The Wilderness of Shame
by Kevan Franklin
Some of you have
made the journey to Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood to see the house
where the Classic Christmas Movie, "A Christmas Story" was filmed.
The movie contains one of my favorite movie quotes. It comes toward the
end, at the point where little Ralphie is knocked down by a BB ricochet
fulfilling the prophecies of his teacher, his mother, his friends and yes, even
Santa Claus. It seems to summarize the whole point of the movie.
"Oh, life is like
that. Sometimes, at the height of our revelries, when our joy is at its zenith,
when all is most right with the world, the most unthinkable disasters
descend upon us."
- A Christmas Story
Ralphie as an adult narrating his most memorable Christmas.
The Wilderness of shame,
embarrassment and public humiliation is one of our greatest fears.
That quote reminds me of
the story in John 2:1-11 when Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding
in Cana.
Two days later Jesus’
mother was a guest at a wedding in the village of Cana in Galilee, and
Jesus and his disciples were invited. The wine supply ran out during the
festivities, and Jesus’ mother came to him with the problem. “I can’t help you
now,” he said. “It isn’t my time for miracles.” But his mother told the
servants, “Do whatever he tells you to.”
Six stone water jars
were standing there; they were used for Jewish ceremonial purposes and held
perhaps twenty to thirty gallons each. Jesus told the servants to fill them to
the brim with water. When this was done he said, “Dip some out and take it to
the master of ceremonies.” When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that
was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the
servants did), he called the bridegroom over.
“This is wonderful!” he
said. “You’re different from most people. Usually a host uses the best wine
first, and afterwards, when everyone is full and doesn’t care, then he brings
out the less expensive brands. But you have kept the best for last!” This
miracle at Cana in Galilee was Jesus’ first public demonstration of his
heaven-sent power. And his disciples believed that he really was the Messiah.
John has been called the
“Maverick Gospel” because he tells the story of Jesus in a completely different
way than Matthew, Mark and Luke. John’s
stories of Jesus reflect the Good Shepherd, who searches out and blesses the
outcasts and those who have been shamed and shunned by the world. The Gospel of John begins with Jesus’ first
public action to take quick, anonymous action to save a young couple from embarrassment at their wedding reception. Nearly everyone has a
story about a wedding mishap. We all have embarrassing moments in the
midst of our greatest expectations. Public embarrassment is a wilderness!
When our joy is at its
zenith, when all is most right with the world, the most unthinkable disasters
descend upon us.
“They didn’t order enough wine, they deserve
to be embarrassed.”
Where do you hear that line
of thinking in today’s world? It seems
that whenever anyone suffers a misfortune, people try to explain it
away by saying “It’s their own
fault." or "They should have planned better”
or “They should have been in a different place.” or some other such statement.
It's scary to live in a world where our fortunes can change so quickly. We guard ourselves with the comfortable belief that if something bad happened to someone it was because they made a mistake. In Jesus' day, people born blind, women who were unable to have children, lepers, and anyone who suffered from physical or mental disabilities were shamed and shunned. They had a simple answer; "It was their own fault."
The prophets Joel and
Amos declared that when the Messiah comes there would be an abundance of wine (Joel
3:18 and Amos 9:13). The prophets declared that the mountains would drip with
sweet wine when God’s anointed king showed up, the symbol of wine that we use in our celebration of Holy
Communion. This
Lent, remember that we are followers of a man who risked the ultimate public embarrassment
of being hanged on a cross for the sake of his friends! Our Faith is not about making
ourselves look good at the expense of others.
Following Jesus is certainly not about looking respectable! Our faith is
about risking looking bad in order to be a blessing to others. The
world is full of people who try to make others look bad.
Look away? Blame them? Laugh
at their inability to handle the situation?
Magnify their embarrassment by spreading word of their incompetence and
misfortune?
As part of the recovery
process, AA suggests that you; Do three good things for someone else and you
can’t tell anyone what you did and if you tell, you have to do three more. Remember Jesus’ blessing was anonymous!
We need people in our
lives who know what to do when the wine runs out.
As we sing in the song, They’ll
know we are Christians by our love”;
“To Guard each ones dignity and save each one’s pride”.
"When our joy is at its
zenith, when all is most right with the world, the most unthinkable disasters
descend upon us."
What will we do when we see a friend’s misfortune? Think: Parable of the Good Samaritan.
The church is not about
our own Respectability---the church is about risking humiliation in order to
bring grace and healing into the world.
What will you do the
next time the wine runs out?
Prayer
Jesus, my friend,
we thank you for teaching us about your ways through your parables and
actions. We intend to follow your example, fully grasp your love
for us, and enjoy our heavenly wedding reception. Give us courage to invite others to know the joys of your blessing. Amen
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