Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church

Gal. 3:25-29, James 2:1-7

Many of you have asked me why I suddenly started referring to my wife, Kathy, as Kate. Someone commented, "I'm sure it will show up in a sermon sooner or later."

Kathy has wanted to go by the name Kate for years. When we flew from Arizona to San Diego to interview for this position she rehearsed me on the plane. "I've always wanted to be known as Kate. When we begin our life in San Diego it would be a good opportunity to change my name. Bruce, while we are there please introduce me as Kate." I assured her I would. As we greeted the Pastor Nominating Committee representatives at the airport I introduced us. "I am Bruce and this is my wife Kathy." I think she mumbled something about not being able to teach an old dog new tricks.

With the birth of our grandchildren she took the name Nonnie Kate. Then this summer when we bought a cabin at Idyllwild we agreed that she would go by Kate up at Idyllwild. If you call our answering machine up at the cabin, it says, "This is Kate and Bruce please leave a message." The neighbors up there all know us Kate and Bruce. Thus, for the past few months, I have been living a schizophrenic life. When I drive to the cabin I repeat to myself, "Kate, Kate, Kate." Coming back down the hill I repeat, "Kathy, Kathy, Kathy." Finally, I decided it was time for some integration. Shakespeare asked, "What's in a name?" Does it really matter whether she is Kate or Kathy? I think it has to do with expectations. Do I see her as the new woman she is becoming or as the woman she used to be? Labels reflect our expectations.

Labels can be helpful in moving us toward positive expectations. They can also be twisted into put downs. The early church recognized the danger that some labels made certain Christians feel superior and others inferior. In the church we are all God's children. None are more important and none are less significant for God's purposes. Let's consider how Paul plays out the implications of this truth as we continue this sermon series in his letter to the Galatians.

But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 3:25-29

Kate and I began our ministry in a small native village. That village was so small that it was not uncommon for a wrong phone number to turn into a friendly conversation. We often recognized each other's voices without giving names. One of the popular stories around the village told about the pastor of a small village who picked up the phone one evening. Before he could say anything, the voice on the other end began to order some liquor. The pastor immediately recognized it as the voice of one of the church elders. "Yes, I would like a case of bourbon and three bottles of gin. Send me some scotch and six cases of beer. We are getting ready for a big party up at our house at Š." Once the elder had given the address, the pastor had a chance to speak.

"Do you know who this is?" asked the pastor. "This is Reverend Johnson." The elder was quiet on the other end of the phone. Then the elder said, "Pastor? What are you doing at the liquor store!?"

Labels frequently express our expectations. Pastors are expected to not hang out at liquor stores. Doctors are expected to have medical knowledge that assists us in healing. Our labels help us frame our world. What happens when our labels frame the world differently than someone else's expectations?

I love the book, by Dr. Deborah Tannen, You Just Don't Understand. She presents the thesis that men and women are actually engaged in cross-cultural conversations. Just as confusion occurs when a German tries to talk to an Italian, so men and women are from very different cultures because they frame the world so differently.

According to Dr. Tannen's thesis, men frame the world according to a status hierarchy, while women frame the world according to a network of interconnections. Men rate themselves and others according to status accomplishments. They may count money, sports, heroism, military service, etc. Thus, they are constantly labeling themselves and each other as higher or lower on the status ladder. Women generally do not evaluate the world based on such status areas. Rather than framing their world according to competitive status, they tend to see interconnections as valuable. Women value intimacy and connections.

While there are always exceptions, we can explain many interactions between men and women according to these frames of reference. Picture, for instance, a husband and wife driving down the road looking for an address. The wife suggests they stop and ask for directions. He refuses, certain that he can find it on his own. What is happening here?

The man thinks that if he stops he is putting himself on a lower rung of the hierarchy ladder of status. If he stops to ask the gas station attendant, then that means the attendant is smarter than he is. He does not want to feel like a total jerk, so he continues searching vainly on his own. The wife, meanwhile, values interconnectedness. She does not see it as bad to ask for directions. In fact, she sees it as a wise use of the resources available. If the gas station attendant knows the address then it is wise to make a helpful connection in order to gain and share information. Why can't her husband see the wisdom of stopping and asking?

How do they solve this cross-cultural misunderstanding? He stops at the gas station. She goes inside to ask for directions.

