Readings: Psalm 71:1-6, Jeremiah 1:4-10, Hebrews 12:18-29, Luke13:10-17
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, August 25th 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
To help us reach into today’s Bible Story, I want to consider it from three perspectives. Firstly, how would the story seem from the perspective of the woman who was healed? Secondly, how did things appear from the leader of the synagogues point of view? Thirdly, how might an onlooker consider the scene?
Firstly, let us imagine that we have discovered the woman’s diary. What might she have written into her journal that day?
1. Excerpts from Diary
"Dear Diary,
What a day. Has there ever been such an unexpected, liberating, breath of fresh air day as this? You know diary how I have shared everything with you since the first day I could write. Now, I am scribbling away with an urgency never experienced before. Diary, I have a smile on my face and my head is held high!
You know it has not always been so. It has been twenty years since mother died. Being the only woman in a house full of men, life has not been easy. As Father grew older somebody had to care for him and my brothers being younger than I needed somebody looking out for them.
I never asked to be the mother they never had. If I had been, they may have treated me with some respect. As the years have rolled by it seems as though all I've heard is ....."It is a woman's duty".
A woman’s duty? What to be treated worse than a paid servant? To be at the beck and call of a whole household, just because they are men? Do I not have a voice? Do not I have a life to live? Did not I have hopes and dreams and needs to be met? "It is God's way" they would tell me. "Remember ... It was Eve who took the fruit. Do our Scriptures not teach that woman is to obey?"
I thought after Father had died things would be different. Yet increasingly my brothers took advantage. They knew I relied on them for my food and my lodging. A woman on her own had little hope of a decent life. And marriage was out of the question. What man would look to me? Particularly after the problems started in my back.
It was just a nagging pain at first. Maybe it was lifting Father or fetching the water. I always had something weighing down on me. Over these last eighteen years things have grown worse. I guess I've just spent too much time bending over washing clothes, bending over making meals, over the well, over the fire, making the beds, cleaning the floor.
I had never really thought until today how I had become accustomed to looking down. It meant I could avoid making eye contact with anybody. I knew what they were thinking when they looked at me. Old Maid. Poor thing. What a shame. But now they can keep their pity.
It came around to the Sabbath and, dutifully I went to synagogue. Diary, you know how much I hate that place. Of all the things that drag me down, that has got to be the worst. As soon as I walk through the door it is as though a cloud of disapproval settles upon me.
So there I sat. Grinding my teeth. Looking at my shoes. Going through the motions like I always do. Suddenly the preacher calls me over. "Woman" he said. I almost answered "I have a name you know!" but held my self in check.
As I drew near he reached and took both of my hands. I tilted my head back and looked him in the eye. Those eyes of his! Looked right into me. They were so full of love and acceptance. He smiled as he held my hands and it was as though he was drawing into himself all the hurt and the pain and the rejection I had felt for so long. I have never felt so totally known by another person in all my life.
I was aware of joints in my back clicking away. I felt as though I was having a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. Then, as though it were something I had done everyday of my life, I straightened up and stared back into those healing eyes, tears beginning to flow in mine. "Woman" he said, "You are free".
As he let go of my hands and returned to the podium an involuntary, overloud "Praise God" slipped from my lips. By then the atmosphere in the place was electric. People were coming up out of their seats, looking me in the eye, giving hugs, and a murmur of astonished awe and wonder was flowing through the room.
Well, diary, you know what happened next. Some of those religious stuffed shirts took offence. The head honcho took over and started telling everybody to calm down. They started accusing the preacher of doing bad things on the Sabbath. But- diary - that preacher tore a strip off them. "Daughter of Abraham" he called me.
Daughter of Abraham! Inheritor of God's promises. Child of God. Oh yes diary things are going to be different from now on. This ladies taking control. This ladies walking with her head held high. I am free. I am free. Praise God. "
The woman’s perspective. But what of the head of the synagogue?
2. Minutes of Closed Session Meeting : Regarding events on the previous Sabbath.
"A report was given on the problems that had arisen. Last Sabbath's service was plainly lacking in decency and order. We will not tolerate such laxity in the House of God. Nor will we tolerate those who excite congregations to emotionalism and dissent.
We wish to make the following statements.
i) On upholding the Sabbath.
Religion is a matter of loving God with heart, mind and soul. That love is expressed through our obedience to God's commandments. One of those commandments is "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy". We have a great heritage to uphold.
ii) On healing
We acknowledge the work of healing as an important part of God's covenant with His people. However, guided by our traditions, we recognize there are times when works of healing are either appropriate or inappropriate. We are particularly skeptical regarding alleged healing that appears to be performed purely to garnish support for a particular speakers viewpoint or message.
