Finding Common Ground

How can we find common ground in a divided world?

Father Goodrich preached this sermon based in part on Ecclesiastes 3 1-8, 1 Corinthians 12:12-26, and Matthew 22:34-40 to a live congregation of St. John's Episcopal Church, in Dubuque, Iowa. 

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Transcript

Speaker 1 0:16

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, politics and religion Topics some of us were taught not to talk about in polite company. If you spend any time listening to our cultural chatter, if you spend any time listening to our cultural chatter with your friends and family on the television or on your device, you will be quickly reminded of the state of our polarization. Of course, the polarization that we are experiencing is not limited to those two topics alone, but applies to a whole host of things. Right, and polarization does not mean the influx of polar bears to the lower 48 states, but polarization means the general divisiveness, often extreme, between identifiable groups of people, whether political, social or racial. If you've ever, even just occasionally, noticed this growing state of polarization in our country and our local communities, raise your hand. I see lots of hands Now. If you thought polarization was the infiltration of polar bears to the lower 48 states, raise your hand. Okay, luke, I'm sorry to melt your polar ice cap Now.

Speaker 1 1:58

Most of us see the value of common ground in our lives, our daily lives, as we seek to relate with other people. We also see the value of common ground in the lives of our local communities, the nations and the world. Without common ground, many families and friendships would fizzle out. Without common ground, companies would find it impossible to serve their customers, hospitals would find it impossible to serve their patients and schools would find it impossible to educate their students. Common ground is the social cement of life and so for this reason, it's simply smart, practical, wise to seek out common ground with other people. You seek out common ground with other people, and so for you, students of political philosophy, this is the Hobbesian assertion of the necessity for a social contract. There are some difficulties with social contract theory who gets to write it, who might be written out of it, etc. But it does make sense that for very different groups to live somewhat harmoniously together, they need to have some agreements, right Agreements, made real in the form of laws, cultural norms and customs and the like.

Speaker 1 3:42

Fine, now is there a place for a passionate Christian witness in our American social contract? In the realm of politics, public demonstration and even peaceful protest and I underline the word peaceful. Absolutely there is. In fact, there are some who are spiritually called to this kind of work, and the capital C church needs people from all sorts of different backgrounds to engage in that sort of activism in the larger public sphere, though the church needs them to do it faithfully, thoughtfully and prayerfully. But there is a much more fundamental matter that needs to undergird that sort of Christian activism, whether it's of a conservative or progressive nature, left, right, center. A more fundamental matter that should actually undergird how all of us, as Christians, relate with other people. What is this fundamental? A basic recognition of our common humanity, christian or not. Our humanity, our common humanity, should be our common ground, be doubly motivated here.

Speaker 1 5:15

Because, for the Christian, every human being, however flawed, however imperfect, however much they disagree with you, is created in the imago Dei, the image of God, genesis 1.27. So God created humans in his image. In the image of God, he created them, male and female. He created them. This very ancient teaching is why Christians at their best and we often have not been at our best, but why Christians at their best have always opposed all of the isms that have sought to deny people their basic humanity. So it's not just pragmatic self-interest, a social contract. For us, for Christians, it's a sacred responsibility that we have to recognize the imago Dei, the image of God, in every other human being, especially those we don't like Even the people that most offend and upset and disagree with you. They are still human beings. Now a social contract can be twisted to say that group of people doesn't matter. Anytime we Christians say that group of people doesn't matter, we are committing a double sin against God and against those people and the image of God within them. That is serious stuff. Do it enough and I do not say these words very lightly. Do that enough, and you will start paving your way to hell. Do that enough denying the image of God in others and you will start paving your way to hell. Denying the image of God in others and you will start paving your way to hell.

Speaker 1 7:30

A group of students was asked what they thought were the seven wonders of the modern world. It's an elementary class, an older elementary class, and they all took votes on it. There were some disagreements, but for the most part the class was united. Here's what they voted and agreed upon Seven wonders of the modern world Egypt's Great Pyramids, taj Mahal, grand Canyon, panama Canal, empire State Building, st Peter's Basilica and the Great Wall of China. If you've been to any of those places, raise your hand. And while gathering the votes, the teacher noticed that one of her students was seemingly struggling with her list, and so the teacher said is it okay, are you having some trouble there? And the girl said well, yeah, kind of, because there are just so many to choose from. And the teacher said well, just share with us your list and maybe we can help you. The girl hesitated, but then she read her list.

