The Last Sunday after Pentecost

Clint Eastwood and Sally Bingham

Diocesan Convention reminded me of a Clint Eastwood movie. Or it might be more accurate to say that during diocesan convention I was reminded of a particular Clint Eastwood movie.

The annual convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago was this past Friday and Saturday. The theme this year was Relate, Renew, Restore; Caring for God’s Creation. The focus was on sustainability. The keynote speaker was Canon Sally Bingham, an Episcopal priest and activist on behalf of the environment. Her message was both dire and hopeful. She spoke about the irreparable loss that has already occurred to God’s creation. Irreparable. We are currently standing right on the brink between the world that God created and another world of human of human making which is literally unsustainable.  (You may listen to the audio of her presentation here.)

It is unfortunate that climate change and other environmental issues have become ammunition in partisan political wars. The science is real and irrefutable. Species loss, environmental degradation of air and water, climate change profoundly threaten God’s creation.

Yet people of faith are a source of hope. We are a source of hope in this crisis not only because we see the earth as God’s own creation, and therefore of immeasurable value, but also because we are called by our baptismal vows to care for other people. To be motivated by more than self interest. It is part of our vocation to be the voice for people who have no voice. There are two populations in particular who have no voice: One is the poor and/or less educated. And the second is the unborn. The poor and less educated throughout the world are suffering disproportionately because of climate change and other environment problems and yet do not have the voice or power to speak out. And the unborn, the not yet born only a few generations from now, are being robbed of beauty, health, even their lives by our selfish abuse and exploitation of God’s creation. It’s not just about us. As people of faith we are compelled to speak up and act on behalf of the powerless and to be stewards of creation for generations yet unborn.

It was listening to Sally Bingham that reminded me of a Clint Eastwood movie or actually just one particular scene from a Clint Eastwood movie. I had to do a little internet searching to confirm which movie it was. Pale Rider, I think. I can’t imagine why I saw it several decades ago. It is set, as so many early Clint Eastwood movies are, in the violent and rough world of the wild west. A mining town is troubled by violence between the powerful and the powerless. A mysterious preacher rides into town. In that violent setting—very significantly—he is unarmed. Yet he stands up for the downtrodden. Without the power of a gun, he acts on behalf of the powerless. In a sense he symbolizes God’s peace and God’s power.

Conflict continues, however, and at one point the preacher makes a solitary journey to a bank safe deposit box. As he opens the drawer we see a pistol and gun belt. He takes out the gun and in the climax of the scene he drops his clerical collar into the box.

It’s a troubling scene. The preacher is meant to be a positive character, one we are rooting for. Yet this scene implies that he has some higher calling that he can only pursue by abandoning his role as a Christian. It plays upon the romantic appeal of the lone avenger, justifying violent revenge.

It’s that image of him taking off his collar that has stuck with me all these years. Exchanging his preacher’s collar for a gun. Choosing to put aside his Christian identity so that he could perform an unchristian task.

I wear a collar, of course. I’m not sure what a clerical collar means to you. Basically it is a symbol of someone who takes the Christian life seriously. Nothing more, nothing less. For us as Episcopalians it signifies a specific role within the church. But out in the world it simply signifies someone trying to live the gospel in daily life. And that is everyone’s vocation.

I don’t know if you’re aware… you don’t have to show any credentials to buy one. You don’t have to prove your ordination or show testimonials of sanctity. It could be a powerful exercise for everyone to wear one for a few days, even if only in your imagination. It would challenge us to face those times when we—you and I—choose to take it off. When we choose to put aside our Christian identity to perform unchristian tasks.

I’m not talking about the casual sins of inattention that are a part of all human life. I’m thinking of the big choices, the deliberate acts we choose to undertake in direct violation of our Christian identity.

Those times, for example, when we choose our personal convenience or our selfish interests at a cost to the flourishing and blessing of other people.

These seem to be appropriate reflections, not just on the heels of diocesan convention, but for this last Sunday of the church year. A time for taking stock.

What do you do in your life that you have to take your collar off to do? When do you deliberately choose to put aside your Christian identity?

Two biggies came up in convention. One was environmental exploitation. I personally felt “convicted” on environmental issues, even though I consider myself as someone who cares about the environment. Until it comes time to buy a new vehicle. Then I take off my collar and pick whatever suits my own convenience. And I have spoken quite openly about how I choose the convenience of single-use plastic bags over more responsible options. Never mind the consequences. Millions and millions of baggies. At what cost? I choose to put aside my Christian vocation just for selfish convenience.

The second issue that arose at convention was bullying. Convention passed a resolution condemning bullying. The anti-bullying resolution arose out of recent events in which young people perceived to be gay have been driven to suicide. But discussion was clear that bullying is a much broader issue. It happens on the schoolyard, in society, in corporate life and even between nations. It is any abuse of the powerless by the powerful. For any reason. Or for no reason.

You must take your collar off if you choose not to intervene. A failure to act in the face of bullying or any abuse of power is unchristian. To favor personal convenience or comfort or to affect indifference are choices contrary to our Christianity.

Clint Eastwood’s solution was also unchristian. He took off his collar so that he could beat up the bad guys, escalate the violence, abuse the powerful with even greater power.

It occurs to me that rather than taking his collar off and shooting up all the bad guys Clint Eastwood should have left his collar on and then gone out to stand between the bad guys and those they were exploiting.

But he didn’t. In his role as the preacher, he chose to put aside the ways of Jesus for the ways of the world.

When do you do the same?

When do you choose to put aside your Christian identity to perform an unchristian task? When to you deliberately choose selfish comfort or convenience over the blessing or lives of others?

This last Sunday of the church year reminds us of the profound importance of the choices we make in life. Reflect. Reflect on those times when you deliberately take off your Christian vesture, your Christian identity, to act in a selfish or worldly way. Next Sunday is a new beginning, the first Sunday of Advent. And in the collect for that day we will pray that by God’s grace we may reverse the preacher’s action. In the great Advent collect we will pray that we may cast away the works of darkness… that we may take off the works and vesture of darkness… and put upon us the armor of light.