Legacies Of Power
Sermon
Sermons On The Second Readings
Series II, Cycle A
Object:
Power is one of the marks of public success in today's world. We all know about power because we have experienced it, whether we were on the giving end or the receiving end. Power is difficult to define because it comes in so many different shapes and sizes.
The very word power elicits different emotional responses in each of us. How we respond to power depends on who happens to have the power, as well as how it is used. Power includes the ability to influence, to choose, to help, and to change. Each one of us has some type of power, at least in some places or under some circumstances.
Power also comes in the form of power over another, which may be that of an employer over an employee, a parent over a child, a teacher over a student, or a government official over a people. Leo Tolstoy once said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The Bible identifies three distinct types of power. Dominion is power over other people and forces. Authority is power conferred on a person by a higher authority. Ability is the power to influence others. Absolute authority belongs to God alone.
Power is a crucial theme in Ephesus and in other early churches, stressing that the gospel is the power of God for salvation. The good news about Christ's life, death, resurrection, and enthronement is the most powerful force on earth. Nations rise and fall, guns and bombs destroy, swift legs set new world records, but only the gospel has the power to redeem the lost. Only the message about the love of God visible in Christ can set the guilty free. Apart from proclaiming the magnificent power of God, there is no hope for keeping human arrogance and folly within bounds to save the foolish world or reckless individuals from self-destruction.1
The gospel of Christ embodies the greatest power on earth. Jesus' power is not the kind of power to which we are accustomed. Jesus' power is not the power of politics and military might that we understand. By the standards of earthly power, Jesus was a miserable failure. He does not attempt to raise an army to stand against the Romans or ingratiate himself with the powers-that-be in order to use their influence. Instead, he defies and insults them.
Jesus intentionally makes friends with those who have no power at all. He befriends the homeless, the destitute, the lepers, the prostitutes, and the ignorant. Jesus acquires no wealth, and his notoriety is closer to infamy than to fame. This is no way to control the events of history. This is no way to stop the mighty power of Rome or the terror of Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah.
Yet, the power Jesus has is real power. I doubt any of us would be in this room today if we did not believe that. Jesus has the power of promise as he proclaims, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." "Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
People's misuse of power has brought enormous suffering to the world and even to God's own Son, yet God does not take away our power. Rather, for Jesus' sake God clothes us "with power from on high" (Luke 24:49), which is God's Spirit, God's own power to do good in our world.
Unfortunately, even Jesus' followers maintain the old lust for power, as we see in the ambitions of James and John for places beside Christ in his kingdom (Matthew 20:20-28). Jesus doesn't say that we are to refrain from power but teaches both the disciples and us how to use power. He presents a new model for us all, the model of a servant.
A buzzword we hear frequently today is empowerment, which is the act of giving power to another. We discuss groups that have felt relatively powerless, such as African Americans, Native Americans, Mexicans, and women. There are some who will say that we must never allow a small minority to achieve power over the great majority. Others, who sometimes are the same people, say that we must never allow the majority to gain power over minorities because the majority may oppress them. Our agenda as servants of God is different from these political agendas. We are less concerned about who has power and more concerned about how power is used and for what purpose.
Andrew Young relates a "parable of power" about an experience he had while visiting with Nelson Mandela in South Africa. As you may remember, Mandela was a strong opponent of apartheid, South Africa's official policy of racial segregation. In 1964, the white government threw Mandela into prison for life. A worldwide campaign to free him from prison was set into motion, resulting in his release in 1990. When apartheid was abolished in 1994, South Africa held its first democratic elections and Nelson Mandela was elected president.
In 1995, South Africa played host to the Rugby World Cup Tournament, and Mandela invited Andrew Young to be his guest. Now rugby, like lacrosse, is a game of the white elite. The South African team, like most rugby teams, was entirely white in 1995, while South Africa itself was about 80% black. Because of apartheid, 80% of the population did not support their very own team. Prior to this tournament, a heated dispute broke out between blacks and whites about the South African team symbol, a leaping gazelle called a springbok. The springbok represented apartheid and a painful history in the minds of black South Africans.
