Who Shepherds the Shepherd?

I am struggling with what text to preach on this Sunday. The lectionary offers one really good text: Jarius' Daughter and the Bleeding Woman and the lectionary offers some really difficult texts: Saul's Death, Lamentations 3:22-33, Paul's Demand For Generousity (2 Corinthians 8:7-15).

So those are my choices. Of course I have the freedom to go outside the lectionary. I am not bound to the lectionary and normally I would go outside of it and choose a different passage but I am feeling drawn to the Lamentations passage:

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for one to bear the yoke in youth, to sit alone in silence when the Lord has imposed it, to put one's mouth to the dust (there may yet be hope), to give one's cheek to the smiter, and be filled with insults. For the Lord will not reject forever. Although he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone." Lamentations 3:22-33 (NRSV)

I am not entirely sure why I am being drawn to this particular text but I think it has to do with the struggle of having hope and losing hope. If you follow the poem or the lament you see a movement in the text. The writer begins with the hope that the Lord's steadfast love never ceases and that God's mercies never come to an end. Then the writer shifts from the Lord being good to the struggle of being  alone in imposed silence. The writer seems to resign to the fact that one should simply be quiet and take what punishment is being given; but the writer shifts the tone from resignation back to hope, "he (God) will have compassion according the abundance of his steadfast love" (v.32).

I believe the writer believes those things. I believe the writer wants to have the hope that the Lord's love is truly steadfast but this hope is put into the terrible question at the end of the book in 5:22, "unless you have utterly rejected us, and are angry beyond measure." Such a strange way to end a book in the Bible, is it not?

Or is it an honest reflection of the struggle between hope, faith, and reality?

The norm among ministers is that 40% will deal with some sort of depression during their ministry. I am a part of that 40%. I know those struggles and I have wrestled deeply with the storm clouds that start to come around me and I have learned how to find sun when I need it and I've learned how to strip down and soak up the rain. But that's not the case for every minister.

40% of ministers will struggle with depression in some form during their ministry. Is it irony or a paradox or a juxtaposition for a minister who presents the hope of the gospel to struggle with depression, to lack hope at times? Or is it the truth of faith and hope?

(Here is a link to a 2009 article on suicide and ministers).

I learned last night that a friend recently lost her job as a youth minister and her husband due to having a mental break. The stress of the job, the stress of feeling like the whole world was on her shoulders eventually broke her. While seeking help she learned that her husband left her cause he couldn't deal with it and the church where she ministered for the past few years said she was a danger to the youth and they let her go.

It is hard to have faith and hope in such a time. It is hard for churches to see their minister struggle and see them at times of serious weakness. It is hard for ministers to admit that they need help or that they struggle in their faith. It is hard for men and women who believe they should have all the answers to life's problems have none for their own.

The hard truth is ministers are people just like their congregation. We are just as human as those who sit in the pews. We wrestle with God, faith, salvation, hope, and reality. We struggle with unrealistic expectations and how to live up to them. We often do not have the courage to say, "I need help." We often feel alone. We preach that if you call on God or call on Christ, he answers you. We preach that Christ is in the midst of your struggles but when our own struggles come we feel as though they shouldn't. We feel like we should be excluded. Our churches feel we should be excluded.

But we're not.

This leads me to ask this question: Who shepherds the shepherd?

Ministers have tried to answer that question by creating peer groups, minister conferences, minister gatherings, etc. Sometimes those groups help. Sometimes they provide a relief. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes you express your struggles hoping to find sympathy and help, only to find closed ears. So who then shepherds the shepherd?

Who gives hope to the hopeless minister?

God? Jesus? The Holy Spirit?

The congregation? Family?

All of the above?


Yes.

(update)

I keep coming back to this post. Especially when I find myself in a deep funk that is hard to get out of. It is hard to find faith in the midst of suffering in one's mind. Ministers preach about authenticity, being authentic about their struggles of faith, yet when one of their own does, when one of their own really begins to doubt God's existence, they remain silent.

Why are they so silent?

Do they wish not to speak because they are afraid of what they might say? Are they carefully cultivating their words? Do they believe they are helping matters in their silence?

