Who's Running the Show?, July 01, 2012

WHO’S RUNNING THE SHOW?

I Samuel 8:1-22

St. Andrew’s-Wesley United church

Rev. Gary Paterson

July 1, 2012

It’s an  old story… some three thousand years ago.  The Israelites wanted a king, a guy on top who would take charge, run the show, bring success and prosperity, power, and victory over the Philistines.  Long live the King!  The Israelites wanted to be like the other nations, who seemed more efficient… and richer.  They were willing to give up a lot of freedom in order to have the trains run on time. 

Mind you, the system they had was often frustrating … a loose confederacy of the twelve tribes, which, in times of crisis, put aside their squabbling, and united under a charismatic leader, a so-called “judge.”   Oh, they’d been tempted by the glamour and appeal of royalty, and had even asked Gideon to become king… but that ended badly. 

But now maybe the times had changed, for, in truth, the old system wasn’t working.  The Israelites were losing the war to the Philistines; it was getting serious; something had to shift.  And maybe the Israelites, like all of the rest of us, well maybe they got tired of always having to work so hard at it, at making a country work, a people cooperate and govern themselves, sharing so fully in the responsibility of it all.  Maybe they succumbed to the lure of quick-fix… just give us a king, a fuehrer, a strongman… and everything will be okay.

Well, they got what they asked for… yet another example of God allowing us freedom, to make good or lousy decisions, and a thousand that are both.  They got a king… but the first guy, King Saul…. well, again things ended badly.  But then David stepped into the limelight, and all of sudden we have a dynasty on our hands… you’ve got four hundred years of kings.  Funny thing about kings… once you get ‘em, it’s really hard to get rid of them.  “Off with his head,” often seems the only recourse; just ask the people of Libya or Syria. 

Now you may ask, what does it matter… I mean, interesting history, I suppose, though many prefer the juicy bits, when Bathsheba walks into the story.  So why?  Why does this story matter?  How, in heaven’s name, does a story like this become a word about God, a word from God… “Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.”  Right.

So… three points, an addendum… and then a poem.  Of course. 

First… a statement of the obvious, but sometimes we all need a reminder… religion is political.  This ancient story presents God in the midst of whatever is happening… kings, armies, enemies, taxes…. wherever the action is, that’s where you’re most likely to find Holiness. 

Let me approach this sideways…. from the “I’m spiritual but not religious,” angle.  Sure beats “I’m religious but not spiritual.” Because spiritual points us to the authentic connection with the Holy, with the Spirit, and maybe not just connection, but even relationship.  It’s the work of the inner journey, mystical, exploratory … full of silence… attentive, listening, mindful.  My spouse, Tim, is, at this very moment, beginning a week of silent prayer at the Benedictine Retreat Centre over in Nanaimo.  Spirituality… and the practices that enable us to be more open to that connection. 

But also religious… as in “I’m spiritual AND religious.”  Because “religious” directs us to the world beyond ourselves… to community.  Religious talks about how, as spiritual persons, we actually live together.  What’s important is how we treat each other; how we organize and govern ourselves; how wealth gets shared and distributed; how we treat the poor, people on the edge, the strangers, the foreigners… “What does the |Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness….”  When we gather together as church, we’re exploring and experimenting with how to be a Jesus kind of community; filled with spirit, we try and figure out how it actually works.  And clearly, if it’s a Jesus community, then it’s an exploration that embraces the whole world.   “Religious” means spirituality at work in the marketplace and in politics, in economics, in government and legislation.  “I’m spiritual and religious.”  

