"He Descended Into Hell" by Sandra Herrmann
"Living With More Power" by Keith Wagner
"Paths to Nowhere" by Keith Wagner
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He Descended Into Hell
by Sandra Herrmann
1 Peter 3:18-22
I had a dream, a very strange dream. I was watching the world from high above the ground. I was surrounded by a silvery light which made me feel as though I was driving in fog, but everything I could see was very clear. I wondered as I floated there, what that light was about. Even as I thought about that, it occurred to me that I was standing in the light of heaven. Even so, I was watching what was happening on the earth.
My attention was drawn to a crucifix that seemed to be floating above the world. It was like a crucifix similar to a piece of art I had once owned, a copy of a Salvador Dali.The figure was clearly Jesus, but his face was turned away from me, and the cross was stark white and in the form of the Jerusalem cross. The nails holding the wrists of Jesus to the cross were huge and square, and though this should have been causing him equally huge pain, he neither writhed nor cried out. He laid there, to all appearances already dead.
As I watched, the figure rose gracefully leaving the cross behind, much as though he were part of Cirque de Soleil, and dove toward the earth, far below us both. As he plummeted, I watched and followed his flight path. We sank beneath the waves of the Mediterranean, into a dark space that seemed to be lit by a dozen fiery furnaces. The flames roared inside them, casting a reddish gold color that only made the darkness between themmore profound. Shadows flickered and grew, shrank and darkened. Little by little, I saw that the space was filled with gigantic figures, all milling about in a haphazard fashion, pushing at each other and snarling as they wound their way repeatedly around the space.
As Christ and I arrived in that space, I held back, too terrified to speak or run, too paralyzed to move forward, even with Christ by my side. To tell the truth, even though I had seen him on the cross, this Christ was no comfort to me. He, too, was huge, though nowhere the size of the captives (for so I had come to think of them), and his clothing shone with a bright white light. When I looked at his face, it was as though the fire in the furnaces had come to live in his eyes. I tried to tell myself that this was just a reflection of the furnaces, but I was not convinced, and I began to shake so hard I thought I would fall over.
It was strange to realize that it was easier for me to look at the captives. As I did so, Iwas amazed at their size. I no sooner thought this than a voice said, “There were giants in the earth in the days of the flood.” And a book opened in front of me, and the open page was from Genesis, and it read, “For the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and took them for wives.” And I understood that these creatures I was seeing were those Nephilim, born from those women, and their very existence went against the intentions of God. Worse, they were intent on having their own way, and they had wreaked havoc on the earth. I remembered that they were part of the reason for the flood, along with the evil that humans were doing.
ThenChrist opened his mouth and his voice sounded like a trumpet fanfare. The giants immediately turned toward him, and several poked at each other, apparently trying to silence those around them. As soon as they had quieted down, Christ began to speak in a voice that, without the strain of a man shouting at a crowd, could easily be heard in every corner of the place, even with the roaring of the furnaces.
He spoke of sin, and the danger of continuing in our mistakes, despite fair warning about the consequences. He talked about God’s patience, still patient with men and women, as he had been while Noah had been busy building the ark. He told them that he had come to the earth to free human beings from our sins, yet humans had killed him for doing so.
I hung my head for shame at his words, but the creatures beneath me roared loudly. I could not be sure if they roared approval of Christ or approval of those who had killed him. Christ slowly descended, closer and closer to the crowd. Those who were standing near the spot he seemed to be aiming at backed away, pushing against the rest. Soon I could see a space in the center of the pit, and Christ seemed to stand there, yet I could see that he was hovering over the spot, on an eye level with the crowd. He told the creatures that he had come to this place where they, being immortal (and therefore immune to a death penalty) were imprisoned, in order to give them a second chance. He said, “God is the God of Second Chances.Do you want to be free of this pit and your pain?Then apologize for the evil you have done, and accept God’s rule. Pledge your allegiance to me, and live according to God’s Law. If youwill surrender and follow me, youwill be glorified even as I have been glorified, and you will live in peace, without pain.”
As he said these things, the crowd roared with a single voice. That shout vibrated the air around me and made me cover my ears to keep them from ringing. But after that single noise, only the roar of the furnaces made a sound. Christ said nothing, seeming not to have noticed their reaction, except that he waited a long few seconds before he spoke again. Now he was more earnest. His lordly way of speaking at first made way for what seemed to be nearly a pleading tone.
“In a few short hours, I will return to the earth to reclaim and comfort those who followed me while I was in human form. I will give them work to do: to spread this Good News to all human beings, all over the Earth.
“You have this choice to make now, today. You have seen the power of God over even you, who are immortal. But this sacrifice I have made is not just for those who are to come; it is for those who died too soon to know the hope that God prepared for the world. And I say ‘the world’ because this hope is not just for human beings, but for all life.Following in your example, humans have, in their self-centeredness, ruined the earth not just for themselves but for every animal and plant that lives on it. But it is God’s plan to repair all this, despite the intentions of those who are greedy, and in their base desires believe that everything exists for them to exploit.”
He went on in this general way for a few minutes, and then stopped. There was a vast, eerie silence, and then a muttering rose from his hearers. The giants seemed to be uncertain about what he was saying, but he made no attempt to clarify. I wondered if he thought that all of these creatures could make such a decision on the basis of his words alone. But I was the one who was mistaken, for suddenly, several of the giants surged forward, and to my complete surprise, lifted from the floor and rose into the air. Even as they did so, their appearance began to change. Their facial features smoothed, the blemishes on their bodies faded.They took on the same glow that surrounded Christ, and I saw hope and excitement in their eyes as they flew past me, up and up , disappearing above me.
I turned back to look into the pit, and I realized that nearly every creature in it had morphed into this vision of loveliness, and I wondered at it. It seemed that all of them had been transformed before my eyes! How was it so easy for them to accept Christ at his word, and so difficult for those of us living on the earth, with the beauty of the earth and sky around us, to make this simple decision? But then they had died in the Flood, and perhaps the experience of death, or living in this dark pit, made them desperate enough to take a chance?
I will be thinking about this dream for some time. In this dream, I never saw myself. How do I look to God? Rough and debased, or glorified? Am I ruled by greed and self-service, grasping to have power over others, even God?
Have I the same chance as those giants, to become so beautiful, so at peace, so joyful? Am I free at this very moment to rise in glory? Is it just a coincidence, or God’s grace, that I should have this dream now, at the beginning of Lent? Such a deep decision requires thought, doesn’t it? Planning? Am I planning, or just putting it off? Do I have the time to put it off?
I wonder.
Sandra Herrmann is pastor of Memorial United Methodist Church in Greenfield, Wisconsin. In 1980, she was in the first class ordained by Bishop Marjorie Matthews (the first female United Methodist bishop). Herrmann is the author of Ambassadors of Hope (CSS); her articles and sermons have also appeared in Emphasis and The Circuit Rider, and her poetry has been published in Alive Now and So's Your Old Lady. She has trained lay speakers and led workshops and Bible studies throughout Wisconsin, Iowa, and Indiana. Sandra's favorite pastime is reading with her two dogs piled on her.
Living With More Power
by Keith Wagner
Mark 1:9-15
My all time favorite television program is Home Improvement. Remember how Tim would add more power to the appliances around the house? He once put a motor in the garbage disposal that would eat tree limbs. Or how about the time he put a jet engine on his riding lawn mower and got a ticket for speeding? For Tim, the only way to make life easier was to add more power.
I believe we have been conditioned to do the same. Perhaps we have not put larger motors on our garbage disposals but we seek additional power because power is what we use to get what we want. Power is what we need to make it through the jungle of life.
When Jesus was in the wilderness he had a decision to make about power. He was there for forty days, tempted by the devil, facing wild beasts. In the gospel of Matthew and Luke the devil challenged Jesus to use power for his own personal gain. But, Jesus rejected the devil and said, “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.” In the gospel of Mark we learn that Jesus was tempted, but instead of going into detail about how he was tempted, the gospel of Mark includes the phrase, “and he was with the wild beasts.”
What are the wild beasts? I believe they are the beasts of greed, envy, lust, apathy, anxiety and fear. These beasts power over us when we are trying to make a decision. As I said earlier, life is like living in a jungle. We are surrounded by overwhelming circumstances on one side and temptations on the other. We need power to withstand the elements against us and we need power to resist those things that give us a false sense of security.
One wild beast we face is hopelessness. We feel overwhelmed, stretched, pulled in various directions. Life has too many burdens, too many demands. There are never enough resources to adequately solve all our problems.
Notice that while Jesus was living with the wild beasts the scripture goes on to say that “the angels waited on him.” In other words, Jesus was not alone. He did not have to face the wilderness without the presence of God. He had power, plenty of power. He had the power of God. There was an army of power in the angels that were watching over him and that same army of angels is watching over us.
To combat our hopelessness something has to change. That is where repentance comes in. Faith and repentance are inseparable. To overcome hopelessness requires us to make a turn in a different direction.
When I am on a tack while sailing I reach a point when I have to come about. That means the direction of the boat is changed about 180 degrees. First, you have to loosen the jib. Second, you have to shift the rudder to the opposite position. When the boat is headed in the new direction, you secure the lines and reposition the rudder. To repent is to come about. There has to be some shifting, letting go and placing our security in a new position. When you come about there is a few seconds when you are powerless. You have to rely on the wind to swing you around to your new course. To change course in our lives requires some letting go and trusting in the power of God to sustain us.
Charlotte Yonge, “Chicken Soup for the Couple’s Soul,” tells the story of The Wives of Weinsberg. It happened in Germany, during the middle ages. The year was 14ll. Wolf, the Duke of Bavaria, was trapped inside his castle at Weinsberg. Outside the walls was the army of Frederick, the Duke or Swabia, who was his brother. The siege lasted a long time and the time had come when Wolf knew he had no choice but surrender.
Messengers rode back and forth, trying to establish conditions and proposals. Wolf and his officers prepared to give themselves over to the enemy. Their wives however were not ready go give in. They sent a message to the Duke of Swabia requesting safety for all the wives inside. They also requested that they be allowed to leave with their personal valuables, only what they could carry in their arms.
Their request was freely granted and soon the castle gates opened. Out came the ladies, but they weren’t carrying precious jewels, gold or other valuables. Each one was carrying their husband. Moved by their determination the Duke of Swabia assured them of safe passage. Then he invited them all to a banquet and made peace with his brother, the Duke of Bavaria.
The wives at Weinsberg shifted the rudder, and left behind their gold and precious jewels. They chose instead to carry something far more valuable, those whom they loved. They trusted in the power of peace to set them free.
Tim the tool man entertained us with his ability to add power to appliances and other household machines. But, his “power” was no match for the power of Jill, his wife. She was the one who nurtured the relationships in the family and used the power of love and forgiveness to keep the family running smooth and efficient. Such is the power of God, a power that enables us to survive every jungle we face.
Paths to Nowhere
by Keith Wagner
Psalm 25:1-10
Psalm 25 reminds me that the real “paths” in life are not paved highways, sidewalks or express lanes, but the paths that God wants us to walk upon. As the Psalm says, “All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness.”
So what roads does God want us to take? By love and faithfulness I believe the Psalmist meant paths whereby we are practicing patience.
One afternoon I was Christmas shopping and it was time to go through the check out lane. When I approached the cash registers every line was backed up 6-8 people deep. I looked all directions and noticed an “Express Lane - 5 items or less.” This was definitely my quickest way out of the store. There were only three people in line and I became the fourth.
But, the line wasn’t moving. The first guy needed a price check. I began looking at my watch and looking for some other line that was moving. The first regular line that I thought about entering seemed to be moving. But, now there were people behind me. I was stuck. I watched helplessly as my original escape line from the store kept inching along while those of us in the Express Lane waited for the clerk to come forward with a verified price.
Finally he appeared. Again I glanced at my watch and noticed that all those shoppers who would have been in front of me in the other line were now safely out the door. I thought to myself, “O well, sometimes you choose wrong and have to wait a bit longer.” However, the Express Lane continued to stall since the next customer didn’t have the right change and the clerk was out of one dollar bills. Again I waited and it only got worse. The lady in front of me slowly counted out a pocketbook full of pennies, dimes and nickels for a twenty dollar purchase.
The moral of the story is simply this. Had I not been in such a hurry I would have been gone from the store in a reasonable amount of time. The “Express Lane” was an obvious oxymoron. I had been misled. The quick and easy route was nearly a dead end.
One time I read an article in The Knoxville News Sentinel that was entitled, “The Road to Nowhere.” A few miles outside of Bryson City, N.C., there was a road which was nine miles long and actually ended on the other side of a tunnel. The road was promised in 1943 to replace a state highway that was flooded by the Tennessee Valley Authority. But, because of a dispute between the National Parks Service and Congress the road was never completed.
For almost 60 years the local residents of that area were deprived of their Fifth Amendment rights which guaranteed that no property could be taken for public use without just compensation. Finally, President Clinton signed a bill that appropriated $16 million to complete the project. After years of bickering and litigation the “Road to Nowhere finally reached its destination of Fontana Village in North Carolina, a road which passes through the Great Smokey Mountain National Park in Southeastern Tennessee.
The residents in that area had lived with this dilemma for years. They had also lived with a promise that remained a “dead end” for six decades. The road in North Carolina had gone nowhere for years. Sometimes we just have to be patient.
Every now and then a small still voice speaks up and tells us to be patient. Patience is the path for us to follow even in the check out lane as we wait for our turn. The path for us to follow is as the Psalmist says, “Make me to know your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.”
Rev. Dr. Keith Wagner is the pastor of St. John's UCC in Troy, Ohio. He has served churches in Southwest Ohio for over three decades. He is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and has an M.Div. from Methodist Theological School, Delaware, Ohio, and a D.Min. from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He has also been an adjunct professor at Edison Community College, Piqua, Ohio. He and his wife, Lin, live in Springfield, Ohio.
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StoryShare, February 22, 2015, issue.
Copyright 2015 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. 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., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
