Believing the Impossible
Sermon
Facing the Future with Hope
Cycle B Gospel Text Sermons for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany
Object:
There are a lot of good things to say about being a parent or a grandparent and one of the joys is that we get a chance to read children's stories. Recently, I read Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Saw There by Lewis Carroll. I especially liked the conversation between the Queen and Alice when the little girl complained to the Queen, "But I find it impossible to believe what you say." At which her majesty grumbled, "Well, maybe you do, my dear, but when I was your age I made it a point to believe six impossible things before breakfast."1
Do we have a problem believing impossible things? Not six impossible things before breakfast, but do we have a problem with even one impossible thing?
Mary was caught up in an impossible situation and yet she believed.
It is a familiar story we have heard many times. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary who lived in the obscure village of Nazareth in Galilee. She was engaged to a man named Joseph of the house of David. Gabriel's message to Mary was, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you" (Luke 1:28). Mary is perplexed by the announcement. The angel calms her with the words, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus" (Luke 1:30-31). Gabriel goes on to say that Mary's son will be called great and be called "Son of the Most High" and he will be given the throne of his ancestor, King David. His kingdom will be eternal (Luke 1:32-33).
We probably should pause here before hearing Mary's reply to note that Gabriel did not spell out all the details of being "the favored one." Being called the favored one did not mean that Mary was to have a life of peace with no problems or pain. The very fact that the birth of her child raised questions in the minds of many people meant that she was to have a rough start in her marriage to Joseph. Although her son did become popular and was held in high esteem by many of the faithful, he soon encountered much criticism. In the end Mary had to bear the embarrassment and agony of the arrest, trial, and death upon the cross of her beloved son. Only as we look back through the lens of the resurrection do we grasp the full meaning of Gabriel's words: "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God."
Return to Mary's immediate response, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" Then Gabriel explains further, "the Holy Spirit will come upon you…" He goes on to say that her cousin Elizabeth, in her old age, has conceived a son. This has been a miracle too. Gabriel ends the conversation by reminding Mary, "For nothing will be impossible with God" (Luke 1:34-37).
These words are similar to the divine message to Abraham after Sarah, his wife, had laughed when told that she would have a child in old age. God's word came to Abraham and Sarah, "Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14).
Mary's response to this strange message was, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word" (Luke 1:38).
We are dealing with a mystery that cannot easily be described. Only Luke and Matthew mention the birth of Jesus, and they do not refer to it later in their gospels. The apostle Paul does not comment upon the virgin birth of Jesus. For Paul and the writers of the four gospels, Jesus' resurrection is the central affirmation.
However we interpret this mystery, N.T. Wright, the English New Testament scholar and prolific writer, reminds us: "… we shouldn't miss the contrast between muddled, puzzled Zechariah in the previous story in Luke and the obedient humility of Mary in this one."2
Though the message seemed impossible for Mary to accept, nonetheless, she believed.
Mary from a backwater village in Galilee has become a symbol of obedient faith. How often we miss the extraordinary in the midst of the ordinary.
The Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel of the early seventeenth century painted a magnificent picture titled "The Numbering in Bethlehem." He interprets Luke's story by depicting the characters in a typical Flemish village. We see the snow on the ground contrasting with the color brown throughout the painting. We notice the frozen pond and the children frolicking on the ice. The other villagers seem to be going about their daily chores. Handcarts are parked in front of the village inn, and a Christmas wreath hangs on the wall of the inn.
As we survey the painting with its exquisite detail, we almost miss a man approaching the village with a donkey and a young woman in tow off the side. Bruegel pictures Mary and Joseph making their way to the inn on just an ordinary day in an ordinary town.3
How frequently we look for important things in the wrong places. We can be so enamored with what appears to be the more exciting persons and events that we miss the most important truth of all.
Jim had an idea for a television show that might appeal to children. He had some success on a local television show. He approached the major networks -- ABC, CBS, and NBC -- with this idea of a family variety series. They turned him down, each one of them.
Eventually, he found someone in England who thought his idea had a chance of catching on. In 1976 the show was put into world distribution.
To be sure, we might have been skeptical at first. It might have been hard to believe that a show featuring an uneasy green frog, a royal-blue monster with an insatiable appetite for cookies, and a big, curious, naïve, vulnerable, sympathetic golden bird would have a wide appeal.
