One of the words that have emerged in the public discourse more recently is the word “tribalism.” I never heard people use that term until just a few years ago, but now I hear it at almost every turn. Usually people use it to describe how divided our country is, how we tend to live in our little groups, bubbles and clubs with limited understanding of the people outside of that community. The tribe we belong to could be defined by our age, class, race, voting preference, and even religion. And they say that much of the divide in our country today is owed to a “tribal culture,” where people are intensely loyal to their own kind and skeptical of others.

Of course, this is an interesting and important topic – how could we not acknowledge this after the high drama in the US senate this week, which again revealed the deep divide in our country, basically two tribes fighting each other? I am bringing this up, however, not just because it’s an interesting and timely topic; it is also very much related to the gospel for this morning. The brief reading that we just heard, is it not a perfect example of tribalism? The disciples come to Jesus and they say, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” Translation: he is not part of our tribe. He has not been vetted and approved by our leader. The disciples suggest to be extra careful with this person, but Jesus’ answer is surprisingly generous. “Do not stop him,” he says.  “If he does good in my name it’s all good.” When I read this, I kept thinking, “If only it were this easy!” Don’t you love it when Jesus cuts through all the non-sense and just lifts up one simple truth? “If someone does good in my name, it’s all good!”  Let us remember that!

In fact, Jesus’ open-minded, gracious attitude is the main reason why we are worshipping together this morning, calling ourselves Christians. The Christian gospel, once itself anchored in a confined culture, burst into the world, and within a short period of time became a world religion. No religion can ever become a world religion, appealing to people in different cultures and places, unless it rises above tribalism. There must be something deeper and higher and something very profound to it in order to appeal to people in various parts of the world over long periods of time. Thus, Jesus’ answer to his disciples was not only important then, it is also important now, as we translate this gospel to the people of the 21^st century. How tribal are we?

Out of the New Testament arises the wonderful vision of a community that is able to include people who are different in many ways, uniting them in a common faith in God. To be sure, that vision was not always clear in the Bible; it had to develop over time. It wasn’t there when Abraham and Moses respectively sought the Promised Land, pushing out other people in favor of the Israelites. It wasn’t there when the “chosen people,” were mainly focused on the fact that they had been “chosen.” It wasn’t even there when Jesus talked to the Syro-Phoenician woman, telling her that he couldn’t do anything for her daughter, because he had been sent to his own “tribe,” the people of Israel. The vision of that boundless community of God still wasn’t there when the Lord asked Peter to eat the unclean animals and embrace the Gentiles, as the gospel pushed past its original tribal boundaries in Judea into the world – and Peter almost puked.

Yet, at the same time there were signs and words all over the place indicating that the gospel Jesus proclaimed was way too small for one little tribe concerned about their own purity and constituents. We heard it in today’s gospel, when Jesus challenged his own followers, telling them not to think too small about God’s work in this world, not to be too petty. “Whoever is not against us is for us.” We hear it in so many stories when Jesus suggests that he found great faith from people who were not part of the tribe: a Roman Centurion, the Samaritan woman at the well, or in the story of the Good Samaritan for that matter.  We hear it very clearly expressed in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, – Paul whose mission it was to go beyond his own Jewish tribe. He once wrote to them, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) No more tribalism in Christ, Paul says. Or in his letter to the Ephesians he tells the Gentiles who once were clearly not part of the tribe, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household.”  On and on it goes, and that is the kind of thinking and the kind of vision that helped the Christian faith to become relevant in all the world.

Yet, today, we are talking about tribalism again. Not first and foremost in the church, although it exists there as well, but in our entire society and culture. If you google the word “tribalism,” you will find many, many references. You may find this little story from a 2018 newspaper article. This is what it said, ”Early in June, the valedictorian at Bell County High School in southeastern Kentucky delivered a graduation speech filled with inspirational quotations that, he said with a twinkle in his eye, he’d found on Google. One line, in particular, drew wild applause from the crowd in this conservative part of the country: “ ‘Don’t just get involved. Fight for your seat at the table. Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table.’ — Donald J. Trump.” As people cheered, though, the valedictorian issued a correction: “Just kidding, that was Barack Obama.” Right away, the applause died down, and a boo could be heard. The identity of the messenger, it was painfully evident, mattered more than the content of the message. (New York Times, June 26, 2018)

Now, I tell you, this story could have happened in another version, maybe in Santa Fee, New Mexico or in Burlington, VT, very liberal parts of the country, with the valedictorian quoting a well-known conservative and saying it was some liberal before making a correction. I guarantee you, the effect would be no different. Well, as sad as that may be, let us feel free to smile about it, smile about our own petty tribalism, and let us take to heart the message that is imbedded in the Christian gospel – “There is no Jew or Gentile, no conservative or liberal, no man or woman, no black or white, no gay or straight, no pro-life or pro-choice, no pro-gun or pro-gun control (or wherever the fault-lines of the current culture lie) – in Jesus Christ our Lord. We will all still make our decisions and our choices on these issues. But in a church that goes beyond tribalism, we will find our common ground in the one who transcends all of that. We will find our Supreme Court in a place other than Washington D.C.  And we will be able to listen to one another, and maybe smile, sometimes about ourselves and sometimes about our brothers and sisters. Jesus would do that.

Amen.