Channeling Rebecca

(Note: there are no spoilers in this post.)

Rebecca Welton is my favorite.

Billionaire Owner of AFC Richmond, ex-wife of The Devil, imperfect godmother of Nora, perfect daughter of Deborah, and BFF of Sassy and Keeley. Love her.

It occurs to me – as we who love Ted Lasso have observed – that Rebecca has finally come into her blessed bad-@$$ery and we in the Church have plenty to learn from her. Conflict avoidance is one of our most destructive sins. Niceness is our most destructive tyrannies. We need to be more like Rebecca.

Examples from Rebecca’s life:

When she needs a moment to discern what’s really happening, Rebecca says, “I Need To Reapply My Lip Liner. Men Don’t Know What That Means And Women Understand It Requires Time And Focus.”

When choosing a team: “A Bit Of Advice For Being A Boss. Hire Your Best Friend.”

When she sits in a room full of greedy rich old men hearing a pitch to make more money while ruining the lives of everybody else, “Are You #%*! Joking?”

Here’s what channeling Rebecca might look like in Church World:

When the elders are afraid to fire a beloved organist who comes to worship drunk every Sunday morning: “Sorry but we can’t have you on staff no matter how perfectly you can play Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in E minor as long as you smell like you’ve been beaten by a bung flogger.”

When a church bully is caught spreading false information about the pastor: “You can either support the leaders or you can try to destroy them. You can’t do both. Which will it be?”

When a long time church member can’t let go of the fact that the new carpet color is not her favorite: “Jesus didn’t die for this bloody carpet. Let it go. Here’s the sign-up sheet for volunteering at the shelter.”

We are doing our congregations no favors by refusing to taking a literal or figurative Power Pose in the name of Jesus to stand up to destructive forces in our congregations. It’s okay – and holy – to speak faithful words in the presence of evil. It’s our calling to shed light on darkness. It’s life-giving to stand up for those who are persecuted for wanting to address dysfunction.

I love Rebecca. We can learn from her.

Image of the actor Hannah Waddingham as Rebecca Welton teaching Nate and Keeley a Power Pose.