The Illusion Of Human Power
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
The mystery of the randomness of nature... we have seen so much devastating weather lately. No matter how much we humans think we are in control, we are shown daily that we are not. These natural disasters level the playing field, destroying and the property and upsetting the lives of both the wealthy and the poor. Something that we also see daily is how disasters bring humans together. Faith can make even the worst situation seem not so bad. God chooses people and situations to bring light to his word. Why is one person's house saved and another person's destroyed? Why do some people stand up under suffering and why do some people crumble? Stephen McCutchan writes about how Zacchaeus is chosen by God even though he doesn't seem to deserve the chance. Barbara Jurgensen writes Another View. As always, the installment is rounded out with illustrations, a worship resource, and a children's sermon.
The Illusion of Human Power
Stephen McCutchan
THE WORLD
The Bible is fond of using scenes of nature to demonstrate the contrast between the power of humanity and the power of God. The perennial temptation, first described in Genesis, is the desire of humanity to want to "be like God, knowing good and evil." Humans have always wanted to be in control and have resisted recognizing their dependence on God. Even before that story is placed in our Bible, those who formed the canon placed the earlier story of God overcoming utter chaos by merely speaking a word in Genesis 1. Later, in the Christian canon, they would tell the story of Jesus and the disciples experiencing their personal chaos in a storm at sea and Jesus rising and calming the lake by merely speaking a word. All that was asked of humans in such a situation was to have faith.
The news has been filled with scenes of the fires in California exacerbated by the Santa Ana winds that have devastated the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents. This time, unlike that in the destructive path of Katrina in New Orleans, many people whose homes were destroyed were among the wealthy. Yet even their wealth could not protect them from the destroying storms.
Throughout the summer we have been hearing of major droughts in one section of our country and floods in other sections. In between these stories, there have been stories of tornadoes destroying homes and turning lives upside down. Nature has a way of reminding us of the power of chaos that can defeat our pretensions of knowledge The mounting evidence of global warming suggests that not only are we not in control but that our own arrogance may be contributing to the chaos that seems to surround us.
While most people are offended by the occasional pronouncement from some prominent preacher that such devastating experiences are a reflection of the judgment of God, it is certainly a strong reminder that despite our amazing progress in knowledge, we are still subject to greater powers. Like with the Bible, our own experiences of the power of nature shatters the illusion that we are masters of our own fate. Not even wealth can protect us from the sudden change of the wind or the twisting path of a tornado.
The very randomness of the destructive paths of these forces of nature is unnerving. Repeatedly we hear stories of a tornado or a fire destroying one house and leaving the next one. The plaintive cry of those who have experienced the destructive force is "Why me?" And the almost haunting question of those who were left unaffected is the opposite question of "Why was it not me?" Yet these cries are also a subtler version of the desire to be in control. If I can figure out why your house was destroyed and not the house of your neighbor, then I can discover what I can do to ward off the threat of any future chaos that might threaten me.
It is the mystery of this seemingly random choice in life that is lifted up in our lectionary story of Jesus and Zacchaeus. In addition, the lectionary passage from 2 Thessalonians suggests what we have often discovered in these stories of disaster. It is often in moments of great stress and suffering that the depth and power of our faith is discovered.
THE WORD
The story of Zacchaeus seems far removed from the devastating fires in California but, in a quieter setting, it does raise the mystery of choice that is so much a part of our lives. Here is Zacchaeus, described as a tax collector who was very rich. Like many people who are rich, the non-rich are often both suspicious and envious of his wealth. In Israel during Jesus' time, tax collectors were often seen as having betrayed their loyalty to Israel by agreeing to work for the Romans who occupied Israel. It was also assumed that they made their wealth not only by working for the Romans but also by increasing the taxes that they charged and keeping a significant portion for themselves. Therefore, they were doubly judged for both their wealth and their occupation.
An interesting sidelight of the story is that when it was said that Zacchaeus climbed a tree to see Jesus who was passing by, the Greek is not clear whether it was Zacchaeus or Jesus who was small of stature. In either case, Zacchaeus chose to climb a tree to get a better view of Jesus.
Now comes the mystery of choice. There were lots of people in the crowd who would have been delighted to have had some personal time with Jesus. There is no indication that these other people's lives were either more or less sinful than that of Zacchaeus. Nor can we attribute Jesus' choice of calling out to Zacchaeus to be the result of some act of repentance on Zacchaeus' part. Later there was the declaration of repentance but this was after his personal encounter with Jesus. If you want to so order your life so that Jesus will come to you, there is no clue about what you should do in this story. Like with the mystery of why some houses were burnt in the fire and some were spared, in this mystery of choice, you are not in control.
The controlling event of this story is a challenge to our accepted theory of how our behavior affects the outcome of our lives. Generally speaking, we operate out of what might be called a theory of pollution. We assume that "the rotten apple spoils the barrel." The way to be in control of our future is to avoid being polluted by others and to assume that God grades on the curve. Therefore, what we need to do is to at least be seen as better than others. Yet this story challenges that theory. There is nothing to suggest that Zacchaeus is better than others in the crowd. To the contrary, if anything, he was worse by virtue of his profession and perhaps his ethical behavior.
So, out of the mystery of time, Jesus, who for us incarnates the character and person of God, chooses to reach out to Zacchaeus. "Zacchaeus hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today." Why was it so urgent that Jesus stay at Zacchaeus' house? Jesus demonstrates that God operates from a perspective that challenges the theory that those who are pure must separate themselves from the rest of the world. In contrast to the theory of pollution from which most of society operates, Jesus was operating from a theory of holiness. If the holy infuses our lives, we can be purified.