I don't think we realize we do more damage in these crisis moments when we choose to remain silent.

Peace in the Valley

I couldn't figure out which scripture passage to preach on this morning. I had several good ones to choose from thanks to the lectionary. So I went for a drive. I got in my car, rolled the windows down, turned up the radio, and drove. I drove down to Scott's Store and bought a coke and candy bar. I took a left and drove down Canterbury, took right and cruised down Rose Mount. I looked at all the farmland and the crops that were growing. I noticed how at one time there was not a paved road and how one needed to be made. I noticed how at one time the land was dried up and dead and slowly with each passing month it turned from brown and dirt to green and purple to a light brown ready to harvest. I noticed the cornstalks and how quickly they sprung up and how they might rival the cornstalks of Nebraska. I passed a broken down motorist getting help on her car and wondered if I pulled over to help would that be one too many people standing on the side of the road? I was tailgated by an anxious driver behind me whose expression changed when I turned into the church. A simple drive to get my mind to focus.

I drove by houses big and small. I drove by land that was rich and full of crop. I drove by land that was empty and barren. I started to think of the old spiritual:

Many troubles have we known Lord.

Many troubles lie ahead.

Many times have we all stumbled in the weary miles we've tread.

Many times have we called out as our faith been torn apart.

But we rest now rest in your favor and we know now in our hearts.

There will be peace in the valley when we cross this mountain high.

There will be peace in the valley,

In the valley bye and bye.

I thought of the Lord's promise in Ezekiel, “I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of a cedar; I will set it out. I will break off a tender one from the topmost of its young twigs; I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it, in order that it may produce boughs and bear fruit, and become a noble cedar. Under it every kind of bird will live' in the shade of its branches will nest winged creatures of every kind. All the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord. I bring low the high tree, I make high the low tree; I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I the Lord have spoken; I will accomplish it.”

Ten times the Lord says “I will”. Ten time in two verses God promises to be the one to restore and renew. Ten times the Lord promises to be the one who will accomplish it. Ten times in two verses we are reminded by God of a promise. On that promise I think of the trees that surround our church. I think of the giant oak tree in the middle of our yard. I think of how long it's been there and the stories that were shared under its branches. I think of all the creatures who called that tree home and of all the children who've dreamed of climbing it. I think of the creatures who hide out in the woods. I think of the turtles bathing in the sun. I think of the gophers scurrying across the road. I think of the deer grazing in the open fields. I think of the eagles swooping down and catching their prey. I think of the Mattaponi and all the aquatic life that hide beneath its surface and in its muddy floor.

As I drive by the homes I ask myself, “Are they happy? Behind those doors, in their secrets, are they happy? Are they at peace?” I start to think of our church family and I ask the same question, “Are you happy? Behind your closed doors and closed curtains, are you happy? Are you at peace?” As I ask that question I think of the promise God has made. I think of the peace we all need in non-peaceful world. I say a little prayer for those who live in those homes. I pray for those who are here. I simply ask for the Lord to grant us a little more peace. I think of that tree, God promised Israel. I think of God's promise, “I will accomplish it.” And it causes my soul to sing.

There's a river in that valley running through a field of green

Where we'll all be forgiven and our souls will all wash clean.

There's a promise everlasting just waiting to be heard.

So we walk on and listen and we know it word for word.

There will be peace in the valley when we cross this mountain high.

There will be peace in the valley,

In the valley bye and bye.

As I drive through the countryside I see the crops growing in the vast fields. I see the farmers sweating in the heat. I think of how their crops grow and causes me to think of Jesus preaching in fields like the ones I see. I think of the farmers gathered around him as he says, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would spout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come. With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

I think of how all that is being done is done by the Lord's hand. I think of God's giant hand writing this great story. I think of our roles in this story. I think of how great this story is. I think of how this story expands past our garden gates and into the woods behind us. I think of the cornfields and how in those fields hides all sorts of God's creatures unknown to us. I think of all that the Lord is doing that is unknown to us.

