Epiphany 4 - B

I WROTE TWO SERMONS THIS WEEK... The first one just didn't seem like what I wanted to say... feel free to leave a note if you think I chose the wrong one... I preached the second one (grin)


Fear and Wisdom

“Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

I knew a guy who had that painted on his truck once. It worried for me for two reasons: the first was: why would you paint that on your truck? Especially if you were a dairy farmer – which he was – what did it say about you that you felt the need to have everyone hear that phrase when they saw your truck go by?

Secondly, as a newly ordained and settled minister in a small town in Quebec, I was a little worried that if this really was the beginning of wisdom – I was out of luck – because I simply had never thought about being afraid of God. For as long as I could remember I had been told that God is love, and I don’t think love and fear really go together.

I have found over the years that becoming more faithful has always seemed like a steeplechase race for me. There are countless little hurdles that I come across and have to make my way over in order to keep going. Life is about the journey, and part of that journey is towards God, towards a closer relationship with God and a deeper faith. God gave us a brain, a heart, a sense of curiosity, and put us smack down in the middle of a frustratingly difficult to understand world.

It is our job to try and make sense of it all.

And some times the smallest thing will stop us short. One day for me it was a slogan painted on a parishioner’s truck: “Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom.” And right then and there I had to ask myself ‘do I believe that?’ Why not?

And so I went and looked up what other wise people had to say on the subject and found that the word “fear” was a very bad choice of translation from the original. In fact it would be much closer to use a word like “awe” or “reverence” or even “respect”. Learning that simple fact changed things for me… If I rewrote the sentence as: “Reverence for God is the beginning of wisdom. Respect for God is the beginning of wisdom. Or even, awe of God is the beginning of wisdom.” It made a lot more sense to me.

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But still; do we believe that? Do any of you feel awe and reverence for God? Perhaps if you ever encountered the Northern Lights, or were feeling particularly good about a sunset you might be moved to some sort of awe.

I would wager it is not language we use all the time though.

In fact, our relationship with God is pretty confusing isn’t it? I am not sure we ever get to the point of feeling like those people who write Psalms and poetically express such deep faith and devotion; such uncompromising assurance that God is both in control and worthy.

But what if I asked you this? Who do you trust? Whose voice are you most likely to listen to?

What “authority” do you follow in your life?

Back to the Psalms for a second; these writers were trying to express not only their faith, but their utmost devotion to an ideal – and that ideal was the “Way” of God. This way, the love, the order, the peace, the hope, was worthy of not only adoration, but of following so closely that it was your ultimate authority. If you could do this, it was the beginning of wisdom.

The Bible is constantly trying to answer a question for us – and the question is this: should we put our faith in God?

When Moses was about to leave the people of Israel – and they were about to cross over into the Promised Land; they knew that their prophet and leader was leaving them forever; it must have been a stressful time.

So Moses told them in no uncertain terms – God will raise up another prophet; God will still be with you; but the choice is still up to you… do you listen to the words of the prophet? Or do you listen to other authorities?

It is so easy to listen to other authorities; isn’t it? All those authorities that tell us that if we just spend enough, or save enough, or invest enough, or trust enough, or share enough, then we will be happy.

In today’s world some of those things seem to be breaking down almost every single day.

Scientists have led us astray about a lot of things, from Cigarette smoking right through to the impact of things on the environment. Economists have led us astray by trying to make risk look safe and safety seem risky. Television has led us astray by making reality into fantasy and thus easier to dismiss.

Through it all our faith tells us to walk that middle way of faith. A way that lives through the current disasters ignoring the rhetoric that tells us the sky is falling; because we know God has bigger plans.

The only thing we are asked for in return for this knowledge is to try to live our lives as examples; so that others might be brought on board. God wants everyone to get with the program; and it is up to us to show them how.

If we give God’s way the authority to guide our way – then others will see it.

That is what is at issue in Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth.

He talks about a very practical issue, eating meat, and to make the whole story shorter comes up with this… if you really do have faith, you walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Saying I believe something to be true, and then using that knowledge to hurt other people, means I am not being authentically faithful – if I do everything out of a sense of love for other people – even giving up some of the things that bother them… then I am more authentically living as Jesus wanted me to live.

