It Depends On How You Define It

Sermon for July 27
Lectionary Readings:
Genesis 29:15-28
Psalm 105:1-11, 45b or Psalm 128:1-6
Romans 8:26-39
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Do any of you remember that series from the 1980s called The A Team? It was about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces who work as soldiers of fortune while being on the run from the military for a "crime they didn't commit". Remember, they’d put together elaborate plans to help the good guys… George Peppard who played the older leader of the group would rub his hands together and say, “I love it when a plan comes together.” Remember that?

Jacob was a guy who liked a good plan. He was one of those guys who instinctively knew how to spot opportunities and arrange circumstances to be most advantageous to himself. He managed to trade a bowl of soup for a birthright. He tricked his father into bestowing the better blessing on him than on his older brother. And in his relationship with his uncle Laban, managed to breed goats in a way that enriched himself beyond his uncle’s plans or desires. By the way, do you remember what Jacob was doing living with his Uncle Laban? He was on the run from his brother Esau whom he tricked out of birthright and blessing.

In our Lectionary reading from the Old Testament this morning we find Jacob rubbing his hands together and saying to himself, “I love it when a plan comes together.” He’d made a deal with his uncle Laban to work for seven years in exchange for his cousin Rachel’s hand in marriage. Genesis tells us that Jacob loved Rachel so much that those seven years seemed to him to be just a few days. He was motivated! He had a plan.

And yet…. the joke’s on Jacob. Jacob wakes up the morning after his wedding and finds Leah next to him. What?! For God was rubbing His hands together too. And when God has a plan – watch out! Things may not work out as you expect. I think it’s tempting to look at this story and say to yourself, “Boy, that Laban was as tricky as Jacob. He sure got the best of him.” But be careful that you don’t miss God’s hand in the story.

Remember, Jacob wanted to be The Guy. The Guy that carried the promise. If not, why would he bother stealing Esau’s birthright or blessing. And when you’re The Guy, you have to expect that your life takes on a significance beyond the ordinary. A Kingdom significance. Now the Patriarchs weren’t thinking about the Kingdom of God. But Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were aware that God had promised something special to their family. God was going to make from them a great nation – and had plans to bless the whole earth through them.

Now we know that Abraham had one child with Sarah. And Isaac had two children with Rebecca. Well it appears that with Jacob, God decides to get the reproduction party started. Let’s take a minute to look at how things played out for Jacob. We know that Jacob preferred Rachel. Well, Rachel was not exactly fertile Myrtle. In the end, Leah bears 6 sons for Jacob, Rachel 2, and their maidservants 4.

OK, so Leah was more prolific and the goal was to create a great nation. But there’s more… One of Leah’s sons was named Judah. And guess who’s genealogy he’s a part of? That’s right – fast forward a couple thousand years and Jesus is born! Jacob’s understanding was limited. His vision was narrow. Jacob focused simply on marrying the girl of his dreams, but God was doing the work of the Kingdom in his life.

Jesus spoke often about this Kingdom. In the Gospel reading this morning he tells us that the Kingdom of God is mysterious – it grows in unexpected ways, it spreads like yeast through dough, and above all, it is a treasure beyond value. In fact, it’s so valuable, that it’s worth selling all you have to possess. Our smaller stories are not worth considering when seen in light of the Kingdom.

Paul understood the wisdom of the Kingdom. Paul was a guy who’d had his plans changed. In fact, the trajectory of his life was dramatically altered. He went from the persecutor to the persecuted. Everywhere Paul went trouble seemed to find him. But listen again to his words in Romans:

"28We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. 30And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.
31What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered." 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. "

If you look at Paul, you see a man who’s sold all that he has for the pearl of great price – and he knows the good of it. Here’s a man living the abundant life, the Kingdom life. Here’s a guy who’d been rubbing his hands together as he planned his persecution of the young church. But again… God had other plans. They were life changing, Kingdom shaping plans.

Are you a person who loves it when a plan comes together? It’s natural to hope for our plans to come to fruition with no surprises. Usually that’s the way it happens. But sometimes, God has surprises for us. Sometimes He’s smiling as we anticipate a particular outcome because He knows the joke’s on us. The trajectory of our life will change. Indeed, “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love him.”

The threads of our lives are intertwined with one another here in this place, throughout the world, and across time to form a tapestry – breathtaking in its beauty. Though right now, we only see the back side of that tapestry – which can appear as a jumbled mess, we have the witness of Scripture to assure us God is creating a thing of beauty.