I think of a giant hole that is hidden behind the cornfield right up the road. I think of what caused that hole. I think of what used to be there. I think of what this place used to be like before there were cars and electricity. I think of the steamboats that used to come up river. I think of our older members and their stories. I think of them growing up in a time so different from today. I think of what life must have been like for them. I think of their struggles as they get older. I think of their families and wonder what life was like for them before I met them. I think of their stories and I smile. I bet they have great stories.

I think of how much life is like the seeds scattered on the ground. I think of how we try to explain life through science and faith, trying to create a formula on how to grow right. I think of how the sower has little control over whether the crop grows or doesn't. I think of how much the sower must rely on God's earth to help. I think of how beautiful and complex life is. I think of how much anger and fear is this world. I think of the troubles we've all seen and known. I think of how we try to solve our problems with more inventions and with more money instead of with a little more love and compassion. I think of how quickly a neighbor could turn into an enemy over something so mundane as forgetting to return a lawnmower. I think of the people who call for assistance and the struggles they are having. I think of those who work hard but are still unable to make ends meet. I think of those who are unable to find work. I wonder of what their dreams were like as children and how different life has turned out.

My heart aches for them and I wonder how many here this morning are struggling. So I think again on God's promise. I think of the day the Lord will take a sprig from the lofty top of a cedar. I think of the day the Lord will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. I think of how the shade will give us. I think of the day when the Lord's promise has been fulfilled and we finally see an end to this world and finally live in a world that works right. I think of that day and I pray for that day, not for myself, but for all in need of peace. My soul then sings:

Well the bear will be gentle

And the wolves will be tame

And the lion shall lay down by the lamb

And the beasts from the wild

Shall be led by a child.

There will be peace in the valley when we cross this mountain high.

There will be peace in the valley

In the valley bye and bye.

Yes there will be peace in the valley; in the valley bye and bye.

I think of how special and wonderful that day will be and it fills my soul with hope, joy, and peace.

There will be peace in the valley when we cross this mountain high.

There will be peace in the valley,

In the valley bye and bye

Something Different

Lately, I've gotten tired of talking and writing theologically. I spend my entire week working on my Sunday sermons, Bible studies, and making pastoral visits. So, I've decided to do something a little different. I created a new blog and will be making posts in both but these two are not the same.

I had a thought awhile back and wrote a post entitled, "Memoirs of a Hero" in which Dick Grayson (Robin) sits down and begins reading a journal that Bruce Wayne left him after he died saving the earth. It was an idea to explore the complexities of being Batman and Bruce Wayne and the complexities of the need to always have a Batman. The letter sets out to establish that Bruce has died and Dick is wrestling with whether or not he should take on the role of Batman. Doing so would require that Dick leave behind the role he created as Nightwing as well as require Dick to wrestle with how to make the persona his own.

The idea is to create a story in which we see two people who know each other very well and were as close as brothers, if not father and son, reveal something intimate about themselves that we the audience never had an opportunity to see or explore. It would be a deeper look into the Batman mythos and into those who are connected to Batman on a personal and professional level.

For me, the most fascinating struggle is going to be how stay true to the Batman mythos and present new ideas or new concepts. It will also be a struggle to tell parts of Batman's stories without retelling them. The Batman saga expands 73 years worth of stories and incarnations. The difficulty is how do honor those incarnations while at the same presenting them in a new light. Something I'm sure the gospel writers struggled with. Actually, I'm sure that's something every writer taking on a well known character has struggled with.

I think that struggle will play best in the form a personal narrative, journal, in which we hear both Bruce and Dick speak about the stories they each lived and experienced. It will be a struggle to keep the stories grounded in reality because reality doesn't work for Batman (even if Nolan has tried to make Batman realistic). So there will need to be a need for imagination in order for this to work because Superman, possibly the best opposite of Batman, won't fit in reality story but Batman's story cannot be told without Superman. In fact, Batman's story cannot be told without all those who experienced these stories with him.

I'm hoping this side project will provide an escape for me and allow myself a space to be more creative and free. I just hope it's different. Sometimes I need something different. Something fun.

