The St. Andrew's Pulpit

Rev. Ross Smillie

January 16, 2011 - Second Sunday after Epiphany

Tears That Heal

Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. - Eph. 4:1-6, 25-32

This past week has been a difficult, and yet inspiring one. Here in Alberta, a public inquiry opened into the murders of four RCMP officers in Mayerthorpe nearly six years ago. Even six years later, we are troubled by the hatred of the man who ambushed those officers, but we remember with appreciation and respect the four young men - Peter Schiemann, Anthony Gordon, Leo Johnston, and Brock Myrol - who were killed that day. We know there are many more who continue to risk their physical and mental health to keep the rest of us safe.

In Pakistan, the governor of the Punjab, Salman Taseer, was assassinated by his bodyguard for visiting in prison a Christian woman accused of blashphemy for insulting the prophet Mohammed. That charge carries the death penalty in Pakistan, and the assassin was hailed as a hero and showered with rose petals by those who think he did the right thing. I am troubled by such hatred, and yet I am encouraged that brave public servants will risk their lives in defence of the fundamental freedoms to speak and to worship according to our conscience.

And in Arizona, the memorials have begun for those killed and wounded when a disturbed young man opened fire at a "Congress on the Corner" event in Tuscon. As I have read the stories of those who lived and those who died, I have been inspired by the story of a nine year old girl who had just been elected as president of her student union and went to the Congress on the Corner event to learn more about democracy, the story of a federal judge who served 40 years on the bench, the stories of husbands who risked their lives to shield their loved ones, the stories of ordinary people who in ordinary ways were blessings to their families, their communities and their nation.

As President Barack Obama said at the memorial service on Wednesday:

These men and women remind us that heroism is found not only on the fields of battle. They remind us that heroism does not require special training or physical strength. Heroism is here, in the hearts of so many of our fellow citizens, all around us, just waiting to be summoned -- as it was on Saturday morning. Their actions, their selflessness poses a challenge to each of us. It raises a question of what, beyond prayers and expressions of concern, is required of us going forward. How can we honor the fallen? How can we be true to their memory?

Shortly after the shootings, I watched an Arizona Sherriff named Clarence Dupnik as he said that the shooting may have been influenced by "the vitriol… anger, the hatred, the bigotry" spewing from radio and TV commentators. While some have criticized him for that statement, claiming that he could not possibly know what prompted the actions of a disturbed young man, the concern about the increasing polarization of politics in America is one that many others share. And it is no exaggeration to describe much of what is said on talk radio and especially Fox News in the United States as vitriol, anger, hatred and bigotry. What influence it may have had on the gunman, we do not indeed know. But it has poisoned American politics, and it has dragged democratic debate into the gutter at great cost to democracy. And we here in Canada cannot ignore the influence it has on our political life.

During his eulogy for his father, Justin Trudeau told a story about a time when he was a boy and his father took him into the parliament building. They went into the parliamentary cafeteria where one of his father's political opponents was eating with his daughter. Justin didn't name the opponent, but he gave enough information that it was clear that the man was Joe Clark. Justin made a disparaging remark about the man. And Prime Minister Trudeau, gave his son a disappointed look and led him over to introduce him to his opponent and the two families had a friendly chat. It was a lesson, Justin said, that he never forgot, that in spite of serious differences, very different visions of what Canada should and could be, the two men respected each other as men, respected each others' commitment to their country, respected each others' dedication to public service.

Things have deteriorated since then. I have been trying to imagine such a conversation happening between some of our current leaders. Perhaps it could, and watching the rough and tumble of political debate from afar has given me the same distorted view that Justin Trudeau had as a youngster. But something has changed, and it isn't a good thing. It isn't a good thing when respectful dialogue is replaced by inflammatory language. It isn't a good thing when public servants show such little respect for each other because it leads others to have little respect for them and for the important work they do to guide our common life. It isn't a good thing for our democracy when we can't engage differences respectfully, because no one ideology or perspective has a corner on the truth. When people with different ideas and viewpoints cannot discuss and debate, civilly, then they cannot learn from each other. The different points of view that different parties bring to our common life should enrich our understanding, not debase it. There is a reason, after all, why the leading opposition party is called "Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition." Honest, civil disagreement is an act of loyalty, because without it, our political institutions would have blinders, keeping them from seeing alternatives.

