"Make America"
BANNED in Memphis!
* Today’s first reading
Is from the first book of Father James Madison
Chapter 2, Verses 1 through 3,
The first Amendment to our Constitution
Ratified on December 15, 1791
1 Madison 2:1-3
1Congress shall make no law
Respecting the establishment of religion,
Or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
2or abridging the freedom of speech,
or of the press;
3or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the government
for redress of grievances.
* Today’s second reading
Comes from the first Book of Thomas Jefferson
Signed on July 4, 1776
The Declaration of Independence
Laid out the foundation
For the newly ripening American government
1 Jefferson 1:4-10
4We hold these Truths to be self-evident,
that all Men are created equal,
5that they are endowed by the Creator
with certain unalienable Rights,
6that among these are
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness 7that to secure these Rights,
Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just Powers
from the Consent of the Governed,
8that whenever any Form of Government
Becomes destructive of these Ends,
it is the Right of the People
to alter or to abolish it,
9and to institute new Government,
laying its Foundation on such Principles,
10and organizing its Powers in such Form,
as to them shall seem most likely to effect
their Safety and Happiness.
These are the words
of Father James Madison
And Father Thomas Jefferson
BCG:
Thank you Citizen ______
Citizens
I have a problem
I’m having a problem
That I’m hoping
You can help me work through
I‘m having a problem with
Happiness
More specifically
I’m having a problem with
The pursuit of happiness
Which happens to be
One of those unalienable rights mentioned
In our declaration of independence
1 Jefferson 1:4-6
4We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal,
5that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable Rights,
6that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—
It sounds good
Doesn’t it
It sounds great
The pursuit of happiness
But what is it
What is this happiness?
I don’t know about you
But for me
Happiness Happens
When my life has purpose
When my life has meaning
On the other hand
My worst moments happen
When I feel useless
When my life has no meaning
When my life is meaningless
So what is it that gives our lives meaning?
Some might say that this
Is the ultimate question
About one’s existence
What does it mean to be me
Some might say that
We discover this through knowledge
Knowledge of our world
Knowledge of our universe
Knowledge of our selves
Who am I
Why am I here
Meaning in itself is a pursuit
You have to search for the answers
In America
This search takes on many forms
Education
Personal fulfillment
And Religion
Among others
This search for answers
This pursuit for meaning
This pursuit
Seems to me to be
The pursuit for happiness
* Now here
At A New Form of Political Theater
The United Church of America
The UCA
We don’t deal with your spirituality
We don’t deal with your soul
We don’t deal with
What happens when you die
But at the UCA
We do deal with
Your American Spirit
We deal with
What does it mean
To be a citizen
A citizen of the United States of America
We deal with
What does it mean
To be an American
And most importantly
We deal with
What does it mean to you
To be a Citizen of this country
Are you an involved citizen
Or
Are you a committed citizen
Now there’s a loaded word
Commitment
For some
That’s a scary word
Commitment
Let me tell you a scary story
About the difference between
Involvement and Commitment
Let me see if I can remember it
Ok
A farmer, a chicken, a cow and a pig
Were in a barn
Yes I know I’m a southern boy
So this farmer, chicken, cow and pig
They were arguing about breakfast
They were arguing about
Who contributed the most
They were arguing about
Who was the most committed
Well their “discussion”
It wasn’t getting anywhere
So they all finally agreed
That the next morning
They would all bring
The farmer’s wife breakfast
And let her decide
Who contributed the most
Who was the most committed
Well
As the sun came up the next day
The house was filled
With a wonderful smell
The farmer
He had stayed up all night
Making every kind of baked good
From the grains he had grown himself
From sweet rolls to Texas toast
His wife
She just sat there
Waiting for her breakfast
Next the cow walked in
And poured her a huge glass
Of fresh milk
And placed a bowl
Of the creamiest butter ever
On the table
Then with a loud cackle
The chicken sauntered in
Carrying a plate full of eggs
Fried, scrambled, poached
Well
They all started making their cases
Explaining to the farmer’s wife
How they had contributed the most
And why they
Were the most committed
All of a sudden
They realized
The pig
He hadn’t shown up yet
Well
Right at that moment
The farmer’s son came in
Carrying a plate piled high
With bacon, ham, and sausage
The farmer
The chicken
And the cow
They all looked at each other
And they all hung their heads
They all realized
Yes
They were all involved in breakfast
But the pig
He was totally committed
As you can see
True Commitment
Involves a sacrifice
And it can be quite scary
So
One of the main questions
The UCA asks is
Are you an involved citizen
Or
Are you a committed citizen
Are you committed to your country
Are you hamming it up
Or are you just providing
The milk
The eggs
