Know Who You Are
Third Sunday after Pentecost + Lectionary 11a + June 18, 2023 + Pr. Craig Mueller
There are probably more people these days who find inspiration and down-to-earth wisdom from the television show Ted Lasso than from Bible verses. Quips and quotes like “be a goldfish.” Supposedly a goldfish has a ten-second memory. When Ted Lasso’s UK football/soccer team beats themselves up after a loss, Ted is, in essence, telling them to not be so hard on themselves, including dwelling on the mistakes on the past. Be a goldfish!
As Ted tries to instill in the team a sense of who they are, he is also dealing on his own identity and challenges, especially not being there for his son in the US. So in the last episode—no spoiler—his son says “be a goldfish” to Ted. His dad has implanted that identity and wisdom in him as well.
Moses reminds the Israelites to know who they are. They are God’s treasured possession. And they have a calling: to be a realm of priests and a holy nation.
When Jesus calls the disciples, he commissions them to participate in his mission of proclaiming the gospel and responding to human need. Know who you are, he is saying to these inexperienced apostles who will not always get who Jesus is. You are my ambassadors. And the message is this: the dominion of heaven has come near.
But the context then and now is the same. The crowds seem aimless. Harassed and helpless. Without a dependable ruler to lead them. With so much anxiety, they don’t know who they are and how they will get by. It reminds me of one columnist’s concern for one narrative in our country these days. People are basically selfish; raw power runs the world. All that matters is winning and losing. Which leads to nihilistic mind-sets.1
Jesus tells the disciples: the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. It may not be about winning the most converts. In fact, many will reject the message.
Is there a plentiful harvest today? Churches are declining, merging, or closing. Morale is low. We are not being goldfish with short memories. In fact, many are dwelling on the past, remembering the 1950s when churches were overflowing with people.
Know who you are. Who and what is the church today? What is the calling of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America? What is the mission of Holy Trinity?
And how does our context inform our mission. Several groups at Holy Trinity have discussed an article called “They may not come back,” addressing the post-pandemic drop in religious participation. The article contrasts the Age of Association with the Age of Authenticity.2 In the past, congregations and other institutions organized themselves as voluntary associations. You decided which ones to join and then supported them with your loyalty and donations, and they provided ways to connect and serve. In addition to churches, there were groups like the Kiwanis, scouts, and lodges.
Since the 1960s identities are more fluid. Folks’ identity—knowing who they are—springs more from individual choices. Hence, people turn to yoga, meditation, spirituality, twelve-step groups to find authentic meaning and purpose. And many are not seeing what religion has to offer them.
We could be judgmental about the hyper focus on individualism these days, and some would be warranted. Yet many churches get hung up on the past. (Not being a goldfish). I wonder, though, if we are called to listen to the needs, questions, hurts, and concerns of people today. How are we called to change? What opportunities are presenting themselves? Howe can Holy Trinity and other churches offer authentic expressions of spiritualty, community, justice, and hope.
As we embark on strategic planning this fall, call a new pastor for HTLoop, and celebrate our 150th anniversary, we need to know who we are. With Juneteenth tomorrow, our work on reparations reminds to tell the truth, to begin with the legacy of racial injustice, even as we seek healing today.
Is there a plentiful harvest? And what would it look like? What are people yearning for? What are the needs of our world today? What is our calling?
Thankfully, our liturgy helps us know who we are. Rooted in grace. Called in baptism. Nurtured in the eucharist. Sent into the world. As Paul writes, even in our struggles and sufferings, we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. We have hope because the Spirit, the sign of God’s abiding love, has been poured into our hearts.
The mission of the church may seem hohum to many of us. But what if we saw it as transformational? What if we saw our identity and calling as a source of exhilaration and joy?
Does knowing who we are change everything? There is a classic scene in Howard Hawk’s film Red River. Full disclosure: I do not watch westerns, but read about this scene. When the cattle drive is about to begin, the camera focuses on each cowboy who screams out, “yiha.” Then the drive begins. Like Jesus calling his disciples, each cowboy is a significant player, as we watch each one cry out, “yiha.” It is a moment of purpose, change, transformation.
Speaking of change, and knowing who you are, author Jenny Odell writes our obsession with time management. Her recent book is called Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock. She addresses the aimlessness of our day. How many of us are harried and helpless, bound to efficiency and convenience. Is that the way to live, she wonders. Is that our purpose in life? Is that who we are?
Odell writes that she wants to be in contact with things, people, and contexts that make her feel alive. For her being alive means being changed! A quote: “someone who’s completely habitual, is set in their ways of thinking and doing, that person is liable to see days in a calendar as being pieces of material that you use to achieve your goals.” Jenny believes that authentic encounters and conversations are ones in which we are changed by the end. We’ve covered new ground. To be alive it be constantly evolving and changing. For her, it’s a reason to live, which is to find out what the change will be.3
Know who you are. Live like a goldfish. Keep changing. And when you find your mission and purpose, let out a yiha! Whether a father, mother, parent. Student, volunteer, worker.
Know who you are. Or in more churchy language: live your baptismal vocation. Be open to where God is calling you. Let grace change you. And trust there is mercy when you fail.
Let each new day bring new gratitude and new purpose. Or think of your calling using the tagline of the ELCA: God’s work, our hands.
1David Brooks, New York Times, June 15, 2023
2https://www.livinglutheran.org/2022/03/my-take-they-may-not-come-back/
3””Talk,” David Marchese interview with Jenny Odell, New York Times, May 21, 2023
