Last Sunday we read the story of Jesus in the wilderness where he was tested by the devil. When questioned by the devil about what he would, could and should do, Jesus drew on his tradition.
Knowing his tradition helped him avoid opting for the expedient choice of turning stone into bread, jumping from a steeple, or taking command of the kingdoms of the world to prove his identity. He avoided what T.S. Eliot called the “Last temptation: to do the right thing for the wrong reason.”
In my sermon, I suggested that we are also in our time in the wilderness, wondering what we should do. How should be respond to the challenges and tests of our time? The answer, I suggest, lies in our understanding of our tradition.
Jim Wallis of Sojourners has proposed one answer that I think bears study and discussion. He has proposed starting a national movement by calling on people of faith to take what he calls the Matthew 25 pledge: “I pledge to protect and defend vulnerable people in the name of Jesus Christ.” He proposes that the movement have three foci:
- to protect and defend immigrants and refugees threatened with mass deportation
- to protect and defend people of color threatened with racial profiling
- to protect and defend Muslims and Jews threatened with acts of overt violence
We can all think of other foci that we would include in this list of people and groups to protect and defend in the name of the Gospel.
Jesus was in a wild place when he was tested, and he was alone. We are also in a wild place, but we are not alone. We need not and indeed dare not, make a decision alone. My hope is that in this season of Lent, as we discuss the principles of progressive Christianity, we will wrestle with what our tradition teaches us. We have to think about what options are available to us. We have to research who are our allies. What does our own denominational leadership have to say to us?
The opening prayer in the Study Guide for The 8 Points by which We Define Progressive Christianity includes these words:
“I pray for the wisdom of attentiveness, so that I can be awake to the ways that I can show kindness to others. I pray for the wisdom of imagination, so that I can transcend the confines of problems in order to discover solutions, so that I can perceive beauty even in places where it seems absent. Amen”