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October 8, 2006
Claire Berry
Fratricide may seem a strange place to begin a discussion of health care in
America, but the Bible contains lessons for us wherever we look. Today we read
of an almost unimaginable crime—Cain the farmer kills his brother Abel the
shepherd in what appears to be a fit of jealousy. What can the story teach us
about the nine million children in this country who live without health care
resources that most of us take for granted?
You are all familiar enough with the story to know that Cain’s response to God’s
question, “Where is your brother Abel?” has become a classic indictment of human
selfishness. When Cain answers, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” we are conditioned
to think, “Of course you are, you moron!” But I wish to plead with you for a
moment to give Cain a break. However self-centered his question may be, it is
asked in innocence. He and his brother were the first children born into a new
world, a world that knew neither altruism nor death. It was a world in which
“love” and “betrayal” lacked even a vocabulary.
By the time Cain asks this question, he has already violated its answer out of
ignorance and self-centeredness. We don’t look kindly on those human qualities,
but I use them non-judgmentally. In fact, they are the native human condition.
We are not born wise and we are not born out-going. We learn by experience,
which is just a euphemism for our mistakes—unless we are very lucky. Cain
wasn’t so lucky. But he was a fast learner.
When God howled in reply, “What have you done? The blood of your brother cries
out to Me from the ground!” Cain was crushed. He realized immediately that he
had done something terribly wrong, though he may not have even figured out what
exactly it was. Instead of being angry with Cain, I am always provoked to great
sadness for his two losses—the loss of his companion Abel, and the loss of his
innocence.
So if I suggest to you that as Christians and Americans there is a little bit of
Cain within us, I hope you will understand that my words come not as a judgment,
but as a recognition that not so much has changed since creation. We are still
natively ignorant and self-centered. But I like to believe that we are fast
learners. If God were to shout at us right now, “the blood of your brothers and
sisters cries out to Me,” we would be immediately ashamed and contrite, though
we might not know immediately exactly why.
Though we all fear catastrophic illness, our response to it is usually quite
direct: We call our doctors. They are the health care professionals who have
helped to keep us in life and sustain us through inoculations and infections and
indigestions and the occasional incapacities. Though we work hard for the
benefits, we accept that access to them is a default position. It is easy to
remain ignorant to those unable to access an antihistamine or a flu shot
because, well, I got mine.But nine million children in this country are without
the resources to keep them in life and sustain them and enable them to reach a
healthy adulthood. And in their voice, God calls to us today and asks us to be
ashamed. But unlike Cain, we can act to redeem ourselves by joining with others
to demand that this great and good country care for those least able to care for
themselves.
Cain bore the mark of his lesson all his life. It illustrated not his crime,
but God’s compassion in helping him to deal with the harsh lesson he learned.
It inspired him and those around him to overcome ignorance and self-centeredness
and consider the other person and his or her needs.
Each time you fill a prescription, each time you get an injection, each time you
make your co-pay, consider the other person—one in nine million children who
call out to you. You can redeem Cain if you join with those who stand for
healthy children by bringing hope and healing to this world.
A Story For All Ages: Higgins – The Drop With A
Dream
By reverend Christopher Buice, Minister.
Once upon a time there was a drop of water named Higgins. Higgins was
no ordinary drop of water. He was a drop with a dream.
Higgins lived in a valley where it had not rained in a very long time,
so all the lovely green grass was turning brown, all the beautiful
flowers were wilting, and all the trees were starting to droop.
Higgins had a dream that one day the valley would be a beautiful place
again. But what cold he do? After all, he was only a drop of water.
One day Higgins decided to travel and tell others about his dream. All
the other drops listened very politely, but no one believed that his
dream would come true. “Higgins,” Said one, “get you head out of the
clouds. You can’t spend your whole life dreaming.” Higgins
decided that he had to do something to make his dream come true. So he
began to think and think and think. One day, as he was walking by a
rusty old bucket, he got an idea.
“If enough of us drops of water got together in this bucket,” Higgins
thought, “there would be enough water to sprinkle on a few flowers to
help them grow and become beautiful again!” Eagerly, Higgins told
everyone his great idea. But everyone thought he was being foolish.
“That Higgins is nothing but a dreamer,” they said.
Higgins decided he had to do something to convince the others that he
was right. So he said to them, “I don’t know about you, but I’m getting
into the bucket! I hope some of you will join me. Then there might be
enough water to help at least some flowers grow beautiful again.”
So Higgins ran as hard as he could, hopped way up in the air, and landed
with a kerplunk in the bottom of the bucket. And there he sat . . .
JUST A DROP IN THE BUCKET.
For a long time Higgins was very lonely. It seemed like no one else was
going to join him. But after awhile some of the other drops could see
that the grass was dying and the flowers were wilting and the trees were
drooping. They all agreed that something must be done.
Suddenly, one drop shouted, “I’m going in the bucket with Higgins!” And
he leaped through the air and landed—kerplunk—in the bucket.
Then two other drops yelled, “Wait for us!” And they hopped through the
air and landed in the bucket. Then ten drops jumped through the air
into the bucket. Then 30. Then 50! And then hundreds of drops came
from all around just to hop in the bucket!
Soon, the bucket was completely full of water. But there were still
more drops that wanted to join, so they found another bucket and hopped
in. Before long, there were two buckets of—then three—then four—then
ten—and then hundreds—and then thousands of buckets of water!
Along came a powerful breeze that blew over all the buckets, and all the
water flowed together to make a mighty stream. Everywhere the water
flowed, the grass turned green again and the flowers bloomed and the
trees stood tall and straight once more.
All this happened because Higgins had a dream and his dream came true.
Because he knew that although he was just a drop in the bucket, enough
drops in the bucket make a bucketful, and when there are enough buckets
with the wind behind them, then justice will roll down like waters and
righteousness like a mighty stream.
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