Today, we know that Jim Henson's idea of the Muppets on "Sesame Street" has become one of the greatest shows of all time. It is likely that more people can name the Muppet pig "Miss Piggy" who is in love with the Muppet frog Kermit than they can name the capital of Afghanistan.
It is simply amazing what God can do with a person who seems so ordinary if that person chooses to be available.
Maya Angelou, an American poet who has been our poet laureate, read her poetry at a presidential inauguration. She continues to challenge the conscience of our nation and tells how a friend long ago helped her to see she was someone God could use. In her autobiographical Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey she tells her story.
"One day the teacher Frederick Wilkerson asked me to read to him. I was 24, very erudite, very worldly. He asked that I read from the book, Lessons in Truth, a section that ended with the words: 'God loves me.'
"I read the piece and closed the book, and the teacher said, 'Read it again.' I pointedly opened the book, and I sarcastically read, 'God loves me.' He said, 'Again.' After about the seventh repetition I began to sense that there might be truth in the statement and that there was a possibility that God really did love me. Me, Maya Angelou.
"I suddenly began to cry at the grandness of it all. I knew that if God loved me, then I could do wonderful things. I could try great things, learn anything. For what could stand against me with God, since one person, any person, with God constitutes a majority."4
"She is a remarkable woman," we say to ourselves, "but I am just an ordinary person." How often if we look close enough and hard enough we will find that some ordinary people can do extraordinary things.
As part of my responsibilities in recent years I have spent quite a bit of time visiting in a retirement home. Retired people are frequently classified as "old-young" if they are in their sixties or seventies and they are "old-old" if they are in their eighties or nineties. Many of the people I have visited are in the latter category, in particular those who are in the medical center of the retirement home. At first glance the men and women look pretty much alike. Most of them cannot function very well because of their physical and mental conditions, but when you begin to talk with them in some depth, you hear captivating stories.
As the residents reflect upon their early years I learn that they are a diverse group including: artists, bankers, bookbinders, homemakers, lawyers, librarians, mission workers, physicians, shipbuilders, and teachers to name a few vocations. They all have extraordinary memories of how God has guided them through the years in their varied work places and family life.
Such visits have convinced me we all have spiritual journeys worth sharing with others.
Tony Campolo has taught sociology at Eastern College at St. Davids, just outside Philadelphia for many years. He is a Baptist preacher as well and a well-known conference speaker. Tony has a special passion to help inner-city kids who live in "the projects."
One day he had what he thought was a brilliant idea. As he observed kids playing in a church-sponsored basketball league, he came up with the idea that he would have them play an exhibition game with some of the players on the Philadelphia Eagles professional football team. In the offseason these professional football players try to keep in shape by playing basketball.
You can imagine how excited the boys were when Tony told them of his plans. The game would be played in the Eastern College gym. In this setting Tony was hoping that at least some of the kids would get a desire to go to college some day, and he would help them financially. Before the big game Tony gathered his players together to give them a pep talk. All of them seemed to be listening attentively.
Then, from out of nowhere Tony heard the harsh voice of their coach interrupting Tony's pep talk. The coach had grown up in the projects, and he had volunteered to help the boys. He shouted, "Don't listen to him. Guys like him are always coming along and promising you they can get you out of the projects. Don't listen. People like him used to tell me the same thing. I tried and tried, and it didn't do me any good. Look at me. I'm still here, ain't I? And you're gonna be there when you're my age too. So you better get used to being in the projects and don't pay any attention to what he says."
There was dead silence following that outburst. The kids just sat there hanging their heads. Tony didn't know what to say at first but he was one who was never lost for words for very long. He then quoted a brief poem, the essence of which was to encourage his young friends not to give up but to believe in the impossible. Even though the coach was unimpressed with Tony's pep talk, these young people might be able to do more than they ever dreamed possible. Anything was possible for them. They should not listen to anyone who was negative about their potential because they had their whole lives ahead of them and who knows what they could achieve given the right motivation and support. The kids looked straight at Tony. Then he said, "Okay, now let's play ball."
The coach had been hurt. His dreams were all faded and just about forgotten. It was painful for him, but he had no right to keep those kids from dreaming. Without dreams, kids die.5
That applies to us all. Anything can happen. Believing the impossible is the way God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Amen.
__________
1. "Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Saw There," The Complete Illustrated Works of Lewis Carroll (New York: Avenel Books, 1982), 127-128.