You may visit Memoirs of a Hero here: http://memoirsofahero.blogspot.com

Freedom Express

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel to Ramah, and said to him, "You are old and your sons do not follow your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations." 1 Samuel 8:4-6a

I am not sure I could live in a monarch system. One of the many things I love about being a citizen of the United States of America is that anyone can become president. In order to be qualified to run for president you simply need to be 35 and a natural born citizen. It's the beauty of America: a poor child in the Appalachian mountains has the same qualification to run for president as a wealthy child in Cape Cod. In fact when I turn 35 if I wish, I could put together a campaign to run for president. I would be the first person ever to run who's mom was the only to one to vote for them. I like that we don't have royal families. I like that we are not born into a system that says one family is ordained by God above all others. I truly do, it fits nicely into my Baptist heritage. Without getting into all the heaviness of it, the beauty of the election of a president is that anyone has the right to run for president meeting the qualifications. In fact this Tuesday, we all have the opportunity to vote in both the Democratic and Republican primaries. It's a pretty cool freedom.

I also like our freedom of religion and freedom of speech. I have feeling if we lived in a monarch system or in a government in which it could be considered treason to speak against the crown, I would have seen the inside of a prison more times than Charlie Sheen. Reading this passage for this morning I found myself being grateful for the freedom to practice two of our most important freedoms. Every Sunday I have the privilege of practicing free speech and free religion. It really is a fantastic honor, one that simply asks that I not abuse it. It's a beautiful thing.

I'm also grateful to be a Baptist. I am grateful because I have the freedom to stand up practice our four freedoms. I practice soul freedom: the ability to make my own decisions in the matters of faith without coercion by any larger religious or civil body. We practice church freedom: the ability of the local church to govern and teach as they wish without outside interference. I practice bible freedom (as do you) as I freely interpret the scriptures and as you freely interpret the scriptures for yourself. And finally, we practice religious freedom: the individual is free to choose whether to practice their religion, another religion, or no religion. Every Sunday, I get to practice those four freedoms along with several other freedoms that we often take for granted.

The thing about freedom though is that it comes with responsibility. It is true that I am free to interpret and preach whatever I wish. I am free for the next 15-45 minutes (no worries it's not 45 minutes) to stand up here and preach whatever I wish. Of course you have the freedom to take a nap or get up and leave or throw tomatoes. The freedom we have though is a freedom that comes with some responsibility. While I may have the freedom stand here and preach about how George Lucas ruined Indiana Jones or why I believe Batman is the better hero to examine on a personal level, to do such does nothing to advance the Gospel message. They would just be a rant and a misuse of a fragile freedom and misuse of a freedom I am entrusted me with. And you using your freedom of throwing tomatoes would be a waste of good produce.

Isn't it amazing how much trust goes into a Sunday morning worship service? You place trust in the deacons, the choir, Jim, and myself to lead you appropriately in worship. You place your trust in me that I have spent time wrestling with the scriptures and have come prepared to preach. I place my trust in you to be good receivers and active participants in the service. I place my trust in you to give of your time and your money in your tithes to support the church and all it's activities. So much trust is given every time we gather together and a part of being a good steward is to not abuse that trust. So I will save my Indiana Jones and Batman rants for Facebook.

Our scripture passage has to do with trust and loyalty. The people trusted Samuel and he judged Israel all the days of his life. There was even peace between Israel and the Amorites. He administered justice to Israel and built an alter to the Lord. The people also trusted his sons; but his sons did not follow in his ways and abused the trust of the people by taking bribes and perverting justice. Because of this abuse Israel requests to be like the other nations and have a king. Samuel feels rejected to say the least. He is hurt by Israel's collective decision to move from a priestly system to a monarch and their desire to be like the other nations. But like a good priest, Samuel prays to the Lord on their behalf.

If we did not know this story or you're not familiar with this story we would think that God would not grant such a request but God does: “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you” (1Samuel 8:7a NRSV). Of course God doesn't just answer the request. God tells Samuel, “They have not reject you but they have rejected me as their king. Just as they have done since I brought them out of Egypt to this days, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. Now then, listen to their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” (vv.7b-9 NRSV).

While God agrees to appointing someone king, God gives a serious warning of it means to be ruled by a king: “He (Samuel) said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughter to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. He will take one-tenth of your grain and of you vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle, and donkeys, and put them to his work, and you will be his slaves.” (vv9-17).

