Faith In A Sea Of Violence
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
Violence is all around us. From the front pages of our newspapers to schoolyard brawls, every life is touched to some degree by violence. While we in America may think we are insulated from the worst of it, images of terror at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University quickly dispel that myth. How do we as Christians, being endowed with the peace of Christ, respond to a world of violence? Do we have a message for this world? Stephen McCutchan will write the main article, with Carlos Wilton providing the response. Illustrations, a liturgy, and a children's sermon are also provided.
Faith in a Sea of Violence
Stephen McCutchan
Psalm 23
THE WORLD
When we hear the words Darfur, Kosovo, or Palestine, we think of violence but by in large it is someone else's violence. When we hear the words 9/11, Afghanistan, and Iraq, it moves closer to home, but it is still largely violence that has an enemy's face, and we can rationalize that our part in the violence has some form of justification. Then you hear the words Columbine, Virginia Tech, and now Northern Illinois University and perhaps add to that a town council meeting in Missouri and a mall near Omaha and you realize that violence is increasingly an integral part of our lives. In the words of the famous Pogo cartoon, "We have met the enemy and he is us."
Violence also is a part of the context of our faith. It begins with Cain killing Abel (Genesis 4:1-8), continues dramatically in the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:26-28), is certainly present in the entry into the Promised Land, the period of the Judges, the life and times of David, and the defeat of Israel and Judah that led to the exile. Violence is at the heart of the Christian faith in the crucifixion of Jesus, and it continues in such examples as the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:54-60).
How does a Christian "walk through the valley of the shadow of death" unafraid? It is a salient question for Christians in our day.
(Footnote: Walt Kelly first used the quote "We Have Met The Enemy and He Is Us" on a poster for Earth Day in 1970.)
THE WORD
It is easy to forget that the story of our faith is largely told with full recognition of the prevalence of violence all around us. The emphasis on love, forgiveness, and reconciliation is proclaimed as a counterintuitive message to a world that has become so immersed in a sea of violence that they begin to think that it is inevitable. Some of the recent books challenging the existence of God offer as their evidence the violence of our world and plaintively ask how a good God could let that happen. What they forget is that such a question is precisely what Israel and, later, Christianity asked from the beginning. The difference is that the community of faith did not begin with the naive assumption that somehow humanity is basically good and religion is what messed us up. Rather, the faith community begins with the realistic assessment that from the beginning humanity has had a tendency toward violence. The Cain and Abel story and the verses that follow in the proclamation of Lamech (Genesis 4:23-24) is a description of human nature from which God seeks to rescue us. The faith community does not survey the violent state of humanity and conclude that there is something wrong with God. They look at humanity and acknowledge that we are in need of help in being saved from what we call our "sinful nature."
Psalm 23 becomes an antidote to cynicism and despair when it is read with the awareness in our minds of the violent world around us. It begins with a declaration that challenges what we think we know about life. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Much of the violence and antagonism of our world is generated by a fear that others will deprive us of something that we need or that we believe belongs to us. We live in a world with an attitude of "scarcity." The scriptures are bold to offer the alternate perspective of living in a world of "abundance." Imagine how it would alter your approach to life if you were absolutely convinced that you would never want for the essentials of life. Try to imagine the full impact of the declaration of faith that, as long as God cares for you like a shepherd cares for his sheep, you will never want for anything.
The psalm is not declaring that a faithful life would build a cocoon of protection around the believer and they would be free from challenges. It is declaring that through this world filled with challenges, there is a steady hand that is leading you. Are there stresses in life ("He makes me lie down in green pastures")? Are there times when the demands of life seem overwhelming ("He leads me beside still waters")? Do we experience injustices and are we tempted to want to respond in kind ("He leads me in paths of righteousness")? (See NRSV footnote for translation). An easy way to understand the impact of righteousness in the scriptures is to translate it as "right relationships." It is God, not our impulses and emotions, which can guide us in acting in ways that re-establish right relationships in response to life's situations. That is not always easy, as Jesus' life demonstrated, but he still instructed us to turn the other cheek and to love our enemies.
The life of faith is not offered as a self-help guide to easy success. Rather it is a strategy for living in a violent and dangerous world. "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, (or the valley of the shadow of death -- see NRSV footnote), I fear no evil..." How is that possible? It is not possible with some version of the power of positive thinking or some new psychological strategy. Those may help in certain circumstances, but the real challenge is beyond the individual attitude and practice. The real source of help is beyond us. Once again, we are confronted with whether we can believe in and trust the sovereignty of God in life's circumstances. Israel learned the hard way that they could not predict how God would be present to them but they could trust that God would not abandon them, and, therefore, life had meaning -- "for you are with me; your rod and your staff -- they comfort me." Even the worst of disasters could not defeat the purposes of God. It was not the land, the temple, the nation, the king that they learned to depend upon but the God who had called them into being. Sometimes it was a rod that chastised them and sometimes a staff that rescued them, but in all cases God was present to them.
"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies..." Note that there is full recognition of the presence of enemies and threats to their well-being, but they also experienced, repeatedly, that someone was preparing a banquet in their wilderness that nurtured and sustained them. "You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." It was as they looked back on their lives and recalled the many times that this had happened that they gained confidence to face the uncertain future. It was the memory of God's faithfulness in the past that gave them confidence to declare, despite all the very real threats that existed, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long."
The psalmist does not suggest that there is a way to avoid the violence and threat of our world. Rather, when we approach it with a trust in the God of creation, we will not be disappointed. Even our struggles will find meaning in the overall purposes of God.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
As you begin the sermon, it may be helpful to recall a few tragic statistics. Thirty-three people were killed at Virginia Tech, six were killed at NIU, six at the town council meeting in Missouri, nine at a mall near Omaha, and far too many who went down two and three at a time in other less-known incidents. This may lead to noting that one of the dangers that we may be facing is the ease with which we absorb the news of these incidents and then move on to the next news item. In the midst of our political campaigns, the antics of people like Paris Hilton, and our concern over the use of steroids in sports, the NIU shooting was quickly wiped from the headlines. One of the important contributions that the Christian faith can make to this discussion is the reminder that violence is not acceptable and that there is a better response.
You will have to decide how you want to approach the suggestion that is made by some that the answer to such violence is to give more people permission to carry guns. If you decide to comment on that, some statistics may be helpful. Currently guns kill about eighty Americans a day and wound twice as many. While there is an element in our society that is willing to risk any danger to preserve what they believe is protected by the constitution as the right to bear arms, the thought of increasing the number of people walking around with guns is rather frightening. This is particularly daunting when it is estimated that trained police officers only hit their intended targets about 8 percent of the time. You can probably get many more scary statistics on the internet.
The more important message, however, is whether the Christian faith's message of love, forgiveness, and reconciliation is a viable alternative for Christians living in today's world. Such an alternative message should not be presented as a solution by which we condition ourselves to violence. The gospel is centered on the cross. It is not a way to avoid the dangers of the world, but to open ourselves to a God who is not defeated by such violence. Our message does not end with the cross but continues through the resurrection. We walk through the "valley of the shadow of death" with the firm conviction that God is not defeated by death and that we can trust in God to be present to us in the midst of an uncertain world. Therefore there is reason to be faithful even as we walk "through the darkest valley."
The image of God preparing a table before us in the midst of our enemies may be a good time to stimulate the memories of your congregants to the many ways that God has been faithful to them and to the church in the past. As the psalmist instructs us, it is the memory of God's faithfulness that gives us courage to face the future unafraid.
A powerful concluding strategy in your sermon might be to invite your congregants to take their Bibles and follow along as you read Psalm 23. The first time you read it, substitute Jesus' name for the pronoun referring to the author. It is a powerful psalm in light of the life of Jesus. The next time, substitute the name of your church. Pause to let that sink in and then invite them all to join you in saying the psalm as an affirmation of their faith.
ANOTHER VIEW
Carlos Wilton
I appreciate what you've written, Steve, on the subject of gun violence in our society. We do seem to have lost our national innocence (if ever there was such a thing). We scan the grim headlines (like the news out of Northern Illinois University) and mutter, "Oh, another school shooting," before moving on to the next article. How swiftly we become acclimated to even the most heinous acts! Truly, it is good for our people to be reminded from the pulpit how much God deplores such callous contempt for human life as the shooter demonstrated.
An equally compelling topic, I think, is found in another recent news story: that of New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte's public repentance for having used performance-enhancing drugs. This is one of those stories that transcends the sports pages, embodying universal themes of repentance and reconciliation.
1 Samuel 16:1-13 tells of the prophet Samuel's search for a promising young man to be anointed the next king of Israel, to replace the corrupt Saul. The candidate he settles on is, of course, David -- the virtuous shepherd, who "was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome." This promising young man seems to embody the pure, rustic virtue that is the Israelite national ideal -- a marked contrast to the self-centered, venial Saul.
Yet, any listener who knows the story of David also knows what happens eventually. This earnest young man will lose his innocence, becoming a jaded, selfish monarch -- so conniving that he will arrange for the loyal Uriah to be abandoned to die in battle, in order that he may take his wife, Bathsheba (a woman the king has already all but raped) as his own.
There's something in us that wants to ascribe to our sports heroes similarly simple virtues. When they disappoint us -- as so many of them have -- with the widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs, we feel betrayed.
Yet, every once in a while, one comes along who does the right thing. Such was the case with Andy Pettitte, who has made an unsolicited public confession and vowed never to use such drugs again.
I became interested in this story one day when I'd gone to the gym. There I was, in the locker room, getting dressed at the end of my workout, when I overheard a voice coming from the TV -- the one they keep permanently tuned to ESPN. I'm not much of a sports fan, generally, so I don't pay that TV any mind, but the voice I heard was using religious language. It was quoting Jesus, from John 8:32: "The truth will set you free."
So, I walked over and had a look. It was Andy Pettitte, speaking to reporters at a press conference. He was explaining why he had decided to publicly admit to the use of human growth hormone -- or HGH. Until a few weeks ago, he had always denied using the stuff. Then, after Brian McNamee, athletic trainer for both Pettitte and Clemens, testified to a congressional committee that both athletes used HGH, Pettitte decided he had to come clean. In a sworn deposition to Congress, he told the truth: during two different periods of time, in 2002 and 2004, he had injected himself with human growth hormone.
"I felt like I needed to come out, be forward with this," Pettitte said to the cameras. "Whatever circumstances or repercussions come with it, I'll take, and I'll take like a man, and I'll try to do my job." He explained how his father had given him hypodermic syringes filled with HGH, encouraging him to inject himself with it, to speed his healing after an elbow injury. Pettitte didn't want to drag his father into this, he explained, but even his father had, in the end, encouraged him to tell the truth -- whatever the cost might be to either of them.
At the time he used it, HGH was not explicitly prohibited by baseball rules, but Pettitte knew it was certainly wrong to use it without a doctor's prescription. It was also wrong, of course, to lie about not having used it, afterward -- which he had done.