Recognizing that men and women frame their worlds quite differently gives me an insight into Jesus. Jesus lived in a patriarchal, male-dominated world. The men of his generation framed their world according to competitive levels of purity and holiness. The Jewish priest was a more important man than others were because he studied the scriptures and spent more time with God. The Levites, priests' assistants, were next on the ladder since they helped with worship. The pureblooded Jewish men were next on the hierarchical ladder. Near the bottom of the ladder came Jewish women and lepers. Finally, at the very bottom were the non-Jews.

Jesus framed the world very differently than the traditions of the day. Into this status-oriented, hierarchical society Jesus brought a framework of interconnectedness. Using Dr. Tannen's thesis, Jesus could be said to have used a more female-oriented frame of reference. He ate with sinners and touched lepers. He risked his status as a holy man in order to welcome the ostracized and neglected. He loved the un-lovable and counted them of equal value to the priests and Levites.

The early followers of Jesus found themselves caught between the example of Jesus and the common assumptions of their society. In the letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul reasoned his way through the confusion. He showed that all people are equally in need of Christ as the Savior. Whether a person has broken one commandment or many, we are all sinners in need of God's forgiveness (Galatians 2:15-17). When it comes to sin, then, there is no distinction between Jew or Greek, rich or poor, female or male. We all find ourselves in the same condition. Paul's point was that forgiveness is offered to all since Christ died for all of us (Galatians 3:26).

The final question, then, became one of whether to maintain or eliminate the traditional views of first and second-class citizens in God's kingdom. In the church, are women second-class or equal with men? As followers of Jesus, are slaves second-class or equal with their masters? Are Greeks second-class to Jews in the eyes of Jesus? Even though Paul was reared in a traditional hierarchy culture, he realized that there are no second-class Christians. Paul reminded the Galatians that in Christ there were no longer Jews or Greeks, male or female, slave or free (Galatians 3:28). In other words, in the church, there are no weeds, only wildflowers.

I love the popular 20th century musical called The Music Man. It was a story about a shady salesman who scams small towns by convincing the people to buy band instruments and uniforms for a boys' band. While he intends it as simply a moneymaking scheme, he ends up helping the community face its stereotypes and eliminate the labels people have for each other.

The little boy, Winthrop, has been labeled by others as a troubled child with little potential. Winthrop speaks with a lisp and other children laugh at him. He is embarrassed and shy as a result. Yet, Professor Harold Hill helps Winthrop by teaching him a song that hardly uses the letter, "s." Winthrop boldly sings, "Gary, Indiana."

The town's teenage troublemaker, Tommy Gillis, is labeled by the Mayor as nothing more than a juvenile de- linquent. Tommy runs around with a bad crowd of boys. Harold Hill, however, sees Tommy as a young man with leadership potential. He recruits Tommy as the boys' band director.

The rest of the women are suspicious of Marian, the librarian. She is the stereotyped elitist with her head in the clouds and no time for ordinary things. Not even romance. Then she falls in love with Harold Hill.

Near the end of the musical it is discovered that Professor Harold Hill does not have any musical credentials. He is a scam artist who planned to make a quick buck and leave on the next train. The townspeople drag him to the town meeting where they plan to tar and feather him. Marian, the librarian, defends him from the angry crowd by reminding them how the town used to be before he arrived. She reminds them that the school board members barely spoke to each other, but now they sing as a barbershop quartet. The boys, who used to get into trouble, spent the entire summer dreaming of their new band. Parents now act more neighborly since they dropped their old grudges and labels.

What did this fake salesman offer this town? He gave them a new frame of reference where the old labels no longer fit. We might say the "Music Man" helped that little Iowa town discover there was no longer male or female, rich or poor, but they were all members of the same community.

I suggest that Jesus is our "Music Man." He brings together a group of people who have tended to label each other with negative expectations, and teaches us to see each other the way God sees us. As you look forward into the New Year, what expectation do you need to change this week?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What "labels" would you choose to describe yourself?

2. Are there times when you resist others labeling you? Why?

3. How would you rephrase Paul's comment, "for all of you are one in Christ Jesus" (3:28)?

4. Have your church experiences involved more judgmental labels or egalitarian expectations?