First Church in Cambridge, Congregational UCC
16 January 2005
Everybody Loves a Bargain
Somebody who had heard I was going to preach this morning told me that they always looked forward to hearing me preach because they found it a nice, "edgy" change of pace from the kind of sermons usually delivered from behind the old plastic lectern here at First Church.
I should make clear that this person was not expressing a preference for my edgy sermons. They just appreciate the change, every now and then.
I was, of course, glad that they looked forward to my sermons. But I found my self wondering what they meant by "edgy."
Some people consider the pieces read by David Sedaris, on Public Radio's, This American Life to be edgy. Others reserve the term for slightly raunchy underwear advertisements or the music of Marilyn Manson or Eminem.
For some reason, I wasn't sure I liked the idea of my sermons being considered edgy in any of the senses suggested by these examples. So I set out to deliberately prepare a sermon that was as far from edgy as possible.
After I prepared a first draft , I shared it with some people—not First Church members—and asked them whether they found it to be edgy? To my relief, none of them used the word edgy, or anything like it, to describe what I showed them.
Unfortunately, the words that they did use were caustic, embittered, resentful.
So, since Christians are supposed to to forgiven, forgiving, hopeful people, I knew I had more work to do to get the sermon into shape for this morning.
I often listen to the radio show—Market Place—on the local public radio station. One evening, late last month, the host of the show was interviewing a business analyst, about how and why, the retail behemoth, Walmart, found itself running behind its projected earnings for the last quarter of 2004. The host was surprised that this was happening during the time of year—the holiday season—when just about everyone engages in almost pornographic levels of purchasing.
The analyst said that, like any other institution, Walmart, occasionally gets it wrong. He remarked that the earnings projection were not off by a lot. They still had increased profits, but not by as much as they thought they would. He deemed it noteworthy only because Walmart is the undisputed, number one; Evil Empire, of retail.
It appears that other retailers had been able to catch the giant napping last quarter and, as he carefully pointed out, temporarily, cut into their market share.
He went on to say that, because of their enormous size, and all the advantages that went along with it, Walmart would be able to, easily, adjust for this and regain the lost market share.
No cause to worry.
In fact, the analyst made a point of emphasizing that, as far as he could see,there really wasn't any retailer, anywhere on earth, who would be able to mount a credible challenge to Walmart any time soon. Perhaps, he observed, in 25-30 years, some retailer—maybe in China—could figure out a way to do to Walmart, what Walmart had done to Sears, J.C. Penny and the other retailers; reduce them to pitiful shadows of their former selves.
This prediction threw the host of the show into an agitated, incredulous state. They asked the analyst how it was possible that a corporation that has been regularly and routinely sued by its employees for unsafe working conditions, discrimination against women and for failing to provide a living wage, survive and thrive, with such seeming impunity?
Before the analyst could answer, the host continued on.
How could a retailer willing to destroy the economic center of small communities by building their huge, warehouse stores out closer to high ways; and who is shameless enough to try and spiff up its predatory and rapacious practices with commercials that suggest that Walmart was actually improving the lives of the elderly, the retarded; and the quality of the environment by way of projects they euphemistically call "Partnerships" and have established in the cities and towns they invade and occupy; how was it possible for this kind of irresponsible, profit crazed enterprise to—serenely—control more and more market share?
I expected an extended, thoughtful answer from the analyst. Bur what he actually said floored me. It floored me because it made such perfect sense. It made sense, and demonstrating its truthfulness, to others, would not require any spread sheets, or sophisticated financial or marketing theory.
The analyst's response, without missing a beat:
Hey, everybody loves a bargain!
I think all of us, somewhere, in our hearts or our heads, recognizes the truth of this statement. We understand, quite well that the profits Walmart and other outfits like them, strip out of our communities would not be possible without the explicit or implicit support of ourselves and others like us.
If something we want is available to us at a bargain price—all of us—are quite capable of overlooking all kinds of dubious or awkward questions—legal and ethical—that might be involved in obtaining that bargain.
I'm sure I'm not the only one here this morning that has bought their morning cup of coffee from a place which we know keeps indigenous people growing export crops in grinding poverty. Or purchasing poultry from a company that raises it birds-from birth to slaughter—in gratuitously, revolting, constricted space; pumped full of antibiotics.
Or a pair of shoes, or a shirt, knowing that it was probably manufactured under miserable circumstance, by women, men—or even school aged children—working for wages that can only guarantee that they will continue to live in demoralizing, deprivation.