2. Tom Wright, Luke for Everyone (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 12.
3. William H. Willimon, On a Wild and Windy Mountain (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1984), 15-17.
4. Maya Angelou, Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now (New York: Random House, 1993), 75.
5. Tony Campolo, Carpe Diem: Seize the Day (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1994), 93-95.
Do we have a problem believing impossible things? Not six impossible things before breakfast, but do we have a problem with even one impossible thing?
Mary was caught up in an impossible situation and yet she believed.
It is a familiar story we have heard many times. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary who lived in the obscure village of Nazareth in Galilee. She was engaged to a man named Joseph of the house of David. Gabriel's message to Mary was, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you" (Luke 1:28). Mary is perplexed by the announcement. The angel calms her with the words, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus" (Luke 1:30-31). Gabriel goes on to say that Mary's son will be called great and be called "Son of the Most High" and he will be given the throne of his ancestor, King David. His kingdom will be eternal (Luke 1:32-33).
We probably should pause here before hearing Mary's reply to note that Gabriel did not spell out all the details of being "the favored one." Being called the favored one did not mean that Mary was to have a life of peace with no problems or pain. The very fact that the birth of her child raised questions in the minds of many people meant that she was to have a rough start in her marriage to Joseph. Although her son did become popular and was held in high esteem by many of the faithful, he soon encountered much criticism. In the end Mary had to bear the embarrassment and agony of the arrest, trial, and death upon the cross of her beloved son. Only as we look back through the lens of the resurrection do we grasp the full meaning of Gabriel's words: "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God."
Return to Mary's immediate response, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" Then Gabriel explains further, "the Holy Spirit will come upon you…" He goes on to say that her cousin Elizabeth, in her old age, has conceived a son. This has been a miracle too. Gabriel ends the conversation by reminding Mary, "For nothing will be impossible with God" (Luke 1:34-37).
These words are similar to the divine message to Abraham after Sarah, his wife, had laughed when told that she would have a child in old age. God's word came to Abraham and Sarah, "Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14).
Mary's response to this strange message was, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word" (Luke 1:38).
We are dealing with a mystery that cannot easily be described. Only Luke and Matthew mention the birth of Jesus, and they do not refer to it later in their gospels. The apostle Paul does not comment upon the virgin birth of Jesus. For Paul and the writers of the four gospels, Jesus' resurrection is the central affirmation.
However we interpret this mystery, N.T. Wright, the English New Testament scholar and prolific writer, reminds us: "… we shouldn't miss the contrast between muddled, puzzled Zechariah in the previous story in Luke and the obedient humility of Mary in this one."2
Though the message seemed impossible for Mary to accept, nonetheless, she believed.
Mary from a backwater village in Galilee has become a symbol of obedient faith. How often we miss the extraordinary in the midst of the ordinary.
The Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel of the early seventeenth century painted a magnificent picture titled "The Numbering in Bethlehem." He interprets Luke's story by depicting the characters in a typical Flemish village. We see the snow on the ground contrasting with the color brown throughout the painting. We notice the frozen pond and the children frolicking on the ice. The other villagers seem to be going about their daily chores. Handcarts are parked in front of the village inn, and a Christmas wreath hangs on the wall of the inn.
As we survey the painting with its exquisite detail, we almost miss a man approaching the village with a donkey and a young woman in tow off the side. Bruegel pictures Mary and Joseph making their way to the inn on just an ordinary day in an ordinary town.3
How frequently we look for important things in the wrong places. We can be so enamored with what appears to be the more exciting persons and events that we miss the most important truth of all.
Jim had an idea for a television show that might appeal to children. He had some success on a local television show. He approached the major networks -- ABC, CBS, and NBC -- with this idea of a family variety series. They turned him down, each one of them.
Eventually, he found someone in England who thought his idea had a chance of catching on. In 1976 the show was put into world distribution.
To be sure, we might have been skeptical at first. It might have been hard to believe that a show featuring an uneasy green frog, a royal-blue monster with an insatiable appetite for cookies, and a big, curious, naïve, vulnerable, sympathetic golden bird would have a wide appeal.
Today, we know that Jim Henson's idea of the Muppets on "Sesame Street" has become one of the greatest shows of all time. It is likely that more people can name the Muppet pig "Miss Piggy" who is in love with the Muppet frog Kermit than they can name the capital of Afghanistan.
It is simply amazing what God can do with a person who seems so ordinary if that person chooses to be available.
