This morning I was invited by Michael Pappas, head of the San Francisco Interfaith Council to give the opening meditation for their regular monthly breakfast. After which a dynamic, thoughtful, energetic and inspiring group of faith leaders connected with the Occupy Movement spoke about their efforts. The Reverend Carol Been, of CLUE - Clergy & Laity for Economic Justice California shared a brief film (to view it click here) from the National Council of Elders, which presented veteran voices from the "defining social movements of the 20th century" proclaiming basic solidarity with the national Occupy Movement. At the end of the gathering, the Reverend Glenda Hope, a multi-movement veteran herself, shared her powerful spiritual autobiography.

Here's what I said,

What I would like to do is invite you to think deeply about your own context and circumstances --- to ask yourselves where are the 1% in your faith tradition and where are the 99, are you and your faith community in touch with the rich men and women behind the gates and are you in touch with the beggar on the door step?  Our places of worship, prayer and meditation have a unique vocation of being present to people on both sides of the fence.

My own tradition speaks of a savior and liberator born in the context of oppression, whose birth was announced first to poor shepherds, who was a wanderer with no place to lay his head. But that prophetic teacher had tough and challenging words for both the radical zealots and for the temple establishment that sold out to the wealth of Rome. As I've thought about Michael's invitation, I was reminded of Jesus' story of the Good Shepherd who leaves the 99 to go after the one lost sheep. I wonder if we as people of faith have a responsibility in addition to standing in solidarity with our brothers and sisters sojourning in the parks of Wall Street and the Financial Districts (believe me I'm in solidarity with them) perhaps we also have the hard, painful and risky role of going after the lost sheep --- to go find those 1% who have strayed so much from the core values of all our traditions --- reminding them of the call to love our neighbors as ourselves, to say to them in love, as Jesus said, to a young pious and wealthy ruler in his day --- you need to sell everything you own and give it away to the poor in order to inherit the kingdom of God.

Perhaps we need to get better at talking about money directly with those who have far too much of it --- perhaps we need to get to know more compassionately the great turmoil and anguish, the tremendous loneliness and fear, the depression, isolation and addictions that befall and over take people who have turned wealth, power, the accumulation and protection of stuff into the be-all and end-all of their existence. Perhaps we need to lift up stories of conversion, of the former greedy turned philanthropists and justice advocates --- perhaps we need to celebrate and acknowledge communities where the rich and poor really do pray, serve and nurture transformation together --- where injustice really is being addressed from Capitol Hill to stockholders meetings. I want to share a story with you about a faith group in Washington, DC called Strength to Love, this group has assisted ex-offenders and their families give witness to the injustices they have experienced.  

Each ex-offender bought one share of stock in the Corrections Corporation of America, and together they drove to Tennessee to attend a stockholders' meeting. There they expressed their concern over the treatment of prisoners.

Even more importantly, they expressed their concern about what (Marian Wright) Edelman calls the "Cradle to Prison Pipeline" that imprisons 50 percent of black boys in the United States and gives the U.S. the highest incarceration rates of any country in the world. At the heart of the problem is a system that "has a conflict of interest at its core." To thrive, the corporation must fill beds with inmates.

From the Christian Century blog.  

One person many years ago who is connected with this work --- came and spent some time with a class I was teaching in the affluent suburbs of DC, he brought with him a song by Sweet Honey in the Rock. I'd like to play that song for you as we  together consider the challenge of confronting greed and economic injustice in our time and lives. You can listen to "Greed" by clicking here. Lyrics available here. 

Rich Man and Lazarus by Ian Pollock