To Be or Not To Be (on a Jury)

I am interrupting my exploration of the New Religion proposed by ChatGPT – that AI phenomenon – to reflect on my experience servicing on a jury.  I was summoned to be in a jury pool at the beginning of last week.  Dutifully i.e. not having any valid excuse not to and trekked to the Courthouse in London Ontario.  I was fortunate to be selected to serve on the jury of twelve people and two alternates in a criminal case involving a sexual assault. 

To be honest, I was somewhat ambivalent about the prospect of being selected for jury duty – I didn’t have information at that point on the nature of the trial.  I would be a bit disruptive of my life, but not seriously as I am semi-retired – as I decided that I would declare as my status if asked.  Old clergy don’t retire – they just fade away (it seems I am fading more these days).  I would have to reschedule a number of appointments but nothing major.  Also, having jury duty is a great excuse for getting out of things you are ambivalent about.  As we prospective jurors were advised, if you are able to be excused from serving that means that someone else would have to serve in your place.

Reflecting on the experience, I must say that it was truly valuable, and I would recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity.  There is much that I could say about the experience, but I would like to focus on a few things.  It turned out the jury was both diverse and not diverse.  We had a wide range of ages – I estimated I was the oldest at 75 and the youngest was going to celebrate his twentieth birthday imminently.  The jury was comprised of six men and six women – two alternate jurors were both women, but they were dismissed before evidence was given, which I found out was the usual practice.  However, the accused was a black man and there was only one black person on the jury.  As the judge noted after the trial ended, that was a reflection on the reality of London and probably would have been different in Toronto. 

The jury received a primer on trial law which was very informative and helpful.  We were informed, among other things, that we had to judge the guilt or innocence of the accused strictly on the evidence and not on such things as opening and closing statements.  We were also advised and required to swear that we would put aside – to the best of our ability – any conscious biases we had as well as make every effort to identify and put aside any unconscious biases that we become aware of in the course of the trial and jury deliberations.  As it turned out we did not have to deliberate as a plea bargain was reached after four days and we were dismissed without having to render a verdict.  I am sure that doing so would have been a most interesting process and a very worthwhile experience as well.

Given my interest in the part that the unconscious plays in the life of people, I was most interested in the direction that we should make every effort to identify and put aside any conscious and unconscious biases.  I was very pleased to see the emphasis placed on this by the judge – who I was very impressed with throughout the trial.  However, I am also aware that to actually be able to identify and deal with the part the unconscious plays in our motive and actions is a very challenging thing.  I don’t know how this could be handled in a better way in the judicial process than it was.  For instance, I can’t see the jurors engaging in dream analysis during the trial process or practicing active imagination.   Most people are unaware of the role that unconscious energy plays in their waking lives.  It would be interesting to do a study on dreams of jurors both during and after the experience of service on a jury.

That is about all I want to explore - at least this time.   May you be blessed to have a positive encounter with the legal system on your journey.

Sermon June 19, 2016 Fourth Sunday after Trinity

The Gospel certainly puts it on the line.  Jesus tells us in no uncertain term what we are required to do if we are going to be his disciples and follow him.  Now you might say, “I never signed up to be one of his disciples; I only want to be a Christian.”  Well, unfortunately or rather fortunately for us, it is the same thing.    If Jesus is the one who we claim as our saviour and redeemer; the one who died for our sins, then were are called to follow him and follow him teachings.  That is what a Christian promises to do.

So let’s look at what he is calling us to do and be.  It is quite a list that he lays out: be merciful to others, do not judge others, do not condemn others, forgive others, give to others.  There is more of course but let’s leave it at that—at least for this Sunday.

Jesus is asking a lot of us.  However, perhaps these things are within the realm of possibility.  Let’s look at them more closely as see what is really required. 

Be merciful.  Well that’s not too hard.  I think I can certainly show mercy to others.  I’m a good guy and I like to think that I show mercy when it is necessary.  In fact I give quite a bit of money to charity; I tithe-giving a tenth of my income—more or less.  Isn’t that showing mercy?     Well I’m afraid that doesn’t quite do it.  Do I really show mercy to someone who had wronged me?  If I have the chance to seek revenge—I hope not in really serious ways—do I do it?  A little righteous anger and just deserts is actually good for someone isn’t it.  After all it teaches them a lesson doesn’t it.  Well it may do that but it’s not mercy.

