On a recent trip to Scotland, I visited the lovely city of St Andrews. Standing on the 18th hole of the beautiful Old Course on an unusually sunny day was certainly a treat! But not far from there is St Andrews Castle, historically the official residence of Scotland’s archbishops, and also the site of a harrowing death. The castle, now in ruins, stands at the edge of the sea. The front overlooks a rolling lawn that tumbles down to the street. It is here that the plight of George Wishart, a Scottish minister, and an early proponent of the Protestant Reformation, is twinned with the castle and its occupant.
 
George Wishart was born in 1513. He studied at the University of Aberdeen and became a teacher as well as a preacher. As a schoolmaster, he taught his students how to read and study the New Testament in Greek. The Catholic Church at the time did not allow its congregants to read the Bible for themselves. Cardinal David Beaton, the leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland, felt threatened by Wishart and his growing number of followers. He tried several times to have Wishart assassinated. In 1546, Wishart was arrested and brought to St Andrews. Although he quoted the Bible in his answers to the court as a display of his biblical knowledge, he was condemned as a heretic and sentenced to death. The sentence was carried out in front of the castle while the cardinal watched from the safety of his home and fortress. The spot where I stood marked the place where Wishart was tortured and burned to death at the stake.
 
Throughout his short life, Wishart was known for being kind and generous, often giving his clothes and even bedsheets to the poor. When the Plague broke out in a nearby town, he went there to take care of the sick, risking his own life and health.
 
Wishart mentored a young man who became his bodyguard. When he was arrested, Wishart refused to allow his bodyguard to follow him to the castle, which probably saved his bodyguard’s life. Wishart’s follower and bodyguard, John Knox, would play a leading role in the Protestant Reformation in Scotland.
 
Was Wishart a heretic to the Christian faith? Or was he a prophet, at the edge of a new movement, who believed in living out his faith in service to the sick and the poor?
 
The theology and tenacity of a thirty-something propelled a movement that greatly and positively impacted society. The Protestant Reformation, which began in part as a revolution in favor of allowing congregants to read the Bible and think for themselves, is credited with influencing Western culture, encouraging freedom of religion, advocating for individual dignity, and even shaping political democracy.
 
Many subsequent movements within the Church began with new interpretations of theology that cut across the grain of the old established ones. In the early 20th century, modernists like Walter Rauschenbusch promoted the Social Gospel which emphasized a regeneration of society by focusing on social issues such as injustice and oppression. The Social Gospel took Jesus’ teachings on caring for the poor and the disenfranchised seriously. These modernists from the Social Gospel movement became affiliated with moderate and liberal churches often referred to as mainline Protestant denominations. Today, these denominations include, but are not limited to, the United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church USA, the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
 
In reaction to the Social Gospel, fundamentalists created their own gospel brand that prioritized individual salvation through converting people to Christianity. The fundamentalists became known as evangelicals and are represented today by conservative denominations, such as the Southern Baptist Convention, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, the Evangelical Free Church of America, as well as many independent or nondenominational churches.
 
Perhaps there is a new movement afoot in the Church today. A look at some statistics is revealing. According to a PRRI study based on 2020 data, 44% of the US population identifies as both white and Christian. That is down from 65% in 1996 and 54% in 2006. Since 2007, the number of white Americans identifying as religiously unaffiliated (often called “Nones”) increased from 16% to 23%. Of all Americans under 30, almost 40% identify as “Nones” (up from 10% in 1986). On the surface, it appears that lots of Americans are walking away from the faith. But are they?
 
From 2006 to 2020, the percent of Americans who identify as white evangelicals dropped from 23% to 14%. Although white mainline Christians and white Catholics also declined from 2006, both groups have experienced recent increases to 16% and 12% of all Americans, respectively.
 
What do all these numbers mean? While the number of “Nones” is increasing, so is the number of white mainline Protestants. White evangelicals, on the other hand, are seeing their numbers decline. Perhaps the “Nones” have left evangelical churches and some are warming the pews at mainline Protestant churches. It is an interesting shift in demographics. And it is a big deal in today’s political conversation where white evangelicals tend to be the most vocal but represent a shrinking portion of all Americans.
 
Anecdotal evidence indicates that thousands of white (often younger) Americans are leaving the evangelical church and either worshipping at mainline churches or not at all. Many of these ex-evangelicals grew up in the evangelical church and are now questioning the beliefs that they were taught. Some call this a deconstruction of their faith as they sift through what they believe and question why they should continue to believe the theology they were taught. Some beliefs are retained while others are discarded. This rebuilding of their faith is called reconstruction where they internalize their new beliefs and live out their newly discovered values and related theology. Many of these ex-evangelicals may still identify as Christians but eschew institutionalized, organized religion.
 
Like the Reformers in the 16th century, today’s ex-evangelicals are proponents of thinking through theology themselves instead of relying on church leaders’ interpretations. With boldness and courage like that of George Wishart, maybe they will start their own movement and reformation that begins with loving God and neighbor and extends to caring for the poor, the imprisoned, the sick, and the oppressed. Perhaps they will be considered heretical. Or maybe they will indeed be prophets teaching a new way to live out their faith. Regardless, it certainly looks a lot like the reformation, the movement, and the mission of Jesus.*
 
 
*Luke 4:18-19 – [Jesus reading His mission statement in the synagogue from Isaiah 61]“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2023 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of St Andrews Castle in St Andrews, Scotland.


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A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”  Matthew 12:25
 
 
The frigid breath of winter howls through the valley. Nothing can survive unsheltered and unprotected from the elements. It is February, 1692, in the valley near the Coe River, in what is called Glencoe. The Clan MacDonald, with food stores and furry blankets, hunker down for the winter. Amidst the silence of snow, soldiers from the Duke of Argyll’s regiment call out for shelter. Led by members of the Clan Campbell, the regiment carries orders for “free quarter.” The MacDonalds, specifically the Maclan MacDonalds, have no choice but to open their homes to them. For twelve days, they feed the soldiers, unaware a villainous plot is afoot.
 
In order to control the independent clans of the Scottish Highlands, King William III of England, Scotland, and Ireland (aka William of Orange) requires each clan chieftain to pledge allegiance to him. Because the “request” is received late and due to the lengthy time it takes to travel in winter to the king’s palace, several chieftains arrive past the appointed time. Angered, the king singles the MacDonald clan out to set an example for the other clans.
 