This appears to have been the situation the previous Sabbath. Our speaker put forward views, which were plainly in contradiction to the traditions of our Fathers. He then used a member of our faith community to make a point by alleging to have healed her. The genuine motives of this man are questionable as:-
a) This was not an instance, such as the rescuing of an animal, that required an immediate response. This act could of taken place at a time when Torah law would not have been broken. We suggest this was a deliberate and calculated act of disobedience.
b) The use of godly actions, (such as healing), to promote an ungodly view, (namely that breaking Sabbath law is permitted), proves this man to be fraudulent in his claims to be a servant of God. We furthermore suggest that his whole presentation was an attempt to discredit the synagogue and defame the true people of our most Holy and Righteous God.
The Session therefore makes the following resolutions:
1: To be more careful whom we invite to exegete the Scriptures during Worship. We have appointed a task force to consider background checks upon those we allow to speak. Had such a check been accomplished we would have discovered this was not the first time the speaker had deliberately promoted dissent in the house of God.
2: To send a copy of this report to our central Council in Jerusalem, as well as to local religious leaders that they may be aware of this mans blasphemous ways.
Meeting ended after much discussion later that evening."
We've had a woman's view and a Pharisees view. But had a reporter from the local newspaper been present that day, how would the headlines appear? Maybe something along these lines;
3."VISITING PREACHER CREATES DISSENT”
He's been described as controversial and charismatic. Some say he's a charlatan, others that he could be the Christ. (For you Gentile readers that’s a Jewish term meaning ‘God’s chosen One’). They call him by the name of Jesus, he hails from Nazareth, and he surely brewed up a storm during morning services down at the local synagogue.
Things went along their proscribed way, until during sermon time he invited forward a woman. He said a few words about setting her free, then healed her of an illness that had crippled her for eighteen years. A number of folk in attendance knew of her past suffering and there followed a period of exuberant rejoicing such as never before witnessed in any synagogue.
The Chief Pharisee attempted to restore calm by suggesting that healing and disorder in the sanctuary were not appropriate on the Sabbath. That's when the sparks really started to fly! Jesus, to the approval of many in the crowd, accused the Pharisees of hypocrisy, suggested they cared more for their animals than their women, and warned them to watch out, because the Kingdom of God was near.
I have the impression, dear readers, that the sparks will continue to fly for many a year. Charlatan or Man of God... I do not believe we've heard the last of the preacher that some call a fraud and others call Lord."
CONCLUSIONS
This passage of Scripture calls us to embrace the freedom that knowing Jesus Christ can bring within our own our lives. The extent to which we taste and see that freedom is dependent on the faith we have in who He said he was, what He is able to do and how He works in our world today.
This passage also calls us to examine our prejudices and traditions. Is there a balance between freedom and order in our lives? How radically has the gospel captured our hearts? Are we prepared to have our lives challenged and renewed by the Spirit of Jesus Christ?
My response is simply to affirm that the Jesus whom people eventually crucified for breaking the laws, rose from the dead, and His Holy Spirit is still about the business of straightening people up and bringing the freedom of God's love alive in their hearts.
My prayer is that God's freedom will work in our lives in equally powerful ways as we have heard in this morning’s gospel lesson.
Rev. Adrian J. Pratt
Monday, August 26, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
Taking the Heat
Readings: Psalm 80:1-19, Isaiah 5:1-7, Hebrews 11:29-12:2, Luke12:49-56
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, August 18th 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
Fire has many benefits. Fire can be put to positive uses. One of the images of the Holy Spirit is that of a fire that inspired the disciples at Pentecost. The love of Jesus Christ is a desirable thing – to have a burning passion for the Kingdom of God is something most preachers would encourage in their congregations.
But – careful - FIRE BURNS! This mornings reading counsels that if we want to be on fire for God then we have to take the heat that comes with it. It's not always to take a stand for what we believe. Luke talks of taking the heat of the Cross, of taking the heat of criticism, and of taking the heat of our choices.
1. Taking the Heat of the Cross.
Luke 12: 49-50 "I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!”
There are a whole host of biblical images all mixed up in these two verses. You may recall John the Baptist describing himself as one who baptized with water, and Jesus as baptizing by fire. We have the image of ‘tongues of fire’ in the Upper Room. Jesus appears to be speaking in this verse of the fiery baptism of suffering upon the Cross.
He is feeling the heat of opposition as the crisis of His crucifixion approaches. There is a sense of “Let’s get this over with”… in the phrase “How I wish it was already kindled”. There appears an element of judgment and anger as Jesus speaks of casting “fire upon the earth”. He appears to be under such tremendous pressure that He is almost buckling under its weight.
