The first time I saw Daniel, he was in our high school Cafeteria ... sitting all alone at a table with seven empty chairs. He had lank blond hair that hung over his eyes, wore a wrinkled army jacket, and sat hunched over his food tray. His knife was clinched in his right fist and his fork in his left; both pointed down. The body language was unmistakable: he expected an attack on his food and was prepared to defend it.
School cafeterias have tribes.
In the movie, Mean Girls, each tribe is somewhat exclusive of the others (“Where you sit is crucial....”). These are explained to Cady, the new girl in school. She is then warned: “Beware of The Plastics” (i.e., the mean girls).
What was it like in your high school? Did you have a “mean girls” clique? Were there groups that intentionally excluded people? I’m not talking about associational groups like drama, athletes, or band. There are always such “comfort” groups in schools; groups of people who share an affinity for something. It wasn’t uncommon for people in my high school to be in such groups and to sit together at lunch.
What I’m talking about are groups that make exclusion a central part of their structure. We didn’t have a lot of that in my high school. Junior high? Sure. But most of that seemed to have fallen away by the time we all showed up at the high school. So, I had to wonder: why was Daniel sitting all alone, poised to injure the next person who reached toward his food?
Daniel had enemies.
Lest I leave you with the wrong impression: our high school was far from perfect. Like most high schools, we had problems, and one of those was bullying. That was the problem with The Plastics in Mean Girls; not that they were a clique, but that the alpha Plastic was a sociopath who used her alpha status to bully everyone else (“On Wednesdays, we wear pink.”).
Daniel had been bullied ... a lot. I don’t know if bullies choose their targets —using some sort of victim radar— or if they just bully everyone and then re-target those who knuckle under. Did Daniel always look like a victim? Or did his look result from continuous bullying? I don’t know. By the time we met, Daniel was already a frightened, combative person. It was Daniel against the world, at that point. He was so traumatized, he could no longer tell friend from foe; so victimized that anyone who came near him was suspect.
For many, this would be the “darkest valley” referenced in the 23rd Psalm (“the valley of the shadow of death”); a horrible, hellish existence of hyper-vigilance, never broken by a moment’s peace.
Take a minute and re-read the 23rd Psalm.
It sounds pretty pastoral ... at first. But then you realize some hard times must have preceded the “green pastures” and “still waters.” There are reasons David needed the Shepherd to restore his soul. Imagine why David wrote those words. Was it while fleeing for his life, King Saul’s soldiers dogging his trail? Or, back it up a few years when David was playing music and Saul hurled a spear at him. At what point did David finally admit to himself that Saul really was his enemy?
Today, we still have our mean girls and guys; still are excluded from certain tribes. We have enemies. We may not know it, but they’re there. Perhaps they’ve never revealed themselves. So, maybe you don’t feel under attack and in need of rescue. But for many people, the fear of someone causing harm to them or those they love is a reality.
I wish I knew whatever happened to Daniel. My attempts to befriend him failed. Sadly, my last impression of him was the same as my first; the exact opposite of the 23rd Psalm. I sometimes imagine what it would be like for Daniel if God showed up for lunch, one day, and saved him a place at the table. What if God made him the guest of honor at that meal, one at which he could eat without fear, one at which no bullies had power over him. A lunch so grand, and a peace so abiding, that inviting his enemies to join him would feel like the very right thing to do.
Imagine the relief of having the most powerful being in existence set a feast before you, right where your enemies can see you, right where they can see you and God, together. That’s a powerful image.
At that point, you would have options. Do you eat and run? After all, those onlookers are still your enemies. Do you eat and smirk? I mean, what can they do to you? Clearly, God is on you side.
Or do you invite them to the feast?
Well, God has set a table before us, and it is in the presence of our enemies.
Now, what do we do with that?
_________________________
PHOTO: Steve Orr & Adobe CC Express
_________________________
READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Fourth Sunday of Easter (May 12, 2019)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//texts.php?id=136
Acts 9:36-43
Psalm 23
Revelation 7:9-17
John 10:22-30
_________________________
Friday morning are special at the Waco “Egg and I” restaurant. DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast meets at 8:00 in the function room around the back. Join us for some tasty food, some interesting Bible, and some exhilarating discussion.
And we have a few laughs along the way.
Blessings,
Steve
School cafeterias have tribes.
In the movie, Mean Girls, each tribe is somewhat exclusive of the others (“Where you sit is crucial....”). These are explained to Cady, the new girl in school. She is then warned: “Beware of The Plastics” (i.e., the mean girls).
What was it like in your high school? Did you have a “mean girls” clique? Were there groups that intentionally excluded people? I’m not talking about associational groups like drama, athletes, or band. There are always such “comfort” groups in schools; groups of people who share an affinity for something. It wasn’t uncommon for people in my high school to be in such groups and to sit together at lunch.
What I’m talking about are groups that make exclusion a central part of their structure. We didn’t have a lot of that in my high school. Junior high? Sure. But most of that seemed to have fallen away by the time we all showed up at the high school. So, I had to wonder: why was Daniel sitting all alone, poised to injure the next person who reached toward his food?
Daniel had enemies.
Lest I leave you with the wrong impression: our high school was far from perfect. Like most high schools, we had problems, and one of those was bullying. That was the problem with The Plastics in Mean Girls; not that they were a clique, but that the alpha Plastic was a sociopath who used her alpha status to bully everyone else (“On Wednesdays, we wear pink.”).
Daniel had been bullied ... a lot. I don’t know if bullies choose their targets —using some sort of victim radar— or if they just bully everyone and then re-target those who knuckle under. Did Daniel always look like a victim? Or did his look result from continuous bullying? I don’t know. By the time we met, Daniel was already a frightened, combative person. It was Daniel against the world, at that point. He was so traumatized, he could no longer tell friend from foe; so victimized that anyone who came near him was suspect.
For many, this would be the “darkest valley” referenced in the 23rd Psalm (“the valley of the shadow of death”); a horrible, hellish existence of hyper-vigilance, never broken by a moment’s peace.
Take a minute and re-read the 23rd Psalm.
It sounds pretty pastoral ... at first. But then you realize some hard times must have preceded the “green pastures” and “still waters.” There are reasons David needed the Shepherd to restore his soul. Imagine why David wrote those words. Was it while fleeing for his life, King Saul’s soldiers dogging his trail? Or, back it up a few years when David was playing music and Saul hurled a spear at him. At what point did David finally admit to himself that Saul really was his enemy?
Today, we still have our mean girls and guys; still are excluded from certain tribes. We have enemies. We may not know it, but they’re there. Perhaps they’ve never revealed themselves. So, maybe you don’t feel under attack and in need of rescue. But for many people, the fear of someone causing harm to them or those they love is a reality.
I wish I knew whatever happened to Daniel. My attempts to befriend him failed. Sadly, my last impression of him was the same as my first; the exact opposite of the 23rd Psalm. I sometimes imagine what it would be like for Daniel if God showed up for lunch, one day, and saved him a place at the table. What if God made him the guest of honor at that meal, one at which he could eat without fear, one at which no bullies had power over him. A lunch so grand, and a peace so abiding, that inviting his enemies to join him would feel like the very right thing to do.
Imagine the relief of having the most powerful being in existence set a feast before you, right where your enemies can see you, right where they can see you and God, together. That’s a powerful image.
At that point, you would have options. Do you eat and run? After all, those onlookers are still your enemies. Do you eat and smirk? I mean, what can they do to you? Clearly, God is on you side.
Or do you invite them to the feast?
Well, God has set a table before us, and it is in the presence of our enemies.
Now, what do we do with that?
_________________________
PHOTO: Steve Orr & Adobe CC Express
_________________________
READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Fourth Sunday of Easter (May 12, 2019)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//texts.php?id=136
Acts 9:36-43
Psalm 23
Revelation 7:9-17
John 10:22-30
_________________________
Friday morning are special at the Waco “Egg and I” restaurant. DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast meets at 8:00 in the function room around the back. Join us for some tasty food, some interesting Bible, and some exhilarating discussion.
And we have a few laughs along the way.
Blessings,
Steve
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