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Good
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 Sermon
01/31/2010
Gandhi and Jesus ~ by Reverend Dr. Frank L.
Irvine, guest minister
January 31, 2010 Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
First Congregational Church in Thetford,
Vermont, UCC
Isaiah 2:14; Matthew 5:1-12
A small man, dressed in simple homespun and
sandals, and carrying a walking stick,
he left his village with 200 followers that morning
on a 262‐mile journey.
As he
passed through each village along the way the numbers
grew and when he reached
his destination he was followed by thousands. Only
then did Gandhi dip his hands
into the sea scooping water onto the sands, and by
this simple act break the British
law forbidding India’s
people from extracting their own salt from their own sea,
requiting them to purchase the salt at great
expense from the British.
100,000 Indian citizens were arrested that day, but
their action captured the
imagination of their people and of the world.
Millions in India
became involved.
Making salt became a patriotic duty. When activists
later that year upped the ante
by marching on the Dharsana salt works the British
army fired on them, killing
hundreds. The result was further public outcry and
an intensified campaign. One
American newspaper wrote, “As Britain
lost America
through tea, it is about to lose
India
through salt.
Keep in mind that Gandhi’s march to the sea
was a thoroughly nonviolent event.
During that long trek there were no signs or
banners attacking the British; no
threats made against those in power. It was a long
but simple, peaceful march. But
it was through strategies like these that Gandhi
was able to bring an end to British
rule in India.
This was, of course but one example of Gandhi’s actions. In
later years
it was Gandhi’s belief that civil
disobedience should make up no more than 10% of
nonviolence work. 90% should be devoted to what he
called “constructive
programme” – dealing with injustice by
coming up with creative nonviolent
alternatives.
Mohandas K. Gandhi was a fascinating person. A
devout Hindu, he devoted much of
his energy to working toward reconciliation with
the Muslim community. Born into
relative privilege, he worked to dismantle India’s
cast system, and was particularly
interested in the conditions of the “untouchables<”
those at the very bottom of that
ladder. Though a Hindu, he had great admiration of
Jesus – saying that he based
much of his nonviolence on Jesus’ teachings.
In fact, Gandhi once remarked that the
only people who do not acknowledge the nonviolence
of Jesus are the Christians;
and this Hindu man, because of the way he lived his
life, has been called by some,
“The greatest Christian of all time.”
It is no surprise, then, that it was American
religious leaders working with the poor
and marginalized in the US
who integrated Gandhi’s methods in their work –
Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker movement,
working with the poor in
New York City;
and Martin Luther King, Jr., and other African‐American leaders in
the Civil Rights movement. They recognized the
nonviolence inherent in Jesus’ life
and teachings; and they knew the structural
violence inherent in segregation; and in
an economic system that was stacked against the
poor. They saw in his teachings
what Roman Catholic theologian John Dear calls, “Jesus’
gospel of nonviolence.”
Born to a poor family under difficult
circumstances, Jesus became a refugee early in
life. Throughout his ministry he gave great
attention to the poorest, most despised,
outsiders and outcasts. Early in what has come to
be known as his “Sermon on the
Mount” he gave us his picture of the “good
life,” or “godly life,” in which he turned
the values being lived out on the world around him
upside down. We know it as the
‘Beatitudes” – the gospel reading
used this morning. If you imagine a society 180
degrees opposite from what he is describing you
will see the world in which he is
living – a world not very different from our
own. As far as we know the only “laws”
Jesus violated were religious laws. But he
challenged injustice – and probably more
important was his empowerment of the people –
an action not tolerated in any
domination system. But at no time did he resort to
violence. At no time did he use
his power for his own purposes.
Gandhi and Jesus. Two men so different yet with so
much in common. For us, as
Christians, Jesus is a unique incarnation of God –
who lived out God’s presence in the
world; and who became the “risen Christ.”
Gandhi was in many ways the deliverer
of his people. What they both offer is an
alternative way to live in a violent and
broken world. Both invite us on a journey from
violence toward nonviolence –
toward wholeness. Toward nonviolence – toward
wholeness – for we will never be
perfect. Alain Richard, a Franciscan who has spent
his life on this journey has said,
“Just because I talk about nonviolence does
not mean I am nonviolent. I will never
be truly nonviolent until 15 minutes after I have
died.”
Fundamental to the way of both Gandhi and Jesus was
respect, caring, even love
toward the “other,” the person or
persons who can too often be seen as the “enemy.”