God foresees what a king will do. God knows the price the people will pay in order to have a king. God knows that power can corrupt even the best of people. Having a king will enslave the people and God knows that their loyalties will be divided and they will find themselves serving the king instead of God. Notice the distinctions between God and the king. The king will not ask for things but simply take what he pleases. The king is not about loving his people and doing what is just. The king is going to only be concerned about himself and his power. While they were freed by God, they will be slaves to the new king. Kings enslave while God sets free.

While a king may, at first, have the best of intentions and be of a good heart, I believe God recognizes what happens when good men and women abuse their power and the trust of the people. I do not think this warning is one in which God is punishing the people of Israel for wanting a king to rule. I truly believe this warning is showcasing the difference between kingly power and Godly power. This warning is not just a warning for Israel. I do believe this warning serves well for us today.

It is difficult being a Christian in America. I'm going to just let that sit out there for a second and let you think on it for just a moment before I explain.

A few years ago, I took a trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina as part of a credit of seminary. We were gathered outside a bank while some of the students withdrew money from the ATM. I realized that all I had was American cash and needed to exchange it for Argentine pesos. I went inside the bank and in my very bad Spanish asked the bank host if she spoke English. She shook her head no and we both stared at one another wide eyed and scared. It was at that moment that I felt very lost. I felt that I was being judged because I was a United States citizen and because I couldn’t speak Spanish. That wasn’t the case though, I wasn’t being judged by this girl or by everyone there. When I left the bank, lost and confused I realized that my issue has nothing to do with not being able to exchange money, instead my issue had to do with who did I belong to? What was more important: my nationality as a US citizen or my Christianity? I wrestled with that question the rest of the trip. At each turn I felt Christ poke me and ask, “Which will you serve? Will you serve the place you live and their rulers? Or will you serve me, your creator, your sustainer, your redeemer, your savior, your Lord?”

You might be thinking, “The answer's easy: both.”

Yes, that is the easy answer and the safest answer to give you. But is it the truth? Is it truly possible to be loyal to both the United Sates of America and to the one true God?

Did you know that the American flag code states that when displayed from a staff in a church or public auditorium, the flag of the United States of America should hold the position of superior prominence, in advance of the audience, and in the position of honor at the clergy's or speakers right as they face the audience? Any other flag displayed should be placed on the left of the clergy or speaker or to the right of the audience. Except for the Christian flag during church services. When the Christian flag is displayed with the American flag and/or other flags: The American flag and/or other flags may be placed symmetrically on the opposite side of the sanctuary and on the same level as the Christian flag. If desired, it is also proper to place the Christian and national flags side-by-side wherever stationed in the church, thus symbolizing both the spiritual and patriotic loyalties of the congregation. Did you know it was placed side-by-side with the American flag by German Lutheran churches to show their solidarity with America during World War II so not to be thought of as Nazi spies or sympathizers? I never knew any of it until I looked it up. But it compels me to ask a tough question: Is it truly possible to be loyal both to God and to country? To which does our identity belong too?

The truth is the question is a difficult question to answer because governments demand absolute loyalty. The flag code's insistence that the American flag and Christian flag stand at the same level shows that even in faith, country should be considered equal. But God is warning Israel that the two are not equal. There is a difference between God and king and this difference is not a subtle difference but a strong difference. A king, a president, a congressman, a senator, a governor will abuse their powers because the taste of power can corrupt even the best of us. Country will sometimes require us to make sacrifices in the name of loyalty and in our pledges of allegiance. There will be times when what the government asks of us goes against what God asks of us. Some times we have to choose between country and God.

In the movie Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell (a devout Christian Scotsman), discovering that the Olympic 100 meter heats were on Sunday, refused to run and withdrew from the race. In a chilling moment he is confronted for his decision before the Prince of Wales. Surrounded by British Lords and Dukes and Princes, Liddell is forced to defend his choice of not running on the Sabbath. Liddell says, “God made countries, God makes kings, and the rules by which they govern. And those rules say that the Sabbath is his. And I for one intend to keep that way.” The Prince of Wales, the future king of England, replies, “There are times when we are asked to make sacrifices in the name of loyalty. And without them our allegiance is worthless. As I see it, for you, this is such a time.” Liddell responds, “Sir, God knows I love my country. But I can't make that sacrifice.”

During the wonderful struggle and formation of our country one of the most difficult discussions revolved around religion. Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson were often at odds with one another over the issue of religious freedom. Both were for religious freedom but Jefferson and Madison believed in a wall of separation of church and state. Henry believed that anyone should have the freedom to attend any denomination they wished; however he believed it should be required that they attend and pay taxes in support of that denomination. Henry supported a bill that stated, “The people of the commonwealth have a right to invest their legislature with power to authorize and require, and the legislature shall, from time to time, authorize and require, the several towns, parishes, precincts, and other bodies politic, or religious societies, to make suitable provision, at their own expense, for the institution of the public Protestant teachers of piety, religion and morality, in all cases where such provision shall not be made voluntarily.”

Jefferson understood this to mean, in practice, that the decision of who was taxable for a particular religion rested in the hands of selectmen, this system was open to abuse. Jefferson understood the temptation to force a faithful follower to abandon their conscience and their beliefs for greater good of the country or whoever was in charge at the time. The beauty of Jefferson and Henry's struggle is that both wrestled with their identity, were they Christian? Were they Americans? Were they both?

In a letter to his daughter Henry writes, “Amongst other strange things said of me, I hear it said by the deists that I am one of the number; and indeed, that some good people think I am no Christian. This thought gives me much more pain than the appellation of Tory; because I think religion of infinitely higher importance than politics; and I find much cause to reproach myself that I have lived so long, and have given no decided and public proofs of my being a Christian. But indeed, my dear child, this is the character which I prize far above all this world has, or can boast.”

I have asked a tough question. I have asked a question that I feel our scripture asks us to ask. Kings and Governments demand our allegiance. God demands our allegiance. Is truly possible to serve them both? For the courage to answer that question I am thankful for our 1^st Amendment rights and I am thankful of our Baptist freedoms and our Baptist heritage because I am free to say that if I died today above everything someone would have to say of me is, “Joseph Ferrell Kendrick served the Lord God of Christ Jesus above all other allegiances and loyalties.” That's what I want to said above all else. Because whatever else will be said of me afterward will have been possible by that truth.

Let this be a our prayer: May we be a people of the Spirit, a people who are grateful for the country we live in and those who serve to protect it and those who serve to keep it running. May we be people of the Spirit, a people who, when the time comes, chooses to serve their God before their country. May we be people of the Spirit, people of God who has no equal. Amen.

Hope is the Best of Things

“So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh--for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” Romans 8:12-25 NRSV

Did anyone understand that? Oh Paul, Paul, Paul. How long winded thou art.

I have a lot of respect for Paul as a missionary, for his personal story and struggles, and for his letters as he wrestles with the beginnings of the Christian church movement. I sometimes think he gets a bad rap by moderate Baptists, like myself. I sometimes tend get caught up in how Paul has been used by the church over the years in a way to support cultural issues. For example, for centuries Philemon and Ephesians were used to justify slavery in America and to keep blacks and whites separated. Though interestingly enough, Martin Luther King Jr used Paul's writings to show that integration and equal rights were a strong part of the Christian faith. In fact, two of my favorite King sermons are from Paul and from the Romans letters.

Paul tends to get a bad rap because of what we've created Paul to be. What I mean is we've often, as a Church, have tried organize Paul's thought around a single doctrine or theological perspective, for example justification by faith, instead of recognizing the multifaceted nature of Paul's thought and the interconnectedness of its many dimensions. An example of this would be Paul's stance on women in ministry. In 1 Timothy he writes that women are not to have authority over men or speak; yet in Romans he commends and lift up at least 5 women who are agents and ministers/deacons of the gospel.

