We continue our work, interrupted by my unexpected absence, of connecting Biblical material written roughly two thousand years ago with life in 2008. We do that with the beginning of Psalm 27, sung so beautifully by our wonderful choir: "The Lord is my light and my salvation," and the lectionary reading from Matthew's Gospel.
As news about the presidential primaries swirls around us, I find myself thinking back to last summer when I watched on television an event at which several Democratic candidates responded to a panel in front of a mostly gay and lesbian audience. Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico was asked about sexual orientation, although that specific term was not used. He responded that he thought homosexuality was "a choice rather than biological." Something louder than a murmur swept over the audience, and Gov. Richardson struggled to correct and clarify his unfortunate statement.
Clearly a person's sexual orientation is not a matter of choice. But there is a kind of orientation that involves deciding or choosing. It is touched on in one scholar's comment on this morning's Gospel reading, in which Jesus says in stating a major theme of his ministry, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." The scholar (M. Eugene Boring) writes:
"Repent" in Matthew's Greek means literally "change one's mind," but it is loaded with the overtones of its Hebrew counterpart "turn" "return...." The word does not picture sorrow or remorse, but a change in the direction of one's life. "Get yourself a new orientation for the way you live, then act on it" catches both the Greek and Hebrew connotations. (The New Interpreters Bible, Vol. VIII, p.167, Abington Press, 1995)
"Get yourself a new orientation for the way you live" clearly involves decision, an act of will, making a choice. As you and I know, an awful lot of people don't give much thought to the "orientation" of their lives, living what Socrates called "unexamined lives." They go through their days in some ways like robots, repeating the patterns they learned as children, perpetuating assumptions and prejudices they have never questioned. Self-awareness isn't part of their equipment. They haven't taken time to make conscious choices about priorities.
I have a friend who talks about the difference between the way he lives now, making conscious decisions based on priorities, and the way he lived ten or fifteen years ago. Way back then one of his siblings needed a kidney transplant and he volunteered to donate one of his kidneys. He says the unspoken rule in his family was, "We deal with problems within the walls of our house, and we do what we need to do to take care of each other. And you don't ask questions." It wasn't until much later that my friend learned about self-awareness and setting personal priorities.
It takes a strong sense of self-awareness to be able to say, "The Lord is my light and my salvation." That is a statement of orientation. "Get yourself a new orientation for the way you live, then act on it." How would you answer if someone asked about the orientation of your life? The word orientation, like the word orient or east, comes from the Latin verb meaning "to rise." East, where the sun rises. Is your life oriented toward a rising, growing light offering new possibilities, or to a declining light with narrowing limits and prevailing negativity?
Jesus' call for changing the direction of one's life is followed by his invitation to twelve people to "follow" him —that is to focus on him, learn from him, and be in some kind of relationship with him. I believe that is what it means to be a Christian. I further believe to do that can be a very positive, life-enhancing experience. For many people being a Christian has not been positive. People too often have heard from various Christian churches, "Repent. Feel guilty for not being perfect. Focus on your sins. Be ashamed of your physicality. Deny your sexuality. Make yourself a doormat for other people. And above all else, give a lot of money to the church."
My advice to anybody hearing that kind of message in a place of worship or faith community is, "Run as fast as you can, and don't look back. What you're hearing is a gross distortion of the Christian message, which is good news." For me authentic Christian faith offers something very different and definitely positive. It invites us to orient our lives around Jesus of Nazareth. That doesn't mean becoming someone who talks about faith all the time or who uses religious language constantly. And it certainly doesn't mean insisting that Christianity is the only route to God.
Let me suggest what it could mean to live with a consciously Christian orientation.
It would mean getting to know what the Gospels say about Jesus. It is the four New Testament Gospels that tell his story. For me they show Jesus as someone who affirmed outcasts, loved the lonely, offered a healing touch for all kinds of brokenness, and held out the possibility for new beginnings to people who felt their lives had become dead-end streets. There are other aspects of his life and ministry, some with implications of judgment and demand. But I choose to see the larger picture through the lens of his compassion and mercy.
Living with a consciously Christian orientation would include finding a community of people who are loving, non-judgmental, and supportive, a community where doing good things for other people is balanced with healthy self-care. Such communities do exist. They don't always do a good job of making themselves known, but they do exist. I believe we are becoming that kind of community at Rutgers Presbyterian Church.
People and communities with a Christian orientation as I understand it focus more on good relationships than on orthodox beliefs or following inflexible rules. Such people and communities find motivation more in gratitude than in duty.
I remember receiving a plaque for my desk some years ago from a friend who had been emotionally wounded by years in a duty-obsessed church. The plaque said, "Jesus is coming. Look busy." I'm open these days to receiving a plaque that says, "Jesus is coming. Expect a hug."
In his book Out of the Question into the Mystery, Leonard Sweet, who is on the faculty of Drew Theological Seminary in Madison, New Jersey, tells of being met at an airport in Phoenix, Arizona, and driven to a lecture site by a university chaplain. As they got into the chaplain's new Ford pick-up truck, Dr. Sweet noticed two big scrapes by the passenger door. I quote from his book.
"What happened here? I asked.
My neighbor's basketball post fell and left those dents and white scars, the chaplain replied with a downcast voice. You're kidding! How awful, I commented. This truck is so new I can smell it. What's even worse is my neighbor doesn't feel responsible for the damage, said the chaplain. This has been a real spiritual journey for me. After a lot of soul-searching and discussions with my wife about hiring an attorney, it came down to this: I can either be in the right, or I can be in a relationship with my neighbor. Since my neighbor will probably be with me longer than this truck, I decided that I'd rather be in a relationship than be right. Besides, trucks are meant to be banged up, so I got mine initiated into the real world a bit earlier than I expected."
Notice that the chaplain made a conscious decision as part of his spiritual journey, on the basis of his orientation. It wasn't that he always yielded to difficult people or that he avoided conflict at any cost. He chose a relationship over being right. His story reminds me that following Jesus gives us the freedom to make choices about when to hold to principles and when to let them go for the sake of relationships. Jesus did that a lot.
Get yourself a new orientation for the way you live, then act on it. For Christians it's all about love, isn't it —knowing we are loved unconditionally by God and finding ways to express that love in our lives. To our newest members, and to ourselves, we say today, "Welcome to the journey of Christian discipleship. We are here to support and encourage one another, not to criticize, evaluate, or demean one another. Welcome to an ever-expanding experience of life in all its fullness."
I am happy to be back, and I look forward to continuing the journey with you.