Waiting Patiently Upon the Lord

A Sermon for the 4^th Sunday after Pentecost (RCL B) 6-24-2012

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts:              1 Samuel 17:57-18:5,10-16; Psalm 133; Mark 4:35-41

Themes:         Jonathan and David, unity in the love of God, Jesus as Master

Title:               Waiting Patiently Upon the Lord

My dear sisters and brothers: we are continuing our journey through these chronicles of the kings of Israel. Last week we heard about the anointing of David as the new king of Israel, appointed to replace the failed reign of Saul, and we talked together about how David had the heart of a champion, the heart of a king.

Today we continue with more of the legends surrounding the rise of David as the greatest King in Hebrew history. But today, the text from the First Book of Samuel presents us with a very different lesson drawn from the story of David.

But first I need to ask you this question: Does anyone here like to watch movies? Yes…me too!

I’m sure that you can think of a hundred movies where the hero of the story goes out and conquers takes what is rightfully his! Like every single action movie ever made!

This is what our popular culture teaches: the strong man takes what is his, the strong man claims his rights, the strong man takes his own.

But this is the exact opposite of what we see in David’s rise to the throne. For in David, we see an attitude of patient waiting upon God.

These stories that we are reading are full of symbolic imagery.

We could have read today about David’s victory over Goliath. And you may remember that Saul had offered the use of his own armor and his own sword to young David who had the moxie to challenge Goliath in open combat. But Saul’s armor was too big for young David, and so instead he wore his own clothes into battle. And his weapon of choice was his trusty sling and 5 smooth stones picked out of the nearby streambed.

Now remember: in the age of kings, one of the primary symbols of royal power was the sword.

The one who wielded the sword of the king could wield the authority of the king. Even Saint Paul in the New Testament - a thousand years after the rise of King David - referred to this symbolism when he reminded the readers of his Letter to the Romans that “the [governing] authority does not bear the sword in vain” (Romans 13:4). The sword is the symbol of authority and power.

Saul had offered his own sword to David the young man, but he was not ready for it.

Instead, when he killed Goliath in the field with his sling, he used the sword of the great giant to cut off the giant’s head! In that battle, David was symbolically given power over the Philistines by the hand of God.

Notice the details, my friends: David did not take this authority by intrigue nor by skillful manipulation. The authors of this text are clear to stress that it was given to him by the desire of God.

And so David now returns to Saul with the head of Goliath, and the sword of Goliath, in his hands.

Can you imagine it? What a nasty, gruesome sight!

But there he stands, holding the symbolic power over the Philistines. He could have taken the throne right then and there! As the one who defeated the hated enemy of the people, he could have struck down Saul and taken the throne and all the gathered armies would have followed him!

But he did not. He waited, and what happens then but the power and position and privilege of the crown prince is given to him!

We are never told why Jonathan loved David. But the why does not matter; what matters to the story is the result.

Jonathan is the eldest son of Saul, and so he stands first in line to claim the throne after his father.

But, because of his love for David, he gives away his birthright. And now David stands as the rightful prince, the rightful heir to the throne, with all the symbols of princely power.

Can you see the message clearly being expressed?

The editors of this text are sending a clear message: David did not usurp the throne from Saul, and David did not usurp the position of Jonathan as the one in line for the throne.

It was given to him – yes, by the love of Jonathan, but it was given to David truly by the hand of God.

Unlike the heroes of our popular culture who take what is rightfully theirs, David is presented to us as the one who waited patiently upon the Lord, the one who had every opportunity to take the kingship away from Saul, and who did not.

Remember how the story is presented: as a young boy he was anointed to be the next king.

So he knew that God had called and appointed him to be king. And it would have been so easy for him to return with the head and the sword of Goliath and to take the throne! David had multiple opportunities to kill Saul and take the throne.

But David knew that God would let him know when the time was right.

I’ve talked with all of you about Abba Agathon who lived in the Egyptian desert in the 3^rd century. He was the monk who walked around with a stone in his mouth for 3 years until he had learned how to control his tongue! So you know what kind of serious man he was!

