Sermon: Thoughts on Diversity

February 3, 2008

EagleHarbor Congregational Church

Dick Goff, guest preacher

Scripture:  Leviticus 19: 33-34; Luke 4: 16-30

In one of our junior Sunday school sessions the kids improvised some “non-diversity” mini-skits in which they imagined, for example:

-A house to be constructed  -- entirely by bricklayers

-A birthday party  -- where every gift is a teddy bear

-A church potluck  --  where everybody brings fried chicken

-A band or orchestra  -- with nothing but flutes - all playing the same   notes at  the same time

-A rainbow -- with a single color. 

We agreed that diversity is a good thing. 

My most powerful and prolonged experience of connection  between human diversity and religious faith was the 25 years I was blessed to spend as a member of  St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, located in Marin City California, where most of  the  residents are African American.  Some of these residents make up about half the congregation; the other half are mostly white folks living in nearby communities. 

I and my family decided to try St. Andrew because we’d heard it was a church that was active in combatting racism.  We discovered that St. Andrew was all that – but much more.  Thanks in major part to our African American members, we experienced worship with spirit that was wonderfully welcoming, rich and contagious: music that stirred the soul; lay members’ prayers and spoken concerns that touched the heart; fellowship greetings that exuded warmth.   Through countless meetings and meals and parties at church and in each others’ homes we became friends with folks who may have been poor in material things but were incredibly rich in love, laughter and caring, not to mention great cooking.  And, motivated by our shared faith, we worked together in many ways to make a difference for the poor and oppressed in the surrounding community.

I believe that an essential element of our Christian faith and discipleship is inclusiveness -- inclusiveness as an attitude of mind and heart and thus as a crucial way we “practice” our faith.  By inclusiveness, I mean accepting, respecting and appreciating many of the ways in which others are “different” from ourselves, and doing what we can to overcome prejudice and unfair  discrimination and their effects. 

 Throughout his ministry Jesus reached out in healing, love, and advocacy to and for those whom many considered to be outcasts or inferior for various reasons, their poverty, their disease, even their “sinfulness.” He looked for and saw the good in others. He made it clear that God’s love and healing were meant not just for one ethnic or religious group, in this case the Jews, but for others whom many Jews looked down on or considered enemies. He did this in his acts, and in his words, such as his none too tactful or popular words delivered to Jewish worshipers in his home town.  

And as we recognize in prayer every Sunday, Jesus also emphasized the concept of God as a loving father.  This reinforces the sense that all people are brothers and sisters.  To sum it up, Jesus stood for inclusiveness.

As revealed by Jesus’ life, I believe in God as a powerful, persuasive spirit that is within every human heart, and that seeks to move us towards love, compassion and justice, towards feeling our kinship with other people as part of one human family. 

Such a belief is not uniquely Christian; it is shared by other faiths as well.

But all too often, it seems as though religion, and certainly and ironically the Christian religion, has been a major ENEMY of inclusiveness.  Tragically, religious differences and religious zeal have often led to wars, genocide, persecution, discrimination, and other forms of human degradation and suffering.  No wonder John Lennon’s imagination of a world with “no religion” can have great appeal.

Yet I believe there is much cause for hope.  There is hope in the breakdowns of barriers and raising of consciousness resulting from the long and continuing struggle for civil rights in our nation – a movement strongly inspired by religious faith in a God of love and justice.

There is hope in that, led by that same God, increasing numbers of congregations like ours have affirmed that we are open and affirming,  “loving and welcoming our sisters and brothers in all our racial, ethnic and economic diversity, gender and sexual orientation, and physical and mental abilities.”

And there is hope in the emergence and vitality of interreligious associations like the one of which we are a part  - the Bainbridge/North Kitsap Interfaith Council  - "IFC.”  Indeed the forming of our IFC is a story about inclusiveness.  The predecessor to IFC was the Bainbridge Island Interparish Council.  It performed very good works, like the founding of Helpline House.  But, rather ironically, its membership was restricted to Christian Churches who professed belief in "the Trinity" of God, Christ and Holy Spirit:" 

Thus, in the 1990's, when groups like the local Mormon, Christian Science and Jewish congregations asked if they could join, the requests were politely declined, coupled however with invitations to attend IFC meetings as "guests."  Just as politely the leader of the Jewish congregation, then Rabbi Sperling, repeatedly responded that he would be glad to attend, just as soon as his congregation becomes a full-fledged member.

