Do you know that
folksong? It’s one that is good for
campfires and small kids. It teaches
about rhyming and improvising and is a playful reminder of what the Reformation
is all about! 500 or so years ago,
Martin Luther got so fed up that he nailed a poster to a church door asking
uncomfortable questions about how the church taught people to get to
Heaven. At that time, the Roman Catholic
Church had a long list of dos and don’ts for getting into heaven. Do buy indulgences, which were free tickets
to heaven for family and friends. Don’t
read the bible too closely in your own language, especially passages like the
two we heard this morning. Do send your
money to Rome, don’t ask too many questions of your priest. And don’t hold priests or popes accountable
for their bad behavior. They are in the
job because God gave it to them, and therefore they and especially the Pope are
infallible. They are the final authority
between you and God, they know what’s best for you, and they are your holy
Father on earth that you have to answer to.
Back then, one could get to heaven on a rocking chair if it was
handcrafted especially for the Pope as a gift.
I don’t think that was what
the scribe intended when asking Jesus the ‘big question’. What is the most important thing? Now often scribes were lumped in with the
Pharisees, the Sadducees and the temple officials as the hypocrites, the
challengers, the cynical ones who eventually crucified Jesus instead of
listening to him. But this scribe was really listening and didn’t come with a
chip on their shoulder or with an agenda or as part of the clique determined to
undermine Jesus in front of his followers.
The scribe was open to change.
Big change. He didn’t side with the people in power, he sided with
curiosity and a genuine hunger to know God better. He didn’t come with a
political agenda. He wasn’t playing a game of passive aggression, asking
questions as a way of supposedly being nice to Jesus but looking for an
opportunity to attack or discredit him in front of his followers. The scribe was focused on getting to know
God and serve God first and foremost, and politics was not what was important
to him.
Nor was politics and passive
aggression what Paul was encouraging and supporting. He called a spade a spade. He told the Romans to close their mouths and
be accountable for what they said and did.
He told them that they shouldn’t be quarrelsome and stop competing to
see who was holiest. Then he said the
words that would inspire Luther to start the Reformation. People are justified by faith, by God’s
actions, not people’s score cards. We
can’t get to heaven by swapping the rocking chair for roller blades or rocket
ships, or anything else. We get to
heaven because of God. God’s love, God’s
ticket, God’s action not ours. Not by
our smarts, our actions, our attention to the law, our checklists, or our good
deeds. Because God loves. Full stop, end of discussion.
That doesn’t mean we can sit
back in our rocking chairs and do nothing.
We are still supposed to be accountable to each other for our words and
our actions.
This is easier said than
done. I have been at several United
Church workshops on growing congregations this month. There are over 200 United Churches that are
not just growing but thriving, even during Covid. We can become one of those! The chief
characteristic of congregations that die is how the members practice accountability with each other. The more
toxic the communication, the quicker the congregation dies. Especially in small towns. Millennials are very sensitive to toxic
congregations will not join organizations where people are practicing politics
or gossip or bullying. This is not
unique to churches. Many Toastmaster
clubs closed because of Covid. Our own
region went from five to two clubs.
Toxic communication is such a
problem that the United Church has policies in place to call for accountability
from congregations and ministers alike. The policy states:
Harassment
includes improper and unwanted comment or conduct when such conduct might
reasonably be expected to cause insecurity, discomfort, offence, or humiliation
to another person. Harassment is a form of discrimination… [that] can include
jokes, verbal abuse, hazing… comments about appearance or clothing… setting
impossible expectations, constant negativity, and/or undermining behaviour
[etc.]. (Workplace Discrimination, Harassment, and Violence
Prevention and Response Policy (united-church.ca) accessed October 29, 2021)
Some churches that are
growing and thriving have a behavior policy posted on their front doors to
remind people every time they come in to be accountable to each other for their
behaviors, their words, and their attitudes towards others.
Ironic that churches are
often uncomfortable talking about this, because we have heard stories of bad
customers being told they weren’t welcome, or seen signs on stores with
harassment policies, or heard reports of worker shortages because people don’t
want to be yelled at any more. We’ve
seen angry protesters in front of hospitals and nasty letters to the editor or
irate comments on social media. We are
struggling to deal with an outbreak of negativity, put downs, and verbal abuse.
Church needs to be a
sanctuary from such negativity. Our church has been learning about how to be
that sanctuary and to be more accountable.
We have been using the teachings of Parker Palmer before every council
meeting and most committee meetings.
Palmer says,
Our
views of reality may differ but speaking one’s truth in a circle of trust does
not mean interpreting, correcting or debating what others say. Turn from
reaction and judgment to wonder and compassionate inquiry. Ask yourself, “I
wonder why they feel/think this way?” or “I wonder what my reaction teaches me
about myself?” Set aside judgment to listen to others—and to yourself—more
deeply.
The good news is that we are
called to love our God and our neighbors as we love ourselves, but the great
news is that God loves us so much that even when we stumble and falter in our
attempts to do that, God still justifies us through love and grace, no matter
what. God shows mercy on us in our
struggles to become more accountable and more loving with everyone we meet, in
this sanctuary and out. Whether we have
a rocking chair or a rocket ship, God will help us make the trip! Thanks be to God!
No comments:
Post a Comment