FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT
Prayer of the Day: God of compassion, you welcome the wayward, and you embrace us all with your mercy. By our baptism clothe us with garments of your grace, and feed us at the table of your love, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
“From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” II Corinthians 5:16-17.
From a human point of view, I stand alone and all others surround me in concentric circles on an ever expanding continuum of relatedness. To begin with, there is my small circle of family and intimate friends. A little further out are the members of my church, my hiking group and my coworkers. After that come the neighbors I do not know well, but whom I recognize, greet and exchange pleasantries. Beyond these are the are people I have never met, but with whom I share a common bond of faith, political affiliation or hobby. The further out I go on these circles of relatedness, the weaker my interest and concern. At some point, indifference kicks in. People who live far away, speak a different language and practice a different religion are too far removed and their problems too abstract to move me. Then there is the enemy, people I believe, rightly or wrongly, are a threat to me. These are people I prefer to keep at a distance.
Saint Paul turns this “human point of view” on its head. “We once knew Christ from a human point of view,” says Paul. From a human point of view, Jesus was just another starry eyed idealist who refused to accept the duality of “us” versus “them.” He dared to cross over the established social, political and religious boundries to touch people consigned to the margins, those on the last concentric circle of relatedness. He did not recognize Ceasar’s godhood. He ignored the distinctions of lineage, class, moral and ritual cleanliness that defined who was who and how they were related. Quite predictably, the imperial powers that be crushed him like a bug. That is what always happens to people like Jesus. Nice guys finish last. But then God raised him from death-as if to say “this,” not Caesar, not religious purity or cultural pedigree, not the claims upon us of blood, nation, soil or race.
Jesus’ resurrection changes everything. God is not who we thought God was. Power is not what we imagined power to be. Glory is nothing like what we formerly called glorious. The concentric circles of relatedness are now dissolved. We can no longer view anyone from a human point of view, that is, in terms of their affinity, association or kinship with us-or lack of the same. All people, whatever their familial, geographical, cultural or national designation, are people for whom Jesus died, people to whom God desires to be reconciled, people to be woven into the fabric of the new creation.
From a human point of view, the cry of “America First” has some appeal. So does cancelation of funding of USAID in support of nutrition, health care and education worldwide. Yes, there is a lot of suffering around the globe. But there is plenty of suffering here within our own borders. Should we not rather take care of our own first? Sorry about the horn of Africa and Gaza, but let’s face it: there is only so much to go around. It is only natural that I consider my struggling fellow Americans to be my first priority.
But from a human point of view, I could just as easily make an argument for “Massachusetts First.” The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is one of the highest contributors to the federal coffers. Our taxpayers bring in far more than most other states in the Union. Why should any of that money go anywhere other than Massachusetts? I am sorry about California’s wildfires and the flooding down south, but we have two aging bridges over the canal to Cape Cod that are now long past their expiration date. Let us take care of our own back yard before worrying about the house next door.
Equally as well, I could make a pretty good argument for “Cape Cod First.” Those of us here in Barnstable county encompassing the Cape contribute a lot to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts-maybe more than our share. We maintain a lot of parks, forests and beaches that entertain millions of tourists frequenting us in the summer months. That generates a lot of revenue for us. So if we are going to be taxed on it, why should our dollars be spent repairing the tunnels in Boston? As noted above, we have two bridges in need of replacement. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps and fix your own tunnels Boston!
From a human point of view, I could easily argue for “Wellfleet First.” There are few of us full time residents up on the Outer Cape, but we still need police and fire protection. We also have a school to support. For that we need every penny collected from us. Why should our tax dollars be dolled out to larger towns and villages of the upper, mid and lower Cape, all of which have much larger tax bases? To be sure, they have some expensive problems to address in terms of water quality, transportation and traffic. But why should that be our problem? Just because we happen to be in the same county, does that make us responsible for them?
Perhaps the strongest argument to be made from a human point of view is “Me First.” As I drive through my town, I notice the playgrounds, the programs for youth and our elementary school. Should I have to pay for all that? I don’t have any school age children and I am sure not swinging on the monkey bars. I say let the people who use these amenities pay for them and I’ll keep my money for the things I need-like a new driveway. “Me First” is the clearest and most honest expression of the “human point of view” that Paul insists cannot stand in the presence of the new creation God brings about through Jesus.
Paul reminds us that our task as disciples of Jesus is reconciliation. That involves crossing over the concentric circles of relatedness, rejecting all religion, politics and ideology that put us at the center of the universe and push others out to the margins. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. observed in his now well known Letter from a Birmingham Jail, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” In God’s new creation, God is placed at the center with all God’s children held together as one in God’s heart. There is no room in this new order for any “First.”
Here is a poem by Joy Harjo articulating what sounds very much like the new creation in Christ of which Saint Paul speaks.
Once The World Was Perfect
Once the world was perfect, and we were happy in that world.
Then we took it for granted.
Discontent began a small rumble in the earthly mind.
Then Doubt pushed through with its spiked head.
And once Doubt ruptured the web,
All manner of demon thoughts
Jumped through—
We destroyed the world we had been given
For inspiration, for life—
Each stone of jealousy, each stone
Of fear, greed, envy, and hatred, put out the light.
No one was without a stone in his or her hand.
There we were,
Right back where we had started.
We were bumping into each other
In the dark.
And now we had no place to live, since we didn’t know
How to live with each other.
Then one of the stumbling ones took pity on another
And shared a blanket.
A spark of kindness made a light.
The light made an opening in the darkness.
Everyone worked together to make a ladder.
A Wind Clan person climbed out first into the next world,
And then the other clans, the children of those clans, their children,
And their children, all the way through time—
To now, into this morning light to you.
Source: Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings, (c. 2015 by Joy Harjo; pub. by W. W. Norton & Company, Inc..) Joy Harjo (b. 1951) is an American poet, musician, playwright, and author. She served as the 23rd United States Poet Laureate, the first Native American to hold that honor. She was also only the second Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to have served three terms. Harjo is a member of the Muscogee Nation. In addition to writing books and other publications, Harjo has taught in numerous United States universities, performed internationally at poetry readings and music events and released seven albums of her original music. Harjo is the author of nine books of poetry, and two award-winning children’s books. You can learn more about Joy Harjo and sample more of her poetry at the Poetry Foundation website.
Peter's Outer Cape Portico 