The Cookie Monster

I remember clearly the “One of these things is not like the others” Sesame Street song from the Cookie Monster a little too often since entering into a formal process toward accountable ministry in the United Church of Canada. Of course it is only now, as I have considered this latest blog why that would be …

Fairtrade Canada

One of the challenges that I have had during a year long conversation with The United Church in Meadowood has been to share my understanding of Fair Trade and how a congregation can wrestle with the implications of globalisation and the tension it has with those of us who benefit and live most of our lives in Empire (church speak for our consumer-oriented lives). The leadership implication is clear, well at least for me. The danger is to get either frustrated, “I just don’t get why this is so difficult,” or end up in a state despair, “Man if we can’t even buy coffee, how are we going to work for larger issues of justice?” This last year has been a lesson for me on two accounts.

Leadership, especially within a faith community, comes with recognition of that role. Whether that’s formal – “hey, we think you should go into ministry” – or informal – “hey, you’ve got some skill, help us out” – the role carries with it power. And how we use that power, is well pretty bloody important! It’s so important that just because we have trust, we cannot assume that people hear us right away. It’s those of us in leadership who have to translate the message and not force people to shove an exercise ball into a square box. And, when we translate, we have to realise that when the lights go on, we might have something to learn as well. It’s that two way street thing …

So back to Fair Trade … on one evening during our monthly Council meeting, we were wrestling again … and in that space where trust was present and being used up, I had this song in my head – and I got it! We were stuck, I was stuck. If we talk about money and Fair Trade and try to fit them together, it is NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! Fair Trade, simply put, does not make sense in our current context (perhaps on a larger macro perspective it does, but wrestling with the first step is what’s important). If we try to rationalise an ethical issue within a financial framework, people get polarised. And that’s when the Cookie Monster showed up – Yep, he came in, ate up the money, and said, they’re not the same!

The wisdom of the Cookie Monster is:

As those who struggle into our Discipleship, there are tensions about making choices that are in conflict with our lives. Justice, Righteousness, Hope, Love these are all goals that can feel overwhelming, even oppressive for those who benefit from the rest of the world. Fair trade ideas may seem small, but they are symbols or steps that allow us to begin to see what is the Emperor’s and what is God’s – they ARE NOT the same. The problem is letting go of what we know, our comfortable lives in Empire, and beginning to make choices that do not feel safe. If this is done with compassion and if it is a decision of a community, not a dictate, small steps lead to more.

So, to stretch Cookie Monster a little more, when we know what’s different, we have a choice to make and, if we make the difficult one, we may very well end up bringing about the Kingdom now and even might get to eat our cookie too!