Is This Right?

Is This Right?

A sermon delivered by Rev. Peter T. Atkinson

October 9, 2016

at Gordonsville Presbyterian Church, Gordonsville, Virginia

Deuteronomy 31: 1-8

Hebrews 12: 1-11

Let us pray,

Help us to see despite our eyes

Help us to think outside of our minds

Help us to be more than our lives   

For your eyes show the way

    Your mind knows the truth

    Your being is the life.

Amen.

 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, ² looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

³ Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. ⁴ In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵ And have you forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as sons?—

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor lose courage when you are punished by him.
⁶ For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”

⁷ It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? ⁸ If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. ⁹ Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? ¹⁰ For they disciplined us for a short time at their pleasure, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. ¹¹ For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

For a while now I have been thinking about the Christian life. . . I have been thinking about how to put some of the issues we face into perspective. The issues that we have faced here as a church. . . the issues that we face as individuals, both in the long term with like the whole life, and then also with each of the small decisions we make and face in life. . . because I’ve seen cycles patterns. . . and so the long term and the short term seem to follow the same trend. . . I’ve been teaching the different parts of this in my class at school because my class is all about what it means to be human. . . and I try to instill it into the boys I coach because it’s not just about the Christian life really, but about all life. . . I think. . . and I think I’ve got something here. . . and that is why the title of this sermon is “Is This Right?” because I am really putting forth a hypothesis about what I think are the 7 parts of the way our identity as individuals is tied to what we do, and what we accomplish, and what we are up against in doing it. My plan is to lay the idea out today, with all seven, and then take the next seven weeks, leading us up to advent to look at each piece with more attention and focus. I want to use the life of Moses and Jesus and some of the other Biblical figures to bring it out. The Hebrews passage asks us to look to the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. . . so it makes sense start there.

So here is basic landscape. . . the 7 categories. . . for lack of a better term. . . maybe steps is better, but not really. . . anyway. . . . First is Humility. . . then Discernment. . . then Resolution. . . then Perseverance. . . then Fulfillment. . . then Legacy. . . and finally Retirement. . . Yes, I think it is important that there are 7 because it then mirrors the concept of creation in Genesis 1. . .and like a week. . .  and because creation is an ongoing endeavor. . . and because life is built on week after week, so too is this pattern a cycle. . . one that doesn’t happen once in life, but again and again and again. We find ourselves at different parts in the cycle constantly. . . and it is possible to be one person at different parts all at once, which may seem strange, but hopefully will make sense in a minute. . .

Let me use Moses’ life as an example to explain what I mean with each. . . so the first is humility or doubt. . . it really a starts with a place of doubt. . . you have to question where you are. . . you have to be seeking something. . . and to be seeking you have to not know. . . or at least not be sure. . . for Moses he doesn’t know who he is really. . . he has been banished from Egypt where he grew up, and he has found some solace in shepherding, but something maybe is missing, at least enough for him to be going up that mountain to see that bush that is on fire, but doesn’t burn. . . and honestly this is why I called humility. . . because it is more about openness. . . because sometimes it comes to you even when you weren’t seeking, but you have to open enough to move on to the next step. . . which is discernment. . .

Discernment is a fancy word for seeking the truth. . . coming to know. . . for Moses the coming to know is in the shape of the burning bush. . . God comes to him and speaks to him. . . tells him who he is. . . that he has been chosen. . . that God has big plans for him. . . that it is time for Moses to go to the Pharaoh and say. . . as Erick so finely sung. . . Let My People God. . . and it’s a bit of a debate. . . He is there talking to God and he isn’t sure. . . discernment is a process. . . some people never get out of it. . . am I sure. . . who am I what should I do. . . that is the question of discernment. . . but Moses has a choice to make, and he decides to go to Egypt to Pharaoh. . . this decision is the next step Resolution.

When you resolve you are deciding to take that first step, and you take it. . . It seems like a small deal. . . because it is so momentary. . . making a decision. . . but how important it is because it takes you from the discernment stage into the next stage which is Perseverance. . . And this is a big deal because Perseverance hangs on the quality of the other two. How good was your discernment? Are you really called? Was it real? Did Moses really see that burning bush? Because he is going to face some adversity. . . Let My People God. . . Pharaoh says no. . . what now? . . . plague 1 still no. . . plague 2 still no. . . all the way to plague 10. . . yeah people put some lambs blood on your door, eat some unleavened bread. . . ignore those wails and screams you hear outside your door. . . with that blood we are safe. . . Perseverance. . . up against the world, its doubts. . . craziness. . . and your resolve is tested. Are you strong enough? This is why Discernment is so important. . . . is God calling  you to this action. . . was God calling you to this action? If the answer to that was yes and is yes, then what can sway you from it? What challenge can you not face? What can be thrown in your way? What can make you quit? Now we have a problem with perseverance these days. . . I think it is because we don’t discern first. . . we go it on our own. .  . or we drift from thing to thing. . . we are not rooted. . . think of Psalm 1. . . those who follow the law of the Lord are rooted. . . finding the Law of the Lord applying it to yourself in the specific sense that is all about discernment. . . If you have discerned what you are to do and who you are what should make you quit. . . no you persevere. . . and Moses does. . . up against Pharaoh. . . up against the sea. . . in the desert with no food. . . no water. . . people questioning him. . . up on the mountain getting the 10 commandments only to come down and find that they have been broken before they’ve even been read. . . the golden calf. . . and so another 40 years of wandering. . . all of it persevered.

The next piece then is Fulfillment. . . and fulfillment and perseverance can happen simultaneously, but usually Perseverance leads to fulfillment, but it doesn’t mean you are done yet. . . that comes later. . . but you have to think that along the way God gave Moses glimmers of hope. . . rays of light. . . dare I say Manna from heaven. . . or water from the stone. . . when he needed it, he was persevering, but along the way he felt like there were things getting done. . . he felt good about it. . . a sense of accomplishment. . . you get that feeling like you were in the right place at the exact right time, that your skills were exactly what was needed. . . I think Moses most have had that too. . . a sense that he was on the right path. . . this is fulfillment. . . it is all coming full circle. . . you may still need to persevere, but it all starts to make sense. . . and the next is legacy. . .

People see what you are doing. . . they are drawn into it. . . there is nothing more attractive than someone who is in the right place at the right time. . . their skills. . .their tenacity. . . their struggle against adversity. . . people see it and want to emulate it. . . and new leaders are born. . . they want to follow in your footsteps. . . this is legacy. . . Joshua is that for Moses. . . he is groomed to take over. . . and he does. . . and finally. . . the last piece is retirement. . . there comes a point in time where your work is done and it is time to pass it on to someone else. Someone else must take the reins and you have to let them. . . stepping aside completely, knowing that you were called, you discerned that you were, you ran the race. . . and now it has come that it is time to set it aside. . . so you do. . . Moses does not enter the Promised Land. . . it is not his lot in life. . . the completion of the mission was not a part of his discerned call. . . . it was time for another to step in. . .

Now if you think about it the pattern for Jesus is similar. . . though we could argue that the first two stages of humility and discernment may take a slightly different form for the Son of God. . . we see it. . . his baptism and call to ministry. . . persevering through life on this Earth. . . though great moments of fulfillment throughout. . . time with people. . . his healings and miracles. . . moments with children. . . . persevering through the cross and death. . . the fulfillment of in his last moments reaching and converting the heart of the criminal hanging on the cross next to him. . . then persevering death and descending into hell. . . only to experience the fulfillment of the resurrection. The legacy he leaves with his disciples, those he was teaching. . . converting them into apostles. . . those he is sending out into the world. . . and then ascending into heaven. . . maybe not full retirement. . . but certainly giving over much to his followers. . . to us. . .

So you can see the flow. . . from Humility. . . enough to not know. . . enough to ask. . . or be open to being led. . . then to discernment. . . seeking who am I. . . what am I being called to do. . . to Resolution. . . deciding to do the thing. . . persevering. . . not allowing yourself to be shaken from it. . . to fulfillment. . . yes I am in the right place at the right time. . . I am right for this work. . . to legacy. . . others see what you are. . . what you are doing. . . maybe that helps them in their own discerning. .  . and finally retirement. . . your time with that is done. . . and it is time to start again. . . a new challenge a new thing. . .because retirement isn’t the same thing as the end. . . just of that. . . time to move to something else. . . . Just like creation after the 7^th day of rest, the world keeps turning, and God keeps working. . .Just like Sunday rolling into Monday. . . the weekend ends and a new week begins. . . My examples of Moses and Jesus were lifetimes. . . but they need not be. . . Maybe you are called to a short term thing. . . you discern. . . you persevere . . . you are fulfilled. . . you leave a legacy of it. . . and you pass on. . . Like perhaps being called to serve a 3 year or 6 year term as an elder at church. . . there is a time where the system forces you to take a break, pass on the reins. . . you see this progression is in some ways built into our system. . . though perhaps the natural flow is much more messy than what is proscribed in the Book of Order. . . But the pattern is the same. . . there is a cycle. . . and we each live many cycles. . .

