The Balancing Act

Consider the groups you’ve belonged to, including family, and remember how every person in the group has a way to belong. This year’s family gathering may look a lot like last year’s if the same people attend. You know who’ll bring the biscuits,  who’ll  show up late and leave early, who will raise topics you’d rather not discuss, who you’ll be able to count on to smooth over rough spots and step in when things get tense.  Throw in a wild card; a new boyfriend or a visiting exchange student or a new baby, and suddenly the balance needs to be realigned. 
 
Realigning is hard work. In organizations, like the church, similar dynamics exist. Committees and groups have a way to be, with someone in charge and someone who thinks they’re in charge, those who have decided they are not leaders, and those who complain about leaders. I’m not picking on anyone, just saying this is how it usually plays out. 
 
Communities function like this too. There are those who carry the label of “untouchable” even if that is not a term we use often. Some do live on the edge of community, off the grid, or on the mountain, or from the other side of the tracks for a variety of reasons. Somehow communities came to expect a certain dynamic from that demographic and a role is carved out.
 
In Jesus’ day those who live on the edge are often “unclean” for one reason or another. The man called “Legion” in Luke’s 8th chapter is one such character. The Gospel writer claims he is possessed by many demons. What is powerful about this story for me is that once the man is healed, he wants to follow the healer, yet Jesus just wants him to share the good news of his healing right in his home town. Now there’s the challenge!
 
Suddenly the one who had been shackled, and chained, who lived in the tombs among the dead, naked and hungry, is told to go back into the community, who rejected him, and share the good news. The dynamics change, and the one identified as untouchable, unclean and unimportant is trying to re-establish a place in community. This challenges prejudices, assumptions, and the worldview of many who have an alternate impression on his way to belong. Yet, the message of God’s inclusive love is expected to upset the balance, catch us off guard and invite new insight. Never comfortable, always learning new ways to be is a big part of faith for today, and the message is told time and again through the lens of the gospel.  May we continue to be up for the challenge.  
 
Rev. Donna Tourneur ministers in the United Church of Canada, with the people of Trinity, New Glasgow.