"Walking the Gauntlet"
Preached on September 24, 2000 by
The Reverend Dr. Thomas C. Sheffield
Text: Mark 9: 30-37
This past summer a Presbyterian minister spoke at a
Peacemaking Conference. The Reverend Dirck Ficca is Executive Director
of the World Parliament of Religions, an organization that brings leaders
of all religions together to find common ground, learn and come to understand
their significant differences and discover how together they can affect
the world. In his speech, Mr. Ficca spoke as a Presbyterian, a Christian
and as he said, one who holds to Christ as Lord and Savior. Yet, he
also spoke about why and how he seeks to relate to other religions and
to seek and affirm the ways that God is at work in them all. It would
not be everyone's position, but it was in no way a position without
biblical foundation, theological validity and personal commitment to
human and universal relationships. It was one that many of us could
and would and have taken in a sincere desire to honor Christ and also
respect the integrity of varieties of historic religious expressions.
The result of that speech, however, has caused a storm of protest from
certain quarters of our denomination. Angry voices are calling for heads
to roll in our headquarters for allowing such words to be spoken at
a church-sponsored conference. Shrill and vindictive voices are also
calling for Mr. Ficca's removal as a Presbyterian minister.
Not too long ago the New York Times religion editor,
Gustav Niebuhr, reported on conversations with several theologians.
In each case the theologian, representing different denominations, had
taken a stand in opposition to the ordination of homosexual persons
to the ministry. Now, they told Mr. Niebuhr, they could no longer speak
publicly about their ideas and positions. Previous statements had caused
such a storm of protest and vile communication that they could no longer
endure such hate-filled expressions. Most importantly they were giving
up speaking openly about their position because their families, their
spouses and their children, also had received accusations and threats.
In all cases the accusers, the makers of threats are
Christians and in many of the cases they are Presbyterians. They represent
a trend that refuses to hear, let alone seek to understand, that wants
dialogue purged of any difficulties and differences, and that believes
that positions are to be held, maintained in a great contest of winning
and losing. Underlying it all, too, there is a simple mean-spiritedness
that is part of it all, a mean-spiritedness that shouts to be heard
and that seeks to drown out and eventually destroy any opposing voices
in the church.
At the last General Assembly of our denomination, the
Presbyterian Church (USA) commissioners were greeted as they entered
their meeting place with two gatherings of protesters. On one side of
the entrance was a group shouting and demanding that homosexual persons
be allowed to be ordained. Screaming and angry words filled the air.
It also filled the air on the other side where other protesters spewed
equally angry words about homosexual persons, calling for God's judgment
on them and for the church's rejection of them in every way. As one
commentator described it, commissioners were asked to "walk the gauntlet"
between those who demanded that their position be heard and win.
Reflecting on these and other situations within the
church I told friends of mine that I was dismayed and shocked by such
a consistent meanness that infects our church. One of my friends took
no time to respond. "It isn't just the church," she said, "it is everywhere.
Everywhere a mean spirit is in evidence." I can't argue with that perception.
There is a meanness in all parts of our lives. From road rage to parents'
behavior at their children's sports events to the way people are treated
in all areas of work life there is something mean to be felt and endured.
Yet, the church is asked to be something else. There
is no inherent problem with others being and doing as they wish. There
is no ultimate difficulty in others wanting to win, to be first, to
lord it over others and even to destroy the other in an effort to be
superior. But the church ... if it is really the church ... is to live
by something else. It is to live and act with someone else's ways and
direction in their minds and in their behavior. If the church is really
the church, if it is really the body of Christ, if it is really the
presence of Christ in the world today, it is called out from all of
that. It is called out and called to follow what Jesus said.
Jesus' disciples were arguing about who was the greatest.
It is the same old argument we are still having. It is the same argument
that permeates our world. It is the same argument that stands beneath
all the mean spirited accusations, all the shouting and threatening,
all the positioning and posturing ... who will be first and best? Who
will be right and righteous? Who is the greatest?
"Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant
of all." Then Jesus took a child and put that child in the middle of
them, in the middle of all their arguing, in the middle of all they
wanted to be and said, "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes
me."
It is clear above all that Jesus had no interest in
who won, who was first or who was thought to be the greatest. It is
clear that Jesus is interested in quite a different mark of faith. Jesus
is interested in how we are with one another, how we talk with one another,
how we come to tell each other what we think and feel and believe.
Jesus is interested in our being gentle with one another,
as gentle as we are with a child. Jesus is interested not in our belittling
but in our embracing one another, not in our pushing each other away
with words or with actions but in our finding the way to grow closer
in understanding each other.
Children had no standing, no power. They were possessions
of parents, and barely noticed in the society. Welcome, receive, accept,
and love that one, he told them. It is clear that Jesus is interested
not in our being powerful but in our care and concern and attention
for those without any power, not in our struggles and shouting to be
heard but in our commitment to hear, truly hear, what is happening around
us.
It is clear that we are to walk the gauntlet in life,
letting the shouting go on around us and over us and sometimes at us,
but to walk on with our eyes fixed firmly and securely not on positions
but on people, on the world God created and for which Christ died. We
are to concentrate on the emptiness that still must be filled, the hurt
that must be healed, the sin that must be forgiven, not on being great
but on being grateful for the grace given to us, the joy that comes
to us, and the love that has saved us, the love that will still save
the world.
It is not easy to walk that gauntlet. It never has been
and it never will be. It is not easy, but it is the only way. It is
the only way if we are to be who we are. It is the only way if we are
to be the church, the body, the people of Jesus Christ.
Prayer:
We will stand and say what we believe. We will say
we believe in you, O God. We will say we believe that Christ the Living
Word of God entered our world and that Christ continues to watch and
judge and care for us. We will say that we believe in the church and
in the Spirit that joins us with all believers and brings us to see
new life in this time and in eternity. We say we believe all that ...
now bring us to live what we say as we follow in your way, live in your
love and with gentleness, grace and compassion, become the servants
of all in Christ our Lord. Amen.
