Good evening!
If you can turn in your pew bibles--
You brought your bible with you, right?
Please turn now to today’s reading: (found on page 38 of the 1996 translation). Let us hear the word of Christ Scott Hanson: A reading from the 2nd chapter, the 22nd page, the 4th sentence:
Conflict is a call for creativity; it is something to resolve rather than avoid.”
The word on Cohousing, according to Chris Scott Hanson.
The people respond: Let it be so.
Listen closely to the word: “Conflict is a call for creativity”. Creativity brothers and sisters! Do you hear the hope of creativity? Can you see the vision of change? Can you taste the potential for new life? Do you feel the budding possibility?
Brothers and sister, do you smell?
Conflict, our brother Chris shares with us, conflict is to be resolved rather than avoided. Conflict is what creates change, conflict is what clarifies our values, conflict is what happens when YOU disagree with me, because, as we know, I am right.
Let the people respond: Let it be so!
We are inclined to avoid conflict, to suppress it and to steer clear of topics that might create conflict. But the word today is calling us to remember that conflict is something to resolve rather than avoid. Conflict in fact makes Creativity, and creativity is a word of hope, a word of joy, a word of energy, a beautiful word. Creativity!
Can you say it? Creativity?
Can you proclaim it? Creativity
Make it known: Creativity!
Let the people respond: Let it be so!
Creativity. Do you hear this word, brothers and sisters? Do you hear the word in your heart and in your soul, in your head and in your hands, do you hear the word in shoulders and in your hips? Listen closely for the word in your knees and in your elbows in your chest and in your butt, in your belly button and in your ….
Umm. Yes. Do you hear the word?
The people respond: “Let it be so”
So how, then, you might ask, can we develop enough conflict to be creative? What can we do, when we each are so similar, so straightforward, so clear, so honest, so easy-going, so loyal, so trustworthy, so kind and loving, what can we do to develop the conflict we need to be creative?
Think for a moment of all the things we have in common. We all have some children, or none. We all are extroverts or introverts or somewhere in-between. We all communicate best by email or telephone, or in person. The list goes on and on.
We all love the country or the city, or suburbia. We all grew up in the east, or the west, or the middle. Or Europe. We all can sing, or dance, or play an instrument, or watch and listen. Every single one of us either plays a sport, or watches a sport, or ignores a sport.
It is hard to imagine a group with more similar interests. Why look at our dinner menu! We all eat meat or are vegetarian. We like soda, or juice, or coffee, or tea, or water. Why every single one of us loves tomatoes or hates them, or simply prefers less of them.
What shall we do when we are Oh, so similar, what shall we do to create the conflict we need, to avoid avoiding conflict, to develop the creativity that comes from resolving conflict??? What shall we do?
(silence)
Luckily, we have the word of Chris Scott Hanson to guide us. Chris shares with us that cohousing groups are full of controllers. Turn to page 21 in your pew bible we find the word once again. 2nd chapter, 2nd paragraph, 3rd sentence, second half. “Controllers are used to getting their own way”.
Can I hear Let it be so?
And continuing down the page, to the 3rd paragraph, 2nd sentence, first half: “When controllers butt heads” and continuing with the end of the sentence, they create drama, conflict, and discord. Do you hear the word? Drama, conflict, and discord.
We too, with all our similarities, we too can have the drama, the conflict, the discord of other co-housing communities. All that is required is that we butt heads. Such a simple act, such a simple call, such a simple way to create the conflict we need. We can butt heads!
Butt heads you ask? But wait! But stop! But no. Butt, butt, butt!
I hear you now with all of your questions, your misgivings and doubts, I hear your fear. Butting heads can hurt.
First, I remind you that this text, while sacred, was written in the twentieth century, a time quite unlike the time we live in now. It is important to remember that the words of Chris Scott Hanson, while profound and useful, are not literal commands on our life. This text in particular, must be interpreted metaphorically.
Butting heads is not meant to be a physical act, but rather a style of communication. It is about sharing what we think, disagreeing out loud, naming our differences, it is about being proud of those few ways that we are not the same as each other.
In fact, I am sure, if the prophet Chris Scott Hanson were here among us today, he would argue that resorting to a literal butting of heads would be a distraction from the creativity we are striving to find.
What then, are we called to do? What is our task for the next year of creating community? Last year we struggled with the word “flexibility” and indeed, as a result of that struggle, as a result of staying in the hope of the word, we found LAND.
This year, I believe, our task is in this text: “Conflict is a call for creativity; it is something to resolve rather than avoid.”
And the people say Let it be so!
Do not avoid conflict, Let it be so!
Do not dwell on the ways we are the same. Let it be so!
Name your way! Let it be so!
Speak your disagreements Let it be so!
Do it my way! Let it be so!
Be confident my friends that we have the creativity to resolve all that must be resolved,
The creativity to disagree and then find agreement
The creativity to be angry and then to be peaceful
The creativity to be sad and then to be joyful
The creativity to be scared and then to be safe.
We have the creativity to face drama, discord and conflict and to remain in community with each other
Let it be so!
