Take Heart; Get Up, He's Calling You

 

Take Heart; Get Up, He’s Calling You

 

Mark 10:46-52

Christ heals blind Bartimaeus 

10:46 They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside.

10:47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

10:48 Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

10:49 Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you."

10:50 So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.

10:51 Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again."

10:52 Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

 

Jesus said a lot of things that, if listened to and practiced, could change us…change the world. Problem is, much of what he taught us when he was “tenting among us” has been forgotten, misinterpreted, or even distorted by humans who seek to mold him after OUR image, rather than the reverse. As we are winding down toward an election “D-Day,” we are all aware of how dangerous exaggeration and distortion can be, and how they can be used to bend an electorate in the direction WE want it to go. When it comes to human affairs, we are left to pick up the pieces and rebuild, if a mistake in choices has been made. On the other hand, rarely do our good choices result in the kind of results we hope for, again, due to human resistance to change. If there is a human “sin condition,” it is that we move AWAY from order and justice much easier than we move toward it. Left to our own devices, without benevolent collaboration, we will degrade, not evolve. Some have used this phenomenon as “evidence” against what science has discovered as the process of evolution of life, but that would be an unscientific hypothesis. Organisms DO evolve, we know, and those of us who believe in a divine element to the creation and to this process, also believe that God is the positive “energy” behind this progress. Suggesting that because humans can make bad choices (“sin”) demonstrates that evolution is a false theory, is precisely the kind of deduction that is often behind distorting the teachings of Jesus, or at least applying them to meet our own desires. Human experience, including our own self-serving goals, so often runs counter to what God has in mind for us, which is what Martin Luther King, Jr. called the “beloved community,” a realm of peace and justice that embraces all people. Jesus came of love, heal, and forgive, but much of his mission was about a “course correction” for the human race, a kind of divine “GPS” helping us “recalculate” to get back on the road to becoming a beloved community. A central core of his teaching focuses on the human responsibility in this plan, and today’s healing story of “blind Bartimaeus” contains its “marching orders.”

 

The story itself is loaded with good “preaching points.” Bartimaeus has obviously heard the scuttlebutt about Jesus of Nazareth and the miraculous events—including physical healings—that follow him. When he hears that Jesus and his little band are coming his way, he begins to cry out, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!” Bartimaeus is pretty smart. He utters two things that he knows will get Jesus’ attention, but that also demonstrate his firm faith: “son of David,” which testified to his being a Jew and understanding Judaism’s “messiah” concept; and “have mercy on me,” indicating that he understood Jesus teaching from Hosea that “God desires mercy, not a sacrifice.” Bartimaeus’s friends were either embarrassed by his crying out, or had a false sense of how Jesus might react to it, but they urged him to stop shouting. Here’s a good talking point: how often do WE stay quiet about injustices and/or encourage others to ignore them, as well? Or have we ever bypassed a chance to share our faith witness, either because we were afraid we’d not do it justice, or just didn’t want to take the time? Bartimaeus would not be dissuaded. He succeeded in getting Jesus’ attention.

 

When Jesus tells his disciples to “call him here,” they summon the blind man with one very profound sentence, and one that may well summarize the entirety of the Gospel and our human responsibility to bring it to fruition:

 

“Take heart; get up, he is calling you.”

 

Now, THERE is a preachable line! And, as I stated earlier, it may well summarize an appropriate response to the Gospel. Let’s examine it for a bit…

 

TAKE HEART: This is a call to attention. For most of us, something isn’t a “thing” until it is. I was having a Zoom meeting with an anti-racism colleague as I was working on this sermon, and I suggested that the “take heart” of anti-racism work is when a member of the majority race “wakes up” to realize that racism IS a thing, and is, unfortunately, quite “alive and well” in American society. White privilege IS a thing. [Examples: white people are not scrutinized by their skin color when applying for a mortgage or a car loan; white people don’t have to have “the talk” with their young male drivers about how to handle a police stop, because young white drivers don’t have to worry about ending up dead; white drivers are very, VERY rarely stopped by the police for a “safety check” in their cars when driving in certain areas, while one of my Black friends has been stopped literally dozens of times when driving in the North Hills; white people are not steered away from certain neighborhoods by realtors because the realtors know residents there don’t want black neighbors; and white people are never “counseled” by sales persons that they “probably can’t afford” a certain product. These are just a few examples, there are many more. Just ask a person of color for their experience.] “Take heart” may also be an encouragement, as it is in this text, once Bartimaeus’s friends realize that Jesus DOES want to see him. Of course, his friends’ trying to “shush” him, initially, is what discouraged him in the first place. For any who are discouraged about something, “take heart” is a wakeup call that God DOES care about any and all challenges we may be facing. Jesus Christ and the Christ Event are God’s “take heart” to the whole world!