Because that is just it, isn’t it – what we say is not nearly as important as what we do. Take our story about Jesus… we are told that he was preaching and teaching at church one day… but Mark does not even bother to write down one word of that sermon. Instead, Jesus heals someone who is struggling with some sort of inner demon, and everyone looks at him and says: “What is this? A new teaching! He speaks with authority!” Jesus authority did not come from what he said, but from what he did…

And that made all the difference. People were able to recognize in Jesus a new thing, something they had never seen before, a faithfulness that came from action. Jesus ate with the outcasts, talked to the lepers, cured the possessed – and that gave what he said authority.

When he said, “follow me and I will show you how to live.” People recognized that he was on to something. Jesus was someone who we need have no fear in trusting. And by following they became wiser and wiser.

This is why I think that nothing is as important as continuing to struggle with our faith and learn about how it gets lived out practically. This is why I continue to put most of my energy and thought into church – I believe that it is here, as a community of followers, that we are challenged to grow into authentic believers.

I also believe that no program, no new gimmick, and no special worship service is going to bring people into church. Rather – people will see how we live, if we do it right, and want to be a part of that. The authenticity of our lives being lived faithfully, and happily, will speak volumes in a world where no one quite knows what to do to find the secret of happiness.

I began by thinking about the authority of God, and I have ended up talking about how you and I can live and act with authority in our lives…

It was intentional – That is the point of the Psalmist when we read, “Reverence for God is the beginning of Wisdom.”

This is a full circle sort of thing – when we recognize God and the importance of God in our lives, we begin to act out of a sense of deep wisdom. We begin to become the people we were meant to be and live out of love and respect. Knowing that God is the ultimate authority for our lives won’t change us all at once – but it is a start. And when we move from there to take those small steps, and jump those small hurdles – we will continue to become the type of disciple Jesus knew he could count on – and perhaps we can spread that wisdom around a bit.


Faith and Freedom


All over Scotland, England, and Wales people are talking about God; specifically, whether or not God exists. Their discussion has been prompted by some 800 buses bearing this advertising banner: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” The campaign throughout January has been sponsored by a loose collective of atheist organizations, including the British Humanist Association.

The ads developed from the response of comedy writer Ariane Sherine to a similar bus promotion last year led by evangelical churches: “Jesus said…” When Ariane visited the website given in those ads, she read of the “lake of fire” as the scene of everlasting separation from God that awaited the unbeliever. In an online blog with a local newspaper, she wrote that if she were to declare on London buses that a lion had escaped from the city zoo, she’d be required to give evidence, so why wasn’t any required of Christians for their advertising. Sherine hoped to raise enough money for a set of counter-adverts on London buses if enough people pledged £5. Her appeal brought pledges of £140,000 (US$210,000) and the proposed campaign became far more widespread. Sherine included the word probably to meet British advertising standards and not “claim absolutes.” She reflects that this is “more light-hearted, and somehow makes the message more positive.”

Plans are in place for a follow-up series of posters in the Underground (subway) that will quote prominent atheists or agnostics. One includes poet Emily Dickinson’s words: “That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.”

The ads have unleashed a wave of public response, with one devout Christian bus driver in the south of England being supported by management in his refusal to drive a bus adorned with the ad. The slogan has gained attention from some Members of Parliament, who have called on the government to ban it.

The concept is now spreading across Europe. It has been adopted by similar agencies in Spain, but rejected in Catholic countries of The Netherlands and Italy. The American Humanist Association has also expressed some interest in using the slogan.

The response of the churches in Britain has been mixed. Whilst a group called “Christian Voice” has lobbied to have the ads removed, Rev. Jenny Ellis, Spirituality and Discipleship Officer of the Methodist Church said it (the campaign) would be a “good thing if it gets people to engage with the deepest questions of life” and suggested it showed there was a “continued interest in God.” On behalf of London-based Christian think-tank, Theos – who donated £50 to the campaign – Nick Spencer commented, “Since Brits are frightfully embarrassed about bringing up God in public; it is a godsend in some ways to have the atheists do it for us.”

Talking about our faith that is not something we do very well, at least not openly with other people. We have not grown up in a culture that promotes people talking about their religious beliefs and so we end up with groups of people making religious statements and conversations taking place in a very public forum instead of in our living rooms or dining rooms.

