May 12, 2002 - Seventh Sunday of Easter

May 12, 2002 - Seventh Sunday of Easter

Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35; Acts 1:6-14; 1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11; John 17:1-11

THE TIME IS AT HAND

Theme: Christ Defines Glory

ILLUMINATING TEXT AND THEME

The years of rearing my children are slowly coming to a close. I have offered little advice of late and little has been requested. Perhaps the time will come when I will receive an occasional phone call from my children seeking my counsel or simply the request to "think out loud" with me as they work their way through a situation. It is said that a parent's most important duty is to work himself out of a job, although I would be honored with the request for a second opinion on occasion.
The time is drawing close when my children will be looking to me for counsel. I've had my chance, and all I can do now is hope that some of it "stuck." The time is approaching when my children will seek the counsel and companionship of a life partner. Some day I will need to hand over my children to another who claims to care for them, trusting the counsel and companionship of their partner will coincide with the values and principles I have attempted to instill. Time will tell whether I will be comforted with a soft pillow or aggravated by insomnia.
In "the high priestly prayer" of John 17, Jesus prepares to hand over himself to his destiny and his disciples over to his Father, which was his fate since the beginning of time (vv. 4,5). Jesus is confident that his heavenly Father will care for and protect his flock in their ministry, as did Jesus while he was with them (v. 11). In a prayer that is less petition than proclamation and thanksgiving, (see Gerard Sloyan, John, Interpretation series, Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1988, p. 196) Jesus gives thanks to God the Father for the fulfillment of his mission and ministry (v. 4), having accomplished the goal for which he was sent (vv. 6-8).
Jesus' prayer is that the disciples remain unified as he and the Father are one (v. 11). "Church unity will not be found in agreement, but in unity of concern," said William Sloan Coffin. To be unified with one another will be necessary if the disciples are to remain in the world, but not be of it. They will need each other for support and encouragement if they are remain the salt and light of the world (Matt. 5:13-18).
The glory that Jesus seeks from his Father does not resemble the glory the world bestows (v. 1). The world bestows glory by inflating egos, encouraging favoritism, and bestowing wealth and popular esteem. (Dennis Benson, The Gospel of John, Loveland, Co.: Group Books, 1983, p. 247) The hype created over new teen idols and musical groups not infrequently exceeds their musical abilities and personal talents. Glory may contain more substance than that which it seeks to glorify. The glory that Jesus seeks will be found in his self-sacrificing death of behalf of his flock.
We live in a world were publicity takes the place of truth. Where resisting the temptation of becoming popular is a part of the struggles of every day life. While this lection would have us preach humility, we do not need to destroy the self esteem so much needed by our teenagers, many who have sought self-destruction—even violent self-destruction in places such as Columbine and Tampa. The temptation of self-glorification is ever-present, crouching at the door. "Truly humble persons don't think less of themselves, they think of themselves less" (unknown). Humility is not thinking nothing of yourself, but turning your thoughts away from self.
The temptation is also ever-present to glorify Jesus in a manner contradictory to his self-sacrificing nature. How do the faithful discern whether a Jesus T-shirt is making a faith statement or glorifying Christ as a popular cult figure? Jesus' glory comes not from worldly pomp or appearance or even T-shirts but from the gift of eternal life though his death. A person's glory in the Kingdom is measured by the degree to which he or she is willing to make Jesus a part of who they are. The more Jesus is part of our lives, the more we turn from self and find paradoxically the glory of eternal life.

