Ramblings

"Such Problems" - 9/24/2017

    “That is a first world problem.” Have you heard that expression used lately? It is a phrase that has grown with social media over the last twenty years of so. The expression is commonly used to describe what may be irritants for those of us living in developed countries, but for those that are in developing parts of the world are not relevant.
    In plain English, the underlying message of the expression “that is a first world problem” is: “suck it up, you are speaking from a place of privilege.” The phrase “that is a first world problem” is an attempt to place our trivial or minor problems or frustrations in context; that they are coming from a relatively affluent or privileged circumstance especially as contrasted with problems of greater social significance facing people in poor and underdeveloped parts of the world.
Now let’s be clear, getting socked by a hurricane or flood, is not a first world problem. Rather let me give you a taste of some examples of such “first world” irritations found on various social media: “I dislike having to drive four hours to our vacation home.” “The Wi-Fi at the resort was out for four hours.” “There was no almond milk at the breakfast buffet at the Hilton.” “Just had my praline spread confiscated by TSA at Dallas. As far as I'm concerned, the terrorists have now won.” “I really hate having to fly commercial with both ski boots and golf clubs.” “The TV show wasn't in HD.” “I tried to spread cold butter on my toast and the bread ripped.” “My Apple Watch didn't register the correct distance on my 10k run around the park.” “I asked for strawberry Chantilly in my Açai palm nuts and received chocolate instead.” “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.”
    Oops! That last one “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain, doesn't belong in that list, or does it? It's something the apostle Paul had written found in today’s Scripture reading from Philippians. As we will come to discover that sentence from the Apostle Paul does not fit the First-World-problem definition. The Apostle Paul is not writing from minor irritation to the small church in Phillipi.
    Now for me, the only proper response to those minor irritations on that list that I shared is “So Sad, So Bad, you are speaking from privilege!” But, this comment from the Apostle Paul, “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain” however, deserves a different response, like “WOW!” Now, we don’t know how the church in Phillipi reacted, but for us it is a punch into our faith gut level. We are to contemplate deeply what the Apostle Paul is suggesting because he sets the bar high for how we should think about living in faith.
    To review why Paul may have written these words, let us remember that the Apostle Paul and his co-workers had founded the church in Philippi some years before this letter was written. Now several years later, when Paul wrote this letter, he was in prison in Rome, and the Philippian Christians were worried about him, knowing that he might be executed for preaching Christ. In fact, they had sent one of their members, Epaphroditus, to Paul with a gift and possibly a letter. As Epaphroditus was preparing to return home, Paul wrote this letter in response to the concerns expressed, so Epaphroditus could carry it to the believers in Philippi.
    In that context, Paul's comment that living was all about Christ and dying was “gain” makes some sense. Essentially, Paul was saying something to the effect of, “Don't worry about me. My life is devoted to Christ, so if being faithful means I must be in chains, so be it. And if they should kill me, well I will receive eternal life and be with Christ forever.” The Message version written by Eugene Peterson paraphrases this text like this: “Everything happening to me in this jail only serves to make Christ more accurately known, regardless of whether I live or die. They didn't shut me up; they gave me a pulpit! Alive, I'm Christ's messenger; dead, I'm his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can't lose.”
    But think about what Paul’s words might mean in our context here in 21st century United States, in this cacophony of words from political and cultural pundits of what constitutes irritations, what constitutes what is important. Of course, we are not in anything like the Apostle Paul's situation, but his words still challenge us to think about what matters when we discuss living in faith. In fact, that's the implied lesson of anything branded as a First World problem.
It's not really that those irritations like “I had too much food for lunch so now I am tired” do not have some impact, but that, in the larger perspective of life, not only do countless people go hungry every day, those irritations matter less and sometimes hardly at all. That's true whether we live in our culture or in what is termed the “developing world.” For example, Nigerian-American writer Teju Cole reminds us, “All the silly stuff of life doesn't disappear just because you're black and live in a poorer country.”
    Instead when we hear the Apostle Paul’s words, “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain,” there's spiritual value to applying that perspective to how we deal with the challenges and opportunities of life, and how we help or don't help those who are suffering because of the shortages or absences of life's necessities.
The Apostle Paul, in effect, urges us to remember that there's a future review of our lives before God, and there are also crucial days of decision and change in our current existence. The difficulty in choosing between the mocha or Frappuccino, or Bud light vs Miller lite is barely a level-one problem, if a problem at all. Deciding what to do about the needs of a suffering neighbor and the call of Christ are level-10 issues.
