SB LVIII: Service vs. Materialism

by Steve Harsh, posted in Christian Discipleship, Faith and Values, purpose

The “He Gets Us” television ad that aired during Super Bowl LVIII has prompted a lot of criticism from many of my liberal/progressive friends because of the huge cost of the ads. Those critics argue that all those millions of dollars could have been put to much better use feeding and housing people experiencing homelessness for example.

I understand those concerns, and upon learning that the ads are funded by theologically and politically conservative donors I get it even more. I must admit however that when I first watched the ad of people of different races and ethnicities washing each others feet I was favorably moved by that message, and I am sorry to have that positive narrative spoiled by knowing the back story.

The commercials that bothered me much more on the other hand were the hyper-materialistic message of the “shop like a billionaire” spots offered from the Chinese company Temu. That self-centered prosperity gospel message is a full 180 degrees opposite to the foot washing images of the “He Gets Us” commercials, and yet I have seen no objections being raised at all about that troubling message.

Not only is materialism a huge threat to basic Christian values, these commercials come from a company notorious for undercutting prices of American manufacturers by using what amounts to slave labor.

So the question for me is one of ethics. Is it better to promote a good message for the wrong reasons or to spout a false message blatantly? The “shop like a billionaire” ads seem totally wrong-headed. God knows we already have too many billionaires (Taylor Swift being one of a few notable exceptions) using their ill-gotten wealth for nefarious purposes. Promoting the prosperity gospel to the masses of gullible people only spreads that total distortion of Jesus’ message. I don’t know if the “He gets us” sponsors get Jesus or not, and I am reluctant to sit in judgment of them. What is obvious to me is that the Temu folks most certainly don’t get Jesus, and it bothers me that no one seems to be pointing that out.

And of course the bottom line, the hard question we all need to ask is “Do I get Jesus?” Lent is a good time to ask oneself, “How much time do I spend washing feet and how much chasing after the idols of materialism?”

First Night

by Steve Harsh, posted in memoir

December 31, 1998 was one of those magical nights that fairy tales could be made of. It was exactly 25 years ago this past New Year’s Eve. The city of Columbus, Ohio held it’s very first “First Night” that year to mark the beginning of the New Year 1999. I have kept the little souvenir of that night on my desk for a quarter of a century because that event was like no other of the 78 first nights of a new year of my life.

I was single then, having ended a 30 year marriage 18 months earlier. I was also a new grandfather following the joyous birth of Olivia to my daughter and her husband in July of that year. Olivia’s dad, Drew Thomas, was and is a very good magician, and that played an important role in the real magic that occurred that First Night for me. Drew had been hired to perform one of his illusions at the stroke of midnight at the First Night celebration in downtown Columbus. The illusion was to make Columbus Mayor Greg Lashutka magically appear in an empty room. My son and I had been enlisted to help prepare the stage for that illusion in the days leading up to New Year’s Eve. Since the Mayor was not available to rehearse the illusion the day before the event I was actually his stand-in for rehearsal.

To my surprise, she not only had no plans, but was interested in joining me. It was an unusual first date in several ways. Because of my connection with Drew, we were invited to come back stage in the Ohio State house where food was available for the cast and crew. Because this was a family affair, both of my children and my young granddaughter, who was then six months old, were there.  I don’t believe I have ever had a first date that involved all of my family.

At that point I had no plans to actually attend the celebration since to do so as a single didn’t sound very exciting.  But as the big night drew closer my curiosity grew, and I decided I did want to see the fruits of our labor preparing for the illusion.  In 1998 the phenomenon of on-line dating was in its infancy.  Match.com was one of the pioneers in that industry, and I had dabbled with it a few times that year.  So I decided to get back on that website and see if by chance I might find a last-minute date for New Year’s Eve. I noticed right away that one woman I had talked with the previous summer was still listed. Doubting that she would be available at the last minute I gave her a call anyway.

So after meeting the whole clan and enjoying some dinner, Diana and I spent several hours, taking in the various sites and entertainment around downtown Columbus. It was a very cold New Year’s Eve with temperatures well below freezing. So I didn’t know at the time if my date was holding my arm and snuggling close to me as we walked around because of attraction or just a desire to keep warm.  In either case it felt really good.  About 11:30 that evening we made our way back to the State House so we could take in Drew‘s performance.