"I want to apologize to the New York Yankees and to the Houston Astros organizations," Pettitte said, "and to their fans and to all my teammates and to all of baseball fans for the embarrassment I have caused them. I also want to tell anyone that is an Andy Pettitte fan I am sorry, especially any kids that might look up to me."
It could not have been an easy speech to make -- and Andy Pettitte could very easily have decided not to make it. His teammate, Roger Clemens, chose not to make a similar statement, despite having been implicated by others. Clemens continues to deny using performance-enhancing drugs, and says Pettitte and their trainer "misremembered" what really happened. Until now, the two men have been close friends. It remains to be seen whether their friendship can endure this challenge.
"I know in my heart why I did things," Pettitte explained, in response to a reporter's question. "I know that God knows that. I know that I'm going to have to stand before him one day. The truth hurts sometimes and you don't want to share it. The truth will set you free. I'm going to be able to sleep a lot better." [Joe LaPointe, "Pettitte Apologizes to Yankees and His Fans," New York Times, February 19, 2008.]
A video of Pettitte's remarks can be found here.
Listening to the press conference, I was terrifically impressed. Pettitte did wrong, of course, in using the drugs, but he certainly did right in owning up to it. It was clear, from what he said, that this was a decision influenced by his Christian faith. His words came across like a breath of fresh air, in the foul-smelling, smoke-filled room that is the much of professional sports today.
Psalm 23 celebrates the God who "leads [us] in right paths for his name's sake." Sometimes we wander from the trail -- but, there is always a way back, for those who truly repent.
ILLUSTRATIONS
In the midst of all the shootings in our colleges and universities -- and even in our grade schools and preschools -- people are asking, "Why doesn't the Lord God put a stop to these shootings? Where is God in the midst of all this?"
It is said that the Roman Emperor Trajan once called before him the well-known rabbi Joshua and said, "You teach that your God is everywhere. I should like to see him."
"God's presence is indeed everywhere," Rabbi Joshua replied, "but no mortal eye can behold his glory. But we can try to look at one of his servants." The rabbi then took the emperor outside and told him to look at the sun in all of its noonday splendor.
"I cannot," said Trajan; "the light dazzles me."
"You're unable," said the rabbi, "to endure the light of one of his servants, and can you expect to behold the resplendent glory of the Creator? Would not such a sight annihilate you?"
The Talmud, quoted by William B. Silverman in Rabbinic Stories for Christian Ministers and Teachers (New York: Abingdon Press, 1958), p. 20
* * *
Andy Pettitte's confession about his use of certain restricted substances took a great deal of humility on his part as he made it before all of his many fans -- and before the living God. Mark Allan Powell says:
Confession is the flip side of adoration -- it consists of recognizing who we are, mortal beings who dare to address the Almighty God, and yet who do so at God's invitation and, so, with full confidence.
A prayer of confession is not simply "confession of sin" but of sinfulness, indeed, of humanity. Henri Nouwen says, "To pray is to walk in the full light of God, and to say simply, without holding back, 'I am human and you are God.' "
Mark Allan Powell, Loving Jesus (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Fortress Press, 2004), p. 162
* * *
With all the school shootings, it's not easy to be a student today. Frank C. Laubach suggests that there is something that students can do:
If high school boys and girls are taught that by praying for leaders they actually mold world history, they pray with all the reckless abandon of youth.
This sense that they can DO SOMETHING VITAL rescues them from cynicism, enlarges their world view, creates interest in really important affairs, keeps them close to God, makes them ambitious to serve, gives them a sense of mission, and saves them from throwing their lives away in cheap sin.
American youth need a powerful Cause and a program they can undertake at once.
We can encourage all of our children and young people -- and our adults, as well -- to pray not only for their family and friends but for the leaders of our country and world, and for all the troubled people who, out of the utter frustration of their lives, might think of picking up a weapon and going on a shooting rampage.
Frank C. Laubach, Prayer: the Mightiest Force in the World (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell, 1959), pp. 88-89
* * *
Last week, I heard a radio call-in talk show on my way to work. The topic was, "What lie are you living that would surprise others if they only knew." One woman called and said, "My two kids go to a private Christian school. My husband and I are both in our first marriage. We live in the right neighborhood, have good jobs, and drive nice cars. To our family and friends, they think we have this perfect life. But if you came into our house, you would see that it is usually trashed. My kids get up in the morning by themselves and grab a bowl of Captain Crunch. They eat whatever the school is serving. For dinner, we usually grab McNuggets on the fly to practice or a meeting. We seem to be frantic about homework and can't get the kids to bed before 10:00. I drink coffee until 5:00 and then switch to wine. Our house is too big to maintain. The mortgage is too big to pay. The two new cars are not paid for. I fall asleep exhausted and wake up more tired than when I go to bed. When the alarm goes off, the first thing that I think is, "I have to do it all over again today."
When I listen to that woman call in, my first thought was, "I wish my wife wouldn't share our dirty laundry with the whole world!" (Just kidding!) My second thought was how many people are living in the same merry-go-round, looking for a way off. It is to this very same, frantic people that the psalmist writes: "He makes me lie down in green pastures, he restores my soul." They need to hear a word of rest.
