Are We In Our Right Mind? Preached at Wollaston Congregational Church On June 10th, 2018 Family members, co-workers and friends have, from time to time, asked me questions like: “Are you out of your mind?” Granted they have used more polite terminology, such as “Are you sure about this?” or “Do you really want to do that?” Usually these questions have something to do with my call to ministry. My family and friends are well acquainted with the complications of congregational life. They know the conflicts that can spring up, seemingly out of nowhere. Over the years, they have seen church members take out their frustrations in life on their fellow congregants. They have noticed that the pastor often becomes the scapegoat for issues in the church. If you haven’t heard about this phenomenon, check out the subject “family systems theory and congregational conflict” on Amazon or in your local library. And I have to admit, congregational life is often messy. It is only by the grace of God, I am sure, that I landed here in this small and loving congregation. Believe me, I give thanks to God every day for every one of you. And still, the idea of creating loving community made up of a diversity of people from every age generation, race, walk of life, political persuasion, sexual orientation and gender identity, family configuration, can seem like a crazy, unattainable goal. In the “who we are” statement we adopted in January this year, we stated that our common denominator is “a desire to find our place in the expansive love of God, and to share that love, made known in Jesus Christ, in this community and in the world beyond.” Were it not for this lofty goal, I would agree with the critics, and say that our attempts at community are indeed crazy. In our gospel today, we heard of Jesus getting into the swing of his ministry in the third chapter of the gospel of Mark. The crowds are overwhelming. People in need of healing crowd around. Jesus and the disciples don’t even have time to eat. Jesus’ reputation of casting out demons from the afflicted is going before him. The temple scribes accuse him of being in league with Satan, but the people know better. Perhaps the scribes have dismissed the sick and the demon-possessed, because they don’t know what to do with them. Perhaps they have sent them away telling them to: “get ahold of themselves”, to be grateful for what they have, look on the bright side, get over it, to stop complaining, and focus on the positive. Perhaps they have shamed them for their sickness. Yet the temple scribes seem to think that they have a monopoly in the business of casting out demons. Perhaps they see Jesus’ work of compassion and healing as a threat to the sacrificial system. Perhaps they are fearful because his healing ministry actually works. And so they accuse him of being in league with the devil. And, it seems that Jesus’ family is also worried. He’s not getting his sleep, he’s not eating, he’s not “himself.” All this getting down and dirty with the afflicted ones is setting him apart. He is bringing down a shady reputation on the family. Jesus’ family call him crazy, and the scribes call him possessed, but he is making healing changes in the lives of people. He is forming grace-filled, messy community around himself. These are the people he decides to call family. It’s worth reminding ourselves that the people of Jesus’ time thought that diseases of the mind were caused by demons. The only treatment of the time was to cast out the demon. Jesus seems to have found a way to do this, such that the person was healed from their disease. Of course, in our times we understand that diseases of the brain are medical conditions. If you, or someone you love is struggling, they deserve a proper diagnosis and treatment plan. We know that, in our culture today, mental illness is a serious problem. Anxiety among teenagers has reached unprecedented proportions. And suicide rates have increased in nearly every state over the past two decades, and half of the states have seen suicide rates go up more than 30 percent.[1]Over the past few days the suicides of designer, Kate Spade, and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, have prompted conversations about this trend. In our times, there is still a sense of shame, for sure, around mental illness. And so, I am so grateful that therapists encourage their patients to seek out the community of church as a part of their healing process. The Health Fitness Revolution online magazine gives ten health benefits of belonging to a church. These include discipline, routine, self-identity and esteem, and participating in acts of service. The most significant benefit they list is social support: “Going to a place of worship gives you a sense of community. You have a second family that you can share your life’s problems and fun times with. Friends from church support you through the best and worst of times. [Worshiping] together makes the sense of community stronger.”[2] Despite the optimistic tone of this report, we know that simply belonging to church will not solve all mental health problems. Healthcare and treatment options are essential. And for a healthy society, these options must be available for everyone who needs them. But, we, the church, do have a role to play in the healing of those with mental illnesses. We can begin talking openly about mental health issues and naming them for what they are. Removing the taboos and stigmas around issues like depression, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts can help sufferers to seek out treatment. And we can normalize the need to seek help for mental conditions, talking openly of our own experiences and negating feelings of shame that plague sufferers. The second part of our role is to work on the gathering the kind of community Jesus called “family.” Can you imagine what that looks like in the light of the gospel passage we heard? Can you imagine a community of love, belonging and healing for all people? Last Sunday afternoon at the first Quincy Pride Day up on Pageant Field in Merrymount Park, I believe I saw a manifestation of this kind of community. I saw people of all ages, all walks of life, all races, all family configurations, people with disabilities – and quite a few dogs too – come together for music, dancing, games and food. It was a community of celebration. I was humbled by the fact that the Quincy clergy and faith leaders were invited, as a group. We were graciously invited to bless the raising of the flags and given a time to introduce ourselves and to speak as “Voices from the Interfaith Community.” I felt the grace of the invitation deeply, remembering that as a group, clergy have acted much like the temple scribes of Jesus time for members of the LGBTQ community. Clergy have sought to leave LGBTQ folk out of the faith community. They’ve branded them as “out of their mind” and possessed. They’ve sent them into the abusive practice of conversion therapy. I’m grateful that the United First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church has been a leader for same-sex marriage in the city of Quincy. First Parish and their minister, Rev. Rebecca Froom, provided the clergy with an entrée into the QPride space. All the churches in attendance were given table space in one of the tents. Several members from WCC and I spent the windy but joyful afternoon greeting the people who stopped by our table. We shared our flyers as well as Hershey kisses, brownies and cookies. One moment in the middle of the afternoon I paused and looked around the field. I felt as though I was stepping out of the space to look on from a “birds eye view.” And I wondered, “what ever made me think I would be able to minister to a congregation that would welcome and affirm the LGTBQ community … and welcome and affirm those seeking healing for mental illness? How did I ever have the audacity to think that?” Coming back to my family and friends, yes, I may be a little “out of my mind” to attempt this ministry here with you. Maybe we are all a little “out of our minds.” We have the audacity to think that we can share the love of God made known in Jesus Christ in this community and in the world beyond. To think that we – even we – this little band of followers of Jesus could become a community of healing. And yet we know that we arewhat Jesus calls his “family.” May all God’s people say Amen. [1]https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/06/07/617897261/cdc-u-s-suicide-rates-have-climbed-dramatically [2]http://www.healthfitnessrevolution.com/top-10-health-benefits-going-church/
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