What had brought Him to this point of crisis? More than anything it was His unwavering commitment to be One through whom the unconditional love of God would flow to the lives of everyday people. Time and time again this meant pushing against the social, religious, political and sexual boundaries of His society.
He counted lepers amongst His friends and sat down at table with unholy tax-collectors. When challenged about breaking Sabbath law he proclaimed Himself ‘Lord of the Sabbath’. To a woman caught in the act of adultery He says, “I don’t condemn you, go and sin no more”. He told stories that made heroes out of enemies (like Samaritans) and was outspoken against any form of religious legalism or hypocrisy.
I recall as a child playing ‘tug-of-war’ with a rope between my hands. Though my side was losing I wasn’t going to give up. When everybody else let go, I tried to keep hold and the rope slid through my hands. Only when the pressure got too much did I realize my hands were hurting and looked down to see the rope burn marks across them. You can bet that was the last time I played tug-of-war for a while.
Friction. Caused by going against the way everybody else wants to go. Being a faithful disciple means getting burnt is part of the job description. It’s an inevitable consequence of going against the flow. At times our faithfulness will produce stress and the going will be hard. We may become angry and even judgmental.
The ‘New Interpreters Bible’ comments, “Some of the most unexpected crises we have to face come when we set out to do what we perceive to be the good, moral and right thing to do. Jesus Himself knew how devastating such crises can be, and He warned His followers to be prepared to encounter them also.”
Take courage! If you are feeling the heat because you are making a stand for what you believe, then Jesus stands with you. He knows how that is. He knows how that feels. He warns us that His road involves taking up our cross and following wherever He may lead.
2. Taking the Heat of Criticism
Verses 52-53 “From now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two, and two against three. They will be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother ...”
The Hebrew word “Shalom” speaks of more than our narrow description of ‘peace’. “Shalom” involves healing and justice and reconciliation and wholeness. Such things do not come into being without conflict. Division often precedes reconciliation. Wherever the Word of God has been heard, division has occurred among the people who heard it.
We are blessed in this country to have religious freedom. Such is not so in many other parts of the world. In some lands where religious or political Fundamentalism holds sway then to convert to Christianity can mean facing death. In some it can mean that upon finding you had become Christian your family would go through a ceremony to pronounce you dead. Certain political philosophies will only tolerate Christianity as long as it produces social change along the lines the powers that be proscribe.
You would think that for us, prosperity and religious freedom would create an ideal situation for Christianity to flourish. But the Kingdom of God is an upside down and inside out concept. Materialism creates such a desire for the acquisition of ‘stuff’ that very rarely do we stop and ask why no matter how much we have there’s always something more.
Freedom brings with it the temptation to treat belief, in anything, as an option. Where others make many decisions for us, life can just roll along, uninterrupted by questions of purpose or meaning or truth. If we get mad, we can bring a lawsuit. If we become anxious, we can find therapy. And for everyday life, just stick your brain in neutral and turn on the television, because it’s back to work on Monday morning.
Throw yourself into the life of your local church, spend some serious time in Bible Study and prayer, tell others about the faith that burns in your heart and shapes your commitments and people think your just going through a religious phase. “Hey.. it’s their choice, they’ll get over it… they always were a bit... y’know … religious”.
The faith destroying factor about living in a world of freedom and prosperity is that we rarely have to make a stand for anything. And you know that when you do, then it’s going to be frowned upon. That’s when those closest to you come and say, “Hey, back off, slow down a bit”. That’s when people start saying, “Don’t rock the boat.”
In this passage from Luke, Jesus warns us that making a commitment to Him changes our relationship to others. That even those closest to us will be affected by that commitment.
Take courage! If you are feeling the heat of personal criticism, because you are making a stand for what you believe, then Jesus stands with you. He knows how that is. He knows how that feels.
The reverse of that is the challenge I saw on a poster the posed the question, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” It seems appropriate therefore that the third element in this passage has to do with;
3. Taking the heat of our choices
In verses 55-56 Jesus speaks to our complacency: “When you see a south wind blowing, you say, 'It will be a hot day,' and it turns out that way. You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?”
Personal Responsibility. Two words our affluent society has a real problem with. Personal Responsibility. “Yes Lord, I know I’m a sinner, but I’ve got some really good excuses!” In the Garden of Eden, Eve says, “Hey, don’t blame me, it was the snake”. Adam says, “Don’t blame me, it was the woman”. Cain says of his brother, “Am I my Brothers Keeper?”
