Redirected Anger
July 17 , 2005
Mark 3:1-6
James 1:19-21
It happened to me this week. I got hot! It’s been a really long time. And as I thought about it I couldn’t remember the last time. Do you know the feeling? For me, it begins in my stomach. My stomach gets really tight, sort of begins to roll around and I can feel the acid building. And, I can feel the tension travel up my esophagus and into my chest. My heart feels tight and like a vice is crushing it along with my chest. A heavy sadness sets in. Almost an emptiness in a way, pushing everything meaningful into a locked drawer. Next I realize I’m clenching my jaw. And, my body temperature goes up. I want to yell. My hands begin to shake. Do you know it? It’s how I embody Anger. That feeling of displeasure resulting from injury, mistreatment, opposition. And anger usually shows itself in a desire to fight back at the supposed cause of the anger.
And, that’s the key isn’t it, supposed cause with a desire to fight back. Our desire to make those we feel are responsible to understand how we’re feeling, to get paid back for our displeasure, our injury, our mistreatment, our opposition. Today, during the summer of the morality war, the book of James and Jesus in the gospel of Mark remind us our ethical response as people of faith is not one of vengeance but love. Our ethical response to opposition is not restriction and shutting down but openness. Our ethical response to personal injury is life not death.
The teaching from Mark today has Jesus challenging the Sabbath Law. No one was to work on the Sabbath. Jesus absolutely knew this and yet he does these things on the Sabbath. He challenges them on their turf in another episode of defying the rules. Jesus comes to the temple and calls the man forward. He questions the law-abiding holy men whether it is better to do good or harm on the Sabbath. And, my guess is, if it weren’t the Sabbath, they would have debated him right back in good rabbinic fashion they would say neither. My guess is that they instead would say it is not the right question. It is to be immersed in the Sabbath that is God’s work, and it heals us all more than any physical healing. Jesus in his own good rabbinic form presses, “Is it better to save life or kill on the Sabbath?” And, in true legal fashion, if it weren’t the Sabbath, the answer would be wrong question. They did not rebuke him. They did not stop him. They remained stalwart in their faith and legal observance and upheld the Sabbath remaining silent. But, Jesus was angry. He was grieved at what he called their hard hearts, these people who couldn’t see his point, and he healed the hand. Jesus was powerful in deeds of healing, powerful in debate, but he violates legalism to benefit suffering people. Jesus offered civil disobedience to the law for the greater good. The holy men upheld the law, God’s law keeping the Sabbath sacred. They didn’t engage in any work. They didn’t debate, they didn’t heal, they simply stayed with God.
It’s a classic debate between two schools of thought. It was happening all the time with the Jesus followers as they were changing culture, religion, tradition. It was happening all the time for the early disciples. It is happening all the time today. And when we believe in something, we are passionate. And passion is strong emotion. And when someone presses up against our beliefs that passion is unleashed. And when someone intentionally or unintentionally tramples on our beliefs we feel harmed, mistreated, opposed. Sometimes that breeds anger. This is where we find Jesus in the midst of this teaching. The others in the story were not bad. They were just as passionate and devout about their beliefs. Jesus was not bad, he was on a mission to confront the ways things were and attempt to bring about reform. But, the story breaks down when Jesus becomes angry at their silence. They weren’t playing the game as he wanted it to be played. Even though he knew the rules. He knew he would be throwing everything they believed in their faces by being in the temple on the Sabbath to do anything but rest and worship giving thanks to God. And, when he does it, he gets angry they won’t budge. Then, he names their hearts hard and heals the man’s hand. And, that deliberate attack on their beliefs, in their most sacred house, on their most holy day felt like opposition, like mistreatment, like injury. So they, in spite of their beliefs, in spite of not working on the Sabbath, they begin to pay him back by plotting to take him out. And anger leads to death instead of life on both sides of the debate.
James reminds us today it’s not just our attitude about how things should be, it’s our behavior with everyday consistency. In order to live in truth, we must put aside our anger. For working out of a place of anger does not accomplish God’s love. We only receive genuine blessings from God when we follow and live all of the moral instruction from a place of unconditional love. We receive God’s blessing when our ethics become our walk not just our talk.