So that is a picture when everything goes right, right. .  . it all makes sense. . . it was good for Moses and Jesus. . . but what is the alternative? Let me go through a couple of scenarios of trouble to show the importance. . . what if you don’t start in a place of humility. . . what if you start in a place of you. . . you decide what you are going to do. . . it doesn’t matter what anyone says or tells you different. . . you get started. . . maybe you will do whatever it takes to get ahead. . . .maybe you will step on anyone to get it done. . . since you didn’t discern from something outside of yourself you aren’t grounded to anything but yourself. . . so why be ethical. . . you are in charge. . . in control. . . do whatever it takes to win. . . just win baby. . . or maybe you aren’t so confident and you get up against some of that adversity and you quit. . . you can’t persevere because there is no foundation to build on, no rock, just you and your fickle mind. . . Like the Preparation I put in your bulletin, the famous Pliable from Pilgrim’s Progress, he gets going, but then at the first sign of adversity he quits. . .I think we see a lot of both in our broken world. . . quitting and doing whatever it takes to win with no sense of things outside of self. . . how much of life would be better if people took the time to see their lives. . . their decisions. . . in a perspective greater than their own. . . and we will talk about this more when we look at how we discern in two weeks. . . the other trouble is that no discerning leads to fragmentation and compartmentalizing of our lives.. . . we don’t see it as all connected. . . instead we are making the rules. . . and we may be living multiple lives at once instead of one. . . . can you see how it leads to problems? What about Legacy and Retirement. .. have you seen people hang on too long. . . not be able to let go. . . often it has become about them. . . and what they have done. . . and they can’t walk away even though it’s time. . . and what is the legacy of the undiscerned life?. . . fragmentation. . . brokenness. . . stagnation.

Our world needs more. . . I think I’m on to something here. . . I think this reflects the natural rhythms of life. . . I believe that it isn’t just individuals but institutions that follow this same pattern. . . Looking back through history you can see it. . . groups of people starting off on the right footing, but then getting away from their original idea. . . quitting. . . not persevering. . . or holding on too long. . . many civilizations or empires have made that mistake. . .they stopped renewing themselves in the pattern. . . they held on too long. . . and got lost. . . The beauty is, and maybe this is where grace fits into this assessment. . . what happens when you fall off the cycle. . .what happens when you can’t resolve. . .you can’t persevere. . . you are unfulfilled. . . or  you hang on too long. . . yup, you get humbled. . . but is not the end of the world. . . but rather the beginning. . . and we are invited to start again. . . It doesn’t matter where your exit is. . . you can always get back in. . . hallelujah and amen to that. . . I’ll ask again. . . Is this right??? I think so. . . let’s look deeper into phase 1, humility next week.

Com' on Blue!

Com’ on Blue!

For Coach Homer

What words? Loyalty, Integrity, Passion, Enthusiasm?

