A Note From Jessie – Covenant Newsletter, November 2018

Am I imagining things, or is Mr. Rogers everywhere these days? With last summer’s release of the new documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, it seems that Mr. Rogers name, show, and catch phrases have been pulsing through our church, bubbling over in pop culture, and even turning up in casual conversation left and right. Just last weekend when I was attending a beautiful “Friendsgiving” event that my wonderfully gracious friends host each year before Thanksgiving, I surprisingly encountered more than one conversation about … you guessed it … Fred Rogers. Was it the spirit of neighborliness that evoked his name that night? Whatever the reason, it made me pause to wonder: have we all been quietly craving the resurgence of this unlikely hero – lo these many years – without even knowing it?

In stark juxtaposition to that dreamy evening with friends, on the morning after our most recent midterm elections, I awoke with a deep sense of unease. Regardless of where one stands on the political spectrum, it is universally unsettling to see our beloved country divided. It can feel helpless – too many conflicting perspectives of well-meaning people who simply do not (cannot? will not?) see eye to eye. And as I prayed over my morning coffee, preparing myself to face the morning hustle, I’ll give you one more guess as to what reassuring image rose into my mind’s eye. Yep. Fred Rogers.

Specifically, a smalls cene from his documentary appeared in my brain as if suddenly projected from an unseen source. If you’ve seen the movie, you will remember it. An austere-looking Senator John Pastore gazes dismissively down at a timid Rogers in the midst of a Senate subcommittee hearing. the issue revolves around governmental funding for public television programming; and from the moment the scene begins, it is abundantly clear that the two men are viewing the issue at hand through two very different lenses. In fact, at first glance, it seems that these two men might view the entire world from entirely different planets. While Pastore is all grit and austerity, Rogers is pure meekness (my heart nearly leaps out of my chest in empathy for that gentle underdog as I recall this scene.) But then something magical happens. Instead of cowering, Fred Rogers calmly begins to share the mission of his work. He earnestly explains that every child deserves to be treated with dignity and love, and that his life’s goal is for each child to receive the grounding affirmation of his or her inherent worth. Because we know that Rogers was a Presbyterian minister,we understand that these statements come from his unshakable belief that God created each human being as a unique gift to the world. And by naming this truth as he kindly peers into the Senator’s eyes (as if speaking straight to the heart of the old man’s long lost inner child), Fred Rogers strikes a chord that visibly melts the Senator’s stern exterior until he emotionally exclaims, “Looks like you just earned the twenty million dollars!”

How did that happen? Mr. Rogers did not raise his voice or point any fingers or even hint at disrespect. No, if we take a look at Rogers’ words, it is plain to see his Christ-like love and values at play:

“This is what I give. I give an expression of care every day to each child, to help him realize that he is unique. I end the program by saying, ‘You;ve made this day a special day, by just your being you. There is no person in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are.'”

What if we spoke to each other like this? What if we looked into each other’s eyes and sought the little child who lives within? What if we practiced humility in the face of opposition, leading the way to more honest communication and understanding? Perhaps it could start in our own homes, in our very own neighborhoods. Yes, I am grateful indeed that Fred Rogers has resurfaced in our lives. Now if only we could turn the kindness and gentleness of his “Land of Make Believe” into a living, breathing reality of today. Perhaps a good place to start is by viewing each other as a neighbor, as a child, and as a friend.

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