Message Seven, January 10, 2010<\/p>\n
By Pastor Doug Slagle, The Gathering UCC
\n\u00a9Doug Slagle, 2010; all rights reserved.<\/p>\n
When he was asked whether a true person of God should pay taxes to the hated Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, Jesus replied that one should distinguish matters relating to God from those that relate to civil government \u2013 \u201cRender unto Caesar what is Caesar\u2019s and unto God what is God\u2019s\u201d.<\/em><\/strong> This application, often ignored by those seeking to advance a religious political agenda, indicates that for Jesus, at least, religion and politics should not mix.\u00a0 Religion concerns itself with spiritual matters concerning questions of meaning, existence and ethics.\u00a0 Religion, therefore, must maintain a healthy distance \u2013 a separation as Thomas Jefferson put it \u2013 between itself and the mundane aspects of governance, power and leadership.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This line drawn by Jesus, and echoed by the framers of our constitution in the first amendment, is nevertheless blurry and subject to interpretation.\u00a0 Throughout history, people have sought to blend these two areas of human concern creating theocratic governments or laws where the public life of a nation is guided by religious leaders, institutions and scriptures.\u00a0 As I believe we all agree, such governments are inherently undemocratic since one\u2019s spiritual beliefs are a personal concern involving the right to think and believe as one wishes.<\/p>\n My concern for us, though, is where do matters of spiritual significance intersect with the laws and practices of a nation?\u00a0 Are there universal principles that transcend religion and politics such that they ought to be the right of every living person?\u00a0 Almost every religion holds that the right to live is foundational and that no individual or government has the right to arbitrarily kill.\u00a0 Derived from that right, I believe, are related rights that enable<\/span><\/em><\/strong> one to exist.\u00a0 For instance, how can one have the right to live if one is unable to acquire the minimum needs of nutrition?\u00a0 As such, I believe access to basic nutrition is a fundamental human right derived from that which we all acknowledge is the right to live.<\/p>\n For my message series this month, I want to examine with you those spiritually derived rights which I contend are NOT of a political or civil origin.\u00a0 They are basic divine rights that originated with the first human.\u00a0 This week, I will examine the issue of healthcare.\u00a0 It is certainly a political hot potato at the moment.\u00a0 I believe, however, that it should not be.\u00a0 Every Pastor and every church throughout the land ought to be concerned with this issue since I propose it has intrinsic spiritual implications that far surpass any political arguments.<\/p>\n Next Sunday, I want to examine the struggle for civil rights in the light of spirituality and religion.\u00a0 Just as the fight for equal rights for African-Americans was a religious issue, I believe the same extends to the struggle for gay, lesbian and transgender rights.\u00a0 I will examine that issue, in a spiritual light, in the third message of this series.<\/p>\n It is my firm belief, as the subject of today\u2019s message, that all humans have a universal right to basic healthcare. \u00a0And this right, in my mind, is derived not from any person, government or religious<\/span><\/em><\/strong> organization.\u00a0 It is a divine right, a part of the moral imagination in us all, that the resources of this universe, as they are discovered and made known, are to be shared so that every person can enjoy his or her life through access to the basics of healthcare \u2013 the fundamental, spiritual right to be made well and live.<\/p>\n In this sense, I believe spirituality and public civil policy intersect.\u00a0 Governments exist in order to protect the people and to allow for them to realize their basic human rights given to us by our creator \u2013 whether that be God, some other Divine force or simply the mysterious forces of nature.\u00a0 I submit it is in the interest of our creator, whoever or whatever that might be, that we not only live – but that we live as long as possible, in good health, within the limits of knowledge and resources.<\/p>\n This is a spiritual interest \u2013 one of mystery, morality and divinity.\u00a0 We cannot fully explain why we are here or understand our complete purpose in existence but this we do know \u2013 we live, life is finite and the self-interest of ourselves and our species mandates that we preserve ourselves and our health as long as possible.