If you can turn in your pew bibles--
You brought your bible with you, right?
Please turn now to today’s reading: (found on page 38 of the 1996 translation). Let us hear the word of Christ Scott Hanson: A reading from the 2nd chapter, the 22nd page, the 4th sentence:
Conflict is a call for creativity; it is something to resolve rather than avoid.”
The word on Cohousing, according to Chris Scott Hanson.
The people respond: Let it be so.
Listen closely to the word: “Conflict is a call for creativity”. Creativity brothers and sisters! Do you hear the hope of creativity? Can you see the vision of change? Can you taste the potential for new life? Do you feel the budding possibility?
Brothers and sister, do you smell?
Conflict, our brother Chris shares with us, conflict is to be resolved rather than avoided. Conflict is what creates change, conflict is what clarifies our values, conflict is what happens when YOU disagree with me, because, as we know, I am right.
Let the people respond: Let it be so!
We are inclined to avoid conflict, to suppress it and to steer clear of topics that might create conflict. But the word today is calling us to remember that conflict is something to resolve rather than avoid. Conflict in fact makes Creativity, and creativity is a word of hope, a word of joy, a word of energy, a beautiful word. Creativity!
Can you say it? Creativity?
Can you proclaim it? Creativity
Make it known: Creativity!
Let the people respond: Let it be so!
Creativity. Do you hear this word, brothers and sisters? Do you hear the word in your heart and in your soul, in your head and in your hands, do you hear the word in shoulders and in your hips? Listen closely for the word in your knees and in your elbows in your chest and in your butt, in your belly button and in your ….
Umm. Yes. Do you hear the word?
The people respond: “Let it be so”
So how, then, you might ask, can we develop enough conflict to be creative? What can we do, when we each are so similar, so straightforward, so clear, so honest, so easy-going, so loyal, so trustworthy, so kind and loving, what can we do to develop the conflict we need to be creative?
Think for a moment of all the things we have in common. We all have some children, or none. We all are extroverts or introverts or somewhere in-between. We all communicate best by email or telephone, or in person. The list goes on and on.
We all love the country or the city, or suburbia. We all grew up in the east, or the west, or the middle. Or Europe. We all can sing, or dance, or play an instrument, or watch and listen. Every single one of us either plays a sport, or watches a sport, or ignores a sport.
It is hard to imagine a group with more similar interests. Why look at our dinner menu! We all eat meat or are vegetarian. We like soda, or juice, or coffee, or tea, or water. Why every single one of us loves tomatoes or hates them, or simply prefers less of them.
What shall we do when we are Oh, so similar, what shall we do to create the conflict we need, to avoid avoiding conflict, to develop the creativity that comes from resolving conflict??? What shall we do?
(silence)
Luckily, we have the word of Chris Scott Hanson to guide us. Chris shares with us that cohousing groups are full of controllers. Turn to page 21 in your pew bible we find the word once again. 2nd chapter, 2nd paragraph, 3rd sentence, second half. “Controllers are used to getting their own way”.
Can I hear Let it be so?
And continuing down the page, to the 3rd paragraph, 2nd sentence, first half: “When controllers butt heads” and continuing with the end of the sentence, they create drama, conflict, and discord. Do you hear the word? Drama, conflict, and discord.
We too, with all our similarities, we too can have the drama, the conflict, the discord of other co-housing communities. All that is required is that we butt heads. Such a simple act, such a simple call, such a simple way to create the conflict we need. We can butt heads!
Butt heads you ask? But wait! But stop! But no. Butt, butt, butt!
I hear you now with all of your questions, your misgivings and doubts, I hear your fear. Butting heads can hurt.
First, I remind you that this text, while sacred, was written in the twentieth century, a time quite unlike the time we live in now. It is important to remember that the words of Chris Scott Hanson, while profound and useful, are not literal commands on our life. This text in particular, must be interpreted metaphorically.
Butting heads is not meant to be a physical act, but rather a style of communication. It is about sharing what we think, disagreeing out loud, naming our differences, it is about being proud of those few ways that we are not the same as each other.
In fact, I am sure, if the prophet Chris Scott Hanson were here among us today, he would argue that resorting to a literal butting of heads would be a distraction from the creativity we are striving to find.
What then, are we called to do? What is our task for the next year of creating community? Last year we struggled with the word “flexibility” and indeed, as a result of that struggle, as a result of staying in the hope of the word, we found LAND.
This year, I believe, our task is in this text: “Conflict is a call for creativity; it is something to resolve rather than avoid.”
And the people say Let it be so!
Do not avoid conflict, Let it be so!
Do not dwell on the ways we are the same. Let it be so!
Name your way! Let it be so!
Speak your disagreements Let it be so!
Do it my way! Let it be so!
Be confident my friends that we have the creativity to resolve all that must be resolved,
The creativity to disagree and then find agreement
The creativity to be angry and then to be peaceful
The creativity to be sad and then to be joyful
The creativity to be scared and then to be safe.
We have the creativity to face drama, discord and conflict and to remain in community with each other
Let it be so!
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