believing to associate with the apostates such as the sinners in the United Church. Of course I thought we are all sinners, but some are worse than others, I suppose. I'm not sure what they think of the apostle Paul's encouragement to bear with one another in love.

In the end the invitation to Christian Unity doesn't expire after a week, or a year, or a millennium or two. Didn't Paul also say that love never ends?

Celebrating Number Two?

Every once in a while another organization tells Canadians what we already know, that this is a wonderful country in which to live despite cold snaps such as the one in December. US News & World Report has ranked countries on everything from economic influence, power, citizenship and quality of life. Apparently Switzerland is the world's best country for 2018, with Canada finishing runner-up. After Switzerland, Canada, Germany, the U.K. and Japan round out the top five spots -- all countries with progressive social and environmental policies and Scandinavian countries are close behind -- did you get that Mr. Trump?

This is so Canadian, don't you think? We're not Numero Uno, but we're close. And when you look at the areas for ranking we weren't at the top for any of them. Overall though this is a great place to live, and I am constantly aware of it as a...white, Caucasian, Baby Boomer male in good health.   

I hope Canada is also a land of opportunity for immigrants and people of colour and women. We got the news of our ranking two days ago, the same day the same day results were released of a federal study on the status of First Nations peoples. They live an average of FIFTEEN YEARS less than the rest of us. Many communities don't have clean drinking water and may not for years. Federal spending on education lags behind what is offered for other Canadian children. If some of these First Nations were ranked, would they make it into the eighty chosen?



Prime Minister Trudeau did a town hall with First Nations kids on a reserve recently and told them we have to do better on their behalf. He's got that right, but it's been said before, by a succession of governments. We'll see. As Christians and faith communities we must continue to figure out how we can come alongside our aboriginal brothers and sisters and advocate for changes which benefit them. Otherwise being Number Two has a whole different connotation.

Thoughts?

Checking the Box

You may be aware of the controversy swirling around a federal government decision to provide summer employment grants only for organizations which support reproductive rights for women. To state it simplistically, only groups which do not oppose abortion need apply. What this means is that certain faith groups which may have received grants in the past for summer youth programs, and daycares and drop in programs can't get them now because they can't in good conscience check the box saying that their "core mandate" supports reproductive rights.

Many religious organizations as well as some with no religious affiliation point out that there is no federal law regarding abortion as there is in the United States. Access to abortion is not specifically protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, yet freedom of conscience and religion are. Of course we have decided that abortion is legal in this country. So, how is it that the federal government can insist on this acquiescence in those instances where it may have nothing to do with the purpose of the application? There have been newspaper editorials cautioning the government against this approach.

This is a thorny issue, to say the least. The United Church has long danced an ambiguous  line between the sanctity of life and the right to choose for women. I don't know we have done so all that well in stating our position, which is probably why this is almost never discussed in United Church congregations. Try and find the United Church position on the subject even though we post position papers on many other social issues. Years ago a former Roman Catholic parishioner asked why I would preach on a lot of important issued but never on abortion. I didn't have a ready answer.

I think the feds are making a mistake on this one, even though I do not agree with Christian groups including the Roman Catholic Church and most evangelical denominations. Their supposed pro-life stances are often narrow and ultimately cruel. For many of them pro-life seems to apply for the unborn but not to those whose lives are deeply affected by unwanted pregnancies for a variety of reasons. Still, through the decades I was able to be in meaningful dialogue with those of other faith communities despite profound differences in some areas.

Yesterday the federal government stepped back a bit today,  although it is still a bit hazy. Maybe they should just allow the criteria for grant applications which currently exist to continue to do their work. Specifically anti-abortion groups don't get funding and shouldn't.

What are your thoughts on this one? It isn't easy, but sometimes decisions aren't straightforward.

Breath-taking

O Lord, what are human beings that you regard them,
    or mortals that you think of them?
They are like a breath;
    their days are like a passing shadow.

Psalm 144:3-4

We woke up this morning to news that an 8.0 earthquake had occurred along the British Columbia and Alaska coastlines. A tsunami warning was issued for those in low-lying coastal areas with klaxons sounding and police moving through neighbourhoods urging evacuation. There are no reports of an actual tsunami but this must be a chilling experience for those in the projected path. It wasn't that many years ago when tsunamis devastated Japan and areas of Southeast Asia.

