Proper 20, Year B — Wisdom of Solomon 1:16-2:1, 12-22; Psalm 54; James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a; Mark 9:30-37
The Wisdom of Solomon is not included in the 66 canonical books of the Old and New Testaments but is rather part of the Apocrypha, or ancillary books that are considered inspired and valuable for study and application but are rarely included in the regular Sunday readings.
When Kristen asked me this week, which of the two options I wanted to have for the first lesson, I groaned. I could either go with the Proverbs 31 woman who is a paragon of virtue, a capable wife of great value or… I could wrestle with the ethical and philosophical perspective of wisdom literature, which is concerned with how we lead a moral life, a life faithful to God in the face of perspectives and understandings that are directly opposed to the Judeo/Christian way.
Then I read the news. Like many of you, I am confounded by the ways that groups of people who have formerly been in relationship as neighbors, fellow citizens, members of groups and even related by marriage, turn against one another; dehumanize those they deem as other or dangerous; encourage hatred and discrimination; and ultimately commit violence.
How did the related tribes of Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda get to the point of attacking one another with machetes and burning women and children who had taken shelter in churches? Why can’t there be a two state solution to the ethnically related people of Palestine and Israel who share a common faith ancestor in Abraham? Why do we think that it’s okay to take up arms against political opponents and to solve our differences by attacking elected officials and the halls of our government?
Solomon’s wisdom is that this becomes possible when we fall into despair and the resignation that death is the ultimate destination and life is “short and sorrowful.” We go down to the dead and there we languish without hope. If, as Thomas Hobbes famously said, “Life is short, brutish and nasty” then we are all in a battle for scarce resources and it is the strong and those unhindered by moral convictions who will prevail against the weak, the righteous, the strange ones and those who know God and believe that every one of us is a beloved child of God.
This passage from Wisdom is called the “Speech of the wicked.” It is undergirded with nihilism and violence. The words of the wicked are elegant and poetic but their reasoning is unsound and unrighteous. They embrace power and pleasure and paint the upright as strange, inconvenient and objects of scorn. As one commentator noted:
“The wicked’s speech progresses from a nihilistic judgement on life to a project in life that embraces sensuality, that in its turn despises weakness and relies on power, and that finally, when challenged, unmasks itself as an unbridled license to brutal violence.” (Michael Kolarcik, SJ) In other words, this is how bullies justify themselves.
How then are we to live and keep faith, hope and love alive in a world that seems full of aggression, wickedness, evil and violence? How do we counteract these tendencies in ourselves? After all, even the disciples, in the presence of our Lord, argued and competed amongst themselves for status, arguing about who is the greatest, the GOAT of all of Jesus’s followers.
Last week Rody preached a powerful and passionate sermon about the cross of Christ and its centrality in Christian faith. He said: At the center of the gospel is this: In the cross, God shows us what God desires above all else: God wants us to love extravagantly. That is God’s will for everyone. Everything else is secondary. This greater love, give up your life for love…. This God of the universe has fallen in love with us, and calls us to fall for one another. Suffering is often love’s glad cost.
Jesus says it to his disciples for the second of three times in Mark’s gospel today, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” Following Jesus won’t necessarily lead to prosperity, success or even respect. There will be suffering and in the lives of many of the saints who have gone before us, an untimely death. And we will rise again with Christ.
We are not those who live in despair that death and destruction are the highest power. We trust in the One who is able to deliver Jesus from death and in our lives and in our suffering and death to bring us to fullness of life. We believe that love can transform this world and redeem even the biggest bully or the most desperate criminal. We affirm the dignity of every human being and as Christians strive to protect and nurture all of God’s good creation.
This past week I was encouraged and inspired by two very different examples of this counter-cultural perspective to the ways of power and domination. The Captain of the newly formed CARE team, a third arm of public safety along with the police and fire departments spoke at the Ballard Alliance monthly meeting. In nearly an hour, she spent 50 minutes outlining the philosophy and ethic that, along with data, guides her strategy and vision for addressing the most difficult issues as she coordinates 911 response for our City.
At the heart of the rationale for a team of people trained in behavioral health and resources as a response to most of the 911 calls that really don’t require policing is a three-fold conviction that is a counter to the despair, dehumanization and violence that can sometimes plague our society’s approach to the mentally ill, homeless and addicted persons who are our neighbors. She simply and clearly outlined the following 3 principles:
- Every human being has equal value. Unless we are convinced of the essential humanity and belovedness of everyone we will be able to ignore those who are suffering and treat them as less than human.
- Everyone has the capacity to change. This is an antidote to hopelessness and disempowerment. It offers the possibility of transformation, the resurrection from death into fullness of life and it is for ALL.
- Change and new life must be supported by a community of care, people who know, support and walk with one another through the ups and downs of recovery. Those who are unafraid to be with the suffering and the rejected.
What a huge difference it will make in the lives of people in desperate situations if they are approached with these values in the forefront!
Last week, many of us attended the neighborhood meeting hosted by St. Paul’s to address the concerns raised by moving Edible Hope Kitchen into their facility. The small congregation at St. Paul’s has spent many weeks meeting with neighbors, listening to their concerns and developing safety plans and protocols. They knew to expect anger, fear, argument and opposition. That was certainly present along with misunderstanding, rejection and even some persecution.
But there was also gentleness, an amazingly peaceable approach and a willingness to yield privilege and power to truly hear the concerns of their neighbors. I was impressed by their ability to be present, standing firm for their values and mission while honoring the humanity of those who were in opposition. And I was grateful for many of those who support Edible Hope who demonstrated by their presence, a different response to and experience of our unhoused neighbors. There will continue to be difficulty and friction, but there is also hope that it doesn’t need to escalate and that we might be able to work together for the greater good of all.
How do we hold onto faith, hope and love in the midst of turmoil, division and distrust? We are able to be faithful because God holds onto us. It is God who sustains our life, not just physically but spiritually. We are able to love and serve others, particularly those who are most vulnerable because God has promised to draw near to those who are poor in spirit, who are persecuted, who mourn and are in trouble. God has come close to us in Jesus and breathed the Spirit into us. Each of us are infinitely valuable and capable of transformation. And we are not alone. God has placed us into a community of love and support, the community of faith that nurtures and upholds us in difficult times and rejoices with us in times of gladness.
“Draw near to God and God will draw near to you.” Amen.
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