Waiting: 1st Sunday of Advent, 2020

 Waiting. The season of Advent is about waiting. Waiting for God. Waiting for things to be different. Waiting for God to make things different. Waiting. 

Waiting is what we do when we can't do anything else. It is what we do when we walk through the hard and harsh times life sometimes (often?) brings. It is what we do when life is full of pain and empty of joy, full of struggle and void of peace. It is what we do when life as it is has become almost unbearable and seemingly meaningless. Waiting is what we do when we feel powerless to change what is. 

I'm not good at waiting. I don't particularly like waiting. I am not good at feeling powerless, unable to make things happen, unable to make life what I want it to be. I assume I am not the only one. 

Like it or not, waiting is a part of living. Waiting is a part of life because stuff happens. While our free will (the power to choose) gives us power to determine much of our lives, life often leads us down paths we did not choose ... and would never choose! We face things we would rather not have to face. 

Waiting is what we do when life is not what we want it to be ... and we are powerless to do anything about it. 

This reality - waiting is a part of life - raises two questions: how do we wait? what do we do as we wait? The way we answer the first question determines the answer to the second. What we do as we wait is determined by how we wait.

Our faith shapes how we wait. Our faith in God's steadfast love - a love that never wavers - shapes how we wait. Our faith in God's faithfulness - knowing that God never gives up on us or abandons us - shapes how we wait. Our faith in God's mercies - mercies that are new every morning, that are more than adequate for our needs for the day - shapes how we wait. 

An unidentified Hebrew poet gave voice to such faith as he lived in exile in Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah. All that gave structure and meaning and a sense of security had been taken from him as his world had been violently destroyed by an invading army. In its place, he was forced to live in the strangeness of a foreign land. In spite of the bitterness he felt in his homelessness, he wrote: "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him.'" (Lamentations 3:22-24). 

Like this unnamed poet, our faith teaches us to wait in hope. Faith in God's steadfast, unwavering love, in God's new-every-morning mercies, in God's never-gives-up-on-or-abandons-us faithfulness gives birth to hope. Hope: the quiet confidence, the settled assurance that the current reality is not the last word - that God is still at work - that God can and will transform the pain of the current reality into something good. 

Waiting in hope shapes what we do as we wait. 

As we wait in hope, we pray. We pray for God to work. We pray for an openness to the unexpected, unpredictable thing that God will do. We pray for the strength to wait until we can see what God is doing. We pray for the courage to be a part of what God is doing when we do recognize it. We pray for God's peace in the midst of the waiting. 

As we wait in hope, we choose the spirit and attitude with which we live. We are never completely powerless. When we are powerless to change our situation, we still have the power to determine how we will respond to the situation. We have the power to choose the spirit and attitude out of which we will live in the mist of the situation. Resting in God's peace, we choose to live out of the joy of the Lord, open to all of the gifts God has for us in each moment. 

As we wait in hope, we strive to be faithful. We continue to live the ways of God that Jesus taught. We respond in love. We live as God's agents of peace and goodwill. We seek to participate in what God is doing, living as God's partners, doing God's work in the world.

As we wait in hope, our waiting is transformed. Hope leads us beyond our sense of being powerless. As we wait in hope, our power is redirected - away from that which we cannot change to that which, by God's grace, we can. 

Truly, the Lord "works for those who wait for him" (Isaiah 64:4c). 

Christ the King, 2020

 Today is one of my favorite days of the liturgical calendar: Christ the King Sunday. The last day of the liturgical year (next Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent, starts the new liturgical year), Christ the King Sunday affirms and celebrates the ultimate victory of God and the ways of God. In the words of Rob Bell, "love wins."  

I especially need the affirmation Christ the King Sunday proclaims, here in 2020. If I do not keep watch over my heart, I can become discouraged and my spirit grow weary. Dealing with life's challenges and the seemingly inescapable, dominating presence of evil can be emotionally and spiritually draining. I can fall prey to fear and its debilitating power. 

I confess that I have struggled to not live out of fear this past year. I have grieved the polarization of our nation, highlighted by an election year. I have grieved the open, unapologetic display of racism, hatred, and white supremacy that has resurfaced in our nation. I have grieved a sitting President who has stoked this polarization and manipulated it for his own advantage. I have grieved the support he has received from people who identify themselves as Christian even though he as a person and his presidency has reflected nothing of the teachings of Jesus, much less the servant spirit of Jesus. I grieve the wedding of the Christian faith with nationalism (the myth that we are a Christian nation) that their support reflects. I grieve that political and patriotic positions seemingly shape the thinking of self-identified Christians more than the teachings of Jesus. I grieve their efforts to impose their beliefs on others. I grieve how power has openly been used to intimidate others - the very opposite of how Jesus said his followers were to use power. (See again Mark 10:41-45.) I grieve the gross mishandling and politicization of the COVID pandemic that has resulted in over 250,000 deaths (to date). We as a nation lead the world in the most identified cases and the infection rate grows each day. And, yet, some still deny the reality of the pandemic and insist on their "rights," ignoring and defying the government mandated guidelines. I grieve the rigid, emotionally-driven thinking that rejects scientific truth as fake news and as a hoax designed to manipulate the nation. I grieve how widespread such thinking appears to be. 