Nelson Mandela understood the power of reconciliation and its life-changing results. A few days before the opening game, Mandela paid a visit to South Africa's Springboks. Mandela then appeared at a press conference wearing a rugby jersey and a cap with the mascot, a springbok, on it. Mandela explained that until the 1995 elections, he and most other blacks in South Africa had supported whoever was playing against the Springboks. But regardless of the past, he said, "This is a new day and this is our team now. Our team. They may all be white, but they're ours, and it's time to get behind them, to support them in this world cup tournament."
The next day, the Springboks' coach sent word for his players to show up in their suits and ties rather than their practice gear. He took them to Robben Island, to the prison where Nelson Mandela had spent nearly three decades of his life behind bars. The coach and every player on the team walked into Mandela's cell.
As they stood there, the coach said, "This is the cell where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. He was kept here for 27 years by the racist policies of our government. We looked the other way and tolerated his imprisonment for all those years, and yet he has backed us publicly. We cannot let him down."
The tournament opened, and the Springboks played remarkably well. To everyone's surprise, they won the first game, and continued winning. They made it all the way to the championship game against New Zealand, a perpetual power in rugby. It could be compared to a high school team playing Notre Dame. And yet, at halftime the game was tied.
President Mandela was at the game, wearing a Springbok jersey. During halftime, he brought a South African children's choir out to sing an old African miners' song, which to them is like "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" was to the slaves in this country. Within minutes, tens of thousands of people in the stadium were standing and singing this black African miners' song. Andrew Young confessed, "I don't know anything about rugby, and I did not understand the words of that song, but I was in tears."
When the Springboks took the field, they were unstoppable, winning the World Rugby Championship. For the next 24 hours, whites danced with blacks in the streets of South Africa. One of the most divided nations on earth was united by, of all things, a rugby match. God used that match to help heal a nation.2
Where do you find the power to hang in there, to keep on keeping on in this world? Where do we find the power to continue believing that ultimately God's kingdom will come and God's will, as revealed in Christ, will be done? Where do you find the power to be a disciple of Jesus in this world?3 Much of our power depends on the choices we make in life. As we stand at the threshold of a new church year, it's time to make a new year's resolution concerning our own choices.
The Power of Choice4
Choose to love rather than hate.
Choose to smile rather than frown.
Choose to build rather than destroy.
Choose to persevere rather than quit.
Choose to praise rather than gossip.
Choose to heal rather than wound.
Choose to give rather than grasp.
Choose to act rather than delay.
Choose to pray rather than despair.
Choose to forgive rather than curse.
-- Author unknown
Maybe power is so seductive because it offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love. "It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life. Jesus asks, 'Do you love me?' We reply with a question of our own, 'Can we sit at your right hand and your left hand in your kingdom?' (Matthew 20:21). We have been tempted to replace love with power."5
There is a legend of a rich merchant who searched the Mediterranean world looking for the apostle Paul. In his travels, the merchant encounters Timothy, who arranges a visit with Paul, imprisoned at the time. Entering the jail cell, the merchant finds a rather old man who appears to be physically broken. Yet, the merchant is amazed at Paul's personal peace and serenity. They talk for hours, then the merchant leaves with Paul's blessing and prayer. Outside, the merchant inquires of Timothy, "What is the key to Paul's power? I have never met anyone like him in my entire life."
"Haven't you figured it out?" asks Timothy. "Paul is in love ... Paul is in love with Jesus Christ."
The man looks even more confused. "Is that all?"
With a smile on his face, Timothy answers, "Ah, but that is everything."6
And, indeed it is. Christ is the King, and in his power is the hope of the world. Amen.
____________
1. Robert Jewett, "Competing in the Creedal Olympics: Pauline Resources for Cross-Cultural Ministry in Knowledge, Attitude and Experience," Young-Il Kim, ed., Ministry in the Cross-Cultural Context (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995), pp. 30-31.
2. As told by Bishop Bevel Jones in a sermon before the 1996 United Methodist General Conference, Denver, Colorado (Nashville: United Methodist Communications, April 25, 1996), DVD.
3. James A. Harnish, "Out of Sight!" Tampa, Florida, May 19, 1996.
4. Anonymous, "Resolutions for Avoiding Misery," http://www.medonnabp.com/h1/newyear/ny04.htm [Accessed September 1, 2006].
