Proper24B, October 21, 2018, St.
Martin’s Episcopal Church by Annette Fricke
Abraham
Maslow was a very influential Psychologist who lived from 1908-1970. He is
probably best known for the concept of his model of the hierarchy of
needs. If you are not familiar with his hierarchy
of needs, it is usually shaped like a triangle with the base at the bottom
narrowing to the pointed top. The
triangle is the same length on all three sides.
On this schema, he posits that the lowest of humanities’ needs are of a
physical nature. This is said to include
such basics as food, clothing and shelter.
The second level is that of safety, the need to feel safe in the environment. The debate about guns, pepper spray and
tasers in this society has to do with feeling safe and able to defend oneself. Level
three concerns love and belonging. An
example of where this may go wrong is the development of gangs. Young people who choose to be a part of a
gang are generally from families of abuse and/or neglect. They feel that they don’t belong. There are few family connections or ties.
Positive activities may include school groups or 4-H clubs. Level four is about
esteem. “Esteem needs are ego needs or status needs. People develop a concern
with getting recognition, status, importance, and respect from others.”[1] This is where James and John come into the
picture. What do we know about
them? They are a part of the inner
circle of Jesus who were with him at the Transfiguration. They are also noted for wanting to call fire
down from heaven as a sort of punishment. Their parents are Zebedee and Salome. Zebedee was a fisherman of the Sea of Galilee
and apparently quite well off.[2] If we were to place him on Maslow’s hierarchy
triangle, they would be near the top—self-actualization. Good at the job. So good, that he has probably achieved a good
deal of mastery and made a comfortable living at it. At level five, “Individuals
who are motivated to pursue this level are seeking and understanding how their
sense of self partakes within their human behavior. Self-actualization can
include” finding a mate, parenting, using one’s talents and abilities.”
Although the levels overlap, it is generally thought that they also are a progression
towards becoming more complete as an individual. Maslow notes that there are
distinctions of quality in the self-actualization and later, he acknowledged
that there is also a self-transcendence level, describing it as “giving oneself
to something beyond oneself.”[3] In other words, there is more to life than
the satisfaction of oneself and one’s family unit and I would also say one’s
congregation. A person might accurately interpret James and John’s request to
be a selfish one, one that smacks of looking for a position of power to fill an
egotistical need.
So,
what are we to make of this story? Are
the other disciples mad at James and John because it is an inappropriate
request or is it because they also want important roles in the kingdom? It seems pretty clear in the narration of Mark
that Jesus has already told the inner circle of disciples what will happen to
him, yet they still seem to have an understanding that Jesus’ dying does not
fit in the picture. Do they really
understand what Jesus has told them? Did
they hear Jesus or not believe him?
Jesus seems to understand that they still don’t get it, but in spite of
themselves, they will continue to be his disciples. Jesus knows that despite their zeal and
misunderstandings, they will defend following Jesus to the very end of their
lives here on earth. Jesus is a pretty good judge of character. James and John
are among the saints of God. They were
not perfect, so like Jesus, we should not be so hard on them, but understand
that growth can occur. Humility helps.
Do
you remember when Derit preached in September?
He talked about the Transformation model which included worship, study,
fellowship. I also would like to use that model to see if there is something we
could do, something basic. For our congregation, we must answer the question, “What
are we doing that takes our mission beyond self-sustaining to reaching out and
growing?” What can we do to foster
growth that goes beyond our current outreach? When I attended the
Congregational Development training/study at the cathedral, I thought that
perhaps we could begin with an intergenerational gathering between the 8:00 am
and 10:00 am services. It is not much
time, but it’s a start. The proposal
would be to study, sing, do activities, create, bake and pray surrounding the
themes in Advent. It would be something that
would engage all the senses. We will use the outline of a curriculum and make
Advent wreaths. It would be each of the four Sundays of Advent. Perhaps, doing
this will provide an interest in spirituality for both the young and the not so
young, a place where we can all share our thoughts and experiences and really
listen to each other and encourage each other in the faith. It can be a place of sharing ideas and will
be open to all, hopefully at a time when most will be able to participate. I
invite all of you to participate. Afterwards,
we will evaluate where to go next.
I
will post a sign-up sheet in the fellowship room with a list of books and the
pamphlet we will be using. If you have
ideas for the Advent wreath making, please submit them to me.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James,_son_of_Zebedee
[3] Ibid.,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs
