Which Party?

Rev. Seth Patterson

with Pierre Fulford and Abraham Westlund

October 27, 2024

Scripture: John 8:1–11

Seth

Friends.

We are living in a time of uncertainty.

In times of uncertainty, we need art.

In times of uncertainty, we need artists.

And so it is a great honor to be joined by so many great artists today. It is specifically a gift to re-introduce Pierre Fulford and Abraham Westlund, both insightful and talented artists who joined me for a sermon last November. Pierre is a spoken word poet and Abraham is a piano-playing poet. They are wonderful humans and it is a joy to have them back here with us.

Abraham sings A Question of Faith

i can see it now, though it’s just out of reach
if you give me your hand i’ll help you to your feet
i know we can make it we can make it home
see you standing there off in the distance
come home come home
i know it seems twisted my view of you
God you told me you’re present even when i can’t see you
but faith i’m losing hope that you will ever return

(chorus)
so please don’t leave us
please don’t go the world will not listen
they just cast all their stones
so please don’t leave us
please don’t go
We try to Be strong God
speak your truths not withhold

Seth

We are living in a time of uncertainty.

Granted, every time is a time of uncertainty because the future is always unknown, but some moments carry the weight of uncertainty more heavily than others.

It seems that we are in one of those moments.

Uncertainty is uncomfortable.

When we feel uncertain, we often try to control.

And attempts at control are divisive.

So, the poet begins:

Pierre begins Divided | Party

Welcome to the divided states of America,
Where here we take our division very serious,
Dare we say it is our most valued foundational practice,
Over centuries perfected,
Until here, now a day so divided,
Once a discovery now a certainty,
At the ballot individual preference is all one sees,
One who represents a party over here at odds with another one who represents a party over there,
Check the dance floor,
Right in the middle a polis who believes their vote will unite them,
Oh but on the contraire,
Take what matters to the heart,
Watch ’em tear themselves apart,
Pick any issue or cause to begin with,
Then witness enemies spawn where there once was friendship,

Seth

When we feel uncertain, we often try to control.

We try to control the things around us that we think we have control over.

We may try to control narratives, ideas, ourselves or others.

These attempts at control are often divisive, destructive and settle in binaries, polarizations and tribalism. Control gives the illusion of unity while creating splinters and factions and brokenness.

Pierre continues

Horse powered by our convictions,
Pick a side, enjoy the ride, final destination a grand emotional collision,
Perspectives piled up, what a wreckage, and no life insurance can cover the deadening tension that now spoils our family Sunday dinner,
When polls become pulpits whose sermon is true,
Jesus, Even our picture of God isn’t immune,
Is he on the cross or on the fence,
All depends on which party controls the view,
Look there’s a line in the sand,
But is this the one Jesus truly drew,

Seth

There is a story in the Biblical book of John. Jesus is teaching and some authorities bring in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. To be clear, just the woman, not the man. The punishment for this crime was to be stoned to death. Again, just the woman, not the man. (It is an old and deadly story that patriarchal systems continually claim control over women’s bodies.) This was a trap being set for Jesus so that he would say the wrong thing. So, Jesus bent down and wrote something in the dirt. He straightened up and said, “The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone.” Then he bent back down and wrote some more. The authorities slowly walked away leaving the woman alone with Jesus. He stood up and spoke to her. “Does no one condemn you?” “No one, she said.”

“Neither do I,” said Jesus. “Go on your way.

