Conversion To The Lord
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series I, Cycle C
"I'd sell my soul to play for the Washington Senators." Joe Hardy, the protagonist in the popular Broadway musical Damn Yankees, says these words in a fit of frustration. Joe is what we call today your average middle-aged couch potato. He sits in front of his television and watches baseball, and most of the time his beloved team, the Senators, are defeated by "those damn New York Yankees." Joe always wanted to play ball, but things just did not work out that way. Marriage, children, and work occupied the life of Joe Hardy. Thus, one day in frustration he says he would sell his soul to play for the Senators. It just so happens that the devil is listening to Joe and appears quite suddenly in his living room. Satan will make a deal with the middle-aged man. The devil will transform Joe into a young, strapping athlete, as he once was, and he can play for the Senators, but when the season is over Joe's soul belongs to him. After a moment of thought, Joe agrees and he is instantly transformed into a young man again.
Joe manages to get a try-out with the Senators and the manager is quite impressed. Soon Joe is making newspaper headlines as a star, and the Senators begin to move up in the standings. As the season begins to draw to a close, the Yankees and Senators are neck and neck for the pennant and a chance to go to the World Series. Joe has made a great contribution, but in most respects his heart misses his old existence, especially his family and friends at work. He begins to think how he might get out of his pact with the devil.
The whole season comes down to one final game: whoever wins goes to the Series. The last game between the Senators and Yankees comes down to the last inning and ultimately the last out. Joe is playing center field for the home team Senators who are ahead by one run. A crack of the bat sends Joe racing toward the fence. As he runs back he is transformed into the middle-aged couch potato he really is. The devil is upset that Joe has broken his pact and wants to return to his old existence. Now a middle-aged man again, Joe still manages to run and make the catch, crashing through the center field fence in the process. He runs for fear that others will discover who he truly is; Joe Hardy was transformed in body, but he was not converted in his heart.
Joe Hardy wanted to play ball for the Senators so badly that he was ready and seemingly willing to put everything on the line and make a pact with Satan. He was transformed on the outside, but he was never converted on the inside. His heart and his mind were always the middle-aged couch potato he really was. Joe was actually fortunate that he was not converted, for he would have lost everything he truly was and wanted to be. In a similar, yet contrasting way, we are challenged by today's reading from the prophet Isaiah to be transformed -- truly converted -- to a new, deeper, and more committed relationship to God. We seek transformation, not on the outside like Joe Hardy, but rather, a true and permanent conversion on the inside, a conversion of mind and heart.
We are all familiar, at least by name and reputation, with the great prophet Isaiah and his book of prophecy, the longest in the Hebrew Scriptures. Written over a long period of time and, thus, addressing many different issues present in the Hebrew community, the words of God as proclaimed by the prophet have served to challenge people of faith throughout the centuries. As with the whole of scripture the demands and the promises of Isaiah are timeless and require our attention. In this first section of the book, chapters 1-35, Isaiah addresses the people of Judah before their exile to Babylon, warning them what will occur should they not heed the cautions and challenges he presents.
We hear in today's reading about God's challenge to the Hebrew community to move beyond their rather staid understanding of sacrifice to a new and deeper level of relationship with God. Yahweh, the prophet says, has had enough of burnt offerings; the Lord is no longer delighted with the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats. Isaiah is not saying that God does not appreciate the sacrifice, but Yahweh realizes that for many people the offering is hollow. The external sign of a sacrifice is worthless without the proper interior conversion, and God knows that for many in the community of Judah their hearts are far from his. Isaiah wants the people to know that external worship alone, that is action without an interior conversion, is sheer hypocrisy. It means nothing to act without an interior desire to worship God. Thus, the Lord provides the prophet with the words that will challenge the people to move beyond action to a true transformation of self, a conversion to a oneness with the Lord. What does God want to see? Isaiah is very clear and specific: cease doing evil and learn to do good; seek justice and rescue the oppressed; defend the orphan and plead for the widow.