As it turned out, we didn’t actually see what happened on stage. My daughter asked me if I would be willing to keep Olivia inside where it was warm so she could go outside and see the show. As midnight approached I was holding my precious granddaughter and standing next to my date, and it suddenly occurred to me that I had never been on a first date on New Year’s before. My dilemma was wondering if the tradition of kissing one’s date at the stroke of midnight was appropriate on a first date. Because the evening had gone so well, I decided it was worth the chance, and as it turned out, it was the first kiss of many more to come.

You see that date on our special first night was the woman who has become my best friend, companion, lover, and fellow adventurer for the past quarter century.  Together Diana and I have celebrated the birth of six more grandchildren.  We have each buried a parent.  We have been there for each other in sickness and health.  It has not been all happily ever after, of course, but the highs have far outnumbered the lows.  Before I met Diana I had never been more than 1200 miles from Ohio, but thanks to here adventurous spirit together we have traveled all over North America.  We have skied breathtaking mountains in 4 Western states and British Columbia.  We have cruised the Caribbean and Mediterranean multiple times, climbed the Great Wall of China, toured the Colosseum in Rome, snorkeled with Sea Turtles and Manta Rays on the Great Barrier Reef, and created several lifetimes of memories all over the world that I could never have dreamed of on that First Night. 

And we’re not done yet.  Who knows what the future holds, but whatever it is I’m so glad I made that last-minute phone call 25 years ago that was the beginning of it all. 

Faith Like the Birds

by Steve Harsh, posted in Christian Discipleship, Gratitude, spiritual discipline

In this frigid cold snap we have had in Ohio recently I have been filling our bird feeders every day, and the cardinals, blue jays, woodpeckers, sparrows, and the whole wonderful diversity of our feathered friends have flocked to our yard as soon as I finish. How they communicate so quickly that it’s feeding time is a mystery to me, but they do; and I’ve decided we have very biblical birds in our neighborhood.

You see, the birds don’t ever leave food on the table or let the seeds that fall on the ground go to waste, and that has reminded me of the story in Exodus about God providing manna/bread from heaven each day to feed the Hebrews in the wilderness. As usual the Hebrew people are complaining to Moses that he has brought them out into the wilderness to starve. They say they were better off as slaves in Egypt. When Moses shares their concern with Yahweh this is the response he gets: ”Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.” (Exodus 16:4) 

And God delivers on that promise, but the test is that God through Moses instructs the people to only gather enough of the manna for that day’s needs and not to try and store some up for another day. God is testing their faith to see if they will trust that each day the promise will be fulfilled again. That’s why when Jesus teaches his disciples what we now know as “The Lord’s Prayer” we are instructed to pray only for “our daily bread,” and not for a whole week’s worth. To do so is the difference between a mindset of faith in God’s providence and a scarcity mentality where we hoard more than our share of life’s resources for fear that we will run out the next day.

And that’s the way the birds in our yard live. They don’t leave any bird seed in the feeder for tomorrow because they trust that I will be faithful to meet their needs each new day. As you will see if you read the rest of the story in Exodus 16 some of God’s human children aren’t quite as trusting. And since I don’t speak fluent bird it may be that my feathered friends do complain when I’m late filling their feeders. They are much earlier risers than I; so I don’t pretend to be as faithful as God, but I can tell by the way they flock to the feeders whenever I fill them they are very grateful. And I am grateful to them for reminding me to be satisfied with my daily bread. 

Epiphany – Herod Lives

by Steve Harsh, posted in Faith and Politics, hope

“Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” Matthew 2:7-8

I am embarrassed to admit this. It took me till the third anniversary of January 6 to realize that horrible event took place on Epiphany, the twelfth day of Christmas. So for the last 24 hours since that light went on in my head I’ve been trying to think of some way to make theological sense of that convergence of those two radically different events. I don’t believe in coincidences; so I knew there had to be a connection, but all I was coming up with was that the attack on the very core of our democracy was even worse because it happened on Epiphany.

There are just a handful of dates in my lifetime that burned such a mark on my psyche that I will always remember where I was when I first heard about them: the assassinations of JFK, MLK, and RFK; the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle; 9/11; the election of Donald Trump; and the insurrection against our government on January 6, 2021.

I was working my home office that day but had the TV on fearing there might be trouble around the certification of Joe Biden’s election as President. But even though I was worried there might be some kind of trouble at the Capitol that day I never in my wildest imagination expected what played out on my TV screen that awful afternoon. As I watched the badly outnumbered Capitol police be overrun by an angry mob that began scaling the walls of the Capitol building, smashing windows, and swarming into the halls of Congress I sat there in stunned silence. Feeling helpless I finally did the only thing I could think to do. I got on Facebook, and I still remember exactly what I said: “Whatever you are doing, stop and pray. Our democracy is under attack.”

