Have
you ever been so committed to something or someone that you were
willing to risk your life?
My
wife and daughter were involved in a highway accident several years
ago. Their car flipped end to end and rolled over. EMT's removed
them from the vehicle and placed them on the grassy median with my
unconscious daughter in my wife's arms. My wife prayed to God, “If
one of us is to die, let it be me.”
There
are moments when we are willing to risk our lives, out of love.
There
are also times when people
commit to premeditated risky or painful actions.
I have a pastor friend whose son was suffering from kidney failure.
Out of love, he underwent surgery to remove one of his organs to save
his son.
Some
folk commit their entire lives to challenging unjust societal
structures for the sake of the wholeness and health of people. Many
are these are celebrated
publicly: Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Billy
Graham, César
Chávez,
Dom Hélder
Pessoa Câmara, Gertrud
Baer,
Joan
Baez,
Helen
Caldicott,
Jimmy
Carter,
James
Gareth Endicott,
Leymah
Gbowee,
Kirthi
Jayakumar,
Wangari
Maathai,
Elizabeth
McAlister,
Rigoberta
Menchú,
Óscar
Romero,
Pete
Seeger,
Nancy
Shelley OAM,
Ivan
Supek,
Evelyn
Underhill,
George
Willoughby and
Howard
Zinn.i
Millions of others are virtually unknown.
This is the season of Lent in the
Christian calender. Lent commemorates the period of time in Jesus'
life when he journeyed to Jerusalem to confront the Jewish leaders.
He planned to warn them that their collusion with Rome would end in
the destruction of Israel. He wanted them to experience the coming
reign of God based on unconditional love. Jesus believed that this
emerging reality had more staying power than the domination and
violence of the Roman Empire.
Jesus
knew that challenging the power structure of Israel and Rome would
likely result in his execution. Yet he was so committed to his
calling that he proceeded in spite of the risk. The Gospel of Luke
puts it starkly in these words: “... he steadfastly set his face to
go to Jerusalem”ii
Many Christians commemorate the
beginning of the Lenten season (Ash Wednesday) by having ashes placed
on their foreheads. This is symbolic of the ancient Jewish practice
of repenting by dressing in sack cloth and sitting in ashes. Many
Christians also give up something pleasurable (smoking, eating candy,
eating red meat etc.) to remind themselves to focus on their
shortcomings when compared to Jesus' life and teaching. This is
indeed a helpful way to alter patterns of living that are destructive
to a person's life and faith.
I
recently had a conversation with a friend that broadened my
understanding of Lent. When Jesus was alive, he didn't say, “If
any want to become my followers, WORSHIP me.” He said, “If any
want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up
their cross daily and FOLLOW me..”iii
This advice is relevant for all of us. Whether you are religious in
any sense or a non, it is insufficient just to glorify or worship
those whom you admire. You need to follow them in the actions of
your life.
It is in this spirit that I offer
you a duel practice during this Lenten season. Spend time during the
next few weeks repenting and reflecting on your short comings. This
will help you get honest with yourself.
At
the same time, consider the person who inspires you – if Jesus,
then Jesus; if someone else, then someone else. Study how this
person, like Jesus, “ steadfastly set their face to go to their
Jerusalem.” In what ways were they so committed to their calling
that they were willing to face danger to be true to this calling?
Then ask, “How might I emulate this person's values and practices
in my twenty-first century environment?” “In what ways am I
being called to “steadfastly set my face toward my Jerusalem?”
As I asked myself this question,
I recalled a memory of my son. My wife and I were traveling with him
on a subway that was filled to capacity. As we moved to the back of
the car, a couple of people offered us their seats. We said, “It's
OK. We can stand.” Timothy said, “Take the seats mom and dad.
You're old.”
That struck me. “I'm old.” I
have been a leader, struggling for compassion and justice most of my
life. As I steadfastly set my face to my Jerusalem, I need to
acknowledge the fact that my generation needs to pass the torch to a
younger generation. I have seen too many leaders hang on too long.
This letting go of my role as leader and assuming the role of
supporter, sage and consultant is as difficult for me as sacrificing
myself in the struggle.
I still feel the calling and
passion of my youth. I still have much to offer. Yet I must
discern how I can best follow my calling at this time in my life.
There is a dying in this as I move forward in my Lenten journey.
This is my way of incarnating the unconditional love that flows
through the cosmos.
We Christians, in particular, are
quick to theologize about the incarnation of God through Jesus. This
allows us to worship Jesus without recognizing that incarnation is an
ongoing process. It's not a once-and-for-all thing. Jesus said that
the Reign of God was present as well as becoming. This “becoming”
applies to more than life after death. It is a present, evolving and
cosmic process that involves all people. In a real sense, this is
the message of all major religions and spiritual traditions.
This is where I place my hope.
Even in the midst of the alienation and turmoil of our age, I have
hope because “Unconditional love really exists in each of us. It
is part of our deep inner being. It is not so much an active emotion
as a state of being. It's not 'I love you' for this or that reason,
not 'I love you if you love me.' It's love for no reason, love
without an object.” (Ram Dass quote)
My hope is based on the fact that
millions of people, known and unknown, are “steadfastly setting
faces toward their Jerusalems.” You and I are privileged to be a
part of this movement.
ihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_peace_activists
iiLuke
9:51b (King James Version)
iiiLuke
9:23
