Sermons (Page 112)

Jesus’s words are jarring to American culture. According to the “Hofstede cultural dimensions scale,” America is the most individualist country.[1] Individualism is taught from a young age when parents stress self-reliance with solitary sleeping, in comparison to the practice of co-sleeping in collectivist cultures. Playdates in individualistic countries are carefully interspersed with downtime to rest and recover, as opposed to the constant company within collectivist cultures. While individualistic cultures, like America, do not necessarily lead to solitary-living, relationships are weaker than in countries where collectivism is culturally dominate.[2] So, when we put our individualistic culture in conversation with today’s Gospel reading, it’s expected that we’ll feel uncomfortable…

In today’s gospel, the word “understand” grabbed my attention. Understanding is not mere knowledge, it doesn’t simply come with power, and, frankly, it’s not that pervasive. As one author puts it, understanding requires an “ability to think and act flexibly with what one knows.” In today’s episode, we saw the process of understanding unfold…