During worship this morning at our church it finally dawned on me what the connection was between the insurrection and. Epiphany. After preaching about the light of the star that leads us to Jesus our pastor, Chris Rinker, went on to say that we also need to remember that there are always forces of darkness that try to snuff out the light. There are always Herods who are so insecure and so desperate to preserve their own power that they will do anything to put down any threat real or imagined to their fragile egos.

Of course there are. I remember as a young pastor many years ago preaching on Matthew’s story of the Magi and Herod, and the title of that sermon was “Be Sure You Follow the Right King.” There are always Herods and the person fulfilling that role on January 6, 2021 was none other than President Donald Trump. Just as Herod told the Magi to go find the Christ child so he could go worship him too, our 45th President urged his angry followers to march to the Capitol and stop his Vice President from fulfilling his Constitutional duty to certify the legitimate electoral colleges votes from the 2020 election.

Three long years later we are still dealing with the fallout from that awful day, and I must admit I am often very discouraged about that and what it means for the future of our nation. But here’s my takeaway from this Epiphany 2024 message from Matthew. I can’t say it any better than Maltbie Babcock said it in 1901 in his great hymn, “This is My Father’s World;” so I will just end here with the third verse of that hymn:

“This is my Father’s world:
O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let earth be glad!”

Renaming the YMCA?

by Steve Harsh, posted in hope, Wellness

One of the few benefits I’ve found of being old is a feature that comes with many Medicare Advantage plans. Silver Sneakers is a program that pays for access to many gyms and exercise facilities as part of one’s health insurance after the age of 65. Insurance companies benefit because people who exercise are healthier and have fewer claims for medical bills from their insurance. And, of course, having access to places to work out benefits senior citizens.

My wife and I have enjoyed Silver Sneakers since we went on Medicare 12 years ago. We are fortunate that with Silver Sneakers we can use 4 different YMCA’s and another gym that are all within 15 miles of our home, and we often decide which one to use depending on what errands or other trips we need to make on a given day. We’ve even been able to use our Silver Sneakers membership to workout when we are traveling.

Having said that I want to give a shout out to my favorite place to workout. My go to exercise since I had back surgery two years ago has been to swim, and my favorite pool is at one of our local Y’s in the nearby suburb of Hilliard, Ohio. It has become my favorite because of very friendly staff who call me by name and make me feel very welcome whenever I walk in. I also like the temperature of the water in their pool, about 82 degrees. But there’s something else I have come to appreciate very much about our Y, and that is the diversity of the staff and those who use that facility.

On any given day at the Y I see several people of different ethnicities. There are Asian Americans, African Americans, Muslim women in hijabs and some in berkas, either working at the front desk or often using the pool by themselves or with their children. The first time I saw two of these women get in the pool fully clothed in berkas and hijabs I must admit I was a bit taken aback. But it has become a common sight now. Recently a new sign was put up by the deep end of the pool warning of the danger for those who can’t yet swim. What struck me about that sign is that it is written in four different languages.

During the recent holiday season I was also pleased to notice that in addition to a Christmas tree in the lobby area there was a Menorah on the counter where members check in. I like the diversity and inclusive message all those things communicate. But here’s the irony in all that. YMCA originally stood for “Young Men’s Christian Association,” but it has obviously outgrown that name. Many of us who workout there are certainly not young, more than half I see are not men, and as I’ve demonstrated above the membership at our Y is certainly much broader than “Christian.”

I’m not proposing a name change. I happen to enjoy singing the YMCA song. I just find the diversity there a bit of good news in a world that needs all of the positivity we can get. So my hat is off to the Hilliard Y and all who help create the hospitality and inclusivity it represents.

It’s fun to play at the YMCA!

Lighting of the Christ Candle 2023

by Steve Harsh, posted in Advent, Christmas

December nights are the longest and darkest of the year in our part of the world.  It is a good night to light candles.  Tonight the waiting and hoping of Advent gives way to the celebration of a miracle birth.  It happened over 2000 years ago, but we still marvel at the simplicity and mystery it has held for believers throughout the ages. 

Christmas is more than just a miracle birth story. 

It is about the birth of hope, [light one candle]

And Peace [light 2nd candle],

And Joy [light 3rd candle],

And Love  [light 4th candle].

