The great California educator and poet Edwin Markham wrote:
I drew a circle that shut him out
Liar, thief, worthless lout
But Love, Love had the plan to win
Love drew a circle that took us in
The film Invictus tells the story of South Africa in its first days after Nelson Mandela became president. Facing overwhelming political, moral and economic pressure, South Africa’s white minority allowed the blacks to vote, and Mandela, who had been imprisoned for 27 years by the whites for his struggle against apartheid, was elected by an overwhelming majority.
Mandela knew that he had to work quickly to build national unity. On the one hand were the black majority, oppressed for years, many of whom were filled with hatred for the whites and who desired revenge. On the other hand were the white minority, suddenly cast out of power, many of whom were filled with fear, anger and resentment over their losses.
South Africa was a tinderbox of animosity that was ready to explode in civil war. Both sides had members who were pulling the two groups apart, each one hating the other. But they were blessed with a wise and compassionate leader whose goal was not and never had been black domination, but reconciliation, healing and national unity.
Mandela was inspired to reach out to the white minority, and he chose to do this by embracing South Africa’s rugby team. This was a controversial choice, because the rugby was a white man’s sport, and the team had been a symbol of white domination. Rugby was shunned by the blacks for this reason. Many of the blacks wanted to disband the rugby team altogether.
But Mandela understood that this was an opportunity to demonstrate to the white minority that they were an essential part of the new South Africa. Through public appearances, speeches and brilliant PR strategies, Mandela promoted the rugby team throughout his first year in office. He even wore one of their despised jerseys. Through his leadership, the whole country was caught up in the drama of the South African rugby team’s bid for the 1995 World Cup, which they won in one of the most exciting games ever played. In that moment of victory, the whole country, both blacks and whites, experienced pride and unity in their country, and had a tangible experience of what the new South Africa could be.
For decades, the white minority had drawn a circle that excluded Mandela and the blacks. With inspired genius, Mandela drew a circle that took them in.
In today’s gospel, Jesus challenges us to also draw a circle that takes others in, a circle that’s perhaps wider than the one we are presently drawing. If we accept his challenge today, then I know that we’ll be presented with opportunities this week to include others that we have been excluding.
Who will it be? Will God ask us to draw an inclusive circle of love and acceptance around that family member that we’ve written off, around that former friend or coworker who’s betrayed us, around that neighbor who bugs us, around whole groups of people who are different than us?
You bet. You can count on it! God has a plan to help each one of us grow and reach out. God is always going to invite us to draw a new inclusive circle around those whom we have shut out of our lives. Like Nelson Mandela and the South Africans, God always wants to bring us together in peace and in unity around his table of love.
We’re not always going to like it, but we can trust him that it’s for our own good and for the good of the world.
God also challenges us as a faith community to widen our circle. Jesus specifically mentions certain types of people that we should all be including:
“When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Did he really mean it? I think he did. Last year we started making a point of inviting the poor, the crippled and the lame to our community gatherings, and we’re continuing it this year. We have these gatherings about once a month, called Food and Faith Community Table, and we invite people off the street to come and share food and faith with us. Our next one is on September 19th at 11:30 am. Bring a dish to share, and bring someone new to share it with. When you see someone on the street corner with a sign asking for help, invite them. We’ll have invitations for you to distribute in September.
Why does God want us to change and grow? What does he have in mind? He knows what’s best for us, and that our exclusive circles are not good for us. They cause division, poverty, fear, hatred. God knows that they only way for true peace and prosperity for us is through inclusiveness and acceptance. God knows this because this is how he is. His circle includes the whole world.
We draw circles that shut them out
Those who are different, who somehow stand out
But God, God has a plan to win
God draws a circle that takes all of us in
