Suffering In The Sanctuary
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The recent shooting spree in and around a Moscow, Idaho, church is a painful reminder that as much as we'd like to think of the church as a sanctuary from the cares of the world, the world is always with us. A gunman named Jason Hamilton shot and killed his wife in their home, then went to the courthouse with a pair of semiautomatic rifles and fired over 100 shots, killing a police officer and wounding two others. He then entered the Presbyterian church across the street and fired as many as 60-80 more shots before killing the church sexton and then himself. Though we will never know his motivation, one has to wonder what led Hamilton to take refuge in the church -- and whether he perhaps saw it as some sort of sanctuary. (He had previously worked at the church for a maintenance company, and reportedly knew the sexton.) In the next installment of The Immediate Word, team member Steve McCutchan notes that while we may find it shocking that a church sanctuary could be penetrated by such senseless violence, suffering is at the core of the Christian experience. Indeed, in this week's lectionary passage from Romans Paul boldly claims that we "boast in our sufferings" -- yet God is never defeated by chaos like that embodied by the actions of Jason Hamilton. Team member Barbara Jurgensen offers some insights on the nature of the Trinity, finding a helpful analogy in a rather unusual source... a old Jerry Lewis comedy.
Suffering in the Sanctuary
by Stephen McCutchan
Romans 5:1-5; Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
THE WORLD
On Sunday, May 20, death entered the Presbyterian church in Moscow, Idaho. Jason Hamilton apparently sprayed more than 30 bullets into a courthouse across the street the night before, and then shot two officers who came to help and a civilian who was present. It is not clear what motivated Hamilton to go on this killing rampage. News stories have suggested he was a troubled individual who had previously threatened to go on a killing spree, and he fatally shot his wife at home before beginning this horrible act at the courthouse. Following those shootings he sought refuge in the Presbyterian church across the street. There, early on Sunday morning, after having killed the custodian in an office, Hamilton went into the sanctuary of the church and shot himself.
What is your first response to hearing that such violence took place in a church sanctuary? Would your response have been different if the shooter had found another building in which to take refuge and later to kill himself? Was there any reason why, having already killed the custodian in another part of the building, he chose to enter the sanctuary before shooting himself?
We have grown accustomed to thinking of a sanctuary as a refuge from the troubles of the world. It is a place where we take a time apart from our troubles and seek a closer relationship with God. What is the impact of discovering that violence has invaded that sacred space? Does it profane the sanctuary or make it an even more hallowed place? Are there times when we are surprised to discover that suffering and violence are the very context where we discover the presence of God?
The people of that Presbyterian congregation arrived on Sunday morning to discover their church cordoned off as a crime scene. On that day and in the days that followed, the church found another place to worship on the campus of the nearby university. Their faith led them to invite the community to come to prayer, not only for the victims but also for the killer. Paul said, "We boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us" (Romans 5:3b-5a). Do you think that verse would be meaningful to the Christians in Moscow, Idaho at this time? As you think about that terrible experience, do you reflect on that verse in a new light?
THE WORD
It rings strange to our ears when we hear Paul speak of boasting in his sufferings, because in our culture we see suffering as an enemy that is either to be avoided or at least defeated as quickly as possible. A recent television ad used the repeated theme "I haven't got time for the pain." In contrast, Paul said: "I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church" (Colossians 1:24).
To avoid some masochistic distortion of Paul's words, it is important to keep them in context. The context of this phrase of boasting in suffering is the hope made possible by the grace in which we have been saved. While Christians do not seek out suffering, neither do they see the first objective of life as the avoidance of suffering. There is full recognition that being saved does not offer some magical protection from the woes of life. Clearly the example of Jesus, who experienced his full share of violence, should suggest to believers that faith may very well lead to suffering. Seen in this context, while one would not look for violence or suffering in a sanctuary, one might also recognize that holy space can be found in the midst of suffering and violence.
Why, then, would anyone want to be a Christian? You can easily see the cultural resistance to the acceptance of suffering even in the attempts to modify the Christian message for our society. Recall how many best-sellers (including a current one, The Secret) seek to express some alternate wisdom, some power of positive thinking, or some life philosophy that holds a better promise of success.
In contrast to our society, notice how Paul refuses to see suffering as one of the great negatives of life. Rather, Paul approaches suffering as a possibility for something positive: "suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts." Because he knew that God was not defeated by death or pain, Paul could approach difficult moments in life not from fear but from hope. Notice how the people in Moscow, Idaho looked for ways to invite the community to enter into a time of prayer even for the killer. That same direction was expressed by many at the Virginia Tech tragedy, who also sought to include the killer in their prayers.
Notice how this approach to the negative experiences of life was part of Paul's entire journey. When his own people rejected him, he recognized it as an opportunity to reach out to the Gentiles. When he was beaten and physically abused, he saw it as sharing in the sufferings of Christ. When he was thrown into prison, he saw it as an opportunity to testify to the praetorian guards. Because of God's love that filled his heart, his suffering was not a threat to who he was but an opportunity to witness to the same redemptive activity of God that Jesus demonstrated on the cross.
For churches that often experience setbacks in their attempts to offer ministry, Paul's understanding of the Gospel provides a means by which the church might rediscover a hope that does not disappoint and testify to a redemptive Gospel that offers hope to others. In the midst of chaos, particularly violent chaos that ruptures the thin veil of order that we have sought to impose on our surroundings, we are driven back to recall the core beliefs of our faith.
Our lectionary offers us a selection from our Wisdom literature, Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 for a reading on Trinity Sunday. Wisdom literature is an often-neglected part of the Bible, but it is probably the most natural expression of faith in our time. It approaches faith from the perspective of common sense. Part of the common sense of our lives is that God is not defeated by the chaos of violence. As this passage from Proverbs suggests, in the beginning when everything was in chaos, or as Genesis 1:2 says, "the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep," God created wisdom to help bring order out of chaos. The truth for us, in the midst of violence, is that despite many commentators' efforts we cannot make sense out of such violence. We are never going to come to an explanation that will satisfy as to why such violence occurs. But our faith is that God is not defeated by chaos. This leads us to look less for an explanation than for what, given the experience, are the possibilities that exist. As many people have experienced, it is when we can use the results of our suffering for a meaningful purpose that we begin to experience healing.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
I would suggest that a brief description of the scene in Moscow, Idaho, followed by the questions raised above (at the end of the "World" section) in response to Paul's statement about boasting in his suffering would quickly engage the congregation's attention.
You could then move to a brief description of the culture's avoidance of suffering as the context in which we live. The "I don't have time for the pain" ad would be a good summary statement of that context. You might contrast that by asking how many would likely be attracted to a product that advertised the possibility of suffering, rejection, and ridicule. Then remind them that Christ's invitation was to "take up their cross and follow me" (Mark 8:34).
Now you are ready to help them probe the meaning of suffering from Paul's perspective (as suggested in the "Word" section). It would also be a time to remind them of the sovereignty of God (as a Presbyterian I can't resist bringing that in) -- who is not defeated by chaos and therefore provides us the reason and hope to look at the possibilities in the midst of the chaos.
Reference to the wisdom literature and the opportunity to blend wisdom and faith might give you the opportunity to remind people that it is often true that people find the most meaning in life when they are willing to endure suffering and stress for something greater than themselves. Dietrich Bonhoeffer's contrast between cheap grace and the cost of discipleship might be an appropriate concluding image.
Given the recent outbreaks of violence in our society, this is a rich opportunity to guide your people in the journey of faith. The difficulty will be to not make it too complex. The subject really merits several sermons. Your challenge will be to choose one theme and save the others for another time.
ANOTHER VIEW
Who's Minding the Store?
by Barbara Jurgensen
Have any of you recently seen the 1963 comedy Who's Minding the Store? Jerry Lewis plays a clumsy, penniless young guy who falls in love with a beautiful young woman, and they make plans to marry.
What he doesn't know is that she's from a very wealthy family, and her mother begins doing all she can to prevent the marriage from taking place, including hiring Jerry to work as a clerk in the big department store she owns.
I won't tell you how it all comes out, but this is Trinity Sunday, and the title of this movie -- Who's Minding the Store? -- reminds me of the three persons of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
If the Lord God were just one being, what would have happened when he decided that it was time for him to come down to our earth? Who would have been taking care of the universe while he was with Mary for nine months, unable to function -- "out of commission," so to speak -- he who is the CEO of all that is? What would have happened while he was waiting to be born? Who would have been overseeing the vast, rolling stretches of space? Who would have been minding the store?
And then -- after Jesus had finished his ministry here on this earth, his ministry of preaching and teaching and healing; after he'd been crucified, and had risen from the dead that first Easter Sunday; and after forty more days, had ascended into heaven to be with his Father -- after all that, without him his followers would have felt powerless to carry on his work, his ministry.
In fact, they were all hiding in a locked upper room, afraid they'd also be put to death, just as he had been.
So on the Day of Pentecost, Jesus sent his followers the Holy Spirit, a companion to be with them and teach them, to help them and guide them, to give them the power to do his work wherever he would send them in this wide world.
So all the bases were covered. And the store was well-tended.
We today can have access to all three of them: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each helps us in various ways. God the Father comes and abides with each of us, giving us courage, helping us not to "lose heart." God the Son, Jesus, also dwells with us, making intercession for us, asking the Father to help us. God the Holy Spirit teaches and comforts and guides us, helping us to live as our Lord's people.
The Bible says that a threefold cord is not quickly broken, and the three members of the Trinity, who live within each of us, give us the strength we need to be what our Lord wants us to be, and to do what he wants us to do.
Last Sunday we celebrated Pentecost, the time of the giving of the Holy Spirit. When the disciples were hiding out after Jesus was crucified by the Roman soldiers, even though he came and appeared among them in that upper room and said, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent me, so I send you," still they huddled there for another week.
And then they went back to what they'd been doing before they first met Jesus -- they went back to fishing for a living.
It was not until Pentecost, fifty days after Easter, that they really came alive as Christians, as the Lord's followers, and could dedicate their lives to working with him in whatever way, and in whatever place, he chose.
And what they did then was glorious, heading out in all directions to share the Good News that Jesus can transform our lives. Such discipleship caused most of them to suffer many hardships, and eventually to lose their lives -- but it was a glorious task.
Following our Lord, as his earlier disciples did, can also bring us into situations where we may have to endure suffering. But Paul assures us in Romans 5 that such suffering for our Lord's sake produces endurance in us, and our enduring this suffering can produce character in us, and, as we grow in character, in our likeness to our Lord, we will grow in hope.
And all this happens because we've been given the Holy Spirit, our companion and teacher, our comforter and guide.
Who's minding the store? Genesis 1 tells us that it was God who created the heavens and the earth, and that a wind, or the Spirit of God (ruach in Hebrew means "spirit," "breath," and "wind"), swept over the face of the waters.
The opening verses of the Gospel of John tell us that the Word, Jesus, was in the beginning with God, and that all things came into being through him, and that without him not one thing came into being.
So the three of them -- God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit were here at the beginning of all things, before there was anything at all.
It's good to know that at the center of our universe, that at the center of all things, are three loving beings who care about each of us and want us to be part of their family.
ILLUSTRATIONS
A tale is told of a band of inexperienced mountain climbers. Without guides, they struck recklessly into the wilderness. Suddenly a rocky ledge gave way beneath their feet and they were tumbled headlong into a dismal pit. In the darkness of the pit they recovered from their shock, only to find themselves set upon by a swarm of angry snakes. Every crevice became alive with fanged, hissing things. For each snake the desperate men slew, ten more seemed to lash out in its place. Strangely enough, one man seemed to stand aside from the fight. When the indignant voices of his struggling companions reproached him for not fighting, he called back: If we remain here, we shall be dead before the snakes. I am searching for a way of escape from the pit for all of us.