* * *
There is a great metaphor within this psalm that is often missed. "My cup overflows." Evidently, in antiquity, the host would constantly fill up the guest's wine glass to not only show hospitality but to let them know they are welcome and encouraged to stay. However, the subtle way of ending the night was to fill the glass half way. This was a polite way of saying, "This is it, my friend, and then it is time to hit the road." However, in this psalm, my cup overflows. God is not encouraging me to leave. It is an example of God's abundance and sheer delight that you stay and dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
* * *
I remember hearing one story about a father and his young son walking through the forest. As it got darker, his father wanted to teach him lesson about the woods. "Do you know where you are?" "No." "Do you know where the cabin is?" "No." "Do you know where the river is?" "No." "Then you are lost." The boy looked up and smiled, holding his dad's hand. "I can't be lost. I'm with you." His father would not steer him wrong and neither will yours. There is trust in this story that is mirrored when the sheep trust and follow the shepherd.
* * *
"There are only two ways to live; the way that leads to life and the way that leads to death." This is the opening line of "The Didache," the oldest document in Christian literature outside of the Bible. That word "didache" means "teachings." Listen, my children, it seems to call out over the centuries, "there are only two ways to live." As shots ring out around college campuses around this nation, how important it is to proclaim that message! Did we ever think that it would be so urgent a matter to point out the obvious?
* * *
In today's gospel we are told of the blind man: "They drove him out." Imagine driving people out of the temple! Does our zeal for God ever cause us to drive people away from God? How is it that so many people feel marginalized and judged by faith communities? Those who are "unchurched" and yet who still believe are a significant part of the general population according to recent surveys. We have a long way to go to embrace those who have been "driven away."
* * *
Given the common view of Darwin as a naturalist and the one who gave us the laws of natural selection, we do not often think of him as much of a theologian or ethicist; but is was he who said: "If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin." It seems he cared about the poor too, much like Jesus and many of his followers do.
WORSHIP RESOURCE
Call To Worship (adapted from Psalm 5:3-4, 7-8)
Leader: Lord, in the morning you hear our voice;
People: in the morning we plead our case to you, and watch.
Leader: For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
People: evil will not sojourn with you.
Leader: But we, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house,
People: we will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.
Leader: Lead us, O Lord, in your righteousness because of our enemies;
People: make your way straight before us.
Leader: Let us worship God!
Responsive Prayer of Confession
Leader: Creator God,
by your design we are whole people,
yet we have sought to tear Word from flesh,
to drain truth from life.
We have lived within our limits,
touching the bounds for reassurance.
We have distrusted the vision
and sought to destroy the visionary.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Leader: Forgive us
when we have been ready to be entertained
but not changed,
when we have allowed our insights
to harden into clichés,
when we have spoken
only to consolidate our own position,
when we have called on you
only to hear the sound of our own voices,
when our celebrations have left others
with nothing to enjoy.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Leader: Searching and creative Spirit of God,
who makes community
from the raw materials of our lives,
teach us the humility to learn from those
who know a true rejoicing
through Jesus Christ,
who simply revealed your glory.
People: Amen.
-- Adapted from Kathy Galloway, The Pattern of Our Days: Worship in the Celtic Pattern from the Iona Community (Paulist, 1996), pp. 113-114
An alternative to a more traditional prayer of confession is this litany by David Koll, which appeared in issue #66 of Reformed Worship:
Litany of Confession (based on Isaiah 53)
Reader 1: Israel is a scattered flock that lions have chased away. (Jeremiah 50:17)
Reader 2: My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused them to roam on the mountains. (Jeremiah 50:6)
People: We all, like sheep, have gone astray. (Isaiah 53:6)
Reader 1: Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? (Luke 15:4)
Reader 2: When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)
People: We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way. (Isaiah 53:6)
Reader 1: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds we have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)
Reader 2: For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1 Peter 2:25)
People: We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)
Responsive Assurance of God's Pardon
Leader: Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain,
People: Whose blood set us free to be people of God.
Leader: In Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
People: In Jesus Christ, you are forgiven, also.
Leader: Let us therefore live this new life to which Christ calls us.
People: Praise be to God forever!
"The Road Ahead" by Thomas Merton (a prayer based on Psalm 23)
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Benediction
Go forth in Jesus Christ to practice friendship and hospitality.
Give to others help and hope
Share the Good News, offer life lived in abundance, proclaim God's love to all.
Walk on God's shining path which is bright with the light of faith, hope, and love.
Go forth living in the brightness of Jesus Christ, our companion, Savior and guide. Amen.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Healing the blind
Object: three or four buckets
John 9:1-41
When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). (vv. 6-7)
Good morning, boys and girls. Did you listen closely to the story about Jesus and the blind man? (let them answer) How did Jesus heal the blind man? (let them answer) That's right, you did listen closely. Jesus spat on the ground into a pile of dirt. Then he picked up the dirt and made a mud ball. After the mud ball was just right, he took it and spread it on the blind man's eyes and told him to walk to a pool called Siloam and wash his eyes. (spread a small amount of mud on the back of your hands, then wipe it clean with the damp cloth) When he finished washing the blind man could see. That sounds simple. Not many blind people are healed are they? (let them answer)
Jesus tried to make things simple for us, didn't he? What is it that we use when we are baptized? (let them answer) Water! That is pretty simple, isn't it? Jesus told us that when we are baptized with water and his word, we become part of his family.
What did Jesus give the disciples at the Last Supper for the forgiveness of sins? (let them answer) Very good! Jesus used bread and wine, the same bread and wine that they had used when they ate the Passover meal. But Jesus added the word to it and told us that when we drink and eat the wine and bread in his name and ask to be forgiven that we will have forgiveness. Bread and wine are pretty simple things, aren't they?
The mud, the water, the bread, and the wine are all simple things that we see all of the time. The thing that made the blind man see was the presence of Jesus and his word.