At 5am, on February 13, the order from King William III is given to kill anyone under the age of 70. In less than two hours, the soldiers, led by Robert Campbell, slaughter their hosts. Over 30 men, women, and children are brutally murdered. Those that escape succumb to the freezing elements and die in their tracks. This fateful day is known in Scottish history as the Massacre of Glencoe. No one is ever held accountable for the killings.
 
Hospitality was torn apart by swords that day. The tension between hostility and hospitality, between clans and tribes, neighbors and neighborhoods peaked and continued for generations. Feuds fuel violence and sow seeds of hatred that grow into fields of war. Where did all this discord start?
 
This complicated history of feuding between the MacDonalds and the Campbells has its roots in both politics and religion. While the MacDonalds were mainly Catholic, the Campbells were mostly Protestant. Regarding politics, the MacDonalds supported the nationalist movement to put their own king on the throne of Scotland whereas the Campbells were proponents of uniting the countries of England, Scotland, and Ireland under one English king.
 
I find it sad that politics and religion got in the way of community and that hospitality was used for harm. What if the king had given a grace period to appear before him and not been so caught up in the abuse of power? What if there had been tolerance between clans and even forgiveness for previous grievances between families or empathy to see another’s point of view?
 
Are we much different today? While we may not brandish swords, many wield guns that make it all too easy to fatally stop an opponent with whom you disagree. Even if we do not mortally wound our adversary, we defame and name-call in the public square of Twitter and other social media.
 
Political leaders who vie for allegiance and more power often spread disinformation to further their cause. Unlike the king and others long ago in Glencoe who escaped accountability, those who sow seeds of division should be, and in some cases, are being held liable.
 
The divisiveness in this country tears apart friendships, families, neighborhoods, and the very fabric of our nation. When we stand together to fight the common enemies of climate change, social injustice, poverty, and oppression, just to name a few, we can overcome. Together. A house divided cannot stand.
 
 
God, forgive me when I hold animosity in my heart for those whose viewpoints are different from mine. Your call to love my enemies overrides my pettiness. Open my mind to tolerance and my heart to empathy. Give me the wisdom and strength to work toward unity and community. Heal the fractures in our nation and world as we seek to understand and support one another, yes, even those we consider our enemies. Amen.

Text and photographs copyright © 2023 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Three Sisters peaks (with lupines in the foreground) in Glencoe, Scotland. Additional photos of a replica built to resemble the turf houses of the MacDonald clan in Glencoe in the 17th century.
 
 
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A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

“Show me, LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure. Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be.”
Psalm 39:4-6
 
 
Pale pink canopies spread far and wide across the stream. A gentle breeze swirls the clusters like quiet snow that lands in my hair and around my feet. I look up and see nothing but a pink and white blanket that covers the sky, a dazzling array of Sakura.
 
On a recent trip to Japan, the timing could not have been more perfect. Cherry trees were in full bloom and they were everywhere. On street corners and in gardens, beside pagodas and roadsides, the ubiquitous blossoms turned the otherwise beautiful landscape into a magical fairyland.
 
There are over 200 varieties of cherry trees in Japan, but the most popular one is a cloned, grafted version called Somei-Yoshino, or in English, Yoshino cherry. Although it typically does not produce edible fruit, it does produce 5-petal flowers that blossom in early spring. Full blossoms last only two weeks as the lovely petals transform from pale pink to white.
 
Japanese people revere the cherry trees. Perhaps it relates to Shinto religion and their belief that God is everywhere in nature. But their reverence could also be due to the sheer beauty of the cherry trees in bloom and realizing how fleeting those blossoms are. In Japanese culture, the cherry tree is symbolic of the fragility of life. Their response to this symbol of the fleeting nature of life is to enjoy the beauty of it while they can.

Life is indeed fleeting, as Psalm 39 reminds us. I experienced this when one of my brothers passed away suddenly. We must make the most of the time we have and even to enjoy it! But Psalm 39 also gives a warning to those who place their security in their wealth. Riches and privilege will not prevent death and may blind us to compassion for those less fortunate. Psalm 39 also warns us of rushing through life as a phantom, an apparition without material substance. In our clamor for wealth, prestige, power, or fame, we may focus on what is ultimately not important. How sad it would be to come to the end of our lives and realize our pursuits were all in vain and to wonder if we had even lived at all. What would happen if, instead, we pursued a life of existential meaning and compassionate purpose?
 
The passing of actor, singer, and activist Harry Belafonte earlier this year gave me pause. What impressed me about his life was not the fame he had or the wealth that went with it, but rather how much time and money he spent on civil rights activism as he tried to make this country a better place for all, especially for people of color. His passion for activism grew from his mother’s words to him when he was young, after she had experienced a long day of unsuccessful job hunting: “Don't ever let injustice go by unchallenged.” Belafonte certainly incorporated this mantra into his life for decades as he worked tirelessly throughout the Civil Rights era and beyond, even into his 90’s. Belafonte did not count security in his wealth as a priority but rather he stood up for those treated unjustly.
 
Does injustice motivate you to challenge it? Jesus’ focus was based on injustice under the oppressive Roman rule (Luke 4:18-19*). He came to bring justice to those who were treated unjustly – the poor, the imprisoned, the blind, the oppressed. His entire ministry was devoted to nonviolent activism in order to help those who were powerless and oppressed by a system of injustice.
 
It is never too early to make the world a better place. But it can be too late if we procrastinate.
 
As I photographed the many cherry trees, I pondered the meaning attached to them in Japanese culture. The Sakura are both objects of beauty to be appreciated and warning signs to be heeded. My first attempt at Haiku (which took 2nd place in a contest!) sums it up:
 
                                                  Sakura petals
                                           Fall silently to the dust
                                               For life is fleeting.
 
 
God of nature and all things, thank You for the beautiful cherry trees and the reminder that life is fleeting. Help me make the most of the life I have, to challenge injustice, and to make the world around me better for those who are powerless, poor, and oppressed. Amen.
 
