THE SWEET SPOT

I wrote this song in 2003 after being blown away by the humanity Jesus shows in Mark 14 when he prays "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.  Remove this cup from me.  Yet not what I will, but what you will."  The Message phrases it this way:  "Papa, Father, you can - can't you?  Get me out of this.  Take this cup away from me.  But please, not what I want - what do you want?"

This moment continues to humble me perhaps more than any other in the Gospels.

You didn't have to Jesus.  But you did.

The Prayer of Saint Patrick

I arise today through the strength of heaven; Light of the sun, splendor of fire, speed of lightning, swiftness of the wind, Depth of the sea, stability of the earth, firmness of the rock.

I arise today through God's strength to pilot me; God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me, God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me, God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me, God's hosts to save me afar and anear, alone or in a mulitude.

Christ shield me today against wounding Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me.

Last week I attempted to collect my thoughts on the tragic systematic sexual abuse of children uncovered at my alma mater, Penn State, by the hands of a former assistant football coach.  My goal was to express my conviction that the events bring to light a deeper societal issue that we all need to deal with.  After an overwhelming response, I felt that I needed to follow up with a more directly biblical response as a sort of "part two."  I knew that I wanted to talk about the story of the "Good Samaritan" that Jesus tells in Luke 10 and had prepared some notes to begin a new post.

Then I came across Tim Henderson's message at Penn State Cru and decided that he said what I wanted to way better than I ever would have.

Go read it.  Listen to it.  It's the single best response I've seen to the events of the past two weeks.

***This post was originally written previous to the announced firing of Joe Paterno and Graham Spanier, and was in response to the Grand Jury Report and subsequent outrage over what the allegations against Sandusky had to do with Paterno and the other men involved in the Grand Jury Report.  I want to emphasize that my goal is not to condemn anyone, but rather bring attention to how inaction is a societal problem involving all of us, and this scandal at Penn State is just shedding light on the larger problem as a whole.***

There’s a famous quote that I’ve heard numerous times that is sometimes attributed to 18th century politician and philosopher Edmund Burke that goes something like this:

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

For the past week, the nation has been captivated by an unbelievable tragedy that has been brought to light at Penn State University.  I’ll spare you the details of what is alleged (you can read the grand jury report or visit ESPN if you need to catch yourself up), but the bottom line is this:

An eyewitness saw a young boy being sodomized by an adult associated with the university, and at least five people with knowledge of it did nothing to actively protect the child.

The Penn State quarterback-turned-graduate assistant (allegedly) whose gut told him to run away when confronted with the sight of his former coach raping a child, rather than do anything it took to rescue the boy.  (Recent developments suggest that this may not be accurate, and that the grad assistant did intervene.)

The legendary coach who, when confronted with the news that his friend and protege had committed unspeakable acts, decided that the only thing he could do was pass the information along to his boss rather than wielding the authority he held as the most powerful man on campus to resolve the situation when a known predator was left unchecked.

The two Penn State officials who had the eyewitness account reported to them and felt that a slap on the wrist (forbidding the accused from bringing children on campus anymore) was a sufficient punishment for someone who now had multiple accusations of sexual abuse levied against him, essentially giving him permission to carry on with the abuse, as long as it wasn't on campus.  

The president of one of the most influential universities in the world, tasked with making decisions that are in the best interest of the students of Penn State and the university, who approved the handling of the matter and the continued active presence of a known predator on his campus.

Let me be clear: Joe Paterno is one of my heroes.  I believe that Joe Paterno is a good man who has done a lot of great things to make the world around him a better place.  I believe the same for Graham Spanier, whom I have always admired as the president of my university, and who has done much for the advancement of higher education.  I believe that each of the five men involved in the grand jury report are good men.

But they dropped the ball.  They decided to remain neutral.  Their silence became permission.

They allowed a sexual predator to not only remain free, they enabled him to continue running an organization that put him in direct contact with young boys every day.  And tonight, there are multiple young men (nine have come forward, but there’s no telling how many more are out there) who wake up to nightmares of what happened to them.  There are young men whose lives are forever changed because of the actions of Jerry Sandusky, and the inactions of those with the knowledge to stop him.