5. Henri Nouwen, in Mornings with Henri J.M. Nouwen, quoted in Christianity Today, February 8, 1999, p. 72.
6. O. S. Hawkins, Revive Us Again (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1990), p. 107.
The very word power elicits different emotional responses in each of us. How we respond to power depends on who happens to have the power, as well as how it is used. Power includes the ability to influence, to choose, to help, and to change. Each one of us has some type of power, at least in some places or under some circumstances.
Power also comes in the form of power over another, which may be that of an employer over an employee, a parent over a child, a teacher over a student, or a government official over a people. Leo Tolstoy once said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The Bible identifies three distinct types of power. Dominion is power over other people and forces. Authority is power conferred on a person by a higher authority. Ability is the power to influence others. Absolute authority belongs to God alone.
Power is a crucial theme in Ephesus and in other early churches, stressing that the gospel is the power of God for salvation. The good news about Christ's life, death, resurrection, and enthronement is the most powerful force on earth. Nations rise and fall, guns and bombs destroy, swift legs set new world records, but only the gospel has the power to redeem the lost. Only the message about the love of God visible in Christ can set the guilty free. Apart from proclaiming the magnificent power of God, there is no hope for keeping human arrogance and folly within bounds to save the foolish world or reckless individuals from self-destruction.1
The gospel of Christ embodies the greatest power on earth. Jesus' power is not the kind of power to which we are accustomed. Jesus' power is not the power of politics and military might that we understand. By the standards of earthly power, Jesus was a miserable failure. He does not attempt to raise an army to stand against the Romans or ingratiate himself with the powers-that-be in order to use their influence. Instead, he defies and insults them.
Jesus intentionally makes friends with those who have no power at all. He befriends the homeless, the destitute, the lepers, the prostitutes, and the ignorant. Jesus acquires no wealth, and his notoriety is closer to infamy than to fame. This is no way to control the events of history. This is no way to stop the mighty power of Rome or the terror of Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah.
Yet, the power Jesus has is real power. I doubt any of us would be in this room today if we did not believe that. Jesus has the power of promise as he proclaims, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." "Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
People's misuse of power has brought enormous suffering to the world and even to God's own Son, yet God does not take away our power. Rather, for Jesus' sake God clothes us "with power from on high" (Luke 24:49), which is God's Spirit, God's own power to do good in our world.
Unfortunately, even Jesus' followers maintain the old lust for power, as we see in the ambitions of James and John for places beside Christ in his kingdom (Matthew 20:20-28). Jesus doesn't say that we are to refrain from power but teaches both the disciples and us how to use power. He presents a new model for us all, the model of a servant.
A buzzword we hear frequently today is empowerment, which is the act of giving power to another. We discuss groups that have felt relatively powerless, such as African Americans, Native Americans, Mexicans, and women. There are some who will say that we must never allow a small minority to achieve power over the great majority. Others, who sometimes are the same people, say that we must never allow the majority to gain power over minorities because the majority may oppress them. Our agenda as servants of God is different from these political agendas. We are less concerned about who has power and more concerned about how power is used and for what purpose.
Andrew Young relates a "parable of power" about an experience he had while visiting with Nelson Mandela in South Africa. As you may remember, Mandela was a strong opponent of apartheid, South Africa's official policy of racial segregation. In 1964, the white government threw Mandela into prison for life. A worldwide campaign to free him from prison was set into motion, resulting in his release in 1990. When apartheid was abolished in 1994, South Africa held its first democratic elections and Nelson Mandela was elected president.
In 1995, South Africa played host to the Rugby World Cup Tournament, and Mandela invited Andrew Young to be his guest. Now rugby, like lacrosse, is a game of the white elite. The South African team, like most rugby teams, was entirely white in 1995, while South Africa itself was about 80% black. Because of apartheid, 80% of the population did not support their very own team. Prior to this tournament, a heated dispute broke out between blacks and whites about the South African team symbol, a leaping gazelle called a springbok. The springbok represented apartheid and a painful history in the minds of black South Africans.
Nelson Mandela understood the power of reconciliation and its life-changing results. A few days before the opening game, Mandela paid a visit to South Africa's Springboks. Mandela then appeared at a press conference wearing a rugby jersey and a cap with the mascot, a springbok, on it. Mandela explained that until the 1995 elections, he and most other blacks in South Africa had supported whoever was playing against the Springboks. But regardless of the past, he said, "This is a new day and this is our team now. Our team. They may all be white, but they're ours, and it's time to get behind them, to support them in this world cup tournament."