ILLUSTRATING TEXT AND THEME

"All is ephemeral—fame and the famous as well." (Marcus Aurelius Antoninus)
************** Recognize any of these names: Owen D. Young, Pierre Laval, Hugh S. Johnson, James F. Byrnes, Mohammed Mossadegh, Harlow Curtis? Apparently you should, for these are all people who have been designated as "Man of the Year" by Time magazine, indicating they had the greatest impact in that year of all persons living on Earth. The celebrity of today is all but forgotten tomorrow. (source unknown) ************** Cato the Elder, on observing statues being set up in honor of others, remarked: "I would rather have people ask `Why isn't there a statue to Cato?' than `Why is there one?'" (Thomas Masson, The Best Stories in the World) ************** "Some men become proud and insolent because they ride a fine horse, wear a feather in their hat or are dressed in a fine suit of clothes. Who does not see the folly of this? If there be any glory in such things, the glory belongs to the horse, the bird and the tailor." ( St. Francis de Sales) ************** Seventy-five years ago, a remarkable man did a remarkable thing. Eric Liddell of Scotland refused to run a heat at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris because the race was scheduled on a Sunday, which his faith taught him would violate the Sabbath. As we know from the Academy Award-winning film Chariots of Fire, Liddell managed to negotiate an unheard of switch from the 100-meter race he had been scheduled to run to the 400-meter, for which he had not trained, later in the week. On July 11, 1924, Liddell won that race and was showered with Olympic glory.
Instead of cashing in, Lidell turned his back on fame and fortune and followed in his parents' footsteps, becoming a missionary in China, where his most powerful contributions to God and to his fellow humans were made.
In our day of focus groups and leadership weakened by uncertainty of belief, Eric Liddell's example continues to stand out. A fanatic might have demanded that others not run on Sunday, either, and organized a group to enact legislation to conform society to his point of view. Not Liddell. He just said he wouldn't run. Some newspapers denounced him as a traitor to his country and king. How quickly they changed their tune when he won a gold medal. Had he yielded to temptation and compromised his beliefs, we might never have heard of him again.
The account of the race in the July 12, 1924, Times of London conveys the excitement of that day in Paris: "Liddell had the outside berth—generally considered the worst place.... There was a perfect start, and from the first jump-off the pace looked, and was, terrific. Two men of the six fell .... But that made no difference, for there was never more than one man in the race, and it was the pace he set that fairly ran them off their legs. Sweeping round into the straight Liddell led by four or five yards, and increased his lead by a couple of yards more in the run home. No one ever looked like catching him .... "When the time was given out as 47.35 sec., and it was realized that, for the third time in two days, the world's `record' had been lowered, the Stadium went insane ...." When Liddell left Edinburgh for China the following year, the number of people wanting to bid him farewell was so large that 1,000 were unable to get in. Twenty years later he was taken prisoner with other missionaries and Westerners and became one of 1,800 crowded into a Japanese camp. His personal space had shrunk to 3 by 6 feet. Before his arrest, Liddell managed to get his wife and two children to safety in Canada (Florence Liddell was pregnant at the time with their third daughter, whom Eric would not live to see). He died of a brain tumor on Feb. 21, 1945.
His biographer Sally Magnusson recalled that most people who knew Liddell observed the consistency of his life. She tried to learn whether he had "clay feet." In her book, The Flying Scotsman, Magnusson thought she might have discovered something when she "happened on a disillusioning eyewitness account of the behavior of some of the missionaries in the Japanese internment camp where Liddell spent the last months of his life.
I read of tempers lost and heavy moralizing, of exclusiveness and selfishness. The author scarcely had a good word for anyone.... Then I turned the page and found this:
It is rare indeed when anyone has the good fortune to meet a saint, but he comes as close to it as anyone I have ever known. Of course, he was talking about Eric Liddell." Magnusson adds that thousands of people live similar lives in obscurity and the world does not know their names. "And the first to remind us of that would be Eric Liddell—who would be full of embarrassment at the very idea of being the subject of a book or film."
At the end of Chariots of Fire, producer David Puttnam put on the screen: "Eric Liddell, missionary, died in occupied China at the end of World War II. All of Scotland mourned.''
