Who Is This Jesus?
Presented at County Line Brethren Church on March 28, 2010.
Year C, Sixth Sunday in Lent (Liturgy of the Passion)
Scripture passages: Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 23:1-49
What is it about Jesus that we find so intriguing, so mysterious, so odd? What is the essence of this man who stood so tall against the establishment that it resulted in his death? Why have so many people over the last 2,000 years attempted to follow this 1st century Galilean? What is the difference? What makes this man unique other than our theological jots and tittles? If we strip away the thee's and thou's and verily's, what shall we do with this Jesus? This man who walked the shores of the Sea of Galilea, overturned the display tables of vendors at the Passover conference in Jerusalem; what compels us to see him differently than other great women and great men who died for great causes?
Certainly others have died. Certainly others have died more prolonged and painful executions. Certainly others have given their lives for their fellow women and men. Certainly others have taken on the establishment. Certainly others have attempted to live lives of peace and justice. Certainly others have stood up for the poor and the widows and the weak.
Why Jesus? Why this man? And what is different about his death? Without moving too quickly toward Easter and the resurrection, what is it about the passion, the suffering and the crucifixion of Jesus, the Christ, that has encapsulated the best minds of civilization for these intervening millenniums?
Those who saw Braveheart admire his bravery, that he fought for his homeland, for his people, his honor. His death was certainly as violent and troubling as Jesus' death was. Gandhi was shot by one of his own countrymen. This is hard to believe especially after we consider that Gandhi was instrumental to securing their independence from the British. Notwithstanding the theological assertion that Jesus was sinless and Gandhi was probably not, Gandhi's assassination was similarly without sufficient cause to warrant death – as was the death of Jesus. History is filled with those who gave up their life for a cause. Even literature, movies and the arts are full of this theme. Do you remember when Obi-Wan was fighting Darth Vader in the first Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope? Obi-Wan knew his fate as he spoke, “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” And when he sees Luke watching his battle with Darth Vader, he smiles, withdraws from the fight by pulling the light saber close to his face, closes his eyes and is struck down by Vader.
Joan of Arc was burned at the stake after being judged guilty of religious heresy at an unjust trial for political gain and payback. History is filled with unjust deaths, many having been justified falsely by religious and political leaders. Jesus is one of many. And yet Jesus lures us in for a closer look. Indeed, the suffering and death of Jesus tugs us closer because there is something mysterious in the whole thing.
Scripture clearly teaches us that Jesus knew something about his fate. He taught his disciples that he would have to die. He taught them that he would have to suffer many things. Scripture certainly implies that he knew he would be dead for 3 days and then would be restored. We are given every indication that Jesus knew he would die and that it would not be pretty.
This knowledge about what was to happen makes it even more mysterious and enlightening at the same time. It becomes more mysterious as we try to figure out what Jesus knew ahead of time and what he did not know (if there was anything that he did not know or anticipate). It is enlightening because it helps us to know that he was not going into this blindly. So, we are able to see a stark parallel between Obi-Wan and Jesus in that both of them knew, to some degree, that they would not only come out on the other side, but that they would become more than what they were before.
So, it seems that most people of most every religion are drawn to consider Jesus, particularly his suffering and death as mysterious and quite rare, if not unique to the human experience. Part of this mystery is wrapped up in his awareness of what would happen to him both in the process of the suffering and something about what it would be like on the other side.
Another focus of the mystery and uniqueness of the passion of Jesus was what we perceive as his passivity during the process. Make note that I am stipulating that we perceive him as being passive during the process. This may sound strange to many. Does not the record indicate that Jesus was passive? Not necessarily. If we consider that “the process of his suffering” as narrowly defined as the events which took place during the week of his passion, then my question about him being passive makes no sense. On the surface, it seems that he acted passively. But let us consider the scriptural assertion that Jesus knew why he was going to Jerusalem – and he went anyway. Jesus knew he was becoming the target of the religious leaders – and he challenged them all the more. To say that Jesus was entirely passive is to misunderstand his ministry and the passion. Rather, Jesus is discovered to be quite active in challenging the status quo, the religious establishment, and standing up for the little guy. All of this actively led to the passion.
So, perhaps passivity is not the correct way to describe his response to the authorities during the passion narrative. Instead of thinking of Jesus as passive, this active response is more consistent with what some refer to as non-violent resistance. He stood up over against injustice in non-violent ways, and he also accepted their unjust judgments during the passion without responding violently. Many view this example of Jesus as the foundation of non-violent resistance to injustice. This is quite different than the passive Jesus we were taught about in Sunday School.
With the exception of turning over the tables of the money changers in the temple, we might have suggested that Jesus always peaceful and never aggressive. He was not interested in fighting or using physical force – except for his display of anger at the moneychangers in the temple. He even chastised Peter for cutting off the ear of the guard in the garden. He was not interested in running off the Romans, which is quite striking when we consider how pagan the Roman system was to the Jews. He refused to get caught up in zealotry and rebellions. Perhaps Jesus was peaceful, but not in the ways we normally think of peaceful.
On the other hand, he was not at all afraid of the powers of the establishment – both religious and political. Depending upon how you interpret his prayer in the garden which was certainly full of emotions, he may have experienced fear, but it would have been confined to his very intimate talk with God before his arrest. Perhaps Jesus was fearless, but not in the way we normally think of being fearless.
In our epistle lesson from Philippians, Paul exhorts us as follows.
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross.
In this passage we discover two other important characteristics of Jesus. These characteristics are of him generally and are not specific to the passion. He is described as being humble and obedient. Perhaps these are the overriding characteristics of Jesus, the Christ.
Here we are challenged and may inquire as to whether we find that Jesus was entirely humble. Is it possible for us to identify Jesus as humble when turning over the moneychangers tables? Is it possible for us to identify Jesus as humble when he curses and kills a tree for not bearing fruit? Is it possible for us to identify Jesus as humble when he refers to the Pharisees as vipers and sons of the devil? Perhaps Jesus was humble, but not in the ways we normally think of humility.
The conclusion is that we have difficulty identifying any one single description of what best describes Jesus during his suffering and death that would be entirely consistent throughout his recorded ministry. He seems passive, but that does not now seem to be the case. He seems fearless, but maybe not entirely. He was, after all, 100% human. And so, as we might discover with all heroes, real and fictional, Jesus defies precise descriptions – even in his suffering and death.
Nevertheless, despite a Jesus that is hard to pin down, we are able to observe the following:
That he acted without fear, even if he experienced fear.
That he was quite active in preparing for this painful conclusion of his earthly ministry
But after he actively stood strong and challenged the powers of this present age, he accepted their unjust judgment without violent resistance.
That he was principally peaceful.
That he was principally humble.
That he was always obedient.
This is what Paul is talking about when he says, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” This is our challenge as we consider the suffering and death of Jesus:
• Being principally peaceful
• Acting without fear, even if we are experiencing fear.
• Being quite active and purposeful about our ministry.
• Standing up for injustice in non-violent ways.
• Being principally humble.
• Being committed to obedience.
May the peace of Jesus rest in your hearts.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Sowing Tear, Reaping Joy
Sowing Tears, Reaping Joy
Presented at County Line Brethren Church on March 21, 2010.
Year C, Fifth Sunday in Lent
Scripture passages: Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8
The beginning of Psalm 126 reads like a Psalm of rejoicing. As Mark read, verses 1-3 say this:
When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them." The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
They were remembering God's mighty acts. Psalm 126 makes reference to the mighty acts of God in the past. Isaiah 43 recalls that the Lord made a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters, drawing out the army of their enemies into a trap and extinguishing the threat entirely. Of course this is referring to the crossing of the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptian army. The psalmist describes the feeling of the Israelites who witnessed this great display of God's power, “Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy.” (vs. 2)
This remembering is an important part of our relationship to God. In times of spiritual drought, we can recall God's faithfulness. In times of loneliness, we can recall God's intimate presence. In times of defeat, we can recall God's many victories. This remembering provides us with spiritual refreshment, companionship, and hope.
