Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church

Luke 9:57-62, Ex. 12:1-3, 14-16

In our increasingly disconnected society, do people still need connections?

Robert Putnam’s book, Bowling Alone, documented the end of the twentieth century in our nation as a period of declining “social capital.” His symbol of the problem was the fact that from 1980 to 1993, there was a ten-percent overall increase in bowlers, but a forty-percent decrease in those belonging to bowling leagues across America. What was true for bowling leagues was also true across the board for most clubs, organizations, churches, and synagogues in our land. Putnam expressed concern that we had lost the relational glue that holds a society together. Less social interaction with neighbors and involvement in the community results in less overall trust.

What are the symptoms of our modern distrustful society? People who are disconnected from each other honk their horns rather than let the other driver into the lane. They call the police instead of walking over and talking to the neighbor about the barking dog. They shout at the neighborhood children to stay off the lawn instead of hiring the children to do some lawn work in order to teach responsibility and respect for the neighborhood. They ask for more enforcement of laws to control misbehavior instead of taking the time through healthy relationships to create a society of mutual accountability.

Now, in the twenty-first century, new books are showing that modern generations of Americans are not joiners in the sense of traditional membership to clubs and organizations, but they still seek connections. Putnam’s more recent book Better Together highlights new ways that people are giving back to their communities. Shari Caudron’s book, Who Are You People?, explores why people belong to various hobby groups that do not require membership dues or attendance at regular meetings. She describes these people as passionate about their interest, but not committed to an organization.

These are signs that we are a society in the midst of transition. While this may sound like a startling new development in modern society, it turns out not to be very different from the transitional period of the Israelites becoming the Hebrew nation. Before they were ready to be a nation they had to decide whether it was enough for people to simply belong in a loose sense of identity or whether they needed to actually put their faith on the line and declare themselves as true believers.

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ To another he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’

Luke 9:57-62

An orchestra conductor was frustrated with the lack of commitment by the musicians. He scolded the group, “You are so unfaithful and irregular in your attendance. You wander in when you feel like it. You miss without calling. How am I supposed to direct an orchestra when only one cello shows up? What do we do when only three violins make up the entire section? You are not just showing lack of respect for me, but for your fellow musicians! Joining this orchestra means you made a commitment!” The conductor concluded his diatribe by asking one violinist to stand and be recognized for her faithfulness. “This is the only person in this whole orchestra that has been to every rehearsal. Would you explain to the rest of your musicians how it is that you have been at every rehearsal?” The violinist seemed somewhat embarrassed as she sheepishly turned to face the group. “Well,” she responded,”I thought I should be at every rehearsal since I can’t make it to the concert.”

What is the value of not only enjoying an activity, but being committed to a group? Those who study childhood development talk about the development of teamwork skills as an important step toward maturity. In very young children there is “parallel play.” This means two or more children may be sharing the sandbox, but they are not really playing together. They are simply playing side by side. School-aged children learn to engage in group activities that require coordination of efforts. Team sports and youth choirs and orchestras involve a high level of communication and coordination. Maturity happens when individuals learn how to communicate and coordinate their efforts for the common good.

My freshman year of high school our family moved, with the result that I became a loner. I was not yet part of a performing choir. I had not yet joined a team sport. The only place I developed any connections was with a group of neighbor boys in a Friday night poker game. We played “penny ante” poker. In the process of playing those Friday night games I learned that there is a key moment in poker. It is the moment when the dealer looks at me and asks, “Are you in or out?” That was the moment I had to determine if I thought my hand was good enough to continue playing, or simply fold my cards, cut my losses, and wait for the next hand to be dealt. If I decided to stay in the game, I had to add some more pennies to my bet. Even in a setting where it is “everyone for himself” I grew to appreciate the moment of commitment to the game itself. I learned my freshman year that even a friendly poker game requires commitment. Commitment always costs something.

Jesus had a group of individuals who enjoyed hanging out with him. They wanted to follow him as long as it didn’t require too much commitment. After all they had businesses to run, families to care for, and lots of other important things happening in their lives. Then Jesus upped the ante, as he asked them essentially, “Are you in or out?” When we take up the plow to work with Jesus in the fields, we can’t be halfhearted.