We will all find ourselves compromised, overlooking things like this because we have all—each and everyone of us—to greater or lesser degrees—become infected by, or made some kind of accommodation with, the values of our market dominated economy and culture.
When we think about it, it often seems just about impossible to find space, or opportunity, to lead lives free of the systemic, exploitative situations, like this, that we find ourselves enmeshed in.
But, hard as it may seem, there is an alternative. If we want to find an alternative, if we want something different, for ourselves, our families and the communities we are a part of, there is something we can do.
If we turn to this morning's gospel passage, it tells us about a number of seekers, people who had originally been following the teachings and example of John the Baptist, chasing after Jesus following John's identification of Jesus as "The Lamb of God."
And we are told that, when Jesus saw them following him, he asked them: "What do you want?" "What are you looking for?"
To get what we want, we have to answer,for ourselves, the question Jesus asks.
If we are looking for an alternative to complicity in the exploitation and callousness we see ourselves entangled in, we can follow the example of Jesus. We can follow his example of the convicted and converted life. We can live lives in pursuit of the establishment of of God's Kingdom, here on earth.
That option is open, always. But choosing a life of discipleship comes at a cost and it is not available on sale, or at bargain prices.
When we live lives committed to the Kingdom, we must be prepared to enter confrontation and conflict. When we commit our lives to the way of Christ, we are brought, at some point, into collision with the ways and values of those individuals, those communities, those principalities and powers, who do not embrace the crucified love, the radical justice and forgiveness that is at the heart of God's Kingdom and Jesus' preaching about it.
Sometimes that conflict and collision will be between ourselves and those who stand outside the circle, or community we call, the Church.
But other times, that collision and conflict will occur within the church, between those who are part of the body of Christ.
As an example, take the recent commercial released by the identity campaign of our United Church of Christ.
In the commercial our denomination boldly, and truthfully stated that "Jesus did not exclude people and the United Church of Christ doesn't either!"
We should all be proud that our denomination was willing to make a statement like that. With all the abuse and hysteria surrounding the rights of Gays and Lesbians to enjoy full, political and civil equality it was brave and correct for our church to say that we have no doubts that Jesus would embrace and welcome Gays and Lesbians and others, who some consider unworthy of the same respect and opportunities they themselves enjoy.
But the brave deed was soon taken over by what I considered to be a fairly spineless act of appeasement.
Responding to criticism that the ad was suggesting that the United Church of Christ "was better than other churches" because it was willing to welcome Gays and Lesbians, our Ecumenical Relations Office at the UCC sent of a letter to the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops assuring them that the add was in no way meant to criticize them for not welcoming these people.
Now if you had to write up a short list of institutions that have helped contribute to the tense, unpleasant furor swirling around Gays and Lesbians, somewhere near the top of that list would have to be the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.
Also included on that list would be the United Methodist Church, a denomination that defrocks or censors members of their clergy who admit that they are gay or who agree to recognize or celebrate the marriages of gay people.
The Presbyterians and Lutherans don't have a lot to be proud of when it comes to this issue either.
I want to be clear. Just because our denomination has got it right on this matter I don't think for a minute that we—as a community or as individuals—are in any less need of forgiveness or grace. We all still do a lot that needs to be forgiven and we can still learn plenty from other people.
But not on this one.
The faithful, courageous position, the position that identifies us as having been convicted and converted to the gospel as preached by Jesus, is the position that would say to our fellow Christians—Catholic, Reformed, Methodist or whatever—Brothers and Sisters, you got it wrong.
We should be saying, Brothers and Sisters, when you say that some person who is not like you and who does not live life in exactly the same way that you do is not entitled to the same recognition and safety; doesn't deserve the privileges and opportunities you take for granted; you got wrong and you need to get it right.
Whether we are talking about the way we treat these peoples within the church or within society; you are not following after Jesus if you think we can leave behind these brothers and sisters who only want what most of us already have.
Those of our Christian brothers and sisters who would exclude them need to hear from us that, as Paul, the Apostle, would say, they have missed the mark and fallen short.
But I guess that was too much to expect. Instead of taking the difficult, faithful position, our leadership went for the "ecumenical," easy way. Better not to offend the very people who are creating the problem we want to be recognized as a solution or alternative to.
For some reason a lot of Christians think that, no matter what, we can't allow ourselves to have any one mad at us. We aren't being the nice people we want everyone else to be if we suggest that there might actually be some people who need to be put right.
This problem has been around for a lot longer than any of us. It sometimes gets described as the problem of "cheap grace."