<\/p>\n The god force in us all demands equal, affordable and basic healthcare for each and every person.\u00a0 This is, therefore, not a civil right but a spiritual imperative and a divine right.<\/p>\n The Biblical creation story, as we all know, concludes with God making man and woman.\u00a0 The Bible story in the book of Genesis says:<\/p>\n God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>reflecting our nature<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>the birds in the air, the cattle,<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>and, yes, Earth itself,\u00a0and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”\u00a0God created human beings;\u00a0God created them godlike,\u00a0reflecting God’s nature.\u00a0God created them male and female. For Jews and Christians, the message of this passage is clear.\u00a0 The creative force of the universe \u2013 God \u2013 uniquely created only two things, man and woman, to be like the divine, to be godlike and god beautiful.<\/p>\n As humans, we possess the ability to know, feel and experience all of the mysterious forces at work in the universe.\u00a0 We alone understand the powerful forces of birth and death and we alone have advance knowledge of our own demise.\u00a0 Our bodies are vessels of the holy and of the mysteries of existence.\u00a0 We control our own destinies as well as those of all other living creatures.\u00a0 We are masters of all that surrounds us.\u00a0 No other living or material thing comes close.\u00a0 We are gods of our universe.<\/p>\n If this is so, then human existence has purpose and is worthy.\u00a0 We have responsibilities to the world around us and to ourselves.\u00a0 We were created in God\u2019s image such that the care and maintenance of our bodies is important and holy.\u00a0 Our health is, therefore, of divine importance.<\/p>\n As Paul wrote in his first letter to the churches in Corinth:<\/p>\n \u2026Didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit?\u00a0 Let people see God in and through your body.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n And Jesus declares his purpose, as described in the book of Matthew, when he preached in a synagogue that:<\/p>\n The Spirit of the Lord is on me,<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>because God has anointed me<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>to preach good news to the poor.<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>God has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>and recovery of sight for the blind<\/span><\/em><\/strong>,<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>to release the oppressed.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n And later, also in Matthew\u2019s gospel, it is written about Jesus,<\/p>\n A lot of people followed him, and he <\/em><\/strong>healed<\/span><\/em><\/strong> them all. He also cautioned them to keep it quiet, following guidelines set down by Isaiah:<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>Look well at my handpicked servant;<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>I love him so much, take delight in him.<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>I’ve placed my Spirit on him;<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>he’ll decree justice<\/span> to the nations.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Clearly, the writers of the gospels saw Jesus as a healer, as one who brought compassion and care for the afflictions and sufferings of others.\u00a0 Added to that concern, was the connection between healing and bringing justice to the nations.\u00a0 Jesus was a unique and inspiring person, I believe, precisely because he was focused on issues of social justice.\u00a0 God\u2019s heart and God\u2019s love is concerned with matters like poverty, human suffering and fairness.\u00a0 If God so loved<\/span><\/em><\/strong> the world that he sent Jesus to teach and heal us in matters of social justice, then it stands to reason that our health is important to God.\u00a0 Thus, it is not universal healthcare or socialized medicine or Obamacare that Congress is attempting to enact, it is \u2013 forgive me for coining a silly word \u2013 \u201cJesuscare.\u201d<\/p>\n This is made evident when Jesus sends out his disciples to spread the gospel \u2013 the good news of his teachings \u2013 he specifically asks them to not only preach the news of what God is really like, but to offer healing<\/em><\/strong> services to the people they encounter.\u00a0 Preaching of the gospel is linked to the physical well-being and health of others.<\/p>\n Jesus spent much of his time urging the rich and powerful to have concern for the sick.\u00a0 And, as a living example, he physically healed scores of people \u2013 the blind, the lame, the deaf, the lepers, and the infirm.