Yes, yes, yes, and O hell yes! Com’ on Blue!
Twenty-five years, can we count the impact?
How many players? Mel, Cody, Ope, Nard,
Weems, Plug, Moon, Licorish, McConnell. . .
No, there are way too many to count,
I can’t even do my six years! Com’ on Blue!
How many games, because in each your impact
Reached to the opponent, too? I know,  because
For eight seasons, nine games, I’ve been one,
And I’m sure Lawrence would say the same,
In wins and losses there you were exuding,
Embodying, bleeding. . . class. Com’ on Blue!
You’re a teacher, bringing the past to life,
A lifelong learner, you still get jazzed up about it,
I can hear you saying “These are the roots of our
Religious Freedom in America.” Com’ on Blue!
How many kids on Faye dorm have known your love?
How many advisees? They’ve all seen the team
At work—You and Jen—inseparable, dedicated,
United in effort and in purpose. Win is testament
Enough, and every one can see it because it is
Obvious and self-evident, a truth we can hold,
Written in a Brass Iron Gate. Com’ on Blue!
You are all those things, wearing all those hats,
Coach, leader of men, shaper of men, teacher,
Mentor, friend, father, husband, and what we
Both know is the highest distinction of them all:
School Man, and you are the School Man Supreme.
I’m not sue which, whether your blood is blue
Or orange, but like the sky shows on a Rappahannock
Sunset—that beautiful combination of both,
Natural, striking, leaving its indelible stamp,
Yours must be a little of both. Com’ on Blue!
But none of that even comes close to what you
Have meant and mean to me. You gave me a career
In the chance and confidence you gave to me.
You taught me how to coach, how to teach, how
To be a School Man. You taught me how to make
Chili, and that it takes all day, and is about more than
Meat and Beans, but requires a little Springsteen
And Clint Eastwood behind each stir. Com’ on Blue!
You showed me how deep our impact should be.
You modeled hard work, and how and when to let
The boys take over and do the work themselves,
How the work is best when it is shared in balance.
When disaster struck, and it did, we worked through
It together, standing on that field in the glow
Of the trees, whose leaves seemed on fire, but did
Not burn, we knew somehow together that we
Were not abandoned. We had eachother, a strong
Community, and time, ever moving onward.
There has been no other whose impact on me
Has been greater. I love you, brother. Com’ on Blue!
Here is to the years ahead as well because your
Work’s infinite impact must be timeless. Com’ on Blue!

Falling Acorns

Falling Acorns

There was a cool, a dead calm, and a cool,
But not silence, for as I approached the lake,
The geese sounded their alarm. Grateful
For the cool, I donned a jacket and sat,
Taking a moment to think, absorb, react,
Meditate, and find my place, as acorns
Fall all around me, almost like a blitz, or maybe
Blitz isn't the word, for as I write the "l"
One sharply stings my foot. "Just don't fall
In my coffee," I think to myself. I am
Reminded of being so struck before, locked out,
And waiting, reading my Institutes. He says
That there is providence, an active creating,
No room for luck or coincidence. No, each acorn
That falls is specifically cast so by God.
It makes sense, planting seeds and whatnot,
But what about this one seed that struck
My foot, and lies on the wooden dock, below,
Unplanted, fallow, not even in rocky soil?
All around me I see them, in various stages
Of rot, decay, misused, impossible to ignore
Wasted potential, seeds, which all could have
Been trees if they had fallen differently, why?

Did they not believe enough—at all, to be so

Wasted, life unlived? Calvin would say it is

A mystery, and faithfully, prayerfully leave

It there, but his followers, have been more sure

About its meaning, taking Blessed Assurance

In election and non-election—in and out,

Saved and not. I rub my foot, look around,

And hear five plop-plops into the water, whisper

Amen, lay down my pen, thanking The Lord.

"How much soever causes may escape our notice, we must feel assured that they are deposited with him, and accordingly exclaim with David, 'Many, O Lord my god, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered,' (Psalm 40.5). for while  our adversities ought always to remind us of our sins, that the punishment may incline us to repentance, we see, moreover, how Christ declares there is something more in the secret counsel of his Father. . . "  - John Calvin, "The Institutes of the Christian Religion"

What the World Needs Now

What the World Needs Now

a homily delivered by Rev. Peter T. Atkinson

at Gibson Memorial Chapel, Blue Ridge School

St. George, Virginia

1 Corinthians 13: 4-13

Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12

Here is a sound recording of this message:

https://soundcloud.com/peter-atkinson-17/what-the-world-needs

Let us pray,

Help us to see despite our eyes

Help us to think outside of our minds

Help us to be more than our lives   

For your eyes show the way

    Your mind knows the truth

    Your being is the life.

Amen.

I wanted to do something a little different this morning. I want to play some music and sing some songs, and I want to give a positive message. I want to talk about love, what it is, what it takes, and why it is so important. . . so let me jump right in. . . I want you to listen to the words of the songs because I want them to speak for me this morning. So let’s set the scene. . . It is not hard for us to know these days, turn on the tv, watch the news, we are a world very much in need.

What the world needs now, is love, sweet love,

It's the only thing, that there's just too little of.

