Trash People

On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. - 1 Corinthians 12:22-26

On our way to church today, we passed through Piazza del Popolo, one of the major squares here in Rome. Usually it is filled with musicians, families, tourists, joggers, and all sorts of people selling things. Today it was a very, very different sight. Row after row of military-style 'people' comprised of pop cans, car parts and computer components stared facelessly at us. It seemed we weren't the only people unsettled by the non-human gaze of these 1,000 bodies as the whole square was just a bit quieter than usual.

We hustled off to church, which was more disorganized than usual today. With the time change (two weeks later for us here in Europe) most people arrived late; most importantly, the baptismal party had not arrived at all. They showed up 45 minutes into the service, clearly having not set their clocks ahead last night. Nonetheless, the Assistant Curate handled everything with extreme grace and poise - and was even her first baptism.

Most interesting was her sermon. The lectionary texts for the day pointed us towards the story of Jesus' anointing, to Judas' protest. I thought immediately of the trash people standing in the Piazza when the reader recounted Judas' words about the poor being always with us. While I didn't know if the people were a comment on ecology or the way we treat humans, my ears were nonetheless perked. Our preacher bypassed the references to anointing (especially on a Sunday with a baptism) and headed straight to the way we treat some like trash. This was also due to today marking the 200th anniversary of the banning of the slave trade in England. Her words were profound. In a world where we treat people like trash, Jesus calls us to a love and service that surpasses what the world expects. When we are baptized into this community, we make a radical statement about the importance of all God's creation.

When we returned to the Piazza after church, we read the kiosk of the artist's intentions for the exhibit. While he seemed indeed to be calling our consumerist nature to account, I believe this doesn't simply apply to goods and resources. When we treat people like resources to be exploited, as if they somehow have less to offer, we deny their rightful place as children of God.

Our gracious Father, our selfishness and greed lead us into lives of manipulation, destruction and hatred. Bring light to our darkness, reveal our sin, and lead us into a life of harmony and grace in this world and in the world to come. May those especially who are treated like trash, those who are considered less worthy, know that they have a place in the Body of Christ, where they will be always loved and respected in your Son's name, Amen.