Most of us would agree that the prosperity Gospel is a false Gospel. But maybe that depends on how you define it. If you define prosperity as everything going your way without a hitch – as blue skies and placid seas, then no, the Gospel won’t promise you that. But if you define prosperity as the privilege of taking part in God’s plans for His Kingdom, then, yes! No matter how young or old you are – no matter your stage in life – God has plans for you. Sometimes they include surprises. May our Gracious God grant us eyes to see His Kingdom, ears to hear His voice, and hearts to embrace His plans – even when they include surprises. Amen

The Shack - Part 2

Psalm 147: 10-11
"His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;
but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love."

One of the things that God says numerous times in The Shack is, "I am especially fond of ________." God is especially fond of Mack the protagonist. But also especially fond of many others mentioned in the novel.

Most of us can imagine certain humans that we believe God might be especially fond of. If you're like me they would be people like Mother Teresa or Billy Graham or others who seem to have something extraordinary to offer Him. The striking thing in The Shack is that God is fond of those who have nothing especially to offer. Mack's a nice guy, but certainly not extraordinary from a human perspective. In fact, he's a mess.

The Lectionary has focused on the final 5 Psalms for the last couple of months. Every morning one of them is the morning Psalm. The PCUSA web site (apparently receiving some complaints about it) has even offered an alternative morning Psalm reading for those who are sick of reading these same 5 Psalms over and over. I figure that maybe God has something to say to me in those 5 Psalms that I need to hear over and over to get... Psalm 147 has become one of my favorite recently. I have indeed read it lots and lots lately. The first half of it was in today's Lectionary and the last half will be in tomorrows. I have some favorite verses in both halves. I especially like the verses that began this post.

I like to say that I know that God loves us unconditionally. Though I give an intellectual assent to it, however, I usually feel I still should have something to offer to God. That maybe I could please Him more by my good behavior or nice thoughts, or by some personal excellence or whatever. But the truth is that God is especially fond of me. Regardless of my strength or speed or anything else that I foolishly believe I have to offer... He's especially fond of you too.

Another of the wonderful things about The Shack is that it makes clear that what God desires is intimate fellowship with you and me. Not because we have anything that God needs, but because he is especially fond of us.

Romans 11:33-36 "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 'For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?'
'Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?' For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen. "

The Shack - Part 1

I can't believe it's taken me a couple of weeks after reading The Shack to post any thoughts about it! Once I began reading I couldn't put it down. The picture of the Trinity that Paul Young paints is fabulous! God is always surprising. The Bible should make us expect God to act in ways that are contrary to what seems right to us...

Here's one of the many great quotes from the book. In this one, the Holy Spirit is explaining to Mack (the protagonist) that she (don't let this detail throw you off - you'll get it if you read the book) is far more interested in verbs than nouns:

"Let's use the example of friendship and how removing the element of life from a noun can drastically alter a relationship. Mack, if you and I are friends, there is an expectancy that exists within our relationship. When we see each other or are apart, there is expectancy of being together, of laughing and talking. That expectancy has no concrete definition; it is alive and dynamic and everything that emerges from our being together is a unique gift shared by no one else. But what happens if I change that 'expectancy' to an 'expectation' - spoken or unspoken? Suddenly law has entered into our relationship. You are now expected to perform in a way that meets my expectations. Our living friendship rapidly deteriorates into a dead thing with rules and requirements. It is no longer about you and me, but about what friends are supposed to do, or about the responsibilities of a good friend."

Wow! The truth of that paragraph seems clear to me when describing human relationships - friendships or marriages. If you know folks in a lifeless or unhappy marriage I'd be willing to bet dollars to donuts that in most cases its unfulfilled expectations that are at the root of much of the unhappiness. Those unfulfilled expectations turn to resentments and all of the joy is removed from the relationship. They get to the point where they don't want to talk to one another or be in the same room. When you ponder their courtship and romance you wonder where they went wrong. They used to love to be together...

How about our relationship with God? One of the things critics of The Shack say is that God is portrayed as too nice. What? You mean to tell me that God is not interested in expectations and responsibility? What did Jesus say when he was asked which of the commandments were the greatest?: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. I think it's really cool that God desires our relationships (with Him and others) to be characterized by expectancy and responsiveness rather than expectations and responsibilities.

