As we Presbyterians descend upon Detroit for the 221st General Assembly this June 14-21, I can’t resist the inclination to shop through Motor City’s highlight reels for apt metaphors for the work that we will undertake.
I think of the city’s 30 percent population shrinkage in the first decade of this century, and that takes me to the oft-repeated sad story of our denominational shrinkage. Okay, let’s set aside those depressing thoughts.
We can look back to the 1950s – the great heyday for GM, Ford, Chrysler and Presbyterians — then watch as each of us lost market share to Toyota, Honda, Nissan and fundapentacharisgelical mega-churches — only to rebound in the new century. Well, the automakers did rebound, at least. We can hope that the same will be true for us.
We can turn our attention to the music of Motown – the passionate singing and the acrobatic dancing — and think about Presbyterians’ great singing, and … uh … well … forget the dancing image. Most of us don’t even know how to clap on the right beat.
Then again, Detroit does boast about its sports teams: Pistons — a shout-out to the auto industry — and those feline Tigers and Lions. Now, there is a metaphor begging for exploration. Might we imagine ourselves to be kin to Daniel?
What was it that tossed Daniel into the lions’ den?
- His unwillingness to bend his knee to a false god.
- His boldness in speaking truth to power.
- His wisdom that empowered him to read the handwriting on the wall.
We Presbyterians relate to the man who would root idolatry out of every corner in God’s household. We have shunned the gods that try to sneak into the family. And, not just the idols of the Greek or Roman pantheons, but the gods of wealth, power and prestige, the idols of self-importance, self-exaltation and self-centeredness. Even when we argue among ourselves, we’re often shining the light on each other’s affections for God’s rivals.
We Presbyterians relate to the man who found the courage to confront the people of power.
Where some other churches shun all matters political, we read the biblical commands both to love neighbors and to break chains of injustice as requirements to engage the public square. Oh, our doing so can and will provoke backlash, especially when we align closely to one party platform of another. However, we have spoken out and will do so again when we believe that doing so can help us promote social righteousness — the fifth of the six Great Ends of the Church listed in our Book of Order.
We Presbyterians also have been people of superior education, of high scholarship and often (but not always) of profound wisdom. In Daniel’s case he was granted a special charism for dream interpretation – that more often than not indicted the king over all of the land. But Daniel didn’t go blurting and blabbering with reckless abandon. He chose which patches of land on which to fertilize with his blood. He showcased the discretion that proved to be the better side of valor.
The commissioners and delegates to the 221st GA have been assigned the task of discerning God’s will for and expressing God’s voice to the PC(USA). Their prime textbook for doing so will be the holy Scriptures inspired by God some 2000-3000 years ago and about 10,000 miles away. How are we to translate those ancient and distant words to our current and immediate context? How do they give direction to us as we aim to engage in the missio Dei in our time and place?
Daniel discerned God’s will for then and there, and in the process, he granted us a role model for finding God’s will for here and now. Let us all be in prayer for our sisters and brothers as they seek to discern, seek to root out idolatry, seek to speak truth to power, and seek above all to be wise beyond their years, their experience and their prejudices.
And may God’s will be not only discerned but implemented faithfully by us all.
