No Easy Task
“No Easy Task”
Psalm 27:1, 4-9 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Matthew 4:12-23
Third Sunday after Epiphany, Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
January 26, 2020
First Presbyterian Church of Sandpoint, Idaho
Andrew Kennaly, Pastor
Last Monday was a Federal Holiday, honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In his speech given the night before he was assassinated, he said he feared no man, for he had been up on the mountaintop, looked over and seen the Promised Land.
He said, “I may not get there with you, but our people will get to the Promised Land.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmZvkHpX_Q4, a link to the full speech on YouTube, with a background slideshow of pertinent photos).
He also referenced the story of the Good Samaritan, and how human nature tends to keep the self protected. Yet the Good Samaritan acted out of concern for the other, putting the other before the concerns of the self. How did Martin Luther King, Jr. get to the point of speaking so boldly, without fear, to critique the larger systems at work, even as he knew people were threatening to kill him? How do you see beyond fear and still live courageously, and with a sense of humility, following where God leads?
Dieterich Bonhoeffer is another interesting person when it comes to seeing someone who could have backed down, taken the easy road, and stayed alive. But he chose to challenge Hitler, and got arrested. Just before Hitler lost control of his power, in one of his closing acts, he insisted on the execution of Pastor Bonhoeffer, and this was carried out by hanging. Yet other prisoners commented on how peaceful, even joyful, this pastor was in the time leading up to his execution. He followed his calling in Christ.
The external circumstances of World War Two for Pastor Bonhoeffer, and of the Civil Rights Movement, the Poor Peoples’ Campaign, and the protests against state sanctioned violence, militarism, and the War in Vietnam for Martin Luther King, Jr., certainly are not sources of peace and comfort. They both lived in very turbulent times when the fabric of nations was getting stretched, even torn. Their soul’s quality and the status of their life surrender was formed through internal growing as they continually sought to make their lives available for the larger work of God. Heart transformation, mind renewal, spiritual conversion: these are inside jobs, works of the Holy Spirit, light shining in especially in times when we experience cracks and realize that life as we know it is shifting, even as we try and maintain a stance of willingness, of the desire to open even more to God’s love and leading.
Thomas Keating talks about this in terms of experiential faith, which is what contemplative prayer is.
He says, "Contemplative prayer is a process of interior transformation … One's way of seeing reality changes in the process. A restructuring of consciousness takes place which empowers one to perceive, relate and respond with increasing sensitivity to the divine presence in, through and beyond everything that exists."
(Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart, as quoted through Contemplative Outreach, Word of the Week, Sunday, January 19, 2020: After Epiphany, Meditations).
A “restructuring of consciousness…empowering one to perceive…sensitivity to the divine presence…” We don’t typically use those words to describe Christian conversion, or answering the call of Jesus, or consenting to God’s action and activity in our lives; but this is what’s needed if we wish to dive to “the deep end” of those baptismal waters as we are marked as Christ’s own, forever.
Here we are on Matthew chapter 4. It was just a couple of weeks ago we noticed in Matthew Chapter 2, John the Baptizer cries out “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” In Matthew chapter 3, Jesus is baptized, fulfilling all righteousness as an indicator of the fullness of covenant relationship with God. In Matthew chapter 4, today, Jesus repeats what John was saying, as the very first proclamation of Jesus’ public ministry: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Remember, the word “repent,” is metanoeite (meta-noy-ite) in Greek. The English word, “repent” has a lot of baggage. We need to change our understandings of what meta-noy-ite means.
Richard Rohr reminds us, the word literally translates as ‘change your mind’ or ‘go beyond your mind.’ Unfortunately, in the fourth century, St. Jerome translated the word into Latin as paenitentia (pay-nin-tentua), [meaning] (‘repent’ or ‘do penance’), […]. The word, metanoeite (meta-noy-ite), however, is talking about a primal change of mind, worldview, or your way of processing. [Most Christians] think we can change a few externals [and follow moral rules], while our underlying worldview often remains fully narcissistic and self-referential. […]. [After that Latin translation], faith became about external requirements that could be enforced, punished, and rewarded, much more than an actual change of heart and mind.” (Richard Rohr, The Universal Christ, Convergent Books, Center for Action and Contemplation, 2019, pages 92-93).
Today we notice that it’s after John is arrested, Jesus withdrew, heading to Capernaum, which is on the Sea of Galilee. He picks up where John left off, calling people to meta-noy-ite, to change the way they perceive reality, and that is when the light shines. As Jesus begins his ministry, the people walking in darkness have seen a great light.