Cheap grace means that following Jesus doesn't require anything much from us. All the heavy lifting gets done by God's grace, through Jesus. We don't have to struggle or make sacrifices, thats all been taken care of already.
Cheap grace is discipleship at a bargain basement price; and we already know, everybody loves a bargain.
Who of us here this morning hasn't found ourselves justifying our lack of courage, or lack of faith, basically depending upon some variety of "cheap grace" to make us feel better about our lack of resolve?
Just a few weeks ago, on Christmas Eve, my son's Grandfather and I were assembling one of Jim's Christmas gifts. He and I don't have occasion to spend to much time together. I was enjoying the opportunity to spend time with him and do something that seemed to be giving both of us a great deal of pleasure. We had the television on as we worked, and the Mid Night Mass, led by the Pope, came on just as we were finishing up.
I'm not sure how it came up, but Jim's Grandfather started talking about how much he admired the Pope even though he. himself, was an Episcopalian. He said he admired him because he stood up for the traditional teachings of the Church, especially the ones that exclude Gays from marriage and the ministry.
Would have been a perfect moment for me to have practiced what I am preaching wouldn't it? But I didn't rise to the occasion. At that time, I didn't think it was required of me. I was having a pleasant time with Jim's Grandfather. It was Christmas Eve. What was a little speech from me going to accomplish anyway?
I choose the cheap way, the way that didn't cost me much.
There are always moments like that, moments that find us unequal to what is required of us. Recognizing that reality is not an acceptance of the validity of cheap grace. Recognizing it is simply acknowledging what Jesus and the Church have always taught; We are imperfect beings, ones that, from time to time, all need forgiveness and the support of others, to help do what its expected of us as disciples of Jesus.
In order for us to have that forgiveness and support we must be able to hold one another accountable. We must be able to approach one another, with respect and concern, and draw our attention to those matters that require attention and change.
If what we want is the life of discipleship, then holding one another accountable is what we must do. The mission of our church—locally and in all other settings—must give priority attention to enabling and empowering all of us to be able to do this.
But it isn' t any easier doing that here, among ourselves, then it is in larger situations. We don't have a great track record of doing it, both within our own congregation or within the other settings of our United Church of Christ.
Here at First Church, its hard to find many people who are willing to take the risk of challenging and correcting fellow members. We don't feel it is our place to do so. Or we don't want to risk the reaction from the other person which might result from that challenge or correction.
We don't want to pay the price. We want discipleship to be a bargain.
Our leaders in Cleveland don't like to do it any more than we do. There favorite way for avoiding confrontation is to say that the pronouncements and statements they make are not the leadership speaking for the church, but rather the leadership speaking to the church.
They speak and neither they or us have to pay to much attention to what's being said. That's a bargain that's hard to pass up, right?
Others outside the church also know about this reluctance Christians like us have. Our tendency to behave like nothing we do or say has any significance.
Over the past twenty or so years I've walked the halls of Congress meeting with elected officials to try and convince them that mainstream Protestant Christians, like us, want them to respond promptly to the needs of the homeless, the poor, welfare recipients, those lacking health insurance or adequate nutrition.
Congressmen and Senators, or their aids, have told me more times than I care to recall,
Hey, thanks for coming by, but what we get from organizations like the UCC is a document signed by a group of people with "Rev." and "Dr." in front of their names. All of them officers or employees of the denomination. The document always says they are officers of an organization that has loads of local churches and members but we hardly ever hear from any of those local church members.
We don't find ourselves being heard in the great debates or discussions of the day because we, as individual Christians, have not been willing to stand up, publicly, for what we consider important.
As we found out this past Fall, there are other Christian who do not have the same reluctance.
As you all know, this Sunday is the day faith communities all across America, remember and celebrate the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.
At the heart of Dr. King's theology and politics was an understanding of the power of crucified love to change the lives of individuals, communities, even an entire nation.
And it is this crucified love that we must choose if we are to become true disciples.
We better know what we want, because crucified love is not cheap, its costly.
Transforming our lives, freeing ourselves from the afflictions, dependencies, bigotries or fears that keep us from enjoying God's abundant love may come at cost.
If we know what we want, we can accept the cost.
Providing an open and affirming congregation for those who are outcasts or persecuted is certainly what we should commit ourselves to being. But being that kind of church requires a form of crucified love that will exact a cost.
If we are not willing to pay the price. If we are not willing to speak the truth that we know to whoever needs to hear it, than we will not be that kind of church.
Jesus' asks us what we are looking for.
For our sakes, and for the sakes of those that we would have choose to join or affiliate with us, we better be sure just what it is.
© 2005, Jim Stewart