 

GET UP: We may have all of the good intentions in the world, but if we don’t “get up,” we won’t act on them, and nothing will change. This also applies to things like working for social justice, i.e. dismantling racism. While “take heart” is a wakeup call, “get up” is marching orders. One of my problems (and it is only ONE of them!) with the modern evangelical movement is that it too often reduces the Gospel to forgiving people of their sins. That’s only the “take heart” part. As people redeemed by God through the grace of Jesus Christ, we are next called to “get up” and get in the game of working in partnership with God and the Holy Spirit to transform society into the aforementioned “Beloved Community.” As Christian people, our call to action is about so much more than just “sharing our faith witness,” it’s about LIVING IT by “Jesusing” and taking up the causes of those less fortunate or marginalized by our politics, our society, or our economic markets. I see way too many churches that are hand-wringing over the prospect that they may die out, and one suggestion I would make to them is to “get up!” DO something! What are the needs in your community that you could possibly meet? What do your neighbors need that your church might help provide? 

 

HE IS CALLING YOU: In this case, the “he” is Jesus, and in our case, we can simply say GOD is calling us. What IS the call of God on your life? On your church’s life? This is the unction to “find your niche,” to ferret out what your ministry may be in this time and this place, and this applies to both the individual Christian AND the assembly of Christians we call the “local church.” One of my favorite stories I heard from a pastor who was sent to a serve a series of very small, rural churches. In the of the churches that only had a handful of active members, she asked them, “What is it you do well?” After a long period of silence, one of the remnant members said, “Well, we do really good funeral dinners, or so we have been told by our bereaved families.” “Well then, DO THAT as your ministry,” the pastor said. SO, they started offering to prepare and serve funeral dinners for some of the surrounding churches when they had a death, and they WERE good at it. So good, in fact, that not long after, a larger United Methodist Church in the area that was doing a building campaign asked the “funeral dinner team” from the small church to do a commitment banquet for them for their building program. Needing more help, the team members invited a few of their neighbors, and in some cases, their children, to help them serve the dinner. They all had such a fun and fulfilling time doing it, that some of the “helpers” began attending the church, and a new spirit of joy and excitement was born. God WAS calling them, and clearly, it was an unorthodox calling, at least initially! What about you? What do YOU like to do? What do you do well? Chances are there might be a ministry in it for you! God IS calling you. Of course, God also still calls us to do things and work with ministries that are NOT necessarily in our comfort zones, but why not start with the ones we KNOW we can do and LIKE to do? 

 

As we read the rest of Bartimaeus’s story, we must NOT miss the last two important lessons. First of all, Jesus asks him, “What do you want me to do for you?” This is the question of the doctor, or the therapist. It is the question of a truly caring person who wants to do what is most needed or best for the one they are asking. It is the question of someone who RESPECTS the potential care receiver, and who wants to affirm their personhood, even if they will be “doing” something for them or assisting them. This question is NOT the question of a domineering or controlling individual who already knows what they will or WON’T do for someone, or who wants to maintain superiority and oversight over the individual being served. Jesus models this caring, respecting, affirming spirit. “What do you want me to do for you?” I like to watch the History Channel’s “Pawn Stars” program, and the pawn shop guys always ask the customer presenting an item to them, “What do you want to do with this?” The question is a starting point for a further conversation, and a “negotiation” as to how the transaction will proceed. This is also true when the “transaction” is helping somebody out or serving a “client.” Maybe we should all imagine God asking this question of US before we go to prayer? “What do you want me to do for you?” is an invitation to build a prayer list! And after “Take heart; get up, he’s calling you,” it could also lead to a plan of action. After all, even our prayers often need us to put “feet” to them! If Bartimaeus had not “gotten up” and gone to Jesus, he may have never regained his sight.

 

And that is the final part of the story, isn’t it? When he IS touched by Christ, he becomes a “follower on the way.” Gospel-inspired plans of action usually lead to new followers. In some cases, Jesus sends the objects of his healing stories “back home” to their communities to “tell the others what has happened to you.” The Good News always needs witnesses. However, in other cases such as this one, Jesus seems to welcome these new disciples to join his traveling band. “Take heart; get up, God is calling you” is an invitation to “come and see,” as Andrew is fond of saying in the gospels. It is a rallying cry for the struggling church today, too! If we put these three sentences together, we begin to see a plan for how God can transform a LIFE and even a WORLD:

 

“Take heart; get up, he’s calling you.”

 

“What do you want me to do for you?”

 

“Come and see!”

 

 

 

 

The Greatest Story Ever Told

 

The Greatest Story Ever Told

 

Job 38:1-7, (34-41)

God challenges Job 

38:1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:

38:2 "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

38:3 Gird up your loins like a man; I will question you, and you shall declare to me.

38:4 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.

38:5 Who determined its measurements--surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?

38:6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone

38:7 when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?

38:34 "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, so that a flood of waters may cover you?

38:35 Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go and say to you, 'Here we are'?

38:36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind?

