Foundry UMC DC: Sunday Sermons
Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
Who’s Your Carrier?
A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli at Foundry UMC, February 22, 2015, the first Sunday of Lent.
Text: Luke 4:1-13
I think it is safe to say that the DC culture in which we live is particularly “image” conscious. Much of what we see in the media, in entertainment, and politics are people wearing masks, projecting a carefully constructed self that has been designed to win high approval ratings or higher salaries or higher Nielsen ratings or higher profits.
But this tendency to present a false self in order to get something we think we need is not only a reality in politics or media or business. It is part of the struggle of being human. We learn at an early age what kind of self will get our parents’ attention and approval and affection and love. We learn at an early age what kind of mask we need to wear to be accepted or rejected by our childhood peers. We begin to believe that the mask, the false self is real, is better than any other self we might be. We begin to believe that we are not lovable in ourselves as ourselves. We learn that we are lovable when we do what we are told or perform in an acceptable way or have the cool toys or meet someone’s expectations. Basil Pennington, the late Trappist monk and teacher of Centering Prayer, says that it doesn’t take long for the message from the world to get through to little ones. He writes, “Their value depends on what they have, what they do, what others—especially significant providers, real or potential—think of them. Others see them this way. And they begin to see themselves this way. This is the construct of the false self. It is made up of what I have, what I do, and what others think of me.”[i]
We think this false self is who we really are and the self that will keep us connected to what matters—because what we think matters—the thing we think will get us what we need—is doing, having, or impressing. // It is not uncommon these days to hear someone ask, “Who’s your carrier?” Of course the question has to do with who provides your phone service. At its most philosophical level, our carrier might be described as a conduit to connection—with other people and with the world. And a good carrier will provide good reception, a strong connection. What happens for us human beings is that we begin to make our false self our “carrier,” believing that it is the false self that will help us connect with others. We begin to depend upon the false self for a good reception in the world around us. And, as Pennington points out, we begin to identify with that false self, that identity constituted by what I have, what I do, and what others think of me.
Today we find Jesus in the wilderness being tempted to give in to the false self and be ruled by it, to buy in to the idea that doing, having, proving is what it’s all about. Notice that the devilish voice begins with the words, “If you are the son of God…” It’s a question of identity. Jesus finds himself wrestling with the question that we all wrestle with in one way or another: Who am I? What is my true identity?
The first temptation is for Jesus to establish himself by what he can do. “It would be easy enough for the man who would later feed five thousand from five loaves to create a tempting meal for himself.”[ii] The second temptation is for Jesus to establish his identity by having the glory and authority over “all the kingdoms of the world.” It seems that might have been a tempting option for the man whose primary teaching was about establishing the Reign of God. The third temptation is for Jesus to establish his identity by showing off in front of others to gain their acclaim. The busy courtyard of the Temple would be a great place to show what he could do.
But in all these temptations, Jesus says “no” to the false self, refusing to be ruled by the voice telling him that his identity was found in what he could do, what he had, or what others thought of him. I wonder if Jesus knew that as soon as he gave in to the temptation to make those things his “carrier,” his source of reception and connection, he would be carried off into a prison of his own making, a prison in which he would be forced to continue to serve the false self in order to keep it—DO more, HAVE more, IMPRESS more. It is a trap. And it is a lie.
We are tempted just as Jesus was, tempted to give in to and be ruled by the false self. We all struggle to say “no” and, therefore, end up living so much of our lives caught behind a mask. One of the great sages of rock & roll, Jim Morrison has this to say about it: “Most people love you for who you pretend to be. To keep their love, you keep pretending—performing. You get to love your pretense. It's true, we're locked in an image, an act—and the sad thing is, people get so used to their image, they grow attached to their masks. They love their chains. They forget all about who they really are. And if you try to remind them, they hate you for it, they feel like you're trying to steal their most precious possession.”[iii]
It makes sense that we defend our familiar, false self. After all, it is hard to let go of who we really and truly think we are. When a person’s identity and sense of self has been primarily what they do, then what happens when they no longer are able to do what they’ve always done? When a person’s identity and sense of self has been primarily fueled by what they have, then what happens when events conspire to take it all away? When a person’s identity and sense of self has been organized around getting and having the approval of others, what happens when that is lost? We know that there will come a time—if it hasn’t already—when these things will fail or be taken away and we will find ourselves coming face to face with the question: Who am I without my title, my vocation, my house, my community, my health, my reputation, my parents’ approval… Who are you without what you do, what you have, or what others think of you?
