Luke 15:1-10
Proper 19 / Year C
You may not know who the 19th century British writer Alexander
William Kinglake is. And you may never have read his book, Eothen: Traces of Travel Brought Home from
the East, published in 1841. But I
guarantee you know one bit of wisdom he is credited with creating which appears
in it:
Sticks
and stones may break my bones
but names will never hurt
me.
One of the most famous nursery rhymes ever written, it is taught
to grade school children as a way to respond to name-calling and bullying.
It is also one of the most disputed sayings in our culture. The acclaimed author Amy Matayo calls it “the
first lie we learned in school.” The
popular preacher and writer Robert Fulghum says, “Sticks and stones may break
your bones, but words will break your heart.”
One person notes, “words will make you think you deserved it.” Another states “words can cripple a person
for a lifetime.” Several people protest
we can heal from the bruises caused by sticks and stones, but words cannot be
taken back. The comedian Eric Idle
quips, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will make me go in a
corner and cry by myself for hours.”
Our words have power, capable both of tearing down and of lifting
up. This morning’s reading from the
Gospel of Luke gives us a clear example of each. It tells us when religious leaders notice who
Jesus associates with, they “grumble”, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats
with them.” Luke 15:2
Consider the impact of their word “sinners.” It is a typical stereotype with the effect of
creating a “Us and Them” mindset: We are
good and they are bad.
Once this distinction takes hold it tends to encourage defamation,
then demonization, and ultimately dehumanization – not just of a particular
individual, but of an entire class of people based on political persuasion,
nationality, ethnicity, lifestyle, or a whole host of other categories. History shows us once a group in power deems
another group is less than human, it is capable of inflicting inhumane
treatment on them, up to and including genocide. Luis Márquez succinctly states how this harsh
reality works: “Words are dangerous.
Hitler didn’t gas a single Jew, but his words gassed millions.”
Don’t think for a second Jesus doesn’t pick up on the significance
of the label “sinners”, he most certainly does.
We see it in the parable he tells in response to the grumblers. Those who are tagged “sinners” by this group
he calls “lost.” And not just “lost”,
but “lost sheep”. And in so doing, Jesus
completely reframes the way he wants people to see each other. Where others dismiss with harsh and critical rhetoric,
he embraces with a term of empathy and endearment. It has the effect of encouraging everyone who
hears the story to take at least a step closer to one another through a mutual
acknowledgement of each other’s personhood and worth.
When I began to meditate on this appointed reading earlier in the
week, little did I know the theme I pondered and prayed over would become front
and center in our national discussion.
The murder of Charlie Kirk has brought to the forefront how our country
is being impacted by division and harsh demagoguery. We are contemplating with greater urgency the
connection between how we talk about each other and the rise of violence in our
society. Everyone is saying something
must change.
Sadly, much of what I have heard has been one group saying the
other group is at fault and “They” are the ones who must change, not “Us”. What I haven’t heard is real soul searching
and personal contrition for hateful comments a person has made in the past or
those made by members of one’s own tribe.
If true repentance and amendment of our civic life is going to
take root, it is going to have to begin at the grass roots with people like me
and you. Here are two things I am going
to do at this level. I am going to make
an honest effort to listen to everyone, especially those whose opinions are
different from mine. And, in what I say
and how I respond, I am going to focus on policy, not personalities. We have to learn how to talk about politics
without making it personal. It is
possible to disagree with a person’s stance on policy without speculating on
their motivation or their character.
We in Suffolk and here at St. Paul’s are fortunate to have John
Rector on our City Council. You can
discuss local policy with him and even disagree, but without question he is a
deeply honorable person whose integrity is known to us all. I have engaged him several times about issues
in our community and I have always come away as a better-informed citizen and
feeling like I have been heard. I can testify
it is possible to discuss policy without making it personal.
And we who profess to be followers of Jesus must be able to
converse without stating another adherent’s views are unchristian. We all in the faith are on a journey to
discern God’s dream for all people and the only way we will make progress is if
we learn how to love one another as Christ loves us. The grumbling has got to stop.