Now we know how this passage reveals the true life of saints. Saints are those who do not seek to control the world around them in order to protect themselves. Saints are those who are willing to risk making themselves vulnerable so that God might reach through them to transform the lives of those with whom they come into contact. We are not invited to peer into God's mind to discover the answer to the mystery of choice. Rather, we are invited to trust God, rather than our own wisdom, in shaping the future of our lives in response to all conditions, good and bad. As Paul noted in 2 Thessalonians, it is often in the very midst of suffering caused by unfortunate realities that we cannot control that we discover the strong reserves of our faith. It was not when all was going right for the Thessalonians that their faith grew but rather "your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring" was where Paul discovered the power of their faith.
When we listen to the stories of survivors in some of our natural disasters, we frequently hear them state that all they lost were things. The important fact is that they and their loved ones were alive. Rather than be bitter about the things that they have lost, most often, despite their tragedy, they speak of their gratitude to God. We don't know whether they would have had the same priorities absent the disaster but in light of their disaster, their faith and their priorities were clear.
The community of faith, operating from a theory of pollution, "began to grumble and said, 'He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.' " Did Zacchaeus welcome Jesus into a house of sin, or did Jesus welcome Zacchaeus into a transformed life? Zacchaeus offered to give half of his possessions to the poor and to repay four times as much to any he had defrauded. If his life had been directed by his possessions, it was now clear that his possessions had become servant of a higher calling. Jesus response was, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham." Before he was identified as a tax collector, but now he was identified as a Jew. His true vocation had been restored; although there was no indication that he ceased to be a tax collector. It was not his job but his priority that was changed.
The challenge to the Body of Christ is whether we are shaped by the randomness of life's experiences or whether we respond to whatever life brings as an opportunity to discover the depth of our relationship with God. Zacchaeus offered to give half of his possessions and to repay with abundance any that he might have defrauded in response to his encounter with Christ. The response to tragedies such as the fire or the other natural disasters is a renewed humbleness in our relationship with God. Now we have an opportunity to live a life of gratefulness and share more fully with those who have been cheated in life. In doing so, we have the opportunity to draw closer to God in Christ. Jesus did not say to Zacchaeus come down and follow me. He said, come down for I must stay with you.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
You may want to begin your sermon by making reference to the devastating fires and the numerous incidents where some houses were burnt to the ground and some were spared. You may also want to make reference to the fact that many of these homes belonged to the wealthy and even their wealth could not protect them. You could contrast that with the experience in New Orleans.
Next you might want to make reference to the demonstration of the power of nature to defeat the best efforts of humanity to control it. This would then lead to the contrast by which God is able to control the chaos in creation without breaking a sweat. He merely has to speak a word. This raises the question, voiced by Jesus to the disciples when they were caught in the storm, as to whether we have faith to depend on the power of God versus our own efforts to build our security in the world.
This could then lead you into a retelling of the story of Zacchaeus and the mystery of God's choice. While we are not given the opportunity to know ahead of time how the events of life will unfold, we are given the opportunity to meet God in the midst of these events. As unsettling as it is to know this, our encounter with God is purely an act of grace. There is nothing we can do to earn it or manipulate its happening. It may happen when we are up a tree or when we stand watching our house go up in flames.
What we can do is to be ready to respond by welcoming Christ into our home and life. If we do that, it suddenly reorganizes our priorities and reveals to us what is important in life.
The conclusion could be found in posing the question of whether we are more shaped by the events in our lives, good or bad, or by the faith that gives us the courage to respond creatively to whatever happens.
ANOTHER VIEW
Barbara Jurgensen
Ephesians 1:11-23
Nature can be frightening in its raw power -- the horrific drought in Atlanta and other Southeast areas, the torrential downpours and floods that nearly drowned parts of Ohio and other northern states recently, the raging wildfires in California last week.
When nature goes on a rampage, all we can do is get out of its way -- its power is so relentless, so elemental, so overwhelming.
It's hard to imagine power greater than that of a hurricane that rips its way inland through a city full of homes and businesses, leaving nothing but destruction, as it did in New Orleans. Or the power of an earthquake that topples homes like so many dominoes, or a tornado that turns a pleasant neighborhood into piles of splintered wood.
There's nothing more powerful than these strong forces of nature -- unless it's the power of the Lord God who created all that is. And the greatest power in this world is not in what the wind and the rain and the fire, the volcano and the tsunami and the typhoon can do, but in what the Lord God of all creation can do through you and me.
That's where the greatest power comes in.
Today is All Saints Sunday, and we remember courageous men and women all down through the ages -- a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us -- people who've tried to live their lives in response to the Lord's great love for them, people who've tried to follow Jesus, to go where he goes and do what he does.
You know about Norman Borlaug, the man who's done more than any other human being, ever, to help feed that hungry people of this earth. A plant pathologist, he's worked all his life to improve crops like wheat in Third World countries around the globe.
In the 1960s Borlaug developed varieties of high-yield wheat that have saved millions of lives, and today, at age 93, he still works to alleviate world hunger.
In 1970, Borlaug, who now lives in Dallas, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for helping create world peace through increased food production. And in July of this year, 2007, he was given the Congressional Gold Medal, America's highest civilian honor. Congress declared, "Dr. Borlaug has saved more lives than any person who has ever lived."
A man of faith, Borlaug shares the prophet Isaiah's vision that "the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose."
The Lord God can loose great power through a person of faith like Norman Borlaug and through you and me.
