GIVING PERMISSION TO SUPPORT DEMOCRACY [R, 6-6-24]

BEYOND WINTER: The Irrelevant Musings of an Old Man—GIVING PERMISSION TO SUPPORT DEMOCRACY [R, 6-6-24]

 

In 1967, I preached a sermon titled “Oxen, Field, And Viet Nam.” [1]

It was based on Jesus’ story of “The Great Banquet.” [2] One by one, the invited guests used an excuse for not coming. “I have a new wife.” [Family is my excuse for skipping your banquet.] “I just bought 6 yoke of oxen and have to try them out.” [Oxen were power in those days, so he was saying, Getting more power is my excuse for skipping your banquet.] The third said, “I just bought a field and have to examine it.” [Getting more stuff is my excuse for skipping your banquet.] [3]

Like almost every other American citizen in the early 1960s, I supported American intervention in Viet Nam, because of the reasons given us by our government. It was going to be a short war, they told us, because our cause was righteous, and by fighting Commies there we wouldn’t have to fight them when they invaded our own shores, and we had the most powerful military in the world. Sounded good. Sounded reasonable.

Boys who were sent to fight in Viet Nam came back and told very different stories about why we were there and what was really going on. I was in campus ministry, so I heard those different stories before most people did. I had to begin to re-examine my position, my reasons, my excuses for supporting that war without really thinking about it.

I knew that the people of First Methodist Church in Normal, Illinois were unanimous in their support of the war. I knew I would get into trouble for questioning our presence in Viet Nam. But I came to the conclusion that I had to make a witness.

I learned that some people in the congregation who heard me began to call others and say, “You need to hear this sermon.” That meant reading it. I didn’t usually use a manuscript, but I did when preaching about controversial subjects, like race and war, so that I could prove exact what I said. And more importantly, what I did not say. People asked for copies, so we mimeographed it. It began to circulate widely.

My witness did not persuade anyone, but it gave others permission. To look at things differently. Witness is always, I think, more about permission than persuasion.

We need to make a witness now. Before November. To give people who are willing to give up on democracy permission to think again. We need to give people who are persuaded by lies and fear permission to think again. We need to give people who think “it’s us against them” permission to think again. We need to give them permission to think beyond the usual excuses.

In the parable Jesus told, when those invited to the banquet made excuses not to come, the host told his servants, “Go to the streets and alleys and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame. Not one of those who made an excuse will get a taste of my banquet.”

John Robert McFarland

1] It was published in The Pulpit Digest.

2] Luke 14:15-24, Matthew 22:1-14.

3] It was almost like the story of the college girls dormitory, back when there was only one telephone on a dorm floor. The girls had posted a list of excuses they could use if an undesirable guy called for a date. “Have to wash my hair.” “Have to study.” “My parents are coming.” Etc. One girl got flustered as she read the list to find an excuse and said, “Oh, number 9.”

I probably should not use the title Christ In Winter anymore, since its assumption is that the writer cares about the readers. In fact, the real title now is Beyond Winter, which means the writer is an old man and beyond caring. But I don’t know how to change the CIW title up above, and if anyone looks for this column online, they’ll probably search for CIW, so…