And the toast
However
Before we can truly pursue this question
We must discover
What it means to be an American
We must discover
What it means
To be a citizen of these United States
We have to understand our citizenship
We have to understand our country
We have to understand our selves
We have to get down
To the basics
Where does our citizenship come from
What does the constitution really say
And how does it effect us
At the United Church of America
Our focus in on
Our country’s creeds
Our country’s founding documents
And our founders’ interpretations of them
And as a new form of Political Theater
Our purpose is
To pursue meaning
To pursue knowledge
To pursue happiness
In a uniquely American way
Through
* Reasonable Public Deliberation
But what does that mean
Reasonable Public Deliberation
For starters
You should be able to
Back up what you say
Your arguments should be reasonable
Just because I said so
Isn’t a reasonable argument
And public
Well here we are
We’re all assembled here today
As far as Deliberation goes
That’s the fun part
That’s where we get to discover
Where we all agree
And
Where we all disagree
We get to check under
Our country’s hood
And see what’s going on
We get to discover who
We the people are
We get to
Find out about each other
As fellow citizens
Through
Reasonable Public Deliberation
It’s the one thing guaranteed
In our Constitution
This is the cool part
* 1 Constitution 6:11
Article 4 Section 4
The United States shall guarantee
To every state in the union
A Republican form of government
The United States shall guarantee
To every state in the union
A Republican form of government
Did you know our Country had a guarantee
We are guaranteed
A republican form of government
A representative republic
So instead of a King
Telling us what we could
Or couldn’t do
It was up to us
We the people
To deliberate amongst ourselves
It was up to us
We the People
To figure things out
Through
* Reasonable Public Deliberation
Because if
We the people
Were going to be the government
Then We the people
Needed to be able to
Talk to each other
This was the one guarantee
Our founder’s gave us
Reasonable Public Deliberation
They provided us with the tools
The tools to pursue Happiness
No they didn’t guarantee Happiness
But they did guarantee the pursuit
Because in the end
They understood
This pursuit
Would be the people’s pursuit
My pursuit
Her pursuit
His pursuit
Our Pursuit
Recently
I’ve heard a lot of people complaining
Complaining about the government
That the government
Isn’t representing them
That there is this disconnect
Between We the People
And our government
I have to admit
That this confuses me
Because our government
Is a reflection of us
It is a reflection
Of the people
That is how it was set up
So if we have
A disconnected government
Maybe this is because
We the people
Are disconnected
Maybe this is because
We the People
Aren’t talking
Maybe this is because
We the People
Aren’t Committed Citizens
We’re providing
The eggs
The milk
And the toast
But not the ham
We pay our taxes
Show up for Jury duty
Vote once every two years
And say
I’m a great American
We’re involved
But are we committed
Are we committed citizens
Are we hamming it up
Commitment implies a relationship
And the foundation
For any good relationship
Is Communication
Commitment comes from Communication
But We the People aren’t talking
We aren’t having those discussions
Talking politics has become taboo
If anything our relationship
With our country
Is starting to resemble a divorce
And who suffers the most in a divorce
The children
Well
Believe it or not
The government is our child
We are the ones
Who put those people in office
Their terms are conceived
By our votes
But when a kid is bad
They suddenly become
The other parent’s problem
Ah he’s a democrat
No she’s a republican
They’re not my representative
Then the parents start fighting
The next thing you know
Jury duty becomes
That dreaded trip
To the divorce lawyer
Voting becomes
Visitation rights
The 1st Tuesday of every 2nd November
And Taxes
They become child support
We put our child
Our government
Through all of this
And We wonder why
We wonder why
It is disconnected
We wonder why
It is so distant
We Wonder Why
And in the end
The whole family suffers
And being an American
Being a citizen
Of the United States of America
Is like being part of a huge family
A really huge family
We are all in this together
America is our mess
Our founders understood this situation
And they summed it up perfectly
* With our Nation’s original Motto
E Pluribus Unum
Which means
One from Many
The one
The United States of America
Was to be a reflection
Of the many
The people
One from Many
E Pluribus Unum
Our government was to
Reflect our beliefs
Our government was to
Reflect our ideals
Our government was to be
A reflection of us
Our government was to be
A representation of the people
It wasn’t the other way around
It wasn’t
Many from one
* America doesn’t make us
We make America
We the People make up
These United States of America
Without us
There is no America
E Pluribus Unum
One From Many
So as We the People change
The United States of America
Changes with us
Through our worst times
And through our best times
America doesn’t make us
We make America
We are America
We the People are
The United States of America
And our founder’s guaranteed us this
They guaranteed us
This situation
Through
Reasonable Public Deliberation
But this guarantee only works
If we actually talk to one another
If we communicate with our representatives
And if we become
Committed citizens
So what does it mean
To be a committed Citizen
To put your all into your country
To sacrifice for your country
To ham it up
When our Founders
Opened our Constitution’s preamble
With those three revolutionary words
We the People
They charged us
With a certain responsibility
We were to have the power
We were to be the government
We could no longer Blame
A king or a dictator
For our problems
Because with power
Comes responsibility
And the government became
Our responsibility
Yes we have representatives in Washington
And here locally
But if we don’t let them know
What we think
Or
What we believe
Then how can they truly
Represent us
This relationship with our representatives
Is our responsibility
Our representatives can’t read our minds
Who here
Has ever been in one of those situations
Where someone just expected you
To know what they were thinking
Just expected you
to read their mind
How did that make you feel
Was it frustrating
Did you wish that
They would have just told you
What they were thinking
What was on their mind
Well today
These days
It’s easier than ever before
To let your representatives know
What is on your mind
They are literally
* A point and a click away
All you have to do
Is go to either
Senate.gov
Or
House.gov
Point and click on your state
Point and click on your representative
And send ‘em an email
Or
You can call ‘em up
And talk to a staffer
The whole process
Takes five minutes
Communication with our representatives
Is easier now
Than at any other time
In our country’s history
We just have to do it
Just do it
Just do politics
Politics are our responsibility
The tools are there
But it is up to us
To use them
However
Unlike the pig
Your only sacrifice is time
So we need to
Take the time
To contact our Representatives
Take the time
To talk with each other
Take the time
Because if you don’t
Take the time
If you don’t
Make the sacrifice
Just think about
What you might be sacrificing
Is America worth the time
Is the United States of America
Worth the sacrifice
Citizens
* My challenge to you today
Is to find out who
Your senators are
Find out who
Your representative is
Spend the five minutes
And find their officials websites
Put them in your favorites
Save their phone numbers
In you cell phone
That’s when you know
The relationship has reached
The next level
When you got the digits
And we’ve seen this process work
During the 2007 Immigration Debates
The overwhelming reaction
From Conservatives
Calling
Faxing
And Emailing
Their Representatives
It turned the tide
Their sacrifice paid off
In just three short days
The Senate went from
A super majority
64 votes
For the McCain/Kennedy
Immigration Bill
To a no vote
Killing the bill
As committed citizens
All it takes is a small sacrifice
A sacrifice of time
When you truly love something
You make the time
This is how our country
Is suppose to work
This is where things
Should start in our country
With us
With the people
Now maybe you didn’t agree
With the outcome of this vote
My first questions would be
Did you participate in the debate
Did you contact your representatives
But most importantly
Did you encourage someone else
To contact their representatives
You see
This is where our responsibility
As committed citizens
Kicks in
When we take the time
To work together
When we take the time
To contact our representatives
When we take the time
To ham it up
Now comes the fun part
Unlike a lot of organizations
The UCA
Isn’t here to tell you
What to believe
Or
What position to take
Regardless of Party
Regardless of ideology
We are all Americans
And in the End
We are all in this together
And myself
As a Constitutional Prophet
I’m going to say things
That are going to anger Conservatives
I’m going to say things
That are going to piss off Liberals
I’m going to say things
That are going to upset
Each and every one of you
But there is one thing
I’m not going to do
I’m not going to deviate
From The Constitution
Of the United States of America
* The supreme law of our Land
Because
It is our devotion to this document
That makes our lives
As citizens
Possible
However
With this part of the show
My sermon
I wanna get away from the whole
I’m up here
And you’re down there
So what I say
Is more important
At the UCA
We are all equals
We are all co-advocates
Working with each other
So if you will
Look at this sermon
As a suggestion
As an Idea
As a topic for discussion
How this show ends
Is ultimately up to you
It is up to us
It is up to how we together
Take on our greatest responsibility
As Committed Citizens
* The act of
Reasonable Public Deliberation
Which apart from
Dying for one’s country is
The ultimate act of citizenship
So as committed citizens
It is up to us
To make the words
We the people
Really mean something
We the people
Has to become
More than just words
In our current situation
Think of it as counseling
For the America Family
As a way of getting Communication
Back into the Community
At the UCA
We refer to this as
Our Constitutional Communion
It’s a communion between
Committed Citizens
Who care about their country
It’s a good ole fashion
Town Hall meeting
It’s a way to repair
Our relationship with our Republic
That’s what makes us so special
That’s what makes America unique