And have you heard of Elaine Brandt? A diaconal minister and a licensed psychologist, and 83 years old, Elaine Brandt serves as a chaplain for a home health-care program in Maplewood, Minnesota. She also volunteers with the Red Cross following disasters such as 9/11.
On a trip to Tanzania in 2000, Brandt found that there was no professional training for counselors in that whole African country. So the next year she returned to Tanzania and was invited to teach a course in counseling at Iringa University College, and found that not only students but many members of the faculty and social workers in the area signed up.
As a result, Iringa University College now offers a bachelor of arts in counseling, the first available in that country, thanks to Brandt, and the Tanzanian government wants to place a trained counselor in every secondary school in the country.
Six years ago, at the age of 77, Elaine Brandt, a person of faith, helped a whole African country. She says that that's what we're called to do, to love the Lord our God with our hearts and souls and minds and strength, and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
The Lord can loose great power through a person of faith like Elaine Brandt, or Norman Borlaug, or you and me. What might our Lord like to be doing through you and through me?
(Pastor: For a third example of a person of faith living a life in cooperation with God's power, you could mention someone that you know. Or you could ask worshipers to think of someone they know who lets the power of God work through them.)
The Lord calls each of us to be his people, to let his power help others through us. What might the Lord be able to accomplish through you?
Today on All Saints Sunday, you, a child of the living God, you, a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, you are called to do the Lord's work with him.
Know that if you choose to let the Lord work through you, as he has through Norman Borlaug and Elaine Brandt and a whole cloud of witnesses, know that the Lord will use his power, his mighty power, through you.
ILLUSTRATIONS
In Madeleine L'Engle's book, Camilla, Camila becomes upset about her mother's attempt at suicide and also that her mother seems to be having an affair. She meets Frank, and he asks if she wants to talk and they do.
"Listen, Camilla," Frank said, and then he said to me what he had already said, "listen, Camilla, you're alive. As long as you're alive that's the most important thing in the world. People die, young people, who haven't ever had any chance, and it's awful, and they're the ones you cry about because they're dead and they haven't got any more life again, ever. But you're alive and as long as you're alive everything's really all right, in spite of everything else. No matter what happens, as long as you're alive, everything's all right."
-- from Camilla (1965)
* * *
My son-in-law, Alan Jones, told me a story of a Hasidic rabbi, renowned for his piety. He was unexpectedly confronted one day by one of his devoted youthful disciples. In a burst of feeling, the young disciple exclaimed, "My master, I love you!" The ancient teacher looked up from his books and asked his fervent disciple, "Do you know what hurts me, my son?"
The young man was puzzled. Composing himself, he stuttered, "I don't understand your question, Rabbi. I am trying to tell you how much you mean to me, and you confuse me with irrelevant questions."
"My question is neither confusing nor irrelevant," rejoined the rabbi, "for if you do not know what hurts me, how can you truly love me?"
-- Madeleine L'Engle, Walking on Water
* * *
We stood talking after the memorial service for her mother-in-law. One of the strongest and most faithful people I have ever met, the six months or so which had led up to this morning were incredible stressful, a time when her own mother had died of cancer, and she had just undergone major surgery herself.
"You know what gets me?" she asked. "These people who come up to you and glibly say, 'Remember, God never gives you more than you can bear' don't have a clue as to the lives some of us lead."
"That's right," I gently replied.
"And where in the world do they find that in idea in the Bible?" she asked before getting in the car to go to the cemetery.
-- Thom M. Shuman
* * *
Often our eyes can only see the evil and pain. What would it take for us to see beyond the suffering to see the gold?
William Rathje likes garbage. This Harvard-educated researcher is convinced we can learn a lot from the trash dumps of the world. Archaeologists have always examined trash to study a society. Rathje does the same; he just eliminates the wait.
His organization documented that the average household wastes 10 to 15% of its solid food. The average American produces a half-a-pound of trash per day, and the largest landfill in America, located near New York City, has enough trash to fill the Panama Canal. According to Rathje, trash decomposes more slowly than we thought. He found a whole steak from 1973 and readable newspapers from the Truman presidency.
Rathje finds treasure in the trash. So does Jesus. While others could only see Zacchaeus as some form of human trash, Jesus saw a treasure worth having. Can we see what Jesus sees? Can we see beyond the trash of our lives, our neighbor, our world and see that which God thinks is worth redeeming?
* * *
To have a heart like Jesus is to look into the face of our neighbor and see one who is worthy of God's love -- even someone as despicable as Zacchaeus. This world is a temporary assignment before we face eternity. In the face of our neighbor, do we see eternity or just an ordinary person.
C.S. Lewis wrote: It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as now you meet only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or the other of these destinations.
* * *
In response to the suggestions of some that the tragic death of his son, Alex, in an automobile accident was God's will, William Sloane Coffin said this in a sermon: "No one knows enough to say that.... God doesn't go around this world with finger on triggers, his fist around knives, his hands on steering wheels. God is dead set against all unnatural deaths... My own consolation lies in knowing that... when the waves closed over the sinking car, God's heart was the first of all our hearts to break."
***
After walking through a burned-out area following a brush fire, the poet, Robinson Jeffers, penned these lines that express the raw power of such an event -- power that has its own kind of austere beauty:
"Beauty is not always lovely; the fire was beautiful, the terror
Of the deer was beautiful; and when I returned
Down the back slopes after the fire had gone by, an eagle
Was perched on the jag of a burnt pine,
Insolent and gorged..."
Click here for the full text of his poem, "Fire on the Hills."