“Analyze this present time”, says Jesus. Analyze this present life, the one we live in, moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, year by year. Analyze. Where is God in it all? Analyze, where our real commitments are, what really burns inside of us, what are our motives for being part of God’s church?
Analyze what we think, what we say, what we believe, how we act, how we react, what you do with our money, what we do with our time, what we do for pleasure, what we do to help others, what we expect of others, how we react to others who are not the same. Analyze.. our fears, our prejudices, our motives, our beliefs, our values. Where is God in it all? “Analyze your present time” invites Jesus.
In the Scriptures the concept of judgment is all about personal responsibility. All about taking the heat of our choices. Scripture teaches us that we cannot stand before God on the last day saying, “It wasn’t me, Its not my fault, I’m not responsible”.
God holds us personally responsible for our relationship with Jesus Christ. That’s our business. The Church cannot do that for us. No pastor cannot do that for us. God holds us personally responsible for our spiritual growth. That’s our job. God holds us personally responsible for our knowledge of God’s Word. God holds us personally responsible for our prayer life.
God holds us personally responsible for loving our neighbor. God holds us personally responsible for our commitment to God’s church, for our stewardship within the community of faith, for our living and loving and our thoughts and our words and our deeds.
“Analyze your present life”. Before God we do not have the luxury of blaming our spouse, our parents, our children, our peers, our brothers or sisters, our environment, our temperament, our church, our pastor, our doctor, our diet, our dog, our Cable operator, our representative in Congress, or any thing else or anybody else.
Jesus calls us to Personal Responsibility. If we are burning with love for God , then it means we can expect to face some heat. In this mornings passage Jesus tells us three areas we can expect things to heat up. He encourages us...
Take courage!
If we are feeling the heat, then Jesus stands with us.
He knows how that is. He knows how that feels.
Let us place our life in His hands.
Amen!
The Rev. Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, August 18th 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
Fire has many benefits. Fire can be put to positive uses. One of the images of the Holy Spirit is that of a fire that inspired the disciples at Pentecost. The love of Jesus Christ is a desirable thing – to have a burning passion for the Kingdom of God is something most preachers would encourage in their congregations.
But – careful - FIRE BURNS! This mornings reading counsels that if we want to be on fire for God then we have to take the heat that comes with it. It's not always to take a stand for what we believe. Luke talks of taking the heat of the Cross, of taking the heat of criticism, and of taking the heat of our choices.
1. Taking the Heat of the Cross.
Luke 12: 49-50 "I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!”
There are a whole host of biblical images all mixed up in these two verses. You may recall John the Baptist describing himself as one who baptized with water, and Jesus as baptizing by fire. We have the image of ‘tongues of fire’ in the Upper Room. Jesus appears to be speaking in this verse of the fiery baptism of suffering upon the Cross.
He is feeling the heat of opposition as the crisis of His crucifixion approaches. There is a sense of “Let’s get this over with”… in the phrase “How I wish it was already kindled”. There appears an element of judgment and anger as Jesus speaks of casting “fire upon the earth”. He appears to be under such tremendous pressure that He is almost buckling under its weight.
What had brought Him to this point of crisis? More than anything it was His unwavering commitment to be One through whom the unconditional love of God would flow to the lives of everyday people. Time and time again this meant pushing against the social, religious, political and sexual boundaries of His society.
He counted lepers amongst His friends and sat down at table with unholy tax-collectors. When challenged about breaking Sabbath law he proclaimed Himself ‘Lord of the Sabbath’. To a woman caught in the act of adultery He says, “I don’t condemn you, go and sin no more”. He told stories that made heroes out of enemies (like Samaritans) and was outspoken against any form of religious legalism or hypocrisy.
I recall as a child playing ‘tug-of-war’ with a rope between my hands. Though my side was losing I wasn’t going to give up. When everybody else let go, I tried to keep hold and the rope slid through my hands. Only when the pressure got too much did I realize my hands were hurting and looked down to see the rope burn marks across them. You can bet that was the last time I played tug-of-war for a while.
Friction. Caused by going against the way everybody else wants to go. Being a faithful disciple means getting burnt is part of the job description. It’s an inevitable consequence of going against the flow. At times our faithfulness will produce stress and the going will be hard. We may become angry and even judgmental.
The ‘New Interpreters Bible’ comments, “Some of the most unexpected crises we have to face come when we set out to do what we perceive to be the good, moral and right thing to do. Jesus Himself knew how devastating such crises can be, and He warned His followers to be prepared to encounter them also.”
Take courage! If you are feeling the heat because you are making a stand for what you believe, then Jesus stands with you. He knows how that is. He knows how that feels. He warns us that His road involves taking up our cross and following wherever He may lead.