The devilish voice of temptation trades in half-truths that sound quite reasonable. So we think to ourselves, “In our world, of course we have to do things, have things, and of course we want the affirmation of others.” That part is true. It is good to employ your life in work that is meaningful, creative, productive. It is important to be a good steward of the things that you have. It is not only desirable, but necessary to receive support and affirmation from other people. But these things are not who you ARE.
There is a YOU, a being, a self, that is real and alive and vital and precious. And that self is not dependent upon what you do or have or prove. Some of you will be familiar with Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras which teach a concept and practice of identifying with the “seer who dwells beyond the modifications of the mind” in order that the “seer” may rest in its true nature. The “seer” is the you that observes you. All the great spiritual traditions have some version of this teaching of letting go of outward falsehood in order to rest in the true self. Jesus says, “those who wish to save their life will lose it and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” (Mt. 16:25) Your true self isn’t something you have to create or earn, your true self is a gift received from God in each passing moment. Basil Pennington puts it this way, “At the center and heart of our being is the Divine Creative Energy, an Energy that is Love, each moment bringing us forth in love.”[iv] Jesus invites us to lose the false self so that we might find the true self that is, in each moment, available in and through God’s love.
Thomas Merton, another Trappist Monk and spiritual master, says, “There is in us an instinct…for renewal, for a liberation of creative power…which tells us that this change is a recovery of that which is deepest, most original, more personal in ourselves. To be born again is not to become somebody different, but to become ourselves.”[v] Jim Morrison in another moment of theological clarity says, “That’s what real love amounts to—letting a person be what he really is.”
And the devilish voice is determined to lure you away from the center and heart of your being, to lure you away from God and God’s love, to frighten you by making you think you don’t have what you need or that you aren’t enough, to make you think that you have to make your “mask” your carrier, your conduit to connection; the devilish voice desires to disconnect you from the peace, joy, and freedom that are the fruits of being your true self.
Jesus was tempted just as we are to lose connection with his true self but found guidance from the scriptures to keep him grounded. “One does not live by bread alone.” The rest of the verse from Deuteronomy 8 reads, “but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (Dt. 8:3) Our tradition teaches that God’s words create the world and us. Jesus speaks of serving God alone—quoting Deuteronomy 6:13—a passage that is in the context of the liberating power of God who brought the people out of slavery. Jesus speaks of not testing God, quoting Deuteronomy 6:16 which refers to the time God provided water from a rock at Massah. In other words, in the face of the temptation to lose connection with his true self, Jesus affirms that God is the source of his life, freedom, and sustenance. Perhaps it is this affirmation—this deep awareness and trust in God—that allows him to claim his true identity without having to do anything or have anything or get anyone’s approval. Jesus’ struggle began with “If you are the Son of God.” It ends with his knowing not only who he is, but also what his life is truly about. Jesus of Nazareth was the beloved son of God who was sent to proclaim good news to the poor, release to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed.
You and I are also beloved children of God. That is our true identity. It’s easy to forget or to just pay lip service to this most precious reality. But during the season of Lent, our call is to remember and to acknowledge where we have lost connection with what matters most of all.
Today, though the devilish voices are loud and strong, I pray that God’s voice will get through: One of the things that matters most of all is YOU. You are loved. You are carried, received, connected in God’s love. When you live out of your true self, you are connected not only to God, the source of your life, freedom and sustenance, but you’re also connected to your passion and the gifts that only you can share with others. // What is tempting you to pretend, to perform, to wear a mask, to remain imprisoned by the false self? Maybe today you can take a step on this forty day journey that will lead you to true freedom… Maybe today you can say with Jesus: I am a beloved child of God.
[i] M. Basil Pennington, True Self, False Self: Unmasking the Spirit Within, New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 2000, p. 31.
[ii] Ibid., p. 34.
[iii] Found at http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/self-image on 2/20/2015.
[iv] Pennington, True Self, False Self: Unmasking the Spirit Within, p. 43.
[v] Ibid., p.88.
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