***
At an international church meeting a few years ago, a small group of Christians from all over the world was engaged in a role-playing game. They were trying to mimic how they came across to each other. A church leader from Africa drew the slip of paper that said, "Act like an American Christian." He put on a cowboy hat and went around to everyone else in the room, saying, "Howdy! Sorry about your problem. Here's my card. I'll send money."
Listen to what he's saying to us: "The money may be there, and that's helpful, but too often the presence is not. We yearn for you rich North Americans to understand what it's like to live as we live, to face the problems we face. We yearn for your presence, not your dollars at arm's length."
Jesus, by contrast, was truly present to Zacchaeus.
***
On the recent California wildfires, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman writes:
"... we do know that the Weather Channel is slowly morphing into the news channel. Local news at 10 p.m. used to be titled, 'News, weather and sports.' I fear that for our kids it's going to be, 'Weather, other news and sports.'
"To probe this shift, I called Dr. Heidi Cullen, the climate expert at the Weather Channel and a scientist formerly with the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
" 'One thing people always loved about the Weather Channel was that it was nobody's fault,' Ms. Cullen explained. 'We didn't point fingers. Our news was not political. And then Katrina came along, and suddenly the weather wasn't the weather anymore. It was something else. Suddenly the weather was potentially our fault.'
"Again, she noted, one should never point to a particular weather event and say, 'That's what global warming looks like.' What you can do, Ms. Cullen said, is look at things like the dikes and levees in New Orleans and say, 'That is what bad infrastructure looks like' in an age when the vast majority of scientists are warning that global warming will make seas rise, storms more powerful, and droughts and heat waves longer and deeper."
-- Thomas Friedman, "Did We Do That?" New York Times, October 28, 2007
WORSHIP RESOURCE
Thom Shuman
Call to Worship
Leader: We gather in awe,
People: standing in the presence of the One
who crafted the stars, the mountains, the seas.
Leader: We gather in faith,
People: trusting that the One who has held little children
holds our lives in the heart of God.
Leader: We gather in need,
People: seeking the One who longs for justice
to grace each and every person in creation.
Prayer of the Day
You stirred the dust
and created us for service;
you breathed into our lungs
so we could share your good news;
you shaped our hearts
with the tools of compassion
so we will seek justice for all.
We thank you, God of gifts.
In the hospitality of Zacchaeus,
we see your openness
for all who are different;
in the grumbling of his neighbors,
we hear the echoes
of our own prejudices and fears;
in his transformation
into a new person,
we see your grace
which is prepared for us.
We thank you,
Companion of the poor.
You cradle us in the peace
of the resting night;
you awaken us
with the light of dawn
and the warmth of your gentleness;
you walk with us
through each day,
nudging us to be that blessing
we are called to be to others.
We thank you,
Surprising Spirit.
God in Community, Holy in One,
we lift our thanks to you,
even as we pray as Jesus teaches,
Our Father...
Call to Reconciliation
How patient is God! We run around trying to do
everything our way, and God just waits. We try
to buy life and happiness, and God waits. We
hurt others and walk away from those in need,
and God waits. God waits, and upon hearing
our heartfelt prayers and cries for help, God
touches is with forgiveness and new life.
Come, join me as we pray to the One who
waits to hear -- from us!
Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
Surrounded by so many seductions, Patient God, we
find it difficult to see you in our lives. Justice has a
hard time surviving when there is so much persecution
and affliction toward the little ones of the world.
Our neighborhoods, our families, even our churches,
are filled with strife and contention.
We cry for help, Listening God, forgive us! As we
wait for your grace to fill our lives, may we open our
hearts to your hope and healing, always giving thanks
for Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
(silence is kept)
Assurance of Pardon
Leader: Rich, poor; young, old; sinner, saint.
We are all God's children, and God
transforms each of us into the people
we are meant to be.
People: Broken, we are mended;
separated from others, we are made one;
longing to serve, we are sent forth.
Thanks be to God, we are forgiven. Amen.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
How big is your faith?
We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing. (2 Thessalonians 1:3)
Object: some small pumpkins and some very large pumpkins
Good morning, boys and girls. I brought some pumpkins with me today. (show them the pumpkins, some small and some big) Do all of these pumpkins look the same? (let them answer) No, some of them are small and some are very big. If you could have your own pumpkin, which one would you choose? (let them answer) I like the big ones.
These pumpkins all grew in the same field. They all received the same amount of rain and sunshine. But some of the pumpkins are much bigger than the others. Do you know why? (let them answer) I don't know either.
This reminds me of a Bible story. Saint Paul wrote it when he wanted to thank the Thessalonians. Can you say "Thessalonians?" (Let them repeat it several times. Tell them they are the people who lived in Thessalonica and ask them to repeat that) Paul noticed that the people in Thessalonica had great faith, and they just kept growing as Christians. Paul and his friends even bragged about them. Does anyone brag about you being a Christian? Does anyone brag about how kind and loving you are and how much you care about other people? (let them answer)
Paul said the people in Thessalonica must have developed such great faith because they had been tested so many times. The people often had to believe that God would help them even though they had no proof. Soon the people were no longer afraid of danger, hunger, or bad weather. They just believed that God would protect them, feed them, and care for them. That is called faith. Paul said the people had faith abundantly. That means they had a whole lot of faith. They were tested over and over again and they finally decided to trust God for everything.
Do you have faith? Do you have a lot of faith? (let them answer) Do you believe that God cares about you? Do you believe that God will protect you? (let them answer) Some people are full of faith. They are like the big pumpkins. Some people have only a little bit of faith. They are like the small pumpkins. The big-faith people trust God in every way. The small-faith people like to take care of things themselves and get discouraged easily. They are always looking for someone to blame and they feel sorry for themselves. They don't understand why the big-faith people seem to enjoy life so much.