In other words, instead of breaking Paul's thoughts down and trying to organize them into one singular focus, I have come to see that if we view Paul's letters as a set of theological reflections that brilliantly illuminate different aspects of Christ and its implication for Christian life and practice, I believe, we get a much richer reading and understanding of Paul's letters and of Paul. Paul then becomes less deified and more human, allowing us to be able to relate to him and his letters. This reading allows me to engage in the conversation with Paul as his letters were meant to do. It allows room to wrestle with his wonderful insights as well as his controversial declarations.

I say all this because as I read our passage today, I personally struggle with what Paul means when he writes, “We are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh- for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Growing up I was taught that the word flesh was synonymous with sex, suggesting that flesh, sin, in it's most powerful form was sex and that was driven home to me as a teenager at every summer retreat we had. Now that I read this letter through a different lens I am able to wrestle with what Paul is really speaking of when he uses the words flesh and Spirit.

For Paul, it appears that the word flesh goes beyond sexuality and the use/abuse of God's gift of sexuality. Flesh is rather a whole way of being oriented toward ourselves and toward life itself. Paul's concept of flesh describes the process by which we seek to answer the anxieties of of our lives by turning to the fallen powers of the world, known as idols in biblical context.¹ Flesh, then, is a process. It is our human response to our existence, a response in which we cling to the idols of the world in order to ease our anxieties. We end up living in the power of the flesh, choosing death instead of life because it is easier. We are accustomed to living in the flesh because it is around us. We are wired in such a way that we are dependent creatures who do not like to be uncomfortable so we seek the power of the flesh because it makes us feel better.

If I burn my hand my natural instinct is to blow on my hand and on it. It's my natural instinct because I was raised in a house where if you burned your hand you put ice on it. So in order not to burn myself I look for something to ease my anxieties of getting burned. I go to the store and I buy pot holders. For Paul, flesh is the process by which we answer our anxieties as human beings by turning away from our true calling as children of God, of the Spirit, and turning to the answers of the idols of the world.² When we turn to the idols for answers we are unable to have our sustained. It's like eating a meal from McDonald's instead of taking the time to make a healthy dinner. Sure you're hunger will be satisfied for awhile but after an hour or two or three that hunger will return. And you'll be paying for it later.

This leads me to Paul's use of the word Spirit.

Paul emphasizes that we are offered a different and new alternative in Christ. This new way is different than the way of the flesh. Instead of leading to death, this new way leads to life. This is new way is found in the Spirit of God. In the humanity and divinity of Christ, we have a new way of life in the Spirit. Paul affirms that Christ has entered into the struggles of our existence, into this process of the “flesh” and he is showing us a different way to respond to our anxieties.³ Instead of turning to the instant and fleeting gratification of the flesh, we turn to the life of the Spirit having the strength of hope to call out in desperation, “Abba! Father!” and it is this Spirit that bears witness with us, with our spirit that we are children of God. In other words, it is the Spirit that lays on our hearts the hope that our cries have been heard, that we are received as children of God through Christ.

One day a teacher at a college, just for fun, decided one day to ask his students a question, “How many of you want to go to heaven when you die?” Everybody raised their hand. Heaven by a landslide. Then he asked, “How many of you would like to go tomorrow if you could?” All the hands went down so he rephrased the question. He asked, “How many of you would like to wake up tomorrow in a world where no child feared to dance in the street at night, or nobody ever pointed a gun at another human being, or no child ever starved, or nobody ever put you down because you were different, or no mother ever wept over a hungry baby? How many of you would like to live in a world that finally worked right?”

“How many of you would like to wake up into that good world, as good as the world? You had all the capacities and powers and freedom that you longed to have? You went into that world a terrific, fantastic human being. How many of you would like to wake up into that world tomorrow?” A hundred percent. He said, “Then you want to go to heaven tomorrow, because that is what biblical hope is about. God created this world. He's not that interested in getting us out of it. What God is interested in is getting it to work right.”

That is what Paul means when he writes, “But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, of the flesh, you will live.”

