"OVERCOMING THE MONSTERS THAT PLAGUE US!

(Psalm 40:1-11; Isaiah 49:1-7; I Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42)

David L. Pollitt, D. Min.

January 16, 2005

"Leadership" is one of the themes running through our lectionary lessons for today. Inside each one of us, there is a leader! God didn't make any junk or dysfunctional people. God created all of us to be whole, healthy beings with gifts to discover, develop and share with others. Within the family of humanity, each one of us is valuable and valued by God. We have a purpose, a life that is intended to be self-fulfilling as well as make a difference to others. As Christians, our job is to find that purpose and let the newer of God's love bloom within us for all the world to see.

We people of faith are in the tradition of the prophet Isaiah who talked about God calling forth his gifts in these words: "Before I was born, the Lord chose me and appointed me to be his servant. He made my words as sharp as a sword, with his own hand, be protected me. He made me Like an arrow, sharp and ready for use." (Isaiah 49:1b, 2)

As indicated in our gospel lesson for today, like John the Baptist, our purpose may be to focus peoples' attention on another. Yet, like John, each of us is an important link in the chain of God's purpose, remembering that any chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Of course, there are leaders more readily recognized than we are; and they are perceived to play a more important role in God's grand design of life than any of us do. But at the heart of the Christian tradition is the unavoidable fact that through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives and in this world, the persons thought to be the least among us may turn out to be the greatest. Does it really matter what part we play, so long as we have a part to play?

If we can accept the idea that there is a leader within each one of us ready to be unleashed, then we have to deal with whatever keeps that leader concealed and unable to express itself. What is it that inhibits our leadership role in life? Perhaps it is over-indulgence in ourselves rather than discovering and embracing whatever purpose God has for us in proclaiming God's love to others. Perhaps it trusting too much in the idols of this world rather than trusting God for our security. Perhaps it is too much emphasis on individualism rather than devotion to the world community of God's human family.

In his book, Leading: from Within, Parker Palmer talks about the illusions that we can go our own way in life, apart from God, and somehow live meaningful lives. He affirms that we are co-creators with God: "we share responsibility for cresting the external world by projecting either a 'spirit of light' or a 'spirit of darkness' on that which is 'other' than us, either a 'spirit of hope' or a 'spirit of despair', either an inner confidence and integration or an inner terror about being diseased and ultimately terminal. We have a choice about what we are going to project, and in that choice we help create the world that is, consciousness precedes being." (P. 4)

Indeed, if how we perceive ourselves and our world has a lot to do with how that world is, then it behooves us to honestly examine the "shadow side" of our leadership - that which prevents us from being all that God has created us to be - and then deal with it! In her book, Teaching a Stone to Talk, Annie Dillard speaks about her spiritual journey - her recognition of the shadow side of her life and her determination to confront it. She says: In the depths (of our being) are the violence and terror of which psychology has warned us. But if you ride these monsters deeper down, if you drop with them farther over the world's rim, you find what our sciences cannot locate or name, the substrate the ocean or matrir or ether which buoys the rest, which gives goodness its power for good, and evil its power for evil, the unified field: our complex and inexplicable caring for each other and for our life together here. This is given. It is not learned. In other words, Annie Dillard is saying God has created us to live for others, not ourselves; and in doing so, all of our needs are met.

She is saying three basic things about leadership: First, The spiritual journey is not upward and outward toward abstraction; it is downward and inward, as we move toward the hardest concrete realities of our lives. Secondly, "great leadership comes from people who have made that downward journey through violence and terror, who have touched the deep place where we are in community with each other, and who can help take other people to that place. That is what great leadership is about." And finally the only reason any of us would dare such a journey is that caring relationships is the bottom line of life. We are related to one another. All of humanity is family! We are not alone in this world. God has created us to help one another make life worth living. ... Surely, the world's response to the tsunami in southeast Asia is confirmation of this reality.

The downward journey is what Vaclav Havel, the former President of Czechoslovakia, means when he talks about his country being "under a stone" of Communism for forty years. As painful as it may be, when are living through the toughest of times, that time is not lost. You learn a lot about life, yourself and other people, which prepares you to give out of the depths of your being, the very core of who you are!

How remarkable it is that Nelson Mandela was not defeated by his 30 year prison term in a South African prison, but was able to emerge from that ordeal not as a defeated person, but as one primed and honed for the leadership of his people. With God all things are possible; but without God, life is dead!

And then, there is Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we celebrate this weekend. In spite of personal threats to his life, being jailed for nonviolently resisting laws that maintained a segregated society, and having his commitment to justice disrupt a more normal family life, he persisted in his calling to help create a world in which all people would be respected and have their basic needs met. Assassinated in the prime of his life, we owe a debt of gratitude for this Nobel Peace Prize Winner who brought the world closer to the "peaceful kingdom" image projected by the prophet Isaiah.

Considering our call, as children of God, to be leaders in our part of the world where we live, what are same of the monsters that plague us? Parker Palmer names three:

One of the monsters we face is the deep insecurity about our identity, our sense of self-worth. Often, we identify insecurity with the "background people" of our society who may never be recognized publicly for anything they do, people who are quiet and don't spend a lot of time interacting with others. ... Well, they may or may not be insecure. ... However, even very active, outgoing people may live with a deep sense of insecurity. That may even account for all their activity, as they keep very busy to avoid time alone for contemplation and introspection. Under the guise of "doing good", such persons may reek havoc in the lives of others, planning and directing them, while avoiding any in-depth contact with them that would reveal peoples' "inner spirit" to one another. In this vain, Parker Palmer speaks of workaholics as functional atheists who see themselves, not God, as the power that makes things happen in this world. To the extent that any of us are like this, we find silence uncomfortable because the perception is that without noise or activity nothing is happening.

