TIME TO WORK, NOT WORRY

Silence or sacrifice, no easy days ahead

Alfred Lloyd Tennyson, the former British poet laureate, told a story I’ve never forgotten. A young man named Gareth sees a vision that he is to become one of Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table—slaying dragons, advancing the cause of Christ, serving and sacrificing so others might be rescued.

Gareth’s mother doesn’t want him to go. She tries to convince him to stay behind because she is lonely. “Stay, my best son; you’re just a boy” (even though he’s a grown man). “Stay and I’ll arrange a deer hunt to keep you happy, food to keep your stomach full, and a princess as your bride.”

His dear mother produces reasons, excellent, reasonable arguments for why he should stay. He finally says, “O mother, how can ye keep me tethered to you? Man am I grown, a man’s work must I do. Follow the deer? No. Follow the Christ, the King. Live pure, speak true, right wrong, follow the King—Else, why be born?” Gareth went.

SO GO

Perhaps the time “to go” has come for us in the Christian community. And that going might mean staying, but not staying silent. There are trigger words and land mines in every conversation, so imagine the impossible task of preaching. However, simply saying “Peace! Peace!” when you know “there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14) will not satisfy the prophetic call that whispers to you in the middle of the night. You feel called to do more, say more, be bolder, smarter—wise like a serpent, gentle as a dove.

Simon and Garfunkel’s song “Sound of Silence” has these haunting lines: “Silence like a cancer grows”—and even more powerful—“the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls, tenement halls, whispering the sound of silence.” Why are prophetic words written on these lonely walls? Because the words of the prophets are not heard in our white evangelical churches. On the canvass of church life, we paint soft words with no hard edges to cut to the chase. We talk of love and unity and peace, because words like justice and righteousness may roll like a mighty river in the prophet’s mind but not easily off the preacher’s tongue (Amos 5:18-24).

In the end, the only “love” that is going to “win” is tough love, the kind found in the Gospels. White Christians with evangelical beliefs (like me) need leaders to help us face our racist past and the havoc it continues to wreak today. We have to make clear that God is not white, and certainly God is not on the side of white people (who are often the ones with power). God is not fighting the white race’s enemies. What God demands—more than praise songs, offerings, or hollow platitudes—is justice and righteousness. It is only when God is satisfied with the corporate embrace of these twin builders of community that God welcomes our worship.

WE KNOW THIS

In our heads we know all this, but I fear that our hearts march to the beat of a different drummer. And as the prophet Jeremiah declared, it is our hearts that need circumcision. It is noteworthy to add that circumcision is a painful procedure, especially when we are grown.

GOD’S WHISPER

The prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures were some of the best preachers the world has ever known. It’s impossible to know if they had anyone paying attention as they are only remembered because they were right. They were morality pioneers, these men and women so driven to speak out loud God’s deafening whisper of judgement and the healing to follow.

On many occasions I’ve doubted everything about this terrible calling to speak out loud the still small voice that you hope is God’s. And then I go back to Rudyard Kipling’s “The Explorer” written in 1898.

"There's no sense in going further - it's the edge of cultivation,”
So they said, and I believed it - broke my land and sowed my crop -
Built my barns and strung my fences in the little border station
Tucked away below the foot hills where the trails run out and stop:

Till a voice, as bad as Conscience, rang interminable changes
On one everlasting Whisper day and night repeated - so:
"Something hidden.  Go and find it.  Go and look behind the Ranges
Something lost behind the Ranges.  Lost and waiting for you.  Go!"

God took care to hide the country till He judged His people ready,
Then He chose me for His Whisper, and I've found it, and it's yours!

Yes, your "Never-never country" - yes, your “edge of cultivation"
And "no sense in going further" - till I crossed the range to see.
God forgive me!  No, I didn't.  It's God's present to our nation.
Anybody might have found it but - His Whisper came to Me!

And maybe to you, too.

WHAT DO WE DO THEN?

If you are hearing that Whisper of judgement and the healing connected with it, you have two choices: silence or sacrifice. Neither of these choices is appealing as both bring suffering and loss. And you don’t need to take my word for it—just ask the prophets of old, or John the Beheaded, or Jesus the Crucified.

What happens if you stay silent? You know the answer the same as me: you die a little each and every time you sit silent when you know you should speak.

No one can tell you what to speak or when. But this is the challenge before us now: Live pure, speak true, right wrong, follow the “good shepherd.” We were born for this—this journey toward partnering with God to redeem the world.

Look to the early church for your courage.The early Jesus movement had little in common with what we now call church—they met in houses, broke bread together, and had none of the stuff we now demand from our churches (e.g. excellent facilities, inspiring sermons, high tech, the best music and a webpage to rival Apple). 

The Jesus movement was simple, mobile, and literally in the world. Many pastors I know long to get back to the movement! And they are trying. Help them.

THE WIDOW, THE ORPHAN AND THE IMMIGRANT

The Jewish tradition of John and Jesus always put these three into the center of their shared religious life: the widow, the orphan and the immigrant. These three represent the “least of these” in Matthew 25.

The single most disturbing statistic to come out of this election cycle is one stumbled upon by the LifeWay Research Group, an organization formed to give the church good data for decision making. They did a nation-wide survey asking this question: “Who do you hope your presidential vote benefits the most?” The choices were the following: people nationwide who are like them, people our country has failed, themselves and their family, people nationwide who are different from them, or people in their community or region.

The results were startling. Evangelical voters are more likely than other registered voters to say they hope their vote most benefits people nationwide who are like them (41% to 34%). Registered voters with evangelical beliefs are also less likely to say they hope their vote most benefits people our country has failed (15% to 24%). “Few Americans with evangelical beliefs will be casting a ‘Good Samaritan’ vote on election day,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “Instead most will vote to benefit those like them or their own family.”

We have work to do, my friends.

In Jerusalem, Sally and I attended the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. Each Sunday at the close of the worship service, the pastor would raise his arms to heaven and say: Go in Peace. Serve the Lord. Remember the poor.

And we would shout: AMEN!