The next time you see some big pumpkins remember the people from Thessalonica. They were big-faith people and Paul even bragged about them.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, November 4, 2007, issue.
Copyright 2007 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.
The Illusion of Human Power
Stephen McCutchan
THE WORLD
The Bible is fond of using scenes of nature to demonstrate the contrast between the power of humanity and the power of God. The perennial temptation, first described in Genesis, is the desire of humanity to want to "be like God, knowing good and evil." Humans have always wanted to be in control and have resisted recognizing their dependence on God. Even before that story is placed in our Bible, those who formed the canon placed the earlier story of God overcoming utter chaos by merely speaking a word in Genesis 1. Later, in the Christian canon, they would tell the story of Jesus and the disciples experiencing their personal chaos in a storm at sea and Jesus rising and calming the lake by merely speaking a word. All that was asked of humans in such a situation was to have faith.
The news has been filled with scenes of the fires in California exacerbated by the Santa Ana winds that have devastated the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents. This time, unlike that in the destructive path of Katrina in New Orleans, many people whose homes were destroyed were among the wealthy. Yet even their wealth could not protect them from the destroying storms.
Throughout the summer we have been hearing of major droughts in one section of our country and floods in other sections. In between these stories, there have been stories of tornadoes destroying homes and turning lives upside down. Nature has a way of reminding us of the power of chaos that can defeat our pretensions of knowledge The mounting evidence of global warming suggests that not only are we not in control but that our own arrogance may be contributing to the chaos that seems to surround us.
While most people are offended by the occasional pronouncement from some prominent preacher that such devastating experiences are a reflection of the judgment of God, it is certainly a strong reminder that despite our amazing progress in knowledge, we are still subject to greater powers. Like with the Bible, our own experiences of the power of nature shatters the illusion that we are masters of our own fate. Not even wealth can protect us from the sudden change of the wind or the twisting path of a tornado.
The very randomness of the destructive paths of these forces of nature is unnerving. Repeatedly we hear stories of a tornado or a fire destroying one house and leaving the next one. The plaintive cry of those who have experienced the destructive force is "Why me?" And the almost haunting question of those who were left unaffected is the opposite question of "Why was it not me?" Yet these cries are also a subtler version of the desire to be in control. If I can figure out why your house was destroyed and not the house of your neighbor, then I can discover what I can do to ward off the threat of any future chaos that might threaten me.
It is the mystery of this seemingly random choice in life that is lifted up in our lectionary story of Jesus and Zacchaeus. In addition, the lectionary passage from 2 Thessalonians suggests what we have often discovered in these stories of disaster. It is often in moments of great stress and suffering that the depth and power of our faith is discovered.
THE WORD
The story of Zacchaeus seems far removed from the devastating fires in California but, in a quieter setting, it does raise the mystery of choice that is so much a part of our lives. Here is Zacchaeus, described as a tax collector who was very rich. Like many people who are rich, the non-rich are often both suspicious and envious of his wealth. In Israel during Jesus' time, tax collectors were often seen as having betrayed their loyalty to Israel by agreeing to work for the Romans who occupied Israel. It was also assumed that they made their wealth not only by working for the Romans but also by increasing the taxes that they charged and keeping a significant portion for themselves. Therefore, they were doubly judged for both their wealth and their occupation.
An interesting sidelight of the story is that when it was said that Zacchaeus climbed a tree to see Jesus who was passing by, the Greek is not clear whether it was Zacchaeus or Jesus who was small of stature. In either case, Zacchaeus chose to climb a tree to get a better view of Jesus.
Now comes the mystery of choice. There were lots of people in the crowd who would have been delighted to have had some personal time with Jesus. There is no indication that these other people's lives were either more or less sinful than that of Zacchaeus. Nor can we attribute Jesus' choice of calling out to Zacchaeus to be the result of some act of repentance on Zacchaeus' part. Later there was the declaration of repentance but this was after his personal encounter with Jesus. If you want to so order your life so that Jesus will come to you, there is no clue about what you should do in this story. Like with the mystery of why some houses were burnt in the fire and some were spared, in this mystery of choice, you are not in control.
The controlling event of this story is a challenge to our accepted theory of how our behavior affects the outcome of our lives. Generally speaking, we operate out of what might be called a theory of pollution. We assume that "the rotten apple spoils the barrel." The way to be in control of our future is to avoid being polluted by others and to assume that God grades on the curve. Therefore, what we need to do is to at least be seen as better than others. Yet this story challenges that theory. There is nothing to suggest that Zacchaeus is better than others in the crowd. To the contrary, if anything, he was worse by virtue of his profession and perhaps his ethical behavior.
So, out of the mystery of time, Jesus, who for us incarnates the character and person of God, chooses to reach out to Zacchaeus. "Zacchaeus hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today." Why was it so urgent that Jesus stay at Zacchaeus' house? Jesus demonstrates that God operates from a perspective that challenges the theory that those who are pure must separate themselves from the rest of the world. In contrast to the theory of pollution from which most of society operates, Jesus was operating from a theory of holiness. If the holy infuses our lives, we can be purified.