The majority of us live as though life will have a trajectory which will continue through lengthy seasons of existence from birth to death in old age. Yet circumstances can change in a moment. Last week there were false alarm warnings in both Hawaii and Japan that intercontinental ballistic missiles were headed in their direction. Even though these were errors, people on these islands are aware of the threat from North Korea and many were traumatized, including Canadian tourists visiting Hawaii. People phoned loved ones to say goodbye, assuming that the worst was coming.



We do get these jolts from time to time reminding us that our lives are but a breath, as the psalmist suggests. We may get a difficult medical diagnosis, or word that a loved one had died suddenly for any number of reasons. We ask why, and as a pastor I came to realize that there are no ready answers.

We can choose not to live in constant anxiety about impending doom, or the sobering reality that we will all die eventually. Instead we can live with purpose and enter prayerfully into each day we have been given. I have been blessed to walk through the valley of the shadow of death with those who were genuinely hopeful and at peace despite the knowledge that their days in this life were limited. Often they had a quiet confidence that there was something more, a glimpse of eternity.

Comments?

The Gap Between Rich and Poor

Hear this word, you cows of Bashan
    who are on Mount Samaria,
who oppress the poor, who crush the needy,
    who say to their husbands, “Bring something to drink!”
The Lord God has sworn by his holiness:
    The time is surely coming upon you,
when they shall take you away with hooks,
    even the last of you with fishhooks.
Through breaches in the wall you shall leave,
    each one straight ahead;
    and you shall be flung out into Harmon,says the Lord...  Amos 4:1-3

Leaders from many countries have gathered in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Summit. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be there, apparently ready to declare that Canada is "open for business." This forum recognizes that there really is a global economy and issues such as technology and the health sector and environment will all be part of the discussion.

This summit coincides with the release of an Oxfam report on the growing gap between rich and poor in the world. As part of the press release we read:

Eight men own the same wealth as the 3.6 billion people who make up the poorest half of humanity, according to a new report published by Oxfam today to mark the annual meeting of political and business leaders in Davos.
Oxfam’s report, ‘An economy for the 99 percent’, shows that the gap between rich and poor is far greater than had been feared. It details how big business and the super-rich are fuelling the inequality crisis by dodging taxes, driving down wages and using their power to influence politics. It calls for a fundamental change in the way we manage our economies so that they work for all people, and not just a fortunate few
82% of the wealth created last year went to the richest 1%, while the poorest half of humanity got nothing.

I heard a representative from Oxfam today who also noted that the owners of some textile companies will make more in a few days than one of their workers will make in a lifetime.

While some of these eight billionaires including Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are committed to giving away much of their wealth to benefit those at the lower end of the economic scale these facts are still sobering.



While we consider this in terms of the global economy the gap between rich and poor and the inequalities which go with it are not new. The prophet Amos lived in the 8th century BC and his hard-hitting message wasn't popular then and still isn't . Calling the rich and powerful to have a conscience, to prosper ethically and with regard for the wellbeing of others, is never going to sit easily with some. Jesus tossed a few "woes" toward the rich in Luke's version of the Beatitudes and warned against wealth without responsibility. Actually, all the major religions address these concerns.

I have no problem with Canada being part of a global economy. I do hope that we are part of a global discussion on what a fair and equitable economy for all can be.

Thoughts?

Stigma and Acceptance

Over the years I've blogged on a number of occasions about mental illness and mental health. It exists in our society and while we are doing better at addressing both the health challenge and the stigma we are still lurching along toward greater understanding and compassion. There are initiatives such as the Bell Let's Talk program featuring high profile Canadians yet we heard not long ago that there are Bell employees who feel that they are under such pressure to sell products that they've had to go on stress leave with little sympathy or support. Mental illness affects people regardless of intelligence or social status or financial resources.