Once this Abba Agathon was out walking with his disciples, and one of his disciples found a small green pea on the road. And so he asked his elder, “Father, may I take it?”

The old Abba looked at him with astonishment and asked, “Was it you who put it there?”

“No”, the disciples replied.

“How then,” the elder Agathon continued, “can you take up something which you did not put down?”

(The Sayings of the Desert Fathers by Benedicta Ward, 1984: p. 22).

Now, this is quite obviously an extreme example. 

Surely, if you need food to eat – and especially in the desert! – and there is a spare pea lying in the road, surely you can take it and eat it!

But the point is not about that one little pea. The point for Abba Agathon – and for all of these ancient masters in the desert – was to change the instinctual responses of the human heart.

If you see something that you need or want lying on the ground, what is your natural response?

Is it not to take it, to grab it?  

But what is the state of mind of one who lives completely within a patient trust in God?

My first vivid encounter with this attitude came from our neighbor when we lived outside of Richmond, Virginia. Our neighbor was an American Indian medicine man – Barry Thunder Eagle Leno.

Barry took me under his wings during the 3 years that I was there in seminary.

Often, when we talked, Barry would mention in passing that he needed some thing or other, and then he would finish his sentence by saying, “but it’ll come when it’s time.” And that was his attitude.

He lived with this sense of patient trust that whatever was truly necessary would come to him when the time was right.

I remember being amazed by this perspective, and I remember even more wanting to emulate it! Wanting to live with that same kind of patient trust.   

The Bible tells us that this is how David lived, this is how David came to be the greatest King in the history of Israel.

Not by forcefully grabbing and taking that which was his by right.

But rather by patiently waiting upon God, waiting for God’s good timing.

What about you? Are you able to live with this same kind of attitude and perspective?

Can you live each day with this kind of patient trust in Christ, who – after all – is the Master over even the wind and the sea? 

May it always be so among us who have been anointed and called as kings and priests to serve God for ever and ever. Amen. 

The Heart of a King

A Sermon for the 3^rd Sunday after Pentecost (RCL B) 6-17-2012

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts:                         1 Samuel 15:34-16:13; Psalm 20; Mark 4:26-34

Themes:                     Fathers’ Day, seeing the heart, silent growth

Title:                          The Heart of a King

How do you see the heart of a king? How do you see the heart of a champion?

If you know anything at all about the world of sports, then you will know that certain people have “IT” and others do not. And that “IT” is usually described as the will to succeed, the drive to win, the refusal to lose. This invisible character trait can be summarized as the heart of a champion.

In the world of basketball, Michael Jordan had this heart. He had IT and everybody knew it!

You could see it in the way that he played every single game with intensity and passion!

Many today are critical of the new basketball star, LeBron James, because they do not think that he has this kind of heart, not the way that Jordan had it. 

But how do you see the heart of a champion? How can one see the heart of a king?

If you stop and really think about this famous episode of Samuel anointing the young boy David as the new king, you can begin to see how incredibly odd it is!

An old man, sneaking off and moving behind the back of the king, and choosing some random 10 year old boy – from an obscure family – to serve as the next king?

Now, I am not particularly happy with our current procedures for choosing leaders in our society.

I think that our current system favors those who are dishonest, those with purely selfish interests, and I believe that money has far too much influence upon who is elected, regardless of the ideas or the character of the candidates.

But surely even our flawed process is FAR superior to what we see here in this story!

Saul had failed. God had rejected him, and God needed to pick a successor.

Somehow, God saw the heart of David and God determined that David had the heart of a king!

How can you tell when a boy is so young, perhaps only 10 years old?  

Of course, WE cannot. But of course, God can.

What we have given to us here is a lesson. It’s not a model for how to choose leaders in society, but rather a lesson for how we are to look at others.

We all know that our physical vision is not entirely objective.

