Jesus the Failure
Jesus came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Mark 6:1-6
It is almost a joke, certainly a cliché, that people and congregations don’t like change. As matter of fact, here’s a joke … Q:How many Congregationalists does it take to change a lightbulb? A: Ch-ch-ch-change!?
No really, how many Congregationalists does it take to change a light bulb? Thirteen – one to change the bulb and 12 to sit around talking about how the old bulb was better.
By the way, talk to Jim Conklin if you are interested in being part of the led lightbulb replacement party. No joke. We could use some volunteers.
Some things are just basic to what it means to be human. Change is one of those things. Getting knocked down is another. Life just does this to us. Leaders of faith communities spend a lot of time and money, and put a lot of effort into dealing with change, managing change, and pro-actively planning for change. We also think a lot about failure – how to avoid pain and keep ourselves from getting knocked down.
Jesus failed. The story of Jesus’ visit to his home town contains a striking admission of failure. We are told he could do no mighty work there, except to cure a few sick people. Why, because of the sarcastic unbelief of the people he grew up with. Mark’s Gospel preserves a testimony to failure … a demonstration of incapacity. Jesus experienced failure.
Think of an issue in your life right now that feels terrifying. Or something you worry about. What’s the issue that’s been keeping you up at night? Imagine that issue, that person, that memory, that emotion, whatever it is, imagine it is a sleeping tiger with a long tail. The tiger has the power to destroy you in a moment. Everything rides on your ability to get past this ferocious obstacle, but to get past the problem, you must get close. If you are like me, you consider every move you might possibly make. Awkward or unnecessary moves must be avoided. You will only survive with grace. In this scenario, what is success and failure? Nothing teaches more about resilience than failure. Our society hates failure, it sees it as a sign of weakness. However, some of the most iconic people in recent memory have failed at some point or another. The difference is that they saw failure as a way to grow, get better, fix some wrongs, and come back stronger than ever. What if success means approaching our capacity for failure? What if the Tiger of emotion or fear only bites when we run from it or try to cage it? What happens when we treat worrisome entanglements with good will instead of avoidance?
Sometimes we spend so much time worrying about failing we never try to move ahead. If we cannot move ahead, then we cannot become aware of our potential. If we can view life as treading the tiger's tail, yet still experience the unexpected subtleties all around with a feeling of quiet joy and freshness, there will be no need to be dragged down by the guilt, frustration, and failure of others. However, there is no guarantee that we will pass the tiger without waking it up.
I do not think people or congregations fear change as much as we fear failure. And I think we fear failure because we are afraid of loss. When life changes, some things will be gained, and other things will also be lost. We lose people. We lose relationships. And when they are lost, we are afraid they will be forgotten. I don’t know about all of you, but my fear of loss is one of my tigers. Fear of loss gets me feeling anxious. Fear of loss takes away my sense of safety and security. Safety and security are what I really want in the end. I want to know that my decisions and actions will put a safety zone around myself and those I love. Nothing will hurt us. Nothing will harm us. Not a thing, not a person I cherish will be taken from me. We go to great lengths as a society to ensure safety. In this way of thinking, loss is failure. All too often we are risk averse and do not try new things because we fear failure, loss, and defeat.
What makes the difference between the person who can tread the tail of the tiger and the one who will avoid it at all costs? Resilience. Resiliency gives us the ability to change and bounce back and thrive. A resilient person knows there is no such thing as failure. There is only learning.
Have you ever seen a glassblower at work? The artist takes melted glass, and using a tube, blows air into it. A glassblower knows that when the glass is till a white-hot blob of molten material, any shape is possible. Once hardened, the only way to change is to break. Churches are no different. Neither are individuals. If we can stay malleable and shapeable, we can adapt and maneuver the ups and downs of life. Once we get set in our ways, the only way to move forward is to shatter what is already in existence. Hardened glass may be beautiful or functional or both, but it’s not resilient. Once it cools and hardens, smashing it is the only way to change its shape.
Resilience allows for change without breaking the glass. Resilience keeps us supple. A resilient church learns that becoming too set in its ways is the way to decline and stagnation. Remaining flexible and continuing to evolve bring life and growth.
A lot is being written on resilience right now. You can go online and look at the research. I want us to think about two qualities as they apply to CCC. Two qualities of resilience as we tread the tails of the tigers we face: Repentance and Righteousness.
In church, many of us think of repentance as atoning for sin. Repentance really means to change course, to come back to center, to reconcile. Repentance is about mending relationships and re-aligning priorities. Repentance is about coming to terms with who we really are. It means we claim our own mistakes, instead of running from or hiding from them. Running from our mistakes is the natural thing to do. “I did something wrong, I cheated someone, I told a lie about something, I took credit for something I shouldn’t have” — whatever it was, however small or large, our immediate instinct, often, is to run away from it. Or to hide it. Or to lie about what we did wrong so that nobody will find out about it. We do not want to admit failure because we fear the loss – loss of respect, loss of reputation, loss of freedom. If we run or hide, we’re actually in bondage to the thing that we’ve done. We let unwise decisions and unhealthy behaviors dictate our next move and the move after that. Repentance frees us from that. When we own our failures and losses, when we turn and change and run toward our moral lapses and wrongdoings rather than away from them, that’s when we actually become free of them.
The other quality of resilience is called righteousness. I’m not talking about mug self-righteousness. That’s obnoxious, not resilient. In the Hebrew Bible, the is a word used for righteousness that is more about pursuing justice and acting from a fountain of generosity. It has to do with restoring the world through acts of justice – but only if the justice flows from compassion. I want to get back to the story of Jesus, the failure, in his hometown. It strikes me that Jesus could not perform miracles because the people he grew up with decided not to participate in what God was doing. In their smug scoffing, they can’t experience how God wants to transform and liberate people. Mark says Jesus is amazed at their unbelief. It suggests that we all have an essential role to play in God’s efforts to bring peace, well-being, and flourishing. Forging a more just and humane world requires cooperation by us for at least some of God’s aims to be fulfilled. God invites us to partner in making the world a better place. Love can win, if we cooperate. We can bounce back from our fears and failures together.
All of this connects me to a poem I once read. It come from the Elders of the Hopi Nation. I offer it as my prayer.
Here is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid, who will try to hold on to the shore. They are being torn apart and will suffer greatly.
Know that the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore. Push off into the middle of the river, and keep our heads above water. And I say see who is there with you and celebrate.
At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves, for the moment we do, our spiritual growth and journey come to a halt. The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves. Banish the word struggle from your attitude and vocabulary.
All that we do now must be done
in a sacred manner and in celebration. For we are the ones we have been waiting for.
Suffering and loss is part of life, not a sign of personal wrong-doing. Failure is not a moral or character flaw. It’s just life. And when it happens we will need to let go of the shore, together. I know we are afraid the current will tear us apart. I know. But we need to let go of the shore and move to the middle of the river. I cannot promise it will be safe and secure. All I can say is take time to look around and see who is here with you. Celebrate. Take a deep breath and try to be thankful. We can survive. We can bounce back. We have the strength to change courses and the compassion to cooperate. Yes, we are the ones we have been waiting for.
Sources:
https://onbeing.org/programs/louis-newman-the-refreshing-practice-of-repentance/
https://www.ohabei.org/2016-5777-kol-nidrei-2016-sermon-resilience/
http://cafeausoul.com/iching/lu-treading
https://sunflowerchalice.com/2013/07/17/resilience-and-the-spirituality-of-change/
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