Now we know how this passage reveals the true life of saints. Saints are those who do not seek to control the world around them in order to protect themselves. Saints are those who are willing to risk making themselves vulnerable so that God might reach through them to transform the lives of those with whom they come into contact. We are not invited to peer into God's mind to discover the answer to the mystery of choice. Rather, we are invited to trust God, rather than our own wisdom, in shaping the future of our lives in response to all conditions, good and bad. As Paul noted in 2 Thessalonians, it is often in the very midst of suffering caused by unfortunate realities that we cannot control that we discover the strong reserves of our faith. It was not when all was going right for the Thessalonians that their faith grew but rather "your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring" was where Paul discovered the power of their faith.
When we listen to the stories of survivors in some of our natural disasters, we frequently hear them state that all they lost were things. The important fact is that they and their loved ones were alive. Rather than be bitter about the things that they have lost, most often, despite their tragedy, they speak of their gratitude to God. We don't know whether they would have had the same priorities absent the disaster but in light of their disaster, their faith and their priorities were clear.
The community of faith, operating from a theory of pollution, "began to grumble and said, 'He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.' " Did Zacchaeus welcome Jesus into a house of sin, or did Jesus welcome Zacchaeus into a transformed life? Zacchaeus offered to give half of his possessions to the poor and to repay four times as much to any he had defrauded. If his life had been directed by his possessions, it was now clear that his possessions had become servant of a higher calling. Jesus response was, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham." Before he was identified as a tax collector, but now he was identified as a Jew. His true vocation had been restored; although there was no indication that he ceased to be a tax collector. It was not his job but his priority that was changed.
The challenge to the Body of Christ is whether we are shaped by the randomness of life's experiences or whether we respond to whatever life brings as an opportunity to discover the depth of our relationship with God. Zacchaeus offered to give half of his possessions and to repay with abundance any that he might have defrauded in response to his encounter with Christ. The response to tragedies such as the fire or the other natural disasters is a renewed humbleness in our relationship with God. Now we have an opportunity to live a life of gratefulness and share more fully with those who have been cheated in life. In doing so, we have the opportunity to draw closer to God in Christ. Jesus did not say to Zacchaeus come down and follow me. He said, come down for I must stay with you.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
You may want to begin your sermon by making reference to the devastating fires and the numerous incidents where some houses were burnt to the ground and some were spared. You may also want to make reference to the fact that many of these homes belonged to the wealthy and even their wealth could not protect them. You could contrast that with the experience in New Orleans.
Next you might want to make reference to the demonstration of the power of nature to defeat the best efforts of humanity to control it. This would then lead to the contrast by which God is able to control the chaos in creation without breaking a sweat. He merely has to speak a word. This raises the question, voiced by Jesus to the disciples when they were caught in the storm, as to whether we have faith to depend on the power of God versus our own efforts to build our security in the world.
This could then lead you into a retelling of the story of Zacchaeus and the mystery of God's choice. While we are not given the opportunity to know ahead of time how the events of life will unfold, we are given the opportunity to meet God in the midst of these events. As unsettling as it is to know this, our encounter with God is purely an act of grace. There is nothing we can do to earn it or manipulate its happening. It may happen when we are up a tree or when we stand watching our house go up in flames.
What we can do is to be ready to respond by welcoming Christ into our home and life. If we do that, it suddenly reorganizes our priorities and reveals to us what is important in life.
The conclusion could be found in posing the question of whether we are more shaped by the events in our lives, good or bad, or by the faith that gives us the courage to respond creatively to whatever happens.
ANOTHER VIEW
Barbara Jurgensen
Ephesians 1:11-23
Nature can be frightening in its raw power -- the horrific drought in Atlanta and other Southeast areas, the torrential downpours and floods that nearly drowned parts of Ohio and other northern states recently, the raging wildfires in California last week.
When nature goes on a rampage, all we can do is get out of its way -- its power is so relentless, so elemental, so overwhelming.
It's hard to imagine power greater than that of a hurricane that rips its way inland through a city full of homes and businesses, leaving nothing but destruction, as it did in New Orleans. Or the power of an earthquake that topples homes like so many dominoes, or a tornado that turns a pleasant neighborhood into piles of splintered wood.
There's nothing more powerful than these strong forces of nature -- unless it's the power of the Lord God who created all that is. And the greatest power in this world is not in what the wind and the rain and the fire, the volcano and the tsunami and the typhoon can do, but in what the Lord God of all creation can do through you and me.
That's where the greatest power comes in.
Today is All Saints Sunday, and we remember courageous men and women all down through the ages -- a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us -- people who've tried to live their lives in response to the Lord's great love for them, people who've tried to follow Jesus, to go where he goes and do what he does.
You know about Norman Borlaug, the man who's done more than any other human being, ever, to help feed that hungry people of this earth. A plant pathologist, he's worked all his life to improve crops like wheat in Third World countries around the globe.
In the 1960s Borlaug developed varieties of high-yield wheat that have saved millions of lives, and today, at age 93, he still works to alleviate world hunger.
In 1970, Borlaug, who now lives in Dallas, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for helping create world peace through increased food production. And in July of this year, 2007, he was given the Congressional Gold Medal, America's highest civilian honor. Congress declared, "Dr. Borlaug has saved more lives than any person who has ever lived."
A man of faith, Borlaug shares the prophet Isaiah's vision that "the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose."
The Lord God can loose great power through a person of faith like Norman Borlaug and through you and me.
And have you heard of Elaine Brandt? A diaconal minister and a licensed psychologist, and 83 years old, Elaine Brandt serves as a chaplain for a home health-care program in Maplewood, Minnesota. She also volunteers with the Red Cross following disasters such as 9/11.
On a trip to Tanzania in 2000, Brandt found that there was no professional training for counselors in that whole African country. So the next year she returned to Tanzania and was invited to teach a course in counseling at Iringa University College, and found that not only students but many members of the faculty and social workers in the area signed up.
