Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, (Judges 7:1,2).

          God, like the marines, is looking for a few good men.  God started the search with a farmer who was secretly threshing wheat in a winepress.  The farmer wanted to be sure that he was hearing the voice of God.  He demanded a sign from God.  Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.  (Judges 6:17).  The man realized that if he expected to hear from God he needed to worship God with his sacrificial offering and see if it was accepted by God.  He pleaded with God.  Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.” (Judges 6:18).  So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. (Judges 6:24).  Gideon’s sacrifice was not the end of this matter.  He was indeed required to worship God in the proper way.  However, his father and the rest of his family were still worshiping their pagan gods.  They were still ignoring the God who had brought the people through the struggles of the past.   Therefore, Gideon was commanded to go and destroy the symbols of the idol gods.  That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.  Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.”  (Judges 6:25-26). 

              Many men in the church hear God’s call to true and proper worship but they are so concerned about what other men might say that they sneak around so that they won’t be seen.  We need men who are bold warriors for right.  Not only that, but many men don’t have the nerve to respond to their calling alone.  They have to get other men to join them before they will take the actions decreed by God.  Of course, the same thing can be said of men who are called by the devil.  They want to find others to join them in their evil works.  So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.  (Judges 6:27).

              When the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, he realized that he was not called to stand alone.  He blew his trumpet to summon nearby allies to join him in this battle.  Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. (Judges 6:34). The greatest problems in our society can be solved when godly men respond to the enabling of the Holy Spirit and sound the call for other godly men to join them in the battle against evil. 

              Gideon, like so many men, was still unsure and uncertain.  He insisted that he needed another sign from God that God would do what God had promised.  Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised–look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew–a bowlful of water.  (Judges 6:33-38).  Even this miracle did not satisfy Gideon’s doubts.  He added another test which was a reverse of the first.  Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew.” 40That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew. (Judges 6:39-40).  Finally, Gideon was convinced and prepared to fight the battle.

              Today, we complain about the absence of godly men to step up and confront the forces of evil.  Imagine a time when there were too many men to fight a battle.  God told Gideon that he had too many men because if they won the battle with these men they would think that Gideon and the men deserved credit for what God had done.  God’s first requirement was that those men who admitted that they were afraid should be dismissed and allowed to return to their homes.  Announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. (Judges 7:3).  Two-thirds of the men left because they were afraid.  This is an amazing statistic since few men are willing to admit fear, especially in front of other men.  However, this enemy was so frightening that the men decided that discretion was the better part of valor and they fled for their lives. 

              Gideon must have thought that this smaller group of only ten thousand would be small enough to satisfy the Lord.  But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.  (Judges 7:4-6).

              This scripture has long intrigued preachers.  A man who is on his knees is in no position to fight if the enemy suddenly appears.  One who laps the water with his hands while crouching or standing on his feet is ready to spring into action.  These are the men who God is calling into battle.  Some commentators point out that those standing while lapping the water from their hands might have been the most cowardly who realized that standing put them in a better position to run away if the enemy suddenly appeared. The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place.”  (Judges 7:7).

              Everything was almost ready but God knew that Gideon still had doubts.  It is amazing how much God has to do in order for us to be convinced about our mission.  Nevertheless, God gave the direct order that it was time to attack.  During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.  If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp.  (Judges 7:9-11).  God knows that even those of us who have been obedient can still have unspoken fears.  The world is a very dangerous place.  Our fears are not due to unfounded paranoia.  So Gideon is told to go an listen to what the enemy is saying.  He found out that they, too, had frightening visions and fears.  Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.”  His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”  When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”  (Judges 7:13-15).  God had already told Gideon that the victory was his but he did not believe it until he heard the enemy describe his dream. 

              This is a wonderful story for Men’s Day.  It tells about a man who faced his fears and experienced the victory promised by God.  Unfortunately, the ultimate outcome of this story is not a good one.  There is no happy ending because the people returned to the behavior that got them into trouble in the first place.  No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god and did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side.  (Judges 7:33-34).  This should sound familiar to those of us who went through the social upheavals of the sixties and seventies.  People who look at the devastation that remains evident in our community today must be reminded that they did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side.