Press accounts of the 1980 premiere of the film in Edinburgh told of huge crowds. How fitting. The people of Scotland, who had shared their native son with China, were welcoming him back and affirming the note given to Liddell by his masseur before that 1924 race. It referred to the biblical passage, 1 Samuel 2:30: "He who honors Me, I will honor." And so he did. And so he still does 75 years later. (Randy Walker)
************** I heard a story once about two wealthy Christians, a lawyer and a merchant, who traveled with a group that was going around the world. As they were visiting in Korea, they saw by the side of the road, a field in which a boy was pulling a crude plow and an old man held the plow handles and guided it.
The lawyer was amused and took a snapshot of the scene. He turned to the missionary, who served as their interpreter and guide, and he said, "That's a curious picture. I suppose they are very poor."
The guide replied, "Yes, that is the family of Chi Noue. When the place of worship was being built, they were eager to give something to it, but they had no money, so they sold their only ox and gave the money to the church. This spring, they are pulling the plow themselves."
The men were silent for several moments. Then the businessman replied, "That must have been a real sacrifice." The guide said, "They do not call it that. They thought it was fortunate that they had an ox to sell." (Alan Smith)
************** In Ernest Gordon's book, Miracle on the River Kwai, the author tells of Scottish soldiers in World War II who had been captured by the Japanese and forced to work on a jungle railroad. The Scotch men, tired and hopeless, had degenerated to barbarous behavior, treating each other viciously.
Then one afternoon a shovel was missing. The Japanese officer in charge of the work gang became enraged and threatened to kill the whole group if the man who lost the shovel did not confess. Finally one man, knowing it meant his death, stepped forward. The officer put away his gun, picked up a shovel and beat the life out of the man.
At the next tool-check it was discovered that no shovel was missing. In fact, there was one shovel left over—there had been a miscount at the first checkpoint. The man who died had confessed to losing a shovel that he, in fact, had not lost, sacrificing his life to keep the others safe. That man's sacrificial love changed the survivors. They began once again to treat each other like brothers. (Randy Walker)
************** Although the author of 1 Peter compares the devil to "a roaring lion," this devil is nothing like the all-powerful ones depicted in many Hollywood movies. 1 Peter says to "cast all your anxiety" on God and to resist the devil. Knowing that other Christians too are undergoing persecution. After a period of suffering, the persecuted will know the total victory that God promises. In films such as End Days, Stigmata or The Devil's Advocate we see a very powerful devil and very little of God. Humans seem to be almost powerless against the power of the devil. Maybe they should have read 1 Peter 5:6-11. ************** This being Mother's Day, the preacher might well turn to one of the many movies in which a mother and her love is an important part. Susan Sarandon plays Mother in Little Women. She is the strength and inspiration for her daughters, supporting them in their struggles and affirming their dreams. In one telling scene she is preparing them for entrance into a male-dominated world. She wishes that it were an equal and just one in which persons were recognized for their worth regardless of their sex, but it isn't, so her girls must be strong and resolute, staying true to their dreams. In the film Eleni a Greek mother literally gives her life for her children when Communist guerrillas over-run their village and threaten to send the starving children to an Iron Curtain country. Eleni arranges for the escape of the children, is caught, tried and executed, her last words being a triumphal cry of "My children." In Anywhere But Here Susan Sarandon (again) plays Adele, a flaky mom who uproots her daughter and moves from Wisconsin to California in search of a new start, and in the hope that her daughter Ann can have a chance to be an actress. But Ann has her own dreams, which constantly bring her into conflict with her mother. Finally, however, Mom comes around, sacrificing her most prized possession so that Ann can follow her dream of studying a college in the East. Adel sells the vintage car in which they had traveled and which she had carefully taken care of through the years. The proceeds are enough to pay for Ann's tuition and living expenses. As the two part both realize that though there will be 3000 miles between them, they will actually be far closer than ever in their lives. ************** When some people worry, they don't necessarily cast their anxieties on God. The American Association of Professional Psychics reports that the number of people calling them for guidance increased from 715 per day before the September 11 attacks to 1120 per day during the week after the attacks. ************** If anxiety is a part of your life, you can now emulate Homer Simpson and in doing so, you will be employing proper English. The Oxford English Dictionary now recognizes Homer's trademark exclamation "Doh!" as an official part of the English language. The dictionary defines the word as "expressing frustration at the realization that things have turned out badly or not as planned, or that one has just said or done something foolish." ************** In a "Hagar The Horrible" comic strip, Hagar is walking along with his friend, Lucky Eddie. Hagar asks Eddie if there's something bothering him. Lucky Eddie responds by saying, "Just the usual...Will I be hit by a meteor? Will the ground swallow me? Or will I be captured by creatures from outer space?" Hagar counsels his friend by saying, "Your problem is that you worry too much. It's a proven fact that most things we worry about never happen! So just relax and enjoy life and I'll tell you when it's time to worry!" In the final panel of the comic strip, a whole horde of armed enemy soldiers suddenly appear, brandishing their weapons. Hagar says, "Uh oh! Now might be a good time to start." ************** In order to ease some of our fears, we attempt to work extra hard by doing things that we think will prevent those fears from being realized. For instance, in order to prevent an early death, many people work out strenuously at the gym in order to maintain their health. But a German scientist recently suggested that aimless sloth is preferable to rigorous exercise. Professor Peter Axt, in The Joy of Laziness, contends that "people who would rather laze in a hammock instead of running a marathon or who take a midday nap instead of playing squash have a better chance of living into old age." Axt concedes that moderate exercise—like walking—and avoiding overeating are healthy things to do. But he insists that they should not be overdone. ************** When the bombs began to fall on that May night in 1940, Corrie ten Boom and her family knew that their lives were never going to be the same again. Within five days, the Germans had completed their invasion of the Netherlands. At first, life was not so bad under Nazi occupation. Yes, food started to be rationed. Curfews were put in place. And there were armed soldiers constantly patrolling the streets. But for the ten Boom family, and for many others like them, much of life was able to continue as usual. But it was a different story for the Jews who lived in the Netherlands. In contrast to the ten Booms, who were Protestants, the Jews began to feel the Nazi oppression immediately. At first, the persecution was relatively minor. Once in a while a brick would be thrown through the window of a Jewish-owned store. But then the rabbis began to be kidnapped. The synagogues were set on fire. And all of the Jewish people were ultimately forced to wear six-pointed yellow stars, so that they might be easily identified. Signs saying "No Jews Allowed" were soon posted throughout the cities: at parks, at libraries, and at restaurants. The persecution of the Jews slowly increased over time. It seemed like the Germans were testing the Dutch people, to see how many would go along with them. And the Nazis soon found that most of the people went along with them and did not oppose the attacks on the Jews. In fact, many of the Dutch joined up with the National Socialist Bond, a kind of affiliate to the Nazi party of Germany. Those who joined up found that they were given preferential treatment by receiving better food, clothing and housing than the others.
Finally the day came when Corrie ten Boom and her family were forced to decide where they stood. A knock came at the door. It was a young Jewish woman, carrying a six-month-old little boy. The woman begged the ten Boom's to help her. The Germans were starting to round up the Jews and to ship them off to prison camps. She was no longer safe in her own home. Would the ten Boom's help her? With considerable fear, Corrie ten Boom invited the woman and child in. Immediately Corrie and her father went to their minister to ask for guidance as to what to do. But when the minister heard that the ten Boom's had taken in a Jew, and they wanted his help, a horrified look came over his face and he said, "Absolutely not. It's not safe. Do you realize that you could lose your lives for that woman and child?" But Mr. ten Boom answered, "Very well. We will take care of them ourselves. To lose our lives for them—that would be the greatest honor that could come to our family."
So Corrie ten Boom and her family did help that mother and child. In time, they hid seven Jews in their house, and assisted countless others. They knew that what they were doing involved great risk, perhaps even death. But the ten Boom family saw no other choice. What they encountered was certainly more than a bump in the road. But even so, they trusted God to see them through.
************** "Affliction is a good man's shining time." (English poet Edward Young) ************** "Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." (Franklin D. Roosevelt) ************** Don't teach children helplessness. Teach them to help. ************** Through our times
of sabbatical and Sabbath,
vacation and days of leisure,
work in us, dear God...
that we might return
less clumsy and
more grace-full.
Amen.