As a result, Iringa University College now offers a bachelor of arts in counseling, the first available in that country, thanks to Brandt, and the Tanzanian government wants to place a trained counselor in every secondary school in the country.
Six years ago, at the age of 77, Elaine Brandt, a person of faith, helped a whole African country. She says that that's what we're called to do, to love the Lord our God with our hearts and souls and minds and strength, and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
The Lord can loose great power through a person of faith like Elaine Brandt, or Norman Borlaug, or you and me. What might our Lord like to be doing through you and through me?
(Pastor: For a third example of a person of faith living a life in cooperation with God's power, you could mention someone that you know. Or you could ask worshipers to think of someone they know who lets the power of God work through them.)
The Lord calls each of us to be his people, to let his power help others through us. What might the Lord be able to accomplish through you?
Today on All Saints Sunday, you, a child of the living God, you, a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, you are called to do the Lord's work with him.
Know that if you choose to let the Lord work through you, as he has through Norman Borlaug and Elaine Brandt and a whole cloud of witnesses, know that the Lord will use his power, his mighty power, through you.
ILLUSTRATIONS
In Madeleine L'Engle's book, Camilla, Camila becomes upset about her mother's attempt at suicide and also that her mother seems to be having an affair. She meets Frank, and he asks if she wants to talk and they do.
"Listen, Camilla," Frank said, and then he said to me what he had already said, "listen, Camilla, you're alive. As long as you're alive that's the most important thing in the world. People die, young people, who haven't ever had any chance, and it's awful, and they're the ones you cry about because they're dead and they haven't got any more life again, ever. But you're alive and as long as you're alive everything's really all right, in spite of everything else. No matter what happens, as long as you're alive, everything's all right."
-- from Camilla (1965)
* * *
My son-in-law, Alan Jones, told me a story of a Hasidic rabbi, renowned for his piety. He was unexpectedly confronted one day by one of his devoted youthful disciples. In a burst of feeling, the young disciple exclaimed, "My master, I love you!" The ancient teacher looked up from his books and asked his fervent disciple, "Do you know what hurts me, my son?"
The young man was puzzled. Composing himself, he stuttered, "I don't understand your question, Rabbi. I am trying to tell you how much you mean to me, and you confuse me with irrelevant questions."
"My question is neither confusing nor irrelevant," rejoined the rabbi, "for if you do not know what hurts me, how can you truly love me?"
-- Madeleine L'Engle, Walking on Water
* * *
We stood talking after the memorial service for her mother-in-law. One of the strongest and most faithful people I have ever met, the six months or so which had led up to this morning were incredible stressful, a time when her own mother had died of cancer, and she had just undergone major surgery herself.
"You know what gets me?" she asked. "These people who come up to you and glibly say, 'Remember, God never gives you more than you can bear' don't have a clue as to the lives some of us lead."
"That's right," I gently replied.
"And where in the world do they find that in idea in the Bible?" she asked before getting in the car to go to the cemetery.
-- Thom M. Shuman
* * *
Often our eyes can only see the evil and pain. What would it take for us to see beyond the suffering to see the gold?
William Rathje likes garbage. This Harvard-educated researcher is convinced we can learn a lot from the trash dumps of the world. Archaeologists have always examined trash to study a society. Rathje does the same; he just eliminates the wait.
His organization documented that the average household wastes 10 to 15% of its solid food. The average American produces a half-a-pound of trash per day, and the largest landfill in America, located near New York City, has enough trash to fill the Panama Canal. According to Rathje, trash decomposes more slowly than we thought. He found a whole steak from 1973 and readable newspapers from the Truman presidency.
Rathje finds treasure in the trash. So does Jesus. While others could only see Zacchaeus as some form of human trash, Jesus saw a treasure worth having. Can we see what Jesus sees? Can we see beyond the trash of our lives, our neighbor, our world and see that which God thinks is worth redeeming?
* * *
To have a heart like Jesus is to look into the face of our neighbor and see one who is worthy of God's love -- even someone as despicable as Zacchaeus. This world is a temporary assignment before we face eternity. In the face of our neighbor, do we see eternity or just an ordinary person.
C.S. Lewis wrote: It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as now you meet only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or the other of these destinations.
* * *
In response to the suggestions of some that the tragic death of his son, Alex, in an automobile accident was God's will, William Sloane Coffin said this in a sermon: "No one knows enough to say that.... God doesn't go around this world with finger on triggers, his fist around knives, his hands on steering wheels. God is dead set against all unnatural deaths... My own consolation lies in knowing that... when the waves closed over the sinking car, God's heart was the first of all our hearts to break."
***
After walking through a burned-out area following a brush fire, the poet, Robinson Jeffers, penned these lines that express the raw power of such an event -- power that has its own kind of austere beauty:
"Beauty is not always lovely; the fire was beautiful, the terror
Of the deer was beautiful; and when I returned
Down the back slopes after the fire had gone by, an eagle
Was perched on the jag of a burnt pine,
Insolent and gorged..."
Click here for the full text of his poem, "Fire on the Hills."
***
At an international church meeting a few years ago, a small group of Christians from all over the world was engaged in a role-playing game. They were trying to mimic how they came across to each other. A church leader from Africa drew the slip of paper that said, "Act like an American Christian." He put on a cowboy hat and went around to everyone else in the room, saying, "Howdy! Sorry about your problem. Here's my card. I'll send money."