If the people wondered how they were to achieve this interior conversion, Isaiah provides a method that comes from God. It will not be as easy as Joe Hardy's external transformation, but then Joe's change was not only abrupt, it did not last. The permanent transformation, that is the conversion that the Hebrews seek, must come from God. Yahweh can transform their lives of sin and make them more whole. However, Isaiah is also very clear that the people must be willing to achieve such a change; they must be open and obedient to God's message and challenge. Then and only then will the people experience the true transformation that they need, the true conversion God seeks in them. Yes, God is disappointed with the renegade actions of the people of Judah, but Yahweh never abandons his people completely and, thus, always provides a way out, a promise of renewal to Judah, if the people will be converted.
The prophet continues, saying it is only by repentance that disaster will be averted. If the people rebel, they will be devoured by the sword of their enemies. We all know very well from salvation history that God was not pleased with the lack of effort shown by the people of Judah. Their inability to be converted to a new and stronger commitment to the Lord cost them greatly -- fifty years of exile in Babylon.
We, like the Hebrews, need to be transformed, converted on the inside, to a richer relationship with God. We need to look into our hearts and ask the ofttimes difficult question -- what must I do in order to be more like the person God wants me to be, the person who God created in me? This is the conversion we need, but many of us, like Joe Hardy, in our efforts to seek renewal, experience only an external transformation, one that looks good but is as hollow as the ritual sacrifice the Hebrews offered to God without the interior desire for renewal. We transform our appearance in the hope that we will be a new person, that others will sense something different about who we are. We change our actions in different ways. We may eat better, exercise more, and even eliminate a bad habit or two. These are obviously good ideas, so long as they are accompanied with an interior conversion of heart and mind. Too often, however, the external and internal do not coincide; there is a disconnect between what people see and what God knows to be true. We might lose lots of weight and get into excellent condition for some period of time, but if our attitude and approach to life is not converted, we will generally fall back into our former overweight and out-of-shape existence. We can be transformed rather easily, but it takes much more work to be converted.
The conversion that many seek in our physical appearance is often the desire of our spiritual lives as well, but the same problem of external transformation and internal conversion applies. Unfortunately, many times our spiritual lives are rather hollow. When we pray, are we merely going through the motions, or do we truly wish to give praise and thanksgiving to God? Do we petition the Lord with a true faith, or are we skeptical in our pleas and hold back? When we come to church on Sunday or if we make a visit during the week, is it with the intent of showing up in order to impress others? Are we afraid of what others might think of us if we do not attend, or are we doing our best to seek a new and deeper commitment to God? Do our external actions and our internal desire match?
Life is in many ways a continual experience of transformation. Each and every day opportunities come our way that provide both challenge and the opportunity to grow. It might be painful, but if we have courage and hold out, we might be amazed at what God can do with us. A little story demonstrates the struggles we find in seeking conversion and the pain that it entails, but also the great reward for those who have the courage to seek transformation in the Lord.
Once upon a time two grandparents were in a curiosity shop seeking to buy something special for their granddaughter for her birthday. At almost the same time they both spied a teacup that was beautifully decorated. They said together, "We must buy this cup, for it is the most beautiful we have ever seen." At that very moment the grandparents were startled when the teacup responded, "Thank you for that compliment, but I was not always so beautiful." The teacup proceeded to tell the grandparents its story. "Once," said the teacup "I was simply a soggy lump of clay. But then one day a man with dirty and wet hands threw me onto a wheel and started turning me around and around, and I became so dizzy that I cried out, 'Stop, stop!' 'Not yet,' said the man. He began to poke and punch me until I hurt all over. 'Stop, stop!' I cried. 'Not yet,' he answered and continued to shape me. Finally he did stop, but then something worse happened. He put me into a furnace until I got hotter and hotter and screamed, 'Stop, stop!' 'Not yet,' again the man responded. Finally, when I thought I was going to burn up, he took me from the furnace and a lady began to paint me. The fumes were so bad that I thought I would become sick to my stomach, and thus I exclaimed, 'Stop, stop!' 'Not yet,' said the woman. Finally she did stop, but then she gave me back to the man who again placed me in that horrible furnace. Again after much time in the furnace I pleaded, 'Stop, stop.' 'Not yet,' came the reply. Finally the man took me out of the furnace and allowed me to cool. And when I was cool, a nice lady placed me on the shelf right next to a mirror. When I saw myself in that mirror, I was amazed. I could not believe how I had been transformed from an ugly and soggy piece of clay into a beautiful teacup. And I cried for joy."1
Let us be like the teacup and seek the conversion which may be painful but, coming from God, will bring us great beauty. Our reward in heaven will be great!