**************
I am a World Trade Center tower, standing tall in the clear blue sky, feeling a violent blow in my side, and I am a towering inferno of pain and suffering imploding upon myself and collapsing to the ground. May I rest in peace.
I am a terrified passenger on a hijacked airplane not knowing where we are going or that I am riding on fuel tanks that will be instruments of death, and I am a worker arriving at my office not knowing that in just a moment my future will be obliterated. May I rest in peace.
I am a pigeon in the plaza between the two towers eating crumbs from someone's breakfast when fire rains down on me from the skies, and I am a bed of flowers admired daily by thousands of tourists now buried under five stories of rubble. May I rest in peace.
I am a firefighter sent into dark corridors of smoke and debris on a mission of mercy only to have it collapse around me, and I am a rescue worker risking my life to save lives who is very aware that I may not make it out alive. May I rest in peace.
I am a survivor who has fled down the stairs and out of the building to safety who knows that nothing will ever be the same in my soul again, and I am a doctor in a hospital treating patients burned from head to toe who knows that these horrible images will remain in my mind forever. May I know peace.
I am a tourist in Times Square looking up at the giant TV screens thinking I'm seeing a disaster movie as I watch the Twin Towers crash to the ground, and I am a New York woman sending e-mails to friends and family letting them know that I am safe. May I know peace.
I am a piece of paper that was on someone's desk this morning and now I'm debris scattered by the wind across lower Manhattan, and I am a stone in the graveyard at Trinity Church covered with soot from the buildings that once stood proudly above me, death meeting death. May I rest in peace.
I am a dog sniffing in the rubble for signs of life, doing my best to be of service, and I am a blood donor waiting in line to make a simple but very needed contribution for the victims. May I know peace.
I am a resident in an apartment in downtown New York who has been forced to evacuate my home, and I am a resident in an apartment uptown who has walked 100 blocks home in a stream of other refugees. May I know peace.
I am a family member who has just learned that someone I love has died, and I am a rabbi who must comfort someone who has suffered a heart-breaking loss. May I know peace.
I am a loyal American who feels violated and vows to stand behind any military action it takes to wipe terrorists off the face of the earth, and I am a loyal American who feels violated and worries that people who look and sound like me are all going to be blamed for this tragedy. May I know peace.
I am a frightened city dweller who wonders whether I'll ever feel safe in a skyscraper again, and I am a pilot who wonders whether there will ever be a way to make the skies truly safe. May I know peace.
I am the owner of a small store with five employees that has been put out of business by this tragedy, and I am an executive in a multinational corporation who is concerned about the cost of doing business in a terrorized world. May I know peace.
I am a visitor to New York City who purchases postcards of the World Trade Center Twin Towers that are no more, and I am a television reporter trying to put into words the terrible things I have seen. May I know peace.
I am a boy in New Jersey waiting for a father who will never come home, and I am a boy in a faraway country rejoicing in the streets of my village because someone has hurt the hated Americans. May I know peace.
I am a general talking into the microphones about how we must stop the terrorist cowards who have perpetrated this heinous crime, and I am an intelligence officer trying to discern how such a thing could have happened on American soil, and I am a city official trying to find ways to alleviate the suffering of my people. May I know peace.
I am a terrorist whose hatred for America knows no limit and I am willing to die to prove it, and I am a terrorist sympathizer standing with all the enemies of American capitalism and imperialism, and I am a master strategist for a terrorist group who planned this abomination. My heart is not yet capable of openness, tolerance, and loving. May I know peace.
I am a citizen of the world glued to my television set, fighting back my rage and despair at these horrible events, and I am a person of faith struggling to forgive the unforgivable, praying for the consolation of those who have lost loved ones, calling upon the merciful beneficence of god/ Yahweh/ Allah/ Spirit/ Higher Power. May I know peace.
I am a child of God who believes that we are all children of God and we are all part of each other. May we all know peace. (Thich Nhat Hanh)
**************
The old hymn "No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus" is a confessional hymn that touches the theme of this text. Is there no better "deal" in life than Jesus' plan for one's life? Does everything work for the good of those who love the Lord? People mean evil toward others, but does God always intend it for good? Peter is looking into the distant future and seeing the persecutions on the horizon. He knows what's coming and he knows that they are not yet prepared to face it. God's care for His children looks at times like carelessness. He seems so sure His people will bear their crosses, make their witnesses by martyrdom, and establish His kingdom by their obedience to His will.
**************

One's anxiety should not be about the things of this world. Earthly cares clutter our hearts and minds. The only fear one should have should be of knowing God's will for one's life and failing to embrace it. Peter is saying to a new generation to prepare their hearts for God to glorify Himself through their life, suffering, and death.

2nd Quarter - Year A- Issue of LectionAid
March, April and May (2002)

2nd Quarter 2002