Palm Sunday
Three years ago as part of my spiritual and literal house cleaning for Lent my wife Vanessa and I have began the process of converting an office to become a nursery.
During our cleaning she asked me, “what is this?”
”This is a pair of shoes from the year of our Lord 1994.”
“Why on earth would you have those?”
“We’ll when I was in high school, I ran one of the fastest 3200 meters in the state of Indiana at 10 minutes and 11 second...that’s a 5:06 and 5:05 negative split mile! After the race I saw that the person who outpaced me (by a lot)—and won the state championships was wearing, his father’s shoes. I imagined that I too would pass on my racing shoes to my son.”
Vanessa told me that the gesture was incredibly sweet. “You’ve saved these shoes for 25 years for that reason?”
Yes.
Then gently Vanessa said, “Martin did you know that your son will not wear these shoes for another 14 years? Which means that those shoes would be 39 years old in the year of our Lord 2033...Why on earth would you want your son to be at a competitive disadvantage when technology will have advanced so much? Get rid of them.”
It’s a totally good point which I didn’t think of.
It’s a point that I want to bring up as way of analogy. Sometimes we cling to things which we have held onto for years and years with the best of intentions…to pass them on to our children. But sometimes that which we cling to will disadvantage them. So it is I am printing a passage from Professor Jill Levine about the danger of language in Holy Week in bulletins.
We need to take great care with words like: Jew, Slave, and even Criminal. These words do not mean the same in 2019 as they did when they were written. Yet, their bite can scar just as deeply. We need to take care of words and habits from Christian tradition because we can easily fall into the danger of projecting our own biases: politically, experientially, geographically into a story of faith who’s aim is to stand in solidarity with those who are marginalized and welcome us into a way of Love that transforms who we are
Andre Henry says it this way, “If your gospel does not counter the vision of modern day Pharoahs and Ceasars, if it paints no damning portraits of oppressive political systems, if it is unconcerned with the welfare of the marginalized, then it is not good news to me…”
The passion story we will read today has conservative political actors: Pontius Pilate, a Soldier; it also has the poor, the rich, the secular, those abused by religion; it’s clear that it’s none of these viewpoints where God dwells.
In fact, if you take time to listen it’s not prayer practices that make people Christian; the disciples cannot stay awake;
it’s not a profession of faith that makes people Christian; Peter denies Christ;
it’s not fervent zeal that transforms—Christ sternly orders a sword to be put back into it’s sheath.
What makes people Christians is, Jesus.
It’s literally walking, not in his shoes. But seeking what he sought.
This is what Addy Tritt of Hays, Kansas did in 2019 when she bought 204 pairs of shoes at a Payless Shoe Source that was going out of business to give to people who suffered a devastating storm in Nebraska. She walked into a store and bartered and gave everything away.
When asked why she said: “It’s just part of being human! It brings me joy.”
Friends, we need reminders to focus on joy and God; lest we focus on tradition and ourselves. For Jesus’ sake people of faith get confused all the time and believe that our personal politics, piety, and preference are what make us Christian. We hold on to our shoes!
In the words of my wife, that’s a competitive disadvantage!
Instead, I invite you to listen to the story.
Be found by love.
Ubi Caritas et amor, Deus ibi est—Where true charity and love abide, God is dwelling there…