It is far easier for a group to make a statement than individuals there is a lot at stake to talk about your faith. Talking about our faith, what it is we believe, live and do because of our fundamental beliefs means that we are engaged with it and open to change and conversation, deep conversation with other people. It means getting into the muck and mire of life and see how our faith applies to life and our experiences, does it make sense?

Instead, most of us remain quite silent about our faith, who Jesus is, what it means to believe in him. And so many people get stuck. They get stuck in thinking that no longer applies to their life or their cultural context. Asking questions and talking is essential for our faith to continue to grow throughout our lifetime. I believe it is the task of all believers to enter into serious conversation and thought, questions and grapple with our faith – to use an image – we must take our faith and work it like clay or play dough – it must remain pliable open to our growth and development as human beings.

In Jesus’ world people didn’t ask too many questions either and as a result people were bound by their beliefs, blinded, confined and hurt many people as a result.

Today we heard the story of a man possessed by a demon, we are told. Now not only was he possessed but he was to be avoided and even more than that, cast aside – alienated – even by the religious authorities. A human being suffering, hurting, and yet alienated because the people believed he was ritually unclean.

You know there is so much in scripture we do not understand and can never grasp because of culture and history but this story of the demon possessed man cured by Jesus we can.

In our world, culture and context there are people who are bound and alienated because of certain beliefs religious, cultural, or otherwise.

How many examples of alienation can we come up with? Mental illness, sexual orientation, weight – too heavy or too thin, poverty, illness, addiction, language, colour, just to name a few. In all these cases we find people held in the captivity of their situation. How often do we comment on people’s weight, or whisper that someone is depressed, or off their meds. And what about people of poverty – people of colour – native Canadians. So many people held in bondage because of the beliefs of others. But those who hold the beliefs are also suffering from being in bondage because they cannot see the value of the other. That God loves those whom we so easily cast aside – we believe God’s love is limited – even though we say with our mouths that God loves everyone. We still manage to put limits on that love.

We must remember that Jesus comes to set captives free, to free people so that they can celebrate their liberation in community. IN all the Gospel stories of healing the people are restored to their communities. It is as if the community is the last part of the healing and restoration.

Now we all know that each one of us is in need of healing. Whether we alienate people, put limits on God’s love, that is not for me to say but I do know that throughout our lives each one of us carries wounds within us that prevent us from being free, from knowing our worth and value, from accepting God’s love.

Mark’s story of the demon possessed man, reminds us that healing and wholeness is available to us through Jesus Christ. His life, love and example are the things that bring healing and wholeness to our lives. For some he is the path to new life, to others he is food for the hungry, water for the thirsty, or light on the journey.

If asked, I would bet that many of us could share stories of Jesus healing us, bringing wholeness into our lives. Think for a moment of a time when your faith, your experience, understanding of Jesus freed you to new life, quenched your thirst or showed you a new path for life. But the truth is there is still a great deal within us that needs healing and wholeness. IT is the work of the spirit to be engaged in constantly growing in faith and self-awareness of where we need healing and liberation. IT is journey, a life that cannot be lived alone.

You see our lesson today points to the other important component and that is community – the community helps us in our search for wholeness and then witnesses our transformation and completes it by welcoming us, who were lost, hungry, and thirsty. As community we follow Jesus’ example together and can then heal others by inviting and welcoming people into the liberation of freedom, love, and compassion Jesus offers.

This is the good news for us, you and I can find the healing our souls seek in Jesus, and we can celebrate that healing with others. Look around this week to see who needs to hear this good news. What in you still seeks healing? Can you be a healing example of Jesus’ love in the life of another?? And then I would add, talk to people about your faith. Go beyond your comfort zone and ask questions with the people of this community. Delve into your spiritual life and talk with others to see where and how your beliefs intersect with our world.

You see, it is not really the idea of God that has most of us worrying, despite what the ads on the bus say. What really worries us is that life is meaningless, and that there is no God. Our faith has freed us from that uncertainty and replaced it with a hope that is tied up in God’s love. Jesus came that we might have life, the Bible tells us, and have it abundantly.

Those ads are going up in Toronto subways. The United Church has already thought up a counter argument. Delete one word. “There probably is a God, now stop worrying, and enjoy life!”