“Getting in the Way”
February 3, 2008
Matthew 17: 1-9
Rev. Jean Morrow
Mostly, in our very polite
culture, we don’t like getting in the way, do we? As kids we were really good at it, but then
our gentle…or sometimes not so gentle…parents taught us to get out of their way…or,
at least, to get out of other people’s way.
By the time we were adults, we were fully aware and we now know all the right
phrases, “Excuse me…pardon me…oh, am I in your way?...can you see…would you
like me to move a bit…I’d be happy to get out of your way?”
We are, as a matter of common
courtesy, groomed to get out of the way, but as Christians, perhaps getting in
the way may be part of our call. When we
see an injustice…when we hear a cry for help...as we get insert ourselves to
create or recreate a world of right relationship, more than likely, we are gonna get in someone’s way.
I read an article in
Sojourners about an organization called the Christian Peacemaker Team. Their purpose is to challenge Christians to
be as self-disciplined and self-sacrificing in practicing nonviolent
peacemaking as the military is in preparing for and waging war. Their motto is “Getting in the Way.” I think that is a great motto, because it is
so clever.
Many of you know the early
Christians were called people of “the Way” because early disciples were trying
to live in the way of Jesus. So, the
motto “Getting in the Way” is a clever link to our ancient Christian ancestors. But, the phrase also carries a very modern, practical
meaning…in the right situation, it is an invitation to challenge unjust
practices, oppression and violations of human rights. When you accept that kind
of an invitation, you will surely block someone’s path to perceived success and
greatness.
There is actually a story of
the origin of the motto of the Christian Peacemaker Teams. The year was 1995. The place was
On November 4th, CPTer Diane Roe went to accompany children at one of the
elementary schools. As Diane stood
talking to some teenage girls at the school, several settlers pushed her to the
ground and kicked her. Students were
attacked…a settler armed with an Uzi threatened Wendy, Diane and other CPTers who were on site. Violence occurred all over
A week after all these events,
Diane was back in the states, recounting her story in her home church, and a
woman asked her, “Why didn’t you just get out of the way so that you wouldn’t
get hurt?” Diane said she had taken a
long, long time or self-examination to discern her call to violence reduction,
and when finally faced with it, getting out of the way never occurred to her.
From her story, the motto evolved.
Getting in the way is a rather
provocative way of thinking about our Christian call on this in-between
Sunday. On the Christian calendar, we
are now moving between the season of Epiphany, a time when we celebrate the
light of God shining so brightly through Jesus that people stopped what they
were doing to listen and to follow…we are moving from Epiphany…to the season of
Lent…a time of self-examination, discernment, study and prayer…a time when we
reorient our lives towards God and contemplate our call to live as Jesus lived.
The text for this last Sunday
in Epiphany is always the transfiguration of Jesus. It is told in three of the Gospels…and is
very much the same in each.
It’s a curious story. Jesus
glowed…dead prophets appear…God speaks…the disciples want to build houses. As stories go, it is a strange story, with
supernatural, unbelievable events. What did those first century storytellers
want their listeners to understand from this story? What are we to understand?
Let’s take a closer look at
what meaning this story might hold for us as we contemplate our
counter-cultural call to get in the way.
In each of the Gospels, this
story falls right about in the middle of Jesus’ ministry. Before the transfiguration, Jesus teaches,
heals, feeds, gets in the way of the status quo…and following this story, he
teaches, heals, feeds and gets in the way of the
status quo…but what is also interesting to note is the scripture that
immediately precedes this story. In every
single Gospel story, we find Jesus sitting with the disciples foretelling his
own death and resurrection. Much to the
fear and chagrin of the disciples, he says that when he goes to
During Advent, one of our
budding theologians in the middle school class asked me if I thought Jesus knew
he was going to die. I told them I,
personally, didn’t think he was born knowing he was destined to die on a cross. As a kid, I doubt he thought much about
death…not more than any kid does. But at
some point during his ministry, he knew.
