February 18, 2017
First Protest Against Slavery in English Colonies

“An argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side, 48 and said to them, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among all of you is the greatest.” Luke 9:46-50

On this date, February 18, 1688, a group of Quakers conduct the first formal protest of slavery in Germantown, Pa.

“In what has been called the first step against African American slavery in the English colonies, the authors of the Germantown Petition Against Slavery called upon the golden rule to illuminate their protest. Drafted by Francis Daniel Pastorius and signed by himself and three others, the petition stated: “There is a saying that we shall doe (sic) to all men like as we will be done ourselves; making no difference of what generation, descent or color they are.” Populated by carpenters, weavers, tailors, and shoemakers, the immigrant Mennonite and Quaker families that comprised Germantown knew the pain of religious persecution and valued the religious freedoms of their new home. As such, it was difficult for them to understand how some of their fellow English settlers could support the slave trade. Five years after the founding of Germantown, Pastorius and three others presented their views on slavery to the nearby Dublin Quaker Meeting. Unfortunately, though the members of the Meeting agreed slavery was unjust, they were unable to arrive at a consensus that involved any direct action. The petition was forwarded to the Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting, then to the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Minutes indicate that the petition was ultimately sent to the London Yearly Meeting, though it’s unclear whether it actually arrived, as the LYM made no mention of it. The practice of slavery continued in the colonies, and was both tolerated and practiced by some Quaker communities. Though their arguments often fell on deaf ears, the members of Germantown continued to speak against slavery. In time, their leadership influenced both Quaker abolitionists and Philadelphia society, and in 1776, Quakers penned an official proclamation banning slavery.” (TODAY IN 1688: QUAKERS CONDUCT THE FIRST FORMAL PROTEST AGAINST SLAVERY IN GERMANTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, February 18, 2011, As part of Black History Month, Westlaw Insider will be examining issues and events that have shaped African American history.)

The disciples were unclear about a teaching from Jesus, but instead of sitting to discuss the matter, they broke out into an argument about who was the greatest – or who would be the greatest. OMG – that sounds like so many conversations I have heard this year. When people don’t agree with one another, or when they don’t understand one another, instead of sitting and trying to listen to one another, they break out into an argument trying to belittle each other claiming that their stance is better and any other carries no credence. And so many of those arguments revolve around religious, cultural, and political fears.

In a different place, in a different time, some Quakers from Germantown did not agree with the treatment of African Americans in the colonies, in particular with the issue of slavery. Though many did not agree with them, the Quakers persisted, writing an official proclamation some 88 years later banning slavery. Most certainly there were Quakers as well as others who did not agree with them. But with faith and conviction, they found a way to lift their voices against this practice and persist in the face of opposition.

There are times when we need to sit and listen. And there are times we need to speak. The challenge is to know when to do each, so that we honor the dignity of all people.

Pastor Dave

February 17, 2017
The Artificial Heart

“ Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites!” Luke 13:10-15a

On this date, February 17, 1985, the third recipient of an artificial heart, Murray Haydon, dies due to complications including kidney problems. The retired auto worker lived for 16 months on the mechanical heart. The heart surgery was performed by pioneer Dr. William C. DeVries.

“Artificial hearts are typically used to bridge the time to heart transplantation, or to permanently replace the heart in case heart transplantation is impossible. Although other similar inventions preceded it going back to the late 1940s, the first artificial heart to be successfully implanted in a human was the Jarvik-7 in 1982, designed by a team including Willem Johan Kolff and Robert Jarvik. Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, veterinarian Donald Olsen led a series of calf experiments that refined the artificial heart and its surgical care. During that time, as a student at the University of Utah, Robert Jarvik combined several modifications: an ovoid shape to fit inside the human chest, a more blood-compatible polyurethane developed by biomedical engineer Donald Lyman, and a fabrication method by Kwan-Gett that made the inside of the ventricles smooth and seamless to reduce dangerous stroke-causing blood clots. On December 2, 1982, William DeVries implanted the artificial heart into retired dentist Barney Bailey Clark (born January 21, 1921), who survived 112 days with the device, dying on March 23, 1983. Bill Schroeder became the second recipient and lived for a record 620 days. Murray Haydon was the third to receive an artificial heart living one year, four months and two days.” (Wikipedia)

Jesus spoke harshly against the Pharisees and other religious leaders because they were good at following the law, but were no good at following what was meant as the “heart” of the law. For example, they panicked when Jesus healed someone on the Sabbath, which resulted in this exchange: “… indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, (a leader of the synagogue) kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day.” (Luke 13:14) Do you hear how ridiculous that sounds – come on any other day to be “healed” but don’t come on the Sabbath. In so many ways I feel as if I am healed when I hear the words of absolution in our Sunday service – where I am reminded that Jesus forgives my sins. And in the sacrament of Holy Communion Jesus comes to me and heals me from the inside out.

What is at the heart of the law? Is the law given to us to keep us focused on the law and to ignore our relationships with others? Or is G-d’s law given out of G-d’s love for all people because the health of our relationships matters that much to G-d? I like to think it is the latter. I like to think that the law is a sure guide for all people to maintain healthy and G-dly relationships – since we also know that keeping the law is just not possible. The law helps us to see how many different ways our behavior can destroy our relationships and then guides us toward the Christ-like life.

“Create in me a clean heart O’ G-d, and renew a right spirit within me”, says Psalm 51:10. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we will see the Spirit of G-d guiding us toward faithful relationships with hearts firmly fixed on Jesus.

Pastor Dave