Sermon Sunday, July 9, 2006 +------------------------------+ | Fifth Sunday after Pentecost | +------------------------------+ [9]2 Corinthians 12:2-10 * -------------------------------------------------------------------------- God*s power made perfect in weakness 5 PENTECOST B * II CORINTHIANS 12: 2-10 * JULY 9, 2006 For as long as I can remember, I*ve my ears have given me trouble. When I was a child, I suffered (it*s the only word that seems fitting) with a seemingly never ending series of ear infections. I recall many a sleepless night, the routine of aspirin, hot water bottles, the feeling that the long night would never end and the pain would never go away. There were the countless trips to the doctor, the ear nose and throat specialist and a couple of surgeries too. I*m told that what*s it*s left me with are a pair of eardrums that look like they*ve been through a war zone, somewhat diminished sense of hearing and the very real possibility that in a few years I*ll be wearing hearing aids. Still, it*s kind of funny that sometimes I can go for months, even a year or two completely oblivious to what ails me. But then something happens and I*ll be reminded once again of that which ails me. Like this past week, when I felt the tell tale signs of the dreaded otitis media coming on once again*the peculiar sensation of trying to make out what others were saying while underwater and the pain, not as bad as it used to be due to some nerve damage, but pain none the less. A trip to the doctor confirmed my suspicion and three days into a regimen of strong penicillin I*m hoping (and praying) for a speedy recovery. I have to say that the past week or so, as I*ve been nursing yet another sore ear, I*ve felt something of a connection, albeit reluctant with St. Paul and his legendary *thorn in the flesh*. Personally, I rather like how pastor/writer Eugene Peterson renders the passage from Paul*s Second Letter to the Church at Corinth in his biblical paraphrase known as The Message, a fresh reading of the text that we heard in Alexandria a few weeks ago. *Because of the extravagance of God*s revelations, and so I wouldn*t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations.* Now I must confess that I*m not particularly comfortable viewing my particular affliction as a handicap when there are a lot of other people out there who deal with far greater adversity in their lives than me. Never the less the experience of the past week has served to keep me in touch with my own limitations, which it seems to me is what Paul is getting after, not just for him, for me but for all of us, together as the Body of Christ. Of course, none of us wants to hear about let alone reckon with the reality of our own limitations. We like to think that we live in a world of limitless possibility limited only by the sky and our imagination. The Ford motor company ran a series of ads some years ago touting their latest pickup model. Under the banner of *no boundaries* this baby would go anywhere, do anything, no problem. We feel a need to fill the spaces in our lives with more, more, more*more activity, more production, more of whatever it is we think we need. So, we rush around, from here to there and back again, telling ourselves that if we can just get a little bit farther down the road, a little more work done, one more commitment met, we*ll give it a rest, at least until tomorrow. But in the meantime, God forbid that anything would get in our way, some unplanned inconvenience, an unforeseen obstacle, that nagging limitation that we thought we*d managed to overcome. Should we find ourselves in such a dire predicament, then by golly there ought to be a pill we can take, a book we can read, a computer program that will enable us to get our act together! How ironic then, that in the earlier part of the twentieth century, as futurists looked gazed into their crystal balls to see what life would be like here in the twenty first century, they dreamed of a world where people would work much less and enjoy the benefits of greater opportunities for rest and relaxation. What a far cry from how we experience living in 2006! So, the idea that limitations serve a good or even a godly purpose sounds completely out of touch, total nonsense. But for Paul his particular limitation, the *thorn in the flesh* served just that purpose, *to keep him from being too elated.* Now I guess we have to be clear in what Paul is talking about here and what he*s not talking about. He*s not saying that God is in the business of burdening people with adversity so they don*t get too happy. What Paul is saying is that it*s vital as God*s people to constantly recognize and to be in touch with our limitations, with our boundaries, with our humanity because it*s all too easy to delude ourselves into believing that by our own effort and ability we are what we make of ourselves. So the more we work to overcome adversity, the better people we are in the eyes of others and of ourselves. By contrast, we all know what happens when people decide to engage in self-disclosure, honestly acknowledging their faults and weaknesses before others. They*re left spinning their wheels and if they were headed somewhere they certainly aren*t now. I mean imagine the Apostle Paul trying to land a high power job or come out the winner in the latest reality television program. It wouldn*t happen! The life of which Paul speaks, the life to which you and I are called through baptism runs counter to all that logic and common sense suggest. The life which we have been given is life in God through Jesus Christ, life that begins and ends in Him, life to which God speaks a clear word. *My grace, my grace is enough. It*s all you need. My strength comes into it*s own in your weakness.* And that*s precisely the way God works in the work, choosing what is weak, low and despised in the world to shame those of high regard, the wise, the strong ones.* If God*s grace is enough, if God*s strength comes into it*s own in our weakness it says something about the way in which we are to live our lives. First and foremost, it says that we are free, free from the relentless and futile pursuit of having to prove ourselves, from doing everything we can to keep ourselves and our world together, from the idea that the limitations we meet with in life are simply challenges to be overcome. Because of what Christ has done for us, we are free my friends, free to live in the bright light of God*s grace, free to trust that God provides us all that we need, free to appreciate the giftedness even in our limitations. I think Paul is speaking to a kind of thinking that is quite pervasive in our world, in our lives and even in the church, the idea that somehow we never have quite enough. If we just had a little more of this or that, a little more money, a little more prestige, a few more members to help us make the budget then everything would be okay*a mentality of scarcity one might say. But if we dare to take God at God*s word *my grace is sufficient* another very different mentality begins to shape and enliven us*one of abundance, that God has given us everything we need to be about what God wants us to be about in our lives and in our ministry. God*s word for us lays bare our prideful presumption that says there*s never enough, emptying us of the notion that when it comes God*s grace there is anything we can do to earn it. All that*s left for us is to recognize the signs of God*s abundance all around us, even in our weakness, despite whatever hardships come along, for when I am weak, I am strong. Last Sunday, I invited each of us to spend time over the next few months regularly praying a simple prayer. *Lord, what is your dream for us as your people at Ascension Lutheran Church?* If you need a little help remembering the words, I think there are still a few copies on yellow strips of paper at the back of the sanctuary that you can take with you and stick in your Bible, tape to your computer, your bathroom mirror or the dashboard (for use only at stop lights). Though brief, it*s a prayer that makes some important assumptions. First, that God is looking out for us, that God has hopes and dreams for us not just individually, but as a congregation, and that God will show us what God wants for us. The prayer also assumes that from what we have been given, together, God is going to provide all that we need to bring that dream to reality. And it isn*t because we*re such clever people, or that I*m such a smart and creative pastor or that we*ve got our act all together, not by a long shot. It*s because of God, because of God*s grace which is enough, is all we need, because of God*s strength that comes into its own in our weakness as we open up our hands and our lives in prayer. *Lord, help us. Help us to trust. Help us to see. Help us to give thanks for all that you do.* Amen. Pastor Brian Peterson References 9. http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=18847248

[ Mon, 10 Jul 2006 04:31:08 -0500 ]

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