Realpolitik

"The breakdown of authority gives way to Realpolitik. Persons and groups that feel deprived look for redress of their grievances, not by persuasive argument or by appeal to authority – authority of the whole church as a community of faith confesses – but by manipulating the levers of power to secure their rights. Elected officials, rather than conveying a word of authority inherent in the gospel, function as brokers of special interest groups. The result is factionalism, mutual suspicion, and a kind of guerilla warfare." -Carl Braaten, Mother Church

I was reading in World Magazine about proceedings in the General Assembly of the PCSUA (my denomination). As usual, the homosexual contingent pushed their agenda, and though they did not succeed in the sanctioning of ordination of homosexuals, they did make inroads regarding the requirement to live in fidelity in marriage or chastity outside of it. Don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those who says, "God hates fags." But I am weary of the homosexual agenda absorbing so much energy and debate.

As an ruling elder I'm bothered by the fact that we're spending so much time on this issue. Call me crazy, but when I think of the roll of church leadership, I think the focus should be on the spiritual development of the congregation with a missional focus.

Realpolitik in my denomination and in other mainline denominations does not contribute to the vitality of the church or its mission. It's no wonder that our brothers and sisters from around the globe are sending missionaries to the USA.

Wild Wonderful West Virginia Part II

OK, so we're visiting West Virginia. Though I was born there, I mainly grew up in South Florida - Miami in fact. But we visited WVA a lot, and as it turns out, I actually lived in three different houses there. On Saturday my sister Jeanette (soul sister as well as natural sister) wanted to drive around and look at the ones she lived in (2 of the 3, as I'm 16 months older than her).

So... we drove to the houses we lived in as well as my Mom's family place. We always just called it The Hill - because it was at the top - you guessed it - of a hill. Interestingly, the houses we lived in looked pretty much the same, only smaller. But The Hill.... The Hill is not the same place at all.

The Hill was my childish idea of paradise for many reasons. The house itself is log. Not one of those prefab sort of log homes. This one was the real deal, built by my Mom's family. As I mentioned, it sat atop of a hill. Around it was just the right amount of lawn - maybe an acre. On the acre were out buildings: an office, a woodworking room, a barn (with a loft to jump out of), and across from the barn a chicken coop. Oh yeah, and there was a barbecue built out of stone. Very cool. Very mountainy. Very West Virginia.

You could walk down a path and over the hill a bit and come to an orchard. Or... you could play in THE WOODS!!! Can you tell that was my favorite part of all?! Well, OK, the woods and the barn were equally my favorites. I still dream about the barn.

But today the only thing up there is the log house, and even it's been changed. Changed in subtle but disappointing ways. The only thing that's been improved is the front porch, which has been made sturdier. All around the base of The Hill are houses. It didn't used to be that way. We could run through the woods like wild Indians as kids, without a bunch of pesky houses being in the way...

Today before we left we went by my uncles house - the one who's now in a nursing home. He's been living in the house my grandmother spent the last 20 or so years of her life in. It is also a house I knew well and have very specific memories about. Guess what? It's not at all the same place either.

When we left it occurred to me that it's easier to see people and places deteriorate slowly over time. It's less of a shock. The changes in these places and people remind me of Chris Rice's song Tick Tock. The past is locked. The future is, well, the future. So the only sensible thing to do is to live now. Today. In the present. We will carry the past with us in to the future, but today is what God gifts us with.

In Wild Wonderful West Virginia

Romans 8:18-25 : I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

I visited West Virgina this weekend and encountered my Uncle Max today for the first time in a couple of years. He's 82, and due to various health issues is in a nursing home. He is much changed. About 100 lbs lighter and very feeble. He reminds me very much of my grandma Maribelle when she was in her eighties. He seems to have a stream of consciousness that runs along the same lines as Grandma did. When conversing with her one was never quite sure that she was hearing or understanding the sense of what was being said. She heard the words all right (for the most part), but was frequently on a different wave length.

Uncle Max is very like her. He is understandably demoralized by his increasing decrepitude and dependence. We were talking about children. He asked me a couple of times about mine, as his short term memory isn't the sharpest. Then he spoke of his own son with tears. Uncle Max regrets that he didn't spend as much time with his son as he would have liked. My cousin is also mentally ill, a condition that tears Uncle Max up.

Thinking of Uncle Max, Grandma and others that have suffered through the aging process makes me think of these verses (above) from Romans. We all groan inwardly or outwardly along with all of creation until all things are put right. And they will be put right. Thanks be to God!