A Most Unusual Dinner Party

[A story inspired by Luke 14:7-24—The Parable of the Great Dinner]

This story was originally created and presented orally as part of a class I took on storytelling.  I present slightly modified written version here…

It was the party of the year, and somehow I had scored an invitation!

I wondered if there had been a clerical error somewhere?  Was some rich debutant with whom I happened to share the same name being deprived of an invite? 

But I can rationalize with the best of them, and I soon convinced myself that “nameless rich guy” probably gets invited to a party like this every week.  Surely he won’t miss this one little invite. 

“He probably has turned down invitations to more posh parties than I’ll ever be invited to attend in my life.”

I got myself ready.

I had to admit I cleaned up well.

Better to look rich than to be rich.

I was excited!  Anybody who’s anybody in this town will be there—and for this one night I was going to be one of them

For this one night, at least, I would be somebody that matters!

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****

The party was at one of the nicer homes in town.  I had always wanted to see the inside of that place, and tonight I finally got my chance.

We were ushered into an elegant entryway and I took in the scene. Wow!  What a fancy place. At first, I was a little afraid to move for fear of breaking something expensive; but after a while I loosened up.  I was rubbing elbows with the elite of society.

It was a neat experience and I tried to enjoy it, but I suddenly found that I empathized with Jack Dawson from the movie Titanic.  By virtue of a set of circumstances, I had been received what amounted to a “promotion” from third class to first class.

Like Dawson, looking the part on the outside was easy enough, but now I would have to convince them I actually belonged here.

I felt more than a little nervous as the doors to the banquet room opened, but if the appetizers were this good, I certainly intended to stick around for the main course!

Okay, Alan, this is your big moment.  Don’t screw up!  Make them think you belong…

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****

I slowly made my way to the front of the room and started looking around for my place at the table.  Aided by Vaseline on my lips, I smiled broadly and tried to look like I belonged right where I was—but still I felt so self-conscious, like my ruse would be discovered at any moment.

As I approached the first table, I saw that there were name-cards at each seat. 

I started looking at the names. One said “homeless”…  another “poor,”… another “downtrodden,”… another “weak,”… another “hopeless”… another “sick.”

Thinking these names were a bit odd, I moved to the next table.  But the names on these cards still didn’t make sense:  “prostitute,”  “AIDS patient,” “mentally ill,”  “prisoner,” and so on. 

As I continued to move from table to table, I found more and more nameless names but I couldn’t find my name anywhere!  I tried to remain calm on the outside but I was a bit panicked inside.

Of course, the irony of this situation wasn’t lost on me.  Someone who felt that he didn’t belong here to begin with is now getting quite upset that he couldn’t find the place where he belonged.

I continued to work the room and smile while at the same time glancing at the place cards at each table, trying in vein to find my seat.  Eventually, I encountered a modestly dressed man whom I assumed was one of the staff.  Trying to be discrete, I informed him of my quandary.

“Sir, can you help me.  I have an invitation but I don’t seem to have a seat.”

The person acknowledged me and then disappeared into the crowd.  I presumed he was going to inquire with the host about the mix-up…

While I waited for the servant to come back, I keep looking around.  Double-checking to see if I missed my name somewhere.  But to no avail, I couldn’t find my name anywhere.  I was really getting worried now.

“You know, it’s a little arrogant to assume your seat is up front.  If the host arrived and had to move you back, that would be, well—AWKWARD!”

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****

I was so engrossed in search that the booming voice coming from behind startled me.  The first thing that went through my mind was: 

Oh no!  They’ve figured me out!

My tie suddenly felt like a noose.

I figured the next thing I would feel would be the hands of a burly security guard with no neck who would proceed to unceremoniously remove me from the premises. 

But after a moment, I realized, with more than a small amount of relief, that the person speaking was addressing not just me, but the entire room. Until now I had been so caught up trying to find my own seat that I hadn’t really noticed, but as Iooked around, I realized that not a single guest was seated yet.  I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t find a seat. In fact the whole room seem confused…  The noise level increased; confusion reigned; people tried to figure out where they belonged.

“Now, on the other hand, if you sit back here, you might just find that the host will come along and say, ‘Why are you all the way back here in the back?!  Move up to the head table and join the party.’“

The man speaking was seated at a table in the back of the room that I had hardly noticed when I walked in.  It was in a dimly lit corner and was much more simply decorated than the other tables.  I think I assumed it was for the servants, not the invited guests.

