Trust is a Big Deal

    Have you ever had one of those “Duh!” moments when things start to make sense for the first time? But there are also moments when we read scripture and we completely miss important things because we assume that the people in the Bible were just like us.  In our scripture lesson this week, we read the story of Moses leading the people of Israel through the dry path God had created in the depths of the Red Sea.  But after the chariots, horsemen and soldiers of Egypt’s army are drowned, we read these verses in Exodus 14:30-31:

That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore.  And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

    Most of us read this and think, “So what? They trusted God. God is trustworthy. Duh.”  And, because we assume that the people of Israel were just like us, we completely miss what a big deal this really was.

    We have lived our lives in possession of the entire Old Testament as well as the New Testament.  For many of us, there has never really been much doubt that God was trustworthy, even when we weren’t sure that God was real.  But the people of the Exodus did not know what we know.  The world that they lived in, and the gods that they knew, were very different.

    In the story of the Exodus, despite coming from the family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Israelites had lived in the land of Egypt for 400 years.  At that time, they did not have a formal system of worship, or priesthood, they had stories.  The stories of their forefathers had been passed down to them from generation to generation, and even though the stories were magnificent, they lived in a world with very different stories.

    The Egyptians, like the Romans and the Greeks of the New Testament, were polytheists.  They believed, not in the one God of Israel, but in a collection of gods that were far from trustworthy.  The gods warred with one another through human agents and tens of thousands died for their amusement.  The gods of the Egyptians were capricious; they did what they wanted, when they wanted, often without any guiding morality.  To the gods, humans were little more than playthings and to humans, the gods were to be feared and not trusted.

    And so when the people of Israel saw that the God of Abraham had used his great power, not only to provide a means for them to escape their slavery, but to destroy those who sought to kill them, they saw, many for the first time, that their God was different.  Finally, the stories began to make sense.  They realized that the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph was different than the gods of the Egyptians. 

They realized that the God of Israel could be trusted.

And trust really is a big deal.

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Who Watches the Supplies? - A Football Meditation

    In the books of first and second Samuel we read the story of King David.  Many of us have heard stories about David, but there is at least one that we don’t often remember.  In 1 Samuel 30, we find David and 600 men who had just returned from fighting alongside Achish the king of the Philistines.  As they return home they discover that the Amalekites had raided their town, captured their wives (including two of David’s wives), their children, their livestock, as well as anything of value.  After consulting with their priest to find the will of God, David pursues the Amalekite raiding party.

    As they hurry to catch up to the raiders however, David finds that two hundred of his men are too exhausted to continue and so he leaves them behind with all their gear, supplies and what is left of their town.  David and the four hundred remaining men pursue the Amalekite raiding party and find them celebrating over all the loot that they had plundered.  David and his men attack and fight with the Amalekites from dusk that day, until the end of the following day, defeat them, and recapture every single animal, personal belonging, wife and family member.

    But when they return to their camp, the troublemakers began to stir things up.  They argued with David that the two hundred men who were left behind should not receive any of the plunder because they didn’t fight to get it.  They argued that these men should get their families back, but receive no share of the loot and plunder that they had taken from the Amalekites.

    David fights back.  David makes an argument that is important to every single one of us and one that is important to each of you on the football field.  David said:

“No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. ²⁴ Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.” ²⁵ David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.

    It is important to remember that when you win, it isn’t just the superstars and the heroes that win the game.  Every member of your team had a part, Every coach, every water boy, every trainer, every teacher you ever had who helped you to earn the grades you needed to play ball, it took the guy on the sidelines who sprained his ankle before the season started, every football booster, every friend who gave you a ride home from practice, every relative, every parent, and every brother or sister that comes to watch you play.  As David said, these are the people who “watch the supplies” for you. 

    When you win, it isn’t just because of the guy who threw the touchdown pass, or who caught the interception, or who made the big tackle.  Your victory didn’t come because of the superstars; it took every single one of you. 

And that includes the people who just watch the supplies.

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Two Lies Christians Believe

    As a pastor and as a lay person I have seen too many Christians believe at least one of two lies.  Both of are easy to believe.  We believe them because we lack self-esteem or because we want to be excused from God’s service, but neither are even remotely supported by scripture.  These lies are so similar that it is difficult to separate them. 

Lie #1: God can’t love me.

    Too many of us believe that we are too old, or too young, or too damaged, or so inferior, that even God can’t make something of us.  But the stories that we read in the Bible tell us about people with flaws.  The men and women in God’s story were loved by God despite their imperfections and none of them were perfect.  But God called them just the same. 

    After the flood, one of the very first things that Noah did was to plant a vineyard, make wine, get drunk, and pass out.  But God still loved him.

    King David is described as a man after God’s own heart, but cheated on his wife, took another man’s wife, and then had that man killed to cover it up.

    Abraham told the Pharaoh that his wife was really his sister because he was afraid that the Pharaoh would kill him and steal his wife.  Abraham was a coward who, despite his faith, didn’t trust that God could protect him.  God loved him anyway.

