This past week several scientists and
historians embarked on $2.2 million, privately funded, journey to
discover wreckage at the presumed crash site of Amelia Earhart. One
of things I'm fascinated with is history. I love how history changes
stories. For example: you have the Robin Hood story and then you have
the real Robin Hood story. One is supposed an exaggeration of facts
starring animals of the animal kingdom while another is strictly
based on actual historical facts and stars Russell Crowe. One of
these stories is supposedly true while another is an interpretation
of historical events. I think it's the one with the animals that's
the true story.
The beauty of the Amelia Earhart story
is the mystery that surrounds her flight around the world and her
tragic end. Something about these mysteries in our history capture
people's attentions. Perhaps it is because stories such as hers
remains open and open ended stories are hard stories for us to grasp.
We are uncomfortable with the uncertainty and the unknown that open
ended stories give us. I am convinced that's why Mark has three
different endings and why Lord of the Rings: Return of the King has
four. Storytellers, historians, and scientists want to provide
stories that have a sense of closure with them. We want our stories
to have an ending of some kind, happy or otherwise.
Life doesn't come with perfect endings.
Rarely does one get to write out their ending and rarely does one go
down in the blaze of glory. Life does come with a lot of uncertainty
and unknown. Because of this unknown and uncertainty we get caught in
solving mysteries through history and science so that we may know the
rest of the story. This is even truer when it comes to faith and
religion.
In way faith and religion are supposed
to provide some certainty in an uncertain world. We gather in
churches and worship a creator God who we believe to have created the
universe. Whether through evolution over a millenniums or creationism
over a period of seven days, we hold to faith that it was God who did
the creating. We believe that not only has God created the universe
and humanity but we believe with faith God sent Jesus, his son, as
the messiah who was crucified on a cross and raised from the dead,
defeating death and sin. Faith means we trust all that to be true
which in turn creates a religion to prove that it is certain. Faith
eventually gives way to certainty because we naturally desire
something that is certain and true in an uncertain time. It is
neither right nor wrong. It is the reality of what happens when faith
becomes hard. When life produces doubt we transform faith into
religion and hold to the certainty religion provides.
One of the biggest certainties we try
to lay desperate claim to is what happens to us when we die? Will we
go to heaven? Will we go to hell? Will simply stop existing? Is death
the final act of our story? How will I know that I'm in heaven? Is
heaven for real? We believe the ending matters so we examine the
scriptures to find answers to these serious questions. We go on a
search to prove how the story will end so we can know it with
certainty.
As I child I used to think Mars was
Eden. Based on the scientific facts about Mars and the theories that
it once supported life or had the ability to support life, I deduced
in my 8 year old brain that Mars was where God had created the Garden
of Eden and where creation first originated. It made sense in my mind
that Eden would have to be a place that once full of life but no more
because of the flood that took place in Genesis 3; thus Mars would be
the most likely planet for such a place to exist. If it had existed
on earth we would have found it. I concluded in my mind that for the
first part of creation took place on Mars. Of course my logic broke
down when ask to explain to my Sunday school class how creation,
specifically Noah got to earth. I simply answered, “The comet that
wiped out the dinosaurs was the ark coming to earth.”
I was certain that my theory was
correct: that if we could raise enough money we could solve one the
bible's great mysteries. However, a few months later I my theory was
debunked at the movies thanks to Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy and
Sybok, Spock's half brother in Star Trek V. Kirk asks the question,
upon meeting God, “What does God need with a spaceship?” And I
begin to ask myself that question and eventually the whole theory
began to unravel. Especially when we sent the rover to Mars and found
zero trace of life. Or so we've been told. Sometimes what we need to
believe is not certainty but faith.
By the time we get to the twelfth
chapter of 2 Corinthians we've reached that latter part of Paul's
rant to the church in Corinth. He seems to be upset about something,
that something being a group of people known as the super apostles.
Not kidding you, it's there in chapter 11 verse 5. Paul defends his
ministry, his apostleship, something he has had to do through out his
ministry, to a church he helped began. His apostleship is question by
these super-apostles and his character belittled. For two chapters he
argues against whatever has been said against him.
Paul tells the church, in response to
the previous chapters, that he could boast but nothing comes of it.
Nothing is gained by boasting but he will move on to visions
revelations of the Lord. He knew a person in Christ who fourteen
years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the
body or out of the body, Paul doesn't know but God does. Paul knows
that this person was caught up into paradise and heard things that
are not to be told, that no person is permitted to repeat. He goes on
to say that he will boast on that person's behalf but on his own
behalf he will not, except for his weaknesses.