Well, whoever this guy was, he definitely had my attention now—and, for that matter, everyone else in the room!  He stood up from his chair and started walking slowly up the aisle toward the head table.  All eyes were fixed on this relative stranger.

“My point is simple.  We’ve all come here tonight because we think it will benefit us in some way. This is so typical of our race: Obsessed with our quest to be the best.  

"So, we fight for the seats of honor at the table, the fanciest home in the neighborhood, the highest paying job, the best school for our kids, the nicest and newest clothes, the prettiest wife or handsomest husband. We have an incessant need for status.  And yet we never quite seem to find what we’re seeking—it’s always just ahead of us on the trail.  It’s like a treadmill we can’t escape!  We run faster, work harder, but we never get there!"  

"We spend so much of life fighting to “get ahead” that we have precious little time to live life the way it was meant to be lived.”

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****

Finally the man broke the uncomfortable silence—the kind that inevitably follows whenever someone names the elephant in the room.

“Well friends, I have a surprise for you, tonight is not about any of us getting further ahead….  No… tonight is about them finally finding a place at the table…”

The true "guests of honor" at the party.
Photo Credit: L'habitant

The man made a slight motion with his arms and at that instant the doors to the place flung open and, for lack of a better term, a mass of humanity began to enter the banquet room.  They certainly weren’t dressed for a posh party.  In fact, many if not most of them were wearing shabby clothing, and more than a few hadn’t bathed in some time. Reflexively, I stepped back from a few of them as they passed by—I didn’t want to get my rented clothes dirty.

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****

We all stood and watched in amazement for a good while as this legion of the least, the last, and the lost entered the ballroom and took the seats that had been prepared for them. By the time they were all in place a distinctive and potent mix of human aromatics hung over the room. Some among them couldn’t even walk and had to be carried by their friends.  But all seemed determined to take their place at the table.

After a few moments, the man approached me from behind. 

“So, Alan, have you figured out where you belong?”

Startled, I turned to look…  All I wanted tonight was to be the center of attention, the person in the spotlight, but now I wished I could crawl under a rock and hide.  Every eye in the place was staring at me.

Now, for the first time I got a good look at the man who had been speaking and realized that this was the same man I talked to earlier in the evening—the man I had assumed was a servant. 

“You came to this party because you wanted so desperately to belong.  You thought this was your chance to finally be seen as somebody.  You thought that meant you would sit up front and be served by people like them. “

“Not surprising really; that’s what most people think it means to “get ahead” in life.” 

“But the host of this party is a little eccentric; he sees things differently than most. In his house, the tables are turned; the “head table” is in the back where I was seated.  And if you want to dine with him this evening, then you are going to have to stoop to serve.”

“The guests of honor at this party are the ones willing to get their hands and knees dirty serving people like the ones around these tables.  You know, the ones we often ignore, push aside, or climb over on our way to “the top.”

“So all that to say that if you came looking to dine at the “head table” tonight, you’re probably a smidge overdressed.  You might want to put these on instead...” 

The man handed me a cloth bag.  Looking inside I saw it contained clothes very similar to the clothes that he himself was wearing—simple, black, with at least one or two old stains that clearly didn’t come out in the wash. 

“Once you change you can join me in the back…” 

Church: A Shining Alternative to Normalcy??

Followers of Christ should bring unique flavor to this world.
Matthew 5:13

The people of God have always been called to be distinctive in the world—and they've always struggled with that calling.  Jesus, God-in-the-flesh, issued that same challenge to those who followed him—and it was not popular.  

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that we should be salt of the Earth and light to the world.  In other words, we’re set apart to fulfill a special purpose in this world.  But he also warns us that once salt loses its saltiness, what good is it?  Likewise, he says that light doesn’t do much good if you hide it from view—Matthew 5:13-16.  

In other words: Once we start blending in, we’re just like everybody else.

The way of Jesus was a different path that led to a radically different way of life from that which the Roman Empire considered normal.  It was not an easy road for those that chose to follow Jesus, so much so that many chose not to walk it, or turned away not long after  they started—John 6:60-71.  Walking that path would soon bring Jesus and his followers into conflict with the powers that ruled world around them—who had a vested interest in preserving the status quo.  Refusing to waiver from that path and submit to those powers ultimately cost Jesus—and many of his early followers—their lives.  Jesus' call to his followers hasn't changed in 2000 years.  We are still called to stand against the grain of the dominant culture of our day.  We are still called to oppose the “empire” when necessary and to model a different way of living—to show the world it's actually possible!  

