A Time To Quit Asking Questions
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series I, Cycle A
We Christians should be very careful about putting a limit on serious questions concerning human and godly existence, for we are the beneficiaries of those who have put serious questions up against the mysteries of life. The young Albert Einstein asked the compelling question of what things would be like if seen from the perspective of the speed of light. Charles Darwin wanted to know why there were so many different species of life. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, little daughter wanted to know why she and other black children couldn't go to "Fun Town." Albert Schweitzer, still in his twenties, wondered why the New Testament editors included Jesus' announcement of God's impending intervention when it didn't happen.
Today many ask why some persons are attracted to their same sex while most are attracted to the opposite sex. Dr. Albert Fieve asked why doses of lithium flatten out the destructive mood swings of his patients. Some have asked why university budgets for sports shouldn't be evenly distributed between men's and women's athletics. Some, but not enough, ask why global politics cannot free itself from the bondage of national sovereignty. In the church, undaunted souls asked why women should be barred from the ranks of the ordained.
We condemn ourselves to danger when we suppress serious questions. We lose the thread of truth if we refuse to ask provocative questions. Instead, a frightening ignorance will come over us. The American frontier circuit riders are a wonderful part of the American church heritage. These were young men in their late teens who rushed into the wilderness with their horses and Bibles, planting churches as our nation was moving westward. Their life span was often quite short. But they were faithful under extreme physical and psychological conditions and today we honor their commitment. They were so successful in some areas that it has been said that the circuit riders were waiting in the wilderness before the settlers arrived. They returned from their annual circuits and sang the hymn, "And Are We Yet Alive?"
However, much of their zeal was created by a very narrow evangelical concern. They focused on the salvation experience to the neglect of the rich, full range of Christian doctrine and tradition. Albert Outler said that the circuit riders already knew what they didn't want to know, stuffing any serious questions that might be outside their evangelical focus. We can forgive them, as their circumstances did not encourage education and reflection. They had little time or inclination to ask the broad questions of Christian truth, answers to which were already offered in Christian tradition and thought. Their narrow focus was both their glory and their failure.
I
This sermon is a call to ask serious religious questions, especially when there is an urgency about the answer. The prophet Micah put a timely and urgent question to his people. He wanted to know what God really wants of us: "With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high?" Such a question is a serious one. We haven't traveled very far along the road of Christian maturity if we have not asked how our life should be lived before God. Yet we can evade this question's thrust by pretending ignorance of the answer. Apparently Micah's hearers are trying this, so he responds:
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you,
But to do justice, and to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?
- Micah 6:8
One commentator says that this verse is one of the "mountain peaks of spiritual attainment" of the Hebrew Scriptures. God's answer to Micah is that justice, kindness, and humility are what God wants from us. Micah knows that this answer has been around for a long time and no one has an excuse.
II
Micah's questions are silenced and he is faced with a compelling answer: God desires justice. Like most issues, this one is complicated and touches on securities many of us jealously guard, making us resistant to moves toward justice.
Today there is an outcry against the federal programs of affirmative action designed to bring about belated justice to people of color. But a simplistic understanding of justice has linked itself with the self--interest of the dominant majority and we hear arguments that these programs are "reverse discrimination."
This sounds plausible and fair until one understands that many minorities are so crippled by poor public schooling, untreated health concerns, dangerous housing and neighborhoods, and a low level of cultural stimulation that they have a serious difficulty complying with educational standards. On this basis these minorities will not qualify for major universities and medical or law schools. Affirmative action attempts to redress this injustice and the price paid is that some of the dominant majority will be excluded.
The affirmative action folks rightly say that any redress of injustice is costly. The dominant majority will have to bear some of the cost of these injustices, realizing that for too long the dominant majority has been aided and abetted by these same injustices. In thoroughbred racing, the track tries to even the odds by forcing horses with more speed to carry saddle weights. The fastest horse may not cross the finish line first. We need to treat our minorities at least as fairly as we do horse racing. And we will need to understand that some gifted and favored may be penalized if justice is done. If we white Christian middle--class Americans feel inclined to register a complaint, we might get down on our knees and ask God's mercy for not understanding that we have been gifted far beyond any particular merit or intelligence. We might also consider any personal disadvantage to be, in good New Testament sense, a godly suffering for others.
Secondly, Micah understands that God wants kindness, too. Usually kindness is considered to be gentle and tenderhearted. We do not usually need much instruction in this form of kindness. But kindness can also be risky and honest. A wife and mother whose husband drowned on a fishing trip was left with two small children. For weeks she was an emotional wreck. Her days were filled with weeping and despair until one morning her best friend came by. "Barbara," she said, "quit your boo--hooing and throw away those tissues. Get out of your nightie and put on your clothes. I'm taking you down to get your driver's license." Initially Barbara thought her friend was cruel and insensitive. Afterward she realized that her friend was being tremendously kind. With her driver's license Barbara could care for her children and herself, and over the years her life came back together in satisfying ways.
Kindness then may mean acting in ways that seem unkind or unloving. It may prompt us to violate tastefulness, polite manners, and, on some rare occasions, our promises of confidence. One younger sister dared do this. Her older sister was slipping into a dangerous relationship, heading toward violence and self--destruction. She knew the family would never approve. So her younger sister breached the sisterly confidence and informed her parents. Both family and the sister were able to reach out to one another. Now this daughter of concern is the single mother of six wonderful children. She finished her education in her late thirties, and now teaches multiple--handicapped children in the local school. Without her sister's unconventional kindness it might have not turned out so well.
Thirdly, God reminds Micah that humility is a godly attribute. Humbleness is not valued in our culture. Being out front with the honors and success is the only acceptable thing. The "achievement idol" is alive and well in today's American world. Youth are pushed to think that there isn't any satisfaction in life unless they are in the spotlight. They are taught to yearn to be the quarterback or the homecoming queen, or to be named to the honor roll. Of course there is nothing really wrong with any of these things, unless they become a youth's sole means of having self--esteem. Humility doesn't sell well in our competitive society where there is only limited room at the top.
A friend tells of being in the university symphonic band. He was a music major but his talents were modest and so he was asked to play assistant--first to a very gifted first horn player. Assistant--first horn is like being backup quarterback in the National Football League. There is no prestige in it. The band was playing the Andante Cantabile from the second movement of an arrangement of Tschaikowsky's Fifth Symphony. The Andante Cantabile is known for its lyric horn solo and in rehearsal the first horn noticed that the intervals and sustained melodic line made it difficult for him to get a breath. As the solo climbs into the higher register, it suddenly drops almost an octave before resuming. The first horn asked the assistant--first horn to play the low note, allowing him to get his breath. It worked quite smoothly. The audience never knew and Tschaikowsky might have cared less. There were, however, no cheers for the assistant--first.
Can personal meaning be gained by honking a couple of low notes in the symphony of life? Perhaps we need two forms of self--esteem. One form is those whose self--esteem is very low. We would want to raise their sense of confidence in themselves. A second form of self--esteem would be to help those of us in the middle to find significance in some lesser accomplishments out of the spotlight. These folks would never be the first chair, U.S. senator, bishop, CEO, or Broadway star, but they could show us how to find meaning in many humbler roles more in line with their talents and opportunities. This style of godly humility would be refreshing.
Whatever the actual historical truth about John the Baptist, the scriptures portray him as one who knew he was limited and short of the abilities of Jesus. Yet there might not have been a Jesus had John not gone down to the Jordan and thundered about the coming day of the Lord. It is believable that Jesus was provoked to begin his own ministry. But it might not have happened if John had demanded the spotlight. We could use a humility that is not self--deprecating, yet realistic, and we could throw in kindness and justice, also. Micah says God would be pleased. Keep on asking the serious question. But let's quit asking the questions for which the answer has already been given.
Today many ask why some persons are attracted to their same sex while most are attracted to the opposite sex. Dr. Albert Fieve asked why doses of lithium flatten out the destructive mood swings of his patients. Some have asked why university budgets for sports shouldn't be evenly distributed between men's and women's athletics. Some, but not enough, ask why global politics cannot free itself from the bondage of national sovereignty. In the church, undaunted souls asked why women should be barred from the ranks of the ordained.
We condemn ourselves to danger when we suppress serious questions. We lose the thread of truth if we refuse to ask provocative questions. Instead, a frightening ignorance will come over us. The American frontier circuit riders are a wonderful part of the American church heritage. These were young men in their late teens who rushed into the wilderness with their horses and Bibles, planting churches as our nation was moving westward. Their life span was often quite short. But they were faithful under extreme physical and psychological conditions and today we honor their commitment. They were so successful in some areas that it has been said that the circuit riders were waiting in the wilderness before the settlers arrived. They returned from their annual circuits and sang the hymn, "And Are We Yet Alive?"
However, much of their zeal was created by a very narrow evangelical concern. They focused on the salvation experience to the neglect of the rich, full range of Christian doctrine and tradition. Albert Outler said that the circuit riders already knew what they didn't want to know, stuffing any serious questions that might be outside their evangelical focus. We can forgive them, as their circumstances did not encourage education and reflection. They had little time or inclination to ask the broad questions of Christian truth, answers to which were already offered in Christian tradition and thought. Their narrow focus was both their glory and their failure.
I
This sermon is a call to ask serious religious questions, especially when there is an urgency about the answer. The prophet Micah put a timely and urgent question to his people. He wanted to know what God really wants of us: "With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high?" Such a question is a serious one. We haven't traveled very far along the road of Christian maturity if we have not asked how our life should be lived before God. Yet we can evade this question's thrust by pretending ignorance of the answer. Apparently Micah's hearers are trying this, so he responds:
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you,
But to do justice, and to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?
- Micah 6:8
One commentator says that this verse is one of the "mountain peaks of spiritual attainment" of the Hebrew Scriptures. God's answer to Micah is that justice, kindness, and humility are what God wants from us. Micah knows that this answer has been around for a long time and no one has an excuse.