These four candles stand in a circle that, like God’s love, has no beginning and no end.  Now on this Holy night we light the tallest and brightest candle, the Christ candle, to celebrate the wonderful birth of our Savior and Messiah.  

[Light the Christ Candle]

The Christ Candle is not like those we put on our birthday cakes.  We do not blow this candle out.  Instead from it we will light our own candles to symbolize the light of the world that glows in the hearts of all who follow Jesus.  

Some may ask why we light candles when the darkness is so deep.  Can our tiny flames really make a difference?  Hear this response from theologian Howard Thurman:

“I will light Candles this Christmas,

Candles of Joy despite all the sadness. 

Candles of hope where despair keeps watch. 

Candles of courage for fears ever present,

Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days,

Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens,

Candles of love to inspire all my living,

Candles that will burn all year long.”

Please pray with me:  O Holy One, rekindle that kind of flame in each of us, the kind that burns all year long. We light candles because we can and we must.  Christ came to teach us we are the light of the world, and to honor this Holy infant, our savior, we hold our candles high to witness to the world that the forces of darkness will not prevail.  For this very night in 2023 a Savior is born again wherever meek souls will receive him.  Come, Lord Jesus, come; we pray in your Holy name, Amen

Northwest UMC, Columbus, OH; December 24, 2023

Advent 4, 2023: Love

by Steve Harsh, posted in Advent

We have made our way this Advent from prophesy and promise to stand now on the cusp of fulfillment.  This very night we will celebrate again the birth of love incarnate in the form of a helpless infant.  Like that baby, love is vulnerable.  Both require careful nurture and handling.  Love is a gift entrusted to common people like Mary and Joseph, like you and me.  Of all the gifts we may give or receive this week, none is more precious than the simple gift of love.  That is what inspired St. Paul to write: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

God’s love is a spirit that requires embodiment to become real.  God’s love must become flesh to dwell among us.  At Bethlehem that love came to life in the infant Jesus.  Today, if we are open to the mystery, it can come to life in you and me as the church, the body of Christ.  We can be the light of the world because of Christmas. So today we live between the warm feeling of God’s love and the choice to put that sentiment into concrete action.   We humbly receive God’s most precious gift as we light the 4th candle of Advent, the Candle of Love. 

[Light the 4th Candle]

Please pray with me as I share this Advent prayer from Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie from their book, “The Lives We Actually Have:”

God, we are waiting for love,

not the simple kind or the sweep-you-off-your-feet kind,

but the absurd kind.

The kind wrapped in rags, resting in a bucket of animal feed.

Love enough to save us all.

Blessed are we who look for Love,

deeper, fuller, truer—than we have ever known,

than we could have ever hoped for.

Blessed are we who seek you,

the light that dawned so long ago in that dark stable.

Love given.                                                    

Love received.

Dear God, Hold us in that love these last few hours of Advent till that love is born again in our hearts this very night. Amen

Northwest UMC, Columbus, OH; December 24, 2023

Advent 3, 2023: Joy

by Steve Harsh, posted in Uncategorized

“Joy to the world!”  It is so easy to sing those familiar words but so much harder to feel truly joyful.  Our world is so full of discord.  We live in the tension between joy and sadness.  Our emotions ricochet from merriment to melancholy in the blink of an eye depending on what thought or memory is currently playing on the screen in our minds.  We bounce from tears of joy to pangs of grief at unexpected moments. 

Yes, life is messy, but in the midst of it all we still pause to light a candle of Joy, the third candle of Advent.  In word and the magic of music we dare to proclaim a message of Hope, Peace and Joy to a weary world starving for the Good News that God is still with us. 

[Light 3rd Candle]

Please pray with me:

Dear God, remind us again that Jesus didn’t come into a Hallmark Christmas world, but a messy one where Herod killed babies and the Holy family became refugees.  Assure us again today that we can find a source of deep joy in this dark, cold season because the everlasting message of Christmas is that you are always with us, in the best of times and the worst of times, the happy and the horrible; and everything in between. 

We pray that this Advent season will prepare us for living between a promise and the coming of God’s kingdom, between corruption and justice for all; so that our tears will turn to rejoicing and our souls and our lives will magnify the Lord in all we think, say, and do.  Amen

Northwest UMC, Columbus, OH,

2nd Sunday of Advent 2023

by Steve Harsh, posted in Advent
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Ever since the angels proclaimed their message of “peace on earth” to the shepherds of Bethlehem our weary world has lived between that promise of peace and humankind’s warring madness.  It seems we have waited so very long for peace. Our patience wears thin and our hope is challenged, but we are reminded by Scripture that “our time is not God’s time.”  Our perspective is limited and brief, but God’s is infinite and eternal. 

