Setting boundaries
Public Forum Letter
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 12/24/2008 07:17:45 PM MST
The young couple came looking for shelter, a place to rest for a while; she was pregnant, they were unmarried and afraid, but there was no place for them to stay. We all know couples like this. They come to be counted, hoping to find a life where they will count for something. They come, not great with child, but pregnant with the promise of a new life. What do we do with people like this? “Whatever you did (or did not do) for the least of these, you did (or did not do) for me.”
The problem lies not with “people like these” but with the “innkeepers” who stand safely behind the registration desk, setting the boundaries, counting to see who measures up, assigning rooms, determining who’s in and who’s out. No love lost there. Some “in-keepers” flaunt their power in God’s name or the law’s. They cannot comprehend what Archbishop Desmond Tutu meant when he said, “Love is more demanding than the law.”
In this season of hope, we celebrate the light that shines in the darkness, making room for peace and goodwill. I still cling to that hope, even though the immigration bill SB81 leaves us standing in the dark, safely behind our registration desks, justifying ourselves with simple answers to complex questions, setting boundaries that ignore “the least of these.”
Rev. Steven Klemz
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
Salt Lake City
Stretch your dollar AND support your community!
We all EAT! And we should do it well! However, many of us have seen our grocery bills skyrocket. We are paying so much more for the same foods we’ve been buying for a long time. Complicate that with our desires to eat quality, locally grown, healthy foods, while supporting our local businesses and charitable food pantries like Crossroads. For these reasons and many others, EVERYONE should take part of the Community Food Co-op of Utah headed by the
Crossroads Urban Center.
You can buy quality, healthy food (fresh fruit, vegetables, staple items and frozen meat) for up to 50% off retail. This is possible through collective purchasing. The food is ordered in mass quantities for very low prices. “By participating, you are sustaining a project that makes it possible for anyone to stretch their budgets, eat more healthily, and be more deliberate, thoughtful consumers.” Plus it’s easy! At the beginning of the month, order the shares of food you want. Then, simply pick it up at your designated site within your community toward the end of the month. Order each month or whenever you desire.
“My experience for June was awesome. I printed the form at home, mailed it in, got a reminder phone call, did my pick up in 5 minutes (there is a one hour window on Saturday AMs). The food quality was excellent.” - Marci Hall
Check out the Crossroads Urban Center at www.crossroads-u-c.org for more information. Visit the Zion website for the link. Or call, (801) 746-7878. Community Food Co-op order forms are available in the narthex.