Paul says he knows a “guy”. We all
know a “guy” right? A “guy” who can do any job for us. A
“guy” who can chew gum and pass gas at the same time. A “guy”
who has a story. Paul knows just the “guy” and that “guy”
went up to the third heaven. But he doesn't tell us who the guy was
or what they guy saw or heard. He stops short explaining this
revelation even though he says that he will boast on his “guy's”
behalf he ends up boasting of his weaknesses.
Paul begins to tell a story of how a
thorn was given to him to keep from being too elated, a messenger
from Satan to torment him. Three times he appealed the Lord about
this, that it would leave him but the Lord said to him, “My grace
is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So,
Paul will gladly boast about his weaknesses so that the power of
Christ might dwell in him. He is content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ' for
whenever he is weak, then he is strong.
Paul has opportunity to put these
“super-apostles” in their place and to quell any doubts of the
church. But he doesn't. He mentions knowing a person, perhaps
himself, who went up to heaven but he does not elaborate. He does not
share the rest of the story with us. He doesn't provide us with a
good ending to his story. Instead he goes on to talk about his
weaknesses. He goes on to say that Christ said to him, “My grace is
sufficient”. His power is not found in his strength but in his
weaknesses.
This is where faith and religion
divide. Religion holds to the idea that power comes from strength and
strength is shown through power. Religions that seek power do so to
ensure that they have ability to tell the ending they wish to tell.
They seek control. They'll boast over all that “God” has done for
them and hold up all the wonders of God evident in their numbers,
members, dollars, and the who's who. The more power a religion
obtains the stronger they are and the more God has rewarded them.
They would read Paul's letter and
criticize him for being humble and not boasting. They would read of
the thorn in his side, a messenger from Satan, as Paul being punished
for an unspoken sin. God wouldn't allow such a thing to a true
repentant believer. They would insist that he confess his sins for
God does not willing afflict those who believe.
Faith, though, is only made whole in
our weakness. Faith is at its best when we are weak, for we must
fully rely on Christ's grace. Christ's grace is sufficient and true
when we are weak. What use do I have for God's grace if I am strong?
If I am strong then I rely on my strengths but if I am weak then I
rely on Christ's grace. Faith is what makes possible the ability to
trust that Christ's grace is sufficient in our weaknesses.
It is hard for us to be weak in front
of one another. It is hard to trust that our neighbors, friends,
family, church won't take advantage of our weaknesses and exploit
them. We fear that they will think differently of us. We fear that if
they see us struggling our faith will be questioned. We fear we'll be
told God is angry and that is why you are struggling. We fear that
our weaknesses make us weak and it is only the strong that survive.
The ending has to be perfect, strong and bold. There cannot be a weak
ending.
To think that, to believe that is to
misread the gospel story. It is in weakness that the messiah goes to
the cross. He is taunted by others demanding he show his strength.
The true son of God is not a weakling who does not fight back. In
Christ's weakness we are made whole. We are redeemed in the weakness
and foolishness of the cross. The story doesn't end with the weak
cross. God takes the weakest moment and transforms into the strongest
moment. Through the weakness of the cross death and sin are defeated
becoming strong in the resurrection.
We are all weak. I do not mean that in
a derogatory sense. It's just an honest observation of humanity. If
we weren't weak then there would not be a need for doctors and
physicians. If we weren't weak then there would not be a need for
Christ's grace. We can try and hide it and pretend that we're strong
but we're not. And that's okay. It's okay to be weak.
When I was 17 I was diagnosed with
depression. It was over the silliest things too. My girlfriend of two
months and I broke up and one of my best friends from church decided
we were no longer friends. I remember going to sit at his table and
he said, “Sorry, those seats are saved for my friends.” Looking
back it may not seem that big of a deal but in those moments they
were. Seven years later I discovered how prone I was to depression
after burning myself out at work. I was prescribed medicine early on
but it didn't work for me. I didn't trust the medicine. I didn't
trust the temptation the medicine provided. So I learned to dance
with it. Sometimes when the long dark cloud comes in I run and hide
from it. Sometimes I strip down and dance in the rain. What may seem
like a weakness has made me a better husband, father, and minister.
In my weakness I have been able to connect on a deeper level to those
I serve. What some have called weak, God has used as a strength.
We live in an uncertain world that
tempts us with creating a religion based on certainty. We look to
write out an easy ending or a satisfying ending but life doesn't work
that way. No matter how hard we search, life will always have
mysteries. It's part of life's weaknesses. But what we see as a
weakness, God sees as strength. For when we are weak, we are strong.
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