My Yellow Star of David

Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)

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When I was studying in Germany in the early 70s not long after the Munich massacre, I met Colin in a pub on Heidelberg's haupstrasse over neuer wein and zwiebelkuchen.

He was the most Yasser-Saddamish-looking United-Kingdom-passport-carrying fellah that I'd ever met.

He seemed intrigued by me studying theology in preparation for seminary/ordination and I was curious about someone who looked sooooooo unlike any Englishman that I'd ever...

Yeah, I know, it sounds like the kinda profiling stuff that we're not supposed to do at airports or any kinda police checkpoint anymore.

But this is now and that was then; and I didn't know I was being a bigot by assuming...

Anyway, it must've been the neuer wein or him needing absolution and thinking I could give it 'cause he confirmed my PLO suspicions.

It must've been the zwiebelkuchen or me needing to honor my high school girlfriends Mimi, Ruthie, Esther, and, uh, so on or my Teutonic forest roots 'cause I started mocking him, Black September, and all other PLO look-alikes as being sooooooo extraordinarily courageous, tough, and manly as evidenced by their butchering and blowing up children, non-combatants, and other defenseless sorts.

I'll never forget how he concluded our only exchange: "Priests care for the injured and grieving. You talk about justice and we act on it. Just stay in your churches praying on your knees and leave the important matters of the world to us."

I'll never forget that.

It haunts me.

I remain discomforted by his assumptions.

Sadly, from what I can see, too many people like me as profiled by him aren't discomforted by such assumptions.

Too bad.

Go to google, click on Niemoller, and check out the famous quote attached to his name.

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My favorite Special Olympics world golf champion and I advanced to the state championship in September by winning our area tournament last week.

We played in the "unified" division - a Special Olympics athlete being teamed with, uh, uh, uh, uh, "normal" athlete and combining scores to determine who, uh, advances.

Well, I showed up wearing my typical golf stuff; but it wasn't long before a Special Olympics staff member put a yellow wristband on me to identify me as a competitor and then a volunteer from Rockford Special Olympics handed a team shirt to me. In other words, except for my wristband that sported "Coach" under my name, I looked like every other competitor in the tournament.

That became especially real to me when I went into the pro shop; and as I was entering, I overheard an apparent member come to a quick halt in saying to the guy behind the counter, "I guess they just left them all out of the..."

I let it go.

I asked the guy behind the counter, "Do you have any Advil?"

He leaned over the counter, peered so intently into my eyes, and asked, "Are you sure it's O.K. for you to have Advil?"

I let it go.

"It's O.K.," I said, "I take two before I play, two while I'm playing, and maybe a few after I play."

While still leaning over the counter and peering so intently into my eyes, he continued, "Maybe you should ask someone with your group about this. Aren't you on other medications?"

I let it go; but I felt like saying, "Yeah, I take anger management pills; and I think they've just worn out."

But, again, I let it go; defying my roots in the Teutonic forests of Germany in favor of not embarrassing my golf partner.

Actually, it was kinda fun to experience life from another angle throughout the day: "Are you O.K.?...Do you need some water or juice?...Would you like a snack?...How about a cookie?"

Geez.

Go to google, click on Niemoller, and check out the famous quote attached to his name.

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After picking up the gold, one of the two guys who I'd interrupted in the pro shop earlier in the day approached me for absolution, "I didn't know that..."

"No problem," I said, "it happens all the time."

He couldn't let it go.

He asked, "What do you mean?"

"People," I said, "always make assumptions about other people which is why we look like such ___es so often."

He let it go.

I can't.

Go to google, click on Niemoller, and check out the famous quote attached to his name.

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My favorite Special Olympics world golf champion asked why I'm still wearing the yellow wristband.

I said, "Because I love you and want people to know I love you."

He asked when I'm gonna take it off.

I said, "When it falls off; but, I guess, I'll probably get more over time to replace it."

He said, "Pastor Bob, I don't think people will understand."

I said, "You're right, Billy."

He let it go.

I can't.

Go to google, click on Niemoller, and check out the famous quote attached to his name.

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Blessings and Love!