August 15, 2021
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Union, Illinois
Psalm 139: 1-10; Mark 6:1-13[1]
I was miserable, and
did not want to be there. And I let everyone know it. But we made it through
the first night, and managed to get going in the morning. The boys had walking
sticks they’d acquired at Vacation Bible School the week before, so they were
excited to hit the trail. We marched along, seeing beautiful scenes of the
river, the rocks, and the trees. Eventually we made it by trail to the Visitor
Center, which was not itself flooded. And there was air conditioning, and food,
and cold water.
With directions now
in hand, we found the way to get down into the valleys to see the waterfalls. We
even got the kids to stand still long enough for some nice pictures. After that
we hiked out and went for ice cream. But back at the campsite, Felicia got a
call that her sister had been in a car accident. While she was processing that,
I noticed that what had seemed to be mosquito bites on the boys were swelling
up really big. We quickly ate our dinner and headed for the hospital.
With assurances from
the ER doc that they were not dying, just having an allergic reaction, we
decided that I had better pack up the campsite so we could head home. I left
them at the hospital, and as I packed up, the alerts began to come in about
tornados hitting just north of us. Felicia and the boys caught a cab to a
motel, and I finished packing up. I made it to the motel just before the heavy
rain started.
Nice story, Dave,
but what’s your point? Well, the title of this sermon is “Unexpected Places.”
Where do we find God? In the church sanctuary during worship, I hope. Maybe we
find God at the lake shore, on the mountain top, or at some camp or retreat
center. The writer of Psalm 139 speaks of God being found in heaven, in Sheol,
even at the farthest limits of the sea. “Where can I go from your spirit? Or
where can I flee from your presence?” God can be found everywhere, of course.
But I think we have to be looking in order to find God, especially in
unexpected places.
I certainly wasn’t
looking for God in the heat and humidity at Starved Rock. But I appreciated the
Visitor Center with its air conditioning that much more. I was delighted by the
beauty of the waterfalls. But over the next few days, as I shared the photo of
my family taken there with friends I hadn’t seen in a long time, I gained a much
greater enjoyment. Mosquito bites, nope, not looking for God there. But the ER
trip gave us time to reconsider the value of staying another night in the tent.
The next morning was much more pleasant than it might have been.
When Jesus came to
his hometown, the people of Nazareth were looking for God. It was the sabbath,
and they were gathered in the synagogue. But when God appeared in the
unexpected place, in this carpenter, the son of Mary, they weren’t looking
there. “He could do no deed of power there,” Mark says, perhaps because of
their unbelief. Maybe they were so used to seeking God in the familiar places
that to find God in the unexpected was just too much to wrap their heads
around.
This event is
followed by the first major act of delegation by Jesus. He sends them out, the
twelve, into the villages. He warns them that some people are not looking for
God in the unexpected arrival of these fishermen-become-disciples, and might
treat them like we do when certain people come knocking unexpectedly on our
doors. Jesus sent them anyway, because he knew that in unexpected ways they
would find welcome, and be empowered to share their message and bring healing.
Some years ago, I
was at dinner one evening with friends, colleagues in ministry, two women and
two other men. We had been talking about issues of privilege and equality,
about who has power handed to them and who has to fight for it. I was running
late for a meeting and I wasn’t going to be able to finish my steak. So, I
turned to the guys and said, “Do you want the rest of my steak?” My friend
Nicole asked, “What about me?” As I turned red and covered my face with my
hand, we all burst into laughter. I am thankful for friends who are able to
point out my faults in love. We don’t often think of God making us laugh, but the
Spirit was there at the table with us.
We live in a time
when we all recognize the church is in decline. Membership and attendance
numbers are going down, in small town congregations like ours, and even in the
fundamentalist mega-churches. COVID restrictions have forced us to worship in
virtual spaces. And yet, at General Synod, the national gathering of the UCC, we
celebrated 7 new UCC churches that have been started since the last UCC General
Synod in 2019.
At the virtual Synod
event a few weeks ago, I attended a workshop hosted by the Back Bay Mission in
Biloxi, Mississippi. Do you remember Hurricane Katrina? We heard a lot about
New Orleans, but do you remember hearing anything about Biloxi, MS? It was like
a nuclear bomb went off there. There are neighborhoods where there is still
nothing left. Members of the Back Bay Mission struggled to respond even as
their own homes and headquarters were washed away. It took time, but they were
able to begin recovery efforts. With help from the UCC Disaster Ministries,
Back Bay Mission is still a vital resource for the Gulf coast region. The
speaker at my workshop said “UCC Disaster Ministries sticks around. They are
not the first ones there, but they are the last to leave.” Everyone loves New
Orleans, but down the coast in hard-hit Biloxi, God is still showing up.
This past weekend I
travelled to Colorado for a planned vacation with my sister’s family. My dad
has not been doing well for the past several months, and had been in the
hospital a week previously. We all visited him and my mom before heading to the
mountains. We visited Leadville, where my wife grew up, and rode the old train
line up the mountain. It was beautiful, warm and sunny, and we all had a nice
time. And it was good to have time together as a family.
On Tuesday, as we
packed up to leave, my mom called to tell me my dad had passed away in the
night. It wasn’t a surprise, just sad. My wife and I had talked with our
children the night before about what was coming, so they would understand. We
had been able to say goodbye, and had been together doing things he would have
loved. God’s grace was with us, even far from home.
We find God where we
look for God, and though it may not occur to us in the moment, God is often
found most strikingly in the unexpected places. This was news to most people in
ancient times, just as it is news to us today. That is why we still find the
cross to be a strange symbol for our faith. It was, after all, a symbol of
Roman Imperial power. It was the tool of torture and death for those who dared
rebel against Rome. Who could have expected to see God in such a horrible
device?
It was, and still
is, quite unexpected to find God in the frailty of human life. In the person of
Jesus, we unexpectedly find that God can not only identify with our weakness,
but has been tested in every way, just as we have. The good news is that God is
to be found in the unexpected places. When the people are conquered over and
over again, and even sent into exile, they are not abandoned. When the Christ
is nailed to the cross, God is still there.
There is no place on
earth, in history, in your life where God cannot be found. Even at the
uttermost end, even when hope seems lost forever, “even there your hand shall
lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.” Expect God in the most
unexpected places. And, my friends, be prepared. God might use you and me to
bring the good news. We are the unexpected places.
[1] The
scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard
Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of
the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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