“The Way” – Sermon by Lindsay Crouse on Romans 12.9-21

The instruction by Paul in this passage seems straightforward, like a Christian primmer, like the ABC’s of Christian instruction, yet it is in truth one of the hardest to do.

The saints of the Christian Bible never end up living lives of luxury, by their swimming pools in their villas outside of Rome. They all willingly faced persecution, torture and death. Rome, the center of the illusion of earthly power, was ruthless.  We should be grateful for our freedoms, especially the freedom of religion.  People like Paul died for it.

Paul lived in a time fraught with peril.  The Roman empire had spread its authority throughout the Mediterranean and its rule was brutal.  Any Christian was a threat, as the emperor was god.  And yet Paul never flagged in teaching the liberating word of Christ, despite the fact that it would be anathema to the established world power.

It is a truth that leaders who are addicted to power live lives of paranoia as they try to eliminate any threats.  They live under the illusion that power lies in themselves.  History has proved them wrong again and again and again.  The power of Rome had to be protected by huge armies distributed throughout the Mediterranean.

But Paul’s calling was to a higher power, and he didn’t hide.  He traveled and taught, and his teachings spread.  The fact that the Roman emperor ultimately killed him is testament in itself to the power and reach of his preaching.  And his teaching is highly relevant to us at this moment right now, right here.

I believe that often we feel that we are alone; that in spite of our prayers, we have lost a sense of contact with God.  Why is the world in the terrible state it seems to be?  Our own great country seems to be in terrible internal conflict. Our ways of conducting world affairs appear self-aggrandizing, not liberating.  

Swami Satchinananda, the Woodstock guru, used to come to our house in Los Angeles to teach.  One evening he said to us in all seriousness, “Even God is considering reshuffling the cards.”   To say that then was shocking to us.  If he was here saying it now I don’t think it would be.

How can any of us at this moment in time move the needle toward peace and harmony in this present world, even in the tiniest degree?  

My father wrote the play The Sound of Music.  In the final scene of The Sound of Music when the family, terrified from the Nazis’ pursuit, is hiding in the convent garden.  Little Gretel calls out to Maria – “Isn’t this God’s house?  Maria whispers, yes, Gretel it is.  The child then asks, “Then why does he let them in?  

It’s a child’s question, but the grown-up version – Why does evil exist? – is one that we adults (who have to answer to our children) –  keep buried in our hearts. 

The religions of the world contain many teachings about the existence of evil and the power of good to counteract it.  It seems to me that our confidence in that power might be at an all-time low.  Or at least we are, as we say in the sailing community, “in irons”, without the wind to keep us moving forward, unable to reach home.  

How do we breathe easily in this atmosphere?  How do we live? How do we find happiness?

The passage from Paul contains the answer, and is in my opinion one of the greatest teachings ever given. First, he recognizes fully and completely who we are.  It’s as if we cried out to him in real desperation, looking to find a way out of our tension, our fear.  This passage is his directive.

First he answers: Let love be genuine.  The Latin root of the word genuine is “gignere” – to beget, produce.  An alternative etymology is from Latin “genu”, meaning knee, from an ancient custom of a father acknowledging paternity of a newborn by placing it on his knee.  So to my mind this is a beautiful directive and it means: one, let each of us give birth to love, and two, let us recognize God’s love as ours – our own.

You are one of a kind.  There is no one like you. Your way of loving, the spark in you that comes from the divine is uniquely yours, and suited perfectly to your path.  Let it play out, help it grow, and use it to the hilt.

Paul says, “Love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.”  The word outdo is extraordinary here.  It sounds like playful competition, a way to move on up. Grow your understanding of what you are capable of.  Show how your admiration for each other.  Express it.  It can be a bit scary to stick your neck out, but try it.  Life will start to sparkle.

“Outdo each other in showing honor.”  How great a directive is that!  This is what I call ‘being an imp for love’.  Celebrate each other.  Surprise someone.  Send flowers for no reason.  Leave a note on someone’s desk when they’re out of the room: “Dearest friend, you’re the best.”  Drop off a box of chocolates, ring the bell and run away.  Or simply send a card.  It will make someone’s day, and restore their faith in love and in their own worth. 

“Contribute to the needs of the saints.”  What does this mean?  

For one thing, it is my own firm belief that there are saints among us.  When you open yourselves to this idea you might find that you are actually surrounded by them.  It wouldn’t be hard in this congregation.  This is a great antidote to the loneliness of depression.

“Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit.”  Ardent – an old fashioned word – from the Latin ardere, meaning to burn.  Be passionate.  Let go of the idea that you are saddled with obligations.  This is your life.  It’s a gift.  Enter into it with enthusiasm – a word that means (en) inspired by and (theos) God.