Isn’t it amazing that one day I can look in the mirror and think to myself, “All right, you look pretty good!” And the next day I can look in that same mirror and think, “Oh man, you look awful!”

What changes? Not my waistline. It doesn’t change that quickly!

What changes is my perception. Mirrors do not tell the truth. What we see in mirrors, what we see with our eyes, tends to corresponds much more closely to how we FEEL rather than to reality!

Our gift of sight is often quite subjective. And THIS is why God calls us to move beyond the surface, beyond the range of normal sight.

“For the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

This divine vision is to be OUR vision. This way of seeing is to be OUR way of seeing.

We all know that this is not easy! Let’s be honest: who here might see, for instance, a young man covered with tattoos and various body piercings and does not make an instant judgment of him?

But can you see his heart? We can tell that such a person lacks wisdom – by placing so much emphasis upon his outward appearance when what truly matters is inside.

But can we truly see the quality and the character of his heart? Or do we even try?

I’ve shared this with you before, but it bears repeating: God’s plan for us is that we learn to see each man as our brother, and each woman as our sister.

Not because of what they look like on the outside. Not because of their age or any external factor.

But simply because they are people for whom Christ died.

Simply because they are human beings, with beating hearts just like ours.

This is God’s plan, and it is very slowly being worked into the mass of human society.

Just look at this parable of the mustard seed.

This is the principle of how God works in the world: there is a slow progression – a  gradual growth and development – in the fulfillment of God’s desires for the world.

We can see this principle at work in so many different levels.

Consider in a brief overview how we have conducted ourselves in civil society.

We began in simple tribal family groups, with strong men in positions of power because of their personal strength and wealth.

Then we progressed to kings who united together a number of related tribes into larger social groups under their authority.

After this, we progressed to democratic nations, where only the right kind of men – men of position and means - could cast a vote.

Now, we have reached a point where all people, regardless of gender and race and tribe and language and class, are entitled to a voice and a vote in society.

You can see this slow growth and progress in God’ vision for humanity coming into fruition – God’s vision for a world where the dignity of each human being is honored.

Consider also this slow growth and development within the people of God.

Beginning with the tribe of Abraham and his children, God began to set apart a special people.

This one tribe became a family of twelve tribes with a clear ethnic delineation.

Over time, converts began to be attracted to a life within the covenant with the Lord.

Of course, with the coming of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, people of all nations were grafted into the family of Abraham.

But even then, there was much more to do! Slavery still abounded, even within the church.

Racism continued to plague the church for many centuries. In our own day, there are continued struggles over the place of women and people of different orientations within the church.

God’s vision for diversity within the kingdom has been slowing growing and spreading out it’s branches, providing shade and refuge for more and more members of the human family.

After all, we know the vision! God’s method has been explained to us.

“The Lord does not see as mortals see…the Lord looks on the heart.”

And what is it about this mysterious heart anyway? 

Do you know that there are now dozens of documented cases of persons receiving a heart transplant who experience sudden personality changes which are related to the donor?

Such as a middle-aged man who received a heart transplant. Soon afterward he bought his first Harley-Davidson, and he fell in love with riding. Later, when speaking with his doctor, he learned that his heart donor had been a motorcyclist!

More and more scientific research is documenting what the writers of these ancient biblical texts already knew! (see http://www.heartmath.org/research/research-home/research-center-home.html)

Within the human heart is where the human soul resides, even within the muscle tissue itself.

So remember, my friends, that God sees and knows your hearts! 

At all times, God sees and knows us. 

And let us remember to look with the eyes of God, to see beyond the surface level, and to gaze into the heart of those we meet, to consider their eternal worth and dignity, and to love them as God does. 

It is not easy, but this is our task and our special calling in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. 

Who is your King?

A Sermon for the 2^nd Sunday after Pentecost (RCL B) 6-10-2012

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts:                          1 Samuel 8:4-20, 11:14-15; Psalm 138; Mark 3:20-35

Themes:                     craving for a king, the family of Jesus

Title:                           Who is Your King?