Whether our personalities are expressed primarily as introverts or extroverts, living under the shadow of insecurity often adds to the stress and strain of others as well as ourselves. ... To recognize and begin to deal with this monster is a sign of maturity. One of the great classical Christian writers shares the insight that each of us has been created by God out of love for the purpose of loving and being loved. If we could embrace that understanding of ourselves, would that not be enough to help us feel inwardly secure? And would not "thanksgiving" to God for such a "purpose in life" cause us to rejoice in praising God by how you and I choose to live?

A portion of Psalm 40, which is part of the lectionary lesson for today that we didn't read, ends with these words. "Lord, I know you will never stop being merciful to me. Your love and loyalty will always keep me safe." What an affirmation of how much God values us! If God values us that much, can we not value ourselves? All of us need to face and deal with that monster of insecurity which prevents the leader within us from emerging.

Another one of the monsters which we must face is the perception that the universe is essentially hostile to human interests and that life is fundamentally a battleground. How often have you and I felt like the person described by Isaiah: "I have worked, but how hopeless it is! I have used up my strength, but have accomplished nothing." (Isaiah 49:4) So often in the tension and tumble of our lives, we become discouraged, feeling that no matter what we do or which way we turn, nothing seems to make a difference. It's a "dogs eat dog" world out there! And if you aren't as rough and tough as the people around you, you simply won't survive.

Yet, this is God's world, not ours. There are certain principles, which cannot be defied without serious consequences. Those who live by the sword will die by the sword. If we are so strongly competitive that we run roughshod over others to get what we want, we too will be overrun by others. If we-choose violence to resolve conflicts, violence will consume us. If we over-indulge ourselves while ignoring major social problems, eventually the society in which we live will disintegrate. ... By contrast, respecting the personhood and identity of others often leads to a mutual response. However, that is not a guarantee in every situation. But, for the Christian, the point is not how to manipulate the world to our advantage but how do we express the love of God to the world in all circumstances of life?

In the epistle lesson for today, the Apostle Paul refers to Sosthenes as his brother. Now, he doesn't mean a blood brother, but a brother in the faith. ... What is remarkable about this statement is that from the book of Acts we learn that Sosthenes was the former leader of the Corinthian synagogue who filed charges against Paul with the proconsul, Gallio. The question is: Would Sosthenes now be working with Paul within the church if Paul had maintained a stance that Sosthenes was his enemy? No! Somewhere along the line, Sosthenes had a conversion because Paul never gave up on him.! Paul decided which self-fulfilling prophecy he was going to live by - "once an enemy, always an enemy", OR, following the pattern of Jesus, working to transform your enemies into friends.

In his treatise, "Loving Your Enemies, Martin Luther King, Jr. writes to those who say the nonviolent way of life is not practical: "My friends, we have followed the so-called practical way for too long a time now, and it has led inexorably to deeper confusion and chaos. Time is cluttered with the wreckage of communities which surrendered to hatred and violence. For the salvation of our nation and the salvation of human kind, we must follow another way. ... While abhorring segregation, we shall love the segregationist. This is the only way to create the beloved community."

If we perceive the world as hostile to human interests, it will be so. However, if we recognize and work toward the reality of God's household of love here on earth, at least within our lives, we will experience a little taste of what it is like to live in that household. All of us need to recognize and deal with the monstrous perception that the world is naturally hostile to human interests.

Finally, a third monster which each of us must face is the fear of non-existence or death. As Parker Palmer points out, we live in a culture that denies death, treating it as an alien factor in our universe, rather than a natural part of life. What does it do to our self-image when we fail a test, or receive a negative evaluation, or can't find a solution to a problem? How much is the meaning of our existence tied up with the relationship we have with our family members, the work we do, or an institution to which we belong? When a member of our family dies, when we retire or lose our job, or when the church to which we have belonged for a long time goes out of existence, what does that do to our sense of well-being? We don't even like to think about such things! they threaten our sense of stability!

Palmer says: "Surprisingly, the people in our culture who are least afraid of death ... are the scientists. The scientific community really honors the failure of a hypothesis because they can learn something from the death of tin idea. But in a lot of organizations, if you fail at what you do, you'll find a pink slip in your box. Again, the best organizations and leaders ... ask people to take action that may sometimes lead to failure, to understand that from failure we learn.

As Christians, we are called to "Be not afraid!" Have courage to listen to God's refreshing Word to us and respond with integrity the best we know how. It isn't that we don't have fear, because everyone has fears, including the best of leaders. But because we worship a God who not only has created us and journeys with us in all the circumstances of life, our fears are not the dominate force in our lives. Whether it is our own physical death or the loss of something or someone very precious to us, we understand that death is a natural part of life, but death is not the final word! ... god is! To grasp this insight is to begin to deal with the threat of this monster of non-existence which often holds us in its grasp.

I close with a quotation from Chaim Potok's book, The Chosen: "Human beings do not live forever.... We live less than the time it takes to blink an eye, if we measure time against eternity. So it may be asked, 'what is there to human life?" There is so much pain in the world. What does it mean to have to suffer so much if our lives are nothing more than the blink of an eye? ... I learned a long time ago ... that a blink of an eye in itself is nothing but the (person) who lives that span. that person is something! A person can fill that tiny span with meaning, so its quality is immeasurable though its quantity may be insignificant.... a person must fill his/her life with meaning, but meaning is not automatically given to life. ... A life filled with meaning is worthy of rest. I want to be worthy of rest when I am no longer here." (PP. 204,205)

To be a faithful Christian leader is to work at identifying and overcoming the monsters that plague us, to break loose from the shadow side of our lives, trusting God to help us find the light. We do so, often with much pain, but always with hope, for God is with us to give us guidance and courage! Amen!