Traveling Light

A Meditation on Mark 6:1-13
Given at St. Paul's United Church of Christ on July 5.

He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics.

I’m going to take just a small part of the gospel text as my focus this morning. I am intrigued by the instructions that Jesus gives to his disciples when he sends them out. We might expect Jesus to offer a pep talk, something to get the disciples all revved up. But Jesus does not play the part of motivational speaker. Jesus does not play the part of college basketball coach. There is no huddle here, no “1-2-3 DISCIPLES!” Instead Jesus trusts that the disciples know what they are meant to do and who they are meant to be.

He does, however, give his friends some instructions. He advises them, among other things, to travel light. Actually, advises is too weak a word. Mark says that Jesus “ordered” them. They are to take nothing for their journey except a staff. No food. No backpack. No cash. Nothing at all but the staff in their hand, the sandals on their feet, and the tunic on their backs. Why, I wonder, is this so important to Jesus? Is it some sort of test, to root out the hangers-on? Or is it a character-building exercise? What’s going on here? These guys are about to set off for who knows where, for who knows how long, and they aren’t even supposed to bring a waterskin?

I am mystified. Until I imagine how this command would play in my own life. I’ve just come back from a long journey myself. It’s been only a week since I packed up the family for who knows where (Michigan), for who knows how long (less than a week), and we did not, I confess, travel light. We opened our cavernous minivan and proceeded to cram every last nook and cranny with stuff. You might’ve though we were about to go off on the Oregon trail. We packed regular clothes and backup clothes. Dress and casual, hot-weather and cold-weather. We brought the shoes on our feet and another bag of shoes besides. We brought a go-bag for our halfway hotel stop. We brought a cooler backed with cold treats and a food bag filled to the brim. We brought the laptop. We brought the iPod. We brought the camera. We brought cellphones. As George Carlin used to say, even our stuff has stuff, so we also had to bring cables for the laptop, headphones for the iPod, extra batteries for the camera, a charger for the phones. And I haven’t even named the half of it.

I’m not going to go so far as to suggest that there is a Christian imperative for simple traveling habits. But there is something worth thinking about here. For example, I know that my decision to bring this or that on a long journey depends less on the question of convenience and more on my concern over what will happen if I should find myself in a position of need when I’m far away from the suburban fortress I call home. What if it rains and I have no umbrella? What if the kids are screaming in the backseat and I have no DVD to pop in the computer? What if the car breaks down and my cell phone battery is low? These are minor questions, but I wonder if they might point to a larger pattern in our thinking. I wonder if they reveal a broader desire to be self-sufficient in our lives. Might we surround ourselves with provisions, at least in part, so that we won’t have to rely on others? Could it be that we are loathe to travel light because we do not want to depend on our neighbors?

When Jesus sends his disciples out with nothing to support themselves, he challenges our assumptions about the value of self-reliance. We may practice self-reliance as a self-evident virtue, a mark of maturity, a sign of success. But Jesus lifts up a different virtue, the virtue of interdependence. Jesus offers a vision of life in which people are created to live in a community of mutual trust. He wants his disciples to embody this vision, and so he sends them out with a command that will make them vulnerable. They will have to rely on the generosity of strangers. They will have to entrust their lives to God and neighbor. The way of a disciple is a risky path. But it leads to new life, a life of communion, a life of compassion, a life of wholeness, a life of sharing.

This is the vision of Jesus for us, that we might travel light in our own journey and discover God’s grace in a life of interdependence. Will we dare to place our lives in each other’s hands? Will we dare to choose the path of vulnerability? Will we step out in faith and renew the bonds of community, trusting that our lives are ever in God’s eternal care? As we ponder these questions, we may remember that Jesus’ command to travel light comes with the promise of a traveling light—no matter where we go, no matter what we carry, the Spirit will light our paths, inspiring courage, setting us on our feet, and guiding us into God’s peace. Spirit, fall afresh on us!