I know we’re treading into dangerous territory here… all that separation of church and state that we hold dearly.  And we’re right to be careful… because far too often religion has created passionate destruction and intolerance.  Whether you’re worried about Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood as the newly elected President of Egypt, or about the influence of right wing Christianity in determining the outcome of our neighbour’s November election…. you know the danger when church and state slide too close together.  But the reality is, politics and religion will always be entangled.  An aside… my spouse Tim is a City Councillor; I’m here at St. Andrew’s-Wesley… sometimes we introduce ourselves as “church and state sleeping together….”  But seriously, our faith, our spirituality and our religion, always help shape our values, our ethical stance, our vision of what a city or a country might become.  And inevitably, it means our spirituality throws us right into the midst of things, and we recognize that’s also where we will meet God, that religion is political, because God is at the centre of the action.  You don’t just park your faith at the door of your business, your office, your classroom, your kitchen and bedroom…  your faith is with you in every decision. 

It’s not whether religion and politics interconnect, but how… and better to be aware and intentional about that.  You can bless what’s happening around you; or you can withdraw, leaving the world to Caesar, focusing on the inner journey.    Or you can stand in faithful, prophetic love, rooted in religious values, in the Spirit, which offers a different vision of how life can be lived.  And, there’s another possibility… your faith can push you into working for change. 

That’s point one, that religions and politics go together .  Second point.  The Bible has a penchant for providing us with the underbelly stories of history, critical of the status quo, a prophetic challenge to the so-called, “way of the world;”  a counter-narrative, that lets us know that there are different ways of looking at events in the world, of interpreting the unfolding of history; that  there is always an alternative, with more compassion, more justice, more peace. 

You see it in the story we have been exploring today… the beginning of the monarchy in Israel.  You’d expect that there would be much glorification of kingship… the royals, and their relatives and friends; they were the ones with power and money – you offended them at your own risk.  And besides, they usually decided what go recorded and remembered… and what didn’t.  And indeed, there is lots of praise for the monarchy  in the Scriptures.  But there’s also this other stuff, that counter-narrative that I was talking about.  You want to know about kings, says God, says Samuel, well … get ready…

[The King] will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen… and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands… and some to plow the king’s ground and reap his harvest… he will take your daughters…. the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards, and give them to his courtiers.  He will take one-tenth of your grain and your vineyards… he will take your slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys… he will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.  And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves. 

You get a sense that the writer knows whereof he speaks; indeed, it seems like a pretty accurate description of what happened under the rule of Solomon… oh I know, Solomon got prettied up with wisdom and temple-building, but underbelly stories got included as well.  Until it begins to feel as if there isn’t much difference between Solomon and Pharaoh. 

The Bible often carries a stance of suspicion… always seeing the difference between what could be and what is.  The Bible knows about power… and how it corrupts; and that absolute power corrupts absolutely.  There is a wariness of power concentration… in government, with kings; in the market, with the very, very rich, and the poor.   But note that there is also a critique aimed at the rest of us, who are too willing to surrender our responsibility, our power; wanting a king to lead the show, ready to cuddle right up if it looks like victory.  Just wave a golden calf our way, and we’re yours.    

And so, the third point… the capacity to challenge the king is rooted in the faith that ultimately God is our King.  And what the Israelites are doing in today’s story is dumping God as their King – and ending up with someone like Solomon who will tax, conscript, take and enslave.  Metaphorically, whatever… but when God is our King, then we have a counter centre of meaning, of vision and values, that enables us to take a look at our world with a different lens; a counter story that allows us to stand outside our own culture and time.  Dominic Crossan, a Jesus Seminar scholar, gave a memorable New Testatment expression of this truth: “If Jesus is Lord, then Caesar ain’t!”  Exactly!

God’s desire for the world is what guides our living, our actions, our religion.  This holy dream, of peace and justice and compassion, for each other, for the world… this is central to how we organize our social, economic and political lives.  When push comes to shove, the values of God trump the demands of any king.  And we bring them to every decision and action in the world.  Remember, religion is political.  I have always been struck how the Confessing Church in Nazi Germany was one of the few voices that resisted the allure of Hitler.  True, it was a small movement, but usually the underbelly, prophetic, critical voice has been the work a small group.   The Confessing Church knew about power; knew that it was good when used for holy purposes rooted in love… but not for unholy purposes rooted in hate, fear, greed.  They knew the power (and the cost) of “NO!”  

