Pine Valley Christian Church
February 23, 2014
Matthew 5: 38-42
Rev. Dr. David Hansen
Living the Change We Seek
Jesus said, “You have heard it said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but I say to you do not resist the evil person.”
We read this verse in the Wednesday Bible Study and said with one voice, “Then what are we supposed to do?” Aren’t there times when you have to stand up against bullies? If we just do nothing aren’t we encouraging them? They will just go on the next person and then come back to you later on. What about the right of self-defense?
We had a little trouble figuring out what Jesus was getting at when he said “do resist the evil person.” What the message, Jesus?
Reflecting on our conversation on Wednesday, I remembered the story of a pastor who was visiting a father who was in prison. He had been convicted of murder. The pastor asked him to explain what happened and the man said, “The neighborhood bully was picking on my son and I went out and told him to stop it, but he didn’t. So I told the bully’s parents to make his son stop or I would have to take matters into my own hands. When they didn’t do anything I had to do to something, so I did. I wanted to be a good parent and protect my son. What else is a parent to do?” The pastor said to the man, “I understand your motives and have no argument with them, but now you are here and I have to ask you, “How are you going to protect him from in here?” “What kind of example do you want to be for your son?”
When the Jews in ancient times passed a law that said “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” they were not trying to justify violence; they were trying to contain it. The purpose of the law was to ratchet violence down to a level of proportionate response.
Jesus is taking the teaching the next step, because he knew that violence begets violence. Perpetuating violence is not going to end violence. Albert Einstein put it a little differently when he said that “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” Do not resist the evil person because we are going to need everyone’s help if we want to put an end to violence.
In the teaching for today Jesus is trying to instill a new level of consciousness in us. He is knocking on the door. Over and over again scripture tells us to keep our lamps lit. Keep awake. Look for opportunities because as every teacher knows, teaching moments come and they also go. One of these moments is here, now. Natalie is bringing us this Season of Nonviolence. I told her that I was sorry to miss the meeting yesterday, Saturday. I’ve been thinking this week about her theme: “Through education and experience we can transform our lives from the caterpillar of today into the butterfly of tomorrow.”
I’ve been thinking about that quote this week. And I’ve been thinking about Pine Valley Christian Church and I’ve been thinking, what if we said that for 2014 we were going to be a school for nonviolence. We could make that our core mission. As a progressive faith community in an interfaith world committed to seek justice so that all people could have abundant life, we are going to make a commitment to be a school of nonviolence. Our Human Rights Manifesto says: We recognize the dignity of all people and commit ourselves to work on their behalf when human rights are challenged or threatened.
The most basic Christian message is that we are all human beings created in the image and likeness of God. And because that is our most basic message, our most basic value is do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness; love your neighbor are yourself, and do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
You don’t have to be politically left or right to affirm this gospel. It doesn’t make any difference if you black, brown, yellow, red or white, male or female, gay or straight, old or young, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jew or other, the foundation, the common ground that we all share is that we are all human beings.
Jesus said, “You have heard it said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but I say to you do not resist the evil person.” You and I are human beings, and get this, because we are human beings we have what we need to create a world fit for humanity; a world in which individuals and families are cared for, communities are strong, and people work together for the common good of all. The question is how shall we do this? How do we translate high sounding words and noble ideas and cherished values into action? How do we become the change that we want to seek.
While I was turning this question over in my mind I picked up David Korten’s book, The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community (San Francisco:Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Bloomfield, CT: Kumarian Press, Inc., 2006). His thesis is that “Hope for the human future lies in the fact that Empire has created the conditions for the emergence from the bottom up of new leadership of the whole” (73). He calls it a “spiritual awakening,” a “human rebirth,” and a “cultural consciousness.” In the words of Jesus, “Repent and believe the kingdom of God is at hand.” In an image that I have used before, let us image Pine Valley Christian Church as its own Starship, and we are the crew going where no one has ever gone before in the name of love to explore the possibilities of creating a community of nonviolence so that all people may have life and have it abundantly.
In the cocoon the caterpillar does not just fall asleep, it literally falls apart. It dies a great death. The process is called “metamorphosis,”’ which means “great death.” Metamorphosis is dying to one way of being so that we can give birth to a new way of being. Keep your lamps lit, that’s Jesus’ advice, stay awake. Watch for the opportunities. Be ready. The first thing we need to do is get ready. So I am asking myself how I can help Pine Valley Christian Church become a school for nonviolence. We must keep awake and look for opportunities. That is the first lesson Jesus is teaching us.