Speaker 1 8:33

I think the seven wonders of the world are to touch, to taste, to see, to hear, to feel, to laugh and to love. The room is full of silence. That's the common ground of our humanity, that is the common ground of our human experience to touch, to taste, to see, to hear, to feel, to laugh and to love. As a priest, you are actually given several superpowers, none of them which you deserve, and one of them, as a priest, is to be present in the lives of people, all sorts of people, in all sorts of situations, at the very best, the worst and the in-between.

Speaker 1 9:29

I have sat alongside people on their deathbeds. I have sat with couples as their marriage was falling apart, and I have sat with couples as their marriage was being reborn. I have sat with someone who was just admitted to jail for a very serious crime multiple people, and I saw the expression on their face as they realized their entire life was going up in flames. Everything was lost, their reputation, everything's gone. It's gone. I sat in rehab facilities, on street corners, rooms with people whose addictions were destroying their health and destroying their families and their friends. I sat next to many a parent as I saw pride in their eyes as they watched their child on the stage or on the field. I've watched people discover who they are and embrace their call. People realize things they never realized before about God or life or whatever the case may be. I've also stood at many, many, many gravesides and I have watched families and friends, the looks in their faces, the regrets, all of it, as they grieved the loss of a parent, a child, a relative, a family member, a lover.

Speaker 1 11:15

But you know, you have seen and experienced a lot of this too. This is the blood and the sweat and the tears of life. This is the common ground of the human experience, and so that person, that group you fill in the blank of who that is for you, that you have such disagreements with, that drive you up the wall. They share those same experiences. They share that same common ground of the human experience. Now let's be clear. You don't have to like them. Liking is optional. Love is required. You can even admit that you are not in favor of their policies or their lifestyles or their perspectives, and sometimes you can even oppose them, that's okay. You can say, you know what? That you are not in favor of their policies or their lifestyles or their perspectives, and sometimes you can even oppose them, that's okay. You can say, you know what? I don't care for their personality at all. Fine, but they are image bearers. They are human beings too.

Speaker 1 12:31

You know, in our public and in private discourses today, we just casually rip each other apart and we are applauded for doing this by the laughs and hearty amens and the snide ad-libs of our like-minded friends. But for all this casual trashing and bad-mouthing and slandering, all we really accomplish for the most part is not any helpful change, is not finding any common ground. No, all this bad-mouthing and trash-talking, what it mostly accomplishes is that we ever more numb ourselves to the reality of the Imago Dei and our fellow human beings. And this spiritual condition of numbness to the Imago Dei and others will cause you, other people and our society a whole host of pragmatic problems, and it will even possibly lay the ground for great evils to take place Just think of the Holocaust. Just think of the Holocaust.

Speaker 1 13:56

And for we who are Christian, a spiritual condition of increased numbness in this way means that we will be spitting in the face of God and in the image of God in others. It means we will be violating our baptismal promises as Episcopal Christians, as the prayer book puts it, to respect the dignity of every human being. We will, ironically, in our zeal to dehumanize others, become less human ourselves, become less human ourselves. So seek common ground with those who are different from you, even those you profoundly disagree with. It's really not that hard, with a little bit of God's grace and a little intentionality on your part. From the weather to sports, to movies, to the infiltration of polar bears, to a whole host of other things, including all of those dreams and experiences of our common humanity. Common ground can also be found rather simply by just coming together to do something for the common good, like we're going to do today with our kindness meal. We're going to serve whoever comes, whatever their background, whatever the reason, because they too are created in the image of God, the imago Dei.

Speaker 1 15:34

Before you say or think to yourself Democrat, republican, black or White, straight or gay, man or woman, healthy or sick, addicted or free, israeli or Palestinian, american or foreigner. First say to yourself human being, human being, human being, image bearer, and then, in the name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit, treat them accordingly. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.