If it sounds strange to you to think of yourselves or your church this way, it may be a sign of how much we've accepted the normalcy of the world as Christians—often giving it our blessing and walking lockstep with it without even realizing we've done it.  

Followers of Christ must be willing to stand against the flow. 
Romans 12:2

While we are certainly called to be in the world (i.e., we are to engage it as opposed to being withdrawn and hiding away from it) we are also called not to be of the world—1 John 2:15-17; Romans 12:2.  Unfortunately, I am afraid the second part of that command often gets forgotten.  We want so badly for the world to accept us and our message,  we are so concerned that we don't come across as judgmental or hypocritical, that we end up blending in and losing everything that makes us distinctive.

We can't change the past—nor should we deny it—but we can, and I would argue we must plot a new future for followers of Christ and for Christ's Body—the Church. We have to figure out a way to reclaim what makes us distinctive in the world—and of course that thing is the way of Jesus.  

Sometimes the first step to change is becoming aware of the problem.  As long as we live in denial, and refuse to admit we Christians have often been part of the problem as opposed to being the solution, we won't really be motivated to change.  However, once we become convinced that we are in fact off course and have wandered far from the way of Jesus, then change becomes possible.  We can begin to adjust our heading.  We can take steps to get back on the right path.  We can start taking evil more seriously (without being paranoid and blaming "the Devil" for everything that goes wrong!), and begin to actively plot goodness in our world.  

The Church can once again become a shining alternative to the normalcy of the world.

Taking Evil Seriously—Part IV: Lessons from Batman

In the last three posts, we looked at evil as portrayed in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.  All well and good, but what can we (followers of Christ) learn from a fictional tale?  Actually, I think, quite a bit...

Real-Life Faith for Real-Life Christians

The people walking the streets of Gotham are real life characters that aren’t easy to pigeonhole as “good” or “evil.”  To some extent, they defy the stereotypical “good buy” and “bad guy” distinctions.  Even the hero of the series himself wrestles with who he is called to be and walks a fine line between hero and vigilante as he lives it out.  We should recognize ourselves in these characters. 

We all wrestle with who we are really called to be and how exactly we go about living this out in daily life.  It’s rarely as clear-cut as we would prefer and there are plot twists in each of our life stories that we could not possibly anticipate ahead of time. (Consider the story of Jacob in Genesis 25:19–33:19.) We may begin our journey seeing the lines clear-cut, but as we spend time actually living our faith and meshing it with our life experiences, those lines quickly blur into many nuances of gray.  Perhaps this is why the Apostle Paul seemed to have so much angst within him over trying to do good but having evil right there beside him—Romans 7:15-20.

The real world is not black and white; it is composed of a rainbow of vibrant, high-definition colors—and we need to honestly pursue a faith that functions in the world where we actually live.  

“Plotting Goodness”

The villains that oppose Batman are quite good at being bad; they are not comic relief.  (This version is about as far removed from the campy 1960s Batman TV series as you can get!)  I think Nolan captures the essence of evil well in his villains.  The characters are complex and each driven by different motivations.  They deliberately plot against the “good guys” and are ruthless in their pursuit of their goals.   

Batman & Robin on the run in pursuit of evil in the old
Batman TV series [1966–1968]

If real evil actively plots against good, it needs a counterbalance in this world. Our churches should consider part of their mission to restore balance back to our world, tipping the scales back toward God’s original vision for creation.

We could say that our Christian communities should be places that actively plot goodness[1]. Evil can be very seductive; it can seem harmless at first and before we know it, and without always being consciously aware of it, we are sucked in.  Once enough individuals fall under evil’s influence, it begins to infect our communities and our world systemically.  Evil begins to become normative as it spreads its tendrils, enticing more and more people away from good, corrupting the infrastructure of entire communities (e.g., Gotham City)—even entire cultures. 

Our churches, the beloved community of Christ, need to be places that stand against the advance of evil.  We need to articulate and practice publicly an alternative way of living, one that definitively says “No” to the normalcy of evil. 

