Perversity of Diversity¹
John 13.34-35
Rev. Matthew M. Fry

As we continue to experience the Word of the Lord together, Let us Pray. Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that as the scriptures are read and your Word is proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today. Prepare our hearts, O God, to accept your Word. Silence in us any voice but your own, that, hearing, we may also obey your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

I’ve come to the realization that any Pastor hates to come to. I’ve been selling the Gospel short, haven’t been preaching the whole story. I have come to realize that I’ve been giving you only half of the story. I should probably explain.

Every preacher, when they come out of seminary, comes out with 4 sermons. And if you are lucky or good, or better yet both, you add some along the way. It is why we get continuing education and why we read books, to try to add a sermon or two. So, now I’m up to maybe 8 or on a good cycle, 10. I mean, I preach more than 40 times to you per year, but the message usually fits into one of 8 or so categories. You could probably name a few of them, if you’ve been paying attention.

One of those categories has recently been about appreciating diversity and wanting to have folks with diverse beliefs as part of our community of faith. But I’ve come to realize that is only half true. It came to me while reading a bumper sticker. “Celebrate Diversity” it read. As usual for those kinds of bumper stickers, it was accompanied by a bumper sticker that read “I am pro-environment.” I wondered, where is the bumper sticker that reads “I am anti-environment.” No matter what you believe about global warming, isn’t everyone pro-environment.

Anyway, it wasn’t as funny as some of my favorite bumper stickers, such as “Honk if you are Elvis!” or “What would Scooby do?” or “Evolution’s just a theory. Kinda like gravity” or even “Jesus loves you; but I’m his favorite.”

But I’ve come to realize that I can’t say anymore that I want to celebrate diversity with a blanket statement. I can’t say “Celebrate Diversity” without some qualifiers and qualifications. And, that, of course, would run counter to the basic notion. Unconditional love? Perhaps. If love is that which wills the best for all. Unconditional celebration of diversity? I just can’t say it anymore.

I cannot celebrate the diversity of the my-way-or-the-highway crowd. Be it in religion, government, or lifestyle, that kind of diversity won’t get any celebration from me. I can’t celebrate the diversity of the fanatical Shiites and Sunnis who are ever-so-convinced that Allah smiles when they kill each other. I can’t celebrate diversity when it comes to a self-appointed-mind-of-God-knowing Christian who tells people they are headed for hell simply because they don’t believe in Jesus the way you oughta. Nor can I lift a glass to those who slap children or don’t pay women what they would pay a man or look down white noses at black folks. I can not, will not light a candle or boom some fireworks in celebration of men who express their diversity by beating their wives or offer drugs to children. That kind of diversity we can well do without, thank you very much.

I don’t know this, but my guess is that very few Jews celebrated the diversity of the German Nazi government. Very few children celebrate the diverse dad who abandons his kids in favor of booze and women. So you won’t catch me throwing a diversity party without some strings attached.

So, with that in mind, we go to the Gospel of John, for the reading that the session members recite every stated session meeting. No accident, by the way. Hear now The Word of the Lord as it comes to us in the Gospel of John. Listen for God’s Word for you. John 13.34-35.

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

The Word of the Lord…Thanks be to God.

I suppose this is the sermon that helps balance the sermons I usually give when I say that it is good to have different beliefs all together, and that it is even necessary, so that we can learn from each other and learn how to live together as we agree to disagree. I do believe that. However, I believe that in love, I have to say that I strongly disagree with some things or even some people, like say abusers. While someone may be for it, I will continue to fight to end abuse, and will not let my daughters hang out with someone who is for abuse. Kayla had a boyfriend in Kindergarten who hit her a couple of times while on the playground. She knew that while someone can apologize and we can still be friends and play nice, that anyone who hits is not allowed to be her boyfriend. Some things I will not tolerate.

One of those things I will not tolerate, ironically enough, is the intolerance that is perpetuated in the name of religion on other beliefs within that religion. We can disagree, even strongly disagree, even disagree to the point where fellowship together is too distracting (which is a real shame), but violence or exclusion perpetuated on others because of the belief of a certain set of dogmas is not tolerable to me, is incongruent with any religion that believes in good or mercy or justice.

So when I celebrate diversity, I add a caveat. I really want someone to give me a celebration of honesty and kindness. How ‘bout a celebration of integrity and forgiveness? Anybody want to join me in a party which celebrates spreading joy?

We live in a diverse world, sweet cheeks. And some of that diversity stinks. And even if we are all originally blessed, every one of us goofballs eventually finds a way to be ugly. To be nasty. To be hurtful. For me, that’s the product of culture and religion. And finally, none of that behavior is worth toasting.

So let’s celebrate the really good things, like the ability to tolerate differences among others so long as they don’t hurt other people. I mean, the beliefs of others, do they hurt people? As long as they don’t, find some things in common to celebrate. Like the joy of living. Like compassion. Give me rich belly laughter. Give me the hope that our crazy species will someday remember that we all share so many similarities, like the same home in earth, love for our children, and the capacity for good as well as the capacity for evil. We all share the same yearnings for life. All share in the goofs and glories of this extraordinary and irreplaceable gift of life. Give me that, that I’ll celebrate.

Amen.