Recently the CBC radio program The Sunday Edition did a feature on Gerald Le Dain, the late Supreme Court justice. Le Dain was highly respected for his leadership and judgments. He headed up a comprehensive Commission of Inquiry into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs in the early 1970s. It recommended the decriminalization of marijuana and addressing addiction as a form of illness rather than a crime. While the report was largely ignored then we can see now that it was ahead of its time.

Unfortunately Le Dain struggled under the weight of his workload. He was anxious and didn't sleep and was diagnosed with depression. His wife, Cynthia, was concerned that he was headed for a breakdown so asked Chief Justice Brian Dickson is he could have some time off. But instead of compassion, within two weeks an officer of the court was sent to Le Dain's home to formalize his exit from the Supreme Court. This heartless response only deepened Le Dain's depression and he never worked again. It took thirty years for his family to reveal what had transpired, and it is a sad story.

During my years of ministry I had countless conversations with members of congregations about mental illness in its various forms. In the majority of instances the individuals and families anticipated confidentiality because of the stigma and social repercussions related to mental illness. Some feared the consequences in terms of work. Sadly, some felt that the last people they wanted to know about their circumstances were others in what we might describe as the church family.

We can choose to be compassionate and supportive rather than judgmental or even silent within congregations. We can continue to speak publicly about the broader issues and pray for those whose deepest desire is to return to health. In scripture we are aware of the Christ who heals those who are troubled in spirit as well as body and we can follow his example in a variety of ways.

Thoughts?

Nourishment

I met a guy in the library this morning who is a regular guest of the Bridge St. United Church meal ministries. Before he found work again he gave as well as received, helping in the kitchen almost daily. He became a member of the congregation eventually, and we were able to provide solace and support when he went through the loss of a loved one. Last evening was the first of 42 consecutive evenings of hot, sit-down meals at the church called Inn from the Cold, a ministry which has existed for years and involves more than 150 volunteers. He told me he sat with friends and he would probably be there again today.

I'm quite content with retirement but I do miss this aspect of my ministry at Bridge St. Ruth and I came to know a number of the regular guests. We sat with them and listened to their stories and laughed with them. Oh yes, we ate with them.

I also miss the eclectic cadre of volunteers. While a fair number are from the congregation, at least two-thirds are from the wider community -- other congregations as well as those who see service to others as an essential part of a meaningful life. The teams of meal preparers eat together at midday after fulfilling their tasks and I enjoyed getting to know them. Their commitment through snowstorms and tough life circumstances is remarkable. One woman who hands out frozen meals for Thank God Its Friday (another meal distribution) was back on the job ten days after her husband's death. She wanted to provide continuity to the recipients and she felt it would help her through the grief.

Most of us realize that meal programs and food banks are not solutions to the systemic realities of poverty. But as one involved person opined, it would be wonderful if it was no longer necessary for our guests to attend the meals for physical sustenance, yet still came for the opportunities for community and mutual care.

God be with all those who find their way to Bridge St5. for sustenance and nourishment for body and spirit. God be with those who've chosen this important form of service. Whatever their reasons for contributing, these are ministries in Christ's name.

Lonely

One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
Two can be as bad as one
It's the loneliest number since the number one
No is the saddest experience you'll ever know
Yes, it's the saddest experience you'll ever know
Cause one is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
One is the loneliest number, whoa-oh, worse than two
It's just no good anymore since you went away
Now I spend my time just making rhymes of yesterday...

Not exactly great poetry, and if you know the source of these lyrics you're as much a geezer as I am. The band was Three Dog Night, although Harry Nilsson wrote the song, and the year was?...1968 -- 50 years ago!

 

Move along, nothing to see here, although loneliness is profoundly sad for those who feel bereft of friendship and love. It can lead people to despair and even to self-harm.

 

Yesterday the British government announced a new position and appointment, Minister for Loneliness. No, this is not the realization that Britain made a terrible mistake leaving the European Union. It is a recognition that up to nine million Britons deal with social isolation. In the announcement people were reminded that severe loneliness can be the equivalent of smoking fifteen cigarettes a day, can increase the probability of heart disease, and can result in depression and anxiety. The British parliament actually commissioned a report on loneliness and this initiative will fittingly bring together representatives from all parties to address the problem.

