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I've long thought that the church is a place where the clock never strikes noon.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Christians: Think Win/Win - Genesis - January 31, 2010- Cicero United Methodist Church - Everett J. Bassett

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            I've long thought that the church is a place where the clock never strikes noon. The reason I think that is that no matter what time of day it is, even at midnight Christmas Eve service, here at church people smile at each other and say, "Good morning." Often we've no clue that we've done it; it's just that the habit of greeting people in the morning at church is so ingrained, we might as well say this is the place where noon never comes.

            I've been preaching about habits, and how easily we can fall into them. And I've been referring to Stephen Covey's book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People as a guide to some good habits for Christians. Covey says that the first three habits in his book are personal habits - they're what you have to do to strengthen yourself for effectiveness.

The three of them are Be Proactive, Begin with the End in Mind, and Put First Things First. So, using scriptures to reinforce these ideas, I've talked about not conforming to the world, having a God-given vision for your life, and setting godly priorities.

            The next three habits, says Covey, are the interdependent, or the relational, ones - the ones we cultivate to help us effectively live and work and relate with other people. And the first of these is a critical one for our day and age - Think Win/Win. This is so counter to the way our world operates that those who have cultivated the habit of Win/Win thinking are rare and powerful people. Let's look at what Win/Win thinking is up against, in our world as we know it.

            Consider, for example, economics. We operate under a capitalistic system, based on competition for goods, services and so on. In theory, it's a good system; it gives people a chance to strive and thrive. But, I would suggest, only when it operates with a Win/Win mentality. In other words, Sure, I want to win financially. But only if it contributes to a Win for others; not if it means somebody else has to lose in order for me to succeed. Unfortunately, capitalism as we've known it has not lived under that kind of thinking.

For example, over the last few decades, government regulations over the financial industries were loosened, in order to free up investing. This would have been a good move, we're told, if the major banks and Wall Street investment companies had a Win/Win mentality - if they had operated with the good of everybody in mind. No doubt many of them did. But at the top level, many of them didn't. And now we have this unseemly picture of big shots on Wall Street, and presidents of huge investing companies who have won big, made huge money - but only because they created a Win/Lose scenario where many people are losing homes and jobs and dreams. That's not WinlWin.

            Or consider politics. It appears that our nation has become virtually ungovernable.

Something as basic as giving everybody access to health care is unattainable because our two political parties have fallen into a winner-take-all mentality. President Obama referred to it in his State of the Union address. His words to his colleagues in the other branches of government were, "What frustrates the American people is a belief that if you lose, I win." It is clear that there are a lot of people in our government whose only objective is to the bring the other party down. That's not even a Win/Lose situation ­there are no winners as long as that is the way our elected officials behave.

            And there are so many other scenarios. Here's one that's like a sacred cow, but it is one of the most sinister Win/Lose situations we'll ever encounter: New York State lottery. You know the pitch - all you need is a dollar and a dream; somebody's got to win - why not you? So you take a chance that you might win the $20 million jackpot. Never mind that your chances of winning are less than your chances of being struck twice by lightning in the same week. As you stand there holding that facsimile of a twenty million dollar check, what are you thinking about all the people who had to lose so you could win? How do you feel about compulsive gamblers? How do you feel about the desperate poor? How about those young people starting out on false hope? How about those heads of households looking at bills they can't pay, and kids they can't feed? So people will say, Well, I'll share it back with the poor. But it was their money to begin with. The rich don't play the lottery - they know it's a terrible investment. There are nothing but losers in the lottery system - it's a shameful way to govern.

            You get the idea. We live in a society that is coursing with Win/Lose thinking. We don't necessarily intend for it to be that way. We just don't seem to know how to change it. This past week I did quite a bit of reading in the history of Haiti, and it was painful. It seemed like every time my European ancestors were involved - from Christopher Columbus onward - the result was suffering for the people of Haiti. It's a complicated story, and there is a lot more to the suffering than just this, but the United States is definitely a key player in a sad, sad story. Nobody in this room would intentionally hurt a neighbor, but the fact is the world is set up so that we here in this American culture can win, while many others in nations like Haiti lose. I hope that part of the upshot of this Haitian tragedy is that we will take the time to understand poverty - maybe with a Bible study here in our church -- and learn how this system that serves us so well serves others so poorly. One of the quadrennial goals of The United Methodist Church is to work to alleviate poverty. I would love to see our church step up to be part of that effort. I know we're generous. We have certainly proven that. But is it time for us to more intentionally learn about lasting ways to create a Win/Win world?

