Have you ever had one of those moments when you just couldn't stop yourself? Many of us have done or said things and later felt that we could not have stopped ourselves from doing it no matter how hard we might have tried. Legal scholars and behavioral psychologists will wrangle over this idea until the end of time, and I am sure we will continue to learn of creative defense strategies and compulsive disorders as time goes on. Time and public approval will decide which ones are legitimate, for some surely are, and which ones are not. The majority of these moments of compulsive behavior will just be privately experienced as a part of the scenery of our lives. When I was in my mid twenties working in a restaurant I witnessed such a moment when I went by a table to see if they were ready to pay. It was a young couple also in their mid twenties, and the man was examining the check thoroughly. This usually meant one of two things. Either I had charged them for something improperly and would have to re-ring the check causing a delay in service and effecting my tip on every table in my section, or what was more likely was that the man was exceptionally thrifty and would most likely leave a small tip at this table. I braced myself for the inevitable and asked with politeness and concern, "Is everything OK?" He politely told me that the coffee he ordered at the end of the meal was not on the check. I told him not to worry about it and that I would take care of it. He said that he would feel better if I rang it up. As I left to adjust the check I did a run through of my other tables, took care of a few things on my way, waited in line for a register and finally took care of the check. By the time I got back to the table I knew that my chance at a decent tip was gone for they had been waiting for some time. I complimented the man on his honesty, because it was truly rare. And then he amazed me. Without hint of arrogance or pride, and with the most humble and genuine tone I've ever heard he said, "It's not me, but Christ who is within me. Have a good day, and keep the change." This man was compelled to be honest, charitable, and even tempered.
Recently a friend told me about another friend's son. He is an honor roll student and an athlete who could easily have his choice of several colleges. Unfortunately he has already had two DUIs. His choices are beginning to effect his opportunities, and his opportunities are narrowing more quickly than they should. He has been to a court appointed counselor and has finally realized that he is an alcoholic. He has come to realize that when alcohol is present, he cannot stop himself from drinking. He cannot stop himself from drinking all of it. It is not a problem with moderation. It is a compulsion. A behavior that can only be avoided by circumstance and managed through support. It is not a condition that deserves our pity or our condemnation. It is a condition that deserves our solidarity. It is a condition that calls us all to examine the sin that is within us. It is an illustration of the human tendency to serve ourselves rather than God. His compulsion to consume alcohol is no different than the compulsion we all share to do things that serve our own needs before considering the needs of others.
In a recent episode of a popular T.V. show, two men in their 80's arrive at the same hospital. One has brutally attacked the other in a seemingly random act at a bus stop. Both sustained injuries from the event. The doctors soon learn that these men had been neighbors many years ago in Germany. The attacker was a Jewish man. The man he attacked had turned him and his family in to the authorities, and the Jewish man never saw his parents or siblings again. When he saw the betrayer at the bus stop these many years later, he was compelled to destroy the other man. The doctors are left with the question of justice as the police arrive. Who do they protect? To whom do they show mercy, and how? They do so for both men by offering healing and protection to the aggressor and the victim alike. They take the men to separate areas of the hospital, and they lie to the police about the presence of the Jewish man. This is a tough decision to make when no one knows what will happen after both are released. Yet it is a Godly response to tend the needs of the criminal that both men have become in the hope that they will be compelled to respond to the compassion they have received.
Another act of individuals feeling compelled to do something can be seen in the youth of our church. After the experience at Montreat this past summer, the youth group felt compelled to do something and to involve others in it. They decided to adopt a child through World Vision, and have encouraged all of the youth to participate. But for some of them that was not enough. They gathered on their own accord and served dinner at Freedom House. Since then I've seen many of them at different community service projects like the YMCA's Bright Start program and the Christmas shopping program offered by the local JayCee's. They are compelled to do things to show the world that there is hope, and a different way to live.
Today's New Testament passage is another story of a young teenage girl who can't stop herself from doing something. It is Mary's song in response to her cousin Elizabeth's prophetic claim that Mary is indeed carrying the Christ child in her womb. It is a joyful response. Her Joy begins from a position of faith.(1) Presumably, Mary was a decent young woman from a hard working family. She lived clean, as many might say today. Yet her immaculate conception has now given her the status of unwed mothers and victims of rape and molestation.(2) All of these situations were seen as the fault of the woman in Deuteronomic law, and she now had the social status that we might attribute to a prostitute or a homeless person today. People who saw her would now treat her as a category rather than a person and feel no remorse. Perhaps that is why she fled to see her cousin, Elizabeth. Luke's gospel does not tell us this, for it is not his concern. The author of Luke's gospel is more concerned with Mary's response.(3) Rather than asking for meaning and searching for a reason that makes everything OK, Mary finds meaning in her plight through faith. Mary's faith allows her to focus on God's activity and to acknowledge her position of need, as one of the lowly, without self pity. The self-awareness she gains through her faith encourages a sense of solidarity with others who are in need and allows her to respond to the challenge God has placed in her life with great joy!