So now for the addendum… as you say, “So, really, what does all this have to do with us, our lives?”  Well, lots, actually, I think.  I worry about the concentration of power in the Prime Minister’s Office, which leaves even the Cabinet seeming weak, while the significance and power of Parliament is diminished, from proroguing to omnibus bills. 

I am worried about a country where the turnout for elections is so darned low… 35% in civic elections; maybe 60% at the provincial and federal level.  Are we so tired of responsibility?  So cynical, despairing… naïve? 

I worry about the recent spate of political attack ads, that seem such a negative use of power… smear the other guy however and whenever you can.  Which isn’t to say that there isn’t a lot of valid criticism you might send Mulcair’s way… but done with respect, with integrity, with a willingness to engage and debate issues.  We don’t need to be like our neighbour…

I worry about what feels like the slow stifling of dissent… cut backs to environmental review agencies; accusations that some NGO’s (particularly, it seems, those critical of the government’s policies) are receiving funding from foreigners… which by definition is nefarious, unpatriotic; and that even the United Church, according to the warnings of a senator, should be careful about our advocacy work… might lead to a review of our charitable tax status, you know.

I worry about the values that underlie the decision to build more prisons, rather than invest in restorative justice and rehabilitative programmes; the desire for revenge is understandable, perhaps, but is not helpful… is not what the Spirit is calling for.  Why is our government increasing penalties, demanding longer sentences and more indictable offences, all of which lead directly to Jail, do not pass God?  Seemingly, with a willful disregard for research and data.   

And I am excited by God’s vision of justice, equality, simple sharing, a community life of compassion and peace… and how that might come a little closer… thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is heaven.  Right… if Jesus is Lord, Caesar ain’t… and that is a very spiritual, religious, political statement.

Now, this is July 1^st., Canada Day.  And there’s so much to give thanks for, to rejoice in; this is where the poem arrives… selections from Shane Koyczan’s “We Are More” slam poem that opened last year’s Olympics.  Listen to Shane’s vision as a prophetic voice,  that speaks of holy values, that catches a glimpse of the Kingdom of God…

… some say what defines us
is something as simple as please and thank you
and as for you’re welcome
well we say that too
but we are more
than genteel or civilized
we are an idea in the process
of being realized
we are young
we are cultures strung together
then woven into a tapestry
and the design
is what makes us more
than the sum total of our history
we are an experiment going right for a change
with influences that range from a to zed
and yes we say zed instead of zee
we are the colours of Chinatown and the coffee of Little Italy
we dream so big that there are those
who would call our ambition an industry…
because we are vineyards of good year after good year
we reforest what we clear
because we believe in generations beyond our own.

We stand here today filled with all the hope people have
when they say things like “someday”…
because we are more than a nation of whale watchers and lumberjacks
more than backpacks and hiking trails
we are hammers and nails building bridges
towards those who are willing to walk across
we are the lost-and-found for all those who might find themselves at a loss
we are found missing puzzle pieces
we are families with room at the table for newcomers

we are students … who know why
we don’t have all the answers
but we try
and the effort is what makes us more
we don’t all know what it is in life we’re looking for
so keep exploring , go far and wide
or go inside but go deep
go deep…

keep exploring
because we are more
than a laundry list of things to do and places to see
we are more than hills to ski
or countryside ponds to skate
we are the abandoned hesitation of all those who can’t wait
a country that is all the ways you choose to live
a land that can give you variety
because we are choices
we are millions upon millions of voices shouting
” keep exploring… we are more”

we are the surprise the world has in store for you
it’s true

Canada is the “what” in “what’s new?”…

Don’t let your luggage define your travels
each life unravels differently
and experiences are what make up
the colours of our tapestry
we are the true north
strong and free
and what’s more
is that we didn’t just say it
we made it be.