\u00a0 Bodily health and putting an end to physical suffering were hallmarks of Jesus\u2019 efforts.\u00a0 It is not hyperbole that people throughout history have called Jesus the \u201cGreat Physician\u201d.<\/p>\n Jesus also urged us to create heaven on earth.\u00a0 His vision of this heaven is described in the concluding book in the Bible \u2013 the book of Revelation \u2013 which says:<\/p>\n Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, \u201cLook, God\u2019s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n When Jesus declared at the outset of his ministry that \u201cthe Kingdom of God is here\u201d, he made clear that heaven is to be built here and now.\u00a0 We are not to sit and wait and pray for heaven.\u00a0 We are to build it and create it.\u00a0 If it is to, indeed, be heaven, it must be a place where tears and pain and unnecessary illnesses or deaths are unknown.<\/p>\n There can be no doubt then, that codified strongly within the Jewish and Christian traditions is a respect for the human body and its health.\u00a0 If men and women were created in God\u2019s image, then it stands to reason that as Paul wrote, we should see God in each other and in our bodies.<\/p>\n And, what do we know of other sources of divine truth in this world \u2013 the beliefs of other religions regarding the holiness of our bodies and our health?<\/p>\n Hindus<\/strong> have great respect for the human body.\u00a0 Their call is for us to have mercy and compassion on all created things.\u00a0 The expression of the soul and the ability to live in harmony with oneself and with others is vitally dependent on good health and good nutrition for Hindus.\u00a0 Wisdom and knowledge are realized only by having a fully functioning body and good health.<\/p>\n For the Buddhist<\/strong>, the body is a vessel to be used to attain nirvana and to end the endless cycle of birth and death.\u00a0 While Buddhists seek to disengage themselves from bodily needs and desires, such cannot be accomplished without the ability to meditate on such matters.\u00a0 A healthy body is necessary for effective meditation.\u00a0 For Buddhists, people have individual responsibilities to control their self-centered impulses but society and governments have equal responsibilities to provide healthcare and a living environment that is safe and healthy.<\/p>\n Muslims<\/strong> also see humanity as unique and as god created.\u00a0 The preservation of life and bodily health, despite the actions of fundamentalists, is a command and obligation of all.\u00a0 Rumi, the Islamic Sufi mystic, once wrote: \u201cYou\u2019re more precious than both the heavens and the earth.\u00a0 What more can I say?\u00a0 You don\u2019t even know what you\u2019re worth and the cost paid to create you.\u201d <\/em><\/strong>In this regard, Muslim views of human value and health are immense.\u00a0 Our physical well-being is vital.<\/p>\n Native Americans and Eskimos believe in the sacredness of healing powers.\u00a0 To be a healer is a high calling and worthy of great respect.\u00a0 For native-Americans, good health and spirituality are one and the same.\u00a0 People who are healthy live in balance and respect the sacred aspects of all creatures and all people.\u00a0 The high honor given to shamans and healers correlates with the high value placed on human health by Native Americans.<\/p>\n In the ancient story of Cain and Abel, who were Adam and Eve\u2019s sons, Cain becomes envious of Abel\u2019s success and his prowess at farming and raising cattle.\u00a0 It seemed, in Cain\u2019s eyes, that Abel was God\u2019s favorite.\u00a0 And so Cain kills his brother Abel in a jealous rage.\u00a0 When God asks of Cain, \u201cWhere is Abel?\u201d, Cain sarcastically turns the table on God and asks \u201cAm I my brother\u2019s keeper?\u201d<\/p>\n The answer by God, of course, was an emphatic \u201cyes!\u201d\u00a0 Cain was to endure a lifetime living with the mark of God\u2019s anger upon him.\u00a0 The mark of Cain was an ancient scarlet letter for it was a reminder that indeed we are<\/span><\/em><\/strong> our brother\u2019s and our sister\u2019s keepers and it is to our shame when we fall short.<\/p>\n I believe just one modern day mark of Cain on us all is the story of a seriously hurt woman who lacks health insurance.\u00a0 As many of you may recall, this past August 5th<\/sup> a deranged man, with a hatred for women, walked into a Pittsburgh gym, shot and killed four women and critically injured five others.\u00a0 One of the injured women, 22 year old Heather Sherba, was seriously shot in the back and leg.\u00a0 She faces years of further surgery and rehabilitation.