That is what happened in the United States after 9/11. Those who criticized President Bush's militaristic response were condemned as traitors. Bill Maher's television show was cancelled. One of the Dixie Chicks - the country band - made some critical comments on stage, people were so angry that concert dates were cancelled and a whole tour was cancelled. More importantly, American journalists were cowed and failed to write independently. And partly as a result, the U.S. launched a disastrous war against Iraq, based on a falsehood.

Disagreement and debate strengthen our common life, and we should welcome such disagreements, both in politics, and in the church. From the very beginning, Christians have often lost sight of the fundamental truth that we can benefit from diverse viewpoints. And that is why Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus so clearly urges the people of that church to speak respectfully and gently with each other, avoiding foul language and evil talk, guarding our anger, and learning to express it appropriately.

Over the next few months, this congregation will be undertaking a process of discernment about whether this congregation should become an Affirming Congregation. Many of you received a letter about that this morning. The decision-making process will not be a political contest in which we try to win over each other to our point of view. It isn't my point of view that matters, or yours. Discernment focuses on what God wants, not on what we want, and as we seek to discern what God wants, many points of view will be important. We will agree about some things and disagree about others. And it is to the extent that we are willing to listen to each other respectfully, considering that we may have something to learn from each other - it is to that extent that we will be able to listen for the leading of God. Perhaps at the end of the process, we will still disagree about what God wants for us. I think that is entirely possible, nor is it necessarily a bad thing. After all, "while there is one Lord, one faith and one baptism, one God and Father of us all," as Paul says, each of us is unique, and we do not have to all agree in order to be able to respect each other, to, as Paul also says, to be humble and gentle, to be patient, to bear with one another in love, to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of love. Unity is not uniformity. In fact, in the middle section of this chapter, the part we skipped over, Paul talks precisely about the diversity of Christians, about how our diversity is a gift from God that we called to cherish because it enriches our common life. Paul never says we have to all agree in order to be worthy of the calling to which we are called. He says rather, that we are to bear with one another in love, which is a polite way of saying that we are "put up with each other," even when it isn't easy, even when our differences make it challenging.

Last week, Michelle Obama, the American First Lady, wrote about how parents can talk to their children about the horrible events in Tuscon. We can teach our children, she wrote,

the value of tolerance - the practice of assuming the best, rather than the worst, about those around us. We can teach them to give others the benefit of the doubt, particularly those with whom they disagree… We can explain to them that although we might not always agree with those who represent us, anyone who enters public life does so because they love their country and want to serve it. Those are wise words, wise words for parents, and wise words for churches. Perhaps the greatest good we can do in entering this process of discernment, is not the outcome, but the process. For if, in a society in which so many people seem to have lost the ability to disagree respectfully, if we can engage differences with civility and respect, we will have modeled something truly precious. We will have been worthy of the calling to which we are called.

I titled this sermon, "Tears That Heal" because I believe that often it takes a tragedy to bring about healing. Sometimes things have to get bad, before people stand up and say, "that is enough." We have all, perhaps, been too complacent in the face of incivility. We have been silent while others heaped abuse on those with whom they disagree. We have become cynical of the political process, often for good reason, and that has led us to cynical about the people in politics, which is a very different thing. But perhaps the events of this week, in Alberta, in Pakistan, in Arizona, will become a watershed, and the tears shed can become a healing stream which can lead us to be a more civil society. The tears shed this week echo the healing tears of God, of which we now sing:

"God Weeps" (Words by Shirley Erena Murray, 1994; Music by Jim Strathdee, 1998)

God Weeps at love withheld, at strength misused, at children's innocence abused, and till we change the way we love, God weeps.

God bleeds at angers fist, at trust betrayed,
at women battered and afraid,
and till we change the way we win, God bleeds.

God cries at hungry mouths, at running sores,
at creatures dying without cause,
and till we change the way we care, God cries.

God waits for stones to melt, for peace to seed,
for hearts to hold each other's need,
and till we understand the Christ, God waits.