Teams, Leadership, and Conflict

2 Pentecost, June 3, 2018   

All Saints Episcopal Church, Belmont

The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling                                     1 Samuel 3:1-10(11-20)

Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17

2 Corinthians 4:5-12

Mark 2:23-3:6

Let us pray: Speak, Lord, for your servants are listening. Amen.

I recently came back from two conferences, which were offered by the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center, located outside of Chicago, Illinois. One was a conference on church leadership and the other was on mediation skills training. Given the state of affairs in our world, in our nation, and in our Church today, I think these trainings are timely. Not only is conflict the “new normal” in our culture, it is also as timeless as the creation of our world. Indeed, today, in the gospel of Mark, we hear about the conflict between Jesus and the leaders of his synagogue.

When Paul and I were first married almost 44 years ago, we would occasionally go to the Celtics basketball games. Now that we’re back in Boston, and living within walking distance of TD Garden, Paul and I have picked up where we left off. We have seen conflict up close and personal, with players often erupting in the passion of a competitive moment. And that was not just on the court but also in the stands as well.

Team leadership is critical to any game, government, organization, or institution. I applaud the coach of the Boston Celtics, Brad Stevens, and veteran team leader, Al Horford. Both men emphasize the importance of every individual player and the gifts that they bring to the team, even if they are not playing. They focus on positive strengths, see every game as a learning opportunity, and offer perspectives that are longer and deeper and wider than any one game or any one person. They talk about having fun, training hard, taking care of their bodies, giving their best, and being grateful for fans like Paul and me.

Paul and I were at the second playoff game on May 15, when the Celtics played against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tension was high as the Celtics came from behind during the 3rd quarter. The roars of jubilation mingled with boos of disagreement. In one particular play, Al Horford stole the ball from a Cavaliers player and went in for an easy lay-up. Rather than trying to block the ball, the Cavaliers player pushed Horford from behind, while he was still in the air and defenseless. Horford was vulnerable to harm; for such a push could have injured him, with consequences for both him and his team.

Marcus Smart, a Celtics team member, immediately confronted the Cavaliers player on the court. The refs called a “flagrant foul” on the Cavaliers player and technical fouls on both team members for creating the chaos that followed. No matter where you were, whether you were a spectator or a player, at home or in the Garden, cheering for the Celtics or for the Cavaliers, the behavior of these two players affected everyone. There were cheers and boos all around. Later in a post-game interview, Marcus Smart said, “We’re here to play basketball, and bullies like him need to be challenged on their behavior.” To his credit, the Cavaliers player confessed his error, his lapse in judgment during the intensity of the game.

            Jesus and the religious leaders of his time were playing a game as well. Like basketball, they were following the rules that had been established by their faith community a very long time ago. The moral imperative of their laws was to do good and not harm, to preserve life and not kill. As leaders, it was their practice to debate these rules, to interpret them and revise them, and to teach others how to abide by them. The laws that began with the 10 commandments were created with the intention of helping community members keep their lives focused on loving God, loving self, and loving neighbor.

The rabbis were not only teachers of their faith but also the referees of their people. Fouls were called sins; and if these sins were intentional, they were called flagrant. If they were unintentional, simply a consequence of living with intensity and passion, then they were considered technical and yet were still called sin.

As in every game, whether it is basketball, politics, religion, or just plain life, there will be conflict. We are all guilty of sin, despite our best intentions. We are also affected by the sins of others whether we are actually playing in the game, sitting on the bench, cheering from the stands, or watching T.V. at home. Conflict is also a growth opportunity; for in every instance, we can learn something new about God, ourselves, and others.

As in basketball, there were many and various teams during the time of Jesus. Two are mentioned today in the gospel of Mark: the Pharisees and the Herodians. Each of these groups held power. The Herodians held political power, while the Pharisees held religious power. They were often at odds with one another, arguing like our political and religious leaders today, over the rules and regulations of their lives. Perhaps it’s a technicality, like a traffic violation, or a deeper core value, like defending the sanctity of life, that creates the conflict; and so finding allies is part of the process for arguing your point. Despite their disagreements, one thing that united the Pharisees and the Herodians was opposing Jesus.