              But there is good news.  The Lord is still looking for a few good men.  Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, had thousands of disciples and believers but he built his earthly ministry using a few good men.  He knew that the devil believed that he could destroy the ministry of Jesus if he could get to the men by setting them against each other arguing about which of them was the greatest.  Satan did not hide his plans as he went boldly to God and asked for these men in the same way that he had asked God for permission to strike Job.  Luke record’s Jesus’ passionate plea to Peter, the impetuous lieutenant of this band.  “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32).  Jesus commanded Simon to strengthen his brothers.  God is looking for a few good men who can encourage each other and build each other up.  God is looking for a few good men who can be faithful like Abraham, encouraging like Barnabas, bold like Paul, enthusiastic like Peter, brave like Stephen, inclusive like Philip, yet humble like Christ.

Jesus spent a lot of time trying to explain himself to his followers.  He was a master teacher who knew how to use examples and illustrations from the everyday lives of his disciples.  Some tended sheep and some were farmers so he often used pastoral scenes in his homilies.  Everyone had to deal with the tax collectors, judges and other people in power, so they often made their way into his stories.

Jesus had declared that the kingdom of God is at hand but few seemed to understand what he meant by that.  So, Jesus used an ancient rabbinical method called the parable as his primary instructional tool.  Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.”  (Mark 4:30-32).  What did Jesus mean by this?  Isn’t the kingdom of God a grand and magnificent enterprise?  What is this smallest seed that when planted grows to become the largest of all?  I believe that it was the simple idea expressed in the most basic words possible—God so loved the world…  That is, the kingdom of God is based on this small thing called love that starts in our hearts and grows.  Worldly kingdoms are built on power, fear, military might and intimidation.  The residents of the kingdom of God are required only to have an abiding faith in the love of God that is expressed through Jesus Christ.

In another parable Jesus talked about the mystery of the kingdom’s growth.  It is imperceptible; it is hidden from visual observation but persistent.   2He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. (Mark 4:26-28). The explanation for this phenomenon is obscured because Jesus is quoting a cryptic declaration from Isaiah 6:10 when he says, the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.”  (Luke 8:10).  Jesus then reiterates the idea that the seed is the word of God.

This discussion of parables and Jesus’ desire to teach his slow-witted disciples might help us to understand fully the famous incident that follows.  That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. (Mark 4:35-36).  Jesus sometimes calls his disciples to go over to the other side.  He had preached and taught on this side.  He had healed the people on this side.  Some of them had not learned the lesson of the day, but he loved them anyway.  He was not calling his disciples to abandon those on this side.  He was urging them to carry his message into new territories.  Be assured that Jesus also knew that getting to the other side would provide a new opportunity to teach his closest disciples the lessons that they had to learn if they were going to do kingdom work.

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. (Mark 4:37).  The first lesson that Jesus taught was that even when we are on a mission assigned by Jesus himself, we still can encounter storms.  All of the boats in the armada were suddenly being tossed about by some very rough waves.  This was a sudden and unexpected development.  After all, what could be more secure than traveling with Jesus himself?  They were obviously terrified by the storm but they were clearly irritated by Jesus’ casual attitude.  The expected reaction when storms come is hysteria and panic.  Jesus wanted to teach his disciples that with Christ, there is another way.  As they crossed to the other side, they needed an attitude adjustment if they were going to be successful in their mission.  Jesus showed that he had complete faith in his heavenly Father.  He slept peacefully while they were frantically flailing about in fear.

Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (Mark 4:38).  Jesus wanted to be sure that the disciples did not think that he had merely dozed off for a short nap.  He took a pillow and made himself comfortable as he slept.  His calm demeanor caused the disciples to accuse him of not caring.  It reminds me of a common reaction at funerals where the observers determine the love of the family for the deceased by the volume of noisy wailing and moaning coming from the bereaved family.  In truth, sometimes the one expressing the loudest grief is the one who has the greatest regret about missed opportunities for service while the person was still living.  Those who seized every moment to embrace the ones they loved while they were still alive can quietly and reverently reflect on the love they shared.

Jesus did not respond to the rebuke from his disciples.  He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.  (Mark 4:39).  He then proceeded to teach them the lesson.  He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”  (Mark 4:40-41).  Did you notice that while they were very unsettled by the storm they were terrified by the calm that followed when Jesus spoke a word of peace to the wind and the waves?  They cowered before the fury of indifferent and deadly nature.  They had never seen a man who could speak to the wind and have it obey.