Do not judge others.  Well, that’s some order.  How can I encounter someone and not judge them?  After all, some people act in ways that I don’t approve of.  Realistically there are some people who act in bad ways, in despicable ways like that politician in the United Sates.  Does Jesus really expect me not to judge them?  So what if it say elsewhere ‘judge not lest you be judged’ it is inevitable that we will judge people—isn’t it?

Do not condemn others.  Well to be truthful there are lots of people that deserve condemnation.  It follows from judging those people who don’t meet my standards regarding the way I believe people should live.  They get judged by me and then I, at least figuratively condemn them to the outer darkness of people who are not worthy of my mercy or love.

Forgiveness; well that’s one I have a pretty good handle on.  I forgive people quite easily.  After all I want people to think well of me and probably wouldn’t if I carried a grudge.  But actually if I am honest I can say that I forgive someone but the things they have done to me still annoy and bug me and even make me angry a long time later.  I guess if I have that reaction I haven’t really forgiven them.

Give to others; well as I said already I do really well on that one anyway.  I give generously to charity—I tithe as we are told we should to be a good Christian.  Well, I must admit I give to selected ones.  I give to the deserving charities that help deserving people.  If I am asked on the street for a handout I immediately assess the person.  Is she really in need?    Is he trying to rip me off? Will he just go and spend the money I give him on cheap wine?  I really wish Jesus had said give to those who deserve it.  But he didn’t.

So Jesus does seem to be telling us to do things that are really hard.  It does put us in a bad position if we want to follow him doesn’t it?  Surely this passage must be taken out of context or perhaps it is a mistranslation or perhaps Jesus didn’t mean it the way we understand it.  After all he did say “my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.  Anyway, he didn’t always practice what he is preaching here.  He did throw the money changers out of the temple.  He certainly judged the scribes and the Pharisees and others who were deserved to be judged.  So what can we make of this?

Perhaps he was saying that these are things we should strive to do and how we should attempt to be, knowing that we will not always or even often succeed?  But then he says a bit later, “everyone that is perfect shall be as his master.”  How can Jesus expect us do all these things that he commands and do them perfectly.  Perfection is certainly something that I know I will achieve.  I have tried to be realistic and to acknowledge to myself that I can never be.  Indeed, I don’t believe that Jesus intends us to be perfect—at least the way we understand it.   

There is a different way of looking at perfection than how we usually look at it.  We believe that to be perfect is to be without a flaw and to never make a mistake.  Augustine the great church father and saint stated, that not only that man is properly termed perfect and without blemish who is already perfect, but also he who strives unreservedly after perfection.  So we can be on the road to perfection.  We can be making an effort to be perfect.  This is helpful in others time that Jesus tells us this such as in Matthew chapter 5: 48, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” 

That may help but I know that I will never be perfect.  I also believe that it can be harmful for people to strive for perfection. It will often not allow them to acknowledge how they are and that we are all sinner who have been redeemed by Jesus.  If you try to be perfect you are going to fail but you will have even more trouble acknowledging those aspects of yourself that don’t live up to the standard of perfection.  

I noted that the word perfection may have a different meaning than we normally understand.  Another way of understanding the original meaning of what Jesus means by perfection is all-embracing.  This is used in a translation of Aramaic which was the native language of Jesus.    So the translation of Matthew would be “Be all-embracing, as your heavenly Father is all-embracing.” 

This understanding certainly puts Jesus’s commands into a different light.  If we are to embrace God’s world and the people in it with mercy, forgiveness and charity that is something which I can strive for.  It is something which I doubt I will completely succeed in doing.  But I can strive to do it and when I do not succeed I can repent and try again.  We have the forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ, thank God. 

I believe Jesus gives us the key to this approach in our passage.  He asks us, “And why beholdest thou the mote in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that in in thine own eye”? 

Let us look at those things in ourselves that are separating us from the love of God through Jesus Christ.  We are not going to be perfect but we can work at being all-embracing.  Thanks be to God .