“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven, for that is how their ancestors treated the prophets."
Luke 6:22-23 (NRSVue)
This sounds like a good part of my time as a district superintendent during disaffiliation. There were certain people in authority who were clearly leading others away from The United Methodist Church - some laity and some clergy. In a denomination as large as ours, outliers can be found on just about any topic and these were often lifted up as normative in order to move people against our church.
I don't mind healthy discussion but when people have been riled up - it often degrades into slander and harmful rhetoric. I made the comment (many times), "I am tired of trying to convince people to uphold the vows they took."
I had many people - United Methodists that stayed included - who told me to just let them go. Why fight it? I will say that I handled different churches differently. I would go and present The United Methodist witness and answer questions to the best of my ability. But where I perceived that it was over 90% in agreement, I didn't stand in the way. Where there was a significant United Methodist presence that wanted to keep their church, I felt in these instances that I either became their pastor or had to stand in support of the pastor who was trying to hold their church together.
The difficulty of this is when we realize that those seeking to leave - and even those doing the reviling - were also doing so out of a faith position. Most had a sense of righteousness around the issue of human sexuality that differed from mine. I believe that many felt persecuted by my wielding authority in a way that tried to call them into accountability. They likely saw it as an abuse of power. I recently made the quip at a public gathering that I put the grace into gracious exit. It got some laughs which indicates that people recognized my difficulty of trying to hold accountability among people who saw things very differently.
As we continue in Holy Week, one thing that's helpful for us to recognize is that our persecutions are not in the same league with what Jesus faced. It doesn't compare to the way the early disciples were treated. It wouldn't even be a blip on the radar for how the early church fared against the various government harassment, restrictions and arrests.
Sometimes we have to stand up for the faith. My faith begins with loving God and loving neighbor. I want to do this in a way that provides respect to all. But I will also ask for the same consideration and when I am in a place of power and authority, I will expect it.
And while it doesn't feel blessed to do so, it is helpful to see how Jesus considers blessing in the Sermon on the Plain: poor, hungry, weeping. Hated and reviled.
The outsider is lifted up by God.
I can rest in that.
I will continue to stand for the outsiders and am in solidarity with them.
Prayer for the day: God, I must confess that I don't want to be hated or reviled. I would just like to get along with others. But when we give a voice to the voiceless, people may begin to exclude us as well. It is easier to let things go. It is easier to go with the flow and say nothing. But you call us to be disciples. Help us to walk this week with Jesus even though we know where he is going. Give us the strength to carry his cross for a bit. For Jesus' sake we pray. Amen.
Photo by Seattle Parks and Recreation via Flickr.com. Used under the Creative Commons license.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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