Standing Up, Standing Out
…to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice. -- Sirach 15:15
I just watched the most astounding movie. Temple Grandin is a stunning portrayal (by the incredible Claire Danes) of a real person; her genius and her autism. We will be showing this movie at our church this Saturday evening at 7 p.m. in our Christian Ed wing. Please come. The showing will be part of a weekend devoted to a central concept we carry with us in our ministry at West Bloomfield UCC:Community, not conformity.
We will continue with this concept in worship Sunday at 10 a.m., and with a give-and-take information session for those considering joining our church at 11 a.m.
I believe religious movements often go awry in the insistence that everyone think, believe and do the exact same thing. Narrow conformity is stilting, anti-creative and paralyzing, and is nothing like what Jesus meant when he spoke of “the narrow gate and hard road that leads to life,” (Matthew 7:13 – smack dab in the middle of the sermon in which he begins with “judge not, lest ye be judged,” moves on to the Golden Rule, and ends with an admonition not to simply say ‘Lord, Lord’ and go about casting out what we perceive as other people’s ‘demons,’ as if that is what he asks of us. No, clearly from the context of the full pericope, Jesus is calling us through the narrow gate that strips off our pride, self-promotion and grandiose self-perceptions. The gate is narrow, preventing us from carrying our own extraneous baggage through it, making us better traveling companions on the hard road beyond!).
If we are, indeed, pilgrims on a journey, how much better the trip if we accept, encourage and celebrate each other and ourselves. The movie documents how Temple met resistance at every turn, but also had a handful of people in her life who encouraged her, helped open new doors for her, and saw beyond the quirks and awkward manners to the brilliance of her strange ideas. To do this with the Temple Grandins in our own lives is not without risk, heart-ache and frustration. Things don’t always work according to plan when we open ourselves to other. But Christ tells us over and over again to risk it anyway. Life is far richer for such openness.
I am very proud of this faith community I pastor. We are a loose amalgamation of outlooks and beliefs. We are not like-minded in the traditional sense, but we are LIKE-minded in the sense that our first impulse is to LIKE each other (not regardless of difference, but, rather, with a high regard for difference). Every stranger we welcome in adds to the beauty of the community, carrying experiences and perceptions that are unique and uniquely compelling.
A building is a box, but a church is a community:
We come with beautiful secrets
We come with purposes written on our hearts, written on our souls
We come to every new morning
With possibilities only we can hold, that only we can hold
Redemption comes in strange place, small spaces
Calling out the best of who we are
And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That's burning up inside
It comes in small inspirations
It brings redemption to life and work
To our lives and our work
It comes in loving community
It comes in helping a soul find it's worth
Redemption comes in strange places, small spaces
Calling out the best of who we are
And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That's burning up inside
This is grace, an invitation to be beautiful
This is grace, an invitation
Redemption comes in strange places, small spaces
Calling out our best
And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That's burning up inside
Sara Groves, Add to the Beauty, © 2005 INO Records LLC
Hi Corey,
ReplyDeleteCouldn't help but respond to your blog on 'Stand up, Stand Out'. The primary motivation to respond is not only the key message about accepting each other and ourselves and our differences, but also the fact that my cousin Hale Bowman passed away last night. Let me explain the connection:
Hale was one of the oldest living Down Syndrome people in the US. Those of us who have had the privilege of knowing and loving a person with Down Syndrome understands just how beautiful these folks are.
While a lot of people regard those with Down Syndrome as "retarded" or "mentally handicapped", the very basis of their existance and how they see the world seems to be just what is described in the sermon from Matthew 7:13 and copied from your text: "Jesus is calling us through the narrow gate that strips off our pride, self-promotion and grandiose self-perceptions. The gate is narrow, preventing us from carrying our own extraneous baggage through it, making us better traveling companions on the hard road beyond!" Hale, and many others with Down Syndrome fit perfectly through this gate. Hale was a great example to me as a person who could go through life without judging, without a facade and with a very firm sense of just how different he was from others. Although it was not easy for him in his younger years; (he endured public school up until 5th grade in the 1950's), he grew confident in what he knew and who he was, yet did not really want for things that were beyond his reach. When I was younger and was getting to know Hale I attributed his outwardly happy disposition to his ignorance as the result of being "retarded"; how humbling it was for me to learn the vastness of my own ignorance!! In our culture and world we value intellectual and cognative prowess, and I guess we can say that sometimes these attributes are valued higher than truly knowing, accepting and loving ourselves and others. From lower IQ can come the greatest lessons; I wonder who is really "retarded" anyway?
I don't know, but maybe God put these people, these mild mannered, unassuming saints in our midst to show the rest of us how to treat each other and ourselves. In my mind, the passing of Hale Bowman closes a chapter of a 'profile in courage'. I am lucky to have spent time with and learned from Hale Bowman, God rest his soul. Amen.
Dave Knight
Wow, Dave. Thank you for sharing such profound thoughts. My condolences on Hale's passing. He sounds like a wonderful man.
ReplyDeleteAs I first watched the movie Temple Grandin, I was immediately familiar with some of the manifestations of autism exhibited by the lead character. From that ordinary mindset I was transported from seeing "handicap" to seeing " perception" and "possibilities," much as you describe your experiences with your cousin and Down Syndrome.
My experiences with individuals with Down Syndrome echo what I most often hear from their garegivers: they teach love. When I first heard this, I thought the parents meant that they learned to love unconditionally as a result of having a "handicapped" child. As I got to know the individuals I saw that wasn't what was meant at all, but, rather, Down Syndrome individuals truly taught love. A typical Down Syndrome trait is a tendency to love and delight in life and people around you with complete commitment and total abandon. This is love in its purest form. Our best hope for the world is to learn this trait!