    Solomon loved women and pleasure too much.  Despite God’s warnings, Solomon takes hundreds of wives and concubines and allows himself every pleasure under the sun, but Solomon’s wives turned his heart away from God and Nehemiah says that Solomon sinned by doing these things.  But God still loved him.

    The Pharisees had rules about who good people ought to associate with and which people good folks should stay away from.  But Jesus ignored those rules.  Jesus made friends with, and spent time with prostitutes, tax collectors, Roman soldiers, and outcasts that society hated.

There is simply nothing you can do that can make you unlovable.

    What’s more, many of these damaged people became heroes and champions of God’s story.

Lie #2: God can’t use me.

    Joseph and David were the younger brothers in a culture that placed honor and value on the oldest brothers.  No one really expected the younger brothers to amount to anything, but God called these men to rescue nations.

    Likewise, Gideon was from a small family, from a small town, from a small tribe that wasn’t known for much.  No one expected anything more than mediocrity but God called Gideon to drive out an occupying army and save his people.

    Jesus’ friends were tax collectors who collaborated with the Roman government, fishermen who were thought of as country hicks, prostitutes, outcast, and crazy militia guys (zealots) who took up arms against their government, .

    Jesus said that a Roman Centurion had more faith than anyone in Israel.

    In the Easter story, the first people who first saw the empty tomb, who first saw Jesus, and who were sent as messengers to tell the disciples were Mary Magdalene and the other Mary.  But women weren’t legally reliable witnesses.  Under Roman law, slaves could give testimony in court (if they were tortured) but women could not.  Women were considered to be prone to hysteria and fits of emotion.  Even a group of women were considered to be unreliable.  And yet, who does Jesus send as the first messengers and witnesses?  Women.

    No matter who you are, no matter what you have done, no matter what you have been through…

God can still use you.

My Thanks, and, There is Hope for Humanity

    A few weeks ago I read a story online by someone who was terribly discouraged about how we human beings sometimes treat people with disabilities.  At the end of the story they admitted that not every experience is a bad one, and that certainly, some of us out there on the Internet must have some positive stories.  She then asked if we might do her a favor and send her some of our stories so that she might renew her faith in humanity.  I had an amazing experience this past summer and so I sent it in and she later thanked me.  I think it’s such a good story that I wanted to share it with you, partly to remind you that there are good people out there, but also as one small way that I might thank those responsible and encourage others to do the same.  Here’s my story…

    Ten years ago, I was in the middle of two years of unemployment from a career in electrical engineering when I heard a call to ministry.  My father was a pastor, and I swore for forty years that I would never, ever do that.  Obviously, God had other plans.

    Fast forward ten years including five years of juggling full-time seminary studies, pastoring two-rural churches, some serious family health issues, and raising a family with three kids as well as eventually moving three times.  All along, I hoped that my father would be alive, and well enough, to attend, even participate in, my ordination service.  That happened this past June.  As the time for my ordination approached, it was often doubtful that my father would be able get out of the house, let alone be able to travel or participate.  Finally, both he and my mom committed to try, but that brought up a bunch of other issues.

    In the East Ohio Conference of our church, during the service of ordination, the people who are participating process through this cavernous concert hall, climb the stairs onto the stage and have to be seated for a fairly long time.  My father could do few of those things.  He is 87.  He walks with some difficulty and only for short distances.  Sitting is not always comfortable and stairs are pretty much impossible.  When we asked the organizers if accommodations could be made, no one ever batted an eye.  Every single person in the process said that they would do whatever had to be done so that my father could be there for me during that special moment.  But even on the day of the service, I wasn’t sure Dad would make it… until he arrived just a few hours before we started.  

    Before the service, Dad was warmly greeting at the back door of the concert hall, only a few steps away from the stage and the *one* step at the stage door had a ramp installed - just for him.  I was told that Bishop Hopkins, who was presiding over the ordination, had been informed of Dad’s age and disability and had no problems making everyone wait for as long as it took Dad to walk across the stage.  Since Dad doesn’t hear well, the stage manager stood near him so that she could tell him when it was his turn.  A good friend, Jan Sprague, sat with Dad instead of in the audience, missing the service, so that my mother could sit with our family and see everything live instead of on a television monitor.  When Dad’s turn (and mine) on stage came, my District Superintendent, Rev. Benita Rollins, went backstage, took Dad’s arm and gently guided him onstage, walking with him all the way on and off (even picking up the stole that Dad had dropped on the way), and held him steady as the bishop prayed over me.

    At home, family, friends, and church members who were unable to be there in person, were able to watch the whole thing as the service of ordination was live streamed over the Internet.   Many reported that seeing my Dad appear and make his way slowly across the stage brought them to tears.  Just thinking about it now does the same for me. 

    None of it could have happened without the amazing, generous, thoughtful, and giving spirit of everyone involved.

    Many thanks to Bishop Hopkins, Bishop Robert Fannin, Rev. Rollins, Jan Sprague, Paul White, Ruthie Wheeler, Jan Yandell, and so many others who were there, who helped, and who, together, made it possible for my family to experience a moment we thought might be impossible.

(If you’re terribly curious, if you go here, picture #41 in the slideshow is me, with my Dad behind me.)