The Dave Rave - October 2020
“We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ”
Greetings!
The month of October is often associated with scary things like ghosts, goblins, and other things pertaining to Halloween. This year features something far more terrifying, mainly, the final month of a particularly nasty federal election. The thing that I find frightening about it is that it is an expression of a growing split in our society that does not bode well for our nation. As Lincoln, quoting Jesus, famously said, “A house divided against itself, cannot stand.”
The gospel, however, is about reconciliation. St. Paul even described our ministry this way in II Corinthians 5.16-20.
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God was making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
You will notice that Christ’s ministry is described as a ministry of reconciliation and that that ministry has been given to us. You will also notice that seeing things from Christ’s perspective, as opposed to the natural, worldly perspective, is the prerequisite of this ministry. As long as we insist on seeing others as unthinking, misguided dolts at best, and as an enemy to be crushed at worst, we will be part of the problem and abject failures in carrying out Christ’s ministry.
One of the very practical implications of Paul’s instruction has a direct bearing on Pilgrim. When I came here five years ago I was under the impression that this might be the most liberal Christian (UUs do not identify as Christian) church in town. As I have come to know the congregation, however, I have discovered that it is actually one of a sadly dying breed—a church where people from a variety of points on the political spectrum somehow manage to worship and serve together and support each other. In other words, there is evidence here that the ministry of reconciliation is actually taking place.
I want to highlight something about my discovery and that is the fact that our congregation as a whole is not as liberal as its reputation. This raises the question of how it got that reputation. I think there are two non-mutually exclusive possibilities. One is that we are an open and affirming congregation. From there, people make the assumption that if a church accepts and affirms gays and lesbians, it must be liberal on everything else. This is a false assumption. One can easily affirm the LGBT community and still be very conservative on any number of issues. It’s perhaps worth remembering that the CEO of the most successful expression of capitalism in the history of the world, Apple Corporation, is a gay man, Tim Cook. This also means that Apple’s socially aware policies are driven and financed by capitalism on steroids.
The other reason concerns me a bit more. I get the impression that some of our more conservative members are a little hesitant to express their views for fear that they will just be starting an argument and/or be seen as somehow “less than”. I’m not sure whether or not such would be the case, but it’s something to consider.
Keep in mind that this reason isn’t about a false and easily disproved assumption; it’s about the way we make our brothers and sisters feel. I see nothing wrong with our more liberal members expressing their views and seeking to act upon them. In many cases I myself agree with those views. If and when those expressions are said with the expectancy that they are somehow self-evident and that any sane, decent person will agree with them, then there is a problem. We need to be careful that we express our own views in a way that allows and invites others to do the same. There are at least two good reasons for doing so.
In the first place, few political stances are nearly as self-evident as their holders like to think. The fact that a nation of 300 million people is sharply and pretty evenly divided on many issues should be an indication that there might be another, perfectly legitimate side to a story, not an indication that 150 million Americans are evil morons. We need to temper our convictions with a little humility. Snoopy (of Peanuts fame) once wrote a book on politics with a most instructive title, You Might Be Wrong. Smart little dog, that cartoon beagle.
Second, and more importantly, the people we share a pew with are our brothers and sisters, our friends. We claim to be followers of the same Jesus Christ who had a Roman flunky (Matthew) and an independence oriented radical (Simon Zealot) as part of his band of disciples. If those two could somehow find reconciliation, then surely we should all be able to express our views in a respectful and mutually edifying way. In most cases, it isn’t until we truly understand both sides of an issue that we can really be said to hold a genuine view on it. Until then, we are simply spouting our own or, worse, somebody else’s biases.
It is my hope and prayer that we will be able to get through this election cycle and its consequences in a manner that demonstrates our capacity to see each other, not primarily as Democrats or Republicans, but as beloved children of God. In so doing we will be helping to fulfill Jesus’ ministry of reconciliation. As Phil Strout, the current President of the Vineyard Churches, put it, “Never let your cause become greater than your love.” I might add, “Never confuse your political affiliation with the Kingdom of God.”
May God guide us and help us to deepen our love for each other by deepening our understanding and acceptance of each other. Blessings! Dave