There are temptations, however, that must be reckoned with. Indeed, it seems that most, if not all, spiritual gifts have a propensity to degenerate into an emphasis on the gift, instead of the giver. In the case of this gift of remembering God's mighty acts, we may catch ourselves either living in the past rather than the present OR we may become mired in the lament that these are not the good old days. Let's look at both of these possible detours for some insight.
“Living in the past” for us means living back in the 'good old days.' Wow, weren't those great times! God was moving. People's lives were being changed. We had great times of fellowship. We remember how God answered some of our prayers. The church was active and alive. We spent a little time there a few weeks ago, back in the good old days. It is good to visit the past – as long as we don't stay too long. Nostalgia is like chewing gum. It tastes good for awhile. But if we don't leave it behind, it will lose its flavor and ends up on the bottom of our shoes and impede our progress. One of the problems is that when we get stuck to the past, we are not living in the present. When we spend too much time reminiscing about the past, we lose today. Jesus calls us to live in the present.
The second detour that we sometimes take is becoming mired in the lament that today is not the past. In this state of lament, we continually compare the misery of the present with the glory of the past as evidence of our failure and believe that we are doomed. When we are stuck in lament, we are unable to enjoy the mystery of the present, nor are we able to witness God's persistent love notes strewn about our day. Fortunately, scripture leads us to a different, more uplifting and hopeful response.
The beauty of this psalm is that it affirms the spiritual practice of godly nostalgia – that of remembering God's mighty acts and his faithfulness – but it does not get stuck in the past! Furthermore, it also affirms the lament that our present position is a far cry from where we used to be. Indeed, it acknowledges that we are in dire straits, compared to the past glory – but it turns to the Lord as our source of hope for the present! Here is the rest of the Psalm.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb. May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
This is a great picture. The Psalmist is asking God to restore their fortune. The picture has the psalmist in the desert of the Negeb. Stephen Bishop says this,
The reference is to the wadis (or creeks) of southern Palestine that remain dry practically the entire year. When the winter rains come, just before planting season, the dry wadis become mighty torrents of water signaling hope to those who work the land. After a time of exile, a time when hope dried up, God restored the people to the land and now, once again they look to God to provide for them in this new situation. (Feasting on the Word)
But it is crucial to note that the request is made of God while embracing the pain of the present. The request was made in the dryness of the desert with tears falling amidst the pain. They felt the dissonance between the past glory and the excruciating pain of their present existence. There is no denial of the pain. There is no attempt to live outside the present.
And it is in that 'present' experience, that painful experience, that the psalmist pleads with God to transform their tears into joy.
Make no mistake this is no shortcut. Just as Lent and the cross are necessary pathways to the resurrection, so tears and pain are necessary pathways to joy and the restoration of the Glory of God. Kimberly L. Clayton puts it this way:
Verses 4-6 remind us that even a dry season or a season of weeping can be fruitful for soil and soul IF lament and hope in God find a balance within. The attention and care given to such seasons of sorrow and grief may become the ground of new life. (Feasting on the Word)
Ms. Clark goes on to give us this great advise.
From our Easter perspective, we know that if we pray only for God to restore life as we have known it in easier or better times, our prayer has fallen short of the hope – and the future – God intends. God has in mind not simply restoration, but resurrection. (Ibid)
It is remarkable that Isaiah 43:18,19 says
Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
So, let us not pray to be restored to the 'good old days.' God wants to do something new. God does not desire a return to the way things used to be. Rather God has something fresh and radical for us around the corner. Let us pray for this “new thing” so that when it comes we will be able to perceive it. Let us not rely upon old formulas, but on the Spirit of Lord who breaths new life into new bones for a new purpose.
In this process we learn that while these tears are cast upon dry and barren landscapes sometimes with little hope of fruition, God is in the process of preparing fertile hearts for harvest. God is not searching for old wine skins to fill with new wine. Instead, God has already been preparing new wine skins for a new filling of his Spirit. So, we would do well, amidst our own tears, to plead with God to do a work of resurrection, rather than simply a return to past glory.
------------------------------------------------
Last week, our passages talked about how God removed the disgrace of the children of Israel. As God prepared the Israelites to take possession of the promised land, he removed the shame of being enslaved and homeless. I spoke of the disgraces of sin, the disgrace of a father and the disgrace of a son. I likened this to the time of Lent and Easter. Lent is a time wherein we come face to face with the dark side of our lives and hearts. The 40 days of Lent are similar, in some respects, to the 40 years that the Israelites spent in the wilderness. Jesus himself spent 40 days in the wilderness praying and fasting prior to his being tempted by the evil one.
40 days or 40 years are not easy. These 40 days or 40 years take us back to the core of our struggles, both individually and corporately. They are times of hunger, times of thirst, times of doubt, times of loss, and times of crisis.
So, as we go through Lent, we are also walking the pathways of the Children of Israel as they walked through the wilderness. As we go through Lent, we join Jesus in his time of want as well as his time of communion with his father in the desert. [By the way, the secret of this intense communion, the desert yields only to those who stay long enough learn] As we go through Lent, we stand alongside the Prodigal Father, eagerly watching for the return of those who have wandered away. And for some of us, we slog through Lent in the muddy footsteps of the Prodigal Son.
For this congregation, the last few years have been an extended Lenten period. It can be likened to a sojourn in the desert, for a long, long time. There have been times of wanting, times of loss, times of sorrow, times of doubt, times of embarrassment, times of prayer and conviction and many times of tears. Some may question the need for such trials and few would choose to enter this desert of their own accord. And yet, scripture repeatedly speaks of these desert times as defining moments in the history of his people individually and his people corporately.
Mary, of the traditional disciples group sometimes known as “Mary, Martha and Lazarus” (affectionately), was having a stressful spring. This particular spring she had walked through the desert of suffering and spent time in the wilderness of tears. Her brother, Lazarus, had died after sending for Jesus and he did not get there in time to restore his health. Mary had cried many tears while in this barren place. Her pain was unbearable, as some of you have had to experience yourselves. She cried out to Jesus and presumed she had been denied. Scripture tells us that when Jesus arrived too late, Mary ran to him and fell at his feet, pouring out her sorrow mixed with a bit of accusation as seen in her comment, “Lord, if only you had been here in time, my brother would not be dead.” Even Jesus wept as he empathized with the depth of their sorrow. Then a few minutes later Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb, and Mary saw her stinkin', foul-smelling, dead-for-4-days brother walk out like a mummy still wrapped in his burial cloths. Talk about a roller coaster ride. Then Jesus went away for awhile.
A short time later, just 6 days before the Passover, Jesus stops by again. Mary is simply overcome with gratitude and she throws every ounce of her being at the feet of Jesus, along with an entire bottle of very expensive perfume. She wipes his feet with her hair. The flood of feelings in her soul come pouring out, onto the person of Jesus, the Christ. Jesus says something rather remarkable. Jesus says that it is burial perfume. And it must be noted that Jesus never chastises Mary for her this extravagant gesture. But he does rebuke Judas for his hypocrisy. This has nothing to do with the poor. It has everything to do with the imminent suffering, death and coming resurrection of Jesus, the Christ. It is quite unfortunate that this is missed entirely by so many who get sidetracked by Jesus' misunderstood comment about the poor. Let me just say that the scriptures are saturated with passages in support of social justice for the poor, the weak, the powerless and the disenfranchised. There is no way this comment by Jesus can be understood, except by saying that Jesus is referring to his impending departure and that Mary's expression is directly related to it.
Now, so that we do not become distracted ourselves by Judas' hypocrisy, Mary's experience, her earlier pain and sorrow are quite instructive for us. While she was suffering, she sought the Christ for restoration, as we find in the Psalm. She initially wanted her brother's health restored. She was certainly focused on wanting the 'good old days' to continue. When Lazarus died, Mary fell into the pit of endless lament that those days will never return. She felt as we do sometimes, beginning our sentences with that nostalgic phrase, “if only.” Soon or later, over the next few weeks, 64 teams and their fans will begin their nostalgic phrases the same way, “if only.”
Mary was unaware that God had no intention of simply restoring Lazarus to his former state by simply healing his sickness. Instead, God wanted to bring out the new wine and do a new work of his mercy and grace.