Desmond Tutu said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

And that’s the point.

Many people don’t understand why this scandal necessitates the accountability of someone like Joe Paterno (there are thousands of students rioting on PSU’s campus in support of him, and many more posting their support across social media).  By any legal definition, Paterno did what protocol told him he was supposed to do.  The other men involved in the grand jury report likely acted in what they believed was the correct way to handle accusations.  I think when we speak of Paterno, Spanier and the rest, we're truly talking about good men.  They’re not the ones being accused of multiple counts of sexual abuse against children - Jerry Sandusky is, a fact that can be lost in the outrage over what has happened.  

But by choosing to stand on the sidelines, they unintentionally supported Sandusky when they should have done whatever it took to protect children.

Before I'm accused of finger pointing or casting judgement that is not mine to make - this entire situation has forced me to ask myself the question: how many times have I chosen inaction?  How many victims have I ignored?  If I'm honest with myself, I'm certainly not innocent in this by any means.  I think each of us could point to a moment (or more) where we've erred in judgement and perhaps unintentionally let wrongs go unchecked.  We're human and we make mistakes.

Paterno acknowledged the weight of his own mistake in his attempted resignation statement, saying:

“This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life.  With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.”

But unfortunately, there is no benefit of hindsight in this situation.  Not to the victims, who will live the rest of their lives with the physical, emotional and psychological horror of what happened to them.  This is no doubt a case about the alleged actions of Jerry Sandusky, but in a larger sense, this story is about systematic sexual abuse and how inaction equals permission.  

2012 is going to bring a new season of ministry for Beth and I.  

After almost seven years, I will be resigning from my position as Director of Student Ministries at First Church to pursue my calling of being a pastor in the Christian & Missionary Alliance.  

This was a letter that was published in the newsletter at First Church on Sunday morning. I wanted to share it because while our staff and most of my closest friends have known this was in the works, it officially became public knowledge on Sunday.  Also, I realize that many of of those who attend First Church are more likely to see this on Facebook than actually read the church newsletter.  I know many people will have questions about this decision and I am willing to answer every one of them.  As I mention in the letter, our family appreciates your prayers for us during this exciting and challenging time for us.

Dear First Church,

It has been my joy to serve as the Director of Student Ministry and lead the worship band at this wonderful church.  I first became involved with First Church as a high school student in the youth group, so I’ve always felt especially privileged to have the opportunity to serve here these last seven years.  For Beth and I (and Lucy), First Church is home - our roots run deep here and we have a great affection for our people here.

It is with both great anticipation and sadness that I will be resigning as Director of Student Ministry at First Church in the coming months.  In 2002, I recognized a call by God to pastor a church.  Now, nearly ten years later, my obedience to honor that calling requires my departure in order to pursue the opportunities God is presenting me.  Since last summer, I have been working hard to accomplish the requirements necessary to become a licensed pastor in the Christian & Missionary Alliance.  It is my hope that in the new year, I will begin a new journey as a pastor in the C&MA.

Beth and I covet your prayers for our family during this transition.  We are excited about the opportunities ahead for us, but the short-term future will no doubt be challenging and uncomfortable.  I cannot express how excited I am for the future of First Church and truly believe that my eventual replacement will be so awesome that it will make me look bad.  God is brewing something amazing in our midst, and selfishly, I would like to remain a part of it.  Ultimately, however, I must be obedient to what God wants to do with my life and take the next step forward.

Though we will no longer be part of the day to day life at First Church, we will always consider you our family.  My favorite scripture is found in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians and perfectly summarizes my heart for First Church.  “Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” (1 Thes 2:8)  Thank you for all of your love, friendship and prayers.

Be God’s,

Wondering aloud what it would take to get this gentleman to Williamsport, PA?

I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions; I'm just, like, inviting you to join me on the bandwagon of my own uncertainty.

Dang.