This change of heart and mind is shown through the calling of the disciples, and by Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. Paul wants the brothers and sisters in Christ to “be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” This does not mean they will all think alike or have the same opinions. This has more to do with Paul, the Mystic, recognizing that to fulfill all righteousness, we die and rise with Christ, (baptism symbolizes this), and this involves dying to our self, our false self, our ego-centered worldviews and our opinions that betray the fact that we’re often stuck in dualism and judgment, rather than unitive consciousness. Unitive consciousness, this is the “same mind” that Paul is talking about, and that “same purpose” involves claiming relationship at all levels of reality, relationships held together by God. This is how other theologians and Wisdom teachers come to make statements like “Love is the framework of all reality. All created things are sustained by the power of love.” Love Energy, Unitive Consciousness, Being itself; these are Source, the eternal, the “same mind,” which is the Wisdom of God, that moves us beyond the limiting side of distinctions, and into a more complete recognition of the whole, of how everything is connected and unified.
In his book, Facets of Unity, A.H. Almaas writes about the importance of experiencing the Holy in the depths of our lives, in order to bring about transformation and liberation. As I share what he says, picture in your mind those first disciples on the beach by the boats and the fishing nets as Jesus offers the invitation to follow him and “fish for people.” As we ponder what that scene (and the more extended time leading up to it) was like, something about it was compelling, leading to distinct action in life-changing ways.
Almaas says, “The direct experiential realization of the Holy […] is no easy task. It cannot be attained by leisurely engaging in some kind of path that feels comfortable and nonthreatening to one’s view of reality. Deep commitment, total dedication, and an ever-expanding openness to what is possible are some of the necessary ingredients if one’s path is going to lead to transformation.” (Facets of Unity, The Enneagram of Holy Ideas, A. H. Almaas, Shambhala Press, Boston & London, 2002, page 18).
Andrew was crucified, in what’s now western Turkey. Peter was crucified, and was even hung upside down. Paul was killed, likely beheaded in Rome. Yet all of them proclaimed thankfulness, joy, and held out a vision of love, in Christ, even for their enemies. This is intense stuff. But we make it harder on ourselves than it needs to be because we’ve often bought into false narratives.
I heard Louie Schwartzberg interpret a false narrative this week. He’s a cinematographer, and he talked about his new movie, Fantastic Fungi. The film is about fungi. In the interview, he questions the narrative, or paradigm we’ve taken to be true, the one we call, “survival of the fittest,” as people take Darwin’s theories and misuse them. After decades of work with filming plants, flowers, and fungi, he perceives “survival of the fittest” as a false narrative proposed by imperialist nations involved in colonialism, so they could justify taking over poor countries, extracting the resources, and validating their racism through a “survival of the fittest” mentality. This shapes culture as we notice popular television shows and movies featuring lions chasing gazelles, and sharks attacking. We seem to favor male-dominated, competitive, and even violent story lines that stimulate our fear buttons. Fear is powerful.
His observations of the natural world through award-winning cinematography, 40 years of continual time-lapse filming in his studio, and in-depth study, show a different storyline, a truer picture of what reality is really based on. It’s more feminine, supportive through networks, collaborative, and based on cooperative sharing. He points out mycelium, that fungus which lives in the soil. One cubic inch of fertile soil may contain up to three hundred miles of connected mycelium fibers. It’s very small, and yet also the largest organism on the planet. In Oregon, one fungi, in the ground, is 2,000 acres large. One fungus, 2,000 acres large; living, communicating through use of organic chemicals, exchanging with neighbors as carbon molecules are traded for nutrients such as nitrogen, and all of this happens out of our sight, below the ground, on a different time and visual framework than what we humans are used to. Yet God is at work in the larger creation and the planet teems with life.
(https://sustainableworldradio.com/fantastic-fungi-an-interview-with-louie-schwartzberg/, an ecology and permaculture podcast by Jill Cloutier, posted December 14, 2019).
The Jesus Way is not an easy task because it turns our perceptions, identities, thoughts, and assumptions on their heads. Dying to our false self is intense shadow work, on the inside. Meta-noy-ite sometimes involves great pain, suffering, even amidst great love, as our world views change.
“No easy task” is how the Christian journey can be summarized if following Jesus leads us beyond the superficial. The Christian journey is not easy because it begins with the conversion of our own hearts and is, at it’s core, a change in identity, as we embrace the journey of becoming “Christlike.” There are many obstacles along the way, many attempts at sabotage. Yet, thankfully, the powerful, humble, and courageous love of God is very patient. May we willingly respond, NOW, even as forever. Amen.