They then asked themselves the question—the only question—on the final examination given by Professor Jesus:  Who is this?  Remember, these were not casual followers.  These were his closest disciples who were chosen directly by Jesus.  They had every reason to believe that they knew him.  But, until that point, they like the other followers may have been hanging with Jesus because of the miracles while knowing that other charismatic leaders had also performed apparent miracles.  It was possible to coerce or hypnotize or bribe men and women into pretending to have been healed from an ailment or disability.  But the elements could not be induced to respond to a man’s command.  Only God could speak to the wind and the waves.

Do you know him?  Has he spoken to the storms in your life?  Have you experienced the calm, not with fear but with reverence?  Do you know that he is holy, mighty, and loving?

Jesus was concerned about preparation as he planned to institute the celebrations of the Last Supper that became the model for the sacrament of Holy Communion. The preparations involved three steps. We need to prepare the place but we are not ready for the meal until we prepare our minds and prepare our hearts.

Prepare a place.

Jesus told his trusted disciples Peter and John to go make preparations for this special meal. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” “Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked. (Luke 22:8-9). Their question is simple enough but points to the special character of this particular meal. They apparently had eaten Passover before. They had friends and family who could have served as hosts. But this time Jesus gave them cryptic and puzzling instructions. He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there.” They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. (Luke 22:10-13). First he tells them to look for the very unusual sight of a man who was carrying water. Men did not carry water. That was work for women or the lowest of male slaves. Jesus told them to look for a man who was in the lowest, most humble level of society and follow him to the house where he worked. They were then to speak to the owner of the house and tell him that their master needed him to have the furnished upper room prepared so that he could eat the Passover meal at his house. The disciples found the room by following Jesus’ directions and made the arrangements for the meal. I wonder if the sight of a man who was humble enough to carry water had any effect on these two macho men who were told to prepare for a meal.

Prepare your minds.

“Come to the feast prepared.” But answer some questions first: “What are you thinking? What is on your mind when you come to this communion table?” A lot of people think that if they take communion they will be holier than those who do not. Others think that if they take communion they will be better Christians. Some people think that the ritual has the power to change them somehow from the sinners that they are into wannabe saints.

Jesus continued his strange instructions. After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” (Luke 22:17,18). He seemed to be trying to show his disciples that they all have a part in this. I wonder how they divided the wine. Was it carefully poured out in equal amounts or did some get more than others? Did each one take a little sip or did some gulp down a long draught? These disciples who would soon argue again about which of them was the greatest now faced this test from Jesus—divide it among you.

Then Jesus turned his attention to the bread. And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19). This time he may have broken individual pieces of brand and handed it to each one. Next, he continued his challenge to their mind as he took the new cup and explained its meaning. In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. (Luke 22:20). This usual, familiar Passover supper represented something brand new. Jesus, the only one who could fulfill the old was ushering in the new by the bruising of his body and the shedding of his blood. The minds of the disciples had to be prepared to embrace this new idea.

Prepare your hearts.

This was an intense emotional experience for Jesus. When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 22:14-16). Jesus was passionate in his desire to share with his disciples in this special intimate way. He knew that it would be his last chance to prepare their hearts to receive his new commandment. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other. (John 15:12-17).

Weeks later, after the crucifixion, after the resurrection, after the ascension, Peter preached a stirring sermon to the anxious and expectant gathering of believers. With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:40-47). Jesus had succeeded in conquering death and in preparing these disciples who would build his church.

“Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?“  “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind.  But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.“  (John 9:1-6; 19-21).