Another postcard from Grand Rapids

Just back from a long but fascinating day at Synod, which began with an 8:30 committee meeting dealing with a resolution calling for the whole United Church of Christ to be in solidarity with those who are experiencing hardship in this time of economic crisis. On a micro level, since this Synod is being held in a state that is one of the most deeply affected by the recession, this resolution represents a gesture of support on the part of Synod to the host state and its people. On a macro level, it reaffirms the commitment of the Synod to serve those who are in distress and hardship. One interesting practical outcome of this resolution will be the development of a web-based clearing house where local churches can network with one another by sharing examples of successful outreach ministries. It is hoped that this will not only facilitate the duplication of effective ministries (if church A likes what church B is doing and is inspired to start something similar in their own community) but also encourage the collaboration and cooperation among groups of churches serving the same community.

That was my morning, and then it was off to plenary for the afternoon and evening. One of the high points of the day was the nearly unanimous election of Geoffrey (pronounced "Joff-ree") Black as the new General Minister and President of the UCC. I am sorry to see the term of John Thomas come to an end—he has been a prophetic voice and a thoughtful leader—but I am also excited to see what new vision Rev. Black will bring to our denomination. God bless him.

The issue of single governance has not come before the Synod yet. Saving the best for last, I suppose. A draft of the committee's proposal has been circulated, however, so we do now have an idea of how the committee responsible for this issue handled this herculean task. Just a reminder: nine resolutions were presented dealing with this one issue—some in support of single governance, some opposed, and one calling for a pause for dialogue. Judging from what I have seen, it looks like the committee will be recommending a compromise resolution which affirms the single governance model in principle but defers the question of a constitutional amendment to the next General Synod, after a two-year period of further study and dialogue. We'll see what happens.

I'm really sleepy, so let me offer this picture in place of more prose — me and the family on a bridge over the Grand River, just outside the Convention Center. Right as we took this picture, it began to pour.

Postcard from Grand Rapids

I'm just back from my committee meeting, and the family is asleep, so I'm trying to type quietly.

First, I'll share a interesting encounter I had yesterday. While we were wandering around downtown Grand Rapids in search of lunch, we were stopped by two Synoders wielding clipboards. Now if there is one thing that I learned in my years of living in a city, it is this: beware of those who stand on street corners with clipboards in hand. Well, my instincts failed me on this occasion and I was caught like a deer in the headlights when they asked me the dreaded question, "Can we have just a moment of your time, sir?" So against my better judgment—not to mention my wife's silent pleadings—I replied, with a stupid grin, "Sure, why not?" Big mistake. The next question was, "Where do you stand on the issue of single governance?" and I could tell by their purposeful stare that this was not a poll. What, I thought, have I gotten myself into?

Turns out that these Synoders were emissaries of Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM), politicking against the single governance proposals. Their clipboard held a petition requesting the General Synod to table the single governance discussion. I'm all in favor of politicking, and I'm always up for a hearty debate among friends, but this particular move seemed a little dicey to me. First, because the petition gives the misleading impression of being an unaffiliated grassroots movement looking out for the interest of the whole church, when it really comes out of JWM. And second, because the petition makes a claim that is plainly false: the primary reason it offers for tabling single governance, printed in bold, is that "bringing this proposed restructure to General Synod is a violation of our Polity." In fact, General Synod is exactly the place for discernment on such an issue, not just constitutionally but also practically, as it ensures for an open, democratic process that cannot be beholden to any one board or ministry. Representatives from the whole church get to decide this one, and that is as it should be.

On a lighter note, my commitee is working on two less controversial resolutions. One, proposed by the Hawaii Conference, urges all expressions of the UCC to engage in responsible meeting practices, affirming the interconnectedness of creation care and social justice. When we meet to do church business, in other words, we should do so in a way that is environmentally, socially, and economically conscious. The committee quickly reached consensus on the principle of the resolution, and then haggled over grammar for two hours. But hey, when it comes to the democratic process, you have to take the bad with the good.

