Worries and Blessings

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Berryville, Arkansas on May 25, 2008, the 8th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

Isaiah 49:8-16a
Psalm 131
1Corinthians 4:1-5
Matthew 6:24-34

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen

Merwan Sheriar Irani[1] was an Indian man of Persian heritage who lived from 1894 to 1969. At the age of 19, during his sophomore year of college, Merwan had a brief contact with a Muslim holy woman Hazrat Babajan marking what he said was the beginning of his spiritual awakening. With a single kiss on his forehead, Babajan was said to have suddenly triggered a seven-year process of transformation. It was after this extensive period of study and contemplation that Merwan began his public work.

In 1921, Merwan’s followers gave him the name that most of the world knows him by today, Meher Baba, Hindi for “Compassionate Father.” In 1931, Baba made his first trip to the west. From this time, his teachings began to gain a foot hold world wide. When Baba sent correspondence, he would usually close with “Don’t worry, be happy.” This comment soon became his trademark.

In the summer of 1988, Jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin released the hit song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” listing Baba as coauthor. The a cappella classic won the 1988 Grammy Awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. The first verse contains these lyrics:

In every life we have some trouble
But when you worry you make it double
Don't worry, be happy.[2]

God help me, I hate this song, and I’m not alone. Running a quick computer search[3] I found song lyrics that specifically reference McFerrin’s by Wycliff Jean,[4] Public Enemy,[5] and Ras Kass.[6] In each of these songs, the lyric tends to say that the phrase, in fact the entire song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” is the sort of fluff that means nothing at all in today’s time and place. Sure, you can say it all you want, but it doesn’t mean anything in a world that is strife with racism, greed, pain, and toil.

Cyclone Nargis hit the Ayeyarwady Delta of Myanmar on May 2, 2008. After the damage was done, the military government didn’t allow relief workers into the country. The generals wouldn’t allow much of the relief supplies which did enter the country to reach the people, and the supplies that did were splashed with pictures of the ruling generals. Chatting with Mark Mallett a couple of weeks ago he said that the generals were withholding relief so they could be little tin gods. I couldn’t have said it better myself and told him so.

The news is now reporting the ruling junta is going to allow foreign aid workers into the country.[7] About the prospect of interference with aid and aid workers, Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations said “We expect no obstacles.” But others are more reserved. Lionel Rosenblatt, president emeritus of U.S.-based Refugees International said, “I want to be optimistic, but I'm skeptical.”

There are earthquakes in China, hurricanes in the gulf, floods throughout mid-America, and tornadoes all over the place—including Arkansas. Yesterday’s twisters through northern Oklahoma are just another addition to this long list of natural disasters. You ought to see the emails I get from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and the good folks at the PDA Disaster Assistance Center at Ferncliff in Little Rock.

Charitable agencies have declared an emergency.[8] There have been so many disasters that people have become overwhelmed and donations are dropping just when they are needed most. There is actually a tendency during a spate of emergencies for donations to drop off. It’s not news to relief agencies. It even has a name, “disaster fatigue.”

When I read this passage, I just want to look to the heavens, shake my fist, and ask God what exactly is meant by “do not worry about your life?” Oh, and seeing as how the New Living Translation renders this statement as “not to worry about everyday life” does that give us license to worry about the big nasty stuff as long as we don’t sweat the small stuff? Then are we supposed to accept adding insult to injury when somebody says “it’s all small stuff?” Sorry, I’ve got worries…and I know that you do too. We pray over our joys and concerns every week and it never fails, there are always joys and concerns.

I know that worry won’t add an hour to the span of my life, but ignoring worry won’t make the conditions I worry about go away either. Oh, and I’ve been on call at the hospital this week. I dare anybody to come with me this afternoon and tell somebody lying in a bed who’s waiting on diagnosis or chemo or surgery “Buck up Skippy, Jesus says ‘Don’t worry, be happy.’”

Thank God none of us have such poor pastoral care skills.

This is why; after all of this raving about the first nine verses or our reading I want us to focus on the first half of the tenth, “Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” We are called to a radical new priority, strive first for the kingdom of God first, and then we deal with what follows.

The prophet Isaiah tells the covenant people to raise up, restore, and establish the land saying to the prisoners, “Come out;” and telling those in the darkness “Show yourselves.” The Lord promises that the one who has compassion for the prisoners and the lost will lead them and by springs of water will guide them; for the Lord has comforted his people, and the Lord will have compassion on those who suffer. The prophet Micah is often quoted with directions on how to minister to the prisoners and the lost. He prophesied, “What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” This is what we are called to do.