He knew. There had to have been a turning point when he knew he would be
put to death unless he stopped doing what he was doing.
And just what was he doing? We know the basics, don’t we?
Jesus lived in the heart of
his community…he was rooted and involved…and he constantly reached out and
invited in all those around him…he was never indifferent…he never turned away
or turned a deaf ear…and he seemed to step in and get in the way at every point
possible when he saw social systems out of balance…people being mistreated or
hurt. He didn’t disturb the status quo
for the fun of it…he was committed to shalom…to just peace and right
relationships between men and women, rich and poor, Jew and non-Jew.
From the text we know that he
knew, at least immediately prior to separating himself on that mountain top, that
he was getting in the way of the uneasy peace that the power structures of his
day had established…and the path he was on would more than likely lead to his
death.
So, let’s go back up on that
mountain top. To open up our thinking
and our imaginations, I would like to offer the perspective of John Aurelio who
retells this story in the book Myth Man: A Storyteller’s Jesus. It offers a little different
perspective. This is what he suggests
might have happened.
When they reached the mountaintop, Jesus with his arms
extended was dancing and laughing and calling out to Elijah and to Moses to
carry him home. The wind was blowing and
the dust he kicked up swirled around him like a great cloud. The sun blazed behind him so that they had to
squint to see him.
“I have never seen him like this,” Peter said to John.
“Nor I.
Isn’t it wonderful?” John and
James took Jesus by the hand and they circled and danced together.
“Master,” Peter called to Jesus, “let us never leave
this place. Let’s stay here
forever. Let us set up our tents…in
They sat down to rest.
The effort had exhausted all of them.
They were still breathing heavily yet still relishing the magnificent
moment.
“Master,” Peter said again. “Why not stay here?” He tried not to look in the direction Jesus
had set his gaze, south toward
This retelling helps me see
things a little differently. Perhaps the
disciples had never seen Jesus so free…he didn’t appear to be carrying the
burden of his ministry down below, and so they wanted to stay where it was
safe. But safety was not what Jesus was
seeking on that mountain…I think Jesus knew what he was up against and he took
time to reflect upon it, to get reoriented and centered in God, to face and
come to terms with what the future might hold. He went to discern his call.
·
On that mountain,
Jesus literally and symbolically stepped into a long line of prophets who had made
a practice of getting in the way and disturbing the unjust peace…and for the
gospel writers, naming Moses and Elijah, perhaps the most admired prophets at
that time, would have been enough or his readers to understand.
·
On that mountain,
he reconnected with God…felt God’s deep presence and sensed God’s life-giving affirmation
that what he had been doing…what he would continue to do…was good and right…it
was the way that led to right relationships.
·
On that mountain,
Jesus came to understand that suffering and death might come, but it wasn’t the
final answer.
·
And on that
mountain, his resolve, rooted in God’s presence and love, shown through him
like a dazzling light, and those with him saw it.
·
It was on that
mountain, I believe, Jesus came to terms with the fact that he could not live
his life any other way…he would have to get in the way for the sake of love,
justice and shalom.
If we model our lives after
Jesus, we will be called to get in the way.
To model our lives after Jesus will require that we turn away from what
the world values to what God values…and there is a danger in that. But let us consider fully the example of
Jesus and , like him, find time to go to our symbolic
mountain top, wherever that might be so that we might engage in self-examination,
discernment and prayer.
Perhaps during this season of
Lenten reflection we might consider taking time to reorient our lives towards
God to ready ourselves for the call to live deeply involved and connected in the
world’s community…for in big ways and in small, at times that can only be
determined by God’s beckoning, we will be given opportunities to stand for
something beyond ourselves…and when those times come…like Diane Roe…like Jesus…may
we be so centered and rooted in divine love that it never occurs to us to get
out of the way. May it be so for you and for me. Amen.