We share in Mary's shortsightedness. We often walk through our own tearful deserts and painful wildernesses pleading for a restoration to those good old days when God is standing close by wanting to issue new wine in new wine skins: a fresh new outpouring of the Spirit.
So, here's the deal. It is good to spend time remembering the glory days of the past – but not to linger. The purpose of this remembering is to be reminded of God's covenant faithfulness which continues even to today. It is also permissible to lament our present state, that it is not the way things used to be (it is painful) – but it is not helpful to remain in this sorrowful position. There is a time for setting aside remembering and to seek not just restoration, but a new work of God in our midst. For this congregation, this is such a time. Let us seek this new work from God in our midst.
Presented at County Line Brethren Church on March 21, 2010.
Year C, Fifth Sunday in Lent
Scripture passages: Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8
The beginning of Psalm 126 reads like a Psalm of rejoicing. As Mark read, verses 1-3 say this:
When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them." The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
They were remembering God's mighty acts. Psalm 126 makes reference to the mighty acts of God in the past. Isaiah 43 recalls that the Lord made a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters, drawing out the army of their enemies into a trap and extinguishing the threat entirely. Of course this is referring to the crossing of the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptian army. The psalmist describes the feeling of the Israelites who witnessed this great display of God's power, “Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy.” (vs. 2)
This remembering is an important part of our relationship to God. In times of spiritual drought, we can recall God's faithfulness. In times of loneliness, we can recall God's intimate presence. In times of defeat, we can recall God's many victories. This remembering provides us with spiritual refreshment, companionship, and hope.
There are temptations, however, that must be reckoned with. Indeed, it seems that most, if not all, spiritual gifts have a propensity to degenerate into an emphasis on the gift, instead of the giver. In the case of this gift of remembering God's mighty acts, we may catch ourselves either living in the past rather than the present OR we may become mired in the lament that these are not the good old days. Let's look at both of these possible detours for some insight.
“Living in the past” for us means living back in the 'good old days.' Wow, weren't those great times! God was moving. People's lives were being changed. We had great times of fellowship. We remember how God answered some of our prayers. The church was active and alive. We spent a little time there a few weeks ago, back in the good old days. It is good to visit the past – as long as we don't stay too long. Nostalgia is like chewing gum. It tastes good for awhile. But if we don't leave it behind, it will lose its flavor and ends up on the bottom of our shoes and impede our progress. One of the problems is that when we get stuck to the past, we are not living in the present. When we spend too much time reminiscing about the past, we lose today. Jesus calls us to live in the present.
The second detour that we sometimes take is becoming mired in the lament that today is not the past. In this state of lament, we continually compare the misery of the present with the glory of the past as evidence of our failure and believe that we are doomed. When we are stuck in lament, we are unable to enjoy the mystery of the present, nor are we able to witness God's persistent love notes strewn about our day. Fortunately, scripture leads us to a different, more uplifting and hopeful response.
The beauty of this psalm is that it affirms the spiritual practice of godly nostalgia – that of remembering God's mighty acts and his faithfulness – but it does not get stuck in the past! Furthermore, it also affirms the lament that our present position is a far cry from where we used to be. Indeed, it acknowledges that we are in dire straits, compared to the past glory – but it turns to the Lord as our source of hope for the present! Here is the rest of the Psalm.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb. May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
This is a great picture. The Psalmist is asking God to restore their fortune. The picture has the psalmist in the desert of the Negeb. Stephen Bishop says this,
The reference is to the wadis (or creeks) of southern Palestine that remain dry practically the entire year. When the winter rains come, just before planting season, the dry wadis become mighty torrents of water signaling hope to those who work the land. After a time of exile, a time when hope dried up, God restored the people to the land and now, once again they look to God to provide for them in this new situation. (Feasting on the Word)
But it is crucial to note that the request is made of God while embracing the pain of the present. The request was made in the dryness of the desert with tears falling amidst the pain. They felt the dissonance between the past glory and the excruciating pain of their present existence. There is no denial of the pain. There is no attempt to live outside the present.
And it is in that 'present' experience, that painful experience, that the psalmist pleads with God to transform their tears into joy.
Make no mistake this is no shortcut. Just as Lent and the cross are necessary pathways to the resurrection, so tears and pain are necessary pathways to joy and the restoration of the Glory of God. Kimberly L. Clayton puts it this way:
Verses 4-6 remind us that even a dry season or a season of weeping can be fruitful for soil and soul IF lament and hope in God find a balance within. The attention and care given to such seasons of sorrow and grief may become the ground of new life. (Feasting on the Word)
Ms. Clark goes on to give us this great advise.
From our Easter perspective, we know that if we pray only for God to restore life as we have known it in easier or better times, our prayer has fallen short of the hope – and the future – God intends. God has in mind not simply restoration, but resurrection. (Ibid)
It is remarkable that Isaiah 43:18,19 says
Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
So, let us not pray to be restored to the 'good old days.' God wants to do something new. God does not desire a return to the way things used to be. Rather God has something fresh and radical for us around the corner. Let us pray for this “new thing” so that when it comes we will be able to perceive it. Let us not rely upon old formulas, but on the Spirit of Lord who breaths new life into new bones for a new purpose.
In this process we learn that while these tears are cast upon dry and barren landscapes sometimes with little hope of fruition, God is in the process of preparing fertile hearts for harvest. God is not searching for old wine skins to fill with new wine. Instead, God has already been preparing new wine skins for a new filling of his Spirit. So, we would do well, amidst our own tears, to plead with God to do a work of resurrection, rather than simply a return to past glory.
------------------------------------------------
Last week, our passages talked about how God removed the disgrace of the children of Israel. As God prepared the Israelites to take possession of the promised land, he removed the shame of being enslaved and homeless. I spoke of the disgraces of sin, the disgrace of a father and the disgrace of a son. I likened this to the time of Lent and Easter. Lent is a time wherein we come face to face with the dark side of our lives and hearts. The 40 days of Lent are similar, in some respects, to the 40 years that the Israelites spent in the wilderness. Jesus himself spent 40 days in the wilderness praying and fasting prior to his being tempted by the evil one.
40 days or 40 years are not easy. These 40 days or 40 years take us back to the core of our struggles, both individually and corporately. They are times of hunger, times of thirst, times of doubt, times of loss, and times of crisis.
So, as we go through Lent, we are also walking the pathways of the Children of Israel as they walked through the wilderness. As we go through Lent, we join Jesus in his time of want as well as his time of communion with his father in the desert. [By the way, the secret of this intense communion, the desert yields only to those who stay long enough learn] As we go through Lent, we stand alongside the Prodigal Father, eagerly watching for the return of those who have wandered away. And for some of us, we slog through Lent in the muddy footsteps of the Prodigal Son.
For this congregation, the last few years have been an extended Lenten period. It can be likened to a sojourn in the desert, for a long, long time. There have been times of wanting, times of loss, times of sorrow, times of doubt, times of embarrassment, times of prayer and conviction and many times of tears. Some may question the need for such trials and few would choose to enter this desert of their own accord. And yet, scripture repeatedly speaks of these desert times as defining moments in the history of his people individually and his people corporately.
Mary, of the traditional disciples group sometimes known as “Mary, Martha and Lazarus” (affectionately), was having a stressful spring. This particular spring she had walked through the desert of suffering and spent time in the wilderness of tears. Her brother, Lazarus, had died after sending for Jesus and he did not get there in time to restore his health. Mary had cried many tears while in this barren place. Her pain was unbearable, as some of you have had to experience yourselves. She cried out to Jesus and presumed she had been denied. Scripture tells us that when Jesus arrived too late, Mary ran to him and fell at his feet, pouring out her sorrow mixed with a bit of accusation as seen in her comment, “Lord, if only you had been here in time, my brother would not be dead.” Even Jesus wept as he empathized with the depth of their sorrow. Then a few minutes later Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb, and Mary saw her stinkin', foul-smelling, dead-for-4-days brother walk out like a mummy still wrapped in his burial cloths. Talk about a roller coaster ride. Then Jesus went away for awhile.