____________
1. Paraphrased from "The Teapot," in William J. Bausch, A World of Stories for Preachers and Teachers (Mystic, Connecticut: Twenty-Third Publications, 1999), pp. 276-277.
Joe manages to get a try-out with the Senators and the manager is quite impressed. Soon Joe is making newspaper headlines as a star, and the Senators begin to move up in the standings. As the season begins to draw to a close, the Yankees and Senators are neck and neck for the pennant and a chance to go to the World Series. Joe has made a great contribution, but in most respects his heart misses his old existence, especially his family and friends at work. He begins to think how he might get out of his pact with the devil.
The whole season comes down to one final game: whoever wins goes to the Series. The last game between the Senators and Yankees comes down to the last inning and ultimately the last out. Joe is playing center field for the home team Senators who are ahead by one run. A crack of the bat sends Joe racing toward the fence. As he runs back he is transformed into the middle-aged couch potato he really is. The devil is upset that Joe has broken his pact and wants to return to his old existence. Now a middle-aged man again, Joe still manages to run and make the catch, crashing through the center field fence in the process. He runs for fear that others will discover who he truly is; Joe Hardy was transformed in body, but he was not converted in his heart.
Joe Hardy wanted to play ball for the Senators so badly that he was ready and seemingly willing to put everything on the line and make a pact with Satan. He was transformed on the outside, but he was never converted on the inside. His heart and his mind were always the middle-aged couch potato he really was. Joe was actually fortunate that he was not converted, for he would have lost everything he truly was and wanted to be. In a similar, yet contrasting way, we are challenged by today's reading from the prophet Isaiah to be transformed -- truly converted -- to a new, deeper, and more committed relationship to God. We seek transformation, not on the outside like Joe Hardy, but rather, a true and permanent conversion on the inside, a conversion of mind and heart.
We are all familiar, at least by name and reputation, with the great prophet Isaiah and his book of prophecy, the longest in the Hebrew Scriptures. Written over a long period of time and, thus, addressing many different issues present in the Hebrew community, the words of God as proclaimed by the prophet have served to challenge people of faith throughout the centuries. As with the whole of scripture the demands and the promises of Isaiah are timeless and require our attention. In this first section of the book, chapters 1-35, Isaiah addresses the people of Judah before their exile to Babylon, warning them what will occur should they not heed the cautions and challenges he presents.
We hear in today's reading about God's challenge to the Hebrew community to move beyond their rather staid understanding of sacrifice to a new and deeper level of relationship with God. Yahweh, the prophet says, has had enough of burnt offerings; the Lord is no longer delighted with the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats. Isaiah is not saying that God does not appreciate the sacrifice, but Yahweh realizes that for many people the offering is hollow. The external sign of a sacrifice is worthless without the proper interior conversion, and God knows that for many in the community of Judah their hearts are far from his. Isaiah wants the people to know that external worship alone, that is action without an interior conversion, is sheer hypocrisy. It means nothing to act without an interior desire to worship God. Thus, the Lord provides the prophet with the words that will challenge the people to move beyond action to a true transformation of self, a conversion to a oneness with the Lord. What does God want to see? Isaiah is very clear and specific: cease doing evil and learn to do good; seek justice and rescue the oppressed; defend the orphan and plead for the widow.
If the people wondered how they were to achieve this interior conversion, Isaiah provides a method that comes from God. It will not be as easy as Joe Hardy's external transformation, but then Joe's change was not only abrupt, it did not last. The permanent transformation, that is the conversion that the Hebrews seek, must come from God. Yahweh can transform their lives of sin and make them more whole. However, Isaiah is also very clear that the people must be willing to achieve such a change; they must be open and obedient to God's message and challenge. Then and only then will the people experience the true transformation that they need, the true conversion God seeks in them. Yes, God is disappointed with the renegade actions of the people of Judah, but Yahweh never abandons his people completely and, thus, always provides a way out, a promise of renewal to Judah, if the people will be converted.