38:37 Who has the wisdom to number the clouds? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens

38:38 when the dust runs into a mass and the clods cling together?

38:39 "Can you hunt the prey for the lion or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

38:40 when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their covert?

38:41 Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God and wander about for lack of food?

 

Some of us are old enough to remember a major motion picture from 1965 called “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. The epic film had an absolutely amazing cast, including the following thespians: Max von Sydow, Charlton Heston, Dorothy McGuire, Pat Boone, Jose Ferrer, Van Heflin, Martin Landau, Angela Lansbury, David McCallum, Janet Margolin, Roddy McDowall, Sal Mineo, Donald Pleasance, Sidney Poitier, Claud Rains, Telly Savalas, John Wayne, Shelley Winters, Robert Blake, Jamie Farr, David Hedison, and Robert Loggia. If you’re keeping score, that is just about any actor people in 1965 had heard of! It’s still an impressive list, although many of them have joined this movie’s “sequel” in heaven, by now. Oh, and one of the writing team for the screenplay was poet Carl Sandburg. I guess if you wanted to make a movie about the Son of God, you had better round up just about every top person in Hollywood, to do it justice. Sandburg was a nice touch, given the main text for the screenplay authors was the Bible. Was it a good film? Yes, according to most critics, earning five Oscar nominations, but none for “Best Picture,” which was won by “The Sound of Music.” Even Jesus can’t beat a good musical, I guess? At least the movie featured an A-list actor—Max von Sydow—as Jesus, instead of Ernest Borgnine or Robert Blake…

 

I admit that I’m stealing the movie’s popular title, though, for this sermon, which touches on a parable we find in the Bible about a man named Job. Some may argue that Job was a real man, and that the Bible is giving us history here, but I severely doubt it. This reads exactly like a Jewish parable story, and the various lessons it imparts are certainly parabolic, in nature. Why distort it with a bizarre insistence that it is “real?” I DO think, though, that the parable should be counted at least among the “greatest stories ever told,” given the study I have given it in my ministry, and the great number of articles and books that have been written about it by scholars and commentators down through the centuries. (One of my favorites was written by Rabbi Harold Kushner, who also wrote the popular book, “When Bad Things Happen to Good People,” which certainly follows the Job narrative to a “T.” 

 

The story of Job is bizarre, but relatively simple: God and “the devil” are having a debate about what a “good man,” Job, will do if he loses all of the things he treasures, including family and loved ones, and his health. Will he keep his faith? Or will he curse God and die? You can guess which one “the devil” believes will happen. In the parable, God gives “the devil” permission to do his worst to Job, but not to take his life. The loses of loved ones and health throw Job into a tailspin, and a small cache of “friends” come to his aid. The advice they give him is like some of the counsel we get from our peers—randomly helpful, but often with little understanding of the personal pain and complexity of our situation. Some of it even borders on trite platitudes or cliched, pop-psychology. In Job’s case, this “counsel” includes the suggestion that HE is responsible for his plight, possibly due to some “sin” he has committed against God. The remedy? “Curse God and die.” Now, that’s helpful, isn’t it? Maybe you’ve had similar “helpful” advice from people like Job’s friends, all of whom mean well, but who just don’t have the class of wisdom needed to help us understand why “bad” things happen to “good” people. Of course, our judgment on what is “bad” versus what may be natural occurrences, and what it means to be a “good” person may be quite lacking, at least in the views of the Divine. Since this is a parable, these factors are “given” by the story, itself: “bad” includes the loss of family, wealth, and good health; and Job is a “good man” simply because he fears God. We can probably agree that “bad” things like such personal losses, especially the painful health crises described in the story, are indeed “bad” for Job, but might retreat a bit on “good” meaning merely fearing God. We certainly see people in our time who “fear God,” but who manifest few traits we consider “good.” This judgment appears quite limited. Nonetheless, this is what we have to go on.

 

The most helpful parts of the Job story are revealed during Job’s “arguments” with God. They take the form of personal “court scenes” wherein Job puts his case before the Divine. Job is sure he hasn’t committed any “sin” that would put him in such personal jeopardy, but pleads his case logically and rationally. Ultimately, he calls upon God to “come clean” as to why these things have happened to him. 

 

The question as to why bad things happen to supposedly “good” people is universal, especially when most of us would characterize ourselves as “good,” while “bad things” is somewhat more subjective. For one person, whose life has been little challenged by negative circumstances, a dead car battery is “bad,” while to another, a sudden death in the family or a life-threatening health diagnosis is. Either way, we tend to ask this question as part of working out our situation. Even Jesus faces this during his ministry, as recorded in the Gospels in Luke 13. “Some present” ask Jesus about why Pontius Pilate was allowed to kill some “Galileans” who had been worshiping God. Jesus answers:

 

 Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” 

 

Jesus is addressing forgiveness in this case, but puts the “worse offenders” argument to rest by bringing up another random, tragic event—the fall of the tower of Siloam that killed 18 people. Is Jesus telling us that the “bad” things that may happen to us have nothing to do with God’s “causality”? It appears so. Of course, Jesus also gave counsel that “What we so, we will also reap,” which can mean that we are quite capable of bringing calamity upon ourselves, and when we do, we have no promise that God will keep our self-induced peril from occurring. I think it is human nature, though, to HOPE that the Divine can somehow keep bad things from happening to GOOD people and met out the appropriate punishment to those we consider BAD. Thankfully, this simplistic formula is apparently not how things “work.” Don’t we get just as upset when “bad” people seem to have “good” things come their way? In the former case, I confess to struggling when visiting parishioners in the hospital who were suffering from the obvious consequences of long-term abuse of alcohol, drugs, or tobacco, only to question their pastor, “Why is God doing this to me?” It took me a while to wake up to the fact that this is a coping mechanism at work, and part of how we process life-changing/life-threatening occurrences. Job’s arguments with God demonstrate this human trait.

 

After Job lays his case before the Lord, as this famous text says, God “answers Job from out of the whirlwind.” Another whole sermon, or even several, could be written on this verse, alone. Whose whirlwind? Isn’t what we face in life often like a whirlwind? For many in Florida, the Carolinas, and Georgia, the “whirlwind” was a literal storm, or two, and their lives now need a different kind of “straightening up.” However, for most of us, this whirlwind is a metaphorical description of the chaos that may result in our psyche or our soul, as we people of faith would say. Things just get blown around, and disorientation is the word of the day, too often. When that happens, I can almost hear my brain mocking my car’s GPS voice: “Recalculating…” When things come at us from “out of the whirlwind,” we need time and space to “recalculate,” don’t we? I think there are “Psalm 22-like” lessons we can extrapolate from the Job story, lessons which we examined in last week’s sermon: 1.Scream your frustrations in God’s direction, rather than at your spouse or by kicking the dog; 2.Confess your own “sins” and take serious stock of your culpability in what you are experiencing; 3.Remind yourself of our belief that God DOES love us and desires to redeem and transform us; and 4.Move from anger to an attitude of gratitude and confidence in God’s willingness to restore us. The Job story quite well demonstrates this progression, adding, of course, the chorus of well-meaning friends who give advice meant to shorten his anguish, but that instead offers truncated, trite “answers” that get Job nowhere. Job does the Psalm 22 thing by taking his grief and gripes directly to God, but not in anger as much as like a competent lawyer before a “Supreme Court” level judge. In this “answer from the whirlwind,” God sort of acknowledges the validity of Job’s case by pulling rank on him. (When you’re losing, lash out! Isn’t that what modern politics teaches us?) IS God just “lashing out,” though?

 

I don’t think so. “God” gives this wonderful speech (at least in the mind of the parable’s author) designed to remind Job that God IS in charge, but lovingly so. Job’s reactions to his own plight and the case he puts before God comes up short in that they fail to acknowledge God’s benevolence over all of the created order, and God’s willingness to save us. We Christians should understand the magnitude of this last fact, given the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ on our behalf. How amazing it is that the “God of the whirlwind” who “laid the foundation of the earth” gives a hoot about little old me and you. Of course, God gives far more than a “hoot”—God gave the world Jesus. The intimacy of the Almighty is a marvelous fact to hear and behold. God DOES care for each of us, and not merely as an item on God’s agenda; we ARE God’s agenda. Period. This is the place where I fear many believers ere in forming a theology that makes humans just one small element in God’s “in” basket, instead of accepting the Bible’s message that we ARE God’s whole agenda. “For God so loved the world that God gave God’s only Son that we should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Isn’t this “whirlwind” enough of a statement for us to see it? If we acquiesce to a theology that posits that we “exist only to please God,” and that our doctrines and behaviors should be designed to appease the Almighty, we are missing the whole meaning of both the Job parable AND the gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, God has “chosen to exist” precisely to reconcile and love humanity into ITS full existence! (This is a central point of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s theology, namely that God chooses to exist “for others,” and that we are made in THIS divine image—we exist “for others,” too, not just for ourselves.)

 

The second significant point of the Job story is how important it is that we regularly take stock of our own life, and of what is motivating us to do what we do. If we have moved too far afield from the “for others-ness” of the image of God in us, we are in danger of self-destruction brought about by selfishness. Then it’s time to “recalculate” and get back on course. This “taking stock” also involves reminding ourselves of who GOD is, and of how passionately God desires to meet us in the midst of life’s challenges in order to support and heal us, not judge us. There’s an old bumper sticker chestnut that says, “Feeling separated from God? Guess who’s moved…” Trite, but helpful in this instance. In the love and grace of Jesus Christ, God is forever moving in OUR direction; are we accepting of this affection, or are we backing away, either out of fear, or FOR fear that we somehow aren’t “worthy” of it? Job’s story reminds us that if we feel cut off from God, we’re probably the ones holding the scissors. 