I do not mean to say that Mary was simply happy. Mary was filled with something beyond human emotion.... something beyond pleasure and contentment. She was filled with joy. Contemporary theologian Marcus Borg distinguishes joy from pleasure with a quote from C.S. Lewis that states "joy is never in our power, pleasure often is."(4) Borg continues by acknowledging that joy is always a response to something else and a gift that comes in one of two forms. It can be an ecstatic moment of clarity, where everything in the world suddenly makes sense and has purpose, or it can be feeling of peace that permeates all that we do. Theologian Doris Donnelly writes in agreement with Borg and Lewis by stating that Joy comes from a source beyond us and our desires.(5) Unlike the fulfillment of a hope or need, joy surprises us. It leaves us longing, yet satisfies. The longing for its return is as sustaining as its presence, much like the thought of an ocean breeze during a cold winter wind. Joy can be received only if we are open to it. If we receive it in good faith then it is made complete by our response. Yet joy is more than a personal experience. Joy is uniquely interpersonal in the way that individuals who experience it are pulled into the presence of God and find points of connection with all of humanity. Mary's joy seems intimidating to us, given that she is the one who bore the Christ child. Yet Mary's joy is the very thing we have been offered through the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Mary's joy and resulting solidarity with the oppressed lead us directly into an understanding of God's action in the world and invite us to participate with it! Mary's song of joy stops speaking of her own situation and describes God's activity of mercy and judgment which is ultimately understood through mercy alone. Mary speaks of the scattering of the proud, the toppling of thrones, and the rich being sent away empty. She speaks of God's faithfulness to Israel. Most importantly, she says these things in the past tense. So strong is her faith that she knows that the world has already been made new by the coming of God's son. Her words speak common themes of justice found throughout the Old Testament, yet they are distinctly new to the faith tradition.(6) She is not speaking of things that God will do, but of a new reality that has come to pass. The broken and needy have been made whole and fulfilled.
This is the new reality that Christ represents, and yet the beat goes on. Wars still happen. People are still taken advantage of. Poverty, racism, and sexism still effect countless individuals. Those in power still callously state that God helps those that help themselves. In the midst of this, Mary tells us that the new reality has come. She does not say, "God expects you to fix it all." She says instead, "Look what God has done!" She asks us as we fight to restrain evil in the world, will we be mindful of God's preemptive strike against sin and death? Will we be patient enough to know that God is the one who has acted and who will act, or will we decide that it is up to us alone to make sure that peace prevails? She reminds us that only by relying on God as the primary actor, waiting expectantly for God's grace, and responding out of joy can we be certain of true peace.
It is not enough to overthrow the powerful, for other powers will surely rise. What is most important is that we see our own weakness and become more open to the pains of others. As we do this we will find the common ground that makes us all human, no matter our place of need or our worldly condition... no matter our race, our age, our income, or even the mistakes we have made... no matter the creed or worldly condition of those we meet. If you will enter into it, this place of commonality holds so much joy that you will not be able to keep yourself from responding, even to a waiter at a restaurant. Mary held within her God's most profound gift as she sang her song. This gift has been given and resides within us all. Each one of us may be pregnant with such joy that we cannot help but respond, if we want to. Each one of us may bear God's present reign into this world, if we so choose.
Over 2000 years ago a teenage girl named Mary received this invitation and responded with a simple, "Here I am, the servant of the Lord. Let it be with me according to your word." She made a conscious decision to respond to God's grace, and then became consumed with a joy that led to a life lived in pursuit of the holy.(7) She became the bearer of God to the world. During this Christmas and the year to come, will we do the same?
Notes:
1. Tannehill, Robert C. (1996) Abington New Testament Commentaries: Luke. Abington Press. Nashville, TN. (pages 51-57)
2. Ringe, Sharon H. (1995) Luke:Westminster Bible Companion. Westminster John Knox. Louisville, KY. (pages 33-36)
3. Ringe, Sharon H. (1995) Luke:Westminster Bible Companion. Westminster John Knox. Louisville, KY. (pages 33-36)
4. Borg, Marcus (1996) The living Pulpit, vol.5 no.4, When Heaven and Earth Meet. The Living Pulpit Inc. Bronx, N.Y. (pages 4-5)
5. Donnelly, Doris (1996) The living Pulpit, vol.5 no.4, Joy: The Delight of Longing. The Living Pulpit Inc. Bronx, N.Y. (page 6)
6. Tannehill, Robert C. (1996) Abington New Testament Commentaries: Luke. Abington Press. Nashville, TN. (pages 51-57)
7. Dean, Kenda Creasey and Foster, Ron. (1998). The God Bearing Life. Upper Room Books. Nashville, TN (pages 50-52)
© 2002 Zachary S. Sasser, all rights reserved