Merge

Have you ever tried to merge from Spring St. onto 75/85 South when you're "in town?"

I just drove through this little marvel for the second time a couple of days ago. And, at the risk of sounding like the hayseed that I really am, I'll have to admit that I've never before seen a traffic light setup exactly like that one. As you ready yourself for the jump into the river of vehicles that floods through the heart of Atlanta each day, you come to see that an electronic hall monitor is hard at work in that place. With exacting demands, she expects good conduct of her pupils. Proper order and decorum is always maintained.

You know the "each one let one" rule of driving, right? If you don't, you really should learn it, for its implementation could do more for the cause of bringing civility to future generations than any other global initiative. Whenever drivers find themselves in a crowded, merge-riddled situation, "each one let one" can make all the difference. One car in from the left... one car in from the right. You let someone in, and then the next person lets you in. So on and so forth, and all will be right with the world.

Rarely, however, does traffic work in such a Utopian way. When we humans are left to our own devices, "survival of the fittest" becomes the all-too-predictable result. Someone will be in a hurry. Someone will feel the least twinge of self-importance. Someone will have the even-bigger SUV. Someone will view the situation as a contest, a battle of the wills, a race to the death -- and they'll cut someone else off at the pass.

But, the laws of the jungle do not apply at the Spring St. ramp. Two traffic lights guard access to 75/85, stationed just in front of each lane as the drivers who occupy them try to enter the fray. One light goes green, the other goes red. The other goes green, and the first goes red. It's "each one let one," technologically enforced by Big Brother himself. One red eye, one green eye, always watching, blinking, controlling.

I like it.

With no regard for a driver's power, wealth, prestige, status, age, IQ or beauty, the lights simply move in rhythm, each one letting one. Sleek or boxy, clunker or stunner, luxury-ride or straight-up hoopty, it makes no difference.

One at a time, one from each lane, no exceptions.

No doubt, the process makes for the easiest merge in town. Of course, once you're on the expressway, you're on your own. That's the problem.

So many times, I think that it would be great if God would just take charge of things a little bit more often. I mean, if we humans are able to design a system that can force us to learn proper merge techniques (even for just a couple of moments), wouldn't you think that God could do the same for our relationships? Really, I'm just asking for a little less competitive "cutting off" and a little more grace-filled "letting in."

Maybe what we often experience on the expressway of life seems more like the free-for-all of 8 lane traffic than an orderly, progressive merge based on fairness and equality.

But perhaps the problem, has more to do with our expectations than with God's actions. It almost always does.

Here's what I mean: Take a few minutes and read Psalm 119. OK, truth in advertising compels me to tell you that it will actually take several minutes to read all 170+ verses. But really, do you have something better to do? No, the MASH re-run on TV is not something better. Just take a look.

Does the psalmist seem just the least bit passive-aggressive with God, or is it just me? I'm not sure this kind of martyrdom / flattery routine works very well on God. "Oh Lord, not one man shall letteth another one mergeth before him, save only I alone" (my paraphrase, in King James Version, of course).

Or my favorite verse, applied to modern traffic, "my eyes shed streams of tears because your law of 'each one let one' is not kept" (136).

But, this psalm sure does say what we sometimes all feel. Life in community is tough when everybody won't follow the rules. It's tough to keep being nice if we feel like we're the only ones trying. The psalmist seems to expect that everyone should act just like he wants them to. The expectation also seems to be that he (we) are always amazingly obedient, and never responsible for any of the problem. If Psalm 119 can teach us that we're not the only ones who've tried to frame God within our expectations, then that's a big lesson learned.

And yet, that's not the whole lesson from the psalm. Psalm 119 is also the source of an often-quoted and much-loved verse. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (119:105). As a kid, I remember singing a song based on that verse in Sunday School and VBS. Somewhere along the way, anybody's who's been to camp or attended contemporary worship has sung it, too.

I guess I always thought the lamp to our feet and light to our path was more like the beam produced by my 4-cell MAG flashlight than a flickering oil wick. God's light has got to be brighter than anything else. We can count on it to keep me in the right spot, and make everything work out just right, just as surely as the traffic light on Spring St., right?

Absolutely. But, it turns out that you don't beam God's light up into the trees, playing with the focus until you spot exactly what you're looking for. You don't adjust the lens and widen the beam until the path and all around it gets lit up like daytime with plenty of lumens to spare.

Rather, God's light is just exactly as the scripture describes it. It's a lamp --- a flicker, producing a circle of light big enough that the next step can be taken in safety. It lights the path, a little at the time, but the next piece doesn't come into view until another step is taken.

There's a big difference between stumbling blindly through the darkness and using a lamp for light. But the great thing about a lamp is that it lets us see just enough. A lamp still requires faith if we're going to take steps down a semi-darkened path.

And so, it's in faith that we go out into the world.

Somebody's going to cut us off in the traffic of relationships and community. Count on it. In Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer says that we often live in the "wish-dream" world with regard to our relationships. We wish that the eye in the sky was there, bringing the order and fairness and predictability for which we sometimes dream. Reality is filled with imperfect people and imperfect relationships, but it's also filled with hope.

What we have is a path. And a lamp. And that's enough.

Grace and Peace,
Adam

LIFE AT SOTH

God is Closer Than You Think will conclude tonight at 7p.m. Our monthly supper together happens at 6:30 pm this evening, but feel free to gather a little early if you want. As soon as our food is set up and ready to go, we'll start our meal so that we can begin the book study at 7:00. Thanks to everyone for making this six-week series so meaningful and successful.

Beginning next Wednesday night, we'll begin a three-week study for all of those who are new to our church, and who would just like to learn more about what it means to be United Methodist and a member of Shepherd of the Hills.

10/26 -- John Wesley and United Methodist doctrine and theology
11/2 -- SOTH history, organization and ministries
11/9 -- SOTH vision and mission --- where are we headed? Q & A time included.

Those who are exploring SOTH and considering making us your church home are encouraged to consider attending each of these sessions, and of course anyone in the congregation is more than welcome to attend. We should have a great time together, and as the new pastor here, I'm looking forward to what I'll learn as well.

Each session will begin at 7pm and should last about an hour and a half. Childcare will be provided at the church. Look for signup sheets with childcare requests on your table this Sunday.

MISSISSIPPI MISSION

Don't forget that Tim Potate has organized a trip to Mississippi to help with hurricane relief and recovery efforts. SOTH will roll out on its first out-of-town mission trip the evening of Wednesday night, November 2 with plans to return late on Saturday night, November 5. Contact Tim a.s.a.p. if you'd like to be part of the team. (770) 231-8617.