“That they may all be one….” John 17:21-23
If you’ve ever played the children’s game of “Sorry”, you know that when your neighbor lands on your space, you have to go back to the start and begin again. It’s been 2,000 years since Jesus taught us other ways to enjoy and share our playground. Yet it seems as if we humans still trip all over each other to win imagined games, without counting the cost to our neighbor.
I confess the secret pleasure of sending an opponent’s pieces back home in order to advance my own objective, getting all my pieces across the finish line before anybody else. This game wouldn’t still be popular if the psychological thrill of overcoming others for personal gain wasn’t our human tendency.
God’s vision for that day when abundance for all will mean scarcity for none may seem a far dream. The inbreaking good news that we may all be one through Christ in whom there is no separation or division may seem impossible.
Nevertheless, we know as people of faith that while we may be discouraged, we will not despair. We’re essentially hardwired for joy and wonder, byproducts of our faith. God invites us to play games that bring us pleasure, and everyone else too. Resist the temptation to choose sides for a pick-up softball team by which someone goes home brokenhearted for being chosen last. It takes greater imagination to create games where even when you win, everyone else gets to enjoy the game.
We’ve become attached to concrete, binary thinking: this is good, that is bad. This person is a scoundrel, that person a saint. Nowhere in creation does this either/or, black/white division exist. A field of poppies stuns us with beauty through gradations of color across the spectrum of oranges and reds. Eliminate any one hue and the palate and pleasure diminish.
We’re far richer and happier as humans when our habits and practices align with God’s intention for creation. Our best efforts will always pale by comparison. So, I’m curious. What game might God encourage us to play instead of one more round of divide and conquer?
I can already hear the wheels turning in our heads. It seems to me that golfers love to play even when they lose. While it’s great to win and pretty competitive, Mahjongg players enjoy the mental challenge of the game regardless of the outcome. My grandchildren love to play Monopoly, at least for the first hour. Everybody gets to collect property and receive a paycheck when they pass Go, at least until somebody takes over the neighborhood, and they end up bankrupt. The redeeming and enduring love of that game comes from the fact that at the end of the day, like life itself, everything goes back in the box.
Just for today, consider the games you tend to play. Who wins, who loses, who most enjoys the game? If you discover that you’re attached only to the games you win, you may want to consider learning a new game. Let’s play.
God’s grace, mercy and peace be with you,
Rev. Dr. Anna V. Copeland
Senior Minister, The Community Church of Vero Beach
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