One Another - Part 2

We all have a worldview, our take on reality, that helps us navigate life. Unfortunately, few of us examine our worldview and that is dangerous.  Freud and Lewis had similar lives that led to very different destinations. Over the next four weeks we will explore their worldviews and our own.  Freud saw the conscious and subconscious as continually in conflict. Lewis was more optimistic.  Freud was a materialist and an atheist. The spiritual was a delusion. No unseen reality. Belief in it is mere wish fulfillment. We create a father god in our image to fulfill our wishes. Freud not all that influential today but this argument stands - along with the new atheist view that people of faith have not evolved past the need for the "god delusion."  Materialism is a demanding worldview. The are many unanswered questions and no ultimate hope. We are always on the brink of disaster. We all die.  The presence of evil and suffering was the other reason Freud was an atheist. We will cover that in future weeks.  C. S. Lewis converted from materialism to Christianity. He commented on the shakiness of atheism. An optimist, Lewis grappled with the problem of good. Art, beauty and the appreciation of beauty point to a higher reality.  The spiritual worldview is also demanding. We have free will and that means we are responsible for our life. The Love of God is also demanding. God ultimately demands all of us. We cannot be miserly with God.  Many Christians don't hold either worldview. Materialism scares us but spirituality is too demanding, so they settle on a wish granting grandfather god who just wants us to be happy. This type of belief was criticized by both Freud and Lewis. 

One Another - Part 1

Peacemakers refuse to objectify people, seeks reconciliation, and bring the Kingdom of God where it is not. Refusing to objectify others - making them the Other - makes room for the other two qualities of peacemaking.  Unintentional objectification can also occur. During a crisis, a person can become an object of pity or an object of our fears. Symptoms of this are over identification and over functioning. In both cases we cease to truly be with the person.  We need to express compassion and concern in a way that ennobles others. We are not meant to go through life alone. We need people around us to witness our pain and be with us. We need to stand together.  People in crisis aren't someone to be fixed. They are someone to be with. There is nothing more holy than when our hearts are wrapped around what God's heart is wrapped around. We are to be known by the love we have for one another (John 13:34-35). 

From Judas to Jesus

The Church needs to reclaim her prophetic role. It is not a political role nor are we to be arbiters of right and wrong or judges of others. We are to be peacemakers, people of love, a true community. We need to see other people as people. We are to be a people of peace.  The difficulties in our life could be God stepping in for a greater purpose.  Why did Jesus call Judas? Did Judas ever find peace with God? We want a scapegoat and Judas is that scapegoat. But we should realize that there is a Judas in all of us. What we hate in others is what we hate in ourselves. We need to stop projecting and realize this (Matthew 7:3-5).  Jesus is the true scapegoat -- Jesus bears our sin and darkness.  At the core of betrayal is a failed love. The only thing that can fix it is a more powerful love. We need the restoration of God's Love in our lives. 

I-it, I-you, I-Thou

Today's sermon is based on the fourth chapter of John.  We have a tendency to always ask, "What's in it for me?" Even as peacemakers, we ask that question. It's human nature. In social science there is the law of reciprocity that informs relationships. Even our relationship with God, although when you think about it, that's absurd.  The three relationships are based on the writings of Martin Buber. In an I-it relationship, we view the other person as an object. It can be self-defense to objectify the other. We don't have the capacity to love everyone deeply as a person. It is also used in hate. We cannot view an enemy as anything but an object. We take away their voice. These relationships are very dangerous. It's a lonely place because we close ourselves off from true relationships.  An I-you relationship views others as people. I-you relationships open space for dialogue. In politics we are becoming ever more I-it and it will end in violence. It is up to the Church to change this. How? The first thing we do is listen. Give the voice back to the other. Next, we have to apply leverage to the power dynamic. When power is involved, listening is not enough. If you are the person with power, then you must use that power to open a space for others to talk. If you are the underpowered person, then you must find a way to turn the other cheek. Jesus's saying about this was not about meekly allowing people to beat you. Turning the other cheek forced the person to hit you like they would hit an equal. In other words, try to force those in power to see you as a person.  The third relationship is I-Thou. In the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, the relationship between the woman and Jesus starts as I-it, but Jesus invites her - invites us - to an I-Thou relationship. This is a full relationship that is built on Love.  In a way, the threat inherent in relationships seems to escalate from I-it to I-Thou in that we are more vulnerable in each step. But hatred and violence are the fruits of I-it and true Love that of I-Thou.