Our world seems not unlike a pit of snakes. We did not sink into the pit in 1939, or even in 1933. We had descended into it generations ago, and the snakes have sent their venom into the bloodstream of humanity, gradually paralyzing us, numbing nerve after nerve, dulling our minds, darkening our vision. Good and evil, which were once as real as day and night, have become a blurred mist. In our everyday life we worshiped force, despised compassion, and obeyed no law but our unappeasable appetite. The vision of the sacred has all but died in the soul of man. And when greed, envy, and the reckless will to power, the serpents that were cherished in the bosom of our civilization, came to maturity, they broke out of their dens to fall upon the helpless nations.
-- Abraham Joseph Heschel, "The Mark of Cain: What Is Our Responsibility in the Face of Violence?" published in February 1944 in Liberal Judaism
***
There's a famous scene in Fiddler on the Roof in which, after a particularly troubling act of violence by the Christian majority, some young hotheads in the village demand "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth!"
Tevye's response: "And soon all the world will be blind and toothless."
***
Maybe we need to be a little more frank and a little less comforting in our approach to making disciples for Jesus Christ. Maybe we to say it like it really is, instead of sugar-coating the reality of what we are called to do. I can see an ad in the bulletin that says:
"Wanted: men and women, youth and children for dangerous journey. Bitter pain of maturing your faith in all situations: death, loss, disappointment, conflict, relationship problems, eating your own words, growing up, violence, addiction, lack of trust. Only the strong and willing should apply. No pay, but great rewards if successful. Give up your life for Christ, and you will gain it."
-- Marsha E. Brown, from "Were You There?" a sermon for April 1, 2007, posted in the Midrash online discussion group
***
One summer at camp, I watched an exasperated choir director trying to teach a group of high school students a piece called "I Know That My Redeemer Lives." The piece was not particularly difficult. The problem was with the summer months, teenage hormones, and a warm choir room. They just lost their focus.
It was then that the director brought in a friend of his -- a woman who introduced herself by saying that she had a husband of 25 years and three children. One was a freshman in college, the second was 17 and a rising senior, and the third was in heaven. Then she told the story. Several years previously, her youngest child was riding on a four-wheeler out in an open field. She hit a bump and was thrown from the vehicle. She landed in the soft grass of the field -- but, unfortunately, in that place when she fell there was a four-inch stick that was stuck in the ground. When she hit her chest on the ground, the stick punctured her heart. As they rushed her child to the hospital, the woman said she wasn't afraid, angry, or numb. There was just one verse that would not leave her mind. It was from Job: "I know that my redeemer lives... and when this flesh has been destroyed, then from my flesh I will see God" (19:25-26). A good friend of hers heard her story and wrote a choral arrangement of that verse, dedicating the song to her child. It was the very arrangement that that summer choir had difficulty focusing on. But hearing the story and the courage and the strength that this mother had in the midst of her suffering provided whole new meaning to well-worn words -- I know that my redeemer lives!
***
For years, an old man walked once a week to the Florida beach to feed those annoying seagulls. His name was Eddie Rickenbacker, a man who could not go one week without saying thank you.
If you were alive in October 1942, you may remember the day in which Rickenbacker was reported missing at sea. He had been sent across the Pacific on a B-17 on a mission to deliver a message to Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Unfortunately, the crew got lost, and the plane ran out of fuel and went down. All eight crew members escaped on one tiny life raft. They battled the sun, sharks, water... but mostly they battled hunger. After eight days, all their rations were gone. It would take a miracle to survive.
After an afternoon devotional service, the men said a prayer and tried to rest. As Rickenbacker was dozing with his hat over his eyes, something landed on his head. A seagull? What was a seagull doing hundreds of miles away from land? Only God knows. Let me say that again... only God knows. The flesh was eaten and the intestines were used as fish bait, and the crew survived.
Rickenbacker never forgot. As a result, every Friday evening this old captain walked to the pier to greet his feathered friends with his bucket full of fat shrimp and his heart full of thanks.
***
There is a quote I have on my desk from a Zimbabwean pastor. I don't know anything else about him except his steadfastness in the midst of suffering.
"I am a disciple of Christ. I will not let up, look back, or slow down. My past is redeemed, my future is secure. I am done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotion, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, or rewarded. My face is set; my goal is sure. My road is narrow; my way is rough, my companions few. My God is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, delayed, or deluded. I will not flinch in the face of adversity, not negotiate at the table of the enemy, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I am a disciple of Christ. I must go until He comes, speak of all I know of Him, and work until He stops me. And when He comes for His own, by the grace of God, He will have no problem recognizing me, because my colors are clear."
***
One thing we definitely know. God has not deliberately sent tragedy and suffering upon us. Though they are allowed, endured by God, they are not God's "intention" for us. Not once in the gospels does Jesus say that God sends tragedy and pain either to test us or to punish us. Though the blocks that prevent full healing are many and mysterious, the New Testament makes it clear that God is "always" on the side of healing, release, and reconciliation.
We know another thing. We are given the witness in scripture that the day will come when the whole creation will freely accept this love, healing, and reconciliation. There will be no aspect of creation left weeping and alone. There will be no more desire to choose lovelessness. The risk and choice will be there forever, but that risk (that grave gift of God's honor) will be transcended by a creation joyfully and freely united with God in the embrace of lovers.
This is not a bland victory. God has paid a great price for love within freedom.
