Beloved Community
(Sermon preached at the unveiling of “Gun Tragedies : Memorial Stones : 2023“)
It’s a crisis, but it’s being managed. It’s a crisis but it’s being controlled. It’s a crisis, but people are taking action in a deliberate, out-come oriented way. I am not referring to the gun violence tragedy in our country but rather the United Auto Workers strike that began on September 15 when 13,000 autoworkers walked out of their plants in Michigan, Missouri and Ohio.
Recently Ford’s CEO, Jim Farley, briefly stopped by to meet with picketers in Detroit. It did not go so well. He makes $29m a year while hourly workers were “fighting to get money to survive after we leave here”, said plant worker Stu Jackson. “Did you see Farley in his tailored European suit? Wasn’t he sharp?” Jackson asked. “He looks like the $29m man. Those nice shoes. “And look at us,” Jackson said referring to the small group dressed in jeans, T-shirts and sweatpants. “This isn’t fair.”
Another striker named, Domonique Hicks, a young mother of three who lives in Detroit said the $16.67-an-hour wage she received was not feeding her children. This isn’t fair. “We’re here to take back what Ford took from us,” Hicks said. “They didn’t want to bargain with us so we’re making a statement – if you can make millions and billions, then we deserve something. We build those cars.” That’s not fair.
That’s not fair! What happens to the workers in the parable from the gospel text from Matthew is also not fair. It is not fair that the owner of the vineyard pays the same wage – the same wage – to all the workers regardless of how long they worked. For example, the laborer who worked a full 8-hour shift is paid a full day’s wage but it is equal to the laborer who worked less hours. The one who worked just one hour gets the same paycheck as the one who worked a full 8-hour shift. Same with those who worked just 2 hours or 3 hours or 4 hours and even those who stood idle in the marketplace and did nothing all day. Everyone gets the same amount of money at the end of the day regardless of how many hours each put in. That’s not fair!
It is not fair, but that, according to Jesus in telling us this parable, that is what the kingdom of heaven is like –all earn the same amount – which is what God intends for us in this life – at least a closer proximity to such fairness. The kingdom of heaven is like the Ford CEO, Jim Farley (who now earns 29 million dollars a year) and Domonique Hicks (who now earns $16.67 an hour) would make an equal amount. In the kingdom of heaven, both would earn either 29 million or both would earn16.67 an hour! “The last will be first and the first will be last.” How far off we are here on planet earth from mirroring what God intends. At least in both the parable and in the autoworkers strike there is a deliberate, thoughtful, manageable, out-come oriented solution – even if it does not seem fair.
A year ago last summer congress passed a thoughtful, deliberate, out-come oriented new federal gun law that included $8.5 billion dollars for mental health services. This infusion of cash towards the treatment of the mentally ill is certainly welcome and badly needed, but some ask the question – will 8.5 billion dollars for mental health services significantly reduce gun violence?
Probably not. You see, research suggests skepticism. The Violence Project has created a large database of mass shootings. According to their research, mental illness is not a major contributing factor to gun violence. In fact, one sociologist named Jeffrey Swanson agrees, “If we were to cure serious mental illnesses violence would go down by 4 percent.” Only 4%!
What most perpetrators (of gun violence) do have in common, according to the Violence Project, is a recent life crisis – something that feels unmanageable, out-of-control, frightening, traumatic –like grief, like the loss of a job, like a break-up of a relationship, being rejected or bullied repeatedly– something that can overwhelm anyone’s coping mechanisms. Such crisis are often visible to others, so intervention may be possible. However, the larger takeaway is how common they are. Nearly everyone has a life crisis at some point.”
The primary risk factor for gun violence is not mental illness and not the fact that adults have life crisis. Rather, the primary risk factor, according to the research, is what people turn to in a crisis – what is available for those facing a painful event and the Violence Project argues that the vast and powerful arsenal of weapons in this country is the primary risk factor. At last count – the existence and availability of 443 million guns – much more than one for every man, woman and child – is the primary risk factor for gun violence. The primary risk factor for gun violence is not mental illness but just the fact that so many guns are available to those in a crisis.
But what else exists for people to turn to when they are in a crisis besides a vast arsenal of powerful weapons? To whom can people turn when their world is falling apart? Where can people find a safe place and caring people? How can the most vulnerable find a community supportive enough to keep them from a spiraling downward and turning to violence? Where can the traumatized get help? Where can we get a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven – here on earth?
Right here. Right now. What you see and who you this morning see is a glimpse of the kingdom to which Jesus refers that can change the world for the better. That is why you all are invited here today – to give the world, to give one another, to give our community a glimpse of the best of our community. A community where all are accepted, all are precious, and all are equal in value to one another. Today is a glimpse of bringing all the best of us together to care for a broken world. Together we can end the scourge of gun violence. Together we can take care of the vulnerable, and we are already doing just that. We already have people and organizations in place.
Let me give you some examples of the community coming together many of whom are here today: School on Wheels whose mission is to support and educate vulnerable children and their families at risk of the crisis of homelessness; Raising Multicultural Kids whose mission is to cultivate racial and cultural competence in order to lessen and eliminate demeaning and violent racist attacks on our children; Easton’s Human Right Committee dedicated to building a stronger, more unified town free from bigotry, hatred, intolerance and disrespect; the Easton Interfaith Clergy Alliance whose passion is to bring together people of all faiths and no faith and Wings of Hope who works tirelessly to steer young people away from drugs and alcohol when in a crisis.
We are here together, lawmakers, town leaders, members and friends of Bristol Trinity Episcopal Church and Holy Trinity Lutheran to share a vision of the beloved community that is possible here on earth – a peaceful, safe, caring, loving community where all thrive, where the last are first and the first are last and all are equal in the eyes of our compassionate God. Where everyone at the end of the day receives the exact same wage no matter what – the gift of unconditional love today, tomorrow and forever.
How can we practice what we preach? How can we create the beloved community? By bringing the community together to honor and remember with care and compassion the 532 killed and the 2147 injured in 514 mass shootings so far this year. Thank you, Madeline, for your gift that empowers us to do so.
That is only part of our mission. As we leave this place today, our mission is to embrace one another, care for one another, love one another so much so that the number of perpetrators, the number of those using guns in a crisis shrinks smaller and smaller until the number is zero. Then all are free from this scourge of violence – all are free to build the beloved community.