Pierre continues

Election time to show division is what our hearts truly choose,
Turn on news and pick a crew Depending on the lens it’s all a ruse,
From parties to pit-it-full—Houses inciting the fires are rising, and no one to fight it cuz everyone’s fighting,
The camera caught a child crying, whoop-de-doo, Nah, what would Jesus do,
As an immigrant living in our divided states,
More an alien depending on the parties case,
But still a lover of all you can see it in his face,
Denying none a hand his scars a cause to contemplate,
How power to genuinely care unbound to elective fate,
Provoking this ask, In light of these our divided states,
What if we the elect united in faith,
Showing the White House how God’s house throws a party,
Where everybody is invited to enjoy the lamb, If you’re vegan, sorry,
That child is now crying tears of joy,
Too much light for the camera to capture,
Somethings you just gotta feel,
Like the very first time you held your favorite toy,
Remember, This our Jesus party demands we show up as children,
And our type of play may not erase the reality of our divided states,
But it may change the type of tears that stream down the child’s face,
And that’s the type of party we need today, anyway

Seth

This is why we need artists.

Many years ago, a theater artist mentor of mine told me that “art is a way to tilt the world so we can see it differently.”

Or, better said by Pablo Picasso: “We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth.”

We need artists so that we can detach ourselves from the desire for control and instead embrace uncertainty. We need someone to ask us which type of party we are invited to, which party gives us joy and love. No political party is God’s party. Love, justice, compassion, interconnectedness, forgiveness and joy are the invitation.

Art is not real, it is an invention. The tilting of the world is not the fact of the world. Art is a vehicle for meaning-making and truth-finding, a creative manufacturing that points towards truth. Picasso’s self-portraits of himself were not actually him, but rather an increasingly symbolic, creative act looking less like a mirror-image and more centered on some sort of truth about himself.

We need art. We need artists. We can use their gifts to carry all the uncertainty.

Abraham continues

i cry out to you
with no reply
this world is so broken
it’s hard to see light
now
this country is shattered
all we see is Divides
how can we rise up above it
we must destroy the devils lies

(back to chorus)

Seth

The wisdom of Brene Brown says this: “I spent a lot of years trying to outrun or outsmart vulnerability by making things certain and definite, black and white, good and bad. My inability to lean into the discomfort of vulnerability limited the fullness of those important experiences that are wrought with uncertainty: Love, belonging, trust, joy, and creativity to name a few.”

Jesus wrote something in the dirt. We have no idea what it was and we will never know. Hand in hand with that uncertainty we also know that Jesus didn’t react with a need to control. He didn’t try to participate in controlling a “sinful woman”, he didn’t join the desires of controlling punishment. He chose love and not condemnation, freedom and not control.

Abraham begins again

I can see it now, though it’s just out of reach
if you give me your hand i’ll help you to your feet
i know we can make it we can make it home
see you standing there off in the distance
come home come home
i know it seems twisted my view of you
God you told me you’re present even when i can’t see you

Seth

To be clear, art will not solve the pressing issues of our time, it will not make uncertainty turn into certainty. We still need to show up to vote. We still need to show up to work together for justice, love, compassion and care. We still need to oppose violence, hatred and greed. Art is not real, it is an invention.

And…art points to truth. Art tilts the world so we can see the party and not merely the political parties. It is not faith but it can help us seek faith when it can feel so hard to find.

Artists and art-making are essential to our humanness, to our continual seeking of connection with God.

So, seek out the poets and the musicians, the storytellers and the painters, the sculptors and the writers. Allow yourself to sit in the uncertainty and seek the attempts at truth that are offered. Find the artist in yourself and participate in the tilting of the world.

Art is not meant to exist forever or speak to all people at all times. Sometimes it goes away and joins the chorus of uncertain things. Yet our actions do matter and create lasting effects. Like Jesus’s drawings in the soil, art is temporary and often lost after creation. But actions like releasing the woman from fear and control have lasted millennia.

Art is not real but the actions it inspires are.

Pierre speaks and Abraham plays

Somethings you just gotta feel,
Like the very first time you held your favorite toy,
Remember, This our Jesus party demands we show up as children,
And our type of play may not erase the reality of our divided states,
But it may change the type of tears that stream down the child’s face,
And that’s the type of party we need today, anyway

Seth

Seek art. Act in love. Practice justice. Show up

May we make it so.