Newspaper Columns by The Rev. Canon Bill Lewellis
Called to the Impossible
By Bill Lewellis
July 1999, The Express-Times, Easton
Christians are called to live in the "already and not yet" of the right relationships to which God calls everyone. Because no social order in this world will ever fully embody the call, there is no social order a Christian should not overthrow -- yet, there is no living without a social order.
Christians are called to impossible gospel imperatives.
Pope John Paul II has often critiqued communism. No surprise. That kind of critique was once part of our civil religion in the United States. What may be surprising, however, is that John Paul has also critiqued capitalism.
No ecclesiastical flag waving here. Only gospel imperatives.
Gospel imperatives? Strong verbs found in God's good news. Repent. Be. Do. Give. Forgive (seventy-seven times). Feed and clothe. Go and sow. Pray. Heal. Judge not. Fear not. Cast out... Believe.
Gospel imperatives are marching orders. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Heal the sick. Welcome the stranger. Visit the imprisoned. Raise the dead. Proclaim good news. Sell what you have and give the money to the poor. Love God with all your heart. Love your neighbor as yourself. Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Be reconciled. Take up your cross. Follow me. Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. Make disciples.
Try reconciling some of those imperatives with the "It's-not-personal-it's business" commands of capitalism.
"If you're going to be Christian," Jesuit activist Dan Berrigan has said, "you'd better look good on wood."
An impossible job description begins to be written on our hearts when baptized persons promise -- here I use the promises found in the Episcopal Church's Book of Common Prayer -- to "believe in God the Father... in Jesus Christ, the Son of God... in God the Holy Spirit [and] "to continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers... to persevere in resisting evil, and whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord... to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ...to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself... to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?"
Try reconciling those promises with the so-called "real world."
"The Baptismal Covenant," according to Bethlehem Diocese Bishop Paul Marshall, "contains perhaps the strongest statement the Episcopal Church has ever put forward concerning the obligations Christians take on in terms of faith and life... It combines faith in God with active discipleship that respects the dignity and freedom of every human being."
"I will, with God's help," we say each time we renew those baptismal promises.
We are called to the impossible by the strangest of all gods... a God who does not love us as we deserve (what an awful fate that would be) but who simply loves us, relentlessly.
"Come to me," Jesus says, "all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me." Jesus does not impose the wooden instrument that yoked two oxen together and made of them a team. He wears it. "Become my yoke mate." Might that be what Jesus is saying?, "Work beside me and watch how I do it. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
One of my Internet friends said recently that Christianity is a "so what" religion. OK, you're saved, so what? So what does that mean in terms of discipleship, call, focus, attitude?
It's a question we have to answer for ourselves... while experiencing, yoked with Jesus, the paradoxes of Christianity such as light burdens and easy yokes, looking good on wood, overthrowing social orders, and being called to the impossible.
Bill Lewellis, Communication Minister/Editor, Diocese of Bethlehem
Be attentive. Be intelligent. Be reasonable. Be responsible. Be loving. Develop and, if necessary, change. --Bernard Lonergan
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