Tomorrow morning we head back to committee at 8:30 to deliberate on a resolution brought by the Michigan Conference calling for prayerful solidarity with those who struggling in this time of economic crisis. So I had better get to bed. More tomorrow!

General Synod 27 (Day One)

Postcard from Grand Rapids

After nearly seven hundred miles in the car with two kids, who were remarkably happy for most of the trip—didn't even have to pull out the iPod!— we arrived in Michigan yesterday afternoon, a little too late for me to make it to the first plenary downtown, but in plenty of time for us to take a dip in the hotel pool. This, we figured, was appropriate, given that the theme of this year's Synod is "Immerse Yourself."

Last night's plenary included the candidating speech of the Rev. Geoffrey Black, the nominee for General Minister and President of the UCC. I have never met Rev. Black, but I liked what I heard last night. He spoke with warmth and humility. His passion for social justice is clear, but I was struck by the fact that he spoke not so much with the storminess of a prophet as with the gentle caring of a shepherd. He pointed to the UCC's commitment to inclusivity and reminded the Synod that we are a voice of vital importance in the world: The UCC proclaims, by is common life and witness, that the Church can be inclusive and still be the Church.

The worship last night was powerful. Our guest preacher was the Rev. Otis Moss III, newly installed senior minister of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. And with him came two of the choirs from Trinity, and their dance ministry. They rocked the house. I have never been wild about whole 'sacred dance' thing, but they brought it off beautifully. And the choirs sang with so much heart and gusto, I was just glad to be there. You know that something special is happening when a couple thousand white folks can actually manage to clap on the offbeat. The Spirit was in that place!

I hope the video of Rev. Moss's sermon is archived on the Synod website, because you'll want to listen for yourself. It was a master class. A barnburner. Most ministers will probably not admit this, but we can get pretty competitive when we hear other people preach. Well, let me just say this: I felt like a minor league journeyman pitcher watching Bob Gibson (or Sandy Koufax, or Walter Johnson) at work. He was that good. All I could do was laugh with delight. And I did.

Today, "River City Saturday," is a a day to explore the city, visit with friends, volunteer for service projects, attend workshops, and be the church at play. (The real business of Synod starts on Sunday night, when the committees set to work.) We spent a sun-drenched morning downtown, walking along the river, checking out the exhibit hall, listening to music in the park. I successfully resisted the urge to buy myself a glorious, hand-knit, fair trade, children-of-the-world stole ($99). For today. Annie declared this to be the best day of her life. "Because I have gotten so many treats!" One of the perks of Synod is a heavenly abundance of homemade cookies, baked by local churches, and available at every turn. Annie liked this. Also, she did not mind it when one exhibit hall booth-keeper told her "You are the most beautiful girl I have seen all day!" She just beamed after that.

Synod is all abuzz with talk about single governance. This has been in the works for some time, and many expected that a proposal for a new model of governance would come to the General Synod with the consent of all five national boards of the UCC. (At present the national UCC is governed by five autonomous boards, with about 250 people, including representatives of numerous Recognized Special Interest Groups, directly participating in governance.) In May of this year, as I understand it, the national boards met in Cleveland to consider a recommendation from the Restructuring Task Force that these four autonomous boards consolidate into a single 86-member governance board. The conversation—and the process that would have brought the constitutional question before the General Synod—was brought to a swift end when Justice and Witness Ministries (one of the five boards) voted against the proposal. See this article for more.

This did not sit well with everyone, so a number of late resolutions on single governance were submitted so that Synod could consider the question over the objections of JWM. And that's where we are right now. I'm a little disappointed that I was not assigned to the committee that will deal with these resolutions, since this is where the action is right now. But all is well. The plenary debates should be interesting enough.

Time for me to go. The kids have just escaped from the hotel room, and I think that Liza could use some backup.

Next post: New political maneuvers by JWM . . .