Tom Long, professor emeritus of preaching at Candler School of Theology, wrote, “People who do God’s will run afoul of all who are invested in another will - (which is) their (own will). The Pharisees know full well that saving life and doing good are lawful on the Sabbath. It’s just that Jesus’ opponents are not in worship that day to fulfill God’s will. They were there to gather evidence.” After Jesus healed the man’s hand, the Pharisees “went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.”  (Christian Century, May 9, 2018) 

Today, Jesus invites them and us not only to look at the heart of the matter and conflict, but also within ourselves. What is the purpose of this law, and what are our intentions? What is the impact of our rules and rituals on other people? “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” Jesus asked the Pharisees. Did they truly want to do good and save life or were they just hanging on to their political and religious power? 

 Jesus knew that their religious laws were intended to help the real needs of God’s people, and He was grieved at the Pharisees’ hardness of heart. If someone is suffering, perhaps with a withered hand, or a broken heart, would God not want their healing?  If someone is hungry for justice and mercy, or just a simple meal, should we not feed them to sustain their life? Was the synagogue a place for people to find God or to bump up against human barriers and meaningless rituals? Was the Sabbath a time intended to love God, themselves, and others or to find evidence in our conflicts against each other?

Churches, St. Paul tells us, are the Body of Christ; and we are all important members of that Body. In his 1st letter to the Church in Corinth, he writes, “The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” Yes, conflict will erupt everywhere because we are passionate about our needs, our wants, and our human perspectives. A withered hand and a hungry stomach are cries for help; and yet cries for help come to us daily from all parts of our Body. With God’s help, however, we can honor each other, even when we disagree. We can even love our enemies through prayer.

Conflict was everywhere and between everyone during these times in the early church; and so St. Paul reminds the church in this 2nd letter to the Corinthians that although we may be afflicted in every way, (we are not) crushed; perplexed, (we are not ) driven to despair; persecuted, (we are not) forsaken; struck down, (we are not) destroyed; (for we are) always carrying in (our) body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.

From the very beginning of time, God, who created us in goodness, traces our journeys, knows our resting-places, and is acquainted with all our ways. Indeed, God gave us coaches, referees, and veteran team leaders to show us the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Yes, we are all clay pots; and yet, we have a treasure, an extraordinary power within us, that cannot be stopped.

That treasure is God. It is a light that shines in our darkness. It is the promise of God’s reconciling love for everyone given to us in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  And so, we do not proclaim ourselves but the love of God revealed to us in the person of Jesus. Even today, we are part of the Jesus movement - witnesses to our life-giving, liberating, loving God, who seeks to do us good and not to harm us, and to sustain our lives even beyond death.

During the playoff games at TD Garden, various sponsors provided t-shirts for the fans. A new one would appear on every seat in the Garden before each game. On their last game against the Cavaliers, the T-shirt had two words on them: “Game Face.” The t-shirts were a call to action. Put on your Game Face tonight, the T-shirt said; for this is the final playoff game between the Cavaliers and the Celtics.

And so, yes, Paul and I had our game faces on last Sunday night, as did all the basketball players on that court, team members on the sidelines, and all the fans wherever they were. Despite our home court advantage, our enthusiastic cheers and our heartfelt boos, our Celtics team lost. And yet, after the final buzzer, there was one last play. Cavaliers and Celtics players wandered all over the court and gave each other hugs, signs of their mutual love for the game and their respect for each other.

While the Celtics basketball season may be over for now, our Christian season is not. Like the Celtics, the long green season of our training year has just begun. Jesus was a game changer, then and now, and He has two words for us today: “Game Face!”  Get your game face on, Jesus says: Do good, save life, play by the rules, love everyone, and believe in the power of God. And don’t forget, we’re all on the same human team. Amen.