A short time later, just 6 days before the Passover, Jesus stops by again. Mary is simply overcome with gratitude and she throws every ounce of her being at the feet of Jesus, along with an entire bottle of very expensive perfume. She wipes his feet with her hair. The flood of feelings in her soul come pouring out, onto the person of Jesus, the Christ. Jesus says something rather remarkable. Jesus says that it is burial perfume. And it must be noted that Jesus never chastises Mary for her this extravagant gesture. But he does rebuke Judas for his hypocrisy. This has nothing to do with the poor. It has everything to do with the imminent suffering, death and coming resurrection of Jesus, the Christ. It is quite unfortunate that this is missed entirely by so many who get sidetracked by Jesus' misunderstood comment about the poor. Let me just say that the scriptures are saturated with passages in support of social justice for the poor, the weak, the powerless and the disenfranchised. There is no way this comment by Jesus can be understood, except by saying that Jesus is referring to his impending departure and that Mary's expression is directly related to it.
Now, so that we do not become distracted ourselves by Judas' hypocrisy, Mary's experience, her earlier pain and sorrow are quite instructive for us. While she was suffering, she sought the Christ for restoration, as we find in the Psalm. She initially wanted her brother's health restored. She was certainly focused on wanting the 'good old days' to continue. When Lazarus died, Mary fell into the pit of endless lament that those days will never return. She felt as we do sometimes, beginning our sentences with that nostalgic phrase, “if only.” Soon or later, over the next few weeks, 64 teams and their fans will begin their nostalgic phrases the same way, “if only.”
Mary was unaware that God had no intention of simply restoring Lazarus to his former state by simply healing his sickness. Instead, God wanted to bring out the new wine and do a new work of his mercy and grace.
We share in Mary's shortsightedness. We often walk through our own tearful deserts and painful wildernesses pleading for a restoration to those good old days when God is standing close by wanting to issue new wine in new wine skins: a fresh new outpouring of the Spirit.
So, here's the deal. It is good to spend time remembering the glory days of the past – but not to linger. The purpose of this remembering is to be reminded of God's covenant faithfulness which continues even to today. It is also permissible to lament our present state, that it is not the way things used to be (it is painful) – but it is not helpful to remain in this sorrowful position. There is a time for setting aside remembering and to seek not just restoration, but a new work of God in our midst. For this congregation, this is such a time. Let us seek this new work from God in our midst.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Disgrace and Community
Disgrace and Community
Presented at County Line Brethren Church on March 14, 2010.
Year C, Fourth Sunday in Lent
Scripture passages: Joshua 5:9-12; Psalm 32; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
It took 40 years for the children of Israel to get away from Egypt. It took almost 40 years for a new generation to learn to trust God, in a way that their fathers had not. It took 40 years for God to raise up a generation that was ready to follow the Lord. It took 40 years for the wounds to begin to heal. It took 40 years for everyone to die who had stepped across the Red Sea. It took 40 years for the memories to dim. It took 40 years for Lord to remove the disgrace of Egypt. It took 40 years for the Lord to remove the disgrace of being enslaved and homeless. It was the shame of being humiliated by powers greater than themselves. They were forced to build for the Egyptians without pay. They were coerced not only to make their own bricks, but to eventually make them without straw. While the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they ate manna from God because there was no other food. They did not celebrate the Passover. They did not circumcise newborn boys. So, despite the establishment of the Law as a foundation of identity and community, this was a time of shame and disgrace, a broken sense of self-identity and of estrangement instead of community.
Psalm 32 speaks of the disgrace of our sin. Sometimes those failures are big. Perhaps you, or someone in your family has been arrested. Some of these failures are as small as a sliver of fiberglass lodged on your arm or hand. Maybe an unkind word to a friend or stranger. Sometimes they are kept in secret chests under careful lock and key. Maybe these are those secret vexing places you go when no one is watching. Sometimes the media picks up on these aberrations in our character for all the world to gawk. Perhaps you, or someone you know has been involved in a scandal and you have been horrified to see the family name in the newspaper. However damaging to myself or others; however seemingly insignificant our faults may be; whether it is unknown to others or whether our names have been drug through the public square, the shame of sin disgraces our hearts. It is this shadow of shame that follows us wherever we go.
Here's how the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines disgrace.
Main Entry: 1dis•grace
Pronunciation: \di-ˈskrās, dis-ˈgrās\
Function: transitive verb
Date: 1580
1 archaic : to humiliate by a superior showing
2 : to be a source of shame to
3 : to cause to lose favor or standing
In the gospel lesson for today, we find the familiar story of the disgraced father, often referred to as the Prodigal Son. The focus of this parable is usually placed on the journey of the son. But let me say today, that the journey of the father was initially one of disgrace. In actuality, it was the father who was initially and publicly disgraced. After cherishing and raising his son the best he knew how, the son rejected the family with contempt. It is the father in the story who has experienced the rejection most profoundly. This common and painful separation was magnified at every family gathering and every community event. Every time this father saw other fathers and sons interacting lovingly, his heart would ache anew, just like it was his first reminder. When friends would ask about his son, he would find some way to answer civilly to cover up his own torment. Every day, he would gaze outside the window, searching for some way to make sense of it all, for some sliver of hope. Every time he would sit down at the table for a meal, he would notice the empty chair. And in the stillness of the dark just before sleep, he would recall his missing son. When he went to the synagogue and heard the stories of Abraham and Isaac, or David and Solomon, indeed wherever he went, he was reminded of his disgrace, the shame of his rebellious son. For some parents, this disgrace is eventually replaced by hardness and resentment. For this father, the aching never left.
For the son, there were no afterthoughts. There was no shame as he left his father's house with his share of the inheritance. No, this young man left the home with the confidence and assurance that accompanies a bankroll. The weight of the coins in his pouch were a comfort, providing the illusion of security and friendship wherever he would travel. There is no question that this young man enjoyed himself. To dismiss this would be to distort the story. Yes, he did have fun. And yes, he had companionship. And no, there was no shame. He had left that guilty conscience at home with his father.
That is, until the comfort of the weights in his pouch dissipated. This is easy to do. An article on Yahoo Sports highlighted how much a few athletes have lost over the years. Boxer Evander Holyfield earned over $250 million cash over his career. Today, he is “flat broke.” Golfer John Daly has gambled away his $50-60 million earnings. He once lost $1.2 million in just 2 and ½ hours at a casino in Las Vegas. After earning $350-400 million over his career, boxer Mike Tyson filed bankruptcy in 2003. What's more amazing is that it is estimated that 80% of NFL players are on the brink of bankruptcy within 2 years of their retirement. 60% of NBA players are broke within 5 years of their retirement. Spending a lot of money has never been a problem, especially if you have a problem. So, here's the deal. These players are accustomed to earning a certain annual income and spending accordingly. When they retire and there is no income. They are relying on returns off of their investments. Unfortunately, they are unable to make adjustments to their spending. And a sizeable number have made disastrous investments. By the time they realize they are broke, they are too old to make a viable comeback, sufficient to garner the level of income they had grown to love.
**Loss of investment resources minus a loss of ability to earn money plus uncontrolled spending equals financial disaster.
Here's the deal for the Prodigal Son. He was raised in a good home and was provided with adequate training to either maintain the family business or start a trade. In any other environment, having lost his investment resources, the Prodigal Son could have gone to work in a respectable business. He may have been able to sustain his spending habits accordingly. But as the story goes, soon after the Prodigal Son's money ran out, there was a famine. In an agricultural society, what does that mean? RECESSION! As a result, the Prodigal Son could not find a decent job. Squandering his nest egg combined with economic hard times led to financial disaster. Loss of all investment money minus a loss of ability to earn money equals financial disaster. Only then, does the Prodigal Son begin to realize the foolishness of his decisions. Only when he is hungry, without prospect for a decent job, penniless, friendless, and hopeless, does this young man realize the error of his ways. Only at the bottom does he experience the same shame and disgrace he had inflicted upon his father. Only then does he feel less than whole, though he had severed his soul long before.
Doesn't this story sound familiar? Is this not another type of shame and disgrace, financial disaster or ruin?
