Becoming Human

Text: Matthew 5:1-12

Become human first. My grandmother once gave me the most precious advice I’ve ever received when I was studying theology. She said, “become human first, before you become a minister.” “Yes, grandma” I replied without hesitance as if I knew what she meant – as if I could complete such a task like you put a check mark on your to-do-list. Turns out, it’s a life-long task to become human. Just because we are breathing and moving doesn’t mean we are living as fully humans. 

Through my kitchen window I see squirrels and deer everyday. They keep themselves busy searching for food and shelter. They are breathing, eating, and moving just like us. So, what makes us different from other animals? What does it mean for you to be human? Has your definition of being human changed over time? 

Certainly, my definition of being human has changed over time. I didn’t ask my grandma what she meant because there was a shared understanding of what it means to be human. Growing up, I was taught to show respect to elders – not just my parents, grandparents, uncles, and aunties but to anyone who is older than me. Such attitude came from teachings of Confucius. Honoring your parents together with ancestor worship are central part of practicing becoming human in Confucian teaching. Filial piety is based on a belief that we are who we are today because of the love and sacrifice of our parents, just like they were nurtured by their own parents. The parental love came all the way from Heaven, who gives life to all.

Becoming human didn’t just involve in a vertical relationship. it’s also horizontal. in my shared understanding with my grandmother, there was so much emphasis on being kind, caring, and loving toward others. Benevolence is the highest virtue in Confucianism. To achieve this, you must put the welling-being of others before yours. You must listen before speaking. You must understand other people’s minds before they even express what they need. That may sound impossible to some of you, but not so much if you believe in heart-to-heart communication. The implication of why we should be considerate of others is that everyone is in relationship with each other, so each person’s words and actions affect the rest of us. 

Well, you can guess that those beliefs – how my grandmother understood what it means to be human - are not necessarily well received by the mainstream culture in Canada. Some of my culture shocks were the result of different understandings of what it means to be human. I will give you a couple of examples.

One time I was delivering food as part of the meals on wheels program. When my delivery team arrived at a house, nobody answered the doorbell. After several attempts, we decided to open the door anyway. Two teenagers were sleeping in the couch in the living room. We introduced ourselves and explained to them that their grandfather needed to get this hot meal. Disturbed by our entrance, they complained saying “Can’t you just do it quietly?” So, we went upstairs and met their grandfather who was a veteran and couldn’t get up by himself. He graciously welcomed us and the food. What struck me was not how the teenagers treated us, but their lack of respect and care toward their grandfather. 

Another example was around the difficulty to participate in discussions during the class or in casual conversations at the Vancouver School of Theology. The majority of the students didn’t have a problem engaging in conversations – talking, jumping in, and cutting each other off, while the rest of us, mostly international students were watching them like a ping pong match. What bothered me most was not the language barrier I experienced but the lack of space in the minds of those students while talking amongst themselves – they just repeated themselves without truly listening to each other. Or pretended to listen while really thinking of what they themselves would say next! 

You probably have experienced these kinds of culture shocks while interacting with someone from a different culture or someone from a different generation than yours. Conflicts are unavoidable when two or more people are interacting with one another bringing their authentic selves. One of the root causes is different understandings of what it means to be human. In this increasingly multicultural and pluralistic society it’s becoming less common to have a shared understanding of what it means to be human. What matters is how we can continue to engage one another in a respectful conversation so we can learn from each other. That’s how we can become an intercultural church.  

Did you know that the United Church has a vision for becoming intercultural? It means living together with a respectful awareness of each other’s differences. We do this by examining ourselves, building relationships, and distributing power fairly. I’ve been actively involved with intercultural ministry as long as I’ve been working in the United Church. I’ve come to realize that becoming an intercultural church will remain a dream as long as we are afraid of being vulnerable. We are okay with respecting our diversity as long as it has nothing to do with our vulnerability or our willingness to change. It’s the elephant in the room in most meetings in the United Church that keeps us from building authentic relationships with each other. Without embracing vulnerability there is no mutual transformation. “Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change” says Brene Brown.

Embracing my own vulnerability has become a new way for me to become human. I don’t know whether it’s an age thing or a covid thing, the last twenty months have been like an intensive class where I have learned to accept all the things I used to resist – my early childhood trauma, the violence I experienced while growing up, at school and during my mandatory military service, my experiences of losses – including a very sudden and tragic one, the love that I’ve always longed for but never received, and some difficult relationships that I continue to struggle with. The more I resist those unpleasant things in my life the more I’m haunted by their unexpected visits. Like the saying goes, the best way out is to go through. At the core of my resistance there was my reluctance to admit my weakness. I thought I was in control by fighting against all the things that make me unhappy. Turns out, it was the opposite. I allowed them to have control over me. It was only when I recognized my fear of vulnerability, that I was able to let go, and by doing so, I became free.

That made me wonder if embracing vulnerability is also a way for us to be the church as well. But most of us don’t learn how to practice vulnerability at church. I find that ironic and even alarming because the very foundation of our faith was built on Jesus’ own vulnerability – how he was rejected, suffered, and died. We need to uncover a hidden culture that hinders us from participating fully in the realm of the vulnerable God who makes all things with self-emptying love. Why did we have to paint the cross with gold? Why did the church have to call Christ the King instead of the most vulnerable One? It all comes down to our fear of vulnerability, without which we can’t become fully human or church. 

So, on this Reign of Christ or Christ the King Sunday, I invite us to reclaim our path to be fully human and to be fully the church by embracing our own vulnerability as individuals and as a community of faith. Listen again to the words of our vulnerable Saviour who became fully human by embracing his own vulnerability to the last breath:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The is the best sermon ever preached precisely because that’s how Jesus lived, died, and rose gain as fully human, by doing so, inviting all of us to follow.