Rejoice in hope – even in our capacity to hope –  and especially our capacity to hope when nothing seems to warrant it.  “Hope,” as Emily Dickinson said so eloquently, is “the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul.  And sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.  And sweetest in the gale is heard, and sore must be the storm, that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm.” 

This is faith – it comes to us, as she wrote, in “the chilliest land and on the strangest sea.”  What could be a better description of our time?

“Contribute to the needs of the saints.”  Pursue hospitality to strangers.  Who knows who is a saint around you?  In this extraordinary community, I wouldn’t hedge my bets.  

My dear Buddhist teacher, Lama Marut, used to give us an exercise.  Suppose, he said, that everyone around you is an angel and you’re the last one out.  Notice them.  In what ways is each of them trying to bring you in, lift you up?  If one of them is annoying you, are they testing you?  Could they be showing you the way?  It’s a fun exercise to do.  And who knows?  It could be true.

“Bless those who persecute you.  Do not curse them.” This is a way to become burnished like steel, to grow your forbearance and increase your emotional endurance.  Forbearance means tolerance and restraint in the face of provocation.

My great Buddhist teacher, Lama Marut, used to ask us: “What if the person who annoys you is actually an angel trying to move you on up?”  Thinking this way over time, you can learn to handle difficult situations calmly, and grow even from criticism.  

You can become an Olympian at this. Here’s how.  Take a careful look at those who criticize you.  Is there truth in what they say?  If there is, bless them for teaching you, and do something  to change.  If not, bless them still, for they are tormented if they cannot recognize a person who means them no harm.

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.” Be alert to others, keep your empathy on your sleeve.  Share their sorrow – the portion you take cannot harm you.  On the contrary, your heart will grow to accommodate it.

“Live in harmony with one another, do not be arrogant, but associate with the lowly.  Do not claim to be wiser than you are.”  Do not think you are superior in any way.  We have much to examine in ourselves.  We should wear that on our sleeves, or have a bumper sticker that says Imperfect But Trying.  We are all the same, imperfect and often heartbroken and afraid.  Don’t be arrogant – be friends with everyone.  

If we were truly smarter or better we wouldn’t feel the need to be smarter or better.  If you are open to all, you will continually learn, and you may be surprised by who you judged to be an inferior.  

Rick and I used to go to teachings by the Dalai Lama and one time we were at lunch with a group after one of his teachings.  I was sitting next to a man who was very quiet and unassuming.  At the time, I was having a serious problem in my life and I was looking for advice from someone high up in the Dalai Lama’s train.  I dismissed the idea of asking the man sitting next to me.  He seemed too nondescript.  So I went to another table to ask a person who wrote a book about his Holiness who I might turn to for advice.  He told me, “Actually there’s someone at your table who is the Dalai Lama’s assistant.  He’s in the seat next to you.  Ask him.“

I did speak to him, and he told me to call him the next day. The next morning I felt a bit ashamed, and shy, and didn’t call. 

What happened next?  He called me.  Notice – often the answer to our most dire questions is close at hand.  When we truly put our trust in God he doesn’t remain hidden.

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.  Beloved, never avenge yourselves.” This piece of advice is worth the price of admission to human life.  Live in peace – it is the key that unlocks the door to heaven.  You can tell how important this is, because the advice begins with “beloved.”  It’s as if Saint Paul is calling up our attention, pulling us close, the way you pull a child into your arms when you are giving them important advice.

“Never avenge yourself,” but (and I love his phrase) “leave room for the wrath of God.”  One implication is that if you try to avenge yourself there is no room for God.  You are wound tight, bound by your own anger and sense of self -righteousness.  There is no room self-examination. Your own arrogance will crowd out a divine solution.

If you worship God you must maintain the big picture.

And then Paul says – “It is written: vengeance is mine.  I will repay, saith the Lord,” meaning – “Put your trust in Me.  I’ve got you.”  As Martin Luther King said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”  Keep your head down, keep doing the good work, and trust.

Then the greatest advice: love your enemies, show them what righteousness looks like, what it feels like.  Repay them with generosity, disarm them with kindness, rehabilitate them with help.  Overcome evil with good.

“Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord”, which I understand to mean this: God is saying, trust in Me.  I have the big picture.   I will make balance.  Don’t feel abandoned.  The one perpetrating the evil is the one in the most trouble.

And finally the solution to all conflict: lead with the heart.   It is not for anyone to be doing harm to others – individually, or nation to nation.  Do not hate, but forgive, and love. That is the highest good – for those who oppose you, and for you.  

Amen.