-- Flora Slosson Wuellner, Prayer, Fear, and Our Powers
***
No wonder Paul can then go on to speak of celebration even in the midst of sufferings, the necessary path through which we travel as we share the Father's work in this still-corrupt world. Note, he doesn't say we celebrate our sufferings (in the same way that we celebrate our hope, in verse 2). We celebrate, he says, "in" our sufferings. He sees a steady progression in which God uses our sufferings for the same purpose as he gives us his own presence and love: to transform us into the truly human people we were made to be. That progression leads from patience to character, and from character to hope. We live in a world that wants everything immediately; that has no stability of character except a hollow media image; that wanders this way and that because it has no idea where it might be going. The gospel of Jesus the Messiah calls us to swim against the tide on all counts.
-- Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone -- Romans: Part One
***
Without you,
Weaver of willows,
Spinner of sunrises,
I would have no place
to put my foot:
stumbling face first
into the mud puddles
of my mistakes.
Without you,
Retriever of the fallen,
Mediator of the sin-splattered,
I would have no place
to put my soul:
adrift on the stormy sea
of seduction,
at the mercy of
bedlam's blows.
Without you,
Whisperer of wisdom,
Gift-bearing dove,
I would have no place
to put my heart:
watching it shrivel
in despair's
bitter grasp.
In you
I find my place,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
Blessed Trinity,
in you.
Amen.
-- from Fire and Bread (Wild Goose Publications), written by members of the Iona Community
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by Thom M. Shuman
Call to Worship
Leader: God, who created the fields of Eden,
takes delight in all things, including us!
People: God of glory, God of grace,
your name is exalted in all the earth!
Leader: Christ, who walked the streets of our world,
gives hope to all people, including us!
People: God of glory, God of grace,
your Son is Savior of all the earth!
Leader: God's Spirit, who stays in our hearts,
bears truth and peace to us!
People: God of glory, God of grace,
your love surrounds our every moment.
Prayer of the Day
Holy God, Creation's Artist:
tiny infants babble your praises,
as you reach out and heal us with the touch of your fingertips.
We worship you.
Jesus Christ, Gateway to grace:
you make right what we have messed up;
you build your kingdom on the foundation of our faltering faith;
you stand with us in the midst of our suffering.
We adore you.
Holy Spirit, Playmate of justice:
you splash through the sea-puddles in Eden's backyard,
tracking the mud into Kingdom's kitchen,
leading us to the Table.
We open our hearts to you.
God in Community, Holy in One,
hear us as we pray as Jesus taught us, saying,
Our Father . . .
Call to Reconciliation
Created as stewards of all creation,
we know how often we have sunk to depths of faithless living.
We lack the stamina to follow Christ through the Kingdom,
and ignore the Spirit's calls to justice.
Yet, God looks into our souls and sees the delight of God's heart.
Let us join in prayer to the One who does not disappoint us.
(Unison) Prayer of Confession
God of glory, grace and Wisdom, you call to us, but we do not listen.
We trust in the emptiness of the world,
but are reluctant to hope in your Word.
We boast in our successes,
but ignore the sufferings of others.
Justice is what we demand for lawbreakers,
rather than it becoming a lifestyle for ourselves.
Sovereign God, majestic Creator:
have mercy on us;
Jesus Christ, Servant of the world:
have mercy on us;
Holy Spirit, Master Worker:
have mercy on us.
(silent prayers may be offered)
Assurance of Pardon
Leader: Poured into our hearts, God's love gives us new life and hope.
Touched by the fingers of God, we are restored to new life.
People: This is good news!
God loves us, God forgives us, God calls us to service!
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
Leader: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Leader: People of God, lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them to the Lord, our Sovereign.
Leader: People of God, give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: O Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.
It is our greatest joy to praise your name,
God whom we worship as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ is the Word you speak to shape chaos into creation's glory;
the Holy Spirit is the breath of life,
filling us with your hope, calling the living waters forth.
Even when we rebelled against you,
like a mother, you gently corrected our mistakes,
like a father, you stood with us in our suffering.
Therefore, we praise your name in all the earth,
with the choirs of the faithful in heaven,
and our sisters and brothers here with us,
who sing of your glory, now and forever:
Sanctus
Holy are you, God of majesty and glory,
and blessed is your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Coming to dwell among us,
he knew our suffering firsthand;
walking the streets of the world,
he endured our pain and grief;
ever obedient to your will,
he maintained the integrity of faith;
taking on the death and sin of the world,
he brought hope to those in sin.
Remembering your gracious acts in Christ,
we take this bread and this cup,
celebrating his life, his death, his resurrection,
even as we hope in the joy of his return.
Christ is the bread of life:
Memorial Acclamation
Pour out your Holy Spirit into our hearts
and upon these your gifts of bread and cup, Holy God.
Nurtured at this Table by your grace, may we go forth with your Spirit,
crying our for justice at the crossroads of poverty and oppression;
standing with our sisters and brothers in the midst of their suffering;
delighting always in the good earth which you have entrusted to our care.
Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
one with the Holy Spirit,
all glory and majesty are yours, almighty God,
now and forever. Amen.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
What Is Trinity?
John 16:12-15
Object: a glass of water
Today is the First Sunday after Pentecost, which we also call Trinity Sunday. I know you've heard that word "Trinity" used a lot, but does anyone know what it means? (Let them answer.)
The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Now, since each is God, does that mean that we have three Gods? (Let them answer.) No, there is only one God, but He exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Now, that is a great mystery and we don't know how it can be, but it is true and we know that it's true because the Bible tells us so.
Jesus often talked about the Father and the Spirit, and made it clear to people that he and the Spirit and God were all one. As I said, it is a great mystery and we can't explain it, but let me give you an example to help you understand a little about it.