The power lies in the people
And We are the people
So we have the power
We just have to use it
Remember
We are the parents
Of this government
This government
Is our child
And it has to obey us
And as parents
It is our responsibility
Not only to talk to our child
But to talk to each other
Otherwise our kid
Might start going behind our backs
To the other parent
Or
To who knows where
In order to get what it wants
Yes I understand
That we all won’t ever agree
On everything
But we all agree
That we all want
Our child
To be healthy
We all agree
That we all want our child
To be successful
As committed Citizens
We all care about
Our country
And maybe I’m crazy
A lot of people
Would agree with that
But a relationship
Where there were no disagreements
Would not only be boring
But it would be stagnant
It wouldn’t grow
Disagreements Challenge relationships
They challenge them to be better
Our founder’s were sneaky
They created a system of government
Which forces us into a relationship
Forces us to work with one another
By taking the power
Away from the government
By taking the power
Away from a single individual
And by declaring that all
Were created equal
Our founders have forced us
To get to know one another
Because if you want
To get something done
In this country
You have to convince
Your fellow citizens
You have to work with
Your fellow citizens
You have to compromise with
Your fellow citizens
Essentially our Founders
Forced us
Into an arranged marriage
We are in an arranged marriage
With our fellow citizens
We are stuck with each other
So we need to figure out
How to get along
Our founders understood
That this wouldn’t be easy
Maintaining a representative republic
Like Maintaining a relationship
Takes effort
It takes
Hard work
Being under a king
Or a dictator
There is no work involved in that
Because
There is no responsibility
The people don’t have the power
The people are subjects
Subjects to the king
Subjects to the king’s law
But in the
United States of America
We are citizens
And we participate
In the creation of our own laws
We have the power
And we have the responsibilities
That comes with that power
We have a responsibility
To know our Constitution
We have a responsibility
To know our rights
We have a responsibility
To talk politics
And we have the responsibility
Of running our country
As some people like to say
Freedom isn’t free
Being an American
Being a citizen
Of the United States of America
Comes with a great burden
How your Country comes out
Depends on you
It Depends on
The people
The buck stops with the people
The buck stops with us
The buck stops with you
* So you have a choice
To either be a subject
Or a citizen
Are you a subject
Who has no say in the laws
Or are you a citizen
Who participates
In the creation
Of the laws
Are you a subject or a citizen
Too many Americans
Self subjugate themselves
By not participating
In the government
By not talking with
Their fellow citizens
By outsourcing
The very citizenship
Our founder’s died for
Many of us
With out knowing it
Have turned ourselves
Into subjects
With out even knowing it
Some of us have become
Subjects,Subjects
In our own country
Citizens
I’m sure there are
Many other things
You could be doing right now
But
You made the time
You made the sacrifice
You made the scarifies necessary
To be here
So
Together
We are taking
Our first steps
Our first baby steps
Towards Committed Citizenship
We are learning how
To ham it up
Together
Citizens
If you will
Imagine with me for a moment
Imagine a Country
Full of Committed Citizens
What would that country be like
Would it be a country
Where people talk politics
Would it be a country
Where Constitutional Conversations occur
Would it be a country
Where the people
Not only had the power
But they used it
Take a moment
And imagine with me
Your
Your ideal country
What would it be like
.
.
This was the question
Our founders asked
What is my ideal country
They imagined a country
For and by the people
And our country
The United States of America
Was formed from those dreams
From the dreams
Of our founders
And they put their lives into it
They put their all into it
They sacrificed
They hammed it up
They made America
We are living
Our Founders’ dreams
It is time
We made America
Our Dream
It is time you made
America
Your Dream
Can you see it
Can you imagine it
If you can
What are you willing to do
To make it happen
What sacrifices
Are you willing to take
Luckily our founders
Imagined a country where
Reasonable Public Deliberation
Was not only guaranteed
But where
The people’s right
To speak their minds
Was protected
Along with
Their right to assemble
Citizens
Please rise
And remain standing with me
As we recite together
*The First Amendment
To our Constitution
1 Madison 2:1-3
1Congress shall make no law
Respecting the establishment of religion,
Or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
2or abridging the freedom of speech,
or of the press;
3or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the government
for redress of grievances.
Well Citizens
Here we are
We’re Peaceably Assembled
So are you ready
Are you ready
To become Committed Citizens
Are you ready
To pursue happiness
Are you ready
To ham it up
Are you ready
To make
The United States of America
Your dream
Because Citizens
* We Make America
America Doesn’t Make us
We Make America
America Doesn’t Make us
Thank you