The second thing we need to do if we are going to follow Jesus is resist assaults on human dignity. His counsel is to turn the other cheek, go the second mile and give the shirt off you back. This is not encouragement to be passive about life. That is not what this means. He is giving people without power lessons in how to nonviolently resist those who abuse of power.
In ancient times when a person in authority slapped the face of some underling they did it with their right hand and an open palm. Slapping a person with an open palm was a put down, an insult. Turning the other cheek meant that the person who struck you would have to strike you with the back of their hand rather than with their palm, and that was a sign of equality and respect. In a similar way a soldier or superior person could make someone carry their load for a mile, but making someone go the second mile was a violation of the law; going the second mile made the person who imposed the burden a criminal.
Jesus is asking us to read history from the underside, from below, and learn to find ways to expose people who abuse power and privilege and hold them accountable. Learning to say “no” to the bill that was misnamed “the defense of religious liberty,” and saying “no” to this so-called “parental authority” bill that would have legalized child abuse, may seem like small victories in a much larger struggle, but they are important lessons. Real democracy requires an informed and engaged citizenry. I love the idea that democracy is an audacious experiment, and we have an opportunity to keep the experiment alive and healthy. But it takes work and in involves risks and sometimes we get discouraged and so we need to continue to develop our skills and encourage one another.
In his little book of instructions on becoming the change we want to see, I think Jesus is telling us that the first step is to stay awake and look for opportunities as they present themselves to us. The second step is to be willing to evaluate our actions by their results, and not only by our intentions. Do our actions produce the results we hope to see? What is our long term strategy?
And this leads to the third step—we need to form alliances with others in the community. Remember the spiritual, “Walk together children, don’t you get weary.” Part of walking together is supporting each other, but is also means holding each other accountable is supportive ways.
Wichita was at the forefront of the struggle at the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. The first sit-in happened here. I think it is fair to say that since then things have changed. The torch did not get passed to a new generation. But that is beginning to change. The torch may not have been passed, but there is a new generation that ready to renew the struggle. Let me mention some examples of what I am talking about. There is a new chapter of Parents and Friends of Gays and Lesbians (PFLAG) at College Hill United Methodist Church, some members of this congregation are active with that group. There is another group called the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Educational Network (GLSEN) that is also forming. I have been in conversation with members of this group, and with the Kansas Equality Coalition. And late last year the Transgender community held their first state-wide convention in Lawrence. It will not happen overnight, but these organizations will change the political and social climate in Kansas.
On another front, the camps ministry at WSU was for years and years a United Methodist ministry. It is now an ecumenical ministry. One focus of this ministry is to look for opportunities to build bridges between congregations like Pine Valley and WSU students and faculty. The fact that a member of the WSU faculty will be here on March 23 is not in any way related to the campus ministry, but her presence is an opportunity for you to explore with her ways that the congregation and the WSU might build a relationship. It could be that she will just come and speak and go—fill the pulpit—but it could be more than that. Her visit could be the start of a new conversation.
Lastly I want to say something about the Night of Justice, which will be Saturday, March 1st and 6:30 at Tabernacle Bible Church on 17th and Volusia. Sunflower Community Action and Rev. Reuben Eckels have been giving the leadership. The Night of Justice on March 1st is bringing together black, brown and white faith communities to say that we will stand together and together we will stand for social justice. It is an important event and I hope you will put it on your calendar, this Saturday, March 1st at Tabernacle Bible Church at 6:30. This event marks the beginning of a new chapter in race relations in Wichita. And it is chapter that we can help write.
Related to this event, Sunflower Community Action has recently applied for and received a license to set up a low frequency radio station that will broadcast to an area from Newton in the north to Wellington in the South, and then east and west of Wichita. The purpose of this station is to provide a platform for progressive people of faith to speak out and address social justice issue, provide music and other kinds of programming. It will take some money to do this—about $30,000 to buy the equipment. But I believe that this is an idea whose time has come and as I learn more I will be sharing what I learn with the Mission Council.
The first thing we need to do is look for opportunities to witness to social justice and nonviolence. The second thing we need to do is resist assaults on children, women, families, human dignity, and our communities. The third step is to reach out and find allies in the community.
Jesus said that we can be the salt of the earth—but what good is the salt if it loses its saltiness. We can be the leaven, but of what use is the leaven if it stays in the packet. We can be the light that shines in the darkness, and he promised that the darkness will not overcome it. Let your light shine. Let this be the moment now. Amen.