This can be seen in Gandhi’s insistence that
no one has the entire truth –everyone
has a piece of the truth and a piece of the
untruth. And further, the piece of the truth
the other person has is as important as your piece
of the truth. No matter how he
was treated, no matter how often he was jailed or
beaten, Gandhi never failed to
treat the British with respect. He was always open
to dialogue.
The stories contained in the gospels provide us
with our best look at Jesus’
teachings, and in these stories it is clear that
Jesus looks at people in a way different
from most. He is able to look beyond the surface
and find something good –
something “godly.” I like the way the
Quakers express it – “That of God in every
person.” The Gospel of John speaks of it as
the light that enlightens every person
born into the world. Another old Quaker expression
called it the
“Seed of God,” or “Seed of
Christ.” If I believe this, if I believe that the “other”
person
is as much a child of God as I, as loved by God as
I – how might that change the way I
deal with that person. In this society where
everything is about winning, and where
somebody has to lose; where there us only “one
way,” our way; this world where it’s
us against them (or sometimes them against us) –
Gandhi and Jesus offer us another
way. A way that is less about debate and more about
conversation. A way that is
less about talking and more about listening. A way
that allows us to hold to our
truth – while being curious about and open to
the truth of others.
I believe as Christians we are called to speak out
against injustice and
discrimination. I believe we are called so speak
out against the structural violence
that is at the heart of such injustice – and
I think we do. I also believe that when we
do it is important that we not pre‐judge who we are
challenging – some of whom
could become allies. We need to know their truth.
Let me give two brief examples.
The first takes us back to the 60’s and the “Cuban
Missile Crisis.” For some of us that
is a clear memory, for others a piece of history.
The “crisis” was precipitated with
the discovery that the Soviets had placed missiles
in Cuba aimed at the U.S. Of
course we already had missiles in Eastern Europe
perceived as a threat by the USSR.
Of course we know how that worked out. After
thirteen days during which the
world was literally on the brink of nuclear war the
missiles were removed from
Cuba (and sometime later our missiles in eastern
Europe were removed as well).
We know what happened, but we didn’t really
know why or how that came to be
until the recent release of information that was
not available at the time. During
those long thirteen days there was direct
communication taking place between
President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita
Kruschev. This was direct
conversation between the two men, not known of at
the time. Each man was under
great pressure from his advisers and military
leaders to go to war. Each man was
reluctant to go down that path. Each became
convinced his nation could not survive
a nuclear conflict and each was determined to avoid
such a war at all costs. These
two leaders found their common truth. Not only were
missiles withdrawn,
discussions of nuclear disarmament were also begun.
During those thirteen days
we came closer to a nuclear holocaust than we had
ever been. And during those
same days we have also have come closer to ridding
the world of nuclear weapons
than we have ever come. We cannot know what might
have happened had JFK not
been assassinated and Kruschev not removed from
power. But there is a part of me
that wonders that if both men had lived we might
today be living in a world free of
nuclear weapons.
The second example is closer in time and place. A
few years ago The Right Reverend
Eugene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire,
was the keynote speaker at
our annual convocation at South Congregational
Church, UCC in Concord, NH – the
church I attend. At some point in talking about all
that had followed his
consecration as Bishop, and particularly about the
responses from the African
bishops, he spoke of Nigerian Bishop Peter Akinola
having issued a statement calling
Gene Robinson “Satan.” When asked by
someone for a response to that statement.
he thought for only a few seconds, and then said to
us, “I believe Peter Akinola is as
much a child of God, and as loved by God as Gene
Robinson.” The room was silent. I
have not forgotten that moment. What is it that can
bring a man to such a place?
How can he respond to such hatred with love so
deep? I think we know something
about how that can happen.
Nonviolent does not mean impassionate. We need to
be passionate about what we
believe in, what we are working for. In the 60’s
Barbara Deming of the War
Resisters’ League was among the most
passionate, calling for forceful but nonviolent
forms of resistance. Yet it was she who developed
what is called the two‐hands
of
nonviolence. Let me demonstrate it. The first hand
is raised, palm out, in a way that
says, “Stop!” “This is where I
stand; this is my truth; I will do anything in my power
to stop what you are doing. No more nuclear
weapons. No more poisoned waters.”
“Stop!” The other hand, the second one,
is extended out, palm up, in invitation. “I
am not ready to give up on you. You are a sacred
human being as much as I. I want
to be open to our truth. Let’s talk.”
Barbara Deming’s “Two hands of
nonviolence.” To me they are consistent with the
teachings of both Gandhi and Jesus, and useful to
those who choose to walk this
path. What it really comes down to is believing in
that other person – believing in
“that of God” in that other person –
however hidden or unknown.
Amen.return to
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