Eve Tetaz
April 17, 2011
Today is Palm Sunday, a day in which the Church celebrates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem surrounded by a crowd scattering palm leaves in his path and filling the air with songs of praise and adoration. It was true he didn’t lead an army, and he was carried through the streets on the back of a donkey, but the crowd saw in Jesus a prophet and a miracle worker – in short, a Messiah who would liberate them from the tyranny of Rome. There is no record of Jesus presenting them with a mission statement or a criteria for discipleship other than the charge to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God, stating that his goals included the freeing of the oppressed, opening the eyes of the blind, and spreading the good news of the gospel to all people. He didn’t speak of measurable outcomes of his mission except, perhaps, to tell his disciples that in order to gain life, they must be willing to die. I believe Jesus followed a strategic plan, for he waited until Peter made his confession of faith before, as Matthew tells us, he set his face
toward Jerusalem. And, I don’t believe his disciples understood what was happening when, a week later, the same crowd that had welcomed Jesus into the city shouted ‘Crucify him, crucify him.” When the veil of the temple separating the people from the Holy of Holies, was torn apart during the earthquake, his followers didn’t realize that because of his death, Jesus made it possible for them to have direct access to God. It wasn’t until they had received the gift of the Holy Spirit after Jesus’ resurrection, that this small group of called people was able to turn the entire world upside down. I believe today’s lectionary is a story of liberation for the entire world, and as followers of Jesus, we can also claim membership in the beloved community envisioned by Martin Luther King several centuries later.
I would now like to say a few words about the relationship between Jesus’ call to establish God’s kingdom on earth, and my call to be his follower. Over the years, participation in the Church of the Savior and, in particular, my membership in 8th Day, has helped me understand the meaning of my call to help bring about God’s kingdom of justice and peace. I’ve learned that each person must respond to his or her individual call. A ‘one size fits all criteria’ does not exist. My call led me to start Life Pathways, a non-profit organization whose mission is to help welfare dependant parents become economically self-sufficient. The validity of this call is, I think, summarized in the words of a LP participant who told me that one of the proudest moments in her life was when she could tell her child that she no longer had to depend on public assistance to care of her family.
The common goal that connects my Call to those of other missions is our commonly shared desire to be with the poor and to continue to be examples of God’s love and compassion in spite of the obstacles that threaten our existence. One day when I was visiting Family Place, I saw a mother strike a toddler. Ann Barnet who also witnesses the incident gently reprimanded the young woman explaining that at Family Place we believe there are more positive ways of disciplining a child. Patty Wudul says that the goal of Joseph House is to give ‘exquisite care’ to each resident. Are not these examples of how to answer Jesus’ call to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God?
The stories I heard during the time I spent in DC Jail for speaking out against US involvement in the war in Afghanistan, confirmed my belief that when society fails to address the needs of the poor and underserved in our city many of them respond by engaging in criminal acts. I’m in no way excusing their lawlessness, but I am convinced that adequate education, decent jobs, and the support systems that help them to realize their inestimable value as members of the human family would better serve us to counteract our alarming rate incarceration and recivism.
I’m attending a class given by the Church of Christ Right Now. At our last session, Gordon Cosby asked us to take on the role of Paul, a prisoner incarcerated in a Roman jail, and then write a letter to the Church in Rome describing their call to serve Jesus. In fulfilling the assignment, it will be easy for me to substitute the American, empire for that of Rome. The expanding power of the military-industrial complex, - our belief in the existence of “just wars”, the country’s insatiable need to occupy and control other nations, the ability of banks and corporations to control the world economy, the growth of American consumerism and our consumption of natural resources - these are all examples of what G.W. Bush called the non-negotiable American way of life. These are, I believe, ways in which America has become a culture of death and violence.
I believe all of 8th day missions are called to make known to mainstream America the dangers inherent in embracing this culture of death. There is no single workable solution converting this culture into a peaceful and just society that celebrates life. But in fulfilling our call to follow the way of Jesus, we are helping to bring into existence the beloved community where nations will one day turn their swords into plowshares and learn war no more
Amen and Alleluia