Jesus had just completed an encounter with some religious leaders who accused him of being a Samaritan and demon-possessed.  He escalated the confrontation by using language that clearly indicated that he considered himself to be God.  He said, “Before Abraham was born, I am.”  (John 8:58).  He slipped away before they could hurl the stones that they had picked up. He slipped away but he did not run away.  He continued with his work.  It was then that he saw the man who was blind from birth.  The common view in that era was that illness or catastrophe had to be due to sin of the parents or sin of the victim.  Someone must have sinned because surely the innocent would not be punished by God.  Thus, the question was direct and presumptuous, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  Jesus did not explain as he gave his sharp retort.  “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. (John 9:3).  Jesus was saying that this unfortunate situation was not due to sin but it would provide an opportunity for skeptics and cynics to see how the power of God can change a person’s life.
Young people seem to find ways to get into a lot of trouble today. And when they do a weary and frustrated society often looks at the parents and asks the question, “Where did you go wrong?”  It must be your fault parents.  In fact, since Dad so often is not around, it must be your fault Mamma.  I know that this is your day and we are supposed to honor you and celebrate, but, Mamma, with all due respect I must ask, “How did this happen?”  How did more of your sons end up in prison than in college, Mamma?  How did your children end up as Baby Mamma and Baby Daddy several times over while never being a bride or groom?  Not only does society ask her these questions, but many guilt-ridden mothers cry out in anguished self-examination, “I tried to raise him right.  Where did I go wrong?”
After the healing when the change was complete, they asked his mother, “Is this your son?  Was he blind from birth?  How was he healed?”  A mother’s work is done when she can say with conviction, Ask him.  He is of age; he will speak for himself.  If I had the gall to criticize Mother on her day in front of a congregation of Black women, I would gently level one small complaint.  Mamma, he is of age; let him speak for himself.  And I do mean he.  We coddle our sons, protect them, make excuses for them while holding our daughters to a different standard.
“Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.  (John 9:7).  Jesus told him to go.  Momma, let him go.  Jesus said, “Go, wash in the Pool…”  Let him go and wash in the pool.  He did not say, “Go home to your Mamma and have her wash your eyes.”  Mother please, he needs to do this himself.  In my days as a university administrator the biggest problem with young black men was the women in their lives who would not let them go and do for themselves.  I have often heard weary and exasperated mothers declare that “I have had to be mother and father to him since his Daddy is not really in his life.”  Mamma, you can never be his daddy.  You have everything you need to be his mother but you don’t have the equipment to be daddy.  Don’t get mad at me or him about that.  Talk to the Creator when you give yourself a moment to rest and reflect.
When the man went where he was sent the result was that he came home seeing.  Notice, Mother.  Let him go where Jesus told him to go and do what Jesus told him to do and he will come home a changed man.  He who was blind and lame and weak will come home seeing and walking and strong.

A Mother’s Day Poem

A Mother’s Day poem
Is always warm and sweet
Filled with sugar and spice
And replete
With everything nice
Mama this is your day
So it pains me to say
That inquiring minds want to know
Whether you can show
A lack of responsibility
Or merely hypersensitivity
To your offspring’s cry
Its all so absurd
But I must use your words
That you spoke to me
To justify whipping my behind
“This hurts me more than you.”
Those words were never true
And aren’t true now
But they seem appropriate somehow
To this situation
Maybe I have an excuse
That I can use

To explain my errant behavior
Before I met my savior
It’s all your fault now
For loving me beyond reason
Far beyond the season
Of giving and Christmas joy
Of presents and unwrapped toys
That blew your budget to bits
It’s your fault, Mama
That I was blind to
Your sacrifices
As I perfected my vices
And scandalized the family name
To your unending shame
Yet you love me anyway
And hugged my hurts away
While delaying your own dreams
Society looks at me it seems
Whenever I stumble or fall
And raises it voice to call
With the question or accusation
Did you sin, Mama?
How else can you explain
Your offspring’s failure to gain
A right place in society?
I finally met Jesus
In my blind state
He opened my eyes
Before it was too late
To say, “Mama, I love you.”
Even if you sinned
Yes, this is the sugary part
Or at least the saccharin
Even that is your fault
You must bear the blame
For showing me the love
That comes in Jesus’ name
So now that I have learned
I can and must return
No more fleeing
I came home seeing.

Priming the pump was an act of faith. A person experiencing thirst could gulp down the little bit of water in the container and satisfy thirst for a moment or pour the water down the well and gain an abundant supply of refreshing water. Scripture supports this idea. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. (Proverbs 11:25, KJV). If we prime the pump by pouring the water we possess down the well we shall receive many times more than the small amount we risked. When my high school teachers invested their meager salaries in young men who wanted to start construction companies, they were priming the pump. When my department chairman in college sent letters containing ten dollar bills to former students who were studying for their graduate degrees he was priming the pump. When our churches gave scholarship money to eager young students who were trying to get to college, they were priming the pump.

John the Baptist understood this concept very well. Jesus thought so much of John that he said, I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (Matthew 11:11). Jesus apparently was trying to make a point about the status of human beings relative to heavenly beings. John, despite Jesus’ praise, was not puffed up but John’s followers tried to get to him through his ego. John and Jesus were both members of the same minority group. The biggest threat to a group’s progress often comes when people within the group try to pit one leader against another. They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.” (John 3:27). John’s magnificent response is such an important lesson for those in modern times who struggle against oppression. To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’…He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:28, 30). John understood that he was just priming the pump. His small amount of water poured into the well would cause abundant living water to flow.