Last week I talked about having hope in these last days. That hope that I spoke of is not hope of the flesh but hope of the spirit. You see, hope of the flesh is placing our hope on the shoulders of presidents, governors, congressmen, pastors, friends, or family. We place our hope in people and in things that do not have the power to sustain that hope. It is easy to place hope in presidential elections because if it doesn't work out in four years we can always elect someone different. If our hope in our ministers fail we simply find new ministers. If our hope in our friends fail we simply go to a social mixer and make new friends. If our hope in our marriages or our families fail we simply divorce them. That type hope, hope that is of the flesh, is a hope that does not have promise. Paul is arguing for us to look to the Spirit for hope and not hope in what we have seen but in what we have yet to see. It is the hope of the Spirit that sustains our marriages and our communities not our hope in them.

It is hard to hope in the unknown because it can be painful. If we were to take an honest read of our scriptures we would find great pain followed by great hope. It is not hard for me to say to you that in the end all will be well. It is not hard for me to hope in the unknown because I know the one who has written the end. We know the end of the story but it is hard to go through the pain of living out this story just to get to the end. I know the waiting can be hard and in the waiting we turn to things that are of the flesh and not of the Spirit to help ease the pain or ease the anxiety so that we may feel good and safe for just a moment or two. But it only lasts for so long. That hope is fleeting.

Living a life of a Christian is living a life of hope. When our hope dies, our spirit dies. The hope of the flesh will eventually kill our spirits. The hope of the Spirit is a hope that will sustain us. It is that hope that I speak of when I say I have know all will be well. It is this hope that Paul speaks to when he tells that because we hope in what we've not seen, we wait patiently. Hope in the Spirit, of the Spirit, is a hope keeps our spirit alive during these last days. It is hard to have hope.

During my week, I try to get out visit as many of our shut-ins and elderly as I can. Each time I visit someone I am told of all the people who came by and saw them or gave them a call or sent them a card. It gives them hope and hope is something we desperately need as we get older. The older we get, the more time goes by, we slowly find ourselves looking back into the past and to the way life used to be. We dream of a time when the fields were green and the harvest was full. We dream of how great life was even though we know it wasn't always that great. We dream of better days and we look out towards the horizon and wonder if it is possible to hope for a better tomorrow. And with each new day we start to look forward. The older we get the harder it is, I believe, to have hope.

Paul understood the importance of hope, he writes, “For in hope we were saved.” Another translation reads, “We are saved, but all we have to show for it at present is hope.” Another reads, “We hope we are being saved.” We tend to place our hope in things that are not of the Spirit and when those things fail we start to question whether God is real. I sat with a church member last week and we started to talk about life and death as these things go when a pastor and sick person get together. In our conversation I could tell she was struggling with whether God is real. She struggled with her medical condition and wondered if God was real then why is she suffering. Did she do something to deserve this? Had she sinned and God has abandoned her? Questions that I believe we all tend to wrestle with in some way as life goes on. With each day hope becomes difficult.

But there is good news because there are two main hopes in the Bible. One is a hope in the future: we hope for a happy ending. In Christ we have a happy ending. Christ is going to win and make our whole world work right again. Life is going to win. Peace is going to win. Love is going to win, because God is going to win.⁴ We hope in this because we know the one who is writing this story. We can trust in this hope because it is a hope that is promised and God always keeps promises.

But we need hope for today and this is the second promise of hope God offers: I will be there with you when human hope fails.⁵ Such hope is hope of the Spirit. Knowing that God is with us in our struggles, in our praises, in our triumphs and our failures is to trust in the Spirit and to live by the Spirit. Keep on hoping because there is hope when life is hopeless. God promised. And while the scriptures speak to many things but the most consistent is of hope. Hope is a promise that is consistently fulfilled. If history teaches us anything is that the promise of hope will be kept. We just have to keep hoping.

So keep on hoping. No matter what always have hope because all will be well. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies (Shawshank Redemption). Keep on hoping. All will be well.

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune without words,

And never stops at all,

And sweetest int eh galle is heard;

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little bird

That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land

And on the strangest seas;

Yet, never, in extremity,

It asked a crumb of me. (Emily Dickinson, “Hope is the Thing with Feathers”)

1Stroupe, Gibson. “Flesh And Spirit”

2Stroupe, Gibson.

3Stroupe, Gibson

4Smedes, Lewis. “Keeping Hope Alive”

5Smedes, Lewis.