 

One final lesson from Job is about how we take the advice of well-meaning friends. We all have friends or family who want to solve all of our problems, or at least explain why we have them. Again they mean well, but their advice is mostly overblown and under-informed. If you need good counsel, see someone trained as a counselor, be it a pastor or therapist, with the latter being the “go to” in cases of psychological distress. Still, the lesson is that our trusted friends MEAN well. The best friends are the ones who simply walk with us through what we’re facing, often without uttering a word. One of my favorite stories is about a man who keeps inviting a good friend to go to church with him to hear his “wonderful pastor” who gives such great sermons. The friend finally agrees to accompany his friend to church, and upon hearing the pastor, judges that he’s really a poor speaker, and that his sermon wandered all over the place. At lunch after the service, he asks the man, “Tell me what you see in your pastor and his messages?” The man answers, “You know, he sat with me in the hospital and held my hand for hours and hours, as my wife lay dying. I’d walk across hot coals to hear him preach.” Job could have used a friend like that. And so could we all. Amen.

 

The Searing Psalm

 The Searing Psalm 

Psalm 22:1-15

Why have you forsaken me? 

22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?

22:2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night but find no rest.

22:3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.

22:4 In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.

22:5 To you they cried and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

22:6 But I am a worm and not human, scorned by others and despised by the people.

22:7 All who see me mock me; they sneer at me; they shake their heads;

22:8 "Commit your cause to the LORD; let God deliver-- let God rescue the one in whom God delights!"

22:9 Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother's breast.

22:10 On you I was cast from my birth, and since my mother bore me you have been my God.

22:11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near, and there is no one to help.

22:12 Many bulls encircle me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me;

22:13 they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.

22:14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast;

22:15 my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.

 

If I were Jesus, and I had just been heinously beaten and nailed to a cross, what might I scream out publicly, so that all could hear? If it were a Charlton Heston Jesus, it might be, “You damn, dirty apes, you’ve done it now!” Or a Harrison Ford Jesus, “I feel terrible…” A politician Jesus might have given a speech to the gathered gawkers, “SURE, you think things are bad now, but wait until you see what I’m going to DO about it! I’ll be back in three days and will make sure these criminals get justice, and you all have lower taxes and redemption from your sins!” Of course, Jesus as Jesus spoke several things from the cross, depending on which Gospel you are reading. The “Seven Last Words from the Cross” has become a favorite preaching theme for Good Friday, and one of those proclamations/exclamations was “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani,” which translates as, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The real Jesus quoted Psalm 22.

 

There is much significance in this, and a message for all of us “gathered” at the cross. First of all, Jesus certainly is feeling abandoned, even by God. We can join the theological debate that has been raging for eons as to what did Jesus know, and when did he know it? Because of what he tells the disciples several times in the gospels, we know he knew about his fate, but since these messages included his knowledge that he would be “raised from the dead,” they do not make clear whether he “knew” he would experience the kind of suffering he did. Was his quoting this indicting Psalm from the cross a sign that he truly felt abandoned by God? Was he crying out in anguish, and didn’t care who knew it? Until we get to that great press conference in the sky, we will not know. Or, was he trying to send a message to all of us who “witness” his last moments on this side of the great divide? And if so, what might that message be?

 

Great Bible scholars have spent many eons, too, on a study of the writings we call the “Psalms.” Walter Brueggemann, one of my favs, categorizes the Psalms into three classes: Psalms of orientation, or “current reality”; Psalms of DIS-orientation, or statements about times when the foundations are shaking, if not crumbling; and Psalms of NEW orientation, when God shows up and helps us regroup and rebuild. In this light, we might categorize Psalm 22 as a Psalm of disorientation. It is also labeled by others as a “Psalm of lament,” due to its opening wail, and the following sentences describing the calamity the psalmist is facing. Interestingly, in most of the Psalms of lament, the writer, as he or she scribes on about the pain and dejection they feel, they begin to “sense” or feel the presence of God, beginning the rescue. By the end of the Psalm, the author is raised to hope, if not downright gratitude and praise. We see this progression in Psalm 22. Jesus never gets there while on the cross, though. He leaves us with the wail, “My God, my God, WHY have you forsaken me?”

 

So what might the message be he was sending, if that is what we believe he was doing, with his quoting this Psalm? Was he possibly modeling a behavior for US when we get so discouraged, if not feeling “beaten?” Let’s go with this line of thought. Let’s assume, first of all, that Jesus WAS feeling abandoned by God. Obviously he had knowledge of what was to befall him, so the actual events on that dark day in Jerusalem were not a surprise. The pain and suffering—or at least to the degree he experienced—may well have been. I have another theory, though. Put yourself in the place of God (now THERE’S a homework assignment for you!), who arrives in the person of the Son of God, and who shows nothing but love and compassion to the world and the people he meets in what they will label the “first century.” And in return, he is rejected, beaten, and murdered by the very people he loves, including the “religious” leaders. His omniscience uncovers the fact that his most intimate band will all run and hide, hoping to save their own hides, other than the one who actually betrayed him to the authorities. Then, in your greatest hour of need, you look to “your Father in heaven,” and experience what actor Al Pacino recently “saw” when he supposedly died during a procedure at the hospital: “There’s nothing there.” This emptiness when you most need God’s fullness would be the ultimate discouragement, I would think. “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani” acknowledges his supreme aloneness, in that moment. 