The end of the year is often a time of frustration and exasperation. If we could stand on the horizon and push back the rising sun on this day we would rush to the edge of the world and shout, “STOP!” It is a time when we take inventory and invariably think of the things that are NOT. We did not get our promotion. In fact, we did not keep our job. We did not find the man or woman who is going to fulfill our lives. We did not stop foreclosure. We did not…

Be assured that if we can’t remember the things that are not, someone else will remind us. I recently encountered a young man who was loudly criticizing the church while complaining about what the church is not. He argued that churches are not part of the communities in which they reside and they are not interested in anything except money. He didn’t allow facts to get in the way of his opinions. He was unmoved by the fact that over 19,000 families that do not belong to this church have been fed by this church since the inception of the food pantry ministry. He was determined to declare the things that are not.

Paul writes that Abraham’s faith was in a God who could do two amazing things: (1) give life to the dead and (2) call things that are not as though they were.

Giving Life to the Dead

Abraham’s initial reaction to the promise of God was doubt and laughter. Not only that, he also tried to develop a human plan to accomplish God’s divine promise. Abraham fell face down; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” And Abraham said to God, “if only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” (Genesis 17:17-18). Abraham knew that he and Sarah were not young. In fact, they were physically as good as dead. ¹⁹Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead–since he was about a hundred years old–and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. (Mark 4:19). Abraham did not see how this could happen but he obviously believed that if it did it would be because he and Sarah made it happen. God may be great, Abraham thought, but he cannot call the dead to life. That’s why he asked that the promise might be fulfilled though Ishmael since he and Sarah had arranged that matter with their slave, Hagar.

Abraham kept wondering how these things could be while trying to apply his weak human mind to the impossible task of trying to figure out the miraculous. He and his wife did not readily stop their human engineering and simply put their trust in the promises of God. Yet, they found that God can indeed give life to the dead.

Things That Are Not

They kept focusing on things that are not. This is a problem of many churches. We focus so much on what is not that we forget or even laugh at the God who is able to call the things that are not as though they were. Paul praises Abraham for his faith. The writer of Hebrews cites Abraham’s faith as the source of his righteousness. They fail to mention that skepticism and doubt preceded faith. Abraham eventually came to faith but only after he had a good laugh about the things that were not.

The Invitation

We see what is not. God declares what will be. We invite those who are not part of the household of faith to begin the new year by accepting the Christ who revealed himself two thousand years ago.

Its time to take inventory. The old year is over. It’s time to list the things that are not and then take that list to the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. Look at that list one year from now and you will see that God is able.

Riding a bus is a fascinating experience today.  If you want to see America, go down to the Greyhound Bus Station and look.  We rushed to the bus station to catch the very crowded bus.  We asked the ticket seller if there were seats on the bus.  She said that she did not have the foggiest notion; she just sold the tickets.  If there were not enough seats, then the company would simply add another bus.  With that reassurance, we rushed to get on the bus.

It was eleven o’clock at night, and people had sacked out for the night for this last trip.  There were not two adjacent seats where my wife and I could sit together but we had our ticket and we were on the bus.  The driver said, “Alright you folks who have luggage on the seats either have to buy another ticket or take your luggage off because there are people getting on here and they need to sit down.”  We moved on back until we passed by one place were there was one empty seat and one man who was stretched out across both seats.  He looked up at me with a less than friendly look and dared me to sit down.  I told my wife to take the single seat in the next row while I summoned the nerve to sit next to this dear brother.  He moved an inch or two, just enough to let me know that he had moved but he really didn’t want to move.  I squeezed into that little space and sat very still. I was so much aware that we were in close proximity.

I didn’t want to move because if I accidentally touched him maybe he would think that somehow that was an assault on his personhood.  That might have been just what it would take to drive him off deep end to make the newspaper the next day.  Every now and then he would shift around a little bit and try to nudge me even further toward the arm rest.   We were close.  We had no choice.  We didn’t know each other. It was a little bit uncomfortable for me at least and I’m sure he may have felt just fine about the situation, aware that I was sitting in what was his space.  We rode in silence to Tallahassee for two hours fifteen minutes and twenty-two seconds.

The trip was uneventful except for my numb leg and foot.  I arrived in one piece.  He didn’t pull out a weapon.  Nevertheless, as I thanked God for traveling mercies, I also made a vow to God.  I have always known that when one makes a vow, it is good to plan to keep it.  My vow to God was, “Thank you so much for bringing us safely though this experience, and if it’s in my ability and power, it’s not an experience that I intend to have again in this life.”

