There is a story about Groucho Marx back in the days quitting a club he had been invited to join. Though there is great debate which club he actually quit, it seems that once he joined, he discovered that he did not enjoy club life. Nor did he enjoy all of the members. It just was not his thing, so he resigned. Of course, the club wanted to know why he quit. Groucho responded: “I don’t want to belong to any club that would have me as a member.”
I wish I had known of this story early in my ministerial journey when I joined a local service organization after much prodding by members of the congregation I was serving. I would have told them right up that clubs are not my thing . . . and, besides I am not club-worthy! But I could not resist the pressure of certain members of the church to join . . . and, I joined the Lions Club. Now I want you to understand that I appreciate the Lions Club and their mission. I have served as a counselor in their camps, donated eyeglasses, and made donations to their cause . . . but, I just could not get into the intricacies of their club life rituals.
Twice a month we had dinner meetings. At these meetings we would participate in roll call in which members had to “grrrrrrr” their presence. If a rule was broken the official Tail Twister could impose a fine upon the offending member. The Tail Twister and I did not get along too well . . . I hate doing silly things in public like “grrrring”. Needless to say, after a year in which I won an attendance award . . . even though I rarely went to the dinners after the first month . . . I quit. I can’t remember what my reason to them was, but if I had known Groucho’s response, I would have told them that “I don’t want to belong to any club that would have me as a member.”
I guess there is lots of room for interpretation about what that phrase means. On one hand it could mean that I am “too good” for the club, while on the other hand it could mean that I am “not good enough” for the club. Whatever the case, the statement is based on judgment by the individual. Judgment is a tricky slope to maneuver . . . ask the people in the scripture reading we heard this morning.
Apparently, there is some dissension within the congregation in Rome . . . imagine that! The dissension and divisiveness are happening because apparently there are those within the congregation who do not like what others are doing while still calling themselves “members” of the congregation. There are arguments over what is the proper food to eat . . . arguments over which day is the holy day. Bickering abounds! And, it seems that whenever there is dissension within the gathered someone quits . . . or they stick around making life miserable for everyone else. They just don’t want to belong to a club that would have member like that . . . even if it is them.
Well it takes all types to make the boat float or the world to go around. God’s creation is diverse, and it is all God’s . . . God is the creator and owner of it all. Thus, it is that we hear the writer of our reading this morning basically tell the listeners that it is a “one for all, all for one” mentality that makes up God’s club whether anyone likes it or not. The writer states: “For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord . . . You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt?”
And, for the writer, it is not enough to question the behavior of those that are being addressed . . . no, the writer tells them that they will be held accountable for their behavior: “You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat . . . each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.”
Those are pretty potent words that we might want to take seriously as we go about the times we are living in. The times we are living in are contentious and divisive times. I don’t think anyone will argue that they are not. You name it and it is probably divisive and argumentative . . . politics in an election year . . . racial tension and the “whose life matters” issue . . . religion . . . conspiracy theories running amuck . . . economic recession boarding on depression . . . the pandemic and response to it . . . and, on and on the list could go. These are difficult and frustrating times in which it seems more and more lines are being drawn in the sand separating the children and family of God. It seems as if everyone is running around proclaiming that they don’t want to belong to the club.
Isn’t that what we as humans have narrowed it down to . . . either it is my way or the highway . . . we duke it out . . . or we just quit and disappear. Either way nothing gets done.
Because we have chosen to follow Jesus and his ways, we have joined God’s club . . . jumped into being a part of God’s family. Jesus’ ways are to love God completely with all that we have been created to be, and to love others as we have been loved by God. We are to do these in order to fulfil God’s will which is to establish God’s Kingdom where we are in the present moment and for the future. Though we are different in our diversity, we are called upon to work towards this goal . . . we are called to work and live together for the betterment of all and for God’s Kingdom. We are all members of the club.
As members of the club we must cooperate in learning to accept and welcome those who are not like us . . . those who eat different foods than we eat . . . those who worship differently than we do . . . those whose politics are different than ours . . . those who are richer or poorer, educated or uneducated . . . different genders, different abilities . . . just plain different than us. Accept and welcome them without judgment and condemnation. As the writer in Romans asks, who are you to judge another? And, if you are going to be judgmental and condemning, are you ready to accept the consequences . . . God wants to know.
I am not perfect. None of us is perfect. We are who we are in the eyes of God and others. Others may not like us, but in the eyes of God we are worthy of being loved, respected, and accepted . . . worthy of being a part of God’s family. That was and remains the focus of Jesus’ way. We live to do God’s will as Jesus showed us the way. Our focus is upon God and God’s will. The writer of Romans tells us that none of us is alone . . . we are all in this together. “For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”
In these frustrating, divisive times we are living we need to seriously consider the message of the writer’s words this morning. Seriously consider his questioning of our motives for what we are doing as individuals and as a group. Are we working towards God’s will or are we working for how we want to shape the world and shape God to our will? And, are we ready to explain ourselves and receive the consequences no matter which direction we choose to go? The writer is challenging us right where we are.
Well, I don’t know about anyone else, but I am greatly appreciative that God’s club has plenty of room for people like me . . . that God will accept me as I have been created. Even though I probably wouldn’t join a club that would accept members like me, I am grateful that God would accept me and welcome me into the club. That is a club worthy of all of us . . . worthy of everyone. That is the power of God’s grace . . . that all are welcomed. You . . . me . . . everyone! Even Groucho Marx. That is a club worth our time and effort. Amen.
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