 

My first reaction was that this is rather odd, and then I thought "why not?" It is ironic that in the time of social media "connection" there are so many people who are socially isolated. God knows how many individuals who commit extreme acts are living in their isolated silos of hatred and alienation.

 

There are studies which suggest that those who stay connected with others through the years, including involvement in faith communities are less lonely and live longer. Yet we are aware that there is decreasing involvement in clubs and service groups and churches. I certainly saw how important it was for people to get out to Sunday worship even when they were barely able to walk. Actually, son Isaac will have the funeral this week for an elderly woman who was in our row in her wheelchair on his first Sunday recently. I admire those  who get their partners with dementia out to church, aware that the social interaction is important, even when memory is failing.

 

I suppose that I was a minister for loneliness for several decades, at least as part of my calling. Loneliness and aloneness are not the same.  Still, what a reminder that we all need community, even though we may be comfortable with our own company.

 

What do you think of this British initiative? Have you found community through your faith? Is one the loneliest number?

Justice for All?

I considered law as a vocation in my teens before experiencing a call to ministry. While I didn't become a lawyer I was asked to be a judge on behalf of the wider church on two occasions. The first was what is called a Formal Hearing in the United Church, this for a male candidate for ministry who was accused by a female teen of conversation of a sexual nature as he drove her home in his vehicle. This was a serious matter and the accused had a lawyer, as did the panel I chaired, and one of the panel members was a lawyer. Before we began the laborious process our lawyer advised us that from a legal standpoint there was little hope of a "conviction" (not a United Church term.)

In the second instance, twenty or more years later, I chaired the review of a minister who was accused of having inappropriate relationships with several women. We pored over correspondence from a number of colleagues who were deeply concerned about his lack of boundaries.

In both circumstances I had deep misgivings about the moral character of the accused individuals, as did all of the other panelists. I did not doubt that what the teen claimed had happened did occur. Yet there was no substantive evidence beyond the word of a teen who wouldn't testify in the first situation, and the letters of concern in the other. Both of the accused walked away with reprimands, with a probationary period for one of them. We followed due process even though it was not pleasant to do so. The outcome still troubles me, yet the process was important.

I thought about this today as I read about the loud and angry response to a Margaret Atwood opinion piece in the Globe and Mail on Saturday called Am I a Bad Feminist? Of course Atwood has been an impressive feminist for decades and her books The Handmaid's Tale and Alias Grace have been adapted to the screen in the past year as compelling statements about the subjugation of women and the punishment of strong women.

In her Globe essay Atwood  expresses concerns about what someone else has called "execution, then trial" as a tsunami of denunciations of abusive and exploitive men sweeps across the planet. This movement which includes #metoo is absolutely necessary and we should all uphold those women who've had the courage to step out of the shadows of sexual assault and manipulation. Yet there are concerns that all situations are being conflated as essentially the same, and once the accusations are made the damnation is indelible regardless of the severity of the circumstance. Atwood says this:

What would a Good Feminist look like, in the eyes of my accusers?

My fundamental position is that women are human beings, with the full range of saintly and demonic behaviours this entails, including criminal ones. They're not angels, incapable of wrongdoing. If they were, we wouldn't need a legal system.

 

Nor do I believe that women are children, incapable of agency or of making moral decisions. If they were, we're back to the 19th century, and women should not own property, have credit cards, have access to higher education, control their own reproduction or vote. There are powerful groups in North America pushing this agenda, but they are not usually considered feminists.

Furthermore, I believe that in order to have civil and human rights for women there have to be civil and human rights, period, including the right to fundamental justice, just as for women to have the vote, there has to be a vote. Do Good Feminists believe that only women should have such rights? Surely not. That would be to flip the coin on the old state of affairs in which only men had such rights.

 

Honestly, could this be said any better, and isn't it important that wise voices are raised in this tumultuous time, even when we disagree ?

 

We can pray that women who have been silenced will step forward and be heard, that our judicial system will change and justice done. Still, silencing some for any cause will serve no good purpose, or so it seems to me.

 

Thoughts?

 

Do-Over

Michael Bryant stands in the doorway of Sanctuary Ministries

 

Metro Morning, the CBC radio program out of Toronto has used the "new beginnings" theme of the New Year to offer a five-part interview series on the "do-overs" of a fairly diverse group of people. There is an Olympic athlete who has reinvented her life goals after illness ended her athletic aspirations. A husband and wife recalibrate their lives after twenty years of marriage when he reveals that he's gay.

I also appreciated the interview with Michael Bryant, once a rising political star in Ontario, youngest Attorney General in the province's history and seen by some as future candidate for premier. He'd left office and returned to the practice of law when a 2009 traffic incident in Toronto dramatically changed the direction of his life. Driving in the city he had an encounter with an angry cyclist. When Bryant attempted to drive away the cyclist fell and subsequently died. Bryant was charged but those charges were eventually dropped, although not without controversy. Some claimed it was because of his profile and influence but the cyclist had a history of such encounters.

All of this took a tremendous toll on Michael Bryant. His marriage ended and he searched for meaning. He began volunteering at a Christian ministry called Sanctuary which supports street people and others on the margins of society. http://sanctuarytoronto.ca/ It turned out that the cyclist who died had spent time there and had friends there.  

The experience was profound for Bryant and even though he'd grown up "generically Protestant" and wasn't a churchgoer he began to consider ministry as a vocation. The Sanctuary folk wisely encouraged him to use his skills as a lawyer on behalf of those who often can't afford legal representation. He discovered that the law is not equal or fair and the legal system often wears down those who are poorly represented to the point that they make poor choices in pleas.

I found this interview inspiring and I was convinced by his sincerity about a changed way of seeing the world. I was a little surprised by some of the snarky responses of other listeners who were dubious about his change of heart. You can decide. http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1134613059857

Christianity is a do-over religion, a faith predicated on forgiveness through the grace of Christ. It puts us on the same playing field whether we are "high and mighty" or perceived as lowly in our society. I'm hoping that Michael Bryant will hold on to his changed perspective for a lifetime.

Martin and Malcolm. What if?

MLK. It is remarkable that even though the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American from another era people around the world, including Canada, can immediately make the connection with those initials. Today is a holiday in the United States, one which came into being in the Reagan era of the 80's to acknowledge the importance of Dr. King to the Civil Rights movement despite his untimely death. King had an extraordinary commitment to nonviolent change and was recognized with the Nobel Prize for Peace during his lifetime. Just the same he was physically attacked, jailed, undermined by the FBI, and eventually shot and killed at the age of 39. He left behind his wife Coretta and their young children.



There are many "what if's" related to King because of his untimely death. Would he have become an elder statesman of the movement toward equality? King was increasingly vocal about the war in Vietnam around the time of his death. Where would that have taken him?

King was also in preliminary conversations with Malcolm X, another charismatic black leader whose trajectory  for change was very different. Malcolm X aligned himself with the Nation of Islam for years and distanced himself from the "slave religion" of Christianity. He eventually left the Nation of Islam but remained dubious, to say the least, about the nonviolent approach of King's movement. King was open in stating that he did not share Malcolm's militant values, even though he didn't see him as an adversary. Malcolm X taunted King on occasion, calling him a 20th century Uncle Tom, a stinging criticism. They met once, unplanned, and for a total of about a minute, crossing paths at a Senate hearing on the Civil Rights Act

Not long after this chance encounter Malcolm X wrote to King seeking a meeting, opening the letter with the formal greeting “Dear Sir”:

 

“The present racial crisis in this country carries within it powerful destructive ingredients that may soon erupt into an uncontrollable explosion.The seriousness of this situation demands that immediate steps must be taken to solve this crucial problem, by those who have genuine concern before the racial powder keg explodes. A United Front involving all Negro factions, elements and their leaders is absolutely necessary.”

 

The meeting never occurred and Malcolm was critical of the subsequent March on Washington pictured above in today's Google Doodle, a remarkable gathering of a quarter million during which King offered his famous I Have a Dream speech. Malcolm X was murdered in 1965, three years before King.

 

What might have unfolded if the men had met and come to some sort of understanding? What if both had lived to provide leadership through subsequent decades?

 

Thoughts?