Spirit Alive: Special Edition-- What 9/11 Still Has to Teach Us
9/9/2018
September 11, 2018
Jesus' travel route as described in John 4: 3-4
For me, this summer has been filled with powerful images from the Gospel of John, Chapter 4. I preached on this chapter in Kenya. I heard Dr. Leroy Barber preach on it at Portland First UMC. And...Rev. Grace Imathiu, the Senior Pastor at First UMC in Evanston, IL and our Bible Study leader at the global "Listening with Open Hearts" event we hosted in August, taught from John 4:1-42 as well.
In a similar manner, 9/11 is a powerful reminder that the unexpected, troubling, and deeply spiritual dimensions of life often happen as inner dissonance...even in the form tragedy...but that it is possible to come together as a people and an entire world, while traveling through the heart of darkness and despair.
This is not be an easy road to walk, because it takes us to places that we would prefer not to go. It's like Jesus taking his disciples through Samaria rather than avoiding the place altogether. It is a journey that forces us into the essence of his teachings by asking us to leave behind our desire to put loyalty to tribe before commitment to God. But in order to do this, we have to set aside our assumptions about others, so that we become open to strangers, many of whom we would prefer not to keep company with... and some whom we hold deep prejudices about.
9/11 gave us a glimpse into what it means to see and experience our common humanity...and refuse to separate ourselves into us and them. When 9/11 happened, suddenly all of us were touched by the brutality of hatred and the reality of pain.
Yes, we fairly quickly moved from sorrow-filled hearts to becoming a people who wanted revenge, but for a moment we were one, as people around the world proclaimed: "We are all Americans!"
We came together as a nation, and we learned that we were not alone. It is hard to believe, especially in light of all that has happened since, that this great tragedy forged us into a global community through our sudden sense that as humans we are one...and that we have to figure out how to share our precious planet as brothers and sisters who stand against hatred and violence.
This past week, I thought a lot about this as we witnessed the funerals of Sen. John McCain and Aretha Franklin...two very different and unique people, whose deaths reminded us of the breadth and beauty of the human race in all its diversity, giftedness, resilience, and expression. The celebrations of their lives taught us that there is much we share through our common humanity.
One of the age-old truths of the spiritual life is that we often find ourselves transformed when confronted by grief and loss. Somehow these things remind us about what it means to be alive...what it means to be human...what it means to be connected with others. But we have to stay in our hearts long enough to let this happen.
By now it should be evident that we are not feeling this same sense of unity any longer...not as a world, not as a nation, not as a church. And as we divide ourselves over issues, we cease to be able to sense our common humanity. Something has to change in order for this to happen. Either we will discover this reality through the experience of suffering, as 9/11 demonstrated, or we will decide that we want to reach out and connect with others, even Samaritans...even with those who don't see the world the same way we do.
The short writing we received from our friends is simply stated, but very powerful. It is worldview altering. It is hard to grapple with, because it places two groups of people together in a way that forces us to look at what each contributes to our common humanity.
I stand to honor the promise the flag represents.
You kneel because that promise has been broken.
I stand to affirm my belief that all are created equal, and to fight alongside you for that promise.
You kneel because too few stand with you.
I stand because we can do better.
You kneel to remind us to be better.
I stand to honor all that have fought and died so that we may be free.
You kneel because not all of us are.
I stand because I can.
You kneel for those who can't.
I stand to defend your right to kneel.
You kneel to defend my right to stand.
I stand because I love this country.
You kneel because you love it too.
Had we not received this email from our friends, I would not have seen it, because it came from within a Samaritan part of my world. In fact, interestingly, it was written by Andrew Freborg, who is a Libertarian and once ran for the Oregon House of Representatives. But Freborg's words speak about the dilemma and struggle we all face in finding the common humanity we share with others who are different from us in opinion, class, or culture...How do we find and move to common ground as people who love our country in different ways...and who want to follow Jesus' Way? This remains an on-going challenge for us as a people.
Eventually their discomfort with traveling through Samaria and encountering people they would have rather avoided, gave way to Jesus' message, which was open, loving...and found common humanity in those who were different. Jesus' disciples were constantly trying to figure out how to follow his lead through Samaria, not knowing that by believing in him they would eventually be called upon to sacrifice everything as well.
We are all called by Jesus to travel through Samaria, which isn't where we want or planned to go. I'd contend that 9/11 took us to such a place as well. But it is also the place where we ultimately find our souls along the way.
Crisis is not easy to navigate. Suffering is never welcome. Disagreement and argument are uncomfortable and unpleasant. But at some point, if we are to make our way to the Promised Land and experience the Kin-dom of God, we must travel through Samaria. It will take us to places not of our own choosing. It will require us to open our hearts. It will not be a comfortable thing to do.
We will have to travel through the heart of darkness in order to enter the light of God's love. But in the end, we will either find the better angels in ourselves and discover them in each other...or realize that those angels will eventually fly away leaving us to find our own way back home.
Let us walk in the light of God's love,
With Heart, Soul, and Mind:
Traveling Through Samaria in Order to Find Our Common Ground
"...Jesus left Judea and started back to Galilee. But he had to go through Samaria."Jesus' travel route as described in John 4: 3-4
For me, this summer has been filled with powerful images from the Gospel of John, Chapter 4. I preached on this chapter in Kenya. I heard Dr. Leroy Barber preach on it at Portland First UMC. And...Rev. Grace Imathiu, the Senior Pastor at First UMC in Evanston, IL and our Bible Study leader at the global "Listening with Open Hearts" event we hosted in August, taught from John 4:1-42 as well.
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9/11 gave us a glimpse into what it means to see and experience our common humanity...and refuse to separate ourselves into us and them. When 9/11 happened, suddenly all of us were touched by the brutality of hatred and the reality of pain.
Yes, we fairly quickly moved from sorrow-filled hearts to becoming a people who wanted revenge, but for a moment we were one, as people around the world proclaimed: "We are all Americans!"
We came together as a nation, and we learned that we were not alone. It is hard to believe, especially in light of all that has happened since, that this great tragedy forged us into a global community through our sudden sense that as humans we are one...and that we have to figure out how to share our precious planet as brothers and sisters who stand against hatred and violence.
|
One of the age-old truths of the spiritual life is that we often find ourselves transformed when confronted by grief and loss. Somehow these things remind us about what it means to be alive...what it means to be human...what it means to be connected with others. But we have to stay in our hearts long enough to let this happen.
By now it should be evident that we are not feeling this same sense of unity any longer...not as a world, not as a nation, not as a church. And as we divide ourselves over issues, we cease to be able to sense our common humanity. Something has to change in order for this to happen. Either we will discover this reality through the experience of suffering, as 9/11 demonstrated, or we will decide that we want to reach out and connect with others, even Samaritans...even with those who don't see the world the same way we do.
|
I stand to honor the promise the flag represents.
You kneel because that promise has been broken.
I stand to affirm my belief that all are created equal, and to fight alongside you for that promise.
You kneel because too few stand with you.
I stand because we can do better.
You kneel to remind us to be better.
I stand to honor all that have fought and died so that we may be free.
You kneel because not all of us are.
I stand because I can.
You kneel for those who can't.
I stand to defend your right to kneel.
You kneel to defend my right to stand.
I stand because I love this country.
You kneel because you love it too.
Had we not received this email from our friends, I would not have seen it, because it came from within a Samaritan part of my world. In fact, interestingly, it was written by Andrew Freborg, who is a Libertarian and once ran for the Oregon House of Representatives. But Freborg's words speak about the dilemma and struggle we all face in finding the common humanity we share with others who are different from us in opinion, class, or culture...How do we find and move to common ground as people who love our country in different ways...and who want to follow Jesus' Way? This remains an on-going challenge for us as a people.
|
We are all called by Jesus to travel through Samaria, which isn't where we want or planned to go. I'd contend that 9/11 took us to such a place as well. But it is also the place where we ultimately find our souls along the way.
|
We will have to travel through the heart of darkness in order to enter the light of God's love. But in the end, we will either find the better angels in ourselves and discover them in each other...or realize that those angels will eventually fly away leaving us to find our own way back home.
Let us walk in the light of God's love,
Lowell
Spirit Alive is a twice a month blog and email by Rev. Lowell Greathouse, Mission and Ministry Coordinator for the Oregon-Idaho Conference. It seeks to identify where the spirit is alive in our congregations and communities. Check out past editions, or subscribe to the email list.
Spirit Alive is a twice a month blog and email by Rev. Lowell Greathouse, Mission and Ministry Coordinator for the Oregon-Idaho Conference. It seeks to identify where the spirit is alive in our congregations and communities. Check out past editions, or subscribe to the email list.

Lowell Greathouse
Lowell Greathouse is the Mission and Ministry Coordinator for the Oregon-Idaho Conference of the United Methodist Church. He looks for places to find where the spirit is alive and help them grow in vitality and fruitfulness. Share with him at lowell@umoi.org