This year especially, I need to pause to celebrate Christ the King Sunday. I need the reassurance of the hope it proclaims. I need its reminder that ignorance and the bullying use of power and evil will not win the day. 

Christ the King Sunday affirms and reassures me/us. It rekindles hope. But it also calls us to action ... both in our individual lives and in our world.

It calls us to reaffirm our commitment to God's transforming work in our own lives. It calls us to give ourselves anew to learning the ways of God that Jesus taught so that the nature of God and the ways of God shape our thinking and living. It calls us to continue to open our lives to the Spirit's transforming work in our hearts and minds. 

And it calls us to reaffirm our commitment to live as Christ's followers in the world. It calls us to live the ways of God even though they are at odds with the ways of the world. It calls us to proclaim the ways of God even though they challenge the thinking of the world. It calls us "to resist evil and injustice in whatever forms they may present themselves" (from the UM baptismal covenant). It calls us to live as God's partners, doing God's work in the world so that the kingdom may come on earth as it is in heaven. 

In the face of all that 2020 has brought, Christ the King Sunday reminds me of Paul's words in Galatians 6:9, "Let us not grow weary in doing what is right."

Come anew, Spirit of God. Renew our hearts and minds. Move us beyond the weariness of soul that the challenges of life bring. Rekindle a spirit of hope within us. Empower us once again to live the ways of God that Jesus taught so that the Kingdom may come on earth. Amen. 

The Display of Power

 The polarization we see in our nation is more than a matter of two different political parties. It reflects two different understandings of what power is which translates into two different sets of values. 

Perhaps this view is an oversimplification, but it seems to me some people view power as a commodity. It is something external to be desired and sought after. Once obtained, it is to be used for ones own advantage, at ones own pleasure. Apparently, it can be easily lost just like any other commodity. Thus, it must be protected at all costs. Using power for ones own advantage generally means using it against others, to threaten and intimidate others, to take advantage of and exploit others, and to impose "my way" on others. This view and use of power is the way of the playground bully - using the power of size to intimidate others to get his way. It is expressed in the old adage of "might makes right." 

This view of power and way of using power has been on display during this election cycle as MAGA parades and self-proclaimed patriots physically challenged and intimidated Biden supporters. Interestingly, I did not see any of the reverse practice or I would call it out, too. (Note: this view of power and way of using power masquerades as patriotism while denying fundamental democratic principles upon which our nation is built: the freedom to think differently, the freedom of speech.) This view of power and way of using power continues even after the election is over in the rallies of those who refuse to accept the election results, claiming election fraud. It has been on display in the Senate, under the iron hand of Mitch McConnell, as the Senate rushed through the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice while refusing to act on any kind of COVID relief legislation. Of course, this is the pattern of the current President, operating under the slogan of "law and order." It lies behind his pattern of using lawsuits to get his way and protect his interests. The size of our military and our pattern of military intervention in other nations suggests it could be the pattern of our nation, as well. Perhaps this pattern and way of thinking lies behind the unyielding insistence upon "my Second Amendment right to bear arms" and fear that "the liberals will take our guns." (FYI: I believe in reasonable gun rights.) 

The irony of this way of using power in our nation is that our nation was founded in rebellion against a king who used power in this way. The Revolutionary Army fought for independence from one they called "a tyrant." Our founding documents were written to create a government "of the people, by the people, for the people" to protect us from again having power tyrannically used against us. I wonder: have we become like our enemy?  

While this view of and use of power is common - Jesus identified it as the way of the world (Mark 10:42) - it is not true power. It is driven by anxiety and fear. It camouflages inner weakness and the fear generated by that sense of weakness. A bully is but a self-deluded weakling in disguise. A bully's only power is the power of fear and the power we give him. 

Authentic power is not an external commodity to be obtained and prized. True power is internal - a dimension of character. It is rooted in spiritual principles and guided by divine truth. It is patterned after the nature of God  and the ways of God. It is expressed in self-control - managing ones own fears and emotional reactivity. Self-control keeps us from demonizing, attacking, dominating, and controlling others. Authentic power is demonstrated in a servant spirit in which power is used on behalf of others. 

