Hacking Life

Presbyterians are known for many things, and those things run the gamut from courageous and innovative to fearful and petty.

The list of things for which Presbyterians can be proud of is extensive: our role in the founding of this country and the formation of our system of government, the proliferation of public education, women’s rights, civil rights, the ecumenical movement, global and domestic mission, healthcare, peacemaking, disaster assistance, and concern for the environment. You could probably add a few things or possibly take issue with one or two that I’ve listed, and surely the church has not always been as prompt or strident as was needed, but on nearly every issue of national and global importance, the PCUSA has staked a claim and with rare exception, is on the side of justice with a preference for the poor, the ignored, and the overlooked.

Frankly, it’s the last thought that keeps me invigorated and passionate about my denomination. Despite its flaws, with rare exception, its heart is in the right place.

Oy…and we do have our flaws!

Now, I’m not going to start this brand new year with a litany of all that’s wrong with our beloved church – if nothing else – we don’t have that much time! However, for purposes of this morning, let me simply summarize all of my discontent, frustration, and outright aggravation with these: sluggish and near-sighted.

It’s a joke, and not a good one, at how slowly our church moves. “Glacially” is a term I hear often. The Session of First & Central made a fairly large decision not that long ago – and from start to finish – the presentation, discussion, debate, and decision consumed only a portion of one meeting. The assembled Elders were pleased with the not only the outcome, but the process as well, and pronounced it “nimble.”

Of all the words you’ve ever heard to describe the Presbyterian Church – in any of its incarnations – would “nimble” come to mind?

We are a methodical people and “decent and in good order” is our scriptural justification for lethargy. Yes, we are sluggish, and sometimes too little too late – and we have a tendency to get wrapped up in our own little problems and skirmishes and lose sight of our mission as a church.

But go back to that long list of things about which we could be proud because I forgot one: we have an ailment named after us!

Presbyopia

According the US National Library of Medicine:

Presbyopia is a condition in which the lens of the eye loses its ability to focus, making it difficult to see objects up close.

 

People usually notice the condition at around age 45, when they realize that they need to hold reading materials further away in order to focus on them. Presbyopia is a natural part of the aging process and it affects everyone.

So, our denomination is the namesake of a universal condition in which people lose their ability to focus and see things that are right in front of them.

By golly, I think they have us nailed!

Interesting that presbyopia sets in at around 45. Recent statistics from the Stated Clerk report that “the median age of Presbyterians is 61, up from 58 in 2001. Four out of five worshipers in PC(USA) pews today are age 45 or older.”

80% of Presbyterians either have presbyopia or are on their way.

Explains a lot.

We’re increasingly unable to focus and have trouble seeing things that are up close. We have old eyes. That’s what “presbyopia” literally means. It’s from the Greek translated as – “elderly vision”.

We may be afflicted with “elderly vision”, but what we sorely need more of is the “vision of elders.”

At a 80^th birthday party last week for an elder of the church, in response to a question about a recent move to a retirement community and the requisite downsizing, he surmised the arduous task thusly: “Only thing we’re sure of is that we have stuff we don’t need.”

He may have meant that literally, but there’s wisdom in them words! Made me think about the stuff I don’t need – stuff stuff and emotional stuff and opinion stuff and prejudice stuff and judgmental stuff and fear stuff. Stuff that I have, my family has, my church has, my community has, and my country has. It’s a great one-line resolution for 2012 – taking inventory of the stuff we don’t need.

One thing that won’t be on that list? Wisdom – the vision of elders—knowledge tempered with perspective and experience.

I find it telling that Luke spills all kinds of ink on two with “elderly vision” – Anna and Simeon – a rare gender-balanced depiction of faith and wisdom. They both have a lot of miles on them and they’ve seen wholesale changes in their world and culture; and they, despite pronounced presbyopia, recognize with sharp clarity, the baby before them. Simeon’s eyes may not be 20/20, but they have seen “God’s salvation.” For Simeon, that’s not simply a bold declaration, it’s a stark imperative of decision.

When we offer a blessing over a baby during baptism, I doubt many of us proclaim, to the shock and awe of unsuspecting parents, “This child is destined for the falling and rising of many, to be a sign that will be oppressed so that inner thoughts will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” “Oh…and here’s a certificate for framing that says all that…”

And then the prophet Anna, an octogenarian, began to speak about the child to whom “all who were looking for redemption.” Two people with the vision of elders who saw what many were looking for and they spoke with clarity and conviction. Elders of the community graced with the vision and voice of wisdom.

Luke closes our visit with these two remarkable people with a brief synopsis of Jesus’ childhood and youth: “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.” Another way of saying that he hacked life.

In our vernacular, “hacker” doesn’t necessarily have a great connotation for it frequently means someone who breaks into computer systems, occasionally to do real damage, but mostly simply for the sport of it. Most have had at least one of those emails from bank or credit card companies disclosing that that there had been a breach in their security and some personal data might have been stolen. Evidence of a hacker at work.

Yet, if you think about it – hackers are people with vision – albeit it at times with a healthy dose of mischief.

A hacker doesn’t accept arbitrary or imposed boundaries – but works to circumvent, work around, or undermine.

A hacker doesn’t accept simply “what is” – but lives a world of “what could be!”

A hacker doesn’t accept conventional constructs – but wonders how those same components could be put to work in innovative ways.

A hacker doesn’t accept limitations – but sees them as challenges and temporary obstacles.

A hacker doesn’t accept the status quo of a system – but is willing to take risks, even to point of running afoul of the law.

A hacker doesn’t accept the prescribed linear course – but lives in a world of taking unexplored routes, engaging unlikely folks, and finding new ways to sought after destinations.

Couldn’t we replace the term “a hacker” in the sentences above with the name “Jesus”?

Somewhere between the time he was presented to Simeon and Anna and the start of his ministry in his 30’s – Jesus hacked life.

Now, of course, having a famous father didn’t hurt – but Jesus saw life differently, he had a new vision of what the world could be – he saw the world, not through the lens of legality, purity, and conformity – but through compassion and love and justice. He broke into established systems, altered input, and radically influenced outcome. He tinkered with the intricate components of life and tweaked perception. He re-wired our perception of the poor, the ignored, and the overlooked. He programmed his life for hope and possibility. He operated in a system of forgiveness and new beginnings.

Jesus hacked life – and calls us to lead a hacking life – and that is what we, in more sophisticated circles, call wisdom.

The irony is that most hackers that we read about are likely in their twenties – but the folks who have really figured out how to hack life are our elders. They’ve seen enough not to take life too seriously; and they’ve experienced enough to know when to take it very seriously. We shouldn’t be surprised when Luke introduces the infant Jesus to the elders Anna and Simeon – it’s the merger of vitality and perspective that served him well.

On this first day of a New Year – I’d wish that for all of us – that our vitality – that of Hanover, First & Central, the PCUSA, and that of our families and communities might be merged and tempered with the perspective of experience and knowledge; that we might not just react to the events and changes of our world, but that we might engineer progress; that our vision would be clear and far-reaching and focused, not myopic and clouded; that we wouldn’t settle for an existence when God gives us life; that we’d approached that life not as something to be endured, but something to be hacked.

Friends, Luke tells us that Jesus grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him. May it be so for each and every one of us – this coming year – and all that follow.