Part 6 (last) in a series of reflections on the Capitol insurrection and Christians’ participation
People must make choices every day about what they will do and how they will act. This is a fact of life ever since Adam and Eve left Eden and became time bound and subject to physical death. We are limited in our capacity and limited in our potential, despite what we may have been taught by affirming parents and teachers. But the truth is, every one has only so much energy and the same amount of time to work with. Perhaps I feel this more acutely now than ever, because a) I’m getting older, and b) I have the added challenge of undergoing cancer treatment.
At some point in life, a person begins to think about legacy and lasting gifts to the next generation. Many aspire to “greatness” in some field or academic discipline. Others desire to make a great contribution to world health, or achieve the pinnacle of sports, or demonstrate some other measure of greatness. In order to become great in one area, generally a person has to let go of aspirations in other areas. I remember as a kid practicing my piano and singing every day so that I could become a great musician and a professional performer. But because time and potential are limited, I chose not to become an athlete. I knew a fellow Stanford student who majored in both music (she was a violinist as I recall) and pre-med studies (chemistry or something). The fork in the road confronted her in senior year as she decided whether to go to med school or music conservatory. She chose med school.
Life is full of choices, and choosing greatness is one of them. Citizens of this country have had a president whose slogan was “Make America Great Again.” I never quibbled with that aspiration. I mean, why would we try to “be mediocre again”? Of course, we would want to be a great nation. But it depends on how you define “great” and how you achieve it.
Great has been defined, in word and action under the 45th presidential administration, as America First and Only. Despite global interconnections, America was removed from accords, treaties, trade agreements, and other cooperative arrangements with other countries. Perhaps an unintended consequence of this conceited effort was instilling in the American psyche that we don’t have to watch out for any one else—certainly not immigrants, the poor, nations at risk, or people of races or ethnicities other than white Caucasians.
Circumstances among Jesus’s disciples—okay, it was an argument among the twelve about who was the greatest—caused him to speak to the definition of greatness. “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves” (Luke 22:24-26).
So Jesus said the great among us are the ones who serve others. Mm-m-m. A great one does not pump up his or her fragile ego. Great people do not require everyone else to serve them. No, according to Jesus, what makes someone great is the willingness to sacrifice personal convenience and sense of superiority to make sure others (one’s neighbor, the least and the lost, those in need, even another aspiring greatness) get enough to flourish and prosper. This self-giving attitude does not come naturally to human beings, who are infected with greed, selfishness, and power hunger. Jesus wants to give us a vaccine against such unhealthy living so that we can become generous, selfless, and humble in our dealings with others. This vaccine comes with a catch: complete surrender to the one and only Great One, Jesus Christ, Lord of all. One cannot be greedy and generous at the same time. One cannot be selfish and selfless simultaneously. One cannot grasp power and humbly serve the lowly in the same breath. One cannot be Me-centered and Christ-centered at the same time. We live in a constant state of internal struggle.
The good news is that God has given us the power to choose what kind of person we want to be. We can choose dominance and prestige, or with divine help we can choose humility and quiet generosity. What happens within us is a change in orientation, our willingness and desire to put others ahead of ourselves.
In order for America to be great again, Americans must be great again according to Jesus’s definition. We must disavow the false promises of a me-first social structure and unlimited freedom. We must share our most precious possessions with others, yes, even in the form of taxes that will insure everyone can get adequate health care or a launching education or job training or whatever is required to bolster the middle class and make sure everyone has a real chance at success. We must prepare ourselves for responsibilities within our republic that demonstrate humility, cooperation, care for every single person from conception to natural death, and denounce arrogance, callousness, and unfairness. We must get to the bottom of our issues around race. We must own up to our responsibilities to steward the resources of our planet. It isn’t all about us. It can’t be, or there won’t be any “us” left to enjoy the fruit of our selfishness.