The next time you see some mud, I want you to think about the time that Jesus added the word to some mud and healed a blind man so that he could see. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, March 2, 2008, issue.
Copyright 2008 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
Faith in a Sea of Violence
Stephen McCutchan
Psalm 23
THE WORLD
When we hear the words Darfur, Kosovo, or Palestine, we think of violence but by in large it is someone else's violence. When we hear the words 9/11, Afghanistan, and Iraq, it moves closer to home, but it is still largely violence that has an enemy's face, and we can rationalize that our part in the violence has some form of justification. Then you hear the words Columbine, Virginia Tech, and now Northern Illinois University and perhaps add to that a town council meeting in Missouri and a mall near Omaha and you realize that violence is increasingly an integral part of our lives. In the words of the famous Pogo cartoon, "We have met the enemy and he is us."
Violence also is a part of the context of our faith. It begins with Cain killing Abel (Genesis 4:1-8), continues dramatically in the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:26-28), is certainly present in the entry into the Promised Land, the period of the Judges, the life and times of David, and the defeat of Israel and Judah that led to the exile. Violence is at the heart of the Christian faith in the crucifixion of Jesus, and it continues in such examples as the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:54-60).
How does a Christian "walk through the valley of the shadow of death" unafraid? It is a salient question for Christians in our day.
(Footnote: Walt Kelly first used the quote "We Have Met The Enemy and He Is Us" on a poster for Earth Day in 1970.)
THE WORD
It is easy to forget that the story of our faith is largely told with full recognition of the prevalence of violence all around us. The emphasis on love, forgiveness, and reconciliation is proclaimed as a counterintuitive message to a world that has become so immersed in a sea of violence that they begin to think that it is inevitable. Some of the recent books challenging the existence of God offer as their evidence the violence of our world and plaintively ask how a good God could let that happen. What they forget is that such a question is precisely what Israel and, later, Christianity asked from the beginning. The difference is that the community of faith did not begin with the naive assumption that somehow humanity is basically good and religion is what messed us up. Rather, the faith community begins with the realistic assessment that from the beginning humanity has had a tendency toward violence. The Cain and Abel story and the verses that follow in the proclamation of Lamech (Genesis 4:23-24) is a description of human nature from which God seeks to rescue us. The faith community does not survey the violent state of humanity and conclude that there is something wrong with God. They look at humanity and acknowledge that we are in need of help in being saved from what we call our "sinful nature."
Psalm 23 becomes an antidote to cynicism and despair when it is read with the awareness in our minds of the violent world around us. It begins with a declaration that challenges what we think we know about life. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Much of the violence and antagonism of our world is generated by a fear that others will deprive us of something that we need or that we believe belongs to us. We live in a world with an attitude of "scarcity." The scriptures are bold to offer the alternate perspective of living in a world of "abundance." Imagine how it would alter your approach to life if you were absolutely convinced that you would never want for the essentials of life. Try to imagine the full impact of the declaration of faith that, as long as God cares for you like a shepherd cares for his sheep, you will never want for anything.
The psalm is not declaring that a faithful life would build a cocoon of protection around the believer and they would be free from challenges. It is declaring that through this world filled with challenges, there is a steady hand that is leading you. Are there stresses in life ("He makes me lie down in green pastures")? Are there times when the demands of life seem overwhelming ("He leads me beside still waters")? Do we experience injustices and are we tempted to want to respond in kind ("He leads me in paths of righteousness")? (See NRSV footnote for translation). An easy way to understand the impact of righteousness in the scriptures is to translate it as "right relationships." It is God, not our impulses and emotions, which can guide us in acting in ways that re-establish right relationships in response to life's situations. That is not always easy, as Jesus' life demonstrated, but he still instructed us to turn the other cheek and to love our enemies.
The life of faith is not offered as a self-help guide to easy success. Rather it is a strategy for living in a violent and dangerous world. "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, (or the valley of the shadow of death -- see NRSV footnote), I fear no evil..." How is that possible? It is not possible with some version of the power of positive thinking or some new psychological strategy. Those may help in certain circumstances, but the real challenge is beyond the individual attitude and practice. The real source of help is beyond us. Once again, we are confronted with whether we can believe in and trust the sovereignty of God in life's circumstances. Israel learned the hard way that they could not predict how God would be present to them but they could trust that God would not abandon them, and, therefore, life had meaning -- "for you are with me; your rod and your staff -- they comfort me." Even the worst of disasters could not defeat the purposes of God. It was not the land, the temple, the nation, the king that they learned to depend upon but the God who had called them into being. Sometimes it was a rod that chastised them and sometimes a staff that rescued them, but in all cases God was present to them.
"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies..." Note that there is full recognition of the presence of enemies and threats to their well-being, but they also experienced, repeatedly, that someone was preparing a banquet in their wilderness that nurtured and sustained them. "You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." It was as they looked back on their lives and recalled the many times that this had happened that they gained confidence to face the uncertain future. It was the memory of God's faithfulness in the past that gave them confidence to declare, despite all the very real threats that existed, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long."
The psalmist does not suggest that there is a way to avoid the violence and threat of our world. Rather, when we approach it with a trust in the God of creation, we will not be disappointed. Even our struggles will find meaning in the overall purposes of God.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
As you begin the sermon, it may be helpful to recall a few tragic statistics. Thirty-three people were killed at Virginia Tech, six were killed at NIU, six at the town council meeting in Missouri, nine at a mall near Omaha, and far too many who went down two and three at a time in other less-known incidents. This may lead to noting that one of the dangers that we may be facing is the ease with which we absorb the news of these incidents and then move on to the next news item. In the midst of our political campaigns, the antics of people like Paris Hilton, and our concern over the use of steroids in sports, the NIU shooting was quickly wiped from the headlines. One of the important contributions that the Christian faith can make to this discussion is the reminder that violence is not acceptable and that there is a better response.
