'Health care for all,' agency executive preaches
3/3/2003 News media contact: Tim Tanton · (615) 742-5470 · Nashville, Tenn. NOTE: This report is a sidebar to UMNS story #113. A head-and-shoulders photograph of the Rev. Jackson Day is available. A UMNS Report By Jane DuBose*
By Jane DuBose*
How often do you hear a sermon on health care? Probably
rarely, but congregants at Trinity United Methodist Church in Frederick,
Md., heard one of the denomination's executives preach on that issue
last November.
Trinity's guest preacher was the Rev. Jackson Day,
program director for health and wholeness with the denomination's Board
of Church and Society. The board, with offices in Washington, is the
church's social action and advocacy agency.
"I don't think you
would find a lot of churches doing that, but we operate a counseling
center," says the Rev. Harold B. Wright, Trinity's pastor, who asked Day
to preach. "We understand that the body, mind and spirit need to be in
synch. That's part of our awareness of church and society.
"We understand health care issues are issues for us as people in the church to be dealing with." Day reminded his listeners that the United Methodist Church regards health care as a right for all people.
"Our
Social Principles and resolutions say a number of things about health
care, but beneath them all is one common thread: health care for all,"
he said. "The United Methodist Church states clearly to the Congress and
the world, 'Health care is a right.' It should be available
universally, and the only entity that can make it available to all
persons universally, and be fair in collecting the funds to provide
health care to all, is government. But can we deal with that 'G' word?"
Day went on to tell his listeners how they could get around their suspicion of the "G" word.
Other excerpts from his sermon:
"If
health care is a right, it is a positive right, because for all of us
to have health care protection, each of us will need to give something
up in the form of taxes. This is the essence of the arguments for and
against. The United Methodist Church says it is a right. Our society
says health care is a commodity, like fancy shoes or a kitchen appliance
- buy it if you can afford it; otherwise, do without.
"Many of
the expensive contradictions in our health care system reflect our
society's conflict between our materialistic, consumerist minds, and our
God-inspired, faith-based hearts. When God made us, God made us to bear
one another's burdens."
Day's complete sermon can be found at mywebpages.Comcast.net/jacksonday/021110.htm.
# # #
*DuBose is a free-lance writer residing in Nashville, Tenn.
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