Jesus expressed it this way. "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:42-45, NRSV). 

The world's way (among the Gentiles) is to use power over, down against, for personal benefit, at the other's expense. It is the way of the bully. God's way - and, thereby, the way of Jesus and his followers - is to use power alongside of another and on behalf of another, even at great personal expense. It is the way of the servant. Jesus identified true greatness with using power to serve others. 

So many of today's self-identified patriots are quick to assert that our nation is a Christian nation, founded on Christian principles. If our nation is to be truly Christian, how we view and use power must change ... and, with it, what we value. We must learn to use power the way Jesus used power - to serve - and to value what Jesus valued. Only then will we as a nation be truly great!  

The Day After

 And there was rejoicing and celebrating in the streets! And there was deep angst and fear that taints the mind and soul.

I remember such a day. It was the day after the 2016 election. Donald Trump had been elected president, defeating Hillary Clinton. My work as a pastor took me out to Sun City, a 10,000+ enclave on the edge of Georgetown. It was a stronghold of Trump supporters. As I exited Sun City at its main entrance, a man stood on the shoulder of the busy highway, wearing a red MAGA T-shirt and cap. He was waving a sign that read "We Won!!" As people exited onto the highway, they responded to him by honking their horns, waving, and giving the thumbs up. There was rejoicing and celebrating in the streets. 

But I had not voted for Donald Trump. I felt none of their jubilation, none of their joy. I felt deep angst and fear. From where I sat in my car, their celebration felt like gloating. It fueled my angst and fear, making me feel like an outsider in my own country. 

This year, the situation is reversed. Again, I did not vote for Donald Trump. So I am a part of the rejoicing and celebrating as Joe Biden has been declared the president-elect. I am celebrating as the first woman is the vice-president elect. That she is the daughter of immigrants and a person of color makes her election even more historic. 

The dominant feeling that drives my celebration is relief. I am relieved that an authoritarian president has been removed from office. I am relieved that the threat I believed he posed to our nation is gone. I am relieved that his flagrant disregard for the law and his exploitation of his office for personal gain will come to an end. I am relieved that the poison of us-them polarization will no longer be fed daily through a stream of Tweets. I am relieved that lies and an alternate reality will no longer replace logic, scientific knowledge, and reality. I am relieved that the American people stood up to this president's bullying when the Congress refused to do so. I am relieved that racism, hatred, and bullying have once again been repudiated as having no place in our society. I am relieved that the diversity of our nation has proven more powerful than entrenched, patriarchal white supremacy ... at least for now. 

And this election stirs hope. Hope that our democracy will not give way to authoritarianism. Hope that the partisan politics that has dominated our country for too many decades will finally be overcome. Hope that we might overcome the polarization and become "One Nation, Under God." Hope that "justice for all" will become a reality. Hope that we as a nation will deal honestly and repentantly with our racist, white-privileged past that has scapegoated citizens of color. Hope that we will find creative ways to address the economic disparity of our nation. Hope that our better nature, not our most base nature, will shape who we are and how we live as a people. Hope for progress, not regression. Hope, at least for now. 

But as I rejoice and celebrate, many - over 70 million voters - are feeling angst and fear ... the same angst and fear I felt in 2016. I read the posts of friends and family on Facebook. They are certain that Biden and the Democrats will destroy our nation, replace capitalism with socialism, destroy the economy, do away with the oil industry, take away their guns, defund the police, and kill even more of the unborn through free-reign abortion. As a side note, I do not believe any of those things will come to pass. I believe their fears reflect catastrophic thinking. But I must remember they are responding to the defeat of Donald Trump with grief. They are stunned that so many people - over 74 million - would vote to destroy our great nation.  

As we celebrate, these who grieve remind us that our celebration must not be gloating. It must be laced with humility. And it must be tempered with realism. 

The election of Joe Biden will not make the polarization in our nation go away. He has promised to work to bring the country together, to be the President of all Americans, but his efforts to overcome the polarization rather than exploit it and feed it will not automatically translate into unity. Hard work will be required. And that hard work involves reaching out to those on the other side of the isle, listening to and hearing their fears, and working together to address those concerns in a way that is for "the common good." 

Such an effort requires humility. Humility involves living with the knowledge that I know my truth, but not the whole truth, that my perspective is not the only perspective to be considered. Humility allows us to listen to and hear the other's truth, to understand their perspective. Humility positions us to work together. 