I was sitting there somewhat tense and uncomfortable not knowing what this man was thinking.  At that point he shifted his body so that his knee hit up against me.   The contact was subtle but definite.  It’s all about to come out now.   When he realized that he had accidentally bumped against me, he did something that reminded me of what Jesus had said.  This wasn’t a longtime relationship. This was a momentary communication between two strangers.  I braced myself for the verbal assault coming from this groggy, hostile stranger.  He said the two words that made me understand what this scripture is about.  He said, “Excuse me.”

I was reminded that Jesus was telling us that we have to recognize the humanness and personhood of everybody else.  I was convicted because I realized that I had formed judgments about somebody that I didn’t even know that caused so much unnecessary tension as I rode along. We Christians have to understand that Jesus said that if our brother sins against us, we must communicate with each other in Christ.  Jesus’ disciples had to lean on each other; they had to depend on each other.

Jesus said that he would not drink again of this cup until he could drink it in the kingdom of God   When will that Kingdom come?  It will come when those who say they are Christians are able to understand that one of the things they have to do in life, when they encounter strangers is to be able to say “excuse me.”   If the other person offers the excuse, we must be able to accept the apology with grace and love.  The Kingdom of God is that place where the loving will of God rules.  That means the love of God binds us more than the fear of each other separates us.

I thank God today for “traveling mercies.”  God has been merciful, God has been gracious, God has supplied all of our needs throughout this journey called life.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39).

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy– to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 1:24-25).

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3).

The Christmas season is traditionally a time of great joy and rightly so.  The image of the Savior entering the world as a tiny infant captures our imagination and gives us such warm and fuzzy feelings.  We hear angels singing and behold highly educated men giving gifts and recognition to the young king Jesus.  No wonder we sing about a world filled with joy.  However, joy is usually the last emotion that we associate with the Easter event.  The Lenten season is a time of fasting, denial and reflection when we usually have a look of despair on our ashen faces.    Palm Sunday’s exaltation is usually tempered by the reality of the coming cries of “crucify him!”  The strangely-named Good Friday is a classic study in doom and gloom.  Even Easter morning, Resurrection Sunday, is celebrated in the shadow of the old rugged cross.  Nevertheless, Jesus looked forward to the cross with joy.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2).  How strange!  I cannot imagine facing even the mildest punishment or humiliation with joy.  How could Jesus do this?   Why did Jesus do it?  First, there is the reason recited so often that it sounds trite and almost loses its power and effect.  God so loved the world that he gave his only son.  (John 3:16).  It was done because of love and by love so that we who are sinful could see that we must also love each other.  He was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities. (Isaiah 53:5, KJV).

Jesus endured the most excruciating pain because of our sin.  So, why did he feel such joy and how do we share in that joy?  The very idea that we can now be saved should fill us with joyful gratitude.  All have sinned and fallen short () yet God says that if you confess with you mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in you heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. (Romans 10:9).

There was a man who truly knew the joy of the Lord.  His name was David, the second king of Israel.  He knew joy because he was blessed and highly favored by God.  Some said that he was man after God’s own heart.  He had all of the worldly treasures, prestige, and power that any man could want.  Somehow in his quest for worldly goods and pleasures, things that he thought would bring happiness, he lost his joy.  He lost it when he lusted after another man’s wife.  He threw it away when he arranged for his death.  He destroyed his joy when he tried to cover up his evil acts. 

His prayer of repentance and plea for forgiveness stand as models of contrition even for us today. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  (Psalm 51:10,11).  He used to have a pure heart and a steadfast spirit but he had thrown them away.  His fear was that God would cast him away and remove the Holy Spirit from him.  David knew even in ancient times that the Holy Spirit had protected and guided him through all of life’s struggles.  Losing the Holy Spirit would have meant that he had lost everything.

Then David requests the greatest thing that he had lost.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.  (Psalm 51:12).  He no longer had joy.  David lived before Christ.  He knew about wrath.  He knew about punishment.  He, a king, had meted it out many times.  He had shown no mercy to those who transgressed and violated his sovereign will.  Christ’s death on the cross assures that even Christians who sin do not have to worry about losing their salvation.  Paul expressed it directly and clearly.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39).  Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.  Because he lives, because he rose on the third day, because of the resurrection, we can never lose our salvation.  If we could lose it, Christ would have died in vain.  Jesus did not die in vain.  He was successful, effective in saving even me. 

