What's Your Hurry?

by Julie Long
John Claypool used to tell about a project done by an ethics professor at Princeton Theological Seminary. He divided his class into three groups, and gave each of them a sealed envelope with instructions. Those in the first group were told, “You have 15 minutes to get to the other side of campus. You don’t have time to loiter. If you are late, your grade will be docked.” He called this group the “High Hurry” group.

The “Medium Hurry” group received similar instructions but were told that they had 45 minutes to get across campus: “You have plenty of time, but don’t let yourself get diverted.” The third, “Low Hurry,” group read, “Anytime before now and 5 o’clock this afternoon report to this place across campus and you’ll be told what to do.”

None of the students knew that the professor had arranged for students from the university’s drama department to be along the path, staging situations of human needfulness. One was sitting on a bench crying hysterically; another was face down on the ground, as if he were unconscious; a third was having convulsions. Each was obviously in great need.

The results were disturbing, but not surprising.

None of the students in the “High Hurry” group stopped to see what they might do to help. Two of the “Medium Hurry” group stopped, and all five of the “Low Hurry” group redirected their journeys to address the needs of their fellow human beings.

The lesson learned is this: We often miss what is going on all around us because we fail to slow down and consider the ways that we can respond to those in need. We rush through life, living out of our date books, running from appointment to appointment in fear that we won’t get it all done. When we do, we are either so focused on our destination that we don’t see the needs around us, or we consciously make decisions to bypass those in need because we don’t have time to respond.

During the Lenten season, we have been called to live by the church calendar rather than our personal calendars - to slow down, reflect, and open our eyes to the places where God meets us every day.

Now, as we enter Holy Week, we fall into the same temptations as the Princeton students. Some of us are in the “High Hurry” group, ready to get this time behind us so that we can get back to life as usual. Others of us have our eyes set on the destination of Easter, not wanting to pause for the anger and disappointment and hostility and grief. But this week we are called to slow down our walk and open our eyes, ears and hearts to where God is in all of this.

So be here on Palm Sunday to welcome Jesus with waving palm branches and hosannas. But also be here Thursday and Friday, as we remember a final supper with fellow disciples and grieve a good and innocent man’s death. We all love Easter, with all its hallelujahs. But in order to get to Easter, we have to walk along a path of great human need.

May we find God on each part of the journey.