What the world needs now, is love, sweet love,

No, not just for some, but for everyone.     ~ Dionne Warwick

And it’s not just something we need, but truly the one thing, for:

All you need is love

All you need is love

All you need is love love love. Love is all you need.  ~ John Lennon

And you may be asking yourself. . . love. . . really. . . I don’t buy it. . . all love is a touchy feely emotion. . . something from a Valentine’s Card. . . but not real. You may be thinking:

What's love got to do, got to do with it,

What's love but a second hand emotion,

What's love got to do, got to do with it,

Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken,    ~ Tina Turner

Who is love about anyway. . . is it about me. . . for I am the center of my world, maybe:

Because the grea____test love of all is happening to me...e

I  found the grea____test love of all inside of me

The greatest  love of all

Is easy to  achieve     learning to love yourself

It is the greatest love   of all     ~ Whitney Houston

So loving yourself. . . is that all it takes. . . just a safe place. . . loving me. . . in my world. . . if that is all it takes then I can make it on my own. . .

I have my books, and my poetry to protect me;        

I am shielded in my armor, hiding in my room, save within my womb.

I touched no one and no one touches me.

I Am a Rock, I am an island.

And a rock feels no pain;

And an island never cries!     ~ Paul Simon

But that kind of solitude leaves us empty. . . we need more. . . we need each other. . .

Why? why? Tell them that it’s human nature.

Why? why? ‘Cause he do me that way? (If they say);

Why? why? Tell them that it’s human nature.

Why? why? ‘Cause he do me that way?      ~ Michael Jackson

So if it is necessary for us. . . if love. . . in some form is necessary to human life. . . then what is it?

In my life  there's been heartache and pain.

I don't know if I can face it again.

Can't stop now.  I've traveled so far to change this lonely life.

  I want to know what love is.       I want you to show me.

  I want to feel what love is.       I know you can show me.   ~ Foreigner

So What is Love? Anyone have an idea?

Perhaps love is like a window

Perhaps an open door

It invites you to come closer

It wants to show you more

And even if you lose yourself

And don't know what to do

The memory of love will see you through

   Oh ! Love to some is like a cloud

   To some as strong as steel

   For some a way of living

   For some a way to feel

   And some say love is holding on

   And some say letting go

   And some say love is everything

   Some say they don't know   ~ John Denver

Perhaps. . . but what about.

Love is clockwork

And cold steel

Fingers too numb to feel

Squeeze the handle

Blow out the candle

Love is blindness

Love is blindness

I don't want to see

Won't you wrap the night

Around me

Oh my love

Blindness   ~ U2

So all those possibilities. . . all those theories on what love is, but . . 

How do I know when it's love?  I can't tell you but it lasts forever

How does it feel when it's love?  it's just something you feel together,

When it's love   ~ Van Halen

And so since it’s hard to know for sure. . . we keep our love to ourselves, we are intimidated by it. . . we laugh it off treat it too lightly or. .  perhaps with too much respect. . . afraid to pull the trigger.

Love's a word I never throw around

So when I say I'll love you til' the end

I'm talkin about until the day they lay me in the ground

Love's a word I never throw around  ~ Robert Earl Keen

And don’t forget. . .because as sweet as love can be. . . as puppy love. . . as fairy tale and hallmark card. . . we shouldn’t forget:

No!

Love bites, love bleeds, It's bringin' me to my knees 

Love lives, love dies ,  It's no surprise 

Love begs, love pleads,  It's what I need   ~ Def Leppard

Right it is hard. . . it’s tough. . . love is important, it is all we need, but it isn’t always sweet. . . it takes our all it takes commitment. . . it takes sacrifice. . . because we all need to know 

On a perfect day, I know that I can count on you

But when that’s not possible, tell me can you weather a storm

 ‘Cause I need somebody, who will stand by me

Through the good times and bad times, who will always

Always, be right there

Sunny days, everybody loves them,

Tell me baby can you stand the rain,

Storms will come, this we know for sure

Tell me baby can you stand the rain?  ~ New Edition

But in order to have someone there for you like that you need to be there for them. . . here is the one question that love demands. . . and it goes both ways. . . listen.

If I needed you, would you come to me?

Would you come to me and ease my pain?

If you needed me, I would come to you

I'd swim the seas for to ease your pain  ~ Townes Van Zandt

The world is difficult. . . it is hard. . . we need each other. . . I’ve heard no better statement of what love is than this:

Wrong or right be mine tonight

Harsh world be damned, we’ll make a stand

Love can bind, but mine is blind

Other’s stray, but I won’t walk away. ~ Jewel

How amazing would that be to have someone say that, we’re in this together.. . . no matter what happens. . . no matter what comes. . . we will stand together. . . other’s will walk away. .  . abandon you. . . but I never will. . . this is what we need. . .the loyalty we need. . . the friendship we need. . . but again it’s reciprocal. . .