 
*Luke 4:18-19: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2023 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of cherry blossoms at Kenroku-en Garden in Kanazawa, Japan, and photo of Gojunoto Pagoda on Miyajima Island, Japan.
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe.
 
 
AS A FOLLOW-UP TO LAST MONTH’S POST ON TRANSGENDER YOUTH:
To support vulnerable trans youth, consider giving to a suicide-prevention organization that focuses on LGBTQ+ youth called The Trevor Project at https://www.thetrevorproject.org/.
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

June is Pride Month, when we celebrate people in the LGBTQIA+ community and their freedom to express their true selves. However, the rights and lives of many in this community are under a very real and existential threat.
 
According to translegislation.com, 556 bills* have been introduced in state legislatures so far this year, with 71 becoming law, that seek to “block trans people from receiving basic healthcare, education, legal recognition, and the right to publicly exist (emphasis mine).”
 
These bills are used to galvanize politicians’ constituents through fear. Impacts on individuals’ lives are ignored. Compassion is nonexistent. Truth is disregarded. With this blog post, I hope to dispel the disinformation and harmful myths so that love and truth will prevail.
 
But first, some definitions are in order (see additional definitions below).

• Gender identity is a person’s innate sense of their gender; it is not sexual preference or orientation.
• Gender presentation is how someone looks or dresses and does not necessarily indicate their gender identity.
• Gender dysphoria is, according to the NIH’s National Library of Medicine, a "marked incongruence between their experienced or expressed gender and the one they were assigned at birth." Gender dysphoria, if left untreated, can have devastating consequences because of this incongruence. Anxiety, depression, substance abuse, self-harm, and sometimes suicide result when a person does not feel at home in their own body.
• Gender-affirming care, according to the World Health Organization, is the medical, psychological, and behavioral care “designed to support and affirm an individual’s gender identity” when that identity does not match the assigned sex at birth. For children and teens, this can include puberty blockers, hormone therapy, counseling**, speech therapy, breast binding, genital tucking, hair styling, and makeup lessons.

 
Nineteen states’ legislatures have passed laws that restrict or ban gender-affirming care to minors. It is only a matter of time before these laws will be expanded to all trans people, regardless of age. Some current bills, if passed, would indeed ban transition care up to age 21 and in at least one state, up to age 26.
 
Some proponents of these bills use the cover of “protecting our children,” calling this issue a “political winner.” They use fear to create an imaginary enemy from which to save the world and to be seen as the hero. However, using fear-mongering tactics to achieve political purposes does a disservice to all people, including children, and harms trans children, teens, and adults exponentially.
 
Let us look at several myths regarding transgender, especially regarding transgender children and teens.

Myth #1 – Gender-affirming care “mutilates” children’s bodies.

Referring to gender-affirming care and surgeries as “mutilation” feeds into a narrative driven by fear. Moreover, it perpetuates the idea that cisgender bodies are more valuable than transgender bodies, and that transgender bodies are somehow “ruined” or “defective.” Both cisgender and transgender bodies are valid.
 
In any case, current medical protocol prohibits genital surgery on a minor        as part of gender-affirming care.

Myth #2 – Trans children are receiving life-altering surgeries.

As noted above, genital surgeries are not performed on minors. Often, puberty blockers or hormone therapy are prescribed to trans adolescents, not trans prepubertal children. 

Puberty blockers stop the onset of puberty and give a trans adolescent an     option to delay changes their bodies will undergo at puberty so they can decide how they want to present. If puberty blockers are stopped, puberty begins. Note that puberty blockers have been used for decades in children with abnormally early puberty.

Hormone therapy (hormones of the gender they identify with) helps trans people develop the body that is congruent with their gender identity. Because of new anti-trans laws, some states already make it difficult for trans adults to continue hormone therapy which can have devastating consequences, particularly psychologically, if hormone therapy is stopped. Like puberty blockers, hormone therapy is also used in cisgender people. For example, estrogen and progesterone are often used in menopausal cisgender women.
 
Note that parental permission is needed for top surgery for 16-17-year-olds. Top surgery refers to either the removal or augmentation of breasts. Interestingly, cisgender female teens make up 1.5% of all breast augmentation surgeries.

Myth #3 – Trans children will grow up to regret their gender-affirming care decisions.

The regrets expressed by trans adults are not that they transitioned, but that they did not transition sooner. Transitioning earlier would have saved them the pain and agony of living with gender dysphoria.
 
For those trans adults who have surgery, the regret rate is 1%. The most common reason given for regret is the difficulty of being accepted by family and society after surgery. Interestingly, of all surgeries performed on anyone for any reason in the US, there is a 14% regret rate.

Myth #4 – Trans children (and trans teens and adults) are mentally ill.

The myth that being trans causes mental illness is false. What is real, though, is the devastating emotional toll on a trans person due to the lack of support from family, friends, and employers, as well as the taunts, discrimination, and physical and sexual violence they suffer for being trans.
 
Anti-trans laws help create an atmosphere of hatred and fear that encourages hate crimes and violence against transgender people. One in two will experience sexual assault and abuse sometime in their life. Trans children are also subject to violence and sexual assault, even at school. This trauma greatly impacts their mental health. For trans children, the bullying, violence, and teasing disrupts their education.***

Myth #5 – The government should control the medical care trans children receive.

Banning or restricting health care flies in the face of established medical protocol. The American Academy of Pediatricians “recommends taking a ‘gender-affirming’, nonjudgmental approach that helps children feel safe in a society that too often marginalizes or stigmatizes those seen as different. The gender-affirming model strengthens family resiliency and takes the emphasis off heightened concerns over gender while allowing children the freedom to focus on academics, relationship-building and other typical developmental tasks.” Likewise, the American Medical Association strongly opposes restrictions to gender-affirming care. Some physicians believe that withholding gender-affirming care is unethical. Like other medical decisions, gender-affirming care is best left up to the patient and their physician, not the state.

Myth #6 – By controlling what is taught in schools, we can keep a child from identifying as trans.

According to a Washington Post-KFF poll in 2022, one in three trans adults knew before they were ten-years-old that their gender identity was different from the sex assigned to them at birth. Even young children can experience gender dysphoria but they may not have the language to describe it. Not talking about it at school or home will not keep someone from identifying as trans: it will only prolong their suffering until they can access gender-affirming care.

Myth #7 – By controlling gender-affirming care and restricting teaching about it, we are protecting children.

A great disservice is done not only to trans children but also to cisgender children when gender-affirming care is banned, restricted, and not discussed in schools and homes. Cisgender children will not learn to accept their peers and will feel validated in bullying and teasing their trans classmates.
 
As noted above, these laws are not just aimed at children. They are designed to eliminate all gender-affirming care and eradicate trans people themselves while garnering votes for the politicians who create and support these laws.
 
 
It is important to understand that gender identity is a human construct, like race. Society ascribes certain characteristics onto different genders (or races) and determines which gender (or race) is more valued. While our gender and race impact who we are, our truest selves are much more than how we present.
 
The existence of trans people is threatening to some cisgender people. The blurring of genders into nonbinary and transgender upsets the existing patriarchal power structure where cisgender men are at the top. When some feel threatened, they will do whatever it takes to keep themselves in power – by passing laws against trans people ostensibly to eradicate them.
 
Jesus came to promote a new power structure, one not based on who is at the top, but one based on who is at the bottom. The currency is this new world order is not hate, greed, and fear, but love, justice, and mercy. Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for Me (from Matthew 25:40).
 
When we operate from a basis of fear and hate, we are not following the God who is love. When we refuse to love all our neighbors, we violate God’s commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39). When we scapegoat a group of people to either maintain our power or to make ourselves feel superior, we are crushing the image of God in people He loves.
 
Following Jesus’ example, we are to love the marginalized, to care for the oppressed, and to help set them free from the oppressors. Feeling love and compassion is not enough: we must put faith into action by educating ourselves on the oppression in our midst, by fighting disinformation through truth telling, by calling or writing our legislators to denounce anti-trans laws, by voting out politicians who power-grab through oppression, and by partnering with organizations who are working for justice.
 
When we see feet on the necks of trans children, may those feet not be ours. Instead, may we lend a hand to help them up and use our feet to carry them out of oppression, to live their lives as image-bearers of a loving God. May we indeed be the hands and feet of Jesus in an old-world order obsessed with hate, greed, and fear.
 
 
 
 
*Some of these laws ban trans girls from playing on girls’ sport teams, ban drag performances, or allow public bathrooms to be used only by people presenting as the sex assigned at birth. (As an aside, I know of one young cisgender woman in a state with a bathroom ban who was kicked out of a concert for using the men’s bathroom when the line at the women’s bathroom was very long. Truly these laws have unintended consequences.) For purposes of this blog post, we focus on the anti-trans laws aimed at banning gender-affirming care.
 
**Counseling to help them understand gender dysphoria, to help them communicate their identity to family and friends, and to help them deal with the often cruel and hateful actions of others.
 
*** Discrimination and violence directed at trans teens and adults have a direct impact on their housing. For trans teens, 20-40% of homeless youth are trans; they are often turned out of their homes by their parents. One in five trans adults experience homelessness, one in five experience discrimination in housing, and one in ten are evicted because of their gender identity.
 
Additional definitions:

• Cisgender (or “cis”) is a person whose gender identity corresponds to their biological sex assigned to them at birth.
• Transgender (or “trans“) is a person whose gender identity does not correspond to their biological sex assigned at birth. A person assigned female at birth but who identifies as a man is called a transgender man or trans man. A person assigned male at birth but who identifies as a woman is called a transgender woman or trans woman.
• Nonbinary is the gender identity of a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. Some nonbinary people also identify under the larger umbrella of transgender.

 
For more information on anti-trans laws by state, see the American Civil Liberties Union’s website here.

To support vulnerable trans youth, consider giving to a suicide-prevention organization that focuses on LGBTQ+ youth called The Trevor Project.
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2023 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of a rainbow over the mountains on Maui, Hawaii.
 
 
NOTE: As mentioned above, the month of June is Pride Month. Here are some resources:  PBS, History.com, and the Smithsonian Institute.
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe.
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.  Matthew 5:9
 
 
As I walk toward an historical monument, the theme of a book I once read flashes through my mind on repeat: man’s inhumanity to man. Feeling sad and a bit overwhelmed, I photograph the building that was the only standing structure near the epicenter of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. While all other buildings around it were flattened, the A-Bomb Dome miraculously survived. It is a reminder of the destruction of which humans are capable.
 
On this spring day with the cherry trees in full bloom, it is difficult to imagine the horrors of that day and the subsequent weeks, months, and years. But walking through the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum brings the destruction into focus on a more personal level. Photographs of the people of Hiroshima, particularly of the children, tell the story of the devastation that engulfed the residents that day. A photograph, at first glance, looks like a picture of a tattoo gone awry; it is actually the imprint of a woman’s kimono that burned into her skin. People were maimed or killed. Many died later from the radiation. The temperature that day reached almost 7,200 Fahrenheit. People were crying out in thirst and trying to catch the black rain that fell from the sky to drink, not realizing that it was radioactive and would burn their insides. The chaos that engulfed them is difficult to comprehend, because at the time, they had no idea what had just destroyed them and their world.
 
I leave the museum and walk to clear my head. The images stick in my mind, despite the beauty of the blossoming cherry trees that line the river running by the museum. Man’s inhumanity to man has no limit.
 
Shortly after the museum visit, I tour Shukkeien Garden in Hiroshima. What a contrast the beauty of this peaceful place is with the horrors of the atomic bomb. That something so beautiful can be made from something so horrible is almost incomprehensible. Yet, the people of Hiroshima press on toward life. They believe there should never be another Hiroshima and today they work toward global peace to ensure it never happens again. What a story of forgiveness, fortitude, and grace.

There are many mini-Hiroshimas in our world today, from wars to mass shootings. May we, like the people of Hiroshima, work toward peace, globally and in our communities. May we take tangible steps to end violence and may we strive to make the world a better place, one of peace and forgiveness, and even of beauty.
 
 
God of peace and grace, how Your heart must break from man’s inhumanity to man. Violence indeed begets violence. While living under brutal Roman oppression, Jesus preached against violence, even retaliatory violence, saying that those who live by the sword will die by the sword. May we help create the kingdom on earth that Jesus talked about, where violence has no place and where people live in harmony with one another. What a heaven on earth that would be! Amen
 
 
Text and photographs copyright © 2023 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the A-Bomb Dome and Shukkeien Garden, both in Hiroshima, Japan.


NOTE: May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. To learn more, go to AsianPacificHeritage.gov, History.com, or PBS.

May is also Jewish American Heritage Month.
Check out JewishAmericanHeritage.org and JewishHeritageMonth.gov.


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A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  Galatians 6:2
 
 
Winding my way up the steep and slippery marble steps, I approach the summit. The ancient imposing structure is just ahead. But I hardly notice. Instead, I spy a smaller, more inviting columned building to my left that captures my attention and captivates my imagination.
 
I stand on the Acropolis, the hill that towers over Athens, Greece, where the iconic Parthenon has stood for millennia. Yet, the smaller temple called the Erechtheion is where I focus both my eyes and my camera lens. On the southern portion of this temple stands an ancient porch, the roof of which is supported by the most exquisite marble statues. Their braided hair and flowing gowns, carved so delicately and life-like, exude strength and fortitude.
 
Caryatids (pronounced “keh-ree-ah-tids” with the accent on the “ah”) denotes supporting columns that are in the shape of young women. This ensemble of six statues has graced the porch of the Erechtheion since 406BC. They have stood regally throughout time, turbulence, and forces that would have destroyed them. They are majestic, yet they are not royalty. They are stone, yet they are graceful. They are strong, yet they are burdened under the weight they carry. I stand mesmerized.
 
Legend has it that during the second Persian War in 480BC between the Persians and the Greeks, the Greek city of Caryae sided with the Persians. In addition, King Xerxes I of Persia (the same one in the Bible’s Book of Esther) received intel from a Caryae resident which proved pivotal in the Battle of Thermopylae, causing Greece to lose the battle. For their treachery, the men of Caryae were killed by their fellow Greeks and the town’s women were carried off into exile and forced to do hard labor.
 
My eyes continually sought the Caryatids throughout my time on the Acropolis. I wondered who they were and what was their story. Were they as majestic as they appeared or were they simply defiant? Did the weight on top of their heads represent the burdens they carried in life under difficult slave work? Were they to be admired for their beauty and strength or vilified for collaborating with the enemy? Or were they merely to be pitied for being caught up in the politics of the day?
 
I cannot help but wonder how I would feel if I had been in their shoes. To see my kinsmen murdered and to be carried off into slavery is difficult to even contemplate. To feel the weight of the injustice of it all would be too much to bear. Yet, many people today carry the burdens of injustice on their shoulders due to oppression, discrimination, and modern-day slavery. Do we even see them? Do we care? How can we take on their burdens and thus fulfill the law of love?
 
Memorialized in marble, this story of the maidens of Caryae has stood the test of time. Our response to injustice is a story not yet etched in stone. How will this story be memorialized in history? Only time will tell.
 
 
God, by bearing another’s burdens, I fulfill the law of Christ, that is, the law of love. Your commandments are to love You and to love people. By showing love, not judgment, I am better equipped to sympathize, empathize, and even grieve the burdens that weigh others’ down. May taking on another’s burden in love motivate me to work to eradicate their burden and dismantle the systems of injustice that created it. Amen.
 
 
NOTE: While Greece lost the Battle of Thermopylae, they ultimately won the war. Persia was defeated. Greece would move forward during a period of development that would mark the start of Western civilization. Today the Caryatids at the Erechtheion are well-made replicas. The original statues were moved to the Acropolis Museum in Athens to protect them from the elements. One statue, though, is missing from this museum; it was taken from the Erechtheion in 1802 by Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, and is currently on display at the British Museum, London. The Acropolis Museum holds an empty spot in hopes of its imminent return.
 
 
Text and photographs copyright © 2023 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Erechtheion with its porch supported by the Caryatids, at the Acropolis, Athens, Greece.
 
 
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A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™


The Caryatids at the porch of the Erechtheion, Athens, Greece:

The Erechtheion overlooking Athens, Greece:

The missing Caryatid, a replica at the Erechtheion of the one housed in the British Museum:

Close-up of a Caryatid at the Erechtheion:

The real Caryatids inside the Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece:

But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!  Amos 5:24
 
 
A young Black man is brutally murdered by people ostensibly hired to protect him. Community and national leaders send their thoughts and prayers. Is that enough? Delving into why this unarmed 29-year-old skateboarding, Fed-Ex working, father of a 4-year-old was fatally beaten, kicked, and tasered by Memphis police officers is revealing.
 
I write this on the day after Tyre Nichols’ funeral and a week after body cam video of the horrific and senseless beating by police officers was released. I can’t imagine what his family, friends, and co-workers are experiencing right now and how their hearts must be broken.
 
Killings by police officers happen at least 1,000 times per year in the US. An average of three people per day are murdered by police. In 2022, of the 1,048 people killed by police, 313 were Black, 502 were white, 17 were Native Americans, and 216 were Hispanics. While there are more white people killed by police than Black people, the rate at which Black people are killed is more than double that of white people (37 per million Black people vs 15 per million white people). The race of the officers who instigate these killings makes no difference.
 
Almost half of all Americans believe that these are random events or that these statistics are the result of a handful of bad actors. While there are some police officers who genuinely care for the communities in which they serve, these murders are the direct result of a systemic problem: an institution that rewards militant warriors, that trains police officers to exert power and brute force, and that uses military-grade weapons from the US armed forces. These are not one-off killings. This is not the result of the victims’ crimes or missteps. This is a system of police brutality.
 
Police brutality impacts all of us, directly and indirectly by killing people and by draining public funds. With its roots in racism, the many implications today disproportionately affect non-white people.
 
What is police brutality, how did it start, and how has this system of policing evolved to the point where many Americans, including whites, no longer trust the police with their protection? Police brutality can be defined as deadly or excessive physical force that is unnecessary in providing safety.
 
To trace the roots of the modern-day police department, we have to go back in history to colonial America. In the North, as early as 1636, night watchmen patrolled communities to guard against gambling and prostitution. By 1838, port cities like Boston had outgrown the use of night watchmen and had established their own police departments as a way of protecting their cargo at the docks. By the late 1880’s, driven by the influx of European immigrants (often seen as threatening to the existing population), all major US cities in the North had police departments. The first large-scale use of police brutality occurred during various labor strikes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to “control” these workers. The police were not held accountable.
 