In Joshua 5, we find the shame of the children of Israel, having marched for 40 years to escape the disgrace of enslavement and homelessness. In Psalm 32, we have been given a microscopic examination of the shame and disgrace of failure and sin. In the parable of the Prodigal Father, we are given a glimpse into the shame and disgrace of a father rejected by his son. And further, in the parable of the Prodigal Son, we are given a glimpse into the shame and disgrace inflicted upon oneself as a result of foolishness and pride.
It is no mistake that these passages are included in the lectionary for this season of Lent. Shame and disgrace buffet each of us from time to time, whether of our own doing, someone else's doing, or from forces outside of us. It is a familiar and bitter part of our journey, characterized by waiting in the midst of suffering and estrangement. Waiting for release, or rescue, or reunion. Is that not part of the Lenten experience?
Fortunately, this waiting is only part of the Lenten experience. By itself, standing alone, Lent is incomplete without Easter. For Lent is not resolved until the resurrection. Certainly it is a helpful spiritual exercise to fast during Lent. And it is a necessary endeavor to come face to face with our own failures and foolishness. But this is not the goal. It and of itself, it is incomplete. Each of these passages move us toward to experience of restoration.
As God was preparing the children of Israel to enter the Promise Land, scripture tells us that he removed the shame and disgrace of Egypt. It is critical for us to note how this is accomplished. The first thing which is celebrated is the Passover. Imagine this being reenacted in every family tent. It was a solemn ritual reminding these wandering homeless people that the strong hand and outstretched arm of the Lord God Almighty heard their cry and brought them out of Egypt! The second thing is that they ate the fruit of the land: unleavened bread and parched grain. Now, I have to tell you that after eating primarily manna for about 40 years, unleavened bread and parched grain would be like going to Elia’s in South Bend for dinner. Elia’s is an absolutely delightful Mediterranean/Lebanese restaurant north of the toll road entrance on Dixie Way. That place is food heaven! Here’s what one reviewer had to say about Elia’s.
I am from mexican descent on both sides of my family. But on my mother's side my grandmother is part lebanese. I have eaten Lebanese food in MANY states, and NO ONE makes better falafels than Elia's. I always order the same thing, falafel plate, garlic paste & baba ganoush. Also the baba ganoush taste amazing there. (by Beatriz on Urbanspoon.com)
As the people savored unleavened bread and parched grain for the first time, I can imagine them thinking, “so this is the land of milk and honey – very cool!” The third part was the circumcision of every male in the community. This was physical evidence of their being chosen by God and set apart from other tribes and nations. This covenant community was special. We belong! The disgrace of enslavement and homelessness had been transformed into a new identity for the self and the entire community.
It is quite remarkable that in these short 4 verses in Joshua, God recognizes their disgrace and reminds them of His mighty acts in the past, while at the same time whetting their appetite for a wondrous future by giving them a new identity in the present.
In Psalm 32, we are not left to be swallowed by the bog of the psalmist’s sin. Rather, it is by confession of our failure that we are cleansed and forgiven. Not only that, but the psalmist concludes by saying,
steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the LORD. Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
One might even venture to say here that being cleansed and forgiven is not the goal, but the pathway to a restored and joy-filled communion with our Lord. Perhaps this would be helpful to some of those with whom we discuss our faith.
Indeed, when the Prodigal Son returned to see his father, his goal was simply to be forgiven sufficiently to be a servant and eat as his servants eat. The Son was not looking for, nor was he asking for full restoration or communion. But the father, seeing his son return would have none of this. Forgiveness would be full and without reservation. Restoration would result in complete reconciliation. In the same way that God rolled back the shame and disgrace for the children of Israel at Gilgal, the father rolled back the shame and disgrace of the Prodigal Son at once thrusting the door of communion wide open. While it is important to note that it was the Son’s humble return that set this in motion, it was the father’s action that both cast aside the Son’s disgrace as well as his own. The father effectively restored the Son’s personal identity as well as his social identity within the family and the community. It is this restoration of identity that is most powerful.
This leads us to our final lesson of the day in 2 Corinthians 5. It is not that common for me to tie all of our lessons together, but today they fit like a glove.
In a sense, Lent reminds us of our shame and disgrace, whether in the past or in the ways we daily inflict pain upon other people. This shame and disgrace disengages us from full fellowship with one another. Paul reminds us that we have a new identity, one that rolls away the shame and disgrace of our failings. It is an identity that is rooted in our Lord Jesus Christ. It is because of the resurrection that we have been restored within ourselves, with others and with God. It is because of Easter that we are able to experience full communion with God.
But Paul will not allow us to simply enjoy this fellowship in a limited way – like just with those who think like us or with those with whom we worship regularly. Paul takes it one step further. Paul charges us with the task of being ambassadors of reconciliation. In other words, we are to take the message of reconciliation and demonstrate it to others. We are to assume the position of the Prodigal Father, waiting at the door, ready to accept back into full fellowship those who have wandered. We are to assume the position of the Shepherd who seeks out the one lost sheep and the woman, who represents God in that parable, who has lost her coin. We are to offer new identities to those who have none and a restored identity to those who have forgotten who they are. For truly, has not our Lord done these things for us? Truly, has not our Lord restored us so many times? Truly, has not the Lord rescued us over and over.
As the psalmist says elsewhere,
124:1 “If the Lord had not been on our side” –
let Israel say this! –
124:2 if the Lord had not been on our side,
when men attacked us,
124:3 they would have swallowed us alive,
when their anger raged against us.
124:4 The water would have overpowered us;
the current would have overwhelmed us.
124:5 The raging water
would have overwhelmed us.
Yes, Lent reminds us of our shame and disgrace. And yet, Lent fills us with the assurance of our new identity in Jesus the Christ, and our full communion with God, one another and even our own selves – because of Easter.
Presented at County Line Brethren Church on March 14, 2010.
Year C, Fourth Sunday in Lent
Scripture passages: Joshua 5:9-12; Psalm 32; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
It took 40 years for the children of Israel to get away from Egypt. It took almost 40 years for a new generation to learn to trust God, in a way that their fathers had not. It took 40 years for God to raise up a generation that was ready to follow the Lord. It took 40 years for the wounds to begin to heal. It took 40 years for everyone to die who had stepped across the Red Sea. It took 40 years for the memories to dim. It took 40 years for Lord to remove the disgrace of Egypt. It took 40 years for the Lord to remove the disgrace of being enslaved and homeless. It was the shame of being humiliated by powers greater than themselves. They were forced to build for the Egyptians without pay. They were coerced not only to make their own bricks, but to eventually make them without straw. While the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they ate manna from God because there was no other food. They did not celebrate the Passover. They did not circumcise newborn boys. So, despite the establishment of the Law as a foundation of identity and community, this was a time of shame and disgrace, a broken sense of self-identity and of estrangement instead of community.
Psalm 32 speaks of the disgrace of our sin. Sometimes those failures are big. Perhaps you, or someone in your family has been arrested. Some of these failures are as small as a sliver of fiberglass lodged on your arm or hand. Maybe an unkind word to a friend or stranger. Sometimes they are kept in secret chests under careful lock and key. Maybe these are those secret vexing places you go when no one is watching. Sometimes the media picks up on these aberrations in our character for all the world to gawk. Perhaps you, or someone you know has been involved in a scandal and you have been horrified to see the family name in the newspaper. However damaging to myself or others; however seemingly insignificant our faults may be; whether it is unknown to others or whether our names have been drug through the public square, the shame of sin disgraces our hearts. It is this shadow of shame that follows us wherever we go.
Here's how the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines disgrace.