    It is interesting that these words come up shortly after the devastation of several natural events, with Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. Now not to diminish that suffering but, sooner or later, we all face personal tragedies --- the bone-crushing depression that follows a marital breakup, the death of a loved one, the self-destructive behavior of one of our children, the terror of life-threatening illness or something else equally weighty. We get to know words like sickness, accident, misfortune, injury, setback, troubles, catastrophe, pain and hurt up close and personally. These are not just problems for those who live in the First World, but the human condition.
    The Apostle Paul's words suggest that not only do we review what are truly irritations, but that we also are to take a faith view, a long-term view in life. For example, in an interview for Clarity magazine, writer Anne Lamott tells of an incident that helped her take a different faith perspective on her life. Also found in her book Traveling Mercies Link) She writes that she was raised to keep all her family secrets and present herself in such a way that people would be either envious or approving. But, she admitted that keeping up a façade like that takes a lot of energy. But one day, Anne visited her friend Pammy who was going through chemotherapy. Anne pointed to the dress she herself was wearing and asked Pammy if it made her look fat. Pammy looked at her and said, “Annie, you just don't have that kind of time.”
    Anne wrote that Pammy's response was so profound, that “it was like I was in a cartoon and somebody conked me over the head. I got it.” Anne goes on to say that Pammy has since died, but Anne says that she still lives by what Pammy said to her that day. Ms. Lamott sums it up this way: “You don't have time to live a lie. You don't have time to get the world to approve of you. You only have the time to become the person you dream of being. You only have the time to clean out your mean and ugly spots, areas that drag you down and hurt other people. You only have the time to accept yourself as you are and start getting a little bit healthier so you can be who God needs you to be. In a way, it's exhilarating to say, ‘This is really who I am, and I'm not going to pretend just because I have the sneaking suspicion I'm not good enough.’ God meets you where you are.”
    Perhaps this is what First World irritations can do for us. Not only can we recognize them for what they are, “most people do not have vacation homes so the fact that it takes you 4 hours to get to yours is not a big deal.” So not only can we put into context First World irritations in ourselves and other people, but in faith we can look at what really matters. That can even help us to see when something we're doing doesn't work. It is then that this fresh perspective of Paul's words can jog us in the right direction. So, when we are tempted to write on Facebook or in note to a friend as someone did that “slow internet is my generation’s Vietnam,” we can put it in perspective. We can say, “The death and sufferings of millions during the Vietnam war does not compare to your inability to see a picture on Instagram. Rather in faith, I can identify where people are suffering today and respond.”
    It may be ironic that we are here assigning to First World problems the ability to help us keep things in perspective, because usually, it's problems at the other end of the scale that help us decide what's important. For example, after the hurricanes hit, invariably the media will find someone who have lost everything they owned, but whose loved ones have all survived, who say, “All that other stuff can be replaced. Our family members are okay. That's all that matters.”
Doesn’t that alone speak to where our lives are, why does it take massive destruction to reorient our lives?
T    he late Ellsworth Kalas, a noted preacher, told of being a guest in Wichita Falls, Texas, about a year after that community had been brutally hit by a tornado in 1979. He was hosted in a new home, where the owner invited him to stand in a certain spot in the front hallway. The man said, “Our old home was on this same location. The storm leveled it to the ground. Everything. I came to see what was left. There in the rubble, at this very spot, was a football. I don't know whose it was or where it came from. I picked it up, looked at it, then kicked it as far as I could. It seemed the right thing to do.” After telling this story, Kalas said,
“It was a wonderfully symbolic act, after life's values had been so mercilessly put to the test.”
    After being brought up short by Paul’s letter to the church in Phillipi, let us pause, wonder what complaints deserve the same kind of “kicking away.” What do we need to release into the ether for what they truly might be, “first world problems?” And in faith kick them away to focus. In the church, by the way we call this “kicking away” --- repentance. That word does not just refer to turning from sin but turning from stuff that really doesn't matter and turning instead to God that does.
    The Apostle Paul's words can help us clarify our priorities. His words call us to ground our experiences in trust in God as well as to build upon our faith given by grace --- toward what God calls us to be. Paul while sitting in prison is expanding the vision of where God is and who God loves. In his lifetime, he has seen his own people dispersed, the Temple in Jerusalem destroyed, problems in the faith communities he had established, shipwrecks and now sitting in prison.
    As people seeking to be renewed in our faith, we are to live within faith not necessarily to add more layers but in trust live faithfully. This involves taking risks that move us out of comfort not just through our minor irritations, but into exploring its dusty corners. The Apostle Paul’s words remind us that it may be “irritating to have a cut on our finger making it difficult to use our cell phones.” For we must deal with some small stuff simply to function in the world, but let us not confuse the small stuff with what other people face around this world, and let us not experience hurricanes to remind us that each day we can devote some of our time and energy towards the things that matter most, both in this life and later in God’s hands. Rather, for we are all alive in faith, like Paul at the limit, curling our toes over the edge, feeling the mist in our throats and fog in our throats. Let us live daily in Christ with the assurance that whether we are alive or dead we belong to Christ. Amen.