            It seems clear to me that God did not intend for this to be a Win/Lose world. That's a confusing idea in the Bible, because on the surface the Bible seems to support Win/Lose. It's called the doctrine of election, the idea that God has Chosen people. There's no doubt that this is a central teaching of the Old Testament. There are people in Israel and here in this country and elsewhere who are still convinced of that doctrine today - that they are chosen specially by God to prosper -- to occupy that land, no matter how many families have to be displaced.

            But by the time the last words of the Bible were written, the idea of a favored people was long eradicated. Early on, we can see the story of Jacob, who had a Win/Lose attitude toward his brother Esau, stealing his brother's birthright, and then running for the hills. And when he heard that his brother was approaching with a great army, Jacob prepared for the worse, hoping that if he gave Esau everything he had, Esau wouldn't take revenge. But Esau wasn't thinking Win/Lose. He ran to welcome his brother back home, one of the great reconciliation stories ever told. When we disagree as members of God's family, is a showdown the only answer, or is there a Win/Win solution?

            We see the way Old Testament law provides for the least ones in society. Take care of the widow and the orphan, the stranger and sojourner in the land. And Jesus carried that spirit into one of his most pointed parables about God's judgment. Who was favored in God's sight? It was the one who fed the hungry, and clothed the naked, and cared for the stranger - as if caring for Jesus himself. Because it was not God's intent that the world be divided into winners and losers - but that all would be winners. Is there no way for us to live that out in this world? Are we really doomed to this global system where so many go unfed, and unclothed, and without health care? I can't believe it.

            We see the apostle Paul writing to the church at Corinth, where there are so many divisions. Some are following Apollos, and some are following Paul, and some are following Peter, and Paul says, "Wait a minute. Is the Body of Christ really intended to be torn into pieces by our jealousies and turf wars and competing spirits?" Certainly the essence of Jesus is the announcement of a kingdom where everyone can be a winner. God so loved the world ... that's the message of salvation. But the world Jesus found was jealous and competitive and frightened of losing, and so it crucified Jesus. But Easter is the announcement of a new age - and in this tiny, crowded planet, if we don't learn to embrace the victory that God shared with everyone, we will all be losers.

            So think. about your life. Think about home, and work, and school, and neighborhood. Think beyond that to this human community called earth that we're all a part of. Pray about the rivalries and jealousies and unintentional hurts and areas of neglect that might touch your relationships, your way of life, your decisions. What can make you a Win/Win person, whose life means good news for those around you and some you don't know? Let there be no losers left in the wake of our lives. If we pray about that, and make some changes, a Win/Win scenario must be possible in God's world.

As an avid sports fan, I can get too wrapped up in my team winning. But like many others, I was appalled three years ago, when the story broke about a man who drugged his child's tennis opponents, obsessed with his child winning. We have all seen how competitive sports events can get out of hand - a shame really, because while sports do set it up so someone must score higher than someone else, sports really is about everyone winning, high score or low score, because of the joy of the sport.

            So let me close with this - it was in the late '90s, the 100 yard dash in the Seattle Special Olympics - maybe you read about it. The gun sounded, and nine eager contestants started out for a prize they had been practicing hard to get. But one tripped on the asphalt, tumbled over hard, and started to cry. The other eight athletes, every one of them, came back and helped the boy up. One young girl kissed his cheek, saying, "This will make you feel better." Then they all linked arms and marched smiling together to the finish line. The crowd cheered wildly for minute after minute. And I picture Jesus there, marching with those proud athletes, saying, "Look here. This is the kingdom of God. Winners. Winners."