 The Interparish council delegates became increasingly uneasy about the situation.  Finally, in 1997, they said, in effect: "Enough already."  They dissolved the existing council. They formed the present IFC, with bylaws that adopted a set of stated purposes and provided that membership would be open to any area faith group that accepts those purposes - purposes having to do with concerns for peace, justice, human dignity, responsiveness to human need, reverence for the earth and the value of interfaith dialogue and collaboration. An insert in today's bulletin sets out these purposes and also lists the current membership. 

Thus, the new organization abolished exclusion based on theological differences; instead it was and is based on the harmony of certain basic shared values that spring from our diverse faiths, as well as the enrichment we receive from celebrating and sharing in each other's religious traditions.

What can we do as individuals, and as a church, to help make our hopes for inclusiveness come closer to reality?

First, speaking for myself, I can examine some of my own attitudes and practices.  Despite generally talking tolerance and inclusiveness, do I carry stereotypes or make prejudgments or unfair judgments about others because of their race, nationality, religion or other diversities? 

Well, I have to admit that sometimes I have instinctively presumed that white people with southern accents will be racially prejudiced.  That is prejudice in itself.  And it’s quite ridiculous.   Many millions of southern whites are just as committed to racial equality and understanding as people anywhere in this country.

And then, I'm not a guy who is long on patience.  So, I must admit that at times when I need to talk about a commercial or financial matter with a person for whom English is a second language, I have shown some exasperation and indulged in disparaging thoughts or subsequent grumblings about what I perceive as that person's difficulty of understanding or communicating with me in English.  I ought to work on dealing with such situations with patience and understanding, realizing that such a person is undoubtedly trying his or her best to communicate in my language, which is not his or her native tongue, and considering what it would be like for me if our positions were reversed.

And what about people who are sometimes called Christian "fundamentalists?"  I don’t know about you, but sometimes I have thought or said:  “don’t those people have it all wrong, in theology and in resulting social positions?”  But wait a minute – don’t we all know people who may be considered "fundamentalist" in their religious beliefs or affiliations but who, led by their faith, are extremely kind and  generous, deeply involved in helping persons in need?  I have two sisters who are just like that.    And  isn’t “God still speaking” not just  to and through Congregationalists, but rather to and through many other diverse peoples and faith groups, who may discern God's message in differing ways  – perceptions that may be just as true for them as ours may be for us?

I think one important way to counteract arrogant and harmful notions of superiority based on religion or other kinds of diversity, is to seek with open minds opportunities for communication, education and other shared experiences through which we can better understand other people's differing beliefs, cultures, traditions, circumstances and orientations. There are many opportunities for this on Bainbridge Island and in the Seattle area. 

Through such efforts, we don't necessarily compromise our own deeply held beliefs and traditions. But we can gain in appreciating and learning from what is different about those of others. Perhaps also, we will discover that those differences are not as great as we might have presumed, and we may recognize what we have in common and how we can cooperate, notwithstanding those differences. 

Another thing we can do is to pass on the values of inclusiveness to children and youth in our families and communities, both by our words and by our examples.   From my childhood, I remember my parents talking about the evils of racial prejudice and discrimination.   I remember even better their examples:  My mother being the first to pay a welcome visit on the first African American family to move into our neighborhood; my parents making sure that foreign students attending the U.W. were invited guests at our Christmas dinners. 

There are more recent examples close to home.  One is the efforts of our youth directors, Jennifer and Elise before her, and Wally Korn in earlier years, to involve our youth groups in preparing, serving and sharing meals for and with homeless people – with the result -- as Jen reminded us last Sunday –  that our youth begin to view their relationship with those they are helping not as “us” and “them,” but as “we.” 

Another example is something my wife Dagmar instigated when she was running the Boys and Girls Club program at Sakai Intermediate School.  From time to time, the school gym would become a dining room for the young people to share a “special” meal.  Dagmar would bring linen tablecloths and fancy plates and dishes.  But the kids would bring the foods - not fried chicken, but a variety of foods representing their diverse ethnic heritages, which the kids would discuss. For example, there were tamales representing Hispanic culture; Phad Thai representing Thailand, Hebrew latkes (potato pancakes), Norwegian lutefisk, Filipino lumpia (egg rolls); Italian meatballs, Scottish shortbread, French pastries, and Native American fried bread, as well as, on some occasions  smoked salmon donated and specially prepared for the occasion by members of the Suquamish tribe.  When we talked recently about these experiences, Dagmar remarked:  “if you want to convey a message to kids, I can think of no better way to do it than with food.” 

