M - E

The Emmy awards were televised Sunday night, and like most people, I tuned in to watch.  It was like every awards show, I expect.  Some parts were amusing, some boring, and some I didn't even watch.  The theme stood out, though.

The host made a joke of the award name, Emmy, calling the show a night when Hollywood celebrates - themselves.  After all, he said, the very title of the award was M-E.  The running commentary of the host continued along that theme, focusing on his appraisal of himself, including a short rather boring video of clips in which he played a prominent role.

The host's self-promotion was rude and crude, played for laughs, but it got me thinking about the idea of celebrating ourselves.  Of course we should celebrate ourselves, but it poses quite a struggle for many of us.

How many times have you seen someone turn a compliment back on the giver - or reject it completely - rather than simply smile a thank-you?   Think of the typical surprise party guest-of-honor's response:  Oh, you shouldn't have!  Why not? 

As Christians, we have all faced the me-others teaching that tells us to put God first, others next, and ourselves last.  To do otherwise is selfish. 

That's certainly clear enough, but is it Christian?  I'm not sure it is.

It implies that we don't matter, and I for one have heard that teaching expressed openly by more than one priest or other Christian leader.  That's ridiculous.  Of course we matter.  Jesus gave his life not for all people, but for each person.  That is, Jesus died specifically for Jean, for Allison, for Toby, for Mark.    We each matter, in and of ourselves.  

On the other hand, putting ourselves first at the expense of others is not acceptable.  We are called to care for them, to help, to support and uplift others.  We cannot ignore their needs if we follow Christ.

So there we have it: the Christian tightrope.  Where does self interest fall in the Christian walk?  I was taught that it didn't belong there.  We must take care of others, and let God take care of us.

That comes right from the mouth of Jesus, I was taught.  The Two Great Commandments gives us God's priority:  God, others, ourselves.   Jesus says we come last.  I'm not so sure about that.

Here is the passage:  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind' This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40, NIV)

Christ's second commandment is to "Love your neighbor as yourself."  AS yourself.  In this usage, 'as' means, basically, "as much as."  It expresses an equal relationship.

I believe Jesus is telling us to love others just as much as we love ourselves, to make the needs of others as important as our own, to care for them as we care for ourselves.  

Over the generations, though, the teaching has been used to convince well-meaning Christians that their comfort, their happiness, their wishes count for nothing. Instead of caring for themselves, they must pour themselves out for others, holding nothing back, keeping nothing for themselves. 

The key is balance.  Obeying Christ's mandate means loving our neighbors as much as we love ourselves.  It means loving ourselves as much as we love our neighbors, too.