2. Taking the Heat of Criticism
Verses 52-53 “From now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two, and two against three. They will be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother ...”
The Hebrew word “Shalom” speaks of more than our narrow description of ‘peace’. “Shalom” involves healing and justice and reconciliation and wholeness. Such things do not come into being without conflict. Division often precedes reconciliation. Wherever the Word of God has been heard, division has occurred among the people who heard it.
We are blessed in this country to have religious freedom. Such is not so in many other parts of the world. In some lands where religious or political Fundamentalism holds sway then to convert to Christianity can mean facing death. In some it can mean that upon finding you had become Christian your family would go through a ceremony to pronounce you dead. Certain political philosophies will only tolerate Christianity as long as it produces social change along the lines the powers that be proscribe.
You would think that for us, prosperity and religious freedom would create an ideal situation for Christianity to flourish. But the Kingdom of God is an upside down and inside out concept. Materialism creates such a desire for the acquisition of ‘stuff’ that very rarely do we stop and ask why no matter how much we have there’s always something more.
Freedom brings with it the temptation to treat belief, in anything, as an option. Where others make many decisions for us, life can just roll along, uninterrupted by questions of purpose or meaning or truth. If we get mad, we can bring a lawsuit. If we become anxious, we can find therapy. And for everyday life, just stick your brain in neutral and turn on the television, because it’s back to work on Monday morning.
Throw yourself into the life of your local church, spend some serious time in Bible Study and prayer, tell others about the faith that burns in your heart and shapes your commitments and people think your just going through a religious phase. “Hey.. it’s their choice, they’ll get over it… they always were a bit... y’know … religious”.
The faith destroying factor about living in a world of freedom and prosperity is that we rarely have to make a stand for anything. And you know that when you do, then it’s going to be frowned upon. That’s when those closest to you come and say, “Hey, back off, slow down a bit”. That’s when people start saying, “Don’t rock the boat.”
In this passage from Luke, Jesus warns us that making a commitment to Him changes our relationship to others. That even those closest to us will be affected by that commitment.
Take courage! If you are feeling the heat of personal criticism, because you are making a stand for what you believe, then Jesus stands with you. He knows how that is. He knows how that feels.
The reverse of that is the challenge I saw on a poster the posed the question, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” It seems appropriate therefore that the third element in this passage has to do with;
3. Taking the heat of our choices
In verses 55-56 Jesus speaks to our complacency: “When you see a south wind blowing, you say, 'It will be a hot day,' and it turns out that way. You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?”
Personal Responsibility. Two words our affluent society has a real problem with. Personal Responsibility. “Yes Lord, I know I’m a sinner, but I’ve got some really good excuses!” In the Garden of Eden, Eve says, “Hey, don’t blame me, it was the snake”. Adam says, “Don’t blame me, it was the woman”. Cain says of his brother, “Am I my Brothers Keeper?”
“Analyze this present time”, says Jesus. Analyze this present life, the one we live in, moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, year by year. Analyze. Where is God in it all? Analyze, where our real commitments are, what really burns inside of us, what are our motives for being part of God’s church?
Analyze what we think, what we say, what we believe, how we act, how we react, what you do with our money, what we do with our time, what we do for pleasure, what we do to help others, what we expect of others, how we react to others who are not the same. Analyze.. our fears, our prejudices, our motives, our beliefs, our values. Where is God in it all? “Analyze your present time” invites Jesus.
In the Scriptures the concept of judgment is all about personal responsibility. All about taking the heat of our choices. Scripture teaches us that we cannot stand before God on the last day saying, “It wasn’t me, Its not my fault, I’m not responsible”.
God holds us personally responsible for our relationship with Jesus Christ. That’s our business. The Church cannot do that for us. No pastor cannot do that for us. God holds us personally responsible for our spiritual growth. That’s our job. God holds us personally responsible for our knowledge of God’s Word. God holds us personally responsible for our prayer life.
God holds us personally responsible for loving our neighbor. God holds us personally responsible for our commitment to God’s church, for our stewardship within the community of faith, for our living and loving and our thoughts and our words and our deeds.
“Analyze your present life”. Before God we do not have the luxury of blaming our spouse, our parents, our children, our peers, our brothers or sisters, our environment, our temperament, our church, our pastor, our doctor, our diet, our dog, our Cable operator, our representative in Congress, or any thing else or anybody else.
Jesus calls us to Personal Responsibility. If we are burning with love for God , then it means we can expect to face some heat. In this mornings passage Jesus tells us three areas we can expect things to heat up. He encourages us...
