April
18, 2012
Text
Jno: 20:24-29
It is an
honor to be here. I have over the course of my time here known Lutheran
chaplains reaching back to Susan Thomas. I cannot recall all of them by name;
time and brevity of service come into play. This ministry has been a vital
component of the religious scene here at MIT for a long time and I pray it will
continue.
The gospel
text is familiar and powerful. Others have been convicted by what they did not
see, an empty tomb, burial clothes
lying unused. Thomas wants to see and to touch and his response when given the
opportunity shakes the foundations.
Questions
are a big part of what it is to be here at MIT. We all have questions, but more
often than not we are asked them. Sometimes we ask our own. Some time ago I was
tempted by and purchased a pair of designer jeans. They are Levis with
attitude. I was tempted by spandex and the promise that they were really comfortable
when traveling. The haberdasher was an ample gentleman who seemed to know whereof
he spoke. The price was too high, but comfort is not to be scoffed at and I
bit.
I often
carry my wallet in my rear pocket.
It became clear quickly that those who wear such jeans seldom carry
wallets. The pocket wore out and I had to have it repaired by a seamstress. The
next time I was in the store where I had bought the pants I asked the young
woman at the counter if she had noticed that designer jeans wore unevenly on
the seat. The owner was nowhere to
be seen. The young woman was running the store and she drew back at the
question. She replied: “You know I
really do not spend much time looking at men’s rear ends.” She was offended. I
tried to explain and it got worse. I still think designer jeans made with a bit
of spandex have a design flaw, but I have not found a way to ask the question
that works and for the time being I just have the pockets fixed.
Asking
questions at MIT is important, but you need to know how to ask the
questions. That is daunting. Your sense of curiosity and willingness
to inquire must be fearless. I spent a part of the afternoon on Tuesday
learning about prions—the smallest infectious particle that resists even the
most vigorous cleansing protocols.
I was not taught about prions when I took biology. I asked lots of questions
and need to ask more.
The other
day I was talking with a young
couple about getting married. They are from China. I had them look at the
traditional marriage ceremony that I often use and when we met again they were
a bit sheepish. They asked me a question: “Is it alright if we are not
religious?” I knew that coming from China it was unlikely that the language of
the ceremony would resonate with them but I wanted to talk about it with them.
Their question was appropriate. They went on to tell me that they had been to
lots of Bible classes, they were seekers in his words, but they were not
Christians. I told them that they
were more than all-right; they were honest and the ceremony would have been
inappropriate for them. We rewrote it so that it served their needs as they
told their friends what it meant for them to get married.
These are
good questions, seeking insight, direction. When you are talking about jeans it
is not a fatal flaw to be imprecise.
When you are asked about religious beliefs it is important to listen
well before you respond because you may not have an answer. Your response may
well be a guide to further conversation. And in those circumstances there is a
large part of me that would like to stop and give the answer that ends the
conversation, but it is more likely that their best teachers will be their
peers who from experience will tell them what being a part of a Christian
community can mean.
The
questions that come to us may not always have answers. We invite people into
further conversations. I had a memorial service recently for man who was a
Nobel laureate. His life was marked by his love of science; he was not a
believer. As the memorial service unfolded it became clear that at a point in
his career his belief in science had left him with unanswerable questions:
science could not cure his daughter of cancer. He was a friend and I wondered
how we would have talked about that? We live with unanswered questions.
Every
student is a work in progress and on Monday they may not believe anything and
on Tuesday they may well have all the answers. Occasionally we may even meet a
Thomas: “Unless I see the marks…I
will not believe.” Thomas ought to be the patron saint of nerds. We ask
questions; we answer questions! And sometimes our faith sources call out to us:
think about this! Data, details, did Thomas actually touch the Lord? We do not know, but we do know that he
came to believe and then we are told: good for you! But those who come to faith
without having seen are blessed. I take this to mean that facts are not the end
of the conversation. Sometimes the facts are not enough.
The
memorial service for James Q Wilson was last Friday at Harvard. He was known as
a data driven researcher who simply sought the facts and let the implications play themselves out. He was concerned
to discover where or not human kind has an innate moral sense and his research
was thorough. He wished to counter the relativism that too often seemed to
dominate contemporary conversation. He did not find the evidence he had hoped
he would find, but he did conclude that humankind had a moral sense that often
was dwarfed by violence, greed and the lust for power. His concluding words
were these: Mankind’s moral sense is not
a strong beacon light, radiating outward to illuminate in sharp outline all
that it touches. It is, rather, a small candle flame, casting vague and
multiple shadows, flickering and sputtering in the strong winds of power and
passion, greed and ideology. But brought close to the heart cupped in one’s
hands, it dispels the darkness and warms the soul.
Like Thomas
he had seen enough to answer his question but the answer was not as robust as
he would have liked. For us who follow he casts a bright light. The posture
here is of the servant who protects and nurtures and sometimes that is our role
as well. We ask questions, we answer questions and sometimes we wait while the
implications of what we are about become clear. It is not glamorous work, but
it is God’s and it the work to which chaplains are called.
Kari Jo,
May God bless your ministry.
