“Accountability” by Ken Burton

September 21, 2014

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

       “being accountable for the spiritual journey in a regular written report to the spiritual guide of the [mission] group [of which the Steward is a member].” In our mission groups, this discipline, or practice, has been adopted for all members of the group, whether or not they are Stewards. Mission group members are accountable to the group, through the spiritual guide, for their ongoing spiritual journeys.

Jesus goes on to make his famous point about how, in the kingdom of heaven, “the last will be first, and the first will be last.” I find this remark, although valuable in its own right, to be at best loosely connected to the story that precedes it. The parable is often interpreted as addressing those of us who have difficulty celebrating the gift that someone else has received. Both of these points are matters for other days and other sermons. My point here is that this parable provides an example of false accountability, a situation in which another may attempt to assert control by holding me accountable when there are no grounds for doing so.

               Breathing under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps quotes Step 5: “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” Rohr cites a verse from the Epistle of James telling the faithful to “confess your sins and pray for one another, and this will cure you.” He quotes Psalm 32:      

While I kept silence, my body wasted away

The New Community)