However, you can lose the joy of your salvation.  You have met a Christian who is so negative, sour on life, critical, and condemning that you wonder how they could still claim to be a Christian.  The good news of Easter is that if they were ever saved, if they eve knew the Lord, they are still saved. Jesus is not a failure.  The devil cannot snatch them out of his hands.  Sin, even the worst sin, cannot cause you to lose your salvation.  But, wallowingthat sin can and will steal your joy.  You don’t have to pray that God will restore your salvation.  You may need to pray that God will restore the joy ofsalvation and give you a spirit that allows you to sustain it. 

Our own sin can steal our joy.  So can the attacks of others who challenge our faith.  James, the brother of Jesus, who seems to have come to faith in Christ after the other apostles, tells us how to deal with the temptations and trials that we face.  Consider it pure joy [count it all joy, KJV], my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  (James 1:2-4).  When we are persecuted we should be joyful and persevere.  Even through the valley of the shadow of death, Jesus is with us.  Count it all joy.

The Bible records a time when seventy-two of Jesus’ disciples experienced joy.  He had sent them out in two-person evangelism teams to proclaim that the kingdom was now in their midst.  They were so excited about the reaction of the people and the demons to them.  The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.  However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”  (Luke 10:17-20).  Jesus seemed to be saying that they should not be surprised that they had authority and even power.  That was not the source of your joy. Their true joy should be the joy of their salvation that David longed to have restored to him.

Jesus is so often described as a man of sorrows.  He wept.  He was distressed and in agony in the garden.  He displayed the full range of human emotions that one would expect from one who was “fully man.”  Don’t be misled by the understandable expressions of sorrow.  Jesus was a man of joy.  At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.  (Luke 10:21).  Jesus got happy and filled with joy when he thought about his union with the Father and the Holy Spirit that allowed those who with simple faith trusted in him to share in his joy.

It is because of Easter that so many preachers of the Gospel are moved to end the worship experience by praying the prayer recorded in Jude, a prayer to the one who approached the agonizing cross with joy and gives that same joy to everyone who believes.  To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy–to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.  (Jude 24,25).

Isaiah 24:1  Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.
 

Acts 17:6-9 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; 7Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. 8And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. 9And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.
 