You will have to decide how you want to approach the suggestion that is made by some that the answer to such violence is to give more people permission to carry guns. If you decide to comment on that, some statistics may be helpful. Currently guns kill about eighty Americans a day and wound twice as many. While there is an element in our society that is willing to risk any danger to preserve what they believe is protected by the constitution as the right to bear arms, the thought of increasing the number of people walking around with guns is rather frightening. This is particularly daunting when it is estimated that trained police officers only hit their intended targets about 8 percent of the time. You can probably get many more scary statistics on the internet.
The more important message, however, is whether the Christian faith's message of love, forgiveness, and reconciliation is a viable alternative for Christians living in today's world. Such an alternative message should not be presented as a solution by which we condition ourselves to violence. The gospel is centered on the cross. It is not a way to avoid the dangers of the world, but to open ourselves to a God who is not defeated by such violence. Our message does not end with the cross but continues through the resurrection. We walk through the "valley of the shadow of death" with the firm conviction that God is not defeated by death and that we can trust in God to be present to us in the midst of an uncertain world. Therefore there is reason to be faithful even as we walk "through the darkest valley."
The image of God preparing a table before us in the midst of our enemies may be a good time to stimulate the memories of your congregants to the many ways that God has been faithful to them and to the church in the past. As the psalmist instructs us, it is the memory of God's faithfulness that gives us courage to face the future unafraid.
A powerful concluding strategy in your sermon might be to invite your congregants to take their Bibles and follow along as you read Psalm 23. The first time you read it, substitute Jesus' name for the pronoun referring to the author. It is a powerful psalm in light of the life of Jesus. The next time, substitute the name of your church. Pause to let that sink in and then invite them all to join you in saying the psalm as an affirmation of their faith.
ANOTHER VIEW
Carlos Wilton
I appreciate what you've written, Steve, on the subject of gun violence in our society. We do seem to have lost our national innocence (if ever there was such a thing). We scan the grim headlines (like the news out of Northern Illinois University) and mutter, "Oh, another school shooting," before moving on to the next article. How swiftly we become acclimated to even the most heinous acts! Truly, it is good for our people to be reminded from the pulpit how much God deplores such callous contempt for human life as the shooter demonstrated.
An equally compelling topic, I think, is found in another recent news story: that of New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte's public repentance for having used performance-enhancing drugs. This is one of those stories that transcends the sports pages, embodying universal themes of repentance and reconciliation.
1 Samuel 16:1-13 tells of the prophet Samuel's search for a promising young man to be anointed the next king of Israel, to replace the corrupt Saul. The candidate he settles on is, of course, David -- the virtuous shepherd, who "was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome." This promising young man seems to embody the pure, rustic virtue that is the Israelite national ideal -- a marked contrast to the self-centered, venial Saul.
Yet, any listener who knows the story of David also knows what happens eventually. This earnest young man will lose his innocence, becoming a jaded, selfish monarch -- so conniving that he will arrange for the loyal Uriah to be abandoned to die in battle, in order that he may take his wife, Bathsheba (a woman the king has already all but raped) as his own.
There's something in us that wants to ascribe to our sports heroes similarly simple virtues. When they disappoint us -- as so many of them have -- with the widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs, we feel betrayed.
Yet, every once in a while, one comes along who does the right thing. Such was the case with Andy Pettitte, who has made an unsolicited public confession and vowed never to use such drugs again.
I became interested in this story one day when I'd gone to the gym. There I was, in the locker room, getting dressed at the end of my workout, when I overheard a voice coming from the TV -- the one they keep permanently tuned to ESPN. I'm not much of a sports fan, generally, so I don't pay that TV any mind, but the voice I heard was using religious language. It was quoting Jesus, from John 8:32: "The truth will set you free."
So, I walked over and had a look. It was Andy Pettitte, speaking to reporters at a press conference. He was explaining why he had decided to publicly admit to the use of human growth hormone -- or HGH. Until a few weeks ago, he had always denied using the stuff. Then, after Brian McNamee, athletic trainer for both Pettitte and Clemens, testified to a congressional committee that both athletes used HGH, Pettitte decided he had to come clean. In a sworn deposition to Congress, he told the truth: during two different periods of time, in 2002 and 2004, he had injected himself with human growth hormone.
"I felt like I needed to come out, be forward with this," Pettitte said to the cameras. "Whatever circumstances or repercussions come with it, I'll take, and I'll take like a man, and I'll try to do my job." He explained how his father had given him hypodermic syringes filled with HGH, encouraging him to inject himself with it, to speed his healing after an elbow injury. Pettitte didn't want to drag his father into this, he explained, but even his father had, in the end, encouraged him to tell the truth -- whatever the cost might be to either of them.
At the time he used it, HGH was not explicitly prohibited by baseball rules, but Pettitte knew it was certainly wrong to use it without a doctor's prescription. It was also wrong, of course, to lie about not having used it, afterward -- which he had done.
"I want to apologize to the New York Yankees and to the Houston Astros organizations," Pettitte said, "and to their fans and to all my teammates and to all of baseball fans for the embarrassment I have caused them. I also want to tell anyone that is an Andy Pettitte fan I am sorry, especially any kids that might look up to me."
