God's Protection
Sermon
I was once in a group for something or other where we were offered a pile of photographs. We were each invited to choose the photo which we liked the most and the photo which we liked the least. Then, of course, being group work, we were asked to reveal the reasons for our choices.
I don't remember which photo I chose as my favourite, but I do remember the photo which I chose as the one I most disliked. Interestingly, someone else in the group had chosen that very same photo as her favourite. It was a picture of a small child on reins which were at full stretch. I disliked it because it spoke to me of being chained and restricted and imprisoned and I much prefer pictures of freedom. But the other person loved it because it spoke to her of being protected and loved and looked after.
These two totally opposite points of view might raise some interesting thoughts about God's protection.
Many people today, especially non--churchgoers, tend to think of God as a scary figure, something like a giant with a big stick. God is like an over--sized Victorian schoolmaster, someone to be feared and someone who calls the shots. God tells us how to behave and looks on disapprovingly as we constantly ignore him, so God resorts to threats and promises and punishment. At the end of time, because we humans continue to disobey him whatever he does, God will zap the lot of us and the earth as we know it will be wiped out.
It's a horrible picture and a grotesque caricature of God, but one which many people hold, even if subconsciously. God is a figure to be revered and therefore to be feared. However, a God like that is a very protective God. Although punishment and threats may be the result of disobeying God, the reward for obeying God and keeping his laws is God's protection at all times.
The traditional view of this protection was that nothing bad would ever happen to those who obeyed God and this view is still held at some level by many people. A few years ago, when the son of a priest developed cancer, everybody felt shocked. But the shock was somehow compounded by the fact that the lad's father was a priest. The prevailing feeling was that it was doubly unfair to happen in the family of someone who had devoted his life to God's service. They may not have said so openly, but people thought that priests should be under special protection from God.
A moment's reflection on the events of history show that Christians, no matter how holy they might be, are just as vulnerable as everyone else to the vagaries of life and death. After all, if anyone should have been protected by God, it was surely Jesus. But Jesus died at a young age in a most brutal way. And plenty of other servants of God have suffered since. There is no special protection by God from the events of life.
God does protect us, but in a rather different way, as today's Old Testament reading indicates. "Do not fear," says God, "for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." But then God adds, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."
There is no suggestion that God will prevent the waters, even if they are strong rivers. We still have to pass through them. There's no suggestion that God will prevent the fire. We still have to walk through it. But we are told that God will be with us so that we aren't overwhelmed by the waters and that no matter how hot the fire, we won't be irredeemably damaged by it.
Life is full of fire and water. We are often in danger of drowning or being burned and that danger often prevents us from doing what we should do. Many of us tend to keep our heads down so that we don't have to face the fire and so that there's no possibility of us drowning. But that's not the Christian way. The Christian way is to trust God and do what is right, even when doing what is right will inevitably lead to suffering. This is what Jesus did and this is what Jesus demands of his followers -- to follow him.
Christians are not protected from suffering in this life, but they are protected through their suffering. We can be wholly certain that God will walk through the waters with us so that we don't drown and that however hot the situation might get, we won't be consumed by the flames. Furthermore, if we follow Jesus and face the suffering that comes our way without trying to evade it or avoid it, God is able to use that suffering to our advantage. By losing our life for his sake, we actually find our life in a very different and very rewarding way.
God doesn't protect us like a father holding his toddler on reins. God allows us complete autonomy to do whatever we wish to do even when we stray into danger. God's protection doesn't prevent our suffering but it will see us through our suffering so that we emerge strong and confident into a new kind of life. And that's protection which is well worth having.
I don't remember which photo I chose as my favourite, but I do remember the photo which I chose as the one I most disliked. Interestingly, someone else in the group had chosen that very same photo as her favourite. It was a picture of a small child on reins which were at full stretch. I disliked it because it spoke to me of being chained and restricted and imprisoned and I much prefer pictures of freedom. But the other person loved it because it spoke to her of being protected and loved and looked after.
These two totally opposite points of view might raise some interesting thoughts about God's protection.
Many people today, especially non--churchgoers, tend to think of God as a scary figure, something like a giant with a big stick. God is like an over--sized Victorian schoolmaster, someone to be feared and someone who calls the shots. God tells us how to behave and looks on disapprovingly as we constantly ignore him, so God resorts to threats and promises and punishment. At the end of time, because we humans continue to disobey him whatever he does, God will zap the lot of us and the earth as we know it will be wiped out.
It's a horrible picture and a grotesque caricature of God, but one which many people hold, even if subconsciously. God is a figure to be revered and therefore to be feared. However, a God like that is a very protective God. Although punishment and threats may be the result of disobeying God, the reward for obeying God and keeping his laws is God's protection at all times.
The traditional view of this protection was that nothing bad would ever happen to those who obeyed God and this view is still held at some level by many people. A few years ago, when the son of a priest developed cancer, everybody felt shocked. But the shock was somehow compounded by the fact that the lad's father was a priest. The prevailing feeling was that it was doubly unfair to happen in the family of someone who had devoted his life to God's service. They may not have said so openly, but people thought that priests should be under special protection from God.
A moment's reflection on the events of history show that Christians, no matter how holy they might be, are just as vulnerable as everyone else to the vagaries of life and death. After all, if anyone should have been protected by God, it was surely Jesus. But Jesus died at a young age in a most brutal way. And plenty of other servants of God have suffered since. There is no special protection by God from the events of life.
God does protect us, but in a rather different way, as today's Old Testament reading indicates. "Do not fear," says God, "for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." But then God adds, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."
There is no suggestion that God will prevent the waters, even if they are strong rivers. We still have to pass through them. There's no suggestion that God will prevent the fire. We still have to walk through it. But we are told that God will be with us so that we aren't overwhelmed by the waters and that no matter how hot the fire, we won't be irredeemably damaged by it.
Life is full of fire and water. We are often in danger of drowning or being burned and that danger often prevents us from doing what we should do. Many of us tend to keep our heads down so that we don't have to face the fire and so that there's no possibility of us drowning. But that's not the Christian way. The Christian way is to trust God and do what is right, even when doing what is right will inevitably lead to suffering. This is what Jesus did and this is what Jesus demands of his followers -- to follow him.
Christians are not protected from suffering in this life, but they are protected through their suffering. We can be wholly certain that God will walk through the waters with us so that we don't drown and that however hot the situation might get, we won't be consumed by the flames. Furthermore, if we follow Jesus and face the suffering that comes our way without trying to evade it or avoid it, God is able to use that suffering to our advantage. By losing our life for his sake, we actually find our life in a very different and very rewarding way.
God doesn't protect us like a father holding his toddler on reins. God allows us complete autonomy to do whatever we wish to do even when we stray into danger. God's protection doesn't prevent our suffering but it will see us through our suffering so that we emerge strong and confident into a new kind of life. And that's protection which is well worth having.
