sermon_07_21

This morning I would like to focus our attention on how God has remained with humanity throughout every stage of history. During every era God's presence has been revealed to people who have displayed even the slightest degree of awareness that something much greater than themselves was unfolding around them. We understand this from the literature both old and new.

One of my mentors from a much earlier day came by St. Matthew's to see me. He brought with him a small set of books that I once admired in his office. He gave them to me as a parting gift because he knew his time on earth was very limited. Several months ago Robert died. The three volume set was simply entitled Fragments, written by the French philosopher, Cavẻ.

I doubt many people have heard of this author because these books had only a limited printing in 1916. Yet if you purchased or read a more recently printed book, such as Wayne Dyer's There's A Spiritual Solution To Every Problem, you will find many of Cavẻs ideas there.

This is not to suggest that authors borrow from each other. I doubt that Dr. Dyer knows of this obscure writer. What this duplication of ideas may suggest, however, is that humankind's quest for understanding has been constant and it outcrops in fresh new ways within every generation.

The story of our spiritual journey through time is told and retold by stories, metaphors and illustrations with which newcomers to the world can identify. The miracle is that such a quest for understanding has never become lost. There are always people who find truth, and then later write or speak about it. The people who benefit are those who are intrigued with the idea that there is much more to life than what their senses tell them.

Our lesson this morning was written thousands of years ago by an unknown author. The Psalms have traditionally been attributed to King David. However, because of their wide variety in literary style and subject matter, scholars now know that the Psalms are a collection of poems written by many authors over a much larger period of time. When words inspire us and teach us how to grow, we hold on to them and pass them on to future generations.

Whoever wrote Psalm 139 understood the nature of God and of God's unqualified, infinite caring for each of us whether or not we recognize it. He wrote, "You are all around me on every side; you protect me with your power. Your knowledge of me is so deep; it is beyond my understanding."

Can we learn from an author that has been dead for thousands of years? What could he possibly say that might instruct us today? The answer is plenty. With all our computers, our abilities to teleconference, our sophisticated farming methods and ability to produce medical miracles, we still plumb the depths of our experiences for answers. We still seek meaning and purpose for living. We want to know how we are to understand change. We seek ways to interpret and face death. The issues of spirit have not changed even though history has moved on and now surrounds us with an entirely different set of distractions.

Listen again to what the psalmist wrote, "Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me so that you may see who I am." Very often we find ourselves praying for deliverance from pain, uncertainty, illness, troubled relationships and unpleasant circumstances. This author was requesting God to bring them on! He wanted God to test him. He wanted the abrasive aspects of life to polish his stone. Think of how an orientation toward life like this would benefit us.

Many of us have a value structure which tells us what is "right" and "wrong." We enjoy such values because relativity is unsettling for those of us who need a moral compass. This writer knew something was at work in life much greater than merely being directed by values. He knew that life's circumstances reveal who we are.

Clearly what happened to Jesus on the cross was wrong, but his response to being crucified taught us what salvation looks like. Salvation is having the capability of being a light that shines in the midst of darkness. Most of us have trouble with shining in circumstances that have the potential to devastate our emotions and thoughts.

I had a lengthy telephone conversation this week with a young mother whose marriage may be ending. She currently resides in the Midwest. She said to me, "Dick, you always told me to look inside myself and to let my husband be my teacher. I looked inside myself and I found nothing. I looked at my husband and I saw a volatile, irritable, unloving man. I want him to love me but he does not know how. I could not put to use anything you were telling me."

Such thoughts represent where many of us stay. We become hurt. We become angry. We want our form of justice before anything else can be accomplished. As much as we want something in our world to change, it often does not. We will continue to miss a passing mark on our tests until we understand why the psalmist wanted to be tested.

The reason our self-esteem remains low at times and we feel empty when we look inside is for one very good reason. We must first use what is within us before we can discover what we have. Instead of anger, we can develop patience. Instead of being hurt, we can develop detachment. Instead of self-pity, we can engage in recreation. Instead of withdrawal, we can live a life of service.

For example, we will never know if a successful gardener lives inside of us until we plant some flowers and they die. We plant some more and we lose them again. But do not give up. We plant some more and this time we water them. Then we learn to use a little fertilizer. Then we do some reading and learn about pruning. We may even consult with Jessie Smith. Soon our gardens become the envy of the neighborhood and everyone calls us "a natural." They say, "You have a green thumb. Everything grows for you. I have no luck with plants."

Our skills grow only when we use them. How does anyone become an expert at anything? Do we think that God somehow blesses us with fully developed skills? The people who believe that, will be waiting for a long time. Think of all the people who have died clinging to their poverty of understanding because they never took the time to mine the gold that was within them.

The author of Psalm 139 wrote, ". . . test me so that you may see who I am." When every circumstance is looked upon as a test, our entire orientation to life enables us to define who we are. The specifics of any event have little to do with the opportunity before us.