Through Isaiah, the Lord promises that those who have cause to be anxious will be comforted. This promise was reflected again by Paul in 1Corinthians. Paul begins his call to those who will be sent in the name of the Lord by telling them that they are, that we are, servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries.

As servants of Christ, we are called to do the business of the household of God. The glory of this term, servant, is that it is no lofty theological term. It isn’t something that has a long theological history; defined and redefined by the greats of the church. Servant is a household term. It is a common term. Servants helped around the house. Servants cooked and cleaned. The servants took care of the business of the household as assigned. This isn’t a position of privilege or status; it is a position of duty, a call to action.

As servants we are the helpers of the master, the one who is the head of the household. We take the master’s instruction, not our own. A wonderful illustration of this is found in the movie “The Princess Bride” where the stable boy Westley is a servant of the family of the maiden Buttercup. Whenever Buttercup would ask Westley to do any chore he would respond, “As you wish.” No matter how menial or degrading or cruel, he would respond, “As you wish.” We are to follow, not to lead. As we pray, thy will be done, not my will.

As stewards, we are called to be the managers of the mysteries of God. The managers of the household receive orders from the head of the household leading others in the work of the manor. In a way, these people would be like a chef would lead the kitchen staff in preparing daily meals and arranging special events.

To be a manager of the mysteries is a difficult proposition. By definition, the word mystery means “the private counsel of God” or “the reality that transcends our understanding.”[9] So to be stewards of the mystery, we must be attentive to the will of the master, the will we find in scripture of God, in the life of Jesus, and in the calling of the Holy Spirit.

Again from “The Princess Bride,” the story continues, “[Buttercup] was amazed to discover that when he was saying ‘As you wish’, what he meant was, ‘I love you.’” I return to this because I want to redraw the analogy in the light of our Gospel reading instead of Paul’s letter. As the epistle says, we are called to answer the Lord saying “As You Wish,” but more often than not, we ask God what we will eat or what we will drink. We are called to say, “As you wish,” but even the Lord knows our tendency is to say “we wish” instead.

There is joy in their relationship though. As Buttercup matures, as she learns more about her Westley, “She was amazed to discover that when he was saying ‘As you wish’, what he meant was, ‘I love you.’” The movie continues, “And even more amazing was the day she realized she truly loved him back.”

It is the Lord who constantly tells us “I love you,” when all our sinful nature wants to hear is “as you wish.” It is a shame that all too often our calls and our prayers deal with the superficial worries of life when we are called to strive for the kingdom of God and his righteousness. When we concern ourselves with the work and the mysteries of God, acting as servants and stewards, we act as if we truly love God back. When this happens, we are promised that all these things, the everyday things, will be given as well.

And I don’t think these things will come as some sort of magic reward. The things that will be given to us won’t fall like manna from heaven. They will come from the person sitting right next to you; from neighbors; and in the smiling face of a stranger. The things which will satisfy our worries will come in the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ reflected in the eyes, the hearts, the souls of our friends and neighbors.

We receive great things from people we have never met through the work we do to provide school supplies to the needy children of Carroll County and thanks from those we may never meet who receive assistance through the Loaves and Fishes Foodbank. We receive thanks in the smile of a stranger we show kindness on the streets. We are blessed when we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.

We receive the blessings of others, as others receive the blessings we give them. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the grace of God multiplies these blessings beyond what we could ever do ourselves. As we deal with the worries of the kingdom of God, our earthly worries have the tendency to be taken care of along the way.

As I said earlier, we are called to a radical new priority, we are called to work for the things of the kingdom of God first, and then we deal with what comes. When we strive for this inbreaking of the kingdom of heaven on earth, this touch of God’s righteousness in our lives and the lives of others, when we touch the world like this, the world returns the touch. In the way of glory and light; what goes around, comes around; for the glory of the Lord and the good of all creation.