Maya Angelou, an American poet who has been our poet laureate, read her poetry at a presidential inauguration. She continues to challenge the conscience of our nation and tells how a friend long ago helped her to see she was someone God could use. In her autobiographical Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey she tells her story.
"One day the teacher Frederick Wilkerson asked me to read to him. I was 24, very erudite, very worldly. He asked that I read from the book, Lessons in Truth, a section that ended with the words: 'God loves me.'
"I read the piece and closed the book, and the teacher said, 'Read it again.' I pointedly opened the book, and I sarcastically read, 'God loves me.' He said, 'Again.' After about the seventh repetition I began to sense that there might be truth in the statement and that there was a possibility that God really did love me. Me, Maya Angelou.
"I suddenly began to cry at the grandness of it all. I knew that if God loved me, then I could do wonderful things. I could try great things, learn anything. For what could stand against me with God, since one person, any person, with God constitutes a majority."4
"She is a remarkable woman," we say to ourselves, "but I am just an ordinary person." How often if we look close enough and hard enough we will find that some ordinary people can do extraordinary things.
As part of my responsibilities in recent years I have spent quite a bit of time visiting in a retirement home. Retired people are frequently classified as "old-young" if they are in their sixties or seventies and they are "old-old" if they are in their eighties or nineties. Many of the people I have visited are in the latter category, in particular those who are in the medical center of the retirement home. At first glance the men and women look pretty much alike. Most of them cannot function very well because of their physical and mental conditions, but when you begin to talk with them in some depth, you hear captivating stories.
As the residents reflect upon their early years I learn that they are a diverse group including: artists, bankers, bookbinders, homemakers, lawyers, librarians, mission workers, physicians, shipbuilders, and teachers to name a few vocations. They all have extraordinary memories of how God has guided them through the years in their varied work places and family life.
Such visits have convinced me we all have spiritual journeys worth sharing with others.
Tony Campolo has taught sociology at Eastern College at St. Davids, just outside Philadelphia for many years. He is a Baptist preacher as well and a well-known conference speaker. Tony has a special passion to help inner-city kids who live in "the projects."
One day he had what he thought was a brilliant idea. As he observed kids playing in a church-sponsored basketball league, he came up with the idea that he would have them play an exhibition game with some of the players on the Philadelphia Eagles professional football team. In the offseason these professional football players try to keep in shape by playing basketball.
You can imagine how excited the boys were when Tony told them of his plans. The game would be played in the Eastern College gym. In this setting Tony was hoping that at least some of the kids would get a desire to go to college some day, and he would help them financially. Before the big game Tony gathered his players together to give them a pep talk. All of them seemed to be listening attentively.
Then, from out of nowhere Tony heard the harsh voice of their coach interrupting Tony's pep talk. The coach had grown up in the projects, and he had volunteered to help the boys. He shouted, "Don't listen to him. Guys like him are always coming along and promising you they can get you out of the projects. Don't listen. People like him used to tell me the same thing. I tried and tried, and it didn't do me any good. Look at me. I'm still here, ain't I? And you're gonna be there when you're my age too. So you better get used to being in the projects and don't pay any attention to what he says."
There was dead silence following that outburst. The kids just sat there hanging their heads. Tony didn't know what to say at first but he was one who was never lost for words for very long. He then quoted a brief poem, the essence of which was to encourage his young friends not to give up but to believe in the impossible. Even though the coach was unimpressed with Tony's pep talk, these young people might be able to do more than they ever dreamed possible. Anything was possible for them. They should not listen to anyone who was negative about their potential because they had their whole lives ahead of them and who knows what they could achieve given the right motivation and support. The kids looked straight at Tony. Then he said, "Okay, now let's play ball."
The coach had been hurt. His dreams were all faded and just about forgotten. It was painful for him, but he had no right to keep those kids from dreaming. Without dreams, kids die.5
That applies to us all. Anything can happen. Believing the impossible is the way God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Amen.
__________
1. "Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Saw There," The Complete Illustrated Works of Lewis Carroll (New York: Avenel Books, 1982), 127-128.
2. Tom Wright, Luke for Everyone (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 12.
3. William H. Willimon, On a Wild and Windy Mountain (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1984), 15-17.
4. Maya Angelou, Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now (New York: Random House, 1993), 75.
5. Tony Campolo, Carpe Diem: Seize the Day (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1994), 93-95.