Being patient while we wait is so hard for us finite humans.  2000 years since Jesus’ birth we are still longing for fulfillment of God’s promise, even as we prepare our hearts again for the miracle of Christmas.   We give thanks for God’s grace and patience with all of His fallible children.  We humans still live caught between peace on one hand and fear on the other because of our own love of power and our human weaknesses. 

But even if it seems foolish by the world’s standards, here and now today we still dare to light this candle of peace, the second candle of Advent.  This candle is far more than wax and a wick; it is a witness to the world that God’s promise of a peace that surpasses all understanding is still trustworthy and true. 

[Light candle]

Please pray with me as I share this prayer from Kate Bowler and Jessica Ritchie, from their book, “The Lives We Actually Have:”

Come, Lord, that we might see you, move with you, keep pace with you.

Blessed are we who ask that this Advent          

we might dwell together quietly in our homes.

Come, Lord, that we might be for others the peace they cannot find.

Blessed are we who look to you and say, God, truly, we are troubled and afraid.

Come govern our hearts and calm our fears.

Oh Prince of Peace, still our restless selves, calm our anxious hearts,

quiet our busy minds.

Hear our prayers O Holy One, which we offer in the name of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.  Amen

Northwest UMC, Columbus, OH, December 10, 2023

An Eye for An Eye?

by Steve Harsh, posted in Christian Discipleship, Faith and Politics, spiritual discipline

Ever since October 7 I have been pondering the irony of the Israeli response to the horrific massacre of 1200 Israelis by Hamas.  One of the most familiar tenets of the Hebrew law found in Leviticus says, “Anyone who maims another shall suffer the same injury in return: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; the injury inflicted is the injury to be suffered.” (24:19-20). I learned two things about that Scripture in seminary: 1) It is very similar to another ancient law, The Code of Hammurabi, a Babylonian King in the 1700’s BCE, and 2) both the Code of Hammurabi and the Hebrew law were meant not to justify revenge but to limit the amount of revenge one could seek for an offense to an equitable amount.  So, for example, if someone poked out one of my eyes I could not in return poke out both of his or hers. 

Jesus came along 3000 years after Hammurabi and 1400 years after Moses and raised the bar to a whole new level in the Sermon on the Mount where he says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you: Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also,and if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, give your coat as well,and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.Give to the one who asks of you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matthew 5:38-43).

Now, I’m not expecting the Israelis to live up to Jesus’ ethics.  I can’t, and I’m not sure anyone but Jesus could ever do that.  But it seems like not killing your enemy’s innocent women and children might be a start.  And it does seem fair to hold the Israelis to their own Scriptural standards.  At last count the Israelis have killed 16000 Palestinians in Gaza.   That’s more than 10 for every Israeli killed on 10/7.  That’s a lot more than “an eye for an eye.”

I understand the horror of that dark day.  No, I don’t.  Thank God, I have never experienced anything like it.  I was even far removed from any personal suffering on 9/11.  So, I know I have no right to judge.  I don’t know what I would do in the Israeli shoes.  Nor do I have any idea how I would survive the God awful inhumane conditions the people of Gaza have been living under for the last 60 days.  I just know the insane suffering I see on my TV screen has got to stop.  Not just because it is morally unjustifiable but mostly because it is just plain counterproductive.

War and killing have never solved anything.  If the Israelis could actually eliminate Hamas and terrorism by use of force there might be an argument for their military campaign.  But it won’t work.  The anger being fanned in the Muslim world by the war in Gaza will produce far more terrorists can ever kill.  If history has taught us anything it is that revenge only begets more violence in return.  That’s the point of Jesus’ teaching above about turning the other cheek.  To resist the natural human urge to strike back in anger, as impossible as that seems, is the only way the cycle of violence can ever be stopped in its tracks. 

As progressive as it was in the days of Hammurabi, as Gandhi once pointed out, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth just creates a world of blind, toothless people.”

I know that too criticize Israel opens me to charges of antisemitism, but I assure you I am not anti-Semitic.  I am a Christian nurtured in the Judeo-Christian tradition.  Jesus was a Jew.  I am constantly challenged and inspired by the Hebrew prophets.  I grieve for the hostages still in captivity, for the suffering of the Jewish people throughout history and on 10/7, but the killing needs to stop; the suffering of the people of Gaza must stop. 

December 5, 2023