Church should be a place where we plot goodness together, where we come together regularly to remind each other that the world’s way is not the only way, and encourage each other to stand against the normalcy of evil in our world,—wherever we find ourselves. Jesus showed the world that it was possible for a human being to live this alternative way.  In fact, he believed so passionately that it God’s way was a better way, that he was willing to die for it.  Jesus challenged all who would follow after him to practice living the same way—and dying the same way, if that's what it took. 

After the resurrection, when Jesus was preparing to leave them, he commanded his followers to live as if what we believe the future will be (i.e., the vision of God’s kingdom coming in it’s fullness, which we sometimes call heaven) has already come to pass.  We don’t hide away from the world while we wait for Jesus to return and take us to heaven with him.  No, we actively engage the world now while we wait and begin to transform it bit-by-bit.  We construct little outposts of God’s Kingdom here on Earth—as we believe it will someday be, in full.  We practice doing the things that Jesus and his followers did on a regular basis and train others to do the same[2].  We live out the Great Commission—making disciples… and teaching them to obey…—Matthew 28:18-20. 

Standing Against the “Normalcy of Evil”

In Dark Knight Rises, the plot rests on the fact that Gotham City let its guard down. This allowed evil to creep in, lurking in the shadows, consolidating its power, and waiting until the time was right to strike again. (Similar plots unfold in other epic stories and movies—e.g., The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars.)  On the surface, peace seemed to reign in the city streets, but all the while, in the sewers below a new evil (Bane) was taking root, filling the void left after the last evil (the Joker) was eradicated. 

This illustration reminds us that evil never gives up; it is creative and resourceful, always looking for new ways to spread, new victims to infect. 

Capain Hook always seems to be a "step behind" 
Jake and the Neverland Pirates .

I am afraid that too often Christians are not nearly as vigilant and dedicated.  We function as if evil is not a serious threat—a defeated foe. We claim peace when there is no peace.  A fundamental piece of our theology that Christ defeated evil and death on the cross once and for all, so we assume we’re all safe and sound.  The devil is reduced to a comical looking character with pitchforks and horns, placed on par with Captain Hook from Jake and the Neverland Pirates, a pathetic figure always running a “step” behind Jesus, without a chance of ever doing him—or his  followers—serious harm.

But, of course, bad things happen in our world—even to dedicated followers of Jesus.  Sometimes evil does win and sometimes we find ourselves in the pit of despair, struggling to escape—which Nolan symbolizes as Batman struggles to escape the Lazarus Pit in Dark Knight Rises. To suggest otherwise is to deny reality.  If Jesus is going to make a difference, he must matter in the pit and in the messy reality of our real world.    

While I do believe Christ has won ultimate victory for us, I also believe the struggle is far from over.  As followers of Christ, we live in the tension between the now and not yet; what will be in the future is not yet so…

But the problem is that we act like it’s all done.  Since our eternal future is determined, we assume that how we actually live our daily lives doesn’t really matter.  We let our guard down, and start down a slippery slope toward blending into the world around us.  From there, it’s only a matter of time before we become desensitized and accept the normalcy of evil. Rather than stand apart from the world as we are called, we form alliances with them, and often depend on them for our continued existence. (We can point to some unfortunate chapters in Church history where these alliances have led to horrible abuses of power, crimes against humanity, etc.)  Under those circumstances, to choose to stand out from the world is really hard—to do so could put you at risk. 

Just to give a more personal example, we went to a National Night Out gathering in our neighborhood recently.  It was a fun event for the kids in our community, with games and a train around the lake; our kids enjoyed themselves.  There was just one problem.  The music played was just plain inappropriate for young ears.  The lyrics were of a violent and/or sexual nature—I heard some profanity laced throughout.  My wife and I both agreed the lyrics were bad but we stayed at the event, and we didn’t really voice our concerns to the person playing the music. We just endured the noise pollution for as long as we were there—as did everyone else there that evening.

This incident reminded me of how hard it can be to stand out for good, especially in a culture that seems to increasingly accept the normalcy of evil.  Soemtimes it's just "easier" to blend into the crowd and not "cause a scene". 

Now obviously, we have to choose our “battles” as it were; not every fight is for us and we must discern when we need to take action and the most effective way to go about it once we choose to act. (Ultimately we decided our best recourse in this case would probably be to complain to our homeowners association—since the dues we pay are used to fund these kinds of activities.)   