Today, my friends, as we begin “Ordinary Time” here in the Church, we enter into the stories of the Kings of Israel – the classic period of the Israelite monarchy. Samuel, Saul, David, Solomon – this on-going drama will carry us right through the summer.

So today, we begin this series by considering the underlying desire of the Israelites for a King and the contrasting desire of God to be their only King! There is a deep conflict here that is important to the rest of the biblical story and to the Gospel.  

And this morning, what I want you to consider is this question: Who is your King? Who is your King?

This entire drama about the kings is, of course, a story about power and trust and hope.

It’s also about politics, of course, and that is a dangerous topic to bring up in polite society, I know!

But we must. In the church, we must deal with reality as it is.

And this is the real problem with politics is this: people place their hope and their trust in the exercise of power.

Power is so alluring, so tempting. It promises so much, but nearly always delivers so little.

People tend to think that if they can only change WHO happens to be the leader, then everything will get better.

Isn’t this why so many people will invest weeks and months and years of their lives, not even to mention their money, in order to get THEIR candidate elected?

I haven’t seen too many political ads here in New Jersey yet, but I’m sure the flood is coming soon.

And I say that it’s sad: sad that so many people get caught in the same alluring trap of power.

They say “if only MY leader will win, then everything will get better!”

You would think that humanity now would know better. There are thousands of years of evidence now which clearly show that this is false! Each new political leader can make some positive changes and each will also make some negative changes.  

Perhaps each new generation of human beings needs to learn this lesson for themselves.

Just look at the movement of younger people who were SO excited about the Obama administration, some with hopes and dreams which seemed almost to be messianic!

Change is coming! Everything will be different now that OUR guy is in the White House!

And look at how disillusioned most of these young supporters are now.

Elect this person or that one; recall this person or that one. It makes so little difference in the long run.

Now, don’t misunderstand me. The Church must be involved in politics on some level.

We have a clear calling to advocate for a just society which functions honestly and treats all citizens with equality and which cares for those who have no other means of support, which protects the weak and the powerless.

No, it is not politics which the Church opposes, but rather politicians! 

Because we know better, right?!

We know that every person is a sinner, even the glamorous celebrity politician who is so smooth and polished. We know that they are all sinners, and we know that power and sin mix together to create a very nasty concoction.

We can spot a bit of this ancient naiveté among the Israelites here in the books of Samuel.

The people are longing for a king, because they are convinced that their lives will be so much better if they can only get a good man to be their king!

For hundreds of years now, they had been ruled by judges. Some of these judges had been strong and had been able to keep their enemies, the Philistines, at bay. Other were not, and some were corrupt and ruled with capricious force.

But if they could only replace their judges with a king, just like all of the other nations, well then this would solve their problems, right? This king would be stronger and able to fight against the Philistines and to protect the people from their enemies.

But wise, old Samuel knew better. And he tried to warn the people, and he said: Yes, in some ways a king will make your lives better, but in other ways a king will make your lives worse! Because once a man is given this kind of royal power, then he will take and take and take what is yours and enjoy it for himself.

The people would not listen. And it grieved the heart of God.

What did the Lord say to Samuel? “They have not rejected you [Samuel], but they have rejected me from being King over them.”

Often, in our Lectionary readings, there is very little, if any, connection between the different readings, but today there is a good, strong connection. Or rather, there is a striking contrast!

Samuel warns the people in advance about the behavior of their coming King: he will take from them in order to enrich his house and his family at their expense!

Now, we know that the kings of Israel serve in one sense as prophetic signs which point toward the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the coming Messiah, the anointed One.

Well, here in the Gospel of Mark we find the true and rightful King operating within his Kingdom.

And how does he exercise his power?

Because it may be so familiar, we tend to forget how radical and revolutionary his teaching truly is!

The Lord Jesus is ministering within the realm of the Roman Empire, under the authority of the Emperor and under the direct authority of Herod Antipas who claims to be the King of Galilee.