It could not have been an easy speech to make -- and Andy Pettitte could very easily have decided not to make it. His teammate, Roger Clemens, chose not to make a similar statement, despite having been implicated by others. Clemens continues to deny using performance-enhancing drugs, and says Pettitte and their trainer "misremembered" what really happened. Until now, the two men have been close friends. It remains to be seen whether their friendship can endure this challenge.
"I know in my heart why I did things," Pettitte explained, in response to a reporter's question. "I know that God knows that. I know that I'm going to have to stand before him one day. The truth hurts sometimes and you don't want to share it. The truth will set you free. I'm going to be able to sleep a lot better." [Joe LaPointe, "Pettitte Apologizes to Yankees and His Fans," New York Times, February 19, 2008.]
A video of Pettitte's remarks can be found here.
Listening to the press conference, I was terrifically impressed. Pettitte did wrong, of course, in using the drugs, but he certainly did right in owning up to it. It was clear, from what he said, that this was a decision influenced by his Christian faith. His words came across like a breath of fresh air, in the foul-smelling, smoke-filled room that is the much of professional sports today.
Psalm 23 celebrates the God who "leads [us] in right paths for his name's sake." Sometimes we wander from the trail -- but, there is always a way back, for those who truly repent.
ILLUSTRATIONS
In the midst of all the shootings in our colleges and universities -- and even in our grade schools and preschools -- people are asking, "Why doesn't the Lord God put a stop to these shootings? Where is God in the midst of all this?"
It is said that the Roman Emperor Trajan once called before him the well-known rabbi Joshua and said, "You teach that your God is everywhere. I should like to see him."
"God's presence is indeed everywhere," Rabbi Joshua replied, "but no mortal eye can behold his glory. But we can try to look at one of his servants." The rabbi then took the emperor outside and told him to look at the sun in all of its noonday splendor.
"I cannot," said Trajan; "the light dazzles me."
"You're unable," said the rabbi, "to endure the light of one of his servants, and can you expect to behold the resplendent glory of the Creator? Would not such a sight annihilate you?"
The Talmud, quoted by William B. Silverman in Rabbinic Stories for Christian Ministers and Teachers (New York: Abingdon Press, 1958), p. 20
* * *
Andy Pettitte's confession about his use of certain restricted substances took a great deal of humility on his part as he made it before all of his many fans -- and before the living God. Mark Allan Powell says:
Confession is the flip side of adoration -- it consists of recognizing who we are, mortal beings who dare to address the Almighty God, and yet who do so at God's invitation and, so, with full confidence.
A prayer of confession is not simply "confession of sin" but of sinfulness, indeed, of humanity. Henri Nouwen says, "To pray is to walk in the full light of God, and to say simply, without holding back, 'I am human and you are God.' "
Mark Allan Powell, Loving Jesus (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Fortress Press, 2004), p. 162
* * *
With all the school shootings, it's not easy to be a student today. Frank C. Laubach suggests that there is something that students can do:
If high school boys and girls are taught that by praying for leaders they actually mold world history, they pray with all the reckless abandon of youth.
This sense that they can DO SOMETHING VITAL rescues them from cynicism, enlarges their world view, creates interest in really important affairs, keeps them close to God, makes them ambitious to serve, gives them a sense of mission, and saves them from throwing their lives away in cheap sin.
American youth need a powerful Cause and a program they can undertake at once.
We can encourage all of our children and young people -- and our adults, as well -- to pray not only for their family and friends but for the leaders of our country and world, and for all the troubled people who, out of the utter frustration of their lives, might think of picking up a weapon and going on a shooting rampage.
Frank C. Laubach, Prayer: the Mightiest Force in the World (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell, 1959), pp. 88-89
* * *
Last week, I heard a radio call-in talk show on my way to work. The topic was, "What lie are you living that would surprise others if they only knew." One woman called and said, "My two kids go to a private Christian school. My husband and I are both in our first marriage. We live in the right neighborhood, have good jobs, and drive nice cars. To our family and friends, they think we have this perfect life. But if you came into our house, you would see that it is usually trashed. My kids get up in the morning by themselves and grab a bowl of Captain Crunch. They eat whatever the school is serving. For dinner, we usually grab McNuggets on the fly to practice or a meeting. We seem to be frantic about homework and can't get the kids to bed before 10:00. I drink coffee until 5:00 and then switch to wine. Our house is too big to maintain. The mortgage is too big to pay. The two new cars are not paid for. I fall asleep exhausted and wake up more tired than when I go to bed. When the alarm goes off, the first thing that I think is, "I have to do it all over again today."
When I listen to that woman call in, my first thought was, "I wish my wife wouldn't share our dirty laundry with the whole world!" (Just kidding!) My second thought was how many people are living in the same merry-go-round, looking for a way off. It is to this very same, frantic people that the psalmist writes: "He makes me lie down in green pastures, he restores my soul." They need to hear a word of rest.
* * *
There is a great metaphor within this psalm that is often missed. "My cup overflows." Evidently, in antiquity, the host would constantly fill up the guest's wine glass to not only show hospitality but to let them know they are welcome and encouraged to stay. However, the subtle way of ending the night was to fill the glass half way. This was a polite way of saying, "This is it, my friend, and then it is time to hit the road." However, in this psalm, my cup overflows. God is not encouraging me to leave. It is an example of God's abundance and sheer delight that you stay and dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
* * *
I remember hearing one story about a father and his young son walking through the forest. As it got darker, his father wanted to teach him lesson about the woods. "Do you know where you are?" "No." "Do you know where the cabin is?" "No." "Do you know where the river is?" "No." "Then you are lost." The boy looked up and smiled, holding his dad's hand. "I can't be lost. I'm with you." His father would not steer him wrong and neither will yours. There is trust in this story that is mirrored when the sheep trust and follow the shepherd.