            Many of us who lived through the great civil rights era of the last century remember the anguished cry of many of the racists who were aggressively resisting change:  “Our nigras was happy until these outsiders came in and started stirring things up.”  They claimed that everything was all right back in the good old days.   We had our schools.  They had theirs.  We had our communities.  They had theirs.  They had our bathrooms.  We had our outhouses and slop jars.  They had their restaurants and lunch counters.  We had our brown paper sacks for our lunch and an old blanket for the ground where we camped out and ate our food.  Everybody was happy and all was right with the world until Dr. King, the freedom riders, marchers and all of those “outsiders” came in and turned the world upside down.
          The book of Acts records a time when Paul, Silas and their companions came into a town preaching the good news about a Savior named Jesus.  This was a town that had some people who readily received the news and rejoiced to know that times were changing.  But, the town also had some who were very distressed to think that their lifestyle had to change.  Paul, after all, taught that there was “no slave or free in Christ.”  This was not welcome theology in a society where there were as many slaves as free people.  They had to nerve to teach that “God is no respecter of persons.”  Once again, those in the upper levels of society did not want to hear such heresies. 
          So the distressed leaders sent out mobs to try to find Paul, Silas, and the others.  And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also.  (Acts 17:6).  Who would have known that the racists of the last century were merely quoting the Bible with their plaintiff cries?  I also wonder if they knew that the ancient Hebrew scriptures also spoke prophesies about a time when God would turn things upside down.  Long before Martin Luther King was born, long before Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, centuries before John Newton discovered God’s Amazing Grace, God was shown to be a God,   Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth the prisoners: 8The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord loveth the righteous: 9The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.  (Psalm 146:7-9).
          Not only did the psalmist prophesy this earth-turning event, so did the Prophet Isaiah.  Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.  (Isaiah 24:1).  It was fore-ordained that the segregated, discriminatory societies had to change.  God had decreed that it would be so centuries earlier.  The right circumstances plus the arrival of certain godly men and women released the prophesied action.  Notice, however, that the scriptures don’t just talk about the effect of Paul’s arrival.  He and his companions were blamed for much of the upheaval, but so was a local resident named Jason.  Jason and the other local supporters of Paul were arrested and then released on bail. 
It appears that Jason was a recent convert to Christianity.  He might have been a Jew named Joshua who took the Greek name Jason when he was converted to the new faith.  It is likely that he shared with Paul the experience of having his world turned upside down.   Paul went from persecutor to propagator; from witness to death to witness to new birth; from defender of status quo to defender of the faith.  He had an encounter with Jesus that turned his world upside down.
Dr. King knew that his work could not succeed without the brave work of local men and women who would prepare the way for their coming and remain in the community after they left.  The brave Jasons of the world need to be honored on this occasion.  They were arrested, their houses were burned, they and their families were attacked and even killed.  Yet, after Paul left, they stayed and continued the fight.
It reminds me of the time of the bus and consumer boycotts in my home town in Florida.  Local ministers and community leaders provided churches for organizational meetings, drivers for the cars that replaced the boycotted buses and money for gas and other expenses.  Words of encouragement and unity went forth from the pulpits of every denomination.  The consequence was that world was turned upside down.  No one rode the bus until the first Black drivers were hired and people could ride with dignity and sit anywhere on the bus.  No one shopped at the grocery store until some Black employees were hired.  I was able to pay my college tuition because the owners of the major grocery store realized that we would no longer buy groceries from a store that would not allow us to work to earn the grocery money. 
Outside leaders like Dr. King encouraged us.  But it was Jason and his companions who made it work.    The coming king holiday is one of the most controversial holidays celebrated in the United States because it reminds so many people of a time when some people shook things up so that they turned the world upside down.   
Why was there such alarm that people were coming to turn their world upside down?  Did they have a great violent army that would decimate the population? Would they change their world by installing a dictator who would mandate changes in their world?  Were violent revolutionaries coming who would overthrow the government by force?  Or was something going on here that was even more frightening to those in power.  This more frightening thing would cause the most powerful man in American, J. Edgar Hoover, to declare that a non-violent man like Dr. Martin Luther King was “the most dangerous Negro in America.”  What is dangerous about a scholarly preacher who didn’t carry a weapon and talked about peace?  What was dangerous about the Apostle Paul with his weak eyes, small stature and peculiar appearance?  Hoover knew how the right-side-up world worked.  He could intimidate the most powerful men in the country so that they re-appointed him year after year.  He had the pictures, the tapes, the files of all of their indiscretions.  All was right-side-up with the world. 
Then a man came along like King, in the tradition of Paul and turned everything upside down.  How did he do it?  It was not by being perfect.  He was a flawed human being.  I realize the redundancy in that statement.  Suffice it to say he was human.  That he was flawed comes with that designation.  How then, did he cause the world to alter the spin of its axis and re-orient itself.  He did it because he, like Paul called America to repent.
Repent does not mean to simply be sorry.  It means to change your mind.  These men turned the world upside down because they were calling on people to repent, to change their mind about God.  The most important change was that they had to stop worshiping the god they created and begin to worship the God who created them.  This is a radical change—too radical for most American Christians. 
I had a professor once who used to ask the class who had found any nuggets in the scripture.  He said that a nugget was a special truth about God revealed through our studies and meditation.  In other words, this knowledge of God was like pure gold.  So many of us take the golden nuggets of biblical truth and cast them into the fires of doubt, of prejudice, of racism, of gender bias, of exploitation. 
I am glad that every now and then God sends a Paul to stand in the midst of the idol worshipers and turn their world upside down.  When God turns our world upside down, God is really putting things back the way that they once were.   The Bible tells us that God created “and it was good.”  (Genesis 1:23,24,31)  This “good” world was turned upside down when “man” and “woman” decided to disobey God and do things their way.  The world remained in that state until Jesus came, died and rose again.  When Paul came preaching Jesus—the real Jesus—people got upset.  They were so used to living in an upside-down world with the gods they created that looked, smelled and acted like them that they couldn’t stand the idea that they had to repent.
Here’s the good news.  Not only does God call us to repent, but God makes it possible.  All we have to do is abandon those gods that we created and worship the God of the universe who says simply “I Am who I Am.”  Worship God, not an idol.  Worship and believe Christ, not an empty image.  Then your world will slowly begin to rotate.  Slowly, so that you won’t lose your balance.  Slowly, so that you regain perspective.  Slowly, your world will be turned upside down and become right again with God.