Trust for Transformation
Since I last preached on February 11, there’s been another well-publicized school shooting. It happened on Ash Wednesday, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Seventeen were killed, and at least sixteen wounded.Unless you’ve purposely avoided the news, it’s impossible to ignore the aftermath. Some of the stories are, unfortunately, too familiar: stories of shock, grief, funerals, stories of two very different narratives about the causes of gun violence, political standoffs, and inability to take legislative action toward any kind of a solution. Some of the protests seem different, too, with students themselves taking a lead role in school walkouts, protests, and appeals to legislators.In the midst of these events, perhaps you have heard people debate use of the expression of “thoughts & prayers.” On the one hand, it is natural for people of faith to pray in times of crisis, to assure others in need that their concerns are being regularly reflected upon, and lifted to God in prayer. It is customary for politicians to offer the collective condolences of their constituencies, and to assure the grieving that their needs will not be forgotten.On the other hand, many argue that “thoughts and prayers” are not enough. To address gun violence again and again with only thoughts and prayers is, some think, not only trite, but also sacrilegious. If Kierkegaard was right when he said that prayer changes the one praying, and our thoughts about a problem, and our approach to a problem, never change, then some rightly ask, “Are we truly praying?” The current debate over thoughts and prayers reminds us that theology and politics cannot be so cleanly separated as some would like.Most of you know me well enough to realize that I exercise care to avoid partisan political sermons. In my private life, I’ll be glad to share my opinions, if you’d like to hear them. But from the pulpit, I’m not going to tell you who to vote for, or which party has the best platform. On the issue of gun violence prevention, I happen to believe that there are both Republicans and Democrats who support measures that would decrease gun violence, but most are partial measures that must be combined in some way to have better effect.This week, I’ve asked myself “What might a pastor say about America’s culture of gun violence that someone else couldn’t say better?” One thing I invite you to reflect upon is an irony I observe: Americans buy more and more guns, but feel less and less safe. According the Congressional Research Service, there are at least 300-million guns in America, twice the number in 1968.Since 2010, the manufacturing of guns has increased from approximately 5.5-million to nearly 11-million per year.[1] If, as a society, we keep buying more guns but feel less safe, something is very wrong. Heightened fear and growing distrust are driving many Americans to pursue safety and security by buying more weapons that, by their very nature, are unable to provide the safety and security we crave. And that is a spiritual problem.We’re not unique in this regard. Heightened fear and growing distrust have been at the root of problems for a long time. I didn’t have to look very deep into scripture to find an example, as it’s possible to see in the gospel text the lectionary suggests for this second Sunday in Lent.In the Gospel of Mark, chapter 8, circumstances are changing for Jesus’ disciples. They had envisioned that their busy ministry with Jesus would lead to positions of prestige and comfort after a regime change for their nation. Jesus now turns their thoughts toward a radical new destiny at Jerusalem. He begins to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed. Fear is heightened, distrust of people outside their circle begins to grow.It’s hard to blame them for their feelings. The messianic expectations of the Hebrew people made Jesus’ message confusing. In the context of Roman occupation and oppression, the common thought was that God would send a liberating Messiah. Perhaps he would have superior courage and skills in using weapons, like King David displayed when he outwitted the armies of Saul, or when he slew the giant Goliath with his sling and five stones. The disciples expected Jesus to be the new sheriff in town, God’s special agent, the General who would be followed by Hebrew warriors protecting them against Roman criminals and madmen. Peter wants to stir up the crowds, recruit the tribes and clans, put the best possible swords and spears into their firm and courageous hands.Sometimes, I think we are Peter. When challenged to think of transformation in terms of giving up something we consider our right, our defenses go on high alert. Peter takes Jesus aside to challenge him for presenting a weak message and a weak front.Jesus rebukes Peter, saying, “Get out of my sight, Satan. You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Jesus envisioned transformation coming through trust in an alternative strategy, something different than an endless escalation of arms. There is a familiar pattern in their conversation. Peter talks to God incarnate as we sometimes direct our “thoughts and prayers,” trying to change the mind of God to fit our way of thinking. God’s reply is “It’s time for you to change.”Joshua Silva-Noah is a young pastor in our presbytery, serving Grace Presbyterian in Crystal City, MO. Josh came from Trinity Presbyterian in East Brunswick, New Jersey, where he served as youth director, which happens to be the same congregation I served as seminary intern more than 30 years ago. It was my privilege to moderate Josh’s ordination service in July 2015.Josh was featured on Fox 2 news a few days ago, as a follow-up on last Sunday’s sermon “thoughts and prayers.” I can’t say it any better than my young colleague in ministry, when he preaches, “the Gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to more than ‘thoughts and prayers;’ it also calls us to action. And Christians who do not act, do not believe the Gospel. Without action, prayers are meaningless. Without action there is no transformation.”[2]I think our ability to act is compromised by our inclination to fight, as highlighted by David Brooks in a New York Times piece this week. He described the way in which the nonprofit group “Better Angels” placed people of different viewpoints in the same room. The Republicans got to vent about the labels that are meant to hurt and shame them: “racist,” “uncaring,” “uneducated,” “misogynistic,” “science deniers.” The Democrats had their chance to talk about the stereotypes thrown at them: “against religion and morality,” “unpatriotic,” “against personal responsibility,” and so on. Then, after everyone had a chance to clear the air, the conversation went deeper. The group discovered they had more in common than they realized.Brooks suggests that the good work of such a conversation points to a deeper truth: “We don’t really have policy debates anymore. We have one big tribal conflict, and policy fights are just proxy battles as each side tries to establish moral superiority. But just as the tribal mentality has been turned on, it can be turned off. Then and only then can we go back to normal politics and take reasonable measures to keep our children safe.”[3]I invite you to consider the high degree of consensus we have for common-sense, nationwide gun measures, according to a Quinnipiac poll[4]:
- Ninety-five percent of Americans support universal background checks for gun sales, including 94% of all gun owners.
- Seventy-nine percent favor a mandatory waiting period for all gun purchases.
- While not as overwhelming, a significant majority of 64% believe the sale of assault weapons should be banned, and
- A similar 64% percent believe the sale of high-capacity magazines greater than ten rounds should be banned.
Given these numbers, I think we can make a difference in keeping gun violence prevention a high priority issue for our country to resolve:
- Sign a petition;
- Find model letters from gun-violence prevention organizations, and write a personal letter to your legislators;
- Be an advocate for gun-violence prevention in your workplace and organizations to which you belong;
- Support with your financial gifts gun-violence prevention advocacy groups.
It’s like the wisdom of 19th-century pastor Edward Everett Hale, who said, “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And what I can do, I ought to do. And what I ought to do, by the grace of God, I shall do.” If thoughts and prayers are going to lead to change, then we must trust Jesus enough, we must trust one another enough to listen and respect honest differences, and come together on strategies; we must trust to be transformed.In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN.NOTES[1] Scott Horsley, “Guns in America, By the Numbers,” National Public Radio, 5 January 2016, https://www.npr.org/2016/01/05/462017461/guns-in-america-by-the-numbers, accessed 21 February 2018.[2] Joshua Silva-Noah, sermon based on John 11, 18 Feb. 2018, posted on Facebook profile 19 Feb. 2018.[3] David Brooks, “Respect First, Then Gun Control, New York Times, 19 February 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/19/opinion/parkland-gun-control-shootings.html accessed 24 February 2018.[4] Quinnipiac University Poll, 12 October 2017, https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2492, accessed 23 February 2018.