- Take the heat of the cross
- Take the heat of criticism
- Take the heat of our choices
Take courage!
If we are feeling the heat, then Jesus stands with us.
He knows how that is. He knows how that feels.
Let us place our life in His hands.
Amen!
The Rev. Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Monday, August 5, 2013
The Infinite Improbability Drive
Readings: Psalm 107:1-9,43, Colossians 3:1-11, Luke 12:13-21, Hosea 11:1-11
Preached at First Presbyterian Church Baldwin, NY, August 4th 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
Some years ago the late author Douglas Adams wrote a Science Fiction/Comedy book entitled “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”. The book became a radio show, in Great Britain a T.V. show, and eventually a Hollywood Movie. Much featured in all interpretations is a renegade two-headed character called Zaphod Beeblebrox who hijacks a spaceship called ‘The Heart of Gold’ that is powered by something called “The Infinite Improbability Drive”.
“The Infinite Improbability Drive” enables the spaceship to pass through numerous points in space at the same time, whilst it’s computer intones “We are now cruising at a level of two to the power of two hundred to one against and falling” against a background of screen images such as monkeys working at typewriters and coming up with scripts for ‘Hamlet’. If all that sounds just a little to improbable for a Sunday Morning service, well watch the movie, or buy the book, and maybe it will make more sense.
But… have you ever considered this? Improbability drives Christianity. The Christian message when viewed in the cold light of reason and logic makes so little sense. Just how probable is it that an Almighty God would somehow become a baby in a stable at some lonely Eastern outpost, and in Jesus Christ act to obtain the salvation of the world?
How improbable is it that a man should rise from death and found an organization that during it’s first 300 years of existence is mercilessly persecuted, yet nearly 2000 years later has become the worlds most adhered to religion? How improbable is it that our lives should become caught up in that experience, or even that a kid who grew up in the suburbs of Liverpool should end up as a preacher on Long Island, after spending a number of years in West Virginia...and that you should be right now a part of the congregation listening to him?
Maybe there should be a computer in here intoning “We are now traveling at a level of three to the power of seven hundred to three against and falling” whilst displaying on a screen events of Christian history that have, against all the calculations of probability changed the world and continue to change the way we live in the world.
But... to our Bible Reading. In Chapter 11 of the prophet Hosea, the first 11 verses fall into three distinct sections. In each of them God is pictured as a caring parent and Israel as a rebellious child. Verses 1 – 4 speak of how God had called Israel out of Egypt, picked them up when they fell, bent down to them and fed them, yet, despite such loving acts, they sought time and time again to go there own way.
Verses 5 –7 speak of the judgment that should fall upon them for rejecting the parental care of God. If there was any justice in the world, then they deserved to go back to Egypt. As they continued to rebel against God and go after other gods they were placing themselves in a position of alienation from God and deserving of God’s anger.
Section three begins at Verse 8, which is the key verse. The parent sees the child who rebels and is angered. But even as the anger wells up, the love of the parent causes a change. God looks at Israel and declares, “My heart recoils within me, my compassion grows warm and tender, I will not execute my fierce anger, for I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst and I will not come to destroy.”
That third section closes with a picture of the disobedient child returning home, not in confidence, but trembling and fearful, unsure of their parents love, knowing that their separation had been a result of their disobedience, but nevertheless seeking to be back within the family circle of God’s blessings.
There are similarities in this picture painted by Hosea to the parable Jesus told of the prodigal son, in which the erring younger child returns, rather fearfully, to the undeserved embrace of a Father whose love is greater than his anger. In both cases the improbability factor is high. The logical outcome of a life of willful disobedience is that of separation. But the Fathers heart is greater! The Fathers heart turns what is improbable to possible!
Something we never learn about the story of the prodigal son is how things turned out in the end. There is that elder brother who has a hard time accepting the Fathers love. And who is to say that the younger son did not once again turn away? There is no guarantee to the story. Maybe the elder saw the wisdom in the Fathers words and came into the party only to have the younger son whisper in his ear, ‘Who’s the fool now big brother? Didn’t I tell you I could always get my own way?”
Certainly in the case of Hosea’s prophecy we know that Israel did go far from home and return again, but that was not the end of the story. Further passages of unfaithfulness and turning away were to come. Has not that been the story of the Church throughout her history? As the centuries have rolled by time and time again the Church has got it wrong and needed reformation and renewal, only to go and make the same mistakes all over again. And you and I know, time and time again, it has also been the story of our own lives.