Dyad - 9/11/2017

    Sermon Based on Matthew 18: 15-20.  On a recent trip, we were handed one of those electronic key cards for our hotel room. Different than a metal key, we used these keycards by inserting it into a slot above the door handle and pulling it out, kind of like an ATM. More recent models, however, allow us to simply wave the keycard in front of a sensor to produce the cheery green light that seems to say, “Come on in.”
    Although I do not travel as much as I used to, it seems that almost every hotel has gone that direction. I suspect the reason being that electronic keycards offer many advantages over old-fashioned metal keys --- which, when lost, are costly to reproduce. And to replace a lock is even more challenging as is well known here at Good Shepherd. Then, too, I suspect hotel managers worried about possible breaches of security. What if a former guest returned with the metal key he or she had walked off with? The downside with keycards I understand is that sometimes they flat-out don't work. In that case, it's a simple matter for the front desk staff to reprogram or replace the card.
    Keys have been around since ancient times. The oldest example is from Nineveh, the ancient capital of Assyria. The Egyptians had keys. So, did the Greeks, and across many part of Asia. Well-to-do Romans wore their keys on their fingers, like rings, not only for convenience but also as a sort of status symbol, telling the world they had valuables to protect.
    Even Jesus talked about keys. In Matthew 16:13, Jesus promises Peter as the symbol of the budding church, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Later, in verse 18 of today's text, Jesus repeats the promise about binding and loosing, expanding it to the larger church community.
    It is for this reason, that early Christian commentators referred to this authority, to bind and to unfasten or open, as “the power of the keys,” and the name stuck. To this day, the Vatican coat of arms contains a pair of crossed keys surmounted by the papal crown.
    It is helpful to remember that context, the power of the keys as we approach today’s portion of Matthew. This lesson comes in handy whenever the church's life is troubled by conflict. Sadly, this is an all-too-common occurrence. Ever since Cain killed his brother Abel, the children of God have gotten skilled at finding things to hate and distrust and even kill over. Furthermore, it's such a common feature of human life, in fact, that Jesus offers today a larger teaching about conflict resolution than just internal church conflict.
    Think of it, in practical terms, as three separate keys. If we look at today’s lesson from that vantage point, Jesus' model of conflict resolution is a carefully staged process.
    If a person has wronged us, Jesus says, take out Key One: Go to the other person and point out what that one has done wrong. Just the two; the person who offended and the person offended. This encourages honest and direct communication. Sadly, most of our conflicts are not handled in this way. Much of our communication is indirect, as in whispers to third parties, and dishonest, as in malicious gossip.
    And contrary to what some people think, Jesus did not call his followers to be children, but rather adults. Adult communication is to be characterized by responsibility, by having something to say and taking ownership when we say it.
    Going to a person directly does several things: The one who is sinned against will be on the turf of the offender. Meeting them on their ground treats the offender with respect. It allows them the possibility of being able to save face.
If that doesn't work, try another key, Key Two. Take one or two others along with you, and repeat the process. There's a very practical reason for bringing the others along. They can serve as witnesses if Key Two likewise doesn't work. Take witnesses so that “every word” might be verified that the conversation is honest and direct.
    Because, we are going to need those verified words if we pull out Key Three. Using this key, we “tell it to the church,” to our local network. There's still hope the other person will come around, realizing what pain he or she has caused, and repenting for it. But “if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”
    Sometimes there's no admission of wrong, no move toward reconciliation, not even when the whole church is calling for it. In such a case, then the Lord's advice is to “let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” Now, in case that last bit sounds harsh coming from the mouth of Jesus, remember, how was it, again, that Jesus related to Gentiles and tax collectors? Jesus loved them, of course! Jesus loved them unconditionally. Jesus was famous for that. And at this third key, we should not also wonder if Matthew is writing tongue-in-cheek or did this author get a chill down his back if this is the same Matthew the disciple? Because Matthew himself is a good example as a former --- tax collector.
    The goal of the three-key process is reconciliation. But again, there are times when this is humanly impossible. There does come a point when active intervention must cease as humans. Because as many of us know, there's simply no place anywhere for protracted, unresolved conflict; it only festers.
Beyond these three keys, many years ago, I learned that it’s also instructive to read today’s scripture lesson over against another that provides advice for conflict resolution as well. The other passage is Matthew 5:23-24 which reads: “So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.”