 

(There’s a story about Apollo 11 command module pilot Michael Collins, who is the astronaut who stays in orbit while Aldrin and Armstrong made their historic moon landing. After they had made that “giant leap for mankind” and gathered their lunar soil samples, they blasted off to rejoin him. As the ascent stage of the lunar module approaches Columbia, his command ship, he took a photo of it, with the distant earth in the background. Collins—who was described as the “loneliest man in the world” while Neil and Buzz were galivanting around the moon—realized in that moment that he was on one side of the camera, and every human who ever existed was on the other. Jesus found himself on the Collins side of the camera.) 

 

Jesus, though, lives out exactly what happens in Psalm 22, as an example to us. While his screaming the first verse from the cross may have absolutely been out of his legitimate pain and loneliness, we know from the other “six words,” he commits the gospel women—especially his mother—to his disciples, and to each other. He “welcomes” the penitent thief into “paradise,” and asks his absent “Father” to forgive those who have done this to him. That’s US, by the way. Don’t lose sight of that. I find it SO sad that “religious” leaders today are still badly misrepresenting most of what Jesus stood for, and that in doing so, they continue to pummel him with fists AND words. But Jesus asks God to forgive us all. The Psalmist, after journaling his suffering at the hand of his enemies, and his sinking to horrendous self-deprecation (“I am a worm”), begins to re-experience the presence and reconciliation of God. Even as Jesus “gave up his spirit,” so the psalmist gives up his spirit of self-condemnation and paranoia over his fate at the hand of his adversaries. In this “giving up,” the seeds of redemption and victory are sown. For the psalmist, these seeds are personal. For Jesus, his seeds sprouted universal and cosmic salvation for all who say “yes” to it, whether overtly or by looking godward in their moment of suffering and trials.

 

So, here we have a process that manifests both divine and self-healing characteristics. We’re not talking about that trite little chestnut, “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” here. More like, if life throws hydrochloric acid in your face, SCREAM! When things go bad, scream at God. This is precisely what the psalmist does, as does Jesus. Why? Because you KNOW that’s what your feeling; be honest about it. We DO feel abandoned by God when live deals us a horrible hand. This is the great question of theodicy: Why do BAD things happen to GOOD people? Why would a “good God” let this happen to me? SO, begin by owning your feelings, as does the psalmist: “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani!” It’s a healthy thing, psychologically, owning your feelings and getting them to the surface early. Besides, yelling at God is physically healthier than screaming at your partner or kicking the dog, especially for the partner and the dog! The next line of thought is that getting mad at God also will turn us in the right direction toward the one who probably can author a plan for our redemption, in the moment. And Jesus demonstrated on that “Good Friday” that God can “take” human anger and resentment, without taking it personally. God is actually happy to see us looking in God’s direction, in the moment.

 

The Psalmist gets more toxic feelings out, but this time, they are self-directed. While this may not be seen as healthy by some, if the individual is “thinking” these things, getting them out an “owning” them actually is. If you’re feeling like a worm, say so, then leave it go. Believe that those who love you—including God—don’t see it this way. Don’t “fish for compliments” with such dramatic words, but do get in touch with how you are feeling, when things go South. 

 

Next, the psalmist reminds his audience of one that his people had trusted God and committed their situations to God, even in the worst of times, and that it was God who delivered them. This is our wakeup call to begin turning our anger and pain into prayers, which is what “committing them to God” means. Friends, I can guarantee if we follow this redemptive formula, it will put both our psyche and our spirit on a path toward healing. And the healing will be a partnership between ourselves, our supportive community, and God. The good news is that it doesn’t really matter at what stage the healing occurs. Not all healing processes require divine intervention, other than possibly what we learn from places like Psalm 22. Let’s look at the process again:

 

*We experience something that takes the wind out of our sails.

 

*We open our “viscera” and let out our frustration in a direction that doesn’t scare, harm, or indict others, but turns it toward the divine.

 

*We begin journaling (whether with a pen our in our thoughts) how we are feeling, to get out the “poisons” that so often make matters worse.

 

*If we are directly responsible for our plight—or feel like we “deserve” it—get these feelings out, too. Don’t justify them or repress them, again. 

 

*Now, begin to rewrite our pain and frustrations into prayers directed at God. If you still feel angry at God, don’t be afraid to say so, even in the prayers. Jesus wasn’t, and didn’t hold back. Neither should we.