The problem is that each time I choose the "easier" way, each time I "look the other way" in the face of something I know is wrong, I lose an opportunity to demonstrate a different way to the world and I give away a little more of what should make me distinctive in the world—in other words, Christ living in me.

I will have more to say on this issue of being distinctive in my next post.  Stay tuned...

---

[1] Thanks to Brian McLaren for this term.

[2] Thanks to N.T. Wright for these ideas. 

Taking Evil Seriously—Part III: Systemic Evil

WARNING: This installment definitely contains some Dark Knight Rises spoilers. If you’ve not seen the film yet, continue at your own risk.

Not only is each of the individual villains in  Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy competent and dangerous foes for Batman, the films also do a good job portraying the insidious nature of systemic evil. 

When evil is allowed to infiltrate a system long enough and goes unchecked, it can have devastating consequences for society.  Before we know it, the entire infrastructure becomes corrupt and corroded, and vulnerable to attack. If someone provides a “spark,” the system may collapse on itself.

In Dark Knight Rises, Bane provided just that “spark.” His League of Shadows managed to mix explosives into concrete.  For months, even years, every public works project intended to “build up” the city was unwittingly laying the trap that would tear it apart—when the time was right.

Propped up by the false martyrdom of Harvey Dent, Gotham City was lulled into a false sense of security.  They thought good had won once and for all and they let their guard down; they became complacent and stopped taking evil seriously.  Evil counts on that complacency inevitably creeping in.  Evil is patient, willing to lurk in the shadows for years, if that’s what it takes—but sooner or later, it rises again, stronger than ever.  In Dark Knight Rises, the new evil in Gotham literally rises from the sewers. 

When Bane finally “goes public” and people realize that there’s a problem, it’s already too late to stop his sinister plot.  The trap is already loaded and ready to be sprung; the infrastructure is already “compromised” and “contaminated” with evil. With a single push of a button, Bane literally crumbles the city’s entire physical infrastructure, imprisoning most of the city’s police officers underground, and throwing the people into panic. 

And of course, people who are afraid can easily be emotionally and psychologically manipulated. To further fan the flames, Bane lets them know that their peace has been built on a lie.  Harvey Dent is not the man they thought he was.  Prisoners, many of whom were arrested as a result of Dent’s legacy, were set free to roam the streets and class warfare raged in the streets.  A reign of terror followed with Jonathon Crane (a.k.a., Scarecrow from Batman Begins) presiding over a “kangaroo court” and dispensing “justice” on Gotham’s rich and powerful.   Evil was running rampant in Gotham.  Could anyone stop this?!

Of course, in the end Batman does stop Bane—with a few surprises along the way that I won’t disclose J.  But my point here is this:

Gotham didn’t take evil seriously and they paid a terrible price.

Next: Lessons for Christ-followers

Taking Evil Seriously—Part II: Competent Villains

Beyond the honest portrayal that the line between good and evil is at blurred at best and difficult to straddle, the villains in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy are worthy foes for the Dark Knight.  These aren’t the bumbling, incompetent “bad guys” that we so often see portrayed on many TV shows that seem more like comic relief than credible foes.  I particularly notice this on the cartoons that my children watch.  The “good guys” are always a step ahead of them and never seriously threatened.  In fact, in many cases, the “bad guys” become “good guys” by the end of the episode!  

While I realize these are shows aimed at children and not adults, I’m always a little troubled by this, because I think it gives children a somewhat skewed view of the reality of evil in our world.  

For example, take Captain Hook as depicted on Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  We are supposed believe he is an “evil pirate”, but the problem is that he comes across more like a circus clown.  His henchmen often seem more competent and self-aware than he is!  I dare say any resemblance between Hook and a real pirate would be coincidental.  Real pirates are nasty individuals that you probably don’t want to tangle with—cunning, smart, evil.  If they seek to do you harm, a wooden sword and magical pixie dust won’t solve your problem.  

Captain Hook Jake & the Neverland Pirates

At the risk of saying something obvious:  Real life isn’t like children’s television.  Evil usually isn’t bumbling and incompetent; it’s competent and dangerous. I think Nolan’s Batman trilogy does a good job depicting evil as it really is.

In each of these three movies, intricately layered evil schemes unfold. The “good guys” foil one plot only to realize the “real” evil was far more insidious than they realized.  They stop one villain only to find out that villain works for another more powerful villain.   

