Lectionary: Year B, Proper 13
Text: Ephesians 4:1-16
Sermon
Introduction
I have no problem confessing that I’m not a huge sport fan. I can probably place most teams with their respective sports. I know enough that on the rare occasions I watch a sporting event, I can generally follow what’s going on. The one exception is road cycling, but I haven’t had much time to pay attention to that either.
We are now witnessing the second week of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. I sort of follow the games via the headlines and updates I see scroll by on the New York Times and The Washington Post. Despite my lack of attention to the Olympics, I’m aware that there were at least two things that happened last week that caught people by surprise.
The first was the unexpected gold medal performance of Seward’s Lydia Jacoby in the 100m breaststroke, bringing to Alaska its very first Olympic gold in a discipline that seemed rather a long shot for a state that historically is known more for winter sports than swimming. In fact, the only Olympic sized pool in all of Alaska is in Anchorage at Bartlett High.[1]
The Value of a Team
The second was the unexpected withdrawal of gymnast Simone Biles from the Team Competition. Heralded as the world’s greatest female gymnast ever, given the slang title G.O.A.T., and having planned to perform the most difficult vault of all-time, she was expected to personally sweep gold medals and anchor Team USA to another team gold.
But on Tuesday morning, Biles withdrew from the team competition, explaining that as the competition progressed, she felt she could no longer fight the demons of others’ expectations that were being placed on her.[2] The routines that she had performed to this point had not been the flawless perfection that would normally been expected. Her head was fighting her body. Her teammates understood, because they too, had been there at some point in their sporting careers. They were disappointed but understood that what Biles has chosen to do was the right decision. They would continue to perform their best while Biles, who could have left the arena, chose to remain to cheer the team on, encourage them, get them chalk, and hug them.[3] Biles made the call to pull herself out because she saw that to continue would not only jeopardize her health but also a medal chance for the team.[4] Subsequently, Biles would also withdraw from the individual all-around competition, opening the door for another star, Sunisa Lee, to shine.[5]
MyKayla Skinner was the fifth member of the gymnastic team, and after failing to qualify for any of the individual apparatus events, a week ago she was headed back home believing her Olympic dreams were finished. But Biles sent a frantic text to Skinner stopping her from boarding the plane, just in case Biles remained unable to compete on the vault. That turned out to be the case and yesterday Skinner vaulted to the silver medal.[6]
These are elite athletes, performing at their peaks. Does any of it remotely apply to those of us with more mundane and ordinary lives? Lives that are generally not in any kind of spotlight?
I think that there is more in common to be learned than we might see at first glance.
“Unity” or “Solidarity”?
The reading for today in Ephesians is frequently one that is appealed to in the quest for church unity. It’s right there in the text, “Make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit,” and, “Until we all reach the unity of faith.”
I don’t know if any of the rest of you have qualms about the word “unity,” but I do. In my church experiences, “unity” has too often been used to mean “uniformity.” So-called “unity” has been used as the basis for stifling disagreements and dissent. In modern church use, “unity” too often implies a sameness of beliefs, practices, traditions, behaviors, ideologies, and culture. This call and implications of unity seem to have bled over into our broader lives, too.
There is nothing inherently wrong with desiring unity among our different groups. We shouldn’t have to suffer unnecessary conflict. But the desire and call for unity is wrong when its basis is motivated by such things as the desire to maintain power, to require minorities to conform to majority norms, and to permit the ongoing oppression of the marginalized.
I would like to suggest a different word that we might use as a substitute for “unity.” That word is “solidarity.”[7]
In my mind, “unity” implies cold, intellectual conformity and virtue-base (or rule-based) ethics that guide behavior. On the other hand, “solidarity” sounds warmer and more relational. “Solidarity” feels more empathetic and something that can bring people together, even if they differ in significant ways.
What the U.S. Gymnastics team showed was solidarity after Simone Biles withdrew. They came together to continue to work towards what was possible, at the same time encouraging and supporting one another. Their top star was no longer able to continue, but the others would step up to fill the vacated roles.
Healthy and Unhealthy Groups
I think that those of us living more “ordinary” lives could learn a few things from them.
A Potential Single Failure Point
What struck me first was how a single individual may carry the weight of the entire group. It might be in the workplace, a community organization, the family, or a church. It’s that one individual that knows how everything works and knows the idiosyncrasies and nuances to get things done.