 

*Provide time for the catharsis to set in. Expect to feel not only a soothing, personal presence, but the presence of God, as well.

 

*”Rinse and repeat,” as it says on the shampoo bottle. Keep up this process until you begin to feel an “attitude of gratitude” descend upon your soul.

 

*Anywhere along the way, if God gives you insight as to steps you could take to “make peace” with the situation, DO THEM, or at least start to put them in play. Sometimes when we pray for wisdom, God gives it to us rather directly, but I have seen so many folk ignore what they “hear” either because they don’t like it, or they don’t see how it may help. God’s pretty good with this stuff. Again, if you don’t believe it, review Jesus’ “Seven Last Words.” 

 

We’re all the thief on the cross, in a way. Two thieves were there, but only one turned to Jesus in his greatest hour of need. And while I happen to believe Jesus welcomed them both into “paradise,” because this is what God does, given the magnitude of the Christ Event, it is the penitent thief who models “the turn” for us. Psalm 22 is all about this process that leads to a cleansing and inner peace. 

 

I titled this sermon, “The Searing Psalm” because Psalm 22—and the fact that Jesus Christ himself modeled it for us—is such an important key to expelling the toxicity that will undo us. In this time of division and name-calling, our country AND the church need to rediscover the Psalm that will boil off the destructive poison and sear the grace of God into our conscience, in its place. God will NEVER forsake us, but as long as we feel God has, we’re no better off than if God actually did. “The turn” will point us in the right direction, Dear Ones. Shalom!

 

 

 

 

But We Do See Jesus...

 

But We Do See Jesus…

 

Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12

God has spoken by a son 

1:1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets,

1:2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.

1:3 He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

1:4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

2:5 Now God did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels.

2:6 But someone has testified somewhere, "What are human that you are mindful of them or mortals that you care for them?

2:7 You have made them for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned them with glory and honor,

2:8 subjecting all things under their feet." Now in subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them,

2:9 but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

2:10 It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

2:11 For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,

2:12 saying, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you."

When you look around you right now, what do you see? Literally, what are you looking at, as you read this, other than this screen? Does what you see set a context for you and your thinking, at this moment, or is it a distraction? Here’s my view, as I write this week’s retirement sermon: I’m sitting at a two-top table in the “Spa” section of the Royal Caribbean ship, “The Vision of the Sea” (already sounds a bit theological, doesn’t it?), across from my “vision” of the perfect woman, with whom I share my life, 24/7. To my left is a group of adults languishing in a hot tub. I can’t hear their conversation, as I have my ear buds in, which have noise cancelling tech, and are playing some soft jazz into my cranium. To my right is the Atlantic Ocean, some puffy, white clouds, and the gentle breeze that is wafting off the blue water. Like your own setting, possibly, mine is both an inspiration AND a distraction, if you get the picture. What we “see” so often sets the scene for the scene that we may play out in life, or at least in that moment. It’s both the blessing and the curse of the human experience. I am one of those folk who is so easily distracted by some novel stimuli that meanders into my field of view, and frankly, I’m the better person for it. I LOVE these distractions! They can make life so rich, if you “go with the flow” of them. Can they derail more serious work? Of course they can, but then one must judge, just how “serious” is the work? And what if it gets delayed a few minutes by a beautiful scene, a timely, unexpected conversation, or a piece of music that just makes you stop dead in your tracks, close your eyes, and simply imagine? What we “see” may just be God breaking through in the moment, something we may miss, if we are so duty-bound that the distraction must simply be dispatched. Right now, as I write this, I feel suspended in the center—beauty all around, musical notes that are lifting my soul godward, one of the great seas of the creation rolling by, and eager fingers “qwertying” these thoughts at a rested, yet “fever” pace! This is a sweet spot, friends. I pray that as you read this narrative, you can see at least one thing that so richly blesses you that the “center” approaches, if not already surrounds you!

 

“But we would see Jesus…” This is the phrase from this Hebrews text that grabbed me today. I realize I’m not alone in this, as many have written sermons—and even songs—about it. With this simple sentence, the Hebrews writer turns the whole world in a different direction, revealing the divine genius of a plan to “fix” what was broken about humanity. God had done God’s best work in creating everything we see, and that’s a serious collection of “everything”! This ocean to my right is certainly on the everything list, as are the stars, galaxies, nebula, moons, and other celestial artifacts me and my SeeStar smart telescope love to find in the heavens. The amazing woman sitting across from me right now—wearing HER noise-cancelling headphones, and doing a crossword puzzle—is at the top of my personal everything list, for her life could serve as a template for ideal womanhood; she is a true amalgamation of the “Proverbs 31” woman and a 2024 “power woman.” So, God created the heavens and the earth…and US. The “US” part has given God indigestion. Libraries full of books have been written about “why are we here,” but many pages of holy writ make it clear that God made us because God IS a God who chose NOT to exist as God WITHOUT relationships. We were created to be God’s friends, and to enjoy the home God made for us to revel in. Apparently, we have not yet left the “teenager” stage, as our response has been to take undue advantage of our “home,” push it to near ruin, hog its resources, and then pick ridiculous fights with our siblings. If you want to be trite and “religious” about it, you can call this behavior, “sin.” I tend to shy away from that label, as it causes most folk to think it’s not “their problem,” as they aren’t horrible, very bad, no-good “sinners.” In fact, we have ALL been in a developmental phase that really DOES resemble more that of rebellious, “testing the limits” teenagers. As parents, you might remember the time when your own teenagers first responded in a way that offered a glimmer of hope that the “teenage” phase was beginning to wane, while the onset of true adulthood was waxing. For God, this was the moment the Bible describes as “the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4), and it was when God was ready for our next phase of development: God sent God’s Son, Jesus, into the world.