Then, there are many other circumstances in which I believe we will be called to be Missionaries for inclusiveness, even at times when, as with Jesus and Dr. King, our efforts may not win us any popularity contests.

One such circumstance is a rather difficult one that many of us may have faced:  an informal conversation in which we are taken aback when another person makes a comment or joke that strikes us as racist or prejudiced in some other way -- like the time many years ago when an older friend of my family told me that one reason he liked his neighborhood in a town in the East was that “there aren’t any Jews here.”  If this happens, we have a quick choice to make.  We can remain silent, out of an understandable instinct to avoid the conversation becoming "disagreeable." Or we can respond, perhaps with words that aren't confrontational or judgmental but which express our own experiences and values. 

For example, in that particular conversation with the family friend I let the remark pass without response – but thinking back on it, maybe I could have said something like,  “Well, you know, I've become good friends with some Jewish guys at the law school, and I value those friendships - they are really great people.."  Where such a statement might have led, I don't know - possibly to a quick change of subject, or possibly to a civil discussion of our different viewpoints -- but at least it might have had some future impact on our friend's reflections and attitudes.

Finally, there are many situations in which I believe we are or will be called to speak out or act on our convictions in more public ways.   Let me mention just a few examples:

            We can rally, march and write letters expressing opposition to acts of prejudice or discrimination in our own community, and to affirm that ours is a community that welcomes and respects all. We’ve done this before, and hopefully will be ready to do it again if needed.   In similar vein, we can publicly oppose stereotyping of Muslims as terrorists. 

            On the tough issue of immigration, we can advocate for policies and laws that are generous and humane, recalling the biblical injunction to treat foreigners living in our land as we treat fellow citizens, as well as our nation's noble tradition of welcoming those seeking refuge here.

            We can support fair treatment and increased opportunities for people with limited abilities and consequent special needs - one example of this is our church's supportive relationship with the Special Needs Foundation programs in Stephens House next door.

            We can support positive, concrete responses to the great need for more affordable housing on Bainbridge Island -- recognizing Jesus' special concern for those in need as well as the healthiness of a community that is not just a place for the wealthy but is economically diverse.

            We can urge and support more vigorous and generous affirmative actions and programs to share our nation’s riches to alleviate and fight hunger and poverty suffered by millions of members of our human family, such as the programs advocated by Bread for the World. 

            And just one more close to home:  we can get involved in efforts to create better relationships with and support aspirations of our Native American neighbors.  One example of this occurred not long ago when our Interfaith Council, as well as members of several local churches, publicly supported a positive response to the Suquamish tribe's request that the State return to the Tribe a small park in Suquamish on which the longhouse of Chief Seattle and the tribe had stood, and which thus had great historical and spiritual significance to tribal members -- an effort that eventually was successful despite much opposition.  We did this because we believed this was a step that would help to heal wounds and injustices of the past and would show respect for the heritage, culture, values, dignity, wisdom and goodness of our Native American neighbors.

Let me close by suggesting a very short parable.  God's vision for how people on this planet will regard and treat each other might be likened to an experience I had recently in boarding a large airliner.  I immediately noticed the plane had no “first class” section with walls and a curtain separating that section from the rest of the passengers, as we so often see.  I turned to the welcoming flight attendant and remarked "Gee, no first class section on this plane." 

Smiling, she replied.  "That's not right.  On this plane, everyone is first class." 

Let  us pray:

God of inclusiveness, of reconciliation and of hope.  Lead us to do what we can to build bridges of understanding, respect and friendship among people who are different, in race, nationality or religion, in gender or in sexual orientation, in age, abilities or economic circumstances.  Move and guide us to do our part in the building of communities and a world where such differences do not cause barriers and conflict but instead give rise to symphonies of harmony and enrichment of life; where all are welcome to bring diverse gifts to the same table; and where storms and clouds of violence, bigotry and hatred give way to rainbows of healing, peace and compassion.  So, may your kingdom come; your will be done.  Amen.