Far from being incompetent buffoons who chase after the “good guys” in vain, Batman's opponents are very good at being bad, and extremely smart—and that combination makes them extremely dangerous.  It takes every ounce of strength and courage the heroes can muster to defeat these foes. The victories don’t come without sacrifice on the part of the heroes.

Ra's al Ghul
Batman Begins

Ra’s al Ghul (featured in Batman Begins) is evil—but he’s also brilliant and cunning!  His acts of evil aren’t random; they are painstakingly planned and executed with precision.  In fact, the purpose behind his plots might, at first glance, seem noble—restoring ecological balance.  He’s just willing to use any means necessary to achieve that purpose—even if it means destroying a city and harming millions of people.  

The Joker
Dark Knight

The Joker (in Dark Knight) is different kind of evil; he’s a psychopath.  But just because he’s crazy, doesn’t mean he’s not smart.  Smart and insane is a really dangerous combination!  

Bane
Dark Knight Rises

Bane (in Dark Knight Rises) relies a bit more on brute force, fear, and intimidation than the other two villains, but still possesses intelligence, having been trained by the same organization that trained Batman.  Strong, smart, and evil is also quite lethal!

Next:  The Reality of Systemic Evil

Taking Evil Seriously—Part I: "The Thin Gray Line"

WARNING: Trying not to divulge too many plot details, but there are some minor spoilers here. If you’ve not seen the film yet, continue at your own risk.

I saw Batman: The Dark Knight Rises recently. How was it?  In a word: good!  It’s obviously not appropriate for young audiences, and it’s quite violent in places, but I think director, Christopher Nolan, captured the essence of the genre—and of the complicated characters that inhabit Gotham City.  I have to wonder if we’ve seen the last of the “caped crusader” on the big screen; the ending certainly leaves the door open wide for Nolan or someone else to pick up the story at some point.

I enjoyed this three-film adaptation of the rise and fall of Batman—the previous two being Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight. There are lots of things that I could discuss.  But as I thought about it recently, one thing in particular stood out.

These movies took evil seriously.

To begin with, the films are honest that the division between good and evil often blurs.  Rather than white and black, we find a variety of shades of gray in Gotham. Even the film’s “hero”—Batman—blurs the line between good and evil, hero and vigilante—certainly much more than a hero like Superman.  Bruce Wayne receives his initial training from an organization called the League of Shadows, which he betrays when he discovers their sinister plot to destroy Gotham.  (In Nolan’s adaptation, his former mentor becomes Batman’s greatest foe—Ra’s al Ghul.) Throughout the trilogy, Wayne wrestles with his identity and what purpose the “symbol of the bat” really should serve.  This is an especially important plot thread in Dark Knight Rises.

As the third movie begins, Bruce Wayne is in hiding.  His alter-ego—Batman—is now a wanted criminal for his alleged role in the murder of Harvey Dent—former Gotham district attorney.  Wayne convinced Police Commissioner Gordon to sacrifice Batman’s reputation in order to protect Dent’s—and the current peace in Gotham City rests on that deception.

The character of Catwoman (appearing in Dark Knight Rises) definitely embodies someone who walks that “thin gray line” between good and evil.  She has her own agenda and pursues it pretty effectively.  At times, when it serves her purpose, she is Batman’s ally, but at other times she works against him, even betraying him at one point.  Eventually, however, there came a moment where Catwoman had to choose what “side” she was on—and her choice is critical in the outcome of the movie. 

While it’s hard to distinguish “good” and “evil” sometimes, it’s also hard to stay neutral very long in real life.  Sooner or later you have to pick a side.  And the choice you make is one of the most important one’s you’ll ever make...

Next: Competent and Dangerous Villains.

Learning to Fly

Learning to fly, but I aint got wings.

And coming down is the hardest thing...

—Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "Learning to Fly"

Flying and Catching

Henri Nouwen was a well-known Catholic priest and author.  He at one point spent time getting to know the members of an acrobatic troupe[1].  Among them were flyers and catchers.  Flyers captured the public eye as they soared through the air—they got all the applause. Catchers worked behind the scenes, lurking in the shadows, just out of view, waiting for the critical moment during the act when they reached out of the darkness to catch the flyer and bring them safely home. I can only imagine that the flyer was “very glad” every time that moment came.

Nouwen once asked the leader of the troupe what the secret was to making the act work.  His response was simple but profound: The secret is that the flyer does nothing; the catcher does everything.  “When I fly to Joe, I simply have to stretch out my hands and wait.” 

