21st Sunday After Pentecost Proper 24

October 17, 2010

the Rev. Ken Kroohs

(Genesis 32:32-32, Ps. 121; 37:1-10; II Timothy 3: 14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8)

DUH – GOD IS SMARTER THAN WE ARE !

St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, High Point, NC

MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH ... AND THE MEDITATIONS OF ALL OUR HEARTS ... BE ALWAYS ACCEPTABLE TO YOU --- OUR STRENGTH AND OUR REDEEMER AMEN

I love Luke’s imagery, his use of word pictures, his focus on the women and other disrespected people in that culture.

But he also gives us some of the most troubling and difficult teachings in he Gospels! Luke gave us the “unjust steward” who was caught cheating and therefore fired by his boss. He goes to the people who owe the boss money and lowers their debt — cheats the boss. Jesus congratulates him on being shrewd! Lots of commentators try to make sense of the story but few seem to.

Today we get the teaching that appears to say if you bug God enough so you annoy God, God will give you whatever you ask for!

In other words — salvation by works. If you pray with just the right words, for long enough, you control God!

And we have probably all heard variations of this — probably not as blunt as saying “you control God” but that’s the result. God gives you what you want which means you control God.

A deacon friend tells the story of being a hospital chaplain. One night an automobile accident sent a man with very serious injuries into the ED and soon the wife arrived. The deacon went into the room and prayed with them and built a connection but it was clear the man would not survive. The couple’s pastor comes in and announces that the only reason the man is not already healed is because the right prayers were not said in the right manner — and he begins praying. While he is praying the man dies. My friend reached over to turn off the alarms and by the time she turned back the pastor had disappeared! Like smoke in a strong wind is how she described him.

I suspect that if questioned that pastor would have said there was not enough time to pray properly, or there was a lack of faith in the room.

Don’t laugh. We all have a similar desire to KNOW. To know why something happens or does not happen. Even those people who seem to ignore questions by announcing “it is God’s will” are just offering an explanation. Nothing remains unexplained.

I blame it on Sputnik .... for the youngsters in the congregation Sputnik was the first satellite sent into orbit. All it did was go around the earth sending a bleeping radio signal – but it was the first ... and it was Russian.

Even those of us who were there have a hard time remembering how frightened we all were. People believed the Russians would send atomic bombs on us any day. Even in third grade I knew how stupid the school drills were .... hide under a desk when an atomic bomb goes off???

But there was that kind of fear and THEY had a satellite. THEY could drop bombs from orbit!!

One major result of the fear was the rush to change our school systems into primarily math and science. We needed more engineers and rocket scientists to beat the Russians!! I can remember the change in focus. Liberal arts type subjects got reduced and math and science increased.

A major implication of that change is that math and science are based on the assumption you can understand everything. Well, maybe not us individually but some human being will eventually understand everything.

Leaving religion and spirituality out of it ... name something you believe will never be understood? .........

So, if everything can be understood then that includes God. The more liberal arts subjects allow for less than complete understanding but the sciences do not. We have to conclude that we did something wrong if God did not respond to us. Or conclude God has a plan we cannot affect. There is no other option — to a math and science thinker.

But to a religious thinker there is another option.

I believe the single most important, unarguable theological statement is that “God loves you”. Basically I am willing to discuss anything else with an open mind ... well somewhat open ... but not that God loves you.

There is another important, unarguable theological statement which is at least as important. Anyone want to take a stab at it? .......

The second statement is that ...... God is smarter than you are! Or even me! Reflect on that for a moment? ....... What does it mean that God is smarter than we are? ..... It means God may do some things, or not do some things we do not understand. It means that our relationship with God is not about understanding but about faith.

But stop .... I am the last one who will suggest we should not have doubts, question God, challenge God, even say God’s plan is wrong! That’s one reason I love the Old Testament and especially the psalms. To my knowledge they are the only divine text from any religion that includes the people questioning and doubting God. My God, my God why have you forsaken me? — If Jesus says that then I guess it is OK for me to question God!!

And I firmly believe God wants us to question, challenge, argue. I firmly believe that God is like any good teacher who wants the questions and challenges not a room full of dull faces memorizing the text. Even considering its length, the Bible does not cover every single question in specific detail. Abortion was known in ancient times it is not something new. But pro-choice and anti-abortionists have to stretch to find passages in support of their viewpoint. Capital punishment can be argued scripturally either way. We NEED to question, challenge, even doubt God to get the understanding God wants us to have.

Although our reading from Genesis has other teachings, it certainly includes from the very beginning the idea that we can, and should wrestle with God.

BUT .... we also must remember we are not as smart as God. A God who fits between my ears is a mighty small God. God sees things greater and broader and longer than we ever could. I believe we are both at the center of God’s universe and also only one of billions of people. God has to see it all, and see every hair on our head. (Why God is God and I am not!)

Another point which makes understanding God more difficult is that God is working on a very long plan to build the kingdom of God. I believe God could do that instantly but God has chosen to do it through human beings .... a decision it is just possible God regrets!

But the gradual, sometimes imperceptible movement toward the kingdom of God builds toward that day. We can look back and see great evil in our human history. But we can also look back and see great good. Through science, the revealing of how God created the universe, we can now feed every single person on this earth with food left over. That is God’s plan. We don’t do that. That is the human failure to follow God’s plan.

Through science, the revealing of how God created the universe, we now can end polio, malaria, and many other diseases. That is God’s plan. We don’t do it. That is the human failure to follow God’s plan.

We don’t follow God’s plan because we don’t want to understand it. In the broad sense we understand God’s plan. We just don’t want to because it might not be what makes us the most comfortable. Sharing our food, supplying medicines are a bit of a sacrifice. Not much if we are honest, but a bit.

In the more personal realm we may not understand but frequently those situations are indications of human beings failing to do as God wants.

Our lack of understanding and acceptance of God’s plan might be a bit of what Jesus was talking about. It requires turning the parable upside down, but Jesus did that a lot. It may be Jesus is speaking, partially, about being in continual conversation with God. Speaking to God often enough and deeply enough so we actually hear and begin to understand God.

Maybe if we are in conversation with God long enough and deeply enough we may begin to consider the fact that God knows more than we do and God, just might have plans we are not aware of. Add to that the fact God created us with free will .... the ability to make choices even choices which go against God and you have a very murky universe!

So how can we have faith in a God we don’t know is working for us? .... How can we have faith in a God we cannot explain? .... I submit to you that is the definition of faith, and the definition of “God”.

God is at work in our lives. I believe many times God works by nudging and encouraging us. I believe God also works by sometimes making things happen we cannot explain ---- what we could call ‘miracles’. But mainly I believe God works through other people.

God is working in the lives of the people around us, and frequently that is through us.

And frequently God is working in ways I cannot understand. That bugs me! I hate it when I cannot understand something. I hate it even worse when I realize NO ONE understands! I was trained in math and science that if enough work is done then eventually we will understand. And yet, I believe God is greater than we are. I believe God is more than we are.

I believe God does things I do not understand but ultimately they are for the good of all human kind. I believe our prayers are important but I sincerely doubt that importance is related to how long we pray, or the words we use, or the posture we assume. I do believe it may have something to do with our relationship with God — but I admit to that thought still being hazy and under developed.

Bottom line .... like having a basketball coach calling plays or an orchestra conductor explaining the score, I believe we have to have trust in God and seek to always do our part in God’s plan.

Ultimately I believe in today’s psalm:

I lift up my eyes to the hills; *
from where is my help to come?

My help comes from the LORD, *
the maker of heaven and earth.

AMEN

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CLICK HERE TO RESPOND: I would enjoy reading your comments about this sermon. Please feel free to discuss content or presentation. (If you wish to use another email system send your comments to: ken@st-christopher.com)