So let us act in ways that are pleasing to God, let live as the LORD requires, doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with our God. By doing God’s work on earth, we participate in the kingdom of heaven which is constantly coming on earth. And by doing God’s work through Jesus Christ our Lord, we prepare for the eternal coming of the kingdom on earth.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meher_Baba, retrieved on May 22, 2008.
[2] McFerrin, Bobby, Meher Baba, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” ProbNoBlem Music, BMI, 1988.
[3] Search ran on lyricsdir.com, using the search parameter “don’t worry be happy” on May 22, 2008.
[4] Next Generation
[5] Fight the Power
[6] The Music of Business
[7] “Myanmar concedes to access ahead of donor meeting,” http://kevxml.windstream.net/_1_2LBVTO10YSZRW6__wind.main/apnws/story.htm?kcfg=apart&sin=D90S6G5O0&qcat=intl&ran=24784&feed=ap&top=1, retrieved May 25, 2008.
[8] “‘Disaster fatigue’ leads to drop in giving” http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gswBRTjuCUzisdb0yHO306EmoDuAD90OSC000, retrieved on May 22, 2008.
[9] “Musthrion” Entry, A Greek—English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Revised and Edited by Frederick William Danker, Third Edition. Based on Walter Bauer's Griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch zu den Schriften des Neuen Testaments und der frühchristlichen Literatur, sixth edition, ed. Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland, with Viktor Reichmann and on previous English editions by W.F.Arndt, F.W.Gingrich, and F.W.Danker., Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

The Fullness of God

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Berryville, Arkansas on Sunday May 18, 2008, Trinity Sunday.

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
Psalm 8
2Corinthians 13:11-13
Matthew 28:16-20

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen

Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States. Since he died before any of us was born, all that we know about him comes from what we learned in American History or heard from our parents and grandparents. He was truly the late 19th–early 20th Century version of the American Renaissance man. In his public life, he was a statesman, politician, president and public figure. In his life in the American West, he was a sportsman, hunter, explorer and soldier. His letters to his children show him as a winsome, lovable, gentle father, husband and family man. If we didn’t know, we might think that these are three different people, but we know him as one particular person.

You see where I’m going with this on Trinity Sunday, don’t you. Roosevelt in his way was three in one. Each one of these portraits was true to who Roosevelt was. We know enough from each one of them to know something. But even when we put them all together, we still don't know everything there is to know about who he was.[1]

I’m having trouble getting a handle on Trinity Sunday, especially since our gospel reading, the Great Commission, is perhaps the most evangelistic reading in the Gospel. So on this Trinity Sunday, what do we say about the Trinity?

Let’s begin here; the word “Trinity” is not found in scripture. It’s a theological term. It’s a way people describe God based on the witness of scripture. One of my theological dictionaries calls the Trinity “The coexistence of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the unity of the Godhead. While not a biblical term, ‘trinity’ represents the crystallization of New Testament teaching.”[2] That’s as good as any place to start.

The trinitarian formula used most frequently in our worship, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is found in scripture. It was in today’s readings from 2Corinthians and Matthew. In 2Corinthians it is a blessing, a benediction to the benefit of the recipient. As we prepare to leave the sanctuary, I use this same benediction. In Matthew, it is used to describe the one God in three Persons we worship as we welcome new members into the community in the waters of baptism.

Of course, this formula is not without its critics. As humanity has explored the diverse possibilities for trinitarian images, there is a temptation to try to bring the mystery of God under our control.[3]

Some say it is gender specific; too male, not enough female. Even though we confess that the First Person of the Trinity is a most pure spirit without body, parts, or passions;[4] people get touchy about the maleness or femaleness of God. The quantity of masculine words to identify God in scripture only adds to the controversy.

Others note that people whose fathers weren’t present or were abusive have difficulty seeing God as the figure of a good Father, father with a capital “F.” I can’t disagree with this, after all, earthly fathers are a sin-soaked people; just like everyone else. But unfortunately, our earthly perceptions of fathers infect our perception of God the Father who we confess is infinite in being and perfection.[5]

Another issue with the history and theology of the Trinity is that some considered Jesus the Christ and the Holy Spirit to be secondary deities, subordinate to the First Person of the Trinity. But the church affirms that Jesus and the Spirit are not some lackey or servant gods to a supposedly supreme God when in truth all three persons of God are equal to one another.

Additionally, some have renamed the persons of the Trinity based on what we think are their usual roles. The most common of these is “Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.” This isn’t good because it tries to cubby-hole the works of God into a specific person of God. This is not the nature of the Triune God. For example, our Genesis passage this morning speaks directly to the Spirit’s role in creation as the wind that swept across the face of the waters. Our Psalm sings of God the Great I AM as the one who protects and sustains us.