Meanwhile, in the South, police departments evolved differently. In 1704, white slaveholders in the Carolinas created the first slave patrols to ensure slaves did not revolt, to confiscate any weapons possessed by slaves, and to return runaway slaves to their masters. The use of brutal force was common and encouraged. After the 13th amendment abolished slavery in 1865, slave patrols morphed into militia-style groups to enforce Black Codes which were laws during Reconstruction that restricted former slaves' civil rights, such as the right to work and the right to vote. By the 1900’s, municipalities had created police departments to enforce Jim Crow laws that had replaced Black Codes. Civil rights protests in the 1960’s against inequality and Jim Crow laws were met with excessive force by police.
 
Throughout this long history, the institution of slavery, the fear of immigrants, and the protests for civil rights have been threaded together with police brutality into a fabric of systemic racism and social injustice. History shows us that whenever Black people assert their civil rights, they are met with police violence. When the psyches of white people are embedded with the notion that Black people need surveillance for suspicious activities and that white people need to police them, police brutality will continue. Perhaps hearts and minds need to change as well as systems.
 
Policing often emphasizes control rather than safety and police brutality dehumanizes Black and brown people by not seeing them as fully human or created in the image of God. Systemic racism and inequality must be addressed for police brutality to end and officers must be held accountable for their actions. No one is above the law. Until then, “law and order” is a travesty of justice.
 
We need programs that will uphold the dignity of all people while creating public safety and justice. Just as hospitals are not the only solution to public health, police are not the only solution to public safety. There are many possible solutions. Some have already been tried and proven to be beneficial to compliment, not compete, with police work.
 
Only about 1% of all 911 emergency calls are actually violent emergencies where police officers need to respond. Some solutions involve rerouting nonviolent emergencies to mental health workers to reduce the amount of time police officers spend dealing with problems they were never meant to solve. This approach saves lives as well as public funds.
 
Crime prevention is another approach to public safety. Programs that provide addiction treatment and teach violence prevention can prevent crimes from happening. One interesting idea that has been proven to reduce gun violence is to provide green spaces in high-crime neighborhoods by cleaning up vacant lots and abandoned buildings. There are many other ideas that can work to reduce crime and can cost less than traditional policing.
 
Police reform is difficult because each state has its own laws and budget regarding policing. With laws often being too vague and with the shield of “qualified immunity”, police officers are not held accountable. Powerful police unions are adept at protecting their members from accountability, particularly in preventing them from being fired. When criminal charges fail, victims’ families often sue the police department involved. When they win, the settlement costs are borne by taxpayers.
 
If state governments and municipalities could rethink traditional policing, they could create public safety programs that would save lives and lower costs to taxpayers. Because there is no one-size-fits-all program, each community should tailor programs to fit their unique challenges.
 
What can we as ordinary citizens do? We can call or write our representatives in Congress to encourage them to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act*. We can contact our state legislators and local leaders to push for change. We can also give to organizations like the NAACP that are in the fight to protect people from police brutality.
 
The horrendous murder of Tyre Nichols is unimaginable. How can we reimagine a better way to justly maintain order in our society while respecting human life? Will we dare to create a new system of public safety that provides various resources to address both violent and nonviolent emergencies? Can we imagine a better world where people are safe in their communities? I think it’s possible. But it requires more than thoughts and prayers.
 
 
Lord, through Your prophet Amos, You condemn our worship of You as hollow when we ignore the systems of oppression and injustice in our midst. Forgive me when I fail to see that Your desire for justice is like a fast-flowing river, a flash flood, that will overtake these brutal systems and destroy them. Help me work with You in dismantling these oppressive systems and in creating safer communities that respect all human life. Amen.
 
 
** Under the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, most no-knock warrants and the use of choke holds would be prohibited. Police officers would be held accountable with less or limited qualified immunity. The transfer of military-grade equipment to police departments would be limited. Training would be required regarding what to do when other officers use excessive force. Federal officers would be required to wear body cameras. A national registry would be created for complaints against officers. As an incentive, noncompliance by states would reduce their federal funding. While this is not comprehensive enough, it is a good first step.
 
Note: Solutions to public safety recognize that crime is linked to both poverty and inequality. Addressing these underlying causes of crime are needed as well but are beyond the scope of this blog post.
 
 
Text and photographs copyright © 2023 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Lead photo of waterfalls at Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia.
 
 
MARCH IS WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH. Check out https://womenshistorymonth.gov/ and https://www.pbs.org/show/womens-history-month/ .
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe.
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
 
Some of the many waterfalls at Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia:

Limestone cliffs reflect in a lake at Plitvice Lakes National Park:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
-  Excerpt from The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus
   (This poem in its entirety is engraved at the base of the Statue of Liberty.)
 
 
Rumors swirled through the streets. Idle gossip slithered through the market stalls. Who were these wealthy foreigners who had appeared, after traveling for weeks, and bestowed the most expensive gifts on a certain child? Did these strangers also bear warnings to his parents that their son’s life was in danger? Perhaps these new parents worried for their son’s safety as they wondered what to do. But God had a plan. Through a dream, He directed their path.
 
The start of the liturgical season of Epiphany marks the time when the Magi, sometimes referred to as the Three Kings, travel a great distance to follow a bright star in the heavens.  When this celestial light stops over a stable housing a poor couple and their swaddled infant, the Magi worship the Christ Child and lavish Him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:1-12). Do they suspect King Herod’s nefarious plan to kill Jesus? Perhaps they warn the new parents. Perhaps Joseph isn’t convinced of the danger or is unsure of a plan, until through a dream, God instructs him and his family to flee (Matthew 2:13-18*).
 
Leaving in the middle of the night, Joseph and Mary escape with the Infant Jesus to cross the border at Egypt. How tired they must have been from traveling so far. How hungry they must have been. How traumatized they must have been from having to flee for their very lives.
 