Listen to what he's saying to us: "The money may be there, and that's helpful, but too often the presence is not. We yearn for you rich North Americans to understand what it's like to live as we live, to face the problems we face. We yearn for your presence, not your dollars at arm's length."
Jesus, by contrast, was truly present to Zacchaeus.
***
On the recent California wildfires, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman writes:
"... we do know that the Weather Channel is slowly morphing into the news channel. Local news at 10 p.m. used to be titled, 'News, weather and sports.' I fear that for our kids it's going to be, 'Weather, other news and sports.'
"To probe this shift, I called Dr. Heidi Cullen, the climate expert at the Weather Channel and a scientist formerly with the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
" 'One thing people always loved about the Weather Channel was that it was nobody's fault,' Ms. Cullen explained. 'We didn't point fingers. Our news was not political. And then Katrina came along, and suddenly the weather wasn't the weather anymore. It was something else. Suddenly the weather was potentially our fault.'
"Again, she noted, one should never point to a particular weather event and say, 'That's what global warming looks like.' What you can do, Ms. Cullen said, is look at things like the dikes and levees in New Orleans and say, 'That is what bad infrastructure looks like' in an age when the vast majority of scientists are warning that global warming will make seas rise, storms more powerful, and droughts and heat waves longer and deeper."
-- Thomas Friedman, "Did We Do That?" New York Times, October 28, 2007
WORSHIP RESOURCE
Thom Shuman
Call to Worship
Leader: We gather in awe,
People: standing in the presence of the One
who crafted the stars, the mountains, the seas.
Leader: We gather in faith,
People: trusting that the One who has held little children
holds our lives in the heart of God.
Leader: We gather in need,
People: seeking the One who longs for justice
to grace each and every person in creation.
Prayer of the Day
You stirred the dust
and created us for service;
you breathed into our lungs
so we could share your good news;
you shaped our hearts
with the tools of compassion
so we will seek justice for all.
We thank you, God of gifts.
In the hospitality of Zacchaeus,
we see your openness
for all who are different;
in the grumbling of his neighbors,
we hear the echoes
of our own prejudices and fears;
in his transformation
into a new person,
we see your grace
which is prepared for us.
We thank you,
Companion of the poor.
You cradle us in the peace
of the resting night;
you awaken us
with the light of dawn
and the warmth of your gentleness;
you walk with us
through each day,
nudging us to be that blessing
we are called to be to others.
We thank you,
Surprising Spirit.
God in Community, Holy in One,
we lift our thanks to you,
even as we pray as Jesus teaches,
Our Father...
Call to Reconciliation
How patient is God! We run around trying to do
everything our way, and God just waits. We try
to buy life and happiness, and God waits. We
hurt others and walk away from those in need,
and God waits. God waits, and upon hearing
our heartfelt prayers and cries for help, God
touches is with forgiveness and new life.
Come, join me as we pray to the One who
waits to hear -- from us!
Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
Surrounded by so many seductions, Patient God, we
find it difficult to see you in our lives. Justice has a
hard time surviving when there is so much persecution
and affliction toward the little ones of the world.
Our neighborhoods, our families, even our churches,
are filled with strife and contention.
We cry for help, Listening God, forgive us! As we
wait for your grace to fill our lives, may we open our
hearts to your hope and healing, always giving thanks
for Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
(silence is kept)
Assurance of Pardon
Leader: Rich, poor; young, old; sinner, saint.
We are all God's children, and God
transforms each of us into the people
we are meant to be.
People: Broken, we are mended;
separated from others, we are made one;
longing to serve, we are sent forth.
Thanks be to God, we are forgiven. Amen.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
How big is your faith?
We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing. (2 Thessalonians 1:3)
Object: some small pumpkins and some very large pumpkins
Good morning, boys and girls. I brought some pumpkins with me today. (show them the pumpkins, some small and some big) Do all of these pumpkins look the same? (let them answer) No, some of them are small and some are very big. If you could have your own pumpkin, which one would you choose? (let them answer) I like the big ones.
These pumpkins all grew in the same field. They all received the same amount of rain and sunshine. But some of the pumpkins are much bigger than the others. Do you know why? (let them answer) I don't know either.
This reminds me of a Bible story. Saint Paul wrote it when he wanted to thank the Thessalonians. Can you say "Thessalonians?" (Let them repeat it several times. Tell them they are the people who lived in Thessalonica and ask them to repeat that) Paul noticed that the people in Thessalonica had great faith, and they just kept growing as Christians. Paul and his friends even bragged about them. Does anyone brag about you being a Christian? Does anyone brag about how kind and loving you are and how much you care about other people? (let them answer)
Paul said the people in Thessalonica must have developed such great faith because they had been tested so many times. The people often had to believe that God would help them even though they had no proof. Soon the people were no longer afraid of danger, hunger, or bad weather. They just believed that God would protect them, feed them, and care for them. That is called faith. Paul said the people had faith abundantly. That means they had a whole lot of faith. They were tested over and over again and they finally decided to trust God for everything.
Do you have faith? Do you have a lot of faith? (let them answer) Do you believe that God cares about you? Do you believe that God will protect you? (let them answer) Some people are full of faith. They are like the big pumpkins. Some people have only a little bit of faith. They are like the small pumpkins. The big-faith people trust God in every way. The small-faith people like to take care of things themselves and get discouraged easily. They are always looking for someone to blame and they feel sorry for themselves. They don't understand why the big-faith people seem to enjoy life so much.
The next time you see some big pumpkins remember the people from Thessalonica. They were big-faith people and Paul even bragged about them.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, November 4, 2007, issue.
Copyright 2007 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.
