Tari Stage-Harvey is pastor of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church. (Courtesy photo)

Tari Stage-Harvey is pastor of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church. (Courtesy photo)

Living and Growing: Watching our words for other people

I could be wrong, but the only time Jesus directly talks about Hell is in Matthew 5:22, “But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.” Jesus keeps going in Matthew 5 to talk about cutting hands off and gouging out eyes to avoid Hell, but that feels like it will take more than 700 words in a column to process. But whenever people tell me they take all the Bible literally and they still have their hands and eyes, I say “nuh-uh.”

Anyway if you are super interested in the history of Hell, then a little pamphlet “History of Hell” by the Christian History Institute is a great resource. I simply want to focus on the gravity of calling a brother or sister a fool.

Holy guacamole. If this is to be taken literally, then I’m doomed because I’ve called my brother a fool more than once. My grandma used to pay us to stop trash talking. If this is to be taken metaphorically about our brothers and sisters across Christianity, then I’m still toast. There are times it feels like Christian denominations are coming from different planets not just perspectives. And if this is meant to be about humanity, then I’m good because I’ve never insulted anyone or called them an idiot. (Do I have to write I’m joking after such an absurd statement?)

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

I have found the best way to curb the temptation to insult someone is to:

• Not play ping pong or cribbage with them.

• Be in meaningful relationship with them.

I am most tempted to call someone names when I play my favorite games, which is completely acceptable, and when I make assumptions about what motivates them, which is not. I find I repeatedly fall in love with people when we are at a table together and I get to know them as people instead of ideas. So here is what I’m working on for this next year.

I’m not calling my brother bad names. He lives in Florida and there are still times we get a little ornery with each other, but I try to text regularly and remind him that I love him even if he is a turkey butt. I’m pretty sure turkey butt is a term of endearment.

A crew of church leaders are working on gathering with other Christians so we can know and understand each other better. This year is the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. I’m sure you all have started gathering party supplies, but 325 AD was a pretty big year for Christianity. This ecumenical council was the first time the universal church gathered and agreed on some basics, including the trinity, divine/human nature of Christ, and the canon of scripture. That’s simplified, but good enough to motivate us to gather again for meaningful relationships instead of name calling.

As part of the 1700th Anniversary, we hope to have some worships and meals in each other’s spaces during the season of Lent leading up to Easter, and host some other events together. Shepherd of the Valley currently works with six other churches in our neighborhood to provide hot meals on Tuesday nights in the Salvation Army food truck in the Aldersgate Methodist parking lot on Cinema Drive. There is also the hope of coordinating with other faith communities for disaster preparedness. Through the Local Emergency Planning Committee and Red Cross, the various faith communities have been brought together to talk about our role in mitigating disasters. The churches really should be leading the way in bridging the divide and learning how to love each other, or at least how to stop calling names.

And humanity? My nephew made me a thumb rub that says, “Be kind.” I’ll hold that in my pocket when I listen to the news or drive on Egan.

I want to give proper gravity to not calling names and dismissing others, whether it is biological siblings, faith siblings, or humanity as a whole, but I also lean heavily on my Lutheran roots where we trust grace. We are freed to live boldly in God’s love and confess when we fail to be the people God calls us to be. I’ll still probably call people names, but I won’t put Jesus’ stamp of approval on it.

• “Living and Growing” is a weekly column written by different authors and submitted by local clergy and spiritual leaders. It appears every Saturday on the Juneau Empire’s Faith page.

More in Neighbors

Fresh rainwater sits on top of the ice at Auke Lake. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Gimme A Smile: Looking for spring in all the wrong places

Is it spring yet? Is it spring yet? We’re through Valentine’s Day,… Continue reading

Tari Stage-Harvey is the pastor of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church. (Photo courtesy of Tari Stage-Harvey)
Living and Growing: Seeing is believing

Christians are nearing the time of Lent, 40 days of repentance and… Continue reading

Cooked Chinese-style fried rice. (Photo by Patty Schied)
Cooking for Pleasure: Chinese-style fried rice

At most of the Chinese restaurants I’ve eaten at over the years,… Continue reading

Guided by generations of traditional knowledge, Indigenous harvesters carefully dry black seaweed along the shoreline, demonstrating how cultural values and sustainable practices ensure these vital marine resources thrive for future generations. (Photo by Bethany Goodrich)
Woven Peoples and Place: A conversation with regional catalysts for economic development and mariculture

A growing contingent of Southeast Alaskans are driving local economic transformation toward… Continue reading

Adam Bauer of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Bahá’ís of Juneau. (Courtesy photo)
Living and Growing: Gathering to share ‘Faith in the Future’

First, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge that we… Continue reading

Page Bridges of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Juneau. (Photo courtesy of Page Bridges)
Living and Growing: The light of the world

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the… Continue reading

Orange apricot muffins ready to eat. (Photo by Patty Schied)
Cooking For Pleasure: Orange apricot muffins for breakfast

A few years ago when I had a bag of oranges and… Continue reading

Tari Stage-Harvey is pastor of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church. (Courtesy photo)
Living and Growing: Watching our words for other people

I could be wrong, but the only time Jesus directly talks about… Continue reading

A person walks along the tideline adjacent to the Airport Dike Trail on Thursday. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)
Gimme A Smile: Help me up

I fell on the ice the other day. One minute, I was… Continue reading

Brent Merten is the pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, Juneau. (Courtesy photo)
Living and Growing: Imagine the comfort of Jesus’ promise of heaven

Earlier this month, former president Jimmy Carter died at the age of… Continue reading

Caesar salad ready to serve. (Photo by Patty Schied)
Cooking For Pleasure: Restaurant-style Caesar salad

When I go to a fine restaurant and Caesar salad is on… Continue reading

(Photo by Gina Del Rosario)
Living and Growing: Free will

Genesis 1: 26 -28 And God said, Let us make man in… Continue reading