The Bible doesn’t speak to the Holy Family’s time in Egypt. But we do know that they were foreigners in a foreign land. Immigrants. Refugees. Did Mary and Joseph speak Egyptian? It’s doubtful. They had to navigate a new country with its different language, customs, laws, and even different food. Nothing was familiar to them. They had to find a new home, not knowing how long they would be staying. They arrived at the border with no sponsor, no connections, and no place to live. What if they weren’t even safe there? What if Herod’s reach extended into Egypt?
 
Yes, God had told them to flee to Egypt. Through the Magi, He also provided rich gifts that perhaps were used to buy food and housing or used to barter for clothing and furniture. Or maybe those gifts provided a place for Joseph to set up a carpentry shop to create his craft in his newly adopted country.
 
I can’t help but think of the parallels today of people who are compelled to leave violent or horrendous living conditions in search of a safer and better life for themselves and their children. Like Joseph and Mary, they travel long distances, often on foot, to reach the southern US border.
 
Their plight differs from that of the Holy Family. Instead of living quiet lives in their new home country, they encounter hostility. Many are forced to turn around and return to the violence they thought they left behind. Some are forced to wait in unsafe places in Mexico. And some are misled to board buses to the north, arriving on a frigid Christmas Eve without food or blankets at the official residence of the US Vice President. (This actually happened when Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) sent 3 busloads of immigrants this past Christmas to Washington, DC, without food, warm clothes, or blankets and abandoned them at the official VP residence.) Others, deceived by lies of promised jobs in Martha’s Vineyard, were flown in private planes to Massachusetts by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R). New York City and Chicago are also frequent destinations of this type of forced travel from border states. Like pawns in a political chess game, these helpless immigrants in search of a better life are tossed around like unwanted trash.
 
Yet in God’s eyes, they are valuable. They are created in His image.
 
In Matthew 25:35, Jesus says, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger [foreigner] and you invited me in.” Jesus says that whatever you do for the least of these, you do for Him. The consequences of not doing for the least of these is eternal punishment, the antithesis of eternal life (Matthew 25:45-46**).
 
In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus calls all people from all nations. He judges individual actions, but He also judges nations. How will the US be judged by God for its mistreatment of refugees at the southern border? I shudder to think how we’ve missed the mark.
 
For our lack of compassion, we will be judged.
 
From a practical standpoint, refusing entry to hundreds of thousands of immigrants will have dire consequences and not just for the immigrants themselves. With Baby Boomers retiring, the current labor shortage will only worsen, but it can be mitigated with the influx of refugees. Perhaps hard-working people from other countries can help fill this gap, and in the process, help fulfill their own dreams of living in a safer country and being able to provide for their children.
 
Before the Holy Family’s flight, the Hebrew people had been slaves in Egypt. After God, through Moses, rescued them, He tells them in Deuteronomy 10:18-19, that “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.”
 
What if you found yourself in a situation where you had to flee your home country? Would you want to be treated as if you were cattle? Would you want to be kept in cages or forced to be bused or flown to an unknown part of a foreign country with no resources? The Bible’s Golden Rule*** tells us how to respond to the refugees at our border. Will we obey it?
 
Jesus was a refugee in Egypt. Perhaps if we saw Jesus in each of the children and adults arriving at our border, we’d seek better and quicker solutions to the situation. We’d write to our representatives in Congress to implore them to seek humane treatment for those arriving destitute, traumatized, and afraid. We’d vote for politicians who see these immigrants as people created in God’s image and who promise to help them (and who work to fulfill those promises). Perhaps we’d support organizations that work to help immigrants, from the legal aspects of seeking asylum to helping them find housing and employment. In doing so, maybe we’d be placed on Jesus’ right, with the “sheep”, who Jesus rewards with eternal life in heaven. If only we truly did for the least of these.
 
 
Heavenly Father, may I see refugees and immigrants as people created in Your image. May I extend the compassion of Christ in practical ways, not only to help them one-on-one, but also to work to undo the chains of oppression and the systems of repression that seek to do them harm. May I treat immigrants and refugees as I would want to be treated, with compassion, kindness, and love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
 
 
NOTE: There are many immigration lawyers who work, often for free or on fellowships, to help immigrants and refugees at the border. These organizations, like Immigrant Justice Corps (https://justicecorps.org/), need your support to do all the work they need to do. Other organizations, like Lutheran Immigration and Resettlement Services (www.lirs.org), seek to resettle refugees and immigrants into the community, helping them find a new home, paying the rental deposit and several months’ rent, and also helping them find employment, if they can actually legally obtain work. For more info on organizations serving immigrants and refugees, check out Charity Navigators at https://www.charitynavigator.org/search?q=immigration.
 
Immigration laws in the US are in need of reform. Read up on this issue to learn more and to learn how you can help. See https://www.immigrationadvocates.org/news/ to get started. Write to your representatives in Congress to put this issue in the forefront. Check local organizations where you live to see who is actively helping to resettle refugees and see how you can help.
 
 
 
*Matthew 2:13-15: When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
 
**Matthew 25:45-46: “He (Jesus) will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
 
***The Golden Rule - Matthew 7:12 – [Jesus says,] “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2023 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the replica of the Statue of Liberty, Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris, France.
 
Do you know the story behind the Statue of Liberty? Click here to see photos and to learn more.
 
February is Black History month. Click here to learn more.
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe.
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.

Social justice puts that love into action by helping individuals who are oppressed, mistreated, or suffering, and by pursuing ways to dismantle systems of oppression. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).

Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth…And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.  1 John 3:17-18, 23
 
 
Believe. A word we see during the Christmas season scrolled onto ornaments and lettered onto greeting cards. But what does it really mean to believe?
 
Natalie Wood, as the young Susan in the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street, mechanically repeats the words, “I believe, I believe, I believe”, then adds, “I know it’s silly, but I believe.” Susan struggles throughout the film to believe that Kris Kringle, the kind old man that works at Macy’s, is indeed Santa Claus.
 
It’s isn’t difficult to understand Susan’s initial disbelief. After all, her mother Doris has not allowed any fairy tales or other childhood imaginative games to enter into Susan’s life. Devoid of practicing her imagination, Susan seeks reality and truth, not princesses, giants, or Santa. Only in spending time with Kris does Susan realize his true identity. As she sees him interact with other children, her doubts start to dissolve. Her belief solidifies when he delivers her nearly impossible Christmas wish.
 
Believe, according to the dictionary, is to have confidence in the existence or truth of something. When we say we believe in God, we are saying we believe God exists and we believe in the truths of His teachings. But it’s more than just an acknowledgement of His existence.
 
Believe goes further than head knowledge. The word can be deconstructed to mean “be – live” or to live by. To believe in something is more than intellectual acquiescence. It’s putting our belief into action.
 
Belief is not just a nod to some theological thought that Jesus is the Son of God. What if belief requires us to “live by”, to live out that thought in our daily lives? What if belief requires us to do as Jesus did and to do as Jesus said, that is, to love people in ways that meet their needs?
 
Jesus Himself pointed out this difference between mere belief and live-by. In Matthew 25:31-46, He speaks of separating the sheep from the goats; that is, He will judge all people on how well they followed His example of giving food to the poor, water to the thirsty, shelter to the foreigner, clothes to the naked, care for the sick, and visits to those in prison. Jesus says whatever we did for others, we’ve essentially done for Him. Jesus rewards or punishes us according to how well we’ve loved our neighbors. The love we show is directly proportional to the reward we receive (or don’t receive). The love we put into action, not mere intellectual agreement with the belief that Jesus exists, determines our eternal fate. Note that both groups, those rewarded as well as those punished, acknowledge Jesus as Lord. Yet Jesus judges them based on how they lived. It’s about deeds, not words or convictions, and the consequences are eternal. (See Matthew 25:31-46, especially verses 45-46, below.*) James 2:26 states, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” To believe in our hearts and minds is not enough: we must act upon those beliefs in very tangible ways.
 
How we act upon those beliefs is explained by Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40** where He calls us to love our neighbors. It’s the second greatest commandment after loving God with our whole being. Jesus goes even further to say that everything else hinges from these two precepts. What if believe means to live by Jesus’ command to actually and practically love our neighbors? If we fail to do so, we may indeed perjure ourselves of our purported theology. As our key verse states, how can God’s love be in us?
 
Faith is about believing but it is also, more importantly, about living by. If we live like Jesus lived, with compassion and love for other people, then faith is less about the inner journey of sanctification, Bible studies, and Christian retreats. Instead, it is the public path of love: living by and living out His love as we love our neighbors, particularly those less fortunate than ourselves.
 
 
Lord, may we follow in Your footsteps to be counted as sheep with the reward of heaven rather than goats with the punishment of hell. May we live out our belief in You by responding to the needs of “the least of these” with practical help delivered with kindness, compassion, and love. May justice, not judgment, rule. And may we truly believe. Amen.
 
 
 
*Matthew 25:45-46: “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
 
**Matthew 22:37-40: Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2023 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of street art in the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris, France.
 
 
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe.
 
 
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.
 
Social justice puts that love into action. Love pursues justice for those oppressed, mistreated, or suffering. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).
 
Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

”But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”  Luke 14:13-14
 
 
In a lowly trough as an outcast in a town that refuses to offer a poor family a room, Jesus is born. He does not come as a chubby, white infant wrapped in a silk blanket but rather as a poor, brown baby wrapped in the stench of a stable.
 
Jesus was born a poor child, into a family with no wealth.
 
During His ministry, Jesus declares He has no place to lay His head. (Matthew 8:20)
 
Jesus was homeless.
 
As He breathes his last excruciating breath on a cross, soldiers cast lots to divide up His garments, His only clothes (Matthew 27:35).
 
Jesus died in poverty.
 
In Luke 4:16-21, Jesus reads His mission statement from the book of Isaiah. His purpose in coming to earth is to bring good news to the poor and to free the oppressed. He never wavers from it. From His birth, life, and death, He identifies with humanity, but especially and specifically with the poor, the homeless, and the hungry.
 
When His disciples are shocked at the waste of expensive perfume to anoint His feet, Jesus tells them, “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.” (Matthew 26:11) While some use this verse on the poor as an excuse to not bother trying to eradicate poverty, others see Jesus’ statement as a commentary on oppression. There will always be poor people because there will always be oppression. There will always be people who greedily clamber for power and wealth so they can lord it over others. They build pyramids of power, the top of which they each seek to claim. Inequity enables them to gain great wealth. The poor become poorer.
 
In coming to live and die among the poor and the oppressed, Jesus points the way not to a kingdom as much as to a community. It is not hierarchical; it’s communal. It is not a pyramid; it’s a table.
 
Life in Jesus’ kingdom is not about power and greed, but rather it’s a table that is inclusive and full of love, mercy, and justice. It’s a place where all are welcome and no one is turned away. It’s where everyone, especially the poor, has an equal seat at the table and no one goes hungry. (Luke 14:13-14)
 
Jesus came to turn society on its head by aligning Himself with the poor, the marginalized, and the disenfranchised.
 
When we behold the manger and gaze toward the cross, we see a Savior who asks not the question, “If you died tonight, will you go to heaven?”, but rather He asks, “What did you do for the least of these?” (See Matthew 25:31-46.*) In Jesus’ economy, the answer is decisive: eternal fate hangs in the balance. Those who do not love the least of these are condemned to hell. Those who follow Jesus’ example of caring for the poor and powerless are called righteous and granted eternal life. The answer to this all-important question is transformative - both now in community and for all eternity.
 
 
When heavenly light shines on a smelly stable, may our epiphany begin where the God of heaven becomes the Poor on earth. May we take to heart Jesus’ commandments to love God and love people. May we demonstrate our love for God by carrying out His mission to the poor and oppressed. May we find the true Son of God at table and may we see the true path to heaven as loving as He loved, especially the least of these. Amen.
 
 
*In response to the question, “What did you do for the least of these?”, Jesus tells us the consequences in Matthew 25:45-46: “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
 
 
Text and photographs copyright © 2022 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of Bernardino Luini’s “Last Supper” fresco painted in 1529 on the wall of the Santa Maria degli Angioli church in Lugano, Switzerland; Luini was a student of Leonardo da Vinci.
 
 
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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Luini’s “Last Supper” was painted as a triptych.

View of Lugano, Switzerland, overlooking the steeple of the Santa Maria degli Angioli church.