The General Synod is the national gathering of the United Churches of Christ. During General Synod our world wide community of faith gathers to worship, learn, challenge and inspire one another about our calls and work together as the people of faith. We also take time to wrestle in committee and work together on resolutions that guide our vision and witness for justice in the UCC. This is the place where our theology meets our culture. We are the church of extravagant welcome. And, resolutions are always filled with a lot of dialogue, passion, testimony, and tears. We had three days of hearing resolutions, working in committee, making and listening to testimonies, the making of amendments, and finally a lot of parliamentarian and Roberts Rules of Order voting.
One place that we felt the diversity of the UCC was surrounding the three resolutions regarding marriage. One resolution was asking the UCC to define marriage as between one man and one woman. One resolution was asking the UCC to study and discern what marriage was and how that was living into our faith communities. One resolution was asking the UCC to support equal marriage for LGBT people. All three resolutions were assigned to one committee. Cathy and I attended this committee’s meeting. The protocol was amazing. First, we spent two sessions on the previous days having Bible study and praying together. We learned a bit about one another and began building relationships. We did not know what resolution would be handed to us. When the assignments came, we already knew one another as people like us. The voting delegates on the committee were gathered at the front of the room in a circle. The moderator had a microphone and moderated the process. There was another microphone in the center of the room. All were instructed to be absolutely silent. The moderator told all visitors and delegates that we were to remain silent until we were released from the work. She would ask for testimonies from the visitors then delegates. However, she would ask for feedback and we were to raise our hands. She would then invite a person to the microphone. She would first invite someone who opposed the resolution then someone who supported the resolution. This would continue until all sides were presented and all voices were in the room. I didn’t like this idea when she presented it. The thought of having to be silent. To not be able to react. And, perhaps never to have the opportunity to speak. It was the most amazing experience and quite a learning process. When we are not allowed to react, we are forced to listen. Even when we disagree, when we are not reacting, we are listening. Quickly, the heaviness, the reality, the passion of all were standing in the room. No one was intentionally cruel. And, previous things that had been written or said in cruel or divisive ways were named. All of it was in the room. And, the committee weighed it all before making their recommendations to fold the two resolutions into one and to reject the one man one woman resolution. It was very heavy. But, no one stormed out. No one left angry. We all left having heard and having been touched by the testimonies presented.
The same process was repeated on the floor of General Synod. Which does not speak for our communities of faith but only to our communities of faith. As the final vote was taken on the floor of Synod, many of the LGBT people and allies who were there listening, waiting, and praying, we held hands in our seats. And as those voting cards went up tears poured from our eyes. It was a quiet and solemn moment for all ending in prayer with our President John Thomas. The UCC would support marriage equality on the national level. But, it also recognized the pain this means for one-eighth of our community of believers. It also named the pain of those of us who do not have ways to protect and bless our unions and families. It was a heavy moment.
Beyond Synod John Thomas and several leaders in the UCC addressed a press conference about the vote. By 7 pm on Monday the third day of Synod there had been 14,513 hits on the “find a church” button of the UCC website. On the day of the vote as the news rolled out there were 10,324 hits on the “find a church” button alone. Since the end of Synod the UCCs website has experienced a significant surge in the number of persons searching for a nearby UCC. Good news indeed!
However, we also have the story of St. John’s Reformed UCC in Middlebrook, VA. Saturday morning, July 9 it was sprayed with anti-gay graffiti. Fire was set and caused damage to a portion of the church. This comes in the wake of two other UCC churches in their valley being vandalized after the Stillspeaking Initiative began running the TV ads. Can you imagine the trauma of sacred space being violated. If someone came in here and sprayed hate messages and then lit a match?
One hundred people from the Southern Conference wrote a statement against the resolution and the adoption of it. They are not in theological agreement but they will not leave the UCC. They have roots with us and will use them to continue to be in dialogue about this and other issues that life brings to us.
Passionate feelings. Anger on both sides. How is it that we can listen to one another. How is it we can not strike out when our anger makes us want revenge? It is with remembrance of our Christian ethical standards. That it takes much time to listen, to pray, to study and to live with one another. That when we feel angry we must identify it and redirect it to the greater good of loving one another. We must redirect our anger so that we can listen and hear one another. We must redirect our anger so we are open and not closed so we provide for life and not death. We are a resurrection people. Even when our churches are burned. Even when hateful words are spewed, the Spirit of love cannot be ended. For our extravagant welcome is stronger in Spirit than any act of hate. Let’s redirect our anger that we might be the open, gentle people who are not inclined to resentment. Instead we will be known as a people with a strong ethical nature. Let us pray.