Congress and other random topics
13/10/13 05:25
We’ve got a busy day ahead of us and my mind is a bit of a jumble of a lot of different thoughts today. So, instead of a blog about a single topic, here are a few smaller reflections about various unrelated topics.
It might have been fun to be present yesterday when they re-opened the Grand Canyon. The thought of the canyon being closed and then re-opened brings to mind an almost cartoon-like thought of the walls coming together and only flat land in sight. Then suddenly someone pushes a button and a crack begins to form, which is followed by the entire canyon re-opening. Of course that isn’t what happened. What happened was that the gates were opened and staff members began to collect entrance fees. The concessionaires went back to work and began selling their wares, the rangers came back and began giving tours and the park was open for business as usual. It was a case of simple math. The state of Arizona agreed to pay the National Park Service $651,000 to operate the park for 7 days. Since the park produces well over $1,000,000 in revenue for Arizona each week, Governor Jan Brewer decided it was a good investment. They will assess on an on-going basis if the federal government shutdown continues more than a week more.
The Statue of Liberty is open once again through a similar agreement and Mount Rushmore is slated to be operating with state funds instead of federal dollars for the rest of the week.
We live in a season of great skepticism about the federal government. The fact that our elected representatives seem to be either unwilling or unable to do their jobs doesn’t help that skepticism. Public opinion polls are indicating that the U.S. House of Representatives is slightly less popular than a colonoscopy. But the bottom line is that when the federal government works, there are things that the government does that bring benefit to the people. The parks are just one example of where we get more benefit from having a government than the cost. It is becoming clear, however, that bull-headedness and brinkmanship aren’t the best qualities when it comes to working with others. We may need to reassess the qualifications required of our legislators at the next election. I’m thinking we need a report card like the ones we used to get in kindergarten. There were five choices in the category “plays well with others.” We need people who have at least a kindergarten understanding of cooperation in those positions.
On another topic, we’re launching a new worship service this afternoon. I’m anticipating only about 4 or 5 people to attend. It will be held in one of the residences of Black Hills Works’ Intensive Training and Supervision (ITS) program. Small group worship is nothing new for our congregation. We offer it in the women’s section of the Pennington County Jail, at area nursing homes and in other places where we need to go to serve people because they cannot come to us. The short devotional services are designed to emphasize Christian unity and downplay the differences between denominations so that participants are encouraged to continue connections with their own congregations. Most of the people in the ITS program have no church home at all. They participate in part because they don’t have many activities available to them. We share scripture and prayers and trust the scripture and liturgy that is so important in nurturing our spiritual lives to be of value to others.
One of the unique features to this particular new worship service is that I have been working with Pastor Wilbur Holtz of Trinity Lutheran Church to develop and deliver the program. Wilbur won’t be involved this week, because we are alternating leadership and small group worship doesn’t need to have participants overwhelmed by leaders, but it seems to be exactly the right thing for us to work together and understand that the work of the Church of Jesus Christ is much bigger than any one congregation or an individual denomination. Working with others gives us a taste of God’s realm in the here and now.
Maybe we ought to start some small group worship with members of congress. Sorry, I just couldn’t resist that dig.
We’ve had some good talks with our sister church in Keystone this week. They are between pastors and it doesn’t work for the Conference Office to try to feed them supply pastors out of Sioux Falls. Our congregation has an abundance of ordained ministers and we are able to share with our neighbors on occasion. It turned out that worship in Keystone was cancelled for this week due to the flooding and the need of members to be working on flood recovery, but we will continue to work with an resource the congregation in the weeks to come. I’m looking forward to being able to strengthen our relationships with our sister church.
People are in good spirits about the blizzard of 2013 now that we’re dug out and most of us have our electricity back. The survivors of the blizzard of 1949 are quick to remind us that a storm that is over in a week or so isn’t much compared to the storm that started on the second of January and continued well into February with winds over 70 mph, lots of snow and below zero temperatures. Although the snowfall was only about two feet, it drifted to depths of 35 feet in the high winds. There were entire buildings that were buried and people who were stranded for a month or more. The roads were closed. The trains couldn’t run. People would dig out and then the winds would drift the snow back in. Most of the rural areas didn’t have electricity in the first place, so they were used to canned food, coal stoves, and long dark nights in the winter already.
Our stories are connected in many different and unique ways and those of us who went through this storm together, like others who survived other storms, will look back and find strength and meaning in the fact that we survived. In our particular case we experienced only minor inconveniences. It’s good to get snowed in from time to time.
Maybe that’s what we need a blizzard that traps congress in the capitol for a few days. . . .
I just can’t get off of that subject. I promise not to mention it in my sermon today.
The Statue of Liberty is open once again through a similar agreement and Mount Rushmore is slated to be operating with state funds instead of federal dollars for the rest of the week.
We live in a season of great skepticism about the federal government. The fact that our elected representatives seem to be either unwilling or unable to do their jobs doesn’t help that skepticism. Public opinion polls are indicating that the U.S. House of Representatives is slightly less popular than a colonoscopy. But the bottom line is that when the federal government works, there are things that the government does that bring benefit to the people. The parks are just one example of where we get more benefit from having a government than the cost. It is becoming clear, however, that bull-headedness and brinkmanship aren’t the best qualities when it comes to working with others. We may need to reassess the qualifications required of our legislators at the next election. I’m thinking we need a report card like the ones we used to get in kindergarten. There were five choices in the category “plays well with others.” We need people who have at least a kindergarten understanding of cooperation in those positions.
On another topic, we’re launching a new worship service this afternoon. I’m anticipating only about 4 or 5 people to attend. It will be held in one of the residences of Black Hills Works’ Intensive Training and Supervision (ITS) program. Small group worship is nothing new for our congregation. We offer it in the women’s section of the Pennington County Jail, at area nursing homes and in other places where we need to go to serve people because they cannot come to us. The short devotional services are designed to emphasize Christian unity and downplay the differences between denominations so that participants are encouraged to continue connections with their own congregations. Most of the people in the ITS program have no church home at all. They participate in part because they don’t have many activities available to them. We share scripture and prayers and trust the scripture and liturgy that is so important in nurturing our spiritual lives to be of value to others.
One of the unique features to this particular new worship service is that I have been working with Pastor Wilbur Holtz of Trinity Lutheran Church to develop and deliver the program. Wilbur won’t be involved this week, because we are alternating leadership and small group worship doesn’t need to have participants overwhelmed by leaders, but it seems to be exactly the right thing for us to work together and understand that the work of the Church of Jesus Christ is much bigger than any one congregation or an individual denomination. Working with others gives us a taste of God’s realm in the here and now.
Maybe we ought to start some small group worship with members of congress. Sorry, I just couldn’t resist that dig.
We’ve had some good talks with our sister church in Keystone this week. They are between pastors and it doesn’t work for the Conference Office to try to feed them supply pastors out of Sioux Falls. Our congregation has an abundance of ordained ministers and we are able to share with our neighbors on occasion. It turned out that worship in Keystone was cancelled for this week due to the flooding and the need of members to be working on flood recovery, but we will continue to work with an resource the congregation in the weeks to come. I’m looking forward to being able to strengthen our relationships with our sister church.
People are in good spirits about the blizzard of 2013 now that we’re dug out and most of us have our electricity back. The survivors of the blizzard of 1949 are quick to remind us that a storm that is over in a week or so isn’t much compared to the storm that started on the second of January and continued well into February with winds over 70 mph, lots of snow and below zero temperatures. Although the snowfall was only about two feet, it drifted to depths of 35 feet in the high winds. There were entire buildings that were buried and people who were stranded for a month or more. The roads were closed. The trains couldn’t run. People would dig out and then the winds would drift the snow back in. Most of the rural areas didn’t have electricity in the first place, so they were used to canned food, coal stoves, and long dark nights in the winter already.
Our stories are connected in many different and unique ways and those of us who went through this storm together, like others who survived other storms, will look back and find strength and meaning in the fact that we survived. In our particular case we experienced only minor inconveniences. It’s good to get snowed in from time to time.
Maybe that’s what we need a blizzard that traps congress in the capitol for a few days. . . .
I just can’t get off of that subject. I promise not to mention it in my sermon today.