Main Entry: 1dis•grace
Pronunciation: \di-ˈskrās, dis-ˈgrās\
Function: transitive verb
Date: 1580
1 archaic : to humiliate by a superior showing
2 : to be a source of shame to
3 : to cause to lose favor or standing
In the gospel lesson for today, we find the familiar story of the disgraced father, often referred to as the Prodigal Son. The focus of this parable is usually placed on the journey of the son. But let me say today, that the journey of the father was initially one of disgrace. In actuality, it was the father who was initially and publicly disgraced. After cherishing and raising his son the best he knew how, the son rejected the family with contempt. It is the father in the story who has experienced the rejection most profoundly. This common and painful separation was magnified at every family gathering and every community event. Every time this father saw other fathers and sons interacting lovingly, his heart would ache anew, just like it was his first reminder. When friends would ask about his son, he would find some way to answer civilly to cover up his own torment. Every day, he would gaze outside the window, searching for some way to make sense of it all, for some sliver of hope. Every time he would sit down at the table for a meal, he would notice the empty chair. And in the stillness of the dark just before sleep, he would recall his missing son. When he went to the synagogue and heard the stories of Abraham and Isaac, or David and Solomon, indeed wherever he went, he was reminded of his disgrace, the shame of his rebellious son. For some parents, this disgrace is eventually replaced by hardness and resentment. For this father, the aching never left.
For the son, there were no afterthoughts. There was no shame as he left his father's house with his share of the inheritance. No, this young man left the home with the confidence and assurance that accompanies a bankroll. The weight of the coins in his pouch were a comfort, providing the illusion of security and friendship wherever he would travel. There is no question that this young man enjoyed himself. To dismiss this would be to distort the story. Yes, he did have fun. And yes, he had companionship. And no, there was no shame. He had left that guilty conscience at home with his father.
That is, until the comfort of the weights in his pouch dissipated. This is easy to do. An article on Yahoo Sports highlighted how much a few athletes have lost over the years. Boxer Evander Holyfield earned over $250 million cash over his career. Today, he is “flat broke.” Golfer John Daly has gambled away his $50-60 million earnings. He once lost $1.2 million in just 2 and ½ hours at a casino in Las Vegas. After earning $350-400 million over his career, boxer Mike Tyson filed bankruptcy in 2003. What's more amazing is that it is estimated that 80% of NFL players are on the brink of bankruptcy within 2 years of their retirement. 60% of NBA players are broke within 5 years of their retirement. Spending a lot of money has never been a problem, especially if you have a problem. So, here's the deal. These players are accustomed to earning a certain annual income and spending accordingly. When they retire and there is no income. They are relying on returns off of their investments. Unfortunately, they are unable to make adjustments to their spending. And a sizeable number have made disastrous investments. By the time they realize they are broke, they are too old to make a viable comeback, sufficient to garner the level of income they had grown to love.
**Loss of investment resources minus a loss of ability to earn money plus uncontrolled spending equals financial disaster.
Here's the deal for the Prodigal Son. He was raised in a good home and was provided with adequate training to either maintain the family business or start a trade. In any other environment, having lost his investment resources, the Prodigal Son could have gone to work in a respectable business. He may have been able to sustain his spending habits accordingly. But as the story goes, soon after the Prodigal Son's money ran out, there was a famine. In an agricultural society, what does that mean? RECESSION! As a result, the Prodigal Son could not find a decent job. Squandering his nest egg combined with economic hard times led to financial disaster. Loss of all investment money minus a loss of ability to earn money equals financial disaster. Only then, does the Prodigal Son begin to realize the foolishness of his decisions. Only when he is hungry, without prospect for a decent job, penniless, friendless, and hopeless, does this young man realize the error of his ways. Only at the bottom does he experience the same shame and disgrace he had inflicted upon his father. Only then does he feel less than whole, though he had severed his soul long before.
Doesn't this story sound familiar? Is this not another type of shame and disgrace, financial disaster or ruin?
In Joshua 5, we find the shame of the children of Israel, having marched for 40 years to escape the disgrace of enslavement and homelessness. In Psalm 32, we have been given a microscopic examination of the shame and disgrace of failure and sin. In the parable of the Prodigal Father, we are given a glimpse into the shame and disgrace of a father rejected by his son. And further, in the parable of the Prodigal Son, we are given a glimpse into the shame and disgrace inflicted upon oneself as a result of foolishness and pride.
It is no mistake that these passages are included in the lectionary for this season of Lent. Shame and disgrace buffet each of us from time to time, whether of our own doing, someone else's doing, or from forces outside of us. It is a familiar and bitter part of our journey, characterized by waiting in the midst of suffering and estrangement. Waiting for release, or rescue, or reunion. Is that not part of the Lenten experience?
Fortunately, this waiting is only part of the Lenten experience. By itself, standing alone, Lent is incomplete without Easter. For Lent is not resolved until the resurrection. Certainly it is a helpful spiritual exercise to fast during Lent. And it is a necessary endeavor to come face to face with our own failures and foolishness. But this is not the goal. It and of itself, it is incomplete. Each of these passages move us toward to experience of restoration.
As God was preparing the children of Israel to enter the Promise Land, scripture tells us that he removed the shame and disgrace of Egypt. It is critical for us to note how this is accomplished. The first thing which is celebrated is the Passover. Imagine this being reenacted in every family tent. It was a solemn ritual reminding these wandering homeless people that the strong hand and outstretched arm of the Lord God Almighty heard their cry and brought them out of Egypt! The second thing is that they ate the fruit of the land: unleavened bread and parched grain. Now, I have to tell you that after eating primarily manna for about 40 years, unleavened bread and parched grain would be like going to Elia’s in South Bend for dinner. Elia’s is an absolutely delightful Mediterranean/Lebanese restaurant north of the toll road entrance on Dixie Way. That place is food heaven! Here’s what one reviewer had to say about Elia’s.
I am from mexican descent on both sides of my family. But on my mother's side my grandmother is part lebanese. I have eaten Lebanese food in MANY states, and NO ONE makes better falafels than Elia's. I always order the same thing, falafel plate, garlic paste & baba ganoush. Also the baba ganoush taste amazing there. (by Beatriz on Urbanspoon.com)
As the people savored unleavened bread and parched grain for the first time, I can imagine them thinking, “so this is the land of milk and honey – very cool!” The third part was the circumcision of every male in the community. This was physical evidence of their being chosen by God and set apart from other tribes and nations. This covenant community was special. We belong! The disgrace of enslavement and homelessness had been transformed into a new identity for the self and the entire community.
It is quite remarkable that in these short 4 verses in Joshua, God recognizes their disgrace and reminds them of His mighty acts in the past, while at the same time whetting their appetite for a wondrous future by giving them a new identity in the present.
In Psalm 32, we are not left to be swallowed by the bog of the psalmist’s sin. Rather, it is by confession of our failure that we are cleansed and forgiven. Not only that, but the psalmist concludes by saying,
steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the LORD. Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
One might even venture to say here that being cleansed and forgiven is not the goal, but the pathway to a restored and joy-filled communion with our Lord. Perhaps this would be helpful to some of those with whom we discuss our faith.
Indeed, when the Prodigal Son returned to see his father, his goal was simply to be forgiven sufficiently to be a servant and eat as his servants eat. The Son was not looking for, nor was he asking for full restoration or communion. But the father, seeing his son return would have none of this. Forgiveness would be full and without reservation. Restoration would result in complete reconciliation. In the same way that God rolled back the shame and disgrace for the children of Israel at Gilgal, the father rolled back the shame and disgrace of the Prodigal Son at once thrusting the door of communion wide open. While it is important to note that it was the Son’s humble return that set this in motion, it was the father’s action that both cast aside the Son’s disgrace as well as his own. The father effectively restored the Son’s personal identity as well as his social identity within the family and the community. It is this restoration of identity that is most powerful.
This leads us to our final lesson of the day in 2 Corinthians 5. It is not that common for me to tie all of our lessons together, but today they fit like a glove.
In a sense, Lent reminds us of our shame and disgrace, whether in the past or in the ways we daily inflict pain upon other people. This shame and disgrace disengages us from full fellowship with one another. Paul reminds us that we have a new identity, one that rolls away the shame and disgrace of our failings. It is an identity that is rooted in our Lord Jesus Christ. It is because of the resurrection that we have been restored within ourselves, with others and with God. It is because of Easter that we are able to experience full communion with God.
But Paul will not allow us to simply enjoy this fellowship in a limited way – like just with those who think like us or with those with whom we worship regularly. Paul takes it one step further. Paul charges us with the task of being ambassadors of reconciliation. In other words, we are to take the message of reconciliation and demonstrate it to others. We are to assume the position of the Prodigal Father, waiting at the door, ready to accept back into full fellowship those who have wandered. We are to assume the position of the Shepherd who seeks out the one lost sheep and the woman, who represents God in that parable, who has lost her coin. We are to offer new identities to those who have none and a restored identity to those who have forgotten who they are. For truly, has not our Lord done these things for us? Truly, has not our Lord restored us so many times? Truly, has not the Lord rescued us over and over.
As the psalmist says elsewhere,
124:1 “If the Lord had not been on our side” –
let Israel say this! –
124:2 if the Lord had not been on our side,
when men attacked us,
124:3 they would have swallowed us alive,
when their anger raged against us.
124:4 The water would have overpowered us;
the current would have overwhelmed us.
124:5 The raging water
would have overwhelmed us.
Yes, Lent reminds us of our shame and disgrace. And yet, Lent fills us with the assurance of our new identity in Jesus the Christ, and our full communion with God, one another and even our own selves – because of Easter.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Our Shield
Our Shield
Presented at County Line Brethren Church on February 28, 2010.
Year C, Second Sunday in Lent
Scripture passages: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18; Psalm 27; Philippians 3:17 - 4:1; Luke 13:31-35
Almost 2 years ago we looked at this passage in Genesis 15 as by way of expounding upon the passage in Genesis 12. I had some volunteers stand on either side of the aisle to represent heifer, the goat, the ram and the birds. Then I took a “burning fire pot” and walked down through center of it. I shared how this ritual was an example of an ancient contract. In ancient contracts, both parties of the contract would act in some manner so as to signal obligations by both parties. Even contracts today require consideration by both parties. For example, if I sign a contract for someone to do some work on my house, there are two parts. First, the contractor agrees to do the work. Second, I agree to pay the contractor for the work completed. However, what makes this contract in Genesis 15 unusual is that God passed through the pieces and Abram did not. The result is that God is obligating himself to fulfill his part of the bargain, but there is no corresponding consideration by Abram. And so some scholars refer to this as a “covenant” as differentiated from a “contract.” God has assumed the responsibility for fulfilling his promises to Abram. All this fancy theological stuff means that God does it all, without Abram “doing” anything. This is one of the most critically significant events in the Old Testament and indeed the Bible as a whole. It should be studied along with the covenantal promises in Genesis 12 and Genesis 17. The student would do well to spend a great deal of time and effort mining the treasures contained within these passages.
The emphasis, of course, is on God. God gets top billing in this movie and Abram would in a supporting role. And while we do learn some important things about Abram, what we learn about God will sustain us. Each of our passages today encourage us during those times when we feel alone and defeated. It is during those times that the promises of God offer our souls a place of peace and refuge.
In Genesis 15:1, God says “ Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield.” What is remarkable about this is that it follows on the heels of a great military victory. You might expect this to be said prior to going into battle, or perhaps even after a defeat. It is incredibly ironic. So, here was the scenario. Genesis 14 describes how there was a war in the lush valley that Lot chose to inhabit. Five kings, including the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah had served the king of Chedorlaomer and his other king friends for 13 years. Those five kings rebelled which provoked the war with Chedorlaomer. They came a quashed the rebellion and took their belongings, their women and children along with Lot and his family. Well, that was their mistake. They should have just left Lot there. As soon as Abram found out that his brother was taken captive, he led an attack which not only rescued his brother, but also brought back all the women, children and their belongings to their cities.
Upon his return to the valley, he was met by the king of Sodom and the mysterious priest of the Most High God, Melchizedek. The king offers Abram all of their possessions, which Abram declines. Abram does ask that the men who went with him be granted a share of the rescued possessions, but takes nothing for himself. Melchizedek pronounces a blessing upon Abram and Abram gives the priest a tenth of everything. That is so odd, don't you think? Abram puts together a rescue party
and instead of accepting payment, he pays the priest, who is also one of the kings! That's remarkable! Now, before I move on, let us recall that there were no chapter divisions in scripture when they were written. Chapter divisions were added later. This makes Genesis 15:1 stand out so much more. This is not a new thought. Rather 15:1 is a continuation of the successful rescue of his nephew and family, and surrounding communities. And so, in this context, God begins the conversation by saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield???” Do you see the irony of this now? Why would God say to the victorious Abram, “Do not be afraid?”
Ah, it is often the context that helps us out, as is the case here. The full statement of God is: "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." You see, even though Abram had been victorious on the battlefield, he still had no heir. All that Abram had acquired in servants, livestock and other possessions were without meaning to Abram – without an heir from his own seed, which God had promised to him. This also reveals what Abram feared, – dying without a proper heir. He had had other fears, like when he went to Egypt with a beautiful wife, but this fear rattled the very essence of who he was. He had built his life upon trusting the voice of God he had first heard in the land of Ur. Either this God would deliver on his promise, or Abram's whole life was a sham. If Abram had no proper heir, then God would not be able to deliver on the promise of becoming a great nation. Nor could God fulfill the promise that this new nation would possess the land (both literally and symbolically).
**God was speaking to Abram during a crisis of faith.
In the midst of a desert of hope, God says, “Do not be afraid”, which we now clearly understand. Still, one may be puzzled by the phrase, “I am your shield”, which is certainly a defensive weapon. How might God be “defending” Abram? Now we might speculate that God is saying that he will protect Abram like the Bruce Willis super hero character in the movie, “Unbreakable.” But that is not indicated in this scripture passage.
John Wesley says this:
I am a shield to thee, present with thee, actually defending thee. The consideration of this, that God himself is, a shield to his people, to secure them from all destructive evils, a shield ready to them, and a shield round about them, should silence all perplexing fears.
John Calvin says this:
by the use of the word "shield," he signifies that Abram would always be safe under his protection. In calling himself his "reward," He teaches Abram to be satisfied with Himself alone. And as this was, with respect to Abram, a general instruction, given for the purpose of showing him that victory was not the chief and ultimate good which God had designed him to pursue; so let us know that the same blessing is promised to us all, in the person of this one man. For, by this voice, God daily speaks to his faithful ones; inasmuch as having once undertaken to defend us, he will take care to preserve us in safety under his hand, and to protect us by his power. Now since God ascribes to himself the office and property of a shield, for the purpose of rendering himself the protector of our salvation; we ought to regard this promise as a brazen wall, so that we should not be excessively fearful in any dangers. And since men, surrounded with various and innumerable desires of the flesh, are at times unstable, and are then too much addicted to the love of the present life; the other member of the sentence follows, in which God declares, that he alone is sufficient for the perfection of a happy life to the faithful. For the word "reward" has the force of inheritance, or felicity. Were it deeply engraven on our minds, that in God alone we have the highest and complete perfection of all good things; we should easily fix bounds to those wicked desires by which we are miserably tormented. The meaning then of the passage is this, that we shall be truly happy when God is propitious to us; for he not only pours upon us the abundance of his kindness, but offers himself to us, that we may enjoy him. Now what is there more, which men can desire, when they really enjoy God? David knew the force of this promise, when he boasted that he had obtained a goodly lot, because the Lord was his inheritance, (Psalm 16:6.) But since nothing is more difficult than to curb the depraved appetites of the flesh, and since the ingratitude of man is so vile and impious, that God scarcely ever satisfies them; the Lord calls himself not simply "a reward," but an exceeding great reward, with which we ought to be more than sufficiently contented. This truly furnishes most abundant material, and most solid support, for confidence. For whosoever shall be fully persuaded that his life is protected by the hand of God, and that he never can be miserable while God is gracious to him; and who consequently resorts to this haven in all his cares and troubles, will find the best remedy for all evils. Not that the faithful can be entirely free from fear and care, as long as they are tossed by the tempests of contentions and of miseries; but because the storm is hushed in their own breast; and whereas the defense of God is greater than all dangers, so faith triumphs over fear.
God as shield is the full and sufficient answer to our fears. God not only stands alongside us with our fears but steps before us as a protector against our worst fears. As is the case with many fears, it is not always the fear of an attack that besets us with doubt and weakness. Fear is often associated with unrealized dreams, unfulfilled promises, and the worries of the morrow that Jesus speaks of so clearly.
And so, God sets forth himself as Abram's shield not so much in this case from outside attack, but as the protector from fear itself. In some cases it is true that we have nothing to fear but fear itself. God speaks directly to those who struggle with real or imagined fear, worries about money and your job situation, as well as your anxieties about the state of our country and the global economy.
God says to you, just as he said to Abram, “Do not be afraid, I am your shield.”
Presented at County Line Brethren Church on February 28, 2010.
Year C, Second Sunday in Lent
Scripture passages: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18; Psalm 27; Philippians 3:17 - 4:1; Luke 13:31-35
Almost 2 years ago we looked at this passage in Genesis 15 as by way of expounding upon the passage in Genesis 12. I had some volunteers stand on either side of the aisle to represent heifer, the goat, the ram and the birds. Then I took a “burning fire pot” and walked down through center of it. I shared how this ritual was an example of an ancient contract. In ancient contracts, both parties of the contract would act in some manner so as to signal obligations by both parties. Even contracts today require consideration by both parties. For example, if I sign a contract for someone to do some work on my house, there are two parts. First, the contractor agrees to do the work. Second, I agree to pay the contractor for the work completed. However, what makes this contract in Genesis 15 unusual is that God passed through the pieces and Abram did not. The result is that God is obligating himself to fulfill his part of the bargain, but there is no corresponding consideration by Abram. And so some scholars refer to this as a “covenant” as differentiated from a “contract.” God has assumed the responsibility for fulfilling his promises to Abram. All this fancy theological stuff means that God does it all, without Abram “doing” anything. This is one of the most critically significant events in the Old Testament and indeed the Bible as a whole. It should be studied along with the covenantal promises in Genesis 12 and Genesis 17. The student would do well to spend a great deal of time and effort mining the treasures contained within these passages.
The emphasis, of course, is on God. God gets top billing in this movie and Abram would in a supporting role. And while we do learn some important things about Abram, what we learn about God will sustain us. Each of our passages today encourage us during those times when we feel alone and defeated. It is during those times that the promises of God offer our souls a place of peace and refuge.
In Genesis 15:1, God says “ Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield.” What is remarkable about this is that it follows on the heels of a great military victory. You might expect this to be said prior to going into battle, or perhaps even after a defeat. It is incredibly ironic. So, here was the scenario. Genesis 14 describes how there was a war in the lush valley that Lot chose to inhabit. Five kings, including the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah had served the king of Chedorlaomer and his other king friends for 13 years. Those five kings rebelled which provoked the war with Chedorlaomer. They came a quashed the rebellion and took their belongings, their women and children along with Lot and his family. Well, that was their mistake. They should have just left Lot there. As soon as Abram found out that his brother was taken captive, he led an attack which not only rescued his brother, but also brought back all the women, children and their belongings to their cities.
Upon his return to the valley, he was met by the king of Sodom and the mysterious priest of the Most High God, Melchizedek. The king offers Abram all of their possessions, which Abram declines. Abram does ask that the men who went with him be granted a share of the rescued possessions, but takes nothing for himself. Melchizedek pronounces a blessing upon Abram and Abram gives the priest a tenth of everything. That is so odd, don't you think? Abram puts together a rescue party
and instead of accepting payment, he pays the priest, who is also one of the kings! That's remarkable! Now, before I move on, let us recall that there were no chapter divisions in scripture when they were written. Chapter divisions were added later. This makes Genesis 15:1 stand out so much more. This is not a new thought. Rather 15:1 is a continuation of the successful rescue of his nephew and family, and surrounding communities. And so, in this context, God begins the conversation by saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield???” Do you see the irony of this now? Why would God say to the victorious Abram, “Do not be afraid?”
Ah, it is often the context that helps us out, as is the case here. The full statement of God is: "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." You see, even though Abram had been victorious on the battlefield, he still had no heir. All that Abram had acquired in servants, livestock and other possessions were without meaning to Abram – without an heir from his own seed, which God had promised to him. This also reveals what Abram feared, – dying without a proper heir. He had had other fears, like when he went to Egypt with a beautiful wife, but this fear rattled the very essence of who he was. He had built his life upon trusting the voice of God he had first heard in the land of Ur. Either this God would deliver on his promise, or Abram's whole life was a sham. If Abram had no proper heir, then God would not be able to deliver on the promise of becoming a great nation. Nor could God fulfill the promise that this new nation would possess the land (both literally and symbolically).
**God was speaking to Abram during a crisis of faith.
In the midst of a desert of hope, God says, “Do not be afraid”, which we now clearly understand. Still, one may be puzzled by the phrase, “I am your shield”, which is certainly a defensive weapon. How might God be “defending” Abram? Now we might speculate that God is saying that he will protect Abram like the Bruce Willis super hero character in the movie, “Unbreakable.” But that is not indicated in this scripture passage.
John Wesley says this:
I am a shield to thee, present with thee, actually defending thee. The consideration of this, that God himself is, a shield to his people, to secure them from all destructive evils, a shield ready to them, and a shield round about them, should silence all perplexing fears.
John Calvin says this:
by the use of the word "shield," he signifies that Abram would always be safe under his protection. In calling himself his "reward," He teaches Abram to be satisfied with Himself alone. And as this was, with respect to Abram, a general instruction, given for the purpose of showing him that victory was not the chief and ultimate good which God had designed him to pursue; so let us know that the same blessing is promised to us all, in the person of this one man. For, by this voice, God daily speaks to his faithful ones; inasmuch as having once undertaken to defend us, he will take care to preserve us in safety under his hand, and to protect us by his power. Now since God ascribes to himself the office and property of a shield, for the purpose of rendering himself the protector of our salvation; we ought to regard this promise as a brazen wall, so that we should not be excessively fearful in any dangers. And since men, surrounded with various and innumerable desires of the flesh, are at times unstable, and are then too much addicted to the love of the present life; the other member of the sentence follows, in which God declares, that he alone is sufficient for the perfection of a happy life to the faithful. For the word "reward" has the force of inheritance, or felicity. Were it deeply engraven on our minds, that in God alone we have the highest and complete perfection of all good things; we should easily fix bounds to those wicked desires by which we are miserably tormented. The meaning then of the passage is this, that we shall be truly happy when God is propitious to us; for he not only pours upon us the abundance of his kindness, but offers himself to us, that we may enjoy him. Now what is there more, which men can desire, when they really enjoy God? David knew the force of this promise, when he boasted that he had obtained a goodly lot, because the Lord was his inheritance, (Psalm 16:6.) But since nothing is more difficult than to curb the depraved appetites of the flesh, and since the ingratitude of man is so vile and impious, that God scarcely ever satisfies them; the Lord calls himself not simply "a reward," but an exceeding great reward, with which we ought to be more than sufficiently contented. This truly furnishes most abundant material, and most solid support, for confidence. For whosoever shall be fully persuaded that his life is protected by the hand of God, and that he never can be miserable while God is gracious to him; and who consequently resorts to this haven in all his cares and troubles, will find the best remedy for all evils. Not that the faithful can be entirely free from fear and care, as long as they are tossed by the tempests of contentions and of miseries; but because the storm is hushed in their own breast; and whereas the defense of God is greater than all dangers, so faith triumphs over fear.
God as shield is the full and sufficient answer to our fears. God not only stands alongside us with our fears but steps before us as a protector against our worst fears. As is the case with many fears, it is not always the fear of an attack that besets us with doubt and weakness. Fear is often associated with unrealized dreams, unfulfilled promises, and the worries of the morrow that Jesus speaks of so clearly.
And so, God sets forth himself as Abram's shield not so much in this case from outside attack, but as the protector from fear itself. In some cases it is true that we have nothing to fear but fear itself. God speaks directly to those who struggle with real or imagined fear, worries about money and your job situation, as well as your anxieties about the state of our country and the global economy.
God says to you, just as he said to Abram, “Do not be afraid, I am your shield.”
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