While I see the point of the sentiment, I don’t necessarily agree that the flyer does “nothing.” In fact, I actually think he ultimately makes the choice that makes the whole act possible.  You see, the flyer is the only who can decide to jump. 

There can be no dramatic catch until the flyer makes the fateful choice to "let go" and fly.

Once we're flying, then I agree, the outcome is sort of out of our hands, but I don’t think we should diminish the importance of that initial choice to "let go[2]." 

Sounds all well and good, but humans don't have wings!

It looks routine, but it actually takes
lots of practice to learn to fly.

I think what makes us spectators “ooh” and “ah” when we watch the remarkable performances (like the one Nouwen got to experience) going on above our heads is that they seem to be doing something humanly "impossible."   We know what they are doing is very dangerous; injury or even death is possible if things go poorly.  We're on the edge of our seat to see how it turns out.  This kind of thing doesn’t come naturally to anyone, and yet as these flyers and catchers do it night after night, such death-defying acts begin to look routine—like the outcome was never in doubt.

We ask ourselves:  How in the world do they make it look so natural?!

Having never done a high-wire act, I can only guess, but, in a word, I would say the answer is: practice.  

More specifically I would imagine that they would have to:

·      Get to know each other—very well.  Flyers and catchers no doubt spent lots of time together.  I would imagine a troupe like that even lived together.  A flyer had to know that the he could count on his catcher to do his job well—and vice versa.  

·      Work together—a lot. Something this difficult to do only looks routine and effortless to the audience because the performers have put in long hours working together as a team.  The flyer and the catcher have built a strong connection that enables trust between the two. Each almost knows instinctively what the other will do in any given situation. They can anticipate each other's moves and adjust accordingly.

But even after all that training, imagine how it must feel to climb that ladder and stand up on that platform before a packed house.  No matter how much you've prepared, to take that first step out into nothingness must be hard. As you leap, you are leaning on all the practice that has bought you to this point and on the trust you have placed in your friends who are there with you. 

And then, in an instant, it happens.  Each does their part.

The flyer flies; the catcher catches; and the crowd goes wild!

Choosing to "Let Go" and Fly

Have you noticed that real life has a way of putting us in a similar place as those flyers on a regular basis?  While we’re not usually literally hundreds of feet off the ground on a narrow ledge waiting to jump, we often face critical moments in our lives where we have to make the fateful choice to “let go”—or not.

Once we "let go," we might fail spectacularly or we might succeed beyond our wildest dreams.  We can't control the outcome once we're airborne. But we can be sure of one thing: 

Until we decide to let go and fly, nothing will happen—good or bad.  We'll be stuck in "neutral," plagued by uncertainty and doubt, haunted by the notion that what we desire remains just beyond our reach here on the platform.  

So all this got me thinking:

Could our churches be "flight schools"?

Without a doubt, making that initial decision to "let go" is hard.  Flying out into nothingness and placing your trust in "unseen hands" to catch you and bring you safely home doesn’t come naturally to any human being.  Left to our own devices, most of us will probably never “climb the ladder,” much less have the courage to “jump”.  No, if we're ever going to fly, it will probably take the support and encouragement of some friends who can perhaps help make the "unseen hands" just a smidge more visible for us.

Could your church, small group, or other gathering become a "safe place" to practice flying?  Could we practice and prepare together for our flights?  Could we learn to trust each other implicitly? Could we offer support and encouragement as we each summon the courage to step to the "platform" and fly toward that whatever it is we sense God calling us to do next?  Could we be there to catch one another when we fall—as will inevitably happen from time-to-time?  Could we offer congratulations and consolation to one another as needed, and encouragement to keep flying even amidst the turbulence of doubt, fear, and uncertainty?  

Could we help each other mount the platform, take the leap out into the unknown and fly, trusting the Divine hands that promise to catch us and bring us safely home?

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[1] Ortberg, John: Know Doubt: Embracing Uncertainty in Your Faith, Chapter 2, pp. 36-38.

[2] I think this is why Ortberg ends Know Doubt the way he does—see Chapter 11.  The whole book is about dealing with uncertainty and doubt in our faith, and his point is that these only fade as we make the choice we are capable of making in this process—to "let go" and experience the freedom God gives us to "fly."  And we must make that choice over and over again in our lives.