II
Micah's questions are silenced and he is faced with a compelling answer: God desires justice. Like most issues, this one is complicated and touches on securities many of us jealously guard, making us resistant to moves toward justice.
Today there is an outcry against the federal programs of affirmative action designed to bring about belated justice to people of color. But a simplistic understanding of justice has linked itself with the self--interest of the dominant majority and we hear arguments that these programs are "reverse discrimination."
This sounds plausible and fair until one understands that many minorities are so crippled by poor public schooling, untreated health concerns, dangerous housing and neighborhoods, and a low level of cultural stimulation that they have a serious difficulty complying with educational standards. On this basis these minorities will not qualify for major universities and medical or law schools. Affirmative action attempts to redress this injustice and the price paid is that some of the dominant majority will be excluded.
The affirmative action folks rightly say that any redress of injustice is costly. The dominant majority will have to bear some of the cost of these injustices, realizing that for too long the dominant majority has been aided and abetted by these same injustices. In thoroughbred racing, the track tries to even the odds by forcing horses with more speed to carry saddle weights. The fastest horse may not cross the finish line first. We need to treat our minorities at least as fairly as we do horse racing. And we will need to understand that some gifted and favored may be penalized if justice is done. If we white Christian middle--class Americans feel inclined to register a complaint, we might get down on our knees and ask God's mercy for not understanding that we have been gifted far beyond any particular merit or intelligence. We might also consider any personal disadvantage to be, in good New Testament sense, a godly suffering for others.
Secondly, Micah understands that God wants kindness, too. Usually kindness is considered to be gentle and tenderhearted. We do not usually need much instruction in this form of kindness. But kindness can also be risky and honest. A wife and mother whose husband drowned on a fishing trip was left with two small children. For weeks she was an emotional wreck. Her days were filled with weeping and despair until one morning her best friend came by. "Barbara," she said, "quit your boo--hooing and throw away those tissues. Get out of your nightie and put on your clothes. I'm taking you down to get your driver's license." Initially Barbara thought her friend was cruel and insensitive. Afterward she realized that her friend was being tremendously kind. With her driver's license Barbara could care for her children and herself, and over the years her life came back together in satisfying ways.
Kindness then may mean acting in ways that seem unkind or unloving. It may prompt us to violate tastefulness, polite manners, and, on some rare occasions, our promises of confidence. One younger sister dared do this. Her older sister was slipping into a dangerous relationship, heading toward violence and self--destruction. She knew the family would never approve. So her younger sister breached the sisterly confidence and informed her parents. Both family and the sister were able to reach out to one another. Now this daughter of concern is the single mother of six wonderful children. She finished her education in her late thirties, and now teaches multiple--handicapped children in the local school. Without her sister's unconventional kindness it might have not turned out so well.
Thirdly, God reminds Micah that humility is a godly attribute. Humbleness is not valued in our culture. Being out front with the honors and success is the only acceptable thing. The "achievement idol" is alive and well in today's American world. Youth are pushed to think that there isn't any satisfaction in life unless they are in the spotlight. They are taught to yearn to be the quarterback or the homecoming queen, or to be named to the honor roll. Of course there is nothing really wrong with any of these things, unless they become a youth's sole means of having self--esteem. Humility doesn't sell well in our competitive society where there is only limited room at the top.
A friend tells of being in the university symphonic band. He was a music major but his talents were modest and so he was asked to play assistant--first to a very gifted first horn player. Assistant--first horn is like being backup quarterback in the National Football League. There is no prestige in it. The band was playing the Andante Cantabile from the second movement of an arrangement of Tschaikowsky's Fifth Symphony. The Andante Cantabile is known for its lyric horn solo and in rehearsal the first horn noticed that the intervals and sustained melodic line made it difficult for him to get a breath. As the solo climbs into the higher register, it suddenly drops almost an octave before resuming. The first horn asked the assistant--first horn to play the low note, allowing him to get his breath. It worked quite smoothly. The audience never knew and Tschaikowsky might have cared less. There were, however, no cheers for the assistant--first.
Can personal meaning be gained by honking a couple of low notes in the symphony of life? Perhaps we need two forms of self--esteem. One form is those whose self--esteem is very low. We would want to raise their sense of confidence in themselves. A second form of self--esteem would be to help those of us in the middle to find significance in some lesser accomplishments out of the spotlight. These folks would never be the first chair, U.S. senator, bishop, CEO, or Broadway star, but they could show us how to find meaning in many humbler roles more in line with their talents and opportunities. This style of godly humility would be refreshing.
Whatever the actual historical truth about John the Baptist, the scriptures portray him as one who knew he was limited and short of the abilities of Jesus. Yet there might not have been a Jesus had John not gone down to the Jordan and thundered about the coming day of the Lord. It is believable that Jesus was provoked to begin his own ministry. But it might not have happened if John had demanded the spotlight. We could use a humility that is not self--deprecating, yet realistic, and we could throw in kindness and justice, also. Micah says God would be pleased. Keep on asking the serious question. But let's quit asking the questions for which the answer has already been given.