\u00a0 Beyond surviving the tragedy of being shot, Heather must now also survive the tragedy of life without health insurance, of possible bankruptcy due to unpaid medical bills and of substandard care because she does not have access to the best hospitals and physicians.\u00a0 In a sad and lamentable irony, her friends have held a series of benefit car washes!!<\/span><\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Yes car washes – to try and raise money to help defray the hundreds of thousands of dollars she faces in health care bills.<\/p>\n Please forgive me for sounding righteous or indignant, but this is but one story among millions that, for want of a better word, is a disgrace.\u00a0 If we speak of a collective moral imagination, of a collective desire to work for the betterment of each individual so that we are all better off, are we not Heather Sherba\u2019s keeper?\u00a0 Is this sister of ours not worthy of the human dignity to be cured of her injuries in a manner that is affordable and fair?\u00a0 Do we ask for car wash charity for the Heather\u2019s of this world now or do we insist on the holy right of all humans to affordable healthcare?<\/p>\n I rejoice with many of you because passage of some form of heath reform appears to be near.\u00a0 Despite a possible bill\u2019s many flaws, for the first time in our nation\u2019s history, if a compromise can be passed by congress, we will approach near universal health insurance.<\/p>\n My purpose here today is not to, as I discussed at the outset, push for a political agenda.\u00a0 It is to advocate for a spiritual and divine right.\u00a0 It is to advance what I previously called \u201cJesuscare\u201d or, perhaps, \u201cBuddhacare\u201d, \u201cMohammedcare\u201d or even \u201cGreat Spiritcare\u201d.\u00a0 The point is that I am advancing a spiritual imperative for being our brother\u2019s and sister\u2019s keepers when it comes to healthcare.\u00a0 We should not accept that any person ever go without access to, or the ability to afford, basic and lifesaving healthcare.<\/p>\n Here are some facts for our consideration that might help persuade us of the need for being collective keepers of each others\u2019 health:<\/p>\n As with any right that we possess, it also stands to reason that we have a responsibility to exercise<\/span><\/em><\/strong> that right.\u00a0 We cannot, for instance, simply sit back and expect that others will always provide for our basic needs.\u00a0 In this instance, while I believe humans have a right to affordable, basic healthcare, we also have the divine obligation to preserve and respect our own personal health.\u00a0 This might include maintaining a proper diet, getting sufficient exercise, time for meditation, regular medical check-ups and adequate sleep.\u00a0 We all know the things we should do to be healthy.\u00a0 Thus, as much as we are called to be our brother\u2019s and sister\u2019s keepers in terms of healthcare, we are also to be a keeper of our own health.<\/p>\n My call for a national moral imagination on this issue is not to say that there are not abundant examples of many who work for justice in the healthcare field.\u00a0 There are physician groups around the world who travel on mission trips to medically tend to the poor.\u00a0 I have participated and helped organize several such trips to Haiti and to Belize at my previous churches.\u00a0 Indeed, as much we need a national healthcare system in this country, in some nations there is simply no medical infrastructure.\u00a0 In Haiti, for instance, people regularly die because they contract skin infections that could have been treated with simple antibiotics or prevented by the use of soap.\u00a0 Children are sick, malnourished and often die because their bodies are full of intestinal worms and parasites \u2013 all for the lack of an inexpensive de-worming pill.<\/p>\n Recently, in Los Angeles, the Remote Area Medical Charity group decided to offer a free medical clinic near the downtown.\u00a0 The response was overwhelming.\u00a0 Over 1500 people per day were seen in the clinic and over 500 people per day had to be turned away.\u00a0 These numbers were a clear example that even in the United States, access to affordable care is often similar to that in the third-world.\u00a0 But, there are compassionate and caring and morally imaginative doctors, nurses and others who reach out daily to try and offer some hope.<\/p>\n A few weeks ago I shared a story about my father which may have painted him in an unflattering light.\u00a0 My father is a complex man who is at turns homophobic, loud and arrogant.\u00a0 He is also a generous, compassionate and occasionally, surprisingly open-minded.\u00a0 He practiced for nearly forty years as a plastic surgeon performing all of the various cosmetic procedures like facelifts, liposuction and breast augmentations.