 

Truth be told, according to the Hebrews writer, Jesus had been there all along. In fact, the writer tells us that, as part of the godhead, Jesus was a partner in the creation. Jesus just didn’t “appear” in a manger in Bethlehem; there was a lot more going on than we can even know, at this point, but the revelation was that the time was right, Jesus entered the “human world,” and we were ready to “see” Jesus for what he was. Our “teenage years” had put quite a strain on our relationship with Parent God, and since we were created precisely FOR relationships, this was a biggie. Jesus would fix this, first by fully relating to us and the “human condition.” Jesus himself would be “tested” by strained relationships, first with the little garage band of friends he chose to accompany him on the journey, then the religious and political leaders of his day, and finally, with God, god-self, while hanging on the cross. Jesus needed to understand how humans experienced strained and broken relationships in order to apply the required remedy. Now, I know my theology is more “liberal” than yours may be, but I believe the cross was so much more than just Jesus as a “meat sacrifice” atoning for “sin.” In fact, the pain of broken relationships, betrayals, and cowardice that PUT him on the cross was the central “point” of the experience. By fully understanding human brokenness, Jesus was able to present an ultimate, transforming love that soothed, healed, and “relaunched” the human relationship experience, both with “neighbor” and God. Even our relationship with the whole of creation was positively affected. And as I’ve said many times before, the resurrection was about SO MUCH MORE than just a guy “coming back from the dead,” and even more than “conquering death.” The resurrection demonstrated that even a wholly broken relationship with God—even one that threatened our very existence—could be healed and restored. God “welcomed” the Son back into God’s loving realm, even after he was so dirtied and beaten by human selfishness and the stain of “what’s in it for me?” relationships. 

 

So, we DO see Jesus! We see Jesus when our love of neighbor kicks in, or when we feel God’s presence in a worship service. In fact, being IN a worship service at all is one of the clearest pieces of evidence that we “see” Jesus. The author of Hebrews wants us to know, too, that forever—FOREVER—Jesus sees us. In Jesus Christ, God turned “US-ward” for all eternity. I’m one who believes that, since God chose US in Christ, God is now up to what Paul tells us in II Corinthians 5: “…in Christ, reconciling the world to godself.” This is God’s action, not ours. We are privileged to witness to it, and invite others to join us, but we do not “do” any of this—it is all a product of the grace and love of God, and NO ONE will be excluded who WANTS to be included. Now THAT’S Good News! Take a few minutes to inventory how you “see” Jesus right now. If your list is way too short to be thankful, get in touch with him, and remind yourself that he, through the marvelous agency of the Holy Spirit, is WITHIN you, around you, embracing you! SEE Jesus, my friend, SEE JESUS! We DO see Jesus!

 

Just this morning, on the cruise, we had breakfast with some folk with whom we were seated at random by the dining room staff. I struck up a conversation with a couple who were formally United Methodist and were married by a United Methodist pastor, but who now are part of a “Messianic Fellowship,” meaning that most of them were Jewish, who now also accept Jesus to be the Messiah. The woman of the couple was raised in a Jewish family but had followed her husband into his Methodist/Christian faith. This new relationship with God has deepened not only their closeness to God, but has allowed the two “wings” of the wife’s faith to be reunited in a meaningful way. AND it has renewed her fellowship with the Jewish community, while not cutting her off from her “adopted” Christian experience. Oh that more of us would enter into these kind of interfaith relationships! I think they give God true joy, as our God IS a God of the relationship!

 

Here is the challenge of Hebrews 2:9—How will you “see” Jesus today? In your neighbor? In the midst of some personal crisis where God meets you? In the inner dialogue during your most quiet, reflective moments? Or as you read your Bible with an eye toward revelation and enlightenment? Friend, you ARE a child of the resurrection, and whatever “deadness” you may be experiencing, Jesus is here to raise you and rejuvenate your eternal relationship with The Eternal. Why? Because thanks to the grace and agency of the living God, we DO SEE JESUS! Amen!