And in the end the love you take

is equal to the love you make. . .  ~ Paul McCartney

So men. . . what are you willing to give? Who are you? You’ve got to know it because someone out there needs you to say. . . I won’t walk away. . . no matter what comes. I’ll stay I won’t walk away. . . are you up for that challenge?

God I feel like hell tonight

Tears of rage I can not fight

I'd be the last to help you understand

Are you strong enough to be my man?        

When I've shown you that I just don't care

When I'm throwing punches in the air

When I'm broken down and I can't stand

Will you be strong enough to be my man? ~ Sheryl Crow

It is by far the biggest commitment you will make, the hardest, the most trying, the most difficult, challenging, at times pride swallowing endeavor of your life, but such it is to be human, and we’ve already said it. . .

What the world needs now, is love, sweet love,

It's the only thing, that there's just too little of.

What the world needs now, is love, sweet love,

No, not just for some, but for everyone. ~ Dionne Warwick

Every one of us, each of us, all of us. . . this world needs love, and we need love, are we up for the challenge of love, the challenge of life? Amen.

'Course He Isn't Safe, but He's Good

'Course He Isn’t Safe, but He’s Good

A sermon delivered by Rev. Peter T. Atkinson

September 18, 2016

at Gordonsville Presbyterian Church, Gordonsville, Virginia

1 John 1: 1-5

Isaiah 44: 24-28

Let us pray,

Help us to see despite our eyes

Help us to think outside of our minds

Help us to be more than our lives   

For your eyes show the way

    Your mind knows the truth

    Your being is the life.

Amen.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ² the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— ³ that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ And we are writing this that our joy may be complete.⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.

My anthem today echoed, mirrored those words. . . I want to walk as a child of the light, I want to follow Jesus. . . in him there is no darkness at all, the night and the day are both alike. Here John writes in his epistle, that this is the message we have heard from him, and that we now proclaim to you, “God is light and in him is no darkness at all.” But we find that there is darkness. There are things that we just don’t understand about this world and how it works. There is pain that we feel, that we see others feeling, empathy that we feel for the struggles that our brothers and sisters are going through, and we cannot help but wonder why. Today with Isaiah we proclaim the creation, proclaim that the creation of everything that is, is God’s. . . that this world is the handiwork of God, and that God is good. We hold up God as the creator of all things. We hold up God as all powerful. Good, all powerful, creator of all things, and somewhere in our mind wonders. . . if those three things are true. . . if they are each true in themselves. . . held up. . . evident to us in the miracle of creation. . . testified to us by the Bible again and again. . . memorized and taught in Sunday School and catechism. . . we can’t help but wonder in our less faithful moments. . . why then is our world not good. We have disease, senseless violence, pain and distress, injustice, bad things happening to good people, good things happening to bad people, suffering, hunger, corruption, greed, crime, cancer, drugs, even maladies we cannot explain to the most innocent of us all. . . those in the womb who have not even breathed their first breath are not inoculated against the pain that we see in the world. It drives us to our knees, screaming out why, God, why? Why is this? Why must such things be? And it challenges us on a deep and honest level.

At this time in the year I am teaching my students origin myths. . . and I use them, these stories of how the world came to be, to teach the basics of world views. I want my students to be able to understand works of literature we will read later in the year. I want them to know how the author of the work sees the world at its most basic level. So far we’ve looked at two different ones. The first a polytheistic worldview, that of the Greeks, the poet, Hesiod’s Theogyny, a Greek Word for a title which means simply, “The Birth of the Gods.” In that worldview the problem of pain is easy. . . it is easy to explain. . . the gods are not good. . . they are fickle, they are cruel, they do not care at all about people, Zeus didn’t even create human beings, they were made by another, in an act of defiance towards Zeus, so you can imagine what that means about humans. . . the world is simply a collection of personified gods and goddesses each with their own natural force to manage, waging wars against each other in perpetual conflict, and human beings are hanging in the balance, precarious to say the least, and therefore all of the evil and bad that humans face is easy to explain.