\u00a0 But his most rewarding surgeries, as he reports, were those where he used his skills to restore the face of someone severely injured in a car accident, or to correct the congenital birth defect of cleft lips and palates or to perform extensive skin grafts on those who are horribly burned.\u00a0 During his years in practice, he took care of a gentleman who lived in rural Clermont County and who worked on his small farm.\u00a0 Mr. Koester was diabetic and, of course, had no health insurance since he worked for himself.\u00a0 As you know, diabetics have circulation problems and often develop open sores and skin ulcers on their legs and feet.\u00a0 Mr. Koester had several and faced amputation of his legs.\u00a0 Sadly, many insurance companies would have determined that amputation was the most cost-effective treatment for him but he would not have been able to maintain his farm.<\/p>\n Twice a week, for over ten years, Mr. Koester came into my dad\u2019s office where his leg and feet skin ulcers were treated, properly bandaged and often surgically treated with skin grafts.\u00a0 He could not afford to pay for these services and he had no insurance as he was too young for Medicare and, since he owned his farm, could not qualify for Medicaid.\u00a0 My dad faithfully and happily treated him at no charge.\u00a0 It often struck my family and others as humorous and poignant to see Mr. Koester, dressed in his stained farm overalls, sitting in the waiting room alongside various high-fashion women from Indian Hill or other areas waiting for their facelift check-ups.<\/p>\n Mr. Koester would bring bushels of tomatoes or other produce to my father as thanks for his treatment and he was always immensely appreciative of his care.\u00a0 After ten years, he finally reached age 65 when he qualified for Medicare and my dad could begin receiving pay for his services.<\/p>\n In this year of 2010, people in the wealthiest nation in the world should not have to depend on the charity of others to simply be healthy.\u00a0 It is written in the Bible that when Jesus heard about the death of his good friend Lazurus, he cried.\u00a0 It is the shortest verse in the Bible.\u00a0 It reads simply, \u201cJesus wept.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n I believe that the Jesus who inspires us and who calls us to our better selves weeps<\/span><\/em><\/strong> at the Heather Sherbas of this world who must rely on car washes to pay for healthcare \u2013 or for the Mr. Koester\u2019s who work hard all of their lives and yet must pay their doctor with tomatoes or, worse, have their legs amputated because they cannot afford medical treatment.<\/p>\n I often speak to you of what I believe is the real God at work in this world \u2013 it is the human moral imagination which sees collective unity, cooperation and compassion as the solution to our common well-being.\u00a0 It calls us to be angels to one another, to live in each others\u2019 skins, to be present<\/em><\/strong> with other people and other creatures so that we might have insight into the thinking of those beyond ourselves.\u00a0 This collective empathy is, oddly, a driving force in human history and, I believe, it is our destiny.\u00a0 We succumb to our base and evil instincts from time to time.\u00a0 We hate, we fight, we kill and we deny the dignity of others.\u00a0 But our moral imaginations beckon us to be different.\u00a0 To be transformed.\u00a0 To be living Jesus\u2019, living Mohammads, living Buddhas and living Krishnas.\u00a0 Let us be gods to each other.\u00a0 Let us cry out and demand that basic healthcare is not a privilege reserved for just a few.\u00a0 It is God-given, God-spoken and God-desired.\u00a0 While we can all hope Congress and President Obama soon pass health reform legislation, that is not the point of this message or of our thoughts today.\u00a0 We come here every week because we aspire to a higher Truth about ourselves and our world.\u00a0 Let us aspire to the Truth that your health and my health are precious, valuable and worthy of our collective care.\u00a0 As we are holy, so is our health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Message Seven, January 10, 2010 By Pastor Doug Slagle, The Gathering UCC \u00a9Doug Slagle, 2010; all rights reserved. When he was asked whether a true person of God should pay taxes to the hated Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, Jesus replied that one should distinguish matters relating to God from those that relate to civil government […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nGod blessed them:\u00a0“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!\u00a0God looked over everything he and she had made;\u00a0it was so good, so very good!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n