The next day, the Springboks' coach sent word for his players to show up in their suits and ties rather than their practice gear. He took them to Robben Island, to the prison where Nelson Mandela had spent nearly three decades of his life behind bars. The coach and every player on the team walked into Mandela's cell.
As they stood there, the coach said, "This is the cell where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. He was kept here for 27 years by the racist policies of our government. We looked the other way and tolerated his imprisonment for all those years, and yet he has backed us publicly. We cannot let him down."
The tournament opened, and the Springboks played remarkably well. To everyone's surprise, they won the first game, and continued winning. They made it all the way to the championship game against New Zealand, a perpetual power in rugby. It could be compared to a high school team playing Notre Dame. And yet, at halftime the game was tied.
President Mandela was at the game, wearing a Springbok jersey. During halftime, he brought a South African children's choir out to sing an old African miners' song, which to them is like "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" was to the slaves in this country. Within minutes, tens of thousands of people in the stadium were standing and singing this black African miners' song. Andrew Young confessed, "I don't know anything about rugby, and I did not understand the words of that song, but I was in tears."
When the Springboks took the field, they were unstoppable, winning the World Rugby Championship. For the next 24 hours, whites danced with blacks in the streets of South Africa. One of the most divided nations on earth was united by, of all things, a rugby match. God used that match to help heal a nation.2
Where do you find the power to hang in there, to keep on keeping on in this world? Where do we find the power to continue believing that ultimately God's kingdom will come and God's will, as revealed in Christ, will be done? Where do you find the power to be a disciple of Jesus in this world?3 Much of our power depends on the choices we make in life. As we stand at the threshold of a new church year, it's time to make a new year's resolution concerning our own choices.
The Power of Choice4
Choose to love rather than hate.
Choose to smile rather than frown.
Choose to build rather than destroy.
Choose to persevere rather than quit.
Choose to praise rather than gossip.
Choose to heal rather than wound.
Choose to give rather than grasp.
Choose to act rather than delay.
Choose to pray rather than despair.
Choose to forgive rather than curse.
-- Author unknown
Maybe power is so seductive because it offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love. "It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life. Jesus asks, 'Do you love me?' We reply with a question of our own, 'Can we sit at your right hand and your left hand in your kingdom?' (Matthew 20:21). We have been tempted to replace love with power."5
There is a legend of a rich merchant who searched the Mediterranean world looking for the apostle Paul. In his travels, the merchant encounters Timothy, who arranges a visit with Paul, imprisoned at the time. Entering the jail cell, the merchant finds a rather old man who appears to be physically broken. Yet, the merchant is amazed at Paul's personal peace and serenity. They talk for hours, then the merchant leaves with Paul's blessing and prayer. Outside, the merchant inquires of Timothy, "What is the key to Paul's power? I have never met anyone like him in my entire life."
"Haven't you figured it out?" asks Timothy. "Paul is in love ... Paul is in love with Jesus Christ."
The man looks even more confused. "Is that all?"
With a smile on his face, Timothy answers, "Ah, but that is everything."6
And, indeed it is. Christ is the King, and in his power is the hope of the world. Amen.
____________
1. Robert Jewett, "Competing in the Creedal Olympics: Pauline Resources for Cross-Cultural Ministry in Knowledge, Attitude and Experience," Young-Il Kim, ed., Ministry in the Cross-Cultural Context (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995), pp. 30-31.
2. As told by Bishop Bevel Jones in a sermon before the 1996 United Methodist General Conference, Denver, Colorado (Nashville: United Methodist Communications, April 25, 1996), DVD.
3. James A. Harnish, "Out of Sight!" Tampa, Florida, May 19, 1996.
4. Anonymous, "Resolutions for Avoiding Misery," http://www.medonnabp.com/h1/newyear/ny04.htm [Accessed September 1, 2006].
5. Henri Nouwen, in Mornings with Henri J.M. Nouwen, quoted in Christianity Today, February 8, 1999, p. 72.
6. O. S. Hawkins, Revive Us Again (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1990), p. 107.