God instructed Moses that it was time for the Israelites to determine whether they really believed in the Lord. The symbol of the Passover was blood on the doorpost. Most preachers and Bible teachers tie the Passover blood to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. This is certainly appropriate. Just as the blood of the lamb caused the angel of death to “pass over” the Israelites, so the blood of Jesus causes God to pass over our sins and forgive us. Certainly these are valid ways of interpreting the story of the Passover in Egypt. However, I am struck by something in addition to these traditional interpretations.

Up until this point in the plagues an individual Israelite could deny any involvement with Moses or the group. “Moses? Oh yeah, I go listen to his speeches once in a while. Am I an Israelite? Sure, boss, but I don’t actually believe that stuff.” In any movement, there are those who hang around waiting to see if it looks like the group will be successful. Then they jump on board as if they were part of it all along.

In the institution of the Passover, God told the Israelites it was time to put up or shut up. All of them on the same evening were to kill lambs and place the blood on their doors. The promise was that God would spare them that night from the horrible punishment coming against Egypt. The angel of death would “pass over” their houses. But any thoughtful person could also figure out that the bloodstain would remain the next morning. At sunrise everybody would know who was in and who was out. This was the night of decision.

In this story we find a new word in the Bible. For the very first time in scripture we see the word, “congregation.” God told Moses to instruct “the whole congregation of Israel” how to prepare the meal, eat it, place the blood on the doorposts, etc. This is no longer parallel play for the children of Israel. God is now raising up the Israelites as a marked nation. They must move forward together or not at all.

Moses’ instructions included the establishing of an annual holiday to remember what happened that night. In future years they were to prepare the same meal in the same way on the anniversary date, and it would be a way to remember that God took a group of belongers and turned them into true believers—the congregation of Israel. Belongers talk differently about the church than believers. “Yeah, I go to that church up on the corner”—belonger. “Let me tell what my church is about”—believer. Is it “that church” or “my church”?

A few years ago the Pope came to visit Phoenix, Arizona. Phoenix prepared for the Pope like San Diego does when we host a Super Bowl. Special events surrounded the few hours of the Pope’s time at a downtown cathedral. There were committees and coordination of efforts so that Phoenix could make the most of this international event in their midst. The parades and Native American musical presentations were really impressive. In the process of the preparations I learned a new meaning for an old word.

On the edge of Phoenix a huge billboard was posted beside the freeway several weeks before the Pope’s visit. It was obviously intended for lapsed Catholics. I don’t recall the artistic background of the billboard I just recall the central word prominently displayed. The word was “remember.” However, it was spelled with a dash: RE-MEMBER. The idea was that the Pope’s visit was not only a great chance to celebrate the historic Catholic influence on the desert southwest, but also a good time to become active again in faith. Re-member.

During the debates in the Continental Congress, the primary opponent to John Adams’ appeal for independence was John Dickinson of Pennsylvania. Dickinson was a classic conservative. Wealthy, wanting to do everything possible to remedy the relationship with Britain before declaring war, he argued consistently against declaring independence. One might assume that he was a Tory, loyal to Great Britain and against independence. Actually, he was in favor of independence in principle, but he became the spokesman for the group known as the “cool faction.” The main argument of the cool party was that it was not wise to tear down the old house before the new house was built. They worried that declaring independence from Britain was too risky until everyone was clear what new government would replace Britain. In July, rather than be forced to vote against the Declaration of Independence, Dickinson stayed away in order to let the Pennsylvania vote carry in favor of the declaration. Once the Declaration of Independence was ratified, Dickenson had to decide whether he was simply a belonger who enjoyed the political debates in the Continental Congress, or a believer in the revolution. He chose to commit by joining the Revolutionary Army and served as a colonel. John Dickinson became an American the day he made the choice to put his own life on the line.

Years ago a veteran shared with me that when he joined up to fight the Nazis he put his life on the line for our nation. He commented that his nation called him to sacrifice if he believed in the cause. He paused and then said, “My nation asked me to lay my life down for the cause, but my church has never asked me to do the same.” Jesus declares that if we truly believe something we will lay down our lives for it. Maybe we’ve been hanging around the church because we like belonging here. Jesus challenges us, are we belongers or believers?