* * *
"There are only two ways to live; the way that leads to life and the way that leads to death." This is the opening line of "The Didache," the oldest document in Christian literature outside of the Bible. That word "didache" means "teachings." Listen, my children, it seems to call out over the centuries, "there are only two ways to live." As shots ring out around college campuses around this nation, how important it is to proclaim that message! Did we ever think that it would be so urgent a matter to point out the obvious?
* * *
In today's gospel we are told of the blind man: "They drove him out." Imagine driving people out of the temple! Does our zeal for God ever cause us to drive people away from God? How is it that so many people feel marginalized and judged by faith communities? Those who are "unchurched" and yet who still believe are a significant part of the general population according to recent surveys. We have a long way to go to embrace those who have been "driven away."
* * *
Given the common view of Darwin as a naturalist and the one who gave us the laws of natural selection, we do not often think of him as much of a theologian or ethicist; but is was he who said: "If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin." It seems he cared about the poor too, much like Jesus and many of his followers do.
WORSHIP RESOURCE
Call To Worship (adapted from Psalm 5:3-4, 7-8)
Leader: Lord, in the morning you hear our voice;
People: in the morning we plead our case to you, and watch.
Leader: For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
People: evil will not sojourn with you.
Leader: But we, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house,
People: we will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.
Leader: Lead us, O Lord, in your righteousness because of our enemies;
People: make your way straight before us.
Leader: Let us worship God!
Responsive Prayer of Confession
Leader: Creator God,
by your design we are whole people,
yet we have sought to tear Word from flesh,
to drain truth from life.
We have lived within our limits,
touching the bounds for reassurance.
We have distrusted the vision
and sought to destroy the visionary.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Leader: Forgive us
when we have been ready to be entertained
but not changed,
when we have allowed our insights
to harden into clichés,
when we have spoken
only to consolidate our own position,
when we have called on you
only to hear the sound of our own voices,
when our celebrations have left others
with nothing to enjoy.
People: Lord, have mercy.
Leader: Searching and creative Spirit of God,
who makes community
from the raw materials of our lives,
teach us the humility to learn from those
who know a true rejoicing
through Jesus Christ,
who simply revealed your glory.
People: Amen.
-- Adapted from Kathy Galloway, The Pattern of Our Days: Worship in the Celtic Pattern from the Iona Community (Paulist, 1996), pp. 113-114
An alternative to a more traditional prayer of confession is this litany by David Koll, which appeared in issue #66 of Reformed Worship:
Litany of Confession (based on Isaiah 53)
Reader 1: Israel is a scattered flock that lions have chased away. (Jeremiah 50:17)
Reader 2: My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused them to roam on the mountains. (Jeremiah 50:6)
People: We all, like sheep, have gone astray. (Isaiah 53:6)
Reader 1: Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? (Luke 15:4)
Reader 2: When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)
People: We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way. (Isaiah 53:6)
Reader 1: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds we have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)
Reader 2: For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1 Peter 2:25)
People: We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)
Responsive Assurance of God's Pardon
Leader: Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain,
People: Whose blood set us free to be people of God.
Leader: In Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
People: In Jesus Christ, you are forgiven, also.
Leader: Let us therefore live this new life to which Christ calls us.
People: Praise be to God forever!
"The Road Ahead" by Thomas Merton (a prayer based on Psalm 23)
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Benediction
Go forth in Jesus Christ to practice friendship and hospitality.
Give to others help and hope
Share the Good News, offer life lived in abundance, proclaim God's love to all.
Walk on God's shining path which is bright with the light of faith, hope, and love.
Go forth living in the brightness of Jesus Christ, our companion, Savior and guide. Amen.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Healing the blind
Object: three or four buckets
John 9:1-41
When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). (vv. 6-7)
Good morning, boys and girls. Did you listen closely to the story about Jesus and the blind man? (let them answer) How did Jesus heal the blind man? (let them answer) That's right, you did listen closely. Jesus spat on the ground into a pile of dirt. Then he picked up the dirt and made a mud ball. After the mud ball was just right, he took it and spread it on the blind man's eyes and told him to walk to a pool called Siloam and wash his eyes. (spread a small amount of mud on the back of your hands, then wipe it clean with the damp cloth) When he finished washing the blind man could see. That sounds simple. Not many blind people are healed are they? (let them answer)
Jesus tried to make things simple for us, didn't he? What is it that we use when we are baptized? (let them answer) Water! That is pretty simple, isn't it? Jesus told us that when we are baptized with water and his word, we become part of his family.
What did Jesus give the disciples at the Last Supper for the forgiveness of sins? (let them answer) Very good! Jesus used bread and wine, the same bread and wine that they had used when they ate the Passover meal. But Jesus added the word to it and told us that when we drink and eat the wine and bread in his name and ask to be forgiven that we will have forgiveness. Bread and wine are pretty simple things, aren't they?
The mud, the water, the bread, and the wine are all simple things that we see all of the time. The thing that made the blind man see was the presence of Jesus and his word.
The next time you see some mud, I want you to think about the time that Jesus added the word to some mud and healed a blind man so that he could see. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, March 2, 2008, issue.
Copyright 2008 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
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