All three persons of God create, redeem, sustain, and so much more. We need to remember that naming the Triune God by roles hides the truth of the scriptural witness and the nature of the fullness of God.

Our human efforts to tame the names of God have helped humanity homogenize God into compartments based on our perceptions of what God does. It has helped us put God into a hierarchy that would make a business tycoon proud. It has helped us infect the glory of God by our individual perceptions. By speaking of the Three Persons of God in these ways, in a very human way, we limit God. But the Triune God is not contained by human frailty.

Two years ago, the General Assembly voted to accept a report on this issue,[6] a Presbyterian look at the Trinity. It included this great truth: “Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are, together with God the Father, fully and eternally God. As the Nicene Creed affirms, Jesus Christ is ‘God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,’ and the Holy Spirit is to be worshiped and glorified as ‘the Lord, the giver of life.’”[7]

All three persons of the Triune God are eternal and equal. As the Triune God, the three persons cannot be separated from one another yet they are distinct from one another.

Now, if you think this is beginning to sound more like three Gods than one God in three persons, I can’t blame you. Perhaps one of the most important things we can say about the Trinity is that the concept of “Trinity” is a model, a way of explaining the mystery of God.

The PC(USA) Trinity Report puts it this way, “The mystery of the Trinity is an open and radiant mystery. It is the mystery of the truth that God is holy, abundant, overflowing love both in relationship with us and in all eternity. We meet God’s threefold love in astonishing faithfulness of the Holy One of Israel, in the costly grace given to us in Jesus Christ our Savior, and in the new life in communion with God and others that has come to us in the gift of the Holy Spirit.”[8]

The best way I have found of describing how to imagine the Trinity comes from the Swiss theologian Karl Barth who said “in it we are speaking not of three divine I’s, but thrice of the one divine I.”[9] There is one divine presence who has been shown to us in three distinct persons, shown to us in scripture, and still being shown to us today by grace. God in three persons is diverse, and in one, the Triune God is united.

The question becomes “What do we do with this knowledge?

One of the places we can find the answer to this question is in our Prayer for Illumination:

God, whose fingers sculpt sun and moon
and curl the baby’s ear;
spirit, brooding over the chaos
before the naming of the day;
Savior, sending us to the earth’s ends
with water and words:
startle us with the grace, love, and communion
of your unity and diversity,
that we may live to the praise of your majestic name.[10]

Excepting the prayer’s creeping modalism, it gives us an important clue. There are two distinct motions to this prayer, remembering what we know about the one who creates us and showing how we are to respond to God in praise and to creation in love and service.

The love of the Triune God overflows from the relationship of the three persons. We were created to share in that love, that wonder, that joy. We can’t repay God for the love we are shown; so what we must do, all we can do, is love in return. Love God and love one another in word and in deed.

When we claim the overflowing love of the Triune God we are called to respond. “[The doctrine of the Trinity] must be put into practice in our everyday life. It has its roots in the proclamation of the gospel and in the church’s life in prayer.”[11]

And as our reading from Matthew teaches, we follow the command to make disciples; sharing this love by going into the world, baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching obedience to everything the Lord has commanded.

This is a daunting command, but with this command we are given the assurance that Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of Man, will be with us to the end of the age. Rely on this and rely on the overflowing love in the fullness of the Triune God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

[1] Homiletics Online, attributed to Harry Emerson Fosdick with an editorial contribution, http://www.homileticsonline.com/subscriber/illustration_search.asp?item_topic_id=902, retrieved May 16, 2008.
[2] “Trinity,” Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible
[3] Office of Theology and Worship, PC(USA), “The Trinity: God’s Love Overflowing.” PC(USA): Louisville, KY, 2004,, lines 354-355
[4] Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter II, Paragraph 1. In the PC(USA) Book of Confessions this is found at 6.011.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Note that I wrote “accepted” and not “approved.” Because of the controversial nature of this report the General Assembly of the PC(USA) did not approve this report but instead voted to accept it.
[7] Ibid, Office of Theology and Worship, lines 217-220.
[8] Ibid. lines 245-249.
[9] Barth, Karl, “Church Dogmatics.” Volume I.1.Edinburgh: T & & Clark, 1975, page 351.
[10] Reprinted from Revised Common Lectionary Prayers, Year A, Trinity Sunday, Prayer of Illumination, copyright 2002.
[11] Ibid, Office of Theology and Worship, lines, 483-484.