The power of the gospel message lies not in the probability that it will solve every problem and answer every question known to our world; but the power of the gospel lies in the fact that when we receive it’s message it creates possibilities for our lives that were not there before. Where there has been judgment, the love of God creates the possibility for forgiveness. Where there is hurt, the love of God creates the possibility of healing. Where there is conflict and striving the love of God opens the door to the possibility of peace and wholeness.
There is no guarantee with any of this. It’s a question of trusting in Gods promises. It’s a matter of faith. Break it down with the cold light of logic and reason and in all probability the likelihood of such a message receiving a positive response are maybe “three to the power of seven hundred to three against and falling”.
All the mechanisms for failure are in place. We are self-centered people. We like the things of this world. We are sinners who fall short of the Glory of God. We are fully occupied most days of our lives doing what we can to get by. We are daily bombarded with thousands of messages that tell us that we need this or need that or need to look like this or look like the other, or accept this or accept the other in order to live full and satisfying lives.
If life runs on probability then the chances are we are going to want nothing to do with a gospel that calls us to live in a way that can be the opposite of what all the other voices are telling us. Our innate tendency is to pull further and further away from this demanding God who seeks obedience and sacrifice. But then the improbability drive kicks in. The voice of God speaks through the prophet Hosea. “I will not execute my fierce anger, for I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst and I will not come to destroy.”
God’s love, demonstrated to us on the Cross of Calvary and shining to us from the empty tomb, available to us through the Holy Spirit, creates possibility. God speaks not as the One who is far off and absent but as the Holy One who is working in our midst. God reveals the intentions of the Divine heart, that God’s work is not to devastate and destroy, but to bring home and restore and open the doorway to a life in which God’s love can be both received and shared.
Our calling is to be people, who having been embraced by the love of God, now seek to make the most of the possibilities a new life in Jesus Christ lays open to us. It’s a new day. Every day with Jesus Christ is a new start, a new opportunity, a new beginning.
Improbable as that may seem, the reality of God’s love turns the improbable to the possible. Let us then be advocates for possibility. Be a disciple, not because being a follower of Jesus Christ is some kind of equation.. that if we do this and add this then the result will surely be this… but be a disciple precisely because when your life is in God’s hands the rules of probability no longer apply, and the door is open on possibility.
Take the risk of faith. Love, not because it will surely change the world, but because it just might change the world. Don’t be consumed by the evidences of failure, rather by the possibility that this time it may actually come out right! Get your improbability drive in motion and trust in God to work in unlikely ways in and through and around your life.
For God is in our midst... improbable as that may seem! The possibilities that are open to us, by the presence of God in our midst, are completely mind boggling.
AMEN.
Adrian Pratt
Preached at First Presbyterian Church Baldwin, NY, August 4th 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
Some years ago the late author Douglas Adams wrote a Science Fiction/Comedy book entitled “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”. The book became a radio show, in Great Britain a T.V. show, and eventually a Hollywood Movie. Much featured in all interpretations is a renegade two-headed character called Zaphod Beeblebrox who hijacks a spaceship called ‘The Heart of Gold’ that is powered by something called “The Infinite Improbability Drive”.
“The Infinite Improbability Drive” enables the spaceship to pass through numerous points in space at the same time, whilst it’s computer intones “We are now cruising at a level of two to the power of two hundred to one against and falling” against a background of screen images such as monkeys working at typewriters and coming up with scripts for ‘Hamlet’. If all that sounds just a little to improbable for a Sunday Morning service, well watch the movie, or buy the book, and maybe it will make more sense.
But… have you ever considered this? Improbability drives Christianity. The Christian message when viewed in the cold light of reason and logic makes so little sense. Just how probable is it that an Almighty God would somehow become a baby in a stable at some lonely Eastern outpost, and in Jesus Christ act to obtain the salvation of the world?
How improbable is it that a man should rise from death and found an organization that during it’s first 300 years of existence is mercilessly persecuted, yet nearly 2000 years later has become the worlds most adhered to religion? How improbable is it that our lives should become caught up in that experience, or even that a kid who grew up in the suburbs of Liverpool should end up as a preacher on Long Island, after spending a number of years in West Virginia...and that you should be right now a part of the congregation listening to him?
Maybe there should be a computer in here intoning “We are now traveling at a level of three to the power of seven hundred to three against and falling” whilst displaying on a screen events of Christian history that have, against all the calculations of probability changed the world and continue to change the way we live in the world.
But... to our Bible Reading. In Chapter 11 of the prophet Hosea, the first 11 verses fall into three distinct sections. In each of them God is pictured as a caring parent and Israel as a rebellious child. Verses 1 – 4 speak of how God had called Israel out of Egypt, picked them up when they fell, bent down to them and fed them, yet, despite such loving acts, they sought time and time again to go there own way.