But then we read Genesis 1, and Genesis 2, 3. . . and the problem of pain and suffering is harder to understand. Genesis 1 shows an all powerful God, speaking things, speaking the entire world into existence. Let there be light, and there is light. . . and the same God who speaks light into existence, proclaims that light to be good. The Hebrew word for creates, is the word, “BARA” and no one can BARA other than God, the word doesn’t work for anyone else. And the poetic image of God’s creation is him separating the waters, holding back the waters, and creating space, space for his creatures, to live and not just to live, but to thrive. . . his first commandment is to Be Fruitful and Multiply. . .  he pulls back the waters, and brings order to the chaos. . . these are the images painted by the poetic Hebrew words of creation. . . God separating the water from the water, and bringing order. . . order, which is the opposite of Conflict.

So this is where I was with my students, this past week. . . one night for homework, I had them go outside and find something in nature, in the natural world that is evidence, that all the world is, is conflicting forces. . . I got things like trees growing next to each other. . . the larger one shading the smaller one from the sun, their roots fighting for nutrients. . . the coolness of the wind fighting against the hot rays of the sun. . . the water slowly eroding the shore. . . one kid wrote about the mosquito they slapped from their neck while they were looking for something. All good stuff. . . Then the next night I asked them to go outside and find evidence of order in the world. . . evidence of a greater plan. . . evidence that there is a benevolent all powerful loving God pulling light out of darkness, and setting the conflict, the chaos, into order. . . I was amazed at what I got. . . I got the food chain, and the cycle of life, which I took to mean life and death. . . birth and death. . . it made me think about my niece, she had raised some pollywogs, to tadpoles, to frogs. . . and then they took them to the park to let them go. . . and as the little fellow was swimming along. . . a fish came up and slurped him up. . . in one big gulp. . . I guess there is always a bigger fish. . . and she looked at it and started singing. . . from Lion King. . . It’s the circle of life. . . this is what I got from these boys about proof of order. I was hoping I’d get some poetic notions like I wrote in the poem read at DeAnna’s and my wedding, that there was this cool breeze, and that caused these two doves to huddle close to stay warm, that even though there was cold, and discomfort, out of that came love and need and caring for each other. . . Or I thought I might hear about the myna bird and the rhino. . . or that other bird the lives in the crocodiles mouth cleaning his teeth. . . or the fish that does the same for sharks. . . that there is more to the world than the strong devouring the weak. . . but glimpses of the meek inheriting the earth, and the last being first and the first being last. . . no I got the male black widow being devoured by the female after helping with egg fertilization. But they are right. . . that in its own way is an ordered system. . . not just born out of conflict, but born out of set and delicate patterns. . . harsh patterns, but patterns. . . and it put the poems I chose for today in my head as things I wanted to touch on . . . two poems by William Blake. . . both coming from his collections usually meant for children. . . his “Songs of Innocence” and “Songs of Experience.” The Lamb from Innocence. . . and the Tyger from Experience. . . because this gets at it really. . . God. . . the nature of God. . . and the nature of the nature God created. . . both. . . including both the lamb and the tiger: Let’s look at them.

Little Lamb who made thee 

         Dost thou know who made thee 

Gave thee life & bid thee feed. 

By the stream & o'er the mead;

Gave thee clothing of delight,

Softest clothing wooly bright;

Gave thee such a tender voice,

Making all the vales rejoice! 

         

Little Lamb who made thee 

         Dost thou know who made thee 

         Little Lamb I'll tell thee,

         Little Lamb I'll tell thee!

He is called by thy name,

For he calls himself a Lamb: 

He is meek & he is mild, 

He became a little child: 

I a child & thou a lamb, 

We are called by his name.

         Little Lamb God bless thee. 

         Little Lamb God bless thee.

There is the innocence of creation. . . the kindness. . . the gentleness. . . for that is a part of the natural world for sure. . . and a part of the nature of God. .  but there is more. . .

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

It poses that question. . . what immortal hand or eye dare frame they fearful symmetry. . . that kind of perfection. . . beauty, strength, a perfect stealth, powerful killing machine. We went on to read Genesis 1 and 2 in class, and the boys kept wondering why would it be that God would create the snake. . . if the snake would lead human beings so hopelessly and desperately into sin and degradation. . . even death. . . why put us through that?

