Relief For The Stiff Neck
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"Relief for the Stiff Neck" by Keith Wagner
"Life Worth Singing" by Keith Wagner
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Relief for the Stiff Neck
by Keith Wagner
Exodus 32:1-14
A kindergarten teacher told her class they could draw a picture of anything they wanted. Each student drew very colorful pictures of houses, trees, their families, and so on. When the teacher passed by Johnny's desk she asked him what he was making. He said, "I'm drawing a picture of God." "But no one knows what God looks like," the teacher replied. "They will when I get through," Johnny protested.
Just what does God look like? What image would you draw if you were instructed to make a picture? The Israelites, along with the leadership of Aaron, constructed a golden calf. The Israelites were feeling insecure and needed to create an image giving them the assurance that they had not been abandoned by God. They needed a God they could see. They had faith in Moses but Moses was out of town. Perhaps they were too dependent on Moses and could not put their trust in an invisible God. Or perhaps Aaron was trying to give them something concrete (or in this case, gold) to hold on to, because of their insecurity.
Meanwhile, God was greatly disturbed by their actions. God told Moses that "they have acted perversely." God went on to say they were a "stiff-necked" people and God was determined to destroy them. I find the term, "a stiff-necked people" very interesting. I believe it means that this was a group who were narrowly focused, inflexible, and closed-minded to the ways of God.
Are we not also a "stiff-necked people" who are inflexible and closed-minded to the presence of God?
Like the Israelites, we too build things because tangible objects make us feel secure. We may not worship them, but they can still become our gods, consuming many of our resources. In New Orleans the company that owned the casinos prior to Hurricane Katrina wasted no time is rebuilding their casinos. The infrastructure of the city was in shambles, including many churches. Plans were implemented to rebuild the levies and many of the buildings in New Orleans. But structures are not what the people needed. They needed faith that God had not abandoned them.
When Charles William Eliot was the president of Harvard University, he had had the occasion to dedicate a new hall of philosophy and searched for an appropriate inscription to place above its entrance. He called together his faculty members and after much deliberation they agreed upon the well-known Greek maxim, "Man is the measure of all things." With that they adjourned for the summer. When the school reopened in the fall the faculty was surprised to find that Eliot had decided upon his own inscription. Instead of the phrase, "Man is the measure of all things," he inscribed the words (from Psalm 8), "What is man that Thou are mindful of him?" If we were to choose a motto to live by it seems to me that the inscription President Eliot chose is more appropriate, especially when we apply it to our faith.
Like the Israelites, we are often inflexible, reluctant to change, and close ourselves off to the creative ways in which God is present in our midst. What was Aaron thinking? He failed to restrain the people and fed their idolatrous impulses rather than provide pastoral leadership. Rather than give them assurance and build their faith, he succumbed to the foolishness of creating the golden calf.
When we are reluctant to change our traditions they become the focus of our faith instead of faith alone. In 1829, Martin Van Buren, then governor of New York, wrote the following to the president: "The canal system of this country is being threatened by the spread of a new form of transportation know as 'railroads.' The federal government must preserve our canals for these reasons: If canal boats are supplanted by railroads, serious unemployment will result. Captains, cooks, drivers, repairmen, and lock tenders will be left without any means of livelihood. Canal boats are essential to our defense. In the event of trouble with England, the Erie Canal could be the only means by which we could move supplies. The almighty certainly never intended that people should travel through the countryside at the breakneck speed of fifteen miles per hour." (From: Sourcebook of Wit & Wisdom, Communication Resources)
Systems, structures, sacred icons, practices, ritual, even liturgy can become a barrier to change, thereby keeping us from growing and moving into the future. In other words, they become our golden calves, consuming our resources, demanding our loyalty, and giving us a false sense of security.
God was angered at the rigidity and lack of faith of the Israelites. Fortunately, Moses appealed to God to change his mind. Since God is open and flexible, his mind was changed and the people were spared. We will be spared too by being open and flexible people who welcome change.
Life Worth Singing
by Keith Wagner
Philippians 4:1-9
When I attended church camp as a youth I remember singing the song, "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice." It was a song we sang in four parts. It is one of those songs that was easy to remember the words to and it was also easy to sing. When we sang in rounds each group tried to outdo the others, thus the song became louder and louder as we sang. Sometimes that song still gets stuck in my head, decades after my experience at church camp.
To rejoice always calls us to be upbeat when it comes to our faith. When we are upbeat about life it is contagious as others become caught up in our constant rejoicing.
Last winter I saw an ad on television where a man was "singing in the rain." It's obviously from the movie where Gene Kelley was singing and dancing while it was pouring down rain. The ad is about a satellite television system and the man throws his old TV in a trash can. A police officer comes by, gives him the evil eye, and the guy quits dancing and moves on.
The ad gives you the impression that "singing in the rain" is abnormal or perhaps even illegal. It's not customary for people to be joyful when the weather is bad. We are not accustomed to rejoicing when things aren't going our way. Just as Paul was encouraging his listeners to "Rejoice in the Lord," the man singing in the rain was trying to be upbeat in spite of the bad weather.
When we turn to God with praise, our life takes on a completely new perspective. Rejoicing leads to newness.
Many years ago a boy was born in Russia who thought of himself to be so ugly, he was certain there would be no happiness for him in life. He bemoaned the fact that he had a wide nose, thick lips, small gray eyes, and big hands and feet. He was so distraught about his ugliness, he asked God to work a miracle and turn him into a handsome man. He vowed that if God would do this, he would give God all he possessed.
The Russian boy was Count Tolstoy, one of the world's foremost authors in the twentieth century, perhaps best known for his epic War and Peace. In one of his books, Tolstoy admits that through the years he discovered that the beauty of physical appearance he had once sought was not the only beauty in life. Indeed it was not the best beauty. Instead, Tolstoy came to regard the beauty of a strong character as having the greatest good in God's sight. (From: God's Little Devotional Book for Men, Honor Books)
Paul also said, "Let your gentleness be known to everyone."
May Lemke was a nurse who was asked to take care of a young boy named Leslie who was only six months old. Leslie was mentally challenged from birth. He was blind and he had cerebral palsy. He was totally unresponsive to sound or touch. May cared for Leslie for thirty years and she accepted him as he was.
During those years with a gentleness of heart she taught him and loved him. Year after year she cared for him, singing to him and praying for him. May had a love of music and she and her husband bought an old piano and kept it in Leslie's bedroom. She would push his fingers against the keys for she believed that one day God would help him break out of his prison.
At age 16 Leslie began to walk. Years later, May and her husband were awakened one morning to the sound of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto, Number 1. They found Leslie at the piano with a smiling glow on his face. Shortly thereafter, Leslie began to talk, cry, and sing.
Because of May Lemke's gentleness a young boy's talent became widely known. Just as rejoicing is contagious, our gentleness toward others is contagious as well.
Rev. Dr. Keith Wagner is the pastor of St. John's UCC in Troy, Ohio. He and his wife, Lin, live in Springfield, Ohio.
*****************************************
StoryShare, October 12, 2014, issue.
Copyright 2014 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.
"Relief for the Stiff Neck" by Keith Wagner
"Life Worth Singing" by Keith Wagner
* * * * * * *
Relief for the Stiff Neck
by Keith Wagner
Exodus 32:1-14
A kindergarten teacher told her class they could draw a picture of anything they wanted. Each student drew very colorful pictures of houses, trees, their families, and so on. When the teacher passed by Johnny's desk she asked him what he was making. He said, "I'm drawing a picture of God." "But no one knows what God looks like," the teacher replied. "They will when I get through," Johnny protested.
Just what does God look like? What image would you draw if you were instructed to make a picture? The Israelites, along with the leadership of Aaron, constructed a golden calf. The Israelites were feeling insecure and needed to create an image giving them the assurance that they had not been abandoned by God. They needed a God they could see. They had faith in Moses but Moses was out of town. Perhaps they were too dependent on Moses and could not put their trust in an invisible God. Or perhaps Aaron was trying to give them something concrete (or in this case, gold) to hold on to, because of their insecurity.
Meanwhile, God was greatly disturbed by their actions. God told Moses that "they have acted perversely." God went on to say they were a "stiff-necked" people and God was determined to destroy them. I find the term, "a stiff-necked people" very interesting. I believe it means that this was a group who were narrowly focused, inflexible, and closed-minded to the ways of God.
Are we not also a "stiff-necked people" who are inflexible and closed-minded to the presence of God?
Like the Israelites, we too build things because tangible objects make us feel secure. We may not worship them, but they can still become our gods, consuming many of our resources. In New Orleans the company that owned the casinos prior to Hurricane Katrina wasted no time is rebuilding their casinos. The infrastructure of the city was in shambles, including many churches. Plans were implemented to rebuild the levies and many of the buildings in New Orleans. But structures are not what the people needed. They needed faith that God had not abandoned them.
When Charles William Eliot was the president of Harvard University, he had had the occasion to dedicate a new hall of philosophy and searched for an appropriate inscription to place above its entrance. He called together his faculty members and after much deliberation they agreed upon the well-known Greek maxim, "Man is the measure of all things." With that they adjourned for the summer. When the school reopened in the fall the faculty was surprised to find that Eliot had decided upon his own inscription. Instead of the phrase, "Man is the measure of all things," he inscribed the words (from Psalm 8), "What is man that Thou are mindful of him?" If we were to choose a motto to live by it seems to me that the inscription President Eliot chose is more appropriate, especially when we apply it to our faith.
Like the Israelites, we are often inflexible, reluctant to change, and close ourselves off to the creative ways in which God is present in our midst. What was Aaron thinking? He failed to restrain the people and fed their idolatrous impulses rather than provide pastoral leadership. Rather than give them assurance and build their faith, he succumbed to the foolishness of creating the golden calf.
When we are reluctant to change our traditions they become the focus of our faith instead of faith alone. In 1829, Martin Van Buren, then governor of New York, wrote the following to the president: "The canal system of this country is being threatened by the spread of a new form of transportation know as 'railroads.' The federal government must preserve our canals for these reasons: If canal boats are supplanted by railroads, serious unemployment will result. Captains, cooks, drivers, repairmen, and lock tenders will be left without any means of livelihood. Canal boats are essential to our defense. In the event of trouble with England, the Erie Canal could be the only means by which we could move supplies. The almighty certainly never intended that people should travel through the countryside at the breakneck speed of fifteen miles per hour." (From: Sourcebook of Wit & Wisdom, Communication Resources)
Systems, structures, sacred icons, practices, ritual, even liturgy can become a barrier to change, thereby keeping us from growing and moving into the future. In other words, they become our golden calves, consuming our resources, demanding our loyalty, and giving us a false sense of security.
God was angered at the rigidity and lack of faith of the Israelites. Fortunately, Moses appealed to God to change his mind. Since God is open and flexible, his mind was changed and the people were spared. We will be spared too by being open and flexible people who welcome change.
Life Worth Singing
by Keith Wagner
Philippians 4:1-9
When I attended church camp as a youth I remember singing the song, "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice." It was a song we sang in four parts. It is one of those songs that was easy to remember the words to and it was also easy to sing. When we sang in rounds each group tried to outdo the others, thus the song became louder and louder as we sang. Sometimes that song still gets stuck in my head, decades after my experience at church camp.
To rejoice always calls us to be upbeat when it comes to our faith. When we are upbeat about life it is contagious as others become caught up in our constant rejoicing.
Last winter I saw an ad on television where a man was "singing in the rain." It's obviously from the movie where Gene Kelley was singing and dancing while it was pouring down rain. The ad is about a satellite television system and the man throws his old TV in a trash can. A police officer comes by, gives him the evil eye, and the guy quits dancing and moves on.
The ad gives you the impression that "singing in the rain" is abnormal or perhaps even illegal. It's not customary for people to be joyful when the weather is bad. We are not accustomed to rejoicing when things aren't going our way. Just as Paul was encouraging his listeners to "Rejoice in the Lord," the man singing in the rain was trying to be upbeat in spite of the bad weather.
When we turn to God with praise, our life takes on a completely new perspective. Rejoicing leads to newness.
Many years ago a boy was born in Russia who thought of himself to be so ugly, he was certain there would be no happiness for him in life. He bemoaned the fact that he had a wide nose, thick lips, small gray eyes, and big hands and feet. He was so distraught about his ugliness, he asked God to work a miracle and turn him into a handsome man. He vowed that if God would do this, he would give God all he possessed.
The Russian boy was Count Tolstoy, one of the world's foremost authors in the twentieth century, perhaps best known for his epic War and Peace. In one of his books, Tolstoy admits that through the years he discovered that the beauty of physical appearance he had once sought was not the only beauty in life. Indeed it was not the best beauty. Instead, Tolstoy came to regard the beauty of a strong character as having the greatest good in God's sight. (From: God's Little Devotional Book for Men, Honor Books)
Paul also said, "Let your gentleness be known to everyone."
May Lemke was a nurse who was asked to take care of a young boy named Leslie who was only six months old. Leslie was mentally challenged from birth. He was blind and he had cerebral palsy. He was totally unresponsive to sound or touch. May cared for Leslie for thirty years and she accepted him as he was.
During those years with a gentleness of heart she taught him and loved him. Year after year she cared for him, singing to him and praying for him. May had a love of music and she and her husband bought an old piano and kept it in Leslie's bedroom. She would push his fingers against the keys for she believed that one day God would help him break out of his prison.
At age 16 Leslie began to walk. Years later, May and her husband were awakened one morning to the sound of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto, Number 1. They found Leslie at the piano with a smiling glow on his face. Shortly thereafter, Leslie began to talk, cry, and sing.
Because of May Lemke's gentleness a young boy's talent became widely known. Just as rejoicing is contagious, our gentleness toward others is contagious as well.
Rev. Dr. Keith Wagner is the pastor of St. John's UCC in Troy, Ohio. He and his wife, Lin, live in Springfield, Ohio.
*****************************************
StoryShare, October 12, 2014, issue.
Copyright 2014 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.