What do I have here? (Show the water and let them answer.) Yes, this is a glass of water and it's a liquid. Now, what would happen to this water if I put it in a freezer? (Let them answer.) Yes, it would freeze. Would it look different than it does now? (Let them answer.) Yes, it would, but it would still be water. Now, what would happen to the water if I heated it up until it boiled? (Let them answer.) Well, it turns into a vapor and drifts off into the air. But even though it turns into a vapor, it's still water. It looks and acts differently, but it's still water.
Maybe this will help you understand the Trinity; one God, but this one God shows Himself to us in three different persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Just as this water is only one, but can look different when it is frozen or boiled.
Prayer: Dearest God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we love You and we know that You love us. Help us to accept the mystery of Your existence as three persons in one God even though we can't fully understand it. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, June 3, 2007, issue.
Copyright 2007 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
Suffering in the Sanctuary
by Stephen McCutchan
Romans 5:1-5; Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
THE WORLD
On Sunday, May 20, death entered the Presbyterian church in Moscow, Idaho. Jason Hamilton apparently sprayed more than 30 bullets into a courthouse across the street the night before, and then shot two officers who came to help and a civilian who was present. It is not clear what motivated Hamilton to go on this killing rampage. News stories have suggested he was a troubled individual who had previously threatened to go on a killing spree, and he fatally shot his wife at home before beginning this horrible act at the courthouse. Following those shootings he sought refuge in the Presbyterian church across the street. There, early on Sunday morning, after having killed the custodian in an office, Hamilton went into the sanctuary of the church and shot himself.
What is your first response to hearing that such violence took place in a church sanctuary? Would your response have been different if the shooter had found another building in which to take refuge and later to kill himself? Was there any reason why, having already killed the custodian in another part of the building, he chose to enter the sanctuary before shooting himself?
We have grown accustomed to thinking of a sanctuary as a refuge from the troubles of the world. It is a place where we take a time apart from our troubles and seek a closer relationship with God. What is the impact of discovering that violence has invaded that sacred space? Does it profane the sanctuary or make it an even more hallowed place? Are there times when we are surprised to discover that suffering and violence are the very context where we discover the presence of God?
The people of that Presbyterian congregation arrived on Sunday morning to discover their church cordoned off as a crime scene. On that day and in the days that followed, the church found another place to worship on the campus of the nearby university. Their faith led them to invite the community to come to prayer, not only for the victims but also for the killer. Paul said, "We boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us" (Romans 5:3b-5a). Do you think that verse would be meaningful to the Christians in Moscow, Idaho at this time? As you think about that terrible experience, do you reflect on that verse in a new light?
THE WORD
It rings strange to our ears when we hear Paul speak of boasting in his sufferings, because in our culture we see suffering as an enemy that is either to be avoided or at least defeated as quickly as possible. A recent television ad used the repeated theme "I haven't got time for the pain." In contrast, Paul said: "I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church" (Colossians 1:24).
To avoid some masochistic distortion of Paul's words, it is important to keep them in context. The context of this phrase of boasting in suffering is the hope made possible by the grace in which we have been saved. While Christians do not seek out suffering, neither do they see the first objective of life as the avoidance of suffering. There is full recognition that being saved does not offer some magical protection from the woes of life. Clearly the example of Jesus, who experienced his full share of violence, should suggest to believers that faith may very well lead to suffering. Seen in this context, while one would not look for violence or suffering in a sanctuary, one might also recognize that holy space can be found in the midst of suffering and violence.
Why, then, would anyone want to be a Christian? You can easily see the cultural resistance to the acceptance of suffering even in the attempts to modify the Christian message for our society. Recall how many best-sellers (including a current one, The Secret) seek to express some alternate wisdom, some power of positive thinking, or some life philosophy that holds a better promise of success.
In contrast to our society, notice how Paul refuses to see suffering as one of the great negatives of life. Rather, Paul approaches suffering as a possibility for something positive: "suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts." Because he knew that God was not defeated by death or pain, Paul could approach difficult moments in life not from fear but from hope. Notice how the people in Moscow, Idaho looked for ways to invite the community to enter into a time of prayer even for the killer. That same direction was expressed by many at the Virginia Tech tragedy, who also sought to include the killer in their prayers.
Notice how this approach to the negative experiences of life was part of Paul's entire journey. When his own people rejected him, he recognized it as an opportunity to reach out to the Gentiles. When he was beaten and physically abused, he saw it as sharing in the sufferings of Christ. When he was thrown into prison, he saw it as an opportunity to testify to the praetorian guards. Because of God's love that filled his heart, his suffering was not a threat to who he was but an opportunity to witness to the same redemptive activity of God that Jesus demonstrated on the cross.
For churches that often experience setbacks in their attempts to offer ministry, Paul's understanding of the Gospel provides a means by which the church might rediscover a hope that does not disappoint and testify to a redemptive Gospel that offers hope to others. In the midst of chaos, particularly violent chaos that ruptures the thin veil of order that we have sought to impose on our surroundings, we are driven back to recall the core beliefs of our faith.
Our lectionary offers us a selection from our Wisdom literature, Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 for a reading on Trinity Sunday. Wisdom literature is an often-neglected part of the Bible, but it is probably the most natural expression of faith in our time. It approaches faith from the perspective of common sense. Part of the common sense of our lives is that God is not defeated by the chaos of violence. As this passage from Proverbs suggests, in the beginning when everything was in chaos, or as Genesis 1:2 says, "the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep," God created wisdom to help bring order out of chaos. The truth for us, in the midst of violence, is that despite many commentators' efforts we cannot make sense out of such violence. We are never going to come to an explanation that will satisfy as to why such violence occurs. But our faith is that God is not defeated by chaos. This leads us to look less for an explanation than for what, given the experience, are the possibilities that exist. As many people have experienced, it is when we can use the results of our suffering for a meaningful purpose that we begin to experience healing.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
I would suggest that a brief description of the scene in Moscow, Idaho, followed by the questions raised above (at the end of the "World" section) in response to Paul's statement about boasting in his suffering would quickly engage the congregation's attention.