    Notice how, in this second passage, the roles are reversed. In today's passage, from Matthew 18, the person who takes the initiative to go and visit the brother or sister is the person who's been wronged. But in chapter 5, it's different. Jesus says, “If you remember that your brother or sister has something against you ...” We are not the victim this time, but the perpetrator; we have offended. By seeing these two passages side by side, the remarkable thing is that Jesus' advice is pretty much the same for both parties in that whether we are the one who's been wronged, or the one who has done the wrong, our responsibility remains, to swallow our pride, get up and go to our sister or brother, seeking to be reconciled.
    There's none of this, “Why should I make the first move? It wasn't my fault. It's the other person who's got to reach out!” That is how feuds get started. Both sides are absolutely convinced it's the other person's fault. It can go on for years -- generations, even. We're talking Hatfield’s and McCoy’s, here.
However, Jesus' advice in these two passages from Matthew cuts that off. Whether we are the injured party ---chapter 18 --- or whether we are the one who has offended others --- chapter 5 --- Jesus says, “Don't put it off. Just go. Mend the rift. Heal the relationship.” In doing so, we not only offer to the other person a key to profound inner peace in the Lord. We also claim such a key for ourselves.
    Here's another way to look at it. During my college internship when I served under the farm worker ministry of the National Council of Churches for six months with the United Farm Workers in California, to get a sense of an aspect of their work, I sat in on a contract negotiation. On one side of the table was a team including myself, two farm workers and the lead negotiator from the UFW. On the other side of the table sat two representatives of the corporate farm, as well as two lawyers representing the law firm who were the lead negotiators.
    Over the course of three days, back and forth we went over a written, draft contract. Each party would bring up issues as we worked through the document. I remember one heated moment over the number of portable toilets the farm was obligated to provide. The farm wanted to have the number of toilets based on a ratio; the number of workers to the number of portables available. The UFW wanted to include one specifically for women as well. Back and forth it went, until finally we had reached the end of the second day.
    I remember thinking to myself, nothing is going to change, somehow, a third element has got to be introduced. So, before we left for the day, I encouraged the UFW negotiator to include a female farmworker the next day, as all of us there were --- men. I don’t know if it made any difference but thankfully, at the end, the contract had something to the effect that when the numbers of farmworkers reached a numerical threshold, a women’s only portable toilet would be added. In reflection, it seemed like we get caught up with a table full of jigsaw-puzzle pieces somebody just dumped out onto the table. Silently, unwilling to speak, the two begin to examine the pile. Each one sees some pieces that fit together and connects them up. The two combatants bend to their work, as fast as possible creating little clusters of puzzle pieces --- a bit of sky here, a patch of grassy lawn there, the red siding of a barn over there. Eventually, they connect those larger clusters.
But what if, during the process, the two were to get up and start walking around the table, to get a different perspective on the emerging picture --- or maybe to pick up a stray puzzle piece, to see if it belongs to the section they've been working on. Perhaps by including the female farm worker, the dynamics changed.
    In today’s lesson Jesus is reminding us that it makes little sense to speak of “my side” or “your side.” There's only The Puzzle --- and it takes two, working together, to solve it. “Us versus them” transformed into “Us and Us.” It's the only way reconciliation ever happens.
    Most of us are afraid of conflict, and, considering the way conflict is normally handled, it's easy to see why. Unhealthy conflict, the kind characterized by indirect communication, with the constant threat of violence, often undermines and tears down. Healthy conflict, on the other hand, can build up in such a way that relationships are not only restored, but renewed and deepened.
    The goal is always reconciliation motivated by love. The church, Jesus is suggesting, is that “outpost” of that reconciliation. I like the way Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian and anti-Nazis activist who died in prison for conspiring to kill Adolf Hitler, was talking about when he referred to this as “a world come of age.” In this “world come of age,” Christians would be known as “the adults.” Christians would act in freedom because of God’s grace, with autonomy while also taking responsibility and modeling love and reconciliation. This “world come of age” is to be a model as a sign to the world of the power of Jesus the Lord to heal wounds and end divisions. Christ has reconciled the world to himself, and now this “ministry of reconciliation” has been given to us, said Paul.
    Notice, that the lesson says that “if two of you agree about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” It goes on to say, “for where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” We often quote that passage in the context of worship and prayer, but if we see those words where these words are found, it is a return to the first key --- two people reaching out at work at the puzzle of reconciliation. Let us be that dyad, let us initiate that first key with another, not only within our community, for it doing so we “come of age” able to unlock and open reconciliation in the world around us. Amen.