And such an effort requires patience. Those who did not vote for Joe Biden will not automatically abandon their positions. If anything, they will become more rigid in their thinking as the fear-based thinking that drove their voting has become reality. They will likely oppose and resist Biden as President in the same way that President Obama's initiatives were opposed and thwarted by a Republican-controlled Senate. 

Humility and patience position us to live out of compassion and understanding as we refuse to give up on or abandon those who think differently - a significant challenge indeed. 

Without humility and patience, those of us who helped elect Joe Biden run the risk of becoming what we rejected - living out of an "I'm right, you're wrong" attitude, using power to impose our way, discounting and dismissing those who do not agree with us, protecting our power and places of power that the election bestowed on us, operating out of self-interest rather than seeking "the common good." 

In short, the work the day after brings calls us to live out of the ways of God that Jesus taught: the servant use of power, self-giving love, compassion and forgiveness, humility and patience, the refusal to give up on or abandon anyone - even those we view as our adversaries. 

May we who are the followers of Jesus be a part of the healing work that moves us beyond the self-destructive polarization of our nation! May the Spirit empower us to do so! 

We Can't Turn Back the Clock

 Change is always messy. That's one of the reasons change is so difficult. It's one of the reasons we don't like change. 

It seems to me we as a nation are in the midst of change - a shift from what we once were to ... to what? To something new, something different, and, thereby, to something strange and uncomfortable for many of us. No wonder the change is messy!

Let me hasten to add that this shift is normal ... and, I would add, healthy. It is a part of our maturing as a nation. But in order to grow up, we have to leave some things behind. Hence, change - the shift. But, it seems to me, some of us don't want to grow up.

This shift has been happening since the 1960's. At least, that's my awareness. It probably started long before the '60's, but that was before my time. In my lifetime, the shift became apparent in the '60's. The '60's was the decade of great social upheaval, particularly the hippies' free-love revolution questioning long-held social norms, protests against the Vietnamese War in which authority began to be questioned and distrusted, and the Civil Rights movement in which African-Americans called for equal standing and equal rights under the Constitution. Those movements were followed by the women's lib movement and bra burning, Latino/a advocacy - led by Caesar Chavez - for the rights of migrant workers, and the gay rights movement. 

In other words, the shift was away from the American melting pot to an American stew, away from one dominant, homogeneous social pattern  to diversity, away from a white male, patriarchal society to a more egalitarian society in which women and people of color have status and standing alongside white men, away from a time when authority was accepted without question (how many of us grew up hearing "because I said so") to a time when authority and institutions are questioned and not trusted. This social shift has been accompanied by a shift economically. We have moved from an agricultural and industrial society to an informational society, from the country to the cities. 

Our identity as a nation has changed ... or, at least, is changing. And many of us don't like it. We are resisting this change with every fiber of our being. This resistance is a major factor in this election. The election has become a struggle for the identity of our nation. Some are saying the election is for the soul of our nation. 

Interestingly, those of us who are resisting these changes are those who enjoyed the benefits of a patriarchal, white-oriented, Christian-dominant culture. The growing diversity of our nation is viewed as a threat to our way of life. We view those who advocate for continuing change - the protests and BLM, the calls for police reform, the advocacy for regulations that impact climate change, the calls for a national healthcare plan and a livable minimum wage, the growing ethnic, religious, and gender diversity in places of leadership - as "the radical left" who will destroy our nation. We fear they will replace our capitalistic society with socialism, taking our hard earned money and giving it to people who are too lazy to work. We fear Islam and Islamic law will replace Christianity. We want to stop the change and, if possible, turn back the clock to the way things were "when we grew up." We want to go back to an American melting pot where everyone is "like us" or "knows their place," adapting to us. We want to go back to being "a Christian nation."

Our resistance to the cultural shift that is taking place is not just an attempt to protect our way of life. It is an attempt to impose our way of life and our beliefs on others. (Think of the arguments about prayer in school or abortion or Second Amendment rights to bear arms.) It reflects an "I'm right, you're wrong" mentality. It reflects a rigid, black-and-white way of thinking that is driven by fear and emotional reactivity rather than by logic and rational thought. It discounts any perspective or understanding that does not agree with my beliefs and desires. It expresses a "my way or the highway," "if you don't like it, leave" attitude. 

This desired return to the way things were is not going to happen. We can't turn back the clock (even though we turned back the clock last night from Daylight Savings time). If we as a nation are going to continue to mature, we must embrace the change. We must live out our constitutional promise of "liberty and justice for all," not just for the few. And as the followers of Jesus - who embodied God's advocacy for the poor, the powerless, and the marginalized of society - we must lead the way.