You could then move to a brief description of the culture's avoidance of suffering as the context in which we live. The "I don't have time for the pain" ad would be a good summary statement of that context. You might contrast that by asking how many would likely be attracted to a product that advertised the possibility of suffering, rejection, and ridicule. Then remind them that Christ's invitation was to "take up their cross and follow me" (Mark 8:34).
Now you are ready to help them probe the meaning of suffering from Paul's perspective (as suggested in the "Word" section). It would also be a time to remind them of the sovereignty of God (as a Presbyterian I can't resist bringing that in) -- who is not defeated by chaos and therefore provides us the reason and hope to look at the possibilities in the midst of the chaos.
Reference to the wisdom literature and the opportunity to blend wisdom and faith might give you the opportunity to remind people that it is often true that people find the most meaning in life when they are willing to endure suffering and stress for something greater than themselves. Dietrich Bonhoeffer's contrast between cheap grace and the cost of discipleship might be an appropriate concluding image.
Given the recent outbreaks of violence in our society, this is a rich opportunity to guide your people in the journey of faith. The difficulty will be to not make it too complex. The subject really merits several sermons. Your challenge will be to choose one theme and save the others for another time.
ANOTHER VIEW
Who's Minding the Store?
by Barbara Jurgensen
Have any of you recently seen the 1963 comedy Who's Minding the Store? Jerry Lewis plays a clumsy, penniless young guy who falls in love with a beautiful young woman, and they make plans to marry.
What he doesn't know is that she's from a very wealthy family, and her mother begins doing all she can to prevent the marriage from taking place, including hiring Jerry to work as a clerk in the big department store she owns.
I won't tell you how it all comes out, but this is Trinity Sunday, and the title of this movie -- Who's Minding the Store? -- reminds me of the three persons of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
If the Lord God were just one being, what would have happened when he decided that it was time for him to come down to our earth? Who would have been taking care of the universe while he was with Mary for nine months, unable to function -- "out of commission," so to speak -- he who is the CEO of all that is? What would have happened while he was waiting to be born? Who would have been overseeing the vast, rolling stretches of space? Who would have been minding the store?
And then -- after Jesus had finished his ministry here on this earth, his ministry of preaching and teaching and healing; after he'd been crucified, and had risen from the dead that first Easter Sunday; and after forty more days, had ascended into heaven to be with his Father -- after all that, without him his followers would have felt powerless to carry on his work, his ministry.
In fact, they were all hiding in a locked upper room, afraid they'd also be put to death, just as he had been.
So on the Day of Pentecost, Jesus sent his followers the Holy Spirit, a companion to be with them and teach them, to help them and guide them, to give them the power to do his work wherever he would send them in this wide world.
So all the bases were covered. And the store was well-tended.
We today can have access to all three of them: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each helps us in various ways. God the Father comes and abides with each of us, giving us courage, helping us not to "lose heart." God the Son, Jesus, also dwells with us, making intercession for us, asking the Father to help us. God the Holy Spirit teaches and comforts and guides us, helping us to live as our Lord's people.
The Bible says that a threefold cord is not quickly broken, and the three members of the Trinity, who live within each of us, give us the strength we need to be what our Lord wants us to be, and to do what he wants us to do.
Last Sunday we celebrated Pentecost, the time of the giving of the Holy Spirit. When the disciples were hiding out after Jesus was crucified by the Roman soldiers, even though he came and appeared among them in that upper room and said, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent me, so I send you," still they huddled there for another week.
And then they went back to what they'd been doing before they first met Jesus -- they went back to fishing for a living.
It was not until Pentecost, fifty days after Easter, that they really came alive as Christians, as the Lord's followers, and could dedicate their lives to working with him in whatever way, and in whatever place, he chose.
And what they did then was glorious, heading out in all directions to share the Good News that Jesus can transform our lives. Such discipleship caused most of them to suffer many hardships, and eventually to lose their lives -- but it was a glorious task.
Following our Lord, as his earlier disciples did, can also bring us into situations where we may have to endure suffering. But Paul assures us in Romans 5 that such suffering for our Lord's sake produces endurance in us, and our enduring this suffering can produce character in us, and, as we grow in character, in our likeness to our Lord, we will grow in hope.
And all this happens because we've been given the Holy Spirit, our companion and teacher, our comforter and guide.
Who's minding the store? Genesis 1 tells us that it was God who created the heavens and the earth, and that a wind, or the Spirit of God (ruach in Hebrew means "spirit," "breath," and "wind"), swept over the face of the waters.
The opening verses of the Gospel of John tell us that the Word, Jesus, was in the beginning with God, and that all things came into being through him, and that without him not one thing came into being.
So the three of them -- God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit were here at the beginning of all things, before there was anything at all.
It's good to know that at the center of our universe, that at the center of all things, are three loving beings who care about each of us and want us to be part of their family.
ILLUSTRATIONS
A tale is told of a band of inexperienced mountain climbers. Without guides, they struck recklessly into the wilderness. Suddenly a rocky ledge gave way beneath their feet and they were tumbled headlong into a dismal pit. In the darkness of the pit they recovered from their shock, only to find themselves set upon by a swarm of angry snakes. Every crevice became alive with fanged, hissing things. For each snake the desperate men slew, ten more seemed to lash out in its place. Strangely enough, one man seemed to stand aside from the fight. When the indignant voices of his struggling companions reproached him for not fighting, he called back: If we remain here, we shall be dead before the snakes. I am searching for a way of escape from the pit for all of us.