When we read the Hebrew Bible everyone from Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, to Moses began their specialized tasks in the same manner. Look up the passage where Abraham stood over Isaac with a raised knife as he prepared to sacrifice him. Read again about Moses' response to God at the burning bush. He argued with God over his inability to communicate well.

In the New Testament even Jesus started out wandering in the wilderness. In the beginning of his ministry he overturned the tables of the money changers and wielded a whip. Is that how he wanted to teach his disciples to respond every time circumstances were not to their liking? The Apostle Paul started out as an aggressive preserver of the Hebrew Law Code. He had a very difficult beginning because he thought he was "right" and the followers of Jesus were "wrong."

The next request of God by the author of our Psalm was as intriguing as his first. He wrote, "Help me find out where my weaknesses are and then guide me in the everlasting way." This writer knows the power of our behavior to reveal exactly who we are. First, he wanted to be tested; next he wanted to learn about his weaknesses.

Let us return to the woman in the Midwest. Later in our conversation she confided that she finally realized the lesson. She got it! It took an unloving spouse to teach her about love. Love is effortless when the other person adores us. This is why love so easily disappears when we feel betrayed or challenged. Authentic love shows itself when we continue to care for those who have just driven nails into our hands and feet.

Currently, she is extremely pleased with the distance she has come. While it has not been easy, she has learned how to detach herself from the opinions and actions of her husband. It never matters what people think about us. What matters is our character. She rediscovered the value and power of her character by demonstrating its qualities.

Some Eastern religions teach that when we find someone who is capable of offending us, we should bow to them in gratitude. They have just helped us see a facet of our diamond that does not sparkle. Our ancient Psalmist wrote, "Help me find out where my weaknesses are and then guide me in the everlasting way." We have the opportunity to grow from those who love and support us, and from those who do not.

Finally, what did the author mean by the "everlasting way?" When I was in elementary school, we used to receive a little newspaper called, The Weekly Reader. I understand that the publication is still being used. In every issue there was a little maze where you had to find your way home. Probably all of us worked on one of those at some time.

Life can be like walking in a maze. Some roads are dead-ends. All of us crawled before we walked and this applies to our emotions, desires, responses, thoughts and goals. We have all said things we have later regretted. We have engaged in activities that would embarrass us if they were made public. We all know failure. Sometimes we behave as though none of these experiences are a part of our lives. This understanding gives new meaning to Jesus' words, "The one who is without sin, cast the first stone." Jesus looked up and everyone accusing the woman had left.

Clearly the author of Psalm 139 was aware that life is an infinite process of refinement. He desired to be tested so he could discover his weaknesses. Then he trusted God to guide him along life's infinite path into eternity. He provided future readers with imagery about a path to salvation that will work for every person in the world. He was writing this centuries before Jesus was born.

All humankind is working on the same kinds of problems and life-issues. Time cannot and does not separate people from the curriculum each of us has to learn. We are all products of God's creativity and we are loved at a depth we could not possibly measure. None of us has the ability to be where God is not. Paul revealed this understanding in Romans 8:31.

God protects us from such a separation just as the Psalmist understood thousands of years ago. There can be no greater hope than this. But it is up to us to decide who it is we want to be. Everyone from Abraham to Jesus had to follow through on their choices. Now it is our turn.

Lord God, we thank you that we have been created in the image of your spirit. This morning we confess that too often we do not demonstrate our heritage. In our search for security, we place great trust in the things of this world. In our desire for increased self-worth, we engage in activities that bring recognition and approval. In wanting success, we frequently seek the devices in our world that measure it. Lord, lead us away from our impulses to grasp at the shadows while forsaking what has substance. Focus our inner eyes to perceive more accurately what Jesus came here to give us. Help us always to be led by truth and not by our unmet needs. Amen.

God, we thank you this morning for planting inside of us the desire to grow beyond our current reach. There are so many times we find ourselves in the throes of uncertain experiences, wishing we had insight, the skills for coping creatively and more wholesome ways of greeting life's constant changes.

We live in some very interesting times. Our economy is growing while we watch our retirement accounts shrink to alarming levels. We allow the story of a murdered five-year to cause us to become more protective of our family's safety. We find that we cannot ignore abandoned packages in airports and subways. We are confused as to who caused many of us to react this way, a few angry, misguided people or our own fears. The world has always been a dangerous place, O God, and we thank you that Jesus chose to come into it. Now he sends us forth to become as lights in darkness.

Help us carry ourselves as cheerleaders for those who appear to struggle. Help us wear confidence on our faces. May a helpful spirit become visible in our service, the kind that many of our young people will display this week in West Virginia. Help us all to make this world a better place because we lived in it. We pray these thoughts through the spirit of Jesus who taught us to say when we pray . . .