Verses 5 –7 speak of the judgment that should fall upon them for rejecting the parental care of God. If there was any justice in the world, then they deserved to go back to Egypt. As they continued to rebel against God and go after other gods they were placing themselves in a position of alienation from God and deserving of God’s anger.
Section three begins at Verse 8, which is the key verse. The parent sees the child who rebels and is angered. But even as the anger wells up, the love of the parent causes a change. God looks at Israel and declares, “My heart recoils within me, my compassion grows warm and tender, I will not execute my fierce anger, for I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst and I will not come to destroy.”
That third section closes with a picture of the disobedient child returning home, not in confidence, but trembling and fearful, unsure of their parents love, knowing that their separation had been a result of their disobedience, but nevertheless seeking to be back within the family circle of God’s blessings.
There are similarities in this picture painted by Hosea to the parable Jesus told of the prodigal son, in which the erring younger child returns, rather fearfully, to the undeserved embrace of a Father whose love is greater than his anger. In both cases the improbability factor is high. The logical outcome of a life of willful disobedience is that of separation. But the Fathers heart is greater! The Fathers heart turns what is improbable to possible!
Something we never learn about the story of the prodigal son is how things turned out in the end. There is that elder brother who has a hard time accepting the Fathers love. And who is to say that the younger son did not once again turn away? There is no guarantee to the story. Maybe the elder saw the wisdom in the Fathers words and came into the party only to have the younger son whisper in his ear, ‘Who’s the fool now big brother? Didn’t I tell you I could always get my own way?”
Certainly in the case of Hosea’s prophecy we know that Israel did go far from home and return again, but that was not the end of the story. Further passages of unfaithfulness and turning away were to come. Has not that been the story of the Church throughout her history? As the centuries have rolled by time and time again the Church has got it wrong and needed reformation and renewal, only to go and make the same mistakes all over again. And you and I know, time and time again, it has also been the story of our own lives.
The power of the gospel message lies not in the probability that it will solve every problem and answer every question known to our world; but the power of the gospel lies in the fact that when we receive it’s message it creates possibilities for our lives that were not there before. Where there has been judgment, the love of God creates the possibility for forgiveness. Where there is hurt, the love of God creates the possibility of healing. Where there is conflict and striving the love of God opens the door to the possibility of peace and wholeness.
There is no guarantee with any of this. It’s a question of trusting in Gods promises. It’s a matter of faith. Break it down with the cold light of logic and reason and in all probability the likelihood of such a message receiving a positive response are maybe “three to the power of seven hundred to three against and falling”.
All the mechanisms for failure are in place. We are self-centered people. We like the things of this world. We are sinners who fall short of the Glory of God. We are fully occupied most days of our lives doing what we can to get by. We are daily bombarded with thousands of messages that tell us that we need this or need that or need to look like this or look like the other, or accept this or accept the other in order to live full and satisfying lives.
If life runs on probability then the chances are we are going to want nothing to do with a gospel that calls us to live in a way that can be the opposite of what all the other voices are telling us. Our innate tendency is to pull further and further away from this demanding God who seeks obedience and sacrifice. But then the improbability drive kicks in. The voice of God speaks through the prophet Hosea. “I will not execute my fierce anger, for I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst and I will not come to destroy.”
God’s love, demonstrated to us on the Cross of Calvary and shining to us from the empty tomb, available to us through the Holy Spirit, creates possibility. God speaks not as the One who is far off and absent but as the Holy One who is working in our midst. God reveals the intentions of the Divine heart, that God’s work is not to devastate and destroy, but to bring home and restore and open the doorway to a life in which God’s love can be both received and shared.
Our calling is to be people, who having been embraced by the love of God, now seek to make the most of the possibilities a new life in Jesus Christ lays open to us. It’s a new day. Every day with Jesus Christ is a new start, a new opportunity, a new beginning.
Improbable as that may seem, the reality of God’s love turns the improbable to the possible. Let us then be advocates for possibility. Be a disciple, not because being a follower of Jesus Christ is some kind of equation.. that if we do this and add this then the result will surely be this… but be a disciple precisely because when your life is in God’s hands the rules of probability no longer apply, and the door is open on possibility.
Take the risk of faith. Love, not because it will surely change the world, but because it just might change the world. Don’t be consumed by the evidences of failure, rather by the possibility that this time it may actually come out right! Get your improbability drive in motion and trust in God to work in unlikely ways in and through and around your life.
For God is in our midst... improbable as that may seem! The possibilities that are open to us, by the presence of God in our midst, are completely mind boggling.
AMEN.
Adrian Pratt
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