The prophet continues, saying it is only by repentance that disaster will be averted. If the people rebel, they will be devoured by the sword of their enemies. We all know very well from salvation history that God was not pleased with the lack of effort shown by the people of Judah. Their inability to be converted to a new and stronger commitment to the Lord cost them greatly -- fifty years of exile in Babylon.
We, like the Hebrews, need to be transformed, converted on the inside, to a richer relationship with God. We need to look into our hearts and ask the ofttimes difficult question -- what must I do in order to be more like the person God wants me to be, the person who God created in me? This is the conversion we need, but many of us, like Joe Hardy, in our efforts to seek renewal, experience only an external transformation, one that looks good but is as hollow as the ritual sacrifice the Hebrews offered to God without the interior desire for renewal. We transform our appearance in the hope that we will be a new person, that others will sense something different about who we are. We change our actions in different ways. We may eat better, exercise more, and even eliminate a bad habit or two. These are obviously good ideas, so long as they are accompanied with an interior conversion of heart and mind. Too often, however, the external and internal do not coincide; there is a disconnect between what people see and what God knows to be true. We might lose lots of weight and get into excellent condition for some period of time, but if our attitude and approach to life is not converted, we will generally fall back into our former overweight and out-of-shape existence. We can be transformed rather easily, but it takes much more work to be converted.
The conversion that many seek in our physical appearance is often the desire of our spiritual lives as well, but the same problem of external transformation and internal conversion applies. Unfortunately, many times our spiritual lives are rather hollow. When we pray, are we merely going through the motions, or do we truly wish to give praise and thanksgiving to God? Do we petition the Lord with a true faith, or are we skeptical in our pleas and hold back? When we come to church on Sunday or if we make a visit during the week, is it with the intent of showing up in order to impress others? Are we afraid of what others might think of us if we do not attend, or are we doing our best to seek a new and deeper commitment to God? Do our external actions and our internal desire match?
Life is in many ways a continual experience of transformation. Each and every day opportunities come our way that provide both challenge and the opportunity to grow. It might be painful, but if we have courage and hold out, we might be amazed at what God can do with us. A little story demonstrates the struggles we find in seeking conversion and the pain that it entails, but also the great reward for those who have the courage to seek transformation in the Lord.
Once upon a time two grandparents were in a curiosity shop seeking to buy something special for their granddaughter for her birthday. At almost the same time they both spied a teacup that was beautifully decorated. They said together, "We must buy this cup, for it is the most beautiful we have ever seen." At that very moment the grandparents were startled when the teacup responded, "Thank you for that compliment, but I was not always so beautiful." The teacup proceeded to tell the grandparents its story. "Once," said the teacup "I was simply a soggy lump of clay. But then one day a man with dirty and wet hands threw me onto a wheel and started turning me around and around, and I became so dizzy that I cried out, 'Stop, stop!' 'Not yet,' said the man. He began to poke and punch me until I hurt all over. 'Stop, stop!' I cried. 'Not yet,' he answered and continued to shape me. Finally he did stop, but then something worse happened. He put me into a furnace until I got hotter and hotter and screamed, 'Stop, stop!' 'Not yet,' again the man responded. Finally, when I thought I was going to burn up, he took me from the furnace and a lady began to paint me. The fumes were so bad that I thought I would become sick to my stomach, and thus I exclaimed, 'Stop, stop!' 'Not yet,' said the woman. Finally she did stop, but then she gave me back to the man who again placed me in that horrible furnace. Again after much time in the furnace I pleaded, 'Stop, stop.' 'Not yet,' came the reply. Finally the man took me out of the furnace and allowed me to cool. And when I was cool, a nice lady placed me on the shelf right next to a mirror. When I saw myself in that mirror, I was amazed. I could not believe how I had been transformed from an ugly and soggy piece of clay into a beautiful teacup. And I cried for joy."1
Let us be like the teacup and seek the conversion which may be painful but, coming from God, will bring us great beauty. Our reward in heaven will be great!
____________
1. Paraphrased from "The Teapot," in William J. Bausch, A World of Stories for Preachers and Teachers (Mystic, Connecticut: Twenty-Third Publications, 1999), pp. 276-277.
