Hebrews 13: 1-16 (links validated 7/26/22)

To Kill A Mockingbird’s Tom Robinson is man who’s African American whom the authorities accuse of assaulting a white woman. The attorney Atticus Finch courageously accepts the unpopular responsibility for and challenge of defending Robinson. Atticus’ daughter Scout has a classmate named Walter Cunningham whose dad leads the lynch mob that hounds Robinson. But since young Walter is too poor to afford lunch, Scout’s brother Jem invites him to come home with them for lunch. The Finches beloved cook whom the family calls “Cal” sets a place for Walter. There he promptly pours molasses all over his vegetables and meat. This visibly and audibly offends Scout’s culinary sensibilities...

always good insights!

I was the stranger, outside my comfort zone, in need of welcome, when I went to Homestead in June. Homestead, Florida is the site of our largest child detention facility. In June, it held about 3000 teenagers who had been separated from their adults when they crossed the border. I went to bear witness. I went as one seeking to welcome those strangers, but what I experienced was far more than that. There are two main areas outside the child prison. One is a gathering space with two awnings as shield from the weather. In this space, people hang out and talk with each other, or attempt to engage the employees, or hold up protest signs. The other area, 300 yards down the road, has stepladders where witnesses stand to see over the fence into the yard where the teens come outdoors. They wave and hold up hearts, never protest signs, in their own effort at philoxenia – sending love across the road and over the fence to those traumatized captive strangers...

On the sitcom “American Housewife,” teenage Oliver decides he wants to be rich when he grows up, just like the people in the neighbourhood where his middle class family rents a house (his dad has taken an associate professor job at the local college). Eventually he befriends one of the neighbours, Spencer Blitz, and decides to learn from and imitate Spencer’s life. (The problem being, of course, that Spencer was a bit of a crook and very lonely.) Their friendship blossoms and is featured over a number of episodes as Oliver learns some healthy—and not so healthy—tips about the lifestyle of the filthy rich. Along the way, Oliver has the very human experience of following his baser desires and love of money. Other times, Oliver does the right thing for the good of someone else. Spencer’s most influential moment in Oliver’s life, however, comes after he dies. In the days leading up to the reading of Spencer’s will, Oliver makes plans for how he will turn his inheritance into more money. But Spencer doesn’t leave Oliver any money. In his message to the family about the will, Spencer says that he cares too much for Oliver and his family and doesn’t want money to tear them apart. Spencer says that he wholeheartedly believes Oliver will be successful all on his own, especially if he learns about being a good person from his parents. Instead of money, Spencer leaves himself to Oliver—in the form of videotapes full of random advice, and his urn of ashes. Comfort comes from a person, not things...

“Blessed Be the Tie That Binds” | Words by John Fawcett, 1782 | Music by Johann G. Nageli, 1828; arr. Lowell Mason, 1845 | Performed by Zero8, on Mes très chers frères (“My dearest brothers”) (2017)

The other day, on the streets of Waterloo, Carol and our Granddaughter Nina encountered a man begging for food. I didn’t have any cash in my purse, so I promised to give him something on my way out of the store. Our granddaughter is just nine years old and she was filled with questions about why and how someone ends up on the street with no home and no food. We talked a little about how easy it is to fall on hard times.

This was brought home to our elementary church camp one summer. The director told the kids at the beginning of the week that a mystery guest was going to pay us a visit, and he wanted them to be sure and make him feel welcomed. He repeated this announcement several times during the week: "Our mystery guest is coming, so be nice to him when he comes." The kids could hardly wait to see who it was. They figured it must be some very important person – perhaps one of the Dallas Cowboys or some celebrity. Early Friday morning, as the kids were coming down the hill, bleary-eyed, for breakfast, they encountered what appeared to be a homeless man sitting outside the entrance of the dining hall. They made a wide circle around him. Some were frightened. Others giggled and whispered and poked fun of him behind his back. They all gave him a wide berth. As they finished eating, the director got their attention and said, "Guess what? Our mystery guest has arrived!" The children looked to see who it was. Sure enough, it was this homeless man. Only he was really wasn't a homeless man, after all; he was one of the children's father and a minister of a prominent church nearby. The kids could've dropped their teeth. They were busted, and they knew it. ...

(includes several quotes)