That single individual is a single point of failure. The stress of the entire group is bearing on that point. Maybe you’ve been there, or maybe you’re there right now. You’ve been holding things together, but don’t know how long you can continue to maintain it. You desperately need help or even want out, but you can’t see anyone else able to fill your role.
Maybe you’re part of an organization in which such a guru-type expert is holding things together. You’ve always relied and leaned on that person to facilitate things going smoothly. You can’t imagine what might happen if they suddenly left.
Although today’s text is about the church, I think it can apply more broadly. The text reads that Christ gave gifts to his people. And these were different gifts distributed throughout the community. No single person receives all the gifts, and everyone has some gift.
It is not healthy for a single individual to carry the burdens of the entire group. It is not healthy for the group to rely on a single individual to deliver results.
If you feel like the burdens are getting far too heavy to carry and you want to say, “I can’t do it anymore,” can you say that and step away?
Group Solidarity
That’s where the second aspect of today’s reading come in. Is your group, your organization, your church a safe place for someone to say, “I can’t handle everything that is being asked of me; I need to take a break?” Will the rest of the group show solidarity with the one hurting and injured? Will there be empathy and understanding?
The text calls for God’s people to be people of humility, gentleness, patience, love, and peace. The text calls for God’s people to grow together into maturity. There are no superstars. All have a place in the community, and all have equal value. The body cannot function if needed parts are missing or parts refuse to perform the roles they are meant to do.
“The whole body grows from [Christ], as it is joined and held together by all the supporting ligaments. The body makes itself grow in that it builds itself up with love as each one does its part.” (Eph. 4:16)
The text just read contains some intriguing implications. First, all the supporting, connective elements are critical. Are you a facilitator in helping connect one part of the church with another, or one church community with another? You’re doing God’s work! It’s as equally important as more public-facing jobs.
Second, the body grows itself. So often we hear about how to grow the church. According to this text, the focus should not be on growth.
Third, the focus is for each person to exercise their God-given gifts and fulfill their gifted roles through exercising love. When each part works as God designed and gifted, growth happens naturally.
Some might observe and object that this might be fine for the church, but the groups and organizations of the world don’t work that way. It often seems so, because the ones with the superstars seem to be most successful.
Success Through Solidarity, Christ’s Way
Yet if we redefined success as long-term health, satisfaction, and well-being of every person associated with an organization, how many of the previously noted groups be considered successful?
If the Way of Christ in reordering society and its values are really true, shouldn’t Christ’s followers be working on implementing them in the spheres that they are a part of? I am reminded of some of Jesus’ parables where the kingdom starts out small, but slowly and quietly becomes large. The new society of Christ wasn’t meant to remain within the walls of the church. It is supposed to offer the world the values and practices that allow human beings to truly flourish. And it is supposed to be so compelling that people will naturally be drawn toward it. I think that this is one practical way of understanding what it might look when a faith community “become mature adults—to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:13b)
Yet too often we are more like “infants” who are “tossed and blow around by every wind that comes from teaching with deceitful scheming and the tricks people play.” (Eph 4:14) How often do we look to the business and political world for practices and methods that we hope can help sustain and grow the church? I’m not accusing all of it as bad. God’s wisdom can certainly be found outside the church walls. But too often the church wants a quick route to success and latches on to whatever is trending and popular without taking the time to thoughtfully and carefully assess whether or not they are in alignment with Christ’s methods and values.
“You are one body and one spirit, just as God also called you in one hope. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all.” (Eph. 4:4-6)
This is a reminder and an admonition to maintain solidarity with one another. Although we are many, we are one. Although we may disagree and have conflicts, the one God is Father or all, over all, through all, and in all of us. When one part is injured, we all feel the pain. When we comfort one, we are all comforted. When we are in solidarity with the most vulnerable, the most hurting, the most marginalized, the most oppressed – that is when I believe we are most like Christ and when we are closest to the maturity of faith desired by Christ for us.
[2] Simone
Biles Says She Wasn’t in Right Place Mentally During Olympic Final - The New
York Times (nytimes.com)
[7] Liberation Lectionary (https://www.facebook.com/liberationlectionary/)
hosts frequently utilize “solidarity.” It may originate with Gustavo Gutierrez.
Gustavo
Gutiérrez - Wikipedia
1 comment:
If only I could meet you for coffee tommorrow morning like we used to and talk to you about this sermon.
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