Jesus comes as the rightful King, and he looks around at the ragtag band of people who have gathered around him and he says, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother!”

He says, in effect: Forget about Caesar, forget about the Emperor, forget about King Herod, forget about all of the people sitting on thrones, wielding worldly power.

Forget about them, because these people here are the truly important ones!

Whoever does the will of God is important to the true King, not those who can get things done within the realm of politics!

No wonder his family and others thought that he was crazy!

But he was simply restoring that original divine intention for the people of God place their hopes and the trust in God alone, who was to be their only true King.

And so it comes back to us who are citizens of this kingdom of the Messiah.

Who is your King? Where do you place your trust? Where do you find your hope?

It is my prayer that tomorrow morning, and every morning of your life, you can begin your day by saying to the Lord these words, by saying them with trust and confidence and hope.

Say: “Lord, you are my King.” Go ahead. Try it out now. Ready? Let's say it together: "Lord, You are my King."

Good! Learn to say it! 

Lord, you are my Prophet. Lord, you are my Judge. Lord, you are my Commander-in-Chief.

If you will but let God be the one who governs and guides your life, if you will but place your trust in God alone, if you will find your hope for the future in God alone, then you will live above the fray, above the changing tides of power in this world. Then you will not be disappointed by the failures of human leaders, which are bound to happen.

Because if you can live with this awareness, if you allow God to be your King, then you are in fact doing the will of God and living as members of the family of Jesus. Amen.   

Somebody Loves You!

A Youth Sermon for the Trinity Sunday (RCL B) 6-3-2012

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts:              Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29; John 3:1-17

Themes:         being born again, God’s profound love for the world

Title:               Somebody Loves You

Gather around here in front of me, my friends, because this morning I want to share with you the story of this little book.

It is called “Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch.” This book has been with our family now for a number of years, and we all love it. It has great pictures, and it tells a great story. Do you want to hear it?

(I can't summarize it all right here on the blog, but it's a great little story. In my humble opinion, it illuminates the meaning of being "born from above" in today's Gospel reading! You can find more info on this book by following this link:)

Google books - "Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch"

We talk a lot about love here in church, don’t we?

And we heard about it again in our Gospel reading today in that famous passage, John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

But right before this, Jesus was talking with Nicodemus and told him that everyone must be born again, born from above, born in the Holy Spirit.

How does that happen? Yes, it happens in our baptism, when we are born again into the family of God through water and the Spirit. 

But do you know what I think? I think it also might happen over and over again, time and time again.

Nicodemus asked Jesus: “How can anyone be born after having grown old?”

Well, what about Mr. Hatch? Don’t you think that, in a very real and deep way, HE was born again when he received that box of candy?

His entire life was changed completely! He began to live an entirely different life – a life which reached out to others, helped others, made other people feel joy.

That is what happens when we are born from above, born in the Spirit of God! We begin to live a life of joy and sharing and celebration.

Because you know what? Somebody loves you!

Today is Trinity Sunday, a day set aside to remember and to celebrate how God is revealed to us as three persons who live together as one God.

Remember that famous Bible verse we talked about earlier? “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…”

Jesus comes to us like that box of chocolate, with a special message inside saying “God loves you!”

God sends the gift, Jesus is the gift, and the Holy Spirit is the mailman who delivers it!

When we receive this gift, when we truly know that God loves us, that God is your secret admirer, then we begin to be born again in the same way that Mr. Hatch was!

So let me ask you: would you rather live like the old Mr. Hatch – alone, lonely, bored, afraid – OR would you rather live like the new Mr. Hatch – laughing, smiling, helping others, celebrating life with friends, sharing love with people?

Which one? The new one? Well, you can!

All you have to do is to open up the gift which is given to you! And read the message: God loves you!

Will you do this? Then let’s pray together:

Dear God: thank you for loving us and the whole world enough to send the best gift of all – the gift of your love in Jesus. Thank you for this gift. Help us to live a new life now that we know for certain that you love us forever. Because we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen!