UPPITY

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4^th Thursday in Lent  is, “Uppity.”

U P P I T Y – uppity.

It’s not a word that appears in today’s two readings: Exodus 32: 7-14  and John 5: 31-47.

It’s not a word or a theme or an issue that appears in our scriptures, but in another way, “It’s appears all over the place.”

I think a weekday homily – especially when talking to each other – and who we are – is a chance to just throw some meat – not to get some growls – but to trigger some thoughts – from something to chew on – cook up – maybe get some nourishment from.

Hope that doesn’t sound “uppity”.

EXODUS

It’s a long road from Egypt to the promised land.

It’s a long Lent – those 40 years in the desert – for the sand blasting conversion of the Israelites.

In today’s scene from Exodus the people have turned away again from God and started to worship the Golden Calf.

And God describes them as stiff-necked.

In looking up the word “stiff-necked,” I spotted the word “uppity”.

I also found the words inflated, snobby, ignoring, arrogant, pompous, condescending, smug, egocentric, patronizing.

I liked “uppity” the most – with snooty in second place.

We can slip into those attitudes – about and with others.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

In today’s gospel Jesus is sort of in the same situation as Moses is in – in the first reading.

Verbal arguing – nit picking conversations – conflict  is going on. Who and how God is – is pulled into both conversations and verbal wrestling.

In today’s Gospel it’s  Jesus and the Jews.  In today’s First reading it’s  Moses and the People in the desert with the golden calf gleaming.

UPPITY

Uppity behavior takes place especially neck upwards – starting with stiff necks.

Noses go up in the air.

Eyes are closed.

Heads shake.

Jaws tighten.

Minds get closed.

Ears don’t work.

When we have a good case of  uppityness – we have stopped listening. We look down on others as wrong, stupid, stuck in positions,  atrophied, unread, low IQ, etc. etc.

Thinking about this I have never in my life wanted to be someone else. I have heard that some people wish they were someone else. Nope, not me, but  I would like to have a better musical ear – not for the sake of contributing to the choir – but just to not hear digs for having  a poor ear for music.

Thinking about this I realized, “Okay I don’t want to be anyone else – but there are people  whom I know I don’t want to be.

Now that might be the best learning in these first  draft thoughts about the theme of “uppity”.

That’s where  sins of pride can poison me and I then use my tongue to put down others.

I assume I would do that to make myself look taller – not to others out there – but to myself  in my inner conversations.

But I’m not sure about this yet.  I only started thinking about uppity last night.

I have thought about sins of pride – modern Pharisaic thinking.

I have never had any desire to wash other’s feet or have my feet washed by them.

So, there are people I have practiced social distance from – for years now.

CONCLUSION

I don’t like myself when I put others down in my mind.

I suppose the goal should be some learnings from the John the Baptist and Jesus Christ interplays in the gospels.

I need to decrease and Christ must increase.

The Father needs to increase.

John can be difficult, but I notice Jesus is often referring to the  Father -  this One – this other Presence whom Jesus is always pondering about.

Go back and read today’s gospel from John and notice the Other.

Then there are the others – all these other people I know – some of whom I write off. I need to change and accept  others who  have lights – who have tassels I need to touch -  I need to get some of their light to bop off on me – like the light that jumped off John the Baptist – in today’s gospel which others delighted in for a while.