Dear friends:
Many years ago, when visiting the Southwest as a child, I learned an interesting detail that helped me understand all manner of social stratification. Our family was visiting some prairie museum that featured a stagecoach, the main means of transportation in what was called “The Wild West” but for Native Americans was probably best called “home.”
These stagecoaches were, for the most part, relatively small. At most, they carried six passengers. However, various classes were still recognized within the stagecoach. Like today’s transportation, tickets were sold in first, second, and third class. The distinction, however, did not have to do with the size of the seat or the kind of food that was served, but rather what was expected of the ticket holder in case the stagecoach got into a difficult situation.
The first-class, which, of course, was the most expensive, entitled the ticket owner to remain in the stagecoach no matter what conditions might be faced. A second-class ticket meant that if difficulty arose, you had to get out and walk alongside the stagecoach until the difficulty could be resolved. The third-class ticket called on the holder to take responsibility for the difficulty. This meant they not only had to get out of the coach when there was a problem, but they also had to, alongside the driver, get down in the mud and provide “sweat-equity” so that the vehicle could either get through the mud or get up the hill. Needless to say, this was the least prestigious of all the categories.
This week’s parable hits on many layers, the most obvious being the challenge of social stratification. But after studying the passage in-depth this week, I wonder if it has more to do with the root causes of such stratification. What causes us to need a social matrix, to know the pecking order, to keep the lines of privilege and authority clear? Is there another – even better – way to live? This parable — like most — is about much more than it appears on the surface... less a tidy lesson on social etiquette, and more a world-deconstructing proposition.
We’ll explore this in-depth this weekend. Serenitye Taylor, one of our dynamic Pastoral Residents, will bring her considerable insights to the chapel service, and I will be in the Sanctuary/ Fellowship Hall services. It promises to be a challenging Sunday. Join us, and bring a friend.
Warmly,