Our world seems not unlike a pit of snakes. We did not sink into the pit in 1939, or even in 1933. We had descended into it generations ago, and the snakes have sent their venom into the bloodstream of humanity, gradually paralyzing us, numbing nerve after nerve, dulling our minds, darkening our vision. Good and evil, which were once as real as day and night, have become a blurred mist. In our everyday life we worshiped force, despised compassion, and obeyed no law but our unappeasable appetite. The vision of the sacred has all but died in the soul of man. And when greed, envy, and the reckless will to power, the serpents that were cherished in the bosom of our civilization, came to maturity, they broke out of their dens to fall upon the helpless nations.
-- Abraham Joseph Heschel, "The Mark of Cain: What Is Our Responsibility in the Face of Violence?" published in February 1944 in Liberal Judaism
***
There's a famous scene in Fiddler on the Roof in which, after a particularly troubling act of violence by the Christian majority, some young hotheads in the village demand "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth!"
Tevye's response: "And soon all the world will be blind and toothless."
***
Maybe we need to be a little more frank and a little less comforting in our approach to making disciples for Jesus Christ. Maybe we to say it like it really is, instead of sugar-coating the reality of what we are called to do. I can see an ad in the bulletin that says:
"Wanted: men and women, youth and children for dangerous journey. Bitter pain of maturing your faith in all situations: death, loss, disappointment, conflict, relationship problems, eating your own words, growing up, violence, addiction, lack of trust. Only the strong and willing should apply. No pay, but great rewards if successful. Give up your life for Christ, and you will gain it."
-- Marsha E. Brown, from "Were You There?" a sermon for April 1, 2007, posted in the Midrash online discussion group
***
One summer at camp, I watched an exasperated choir director trying to teach a group of high school students a piece called "I Know That My Redeemer Lives." The piece was not particularly difficult. The problem was with the summer months, teenage hormones, and a warm choir room. They just lost their focus.
It was then that the director brought in a friend of his -- a woman who introduced herself by saying that she had a husband of 25 years and three children. One was a freshman in college, the second was 17 and a rising senior, and the third was in heaven. Then she told the story. Several years previously, her youngest child was riding on a four-wheeler out in an open field. She hit a bump and was thrown from the vehicle. She landed in the soft grass of the field -- but, unfortunately, in that place when she fell there was a four-inch stick that was stuck in the ground. When she hit her chest on the ground, the stick punctured her heart. As they rushed her child to the hospital, the woman said she wasn't afraid, angry, or numb. There was just one verse that would not leave her mind. It was from Job: "I know that my redeemer lives... and when this flesh has been destroyed, then from my flesh I will see God" (19:25-26). A good friend of hers heard her story and wrote a choral arrangement of that verse, dedicating the song to her child. It was the very arrangement that that summer choir had difficulty focusing on. But hearing the story and the courage and the strength that this mother had in the midst of her suffering provided whole new meaning to well-worn words -- I know that my redeemer lives!
***
For years, an old man walked once a week to the Florida beach to feed those annoying seagulls. His name was Eddie Rickenbacker, a man who could not go one week without saying thank you.
If you were alive in October 1942, you may remember the day in which Rickenbacker was reported missing at sea. He had been sent across the Pacific on a B-17 on a mission to deliver a message to Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Unfortunately, the crew got lost, and the plane ran out of fuel and went down. All eight crew members escaped on one tiny life raft. They battled the sun, sharks, water... but mostly they battled hunger. After eight days, all their rations were gone. It would take a miracle to survive.
After an afternoon devotional service, the men said a prayer and tried to rest. As Rickenbacker was dozing with his hat over his eyes, something landed on his head. A seagull? What was a seagull doing hundreds of miles away from land? Only God knows. Let me say that again... only God knows. The flesh was eaten and the intestines were used as fish bait, and the crew survived.
Rickenbacker never forgot. As a result, every Friday evening this old captain walked to the pier to greet his feathered friends with his bucket full of fat shrimp and his heart full of thanks.
***
There is a quote I have on my desk from a Zimbabwean pastor. I don't know anything else about him except his steadfastness in the midst of suffering.
"I am a disciple of Christ. I will not let up, look back, or slow down. My past is redeemed, my future is secure. I am done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotion, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, or rewarded. My face is set; my goal is sure. My road is narrow; my way is rough, my companions few. My God is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, delayed, or deluded. I will not flinch in the face of adversity, not negotiate at the table of the enemy, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I am a disciple of Christ. I must go until He comes, speak of all I know of Him, and work until He stops me. And when He comes for His own, by the grace of God, He will have no problem recognizing me, because my colors are clear."
***
One thing we definitely know. God has not deliberately sent tragedy and suffering upon us. Though they are allowed, endured by God, they are not God's "intention" for us. Not once in the gospels does Jesus say that God sends tragedy and pain either to test us or to punish us. Though the blocks that prevent full healing are many and mysterious, the New Testament makes it clear that God is "always" on the side of healing, release, and reconciliation.
We know another thing. We are given the witness in scripture that the day will come when the whole creation will freely accept this love, healing, and reconciliation. There will be no aspect of creation left weeping and alone. There will be no more desire to choose lovelessness. The risk and choice will be there forever, but that risk (that grave gift of God's honor) will be transcended by a creation joyfully and freely united with God in the embrace of lovers.
This is not a bland victory. God has paid a great price for love within freedom.
-- Flora Slosson Wuellner, Prayer, Fear, and Our Powers
***
No wonder Paul can then go on to speak of celebration even in the midst of sufferings, the necessary path through which we travel as we share the Father's work in this still-corrupt world. Note, he doesn't say we celebrate our sufferings (in the same way that we celebrate our hope, in verse 2). We celebrate, he says, "in" our sufferings. He sees a steady progression in which God uses our sufferings for the same purpose as he gives us his own presence and love: to transform us into the truly human people we were made to be. That progression leads from patience to character, and from character to hope. We live in a world that wants everything immediately; that has no stability of character except a hollow media image; that wanders this way and that because it has no idea where it might be going. The gospel of Jesus the Messiah calls us to swim against the tide on all counts.
-- Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone -- Romans: Part One
***
Without you,
Weaver of willows,
Spinner of sunrises,
I would have no place
to put my foot:
stumbling face first
into the mud puddles
of my mistakes.
Without you,
Retriever of the fallen,
Mediator of the sin-splattered,
I would have no place
to put my soul:
adrift on the stormy sea
of seduction,
at the mercy of
bedlam's blows.
Without you,
Whisperer of wisdom,
Gift-bearing dove,
I would have no place
to put my heart:
watching it shrivel
in despair's
bitter grasp.
In you
I find my place,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
Blessed Trinity,
in you.
Amen.
-- from Fire and Bread (Wild Goose Publications), written by members of the Iona Community
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by Thom M. Shuman
Call to Worship
Leader: God, who created the fields of Eden,
takes delight in all things, including us!
People: God of glory, God of grace,
your name is exalted in all the earth!
Leader: Christ, who walked the streets of our world,
gives hope to all people, including us!
People: God of glory, God of grace,
your Son is Savior of all the earth!
Leader: God's Spirit, who stays in our hearts,
bears truth and peace to us!
People: God of glory, God of grace,
your love surrounds our every moment.
Prayer of the Day
Holy God, Creation's Artist:
tiny infants babble your praises,
as you reach out and heal us with the touch of your fingertips.
We worship you.
Jesus Christ, Gateway to grace:
you make right what we have messed up;
you build your kingdom on the foundation of our faltering faith;
you stand with us in the midst of our suffering.
We adore you.
Holy Spirit, Playmate of justice:
you splash through the sea-puddles in Eden's backyard,
tracking the mud into Kingdom's kitchen,
leading us to the Table.
We open our hearts to you.
God in Community, Holy in One,
hear us as we pray as Jesus taught us, saying,
Our Father . . .
Call to Reconciliation
Created as stewards of all creation,
we know how often we have sunk to depths of faithless living.
We lack the stamina to follow Christ through the Kingdom,
and ignore the Spirit's calls to justice.
Yet, God looks into our souls and sees the delight of God's heart.
Let us join in prayer to the One who does not disappoint us.
(Unison) Prayer of Confession
God of glory, grace and Wisdom, you call to us, but we do not listen.
We trust in the emptiness of the world,
but are reluctant to hope in your Word.
We boast in our successes,
but ignore the sufferings of others.
Justice is what we demand for lawbreakers,
rather than it becoming a lifestyle for ourselves.
Sovereign God, majestic Creator:
have mercy on us;
Jesus Christ, Servant of the world:
have mercy on us;
Holy Spirit, Master Worker:
have mercy on us.
(silent prayers may be offered)
Assurance of Pardon
Leader: Poured into our hearts, God's love gives us new life and hope.
Touched by the fingers of God, we are restored to new life.
People: This is good news!
God loves us, God forgives us, God calls us to service!
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
Leader: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Leader: People of God, lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them to the Lord, our Sovereign.
Leader: People of God, give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: O Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.
It is our greatest joy to praise your name,
God whom we worship as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ is the Word you speak to shape chaos into creation's glory;
the Holy Spirit is the breath of life,
filling us with your hope, calling the living waters forth.
Even when we rebelled against you,
like a mother, you gently corrected our mistakes,
like a father, you stood with us in our suffering.
Therefore, we praise your name in all the earth,
with the choirs of the faithful in heaven,
and our sisters and brothers here with us,
who sing of your glory, now and forever:
Sanctus
Holy are you, God of majesty and glory,
and blessed is your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Coming to dwell among us,
he knew our suffering firsthand;
walking the streets of the world,
he endured our pain and grief;
ever obedient to your will,
he maintained the integrity of faith;
taking on the death and sin of the world,
he brought hope to those in sin.
Remembering your gracious acts in Christ,
we take this bread and this cup,
celebrating his life, his death, his resurrection,
even as we hope in the joy of his return.
Christ is the bread of life:
Memorial Acclamation
Pour out your Holy Spirit into our hearts
and upon these your gifts of bread and cup, Holy God.
Nurtured at this Table by your grace, may we go forth with your Spirit,
crying our for justice at the crossroads of poverty and oppression;
standing with our sisters and brothers in the midst of their suffering;
delighting always in the good earth which you have entrusted to our care.
Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
one with the Holy Spirit,
all glory and majesty are yours, almighty God,
now and forever. Amen.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
What Is Trinity?
John 16:12-15
Object: a glass of water
Today is the First Sunday after Pentecost, which we also call Trinity Sunday. I know you've heard that word "Trinity" used a lot, but does anyone know what it means? (Let them answer.)
The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Now, since each is God, does that mean that we have three Gods? (Let them answer.) No, there is only one God, but He exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Now, that is a great mystery and we don't know how it can be, but it is true and we know that it's true because the Bible tells us so.
Jesus often talked about the Father and the Spirit, and made it clear to people that he and the Spirit and God were all one. As I said, it is a great mystery and we can't explain it, but let me give you an example to help you understand a little about it.
What do I have here? (Show the water and let them answer.) Yes, this is a glass of water and it's a liquid. Now, what would happen to this water if I put it in a freezer? (Let them answer.) Yes, it would freeze. Would it look different than it does now? (Let them answer.) Yes, it would, but it would still be water. Now, what would happen to the water if I heated it up until it boiled? (Let them answer.) Well, it turns into a vapor and drifts off into the air. But even though it turns into a vapor, it's still water. It looks and acts differently, but it's still water.
Maybe this will help you understand the Trinity; one God, but this one God shows Himself to us in three different persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Just as this water is only one, but can look different when it is frozen or boiled.
Prayer: Dearest God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we love You and we know that You love us. Help us to accept the mystery of Your existence as three persons in one God even though we can't fully understand it. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, June 3, 2007, issue.
Copyright 2007 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