Many have looked at the 20^th century, with its world wars and devastation, its pollution, its loss of faith, its falling into a postmodernism where the validity of all that had been held fast as fact for centuries is doubted and questioned. . . with all of that going on. . . feeding the fire. . . wondering how could a good God allow such things to happen. . . how could an all powerful God allow such things to happen. . . it has made people doubt the three great truths we posed earlier. . . God is Good. . . God is all powerful. . . God creates all things. . .  cut out any one of those and the problem of pain is solved. . . God is not good. . . like the Greek Gods. . . there may be power up there. . . but it can’t be benevolent. . . it can’t be good. . . God is not all powerful. . . there is a God. . . God is good, but he just can’t do anything about the pain. . . he isn’t strong enough to stop it. . . or lastly. . . God didn’t create the world. . . doesn’t create the world. . . ie. There is no God. And it may just be the pain you face is more personal than the global. . . the pain that you are suffering is deep loss. . . pain. . . the unimaginable. . . and it can lead you to that point where you question any one of those three ideas. . . God is Good. . . God is all powerful. . . God creates all things. . . it can be difficult.

But yet we are all here this morning. Here we are gathered together. . . and we hear ringing through our heads this morning. . . In him there is no darkness at tall the night and the day are both alike. . . and here we are. . . the world would say that we ignore these questions, that we fear these questions. . . that we don’t take these questions seriously. . . but rather go to church because we always have. . . that we put on our rose colored Sunday Morning glasses, and choose not to think of such things. . . we read our Little Lamb, who made thee. . . and we fill our lives with hugs and happy thoughts, and we ignore the struggle we face. . . blinded in a denial of reality. . . that is what the world would say. . . but here we are, and now we’ve posed these questions. . . where do you stand. . . what do you think. . . why are you here? Why believe still in the goodness of God. . . even with your eyes wide open. . .

In him there is no darkness at all the night and the day are both alike. . . there is that chorus again. . . that refrain again. . . does it help us. . . one thing the Bible shows us is we are not alone in these thoughts. . . if  you wonder about the problem of pain. . . there is a ton of pain in the prophets. . . the kingdoms, which was originally the one kingdom promised by God are destroyed. . . outside invaders destroy the two kingdoms piece by piece. . . the Assyrians to the northern kingdom of Israel. . . the Babylonians to the Southern Kingdom of Judah. . . Jerusalem is burned, razed, destroyed. . . and ancient warfare, as you probably can imagine is a brutal thing. . . probably what  you can imagine times ten. . . and the remnant. . . the survivors of the destruction find themselves exiled in the invaders great city. . . Babylon. . . and you better believe there is doubt. . . there is fear. . . there is questioning of the goodness of God, the power of God. . . the idea that God exists at all. . . but in come these prophets. . . Jeremiah. . . Ezekiel. . . Isaiah to name a few. . . and look at what Paula read this morning from Isaiah. . . after again saying that idol worship is worthless, this prophet is testifying again to the creatorship, the reality, the power, the goodness of God.

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
    who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who made all things,
    who stretched out the heavens alone,
    who spread out the earth—Who was with me?^[e]—
²⁵ who frustrates the omens of liars,
    and makes fools of diviners;
who turns wise men back,
    and makes their knowledge foolish;
²⁶ who confirms the word of his servant,
    and performs the counsel of his messengers;
who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,’
    and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built,
    and I will raise up their ruins’;
²⁷ who says to the deep, ‘Be dry,
    I will dry up your rivers’;
²⁸ who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,
    and he shall fulfil all my purpose’;
saying of Jerusalem. ‘She shall be built,’
    and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”

In other words. . . God is great. . . God is the creator. . . and all those wise men. . . all those foolish diviners. . . all those who claim to know the truth. . . the whys. . . the wherefores. . . they all don’t know a thing. . . God’s truth runs deeper. . . And then this bit about Cyrus. . . and Cyrus is important because he goes on about Cyrus into the next chapter

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
    whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
    and ungird the loins of kings,
to open doors before him
    that gates may not be closed:
² “I will go before you
    and level the mountains,^[a]
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
    and cut asunder the bars of iron,
³ I will give you the treasures of darkness
    and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
    the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
⁴ For the sake of my servant Jacob,
    and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name,
    I surname you, though you do not know me.
⁵ I am the Lord, and there is no other,
    besides me there is no God;
    I gird you, though you do not know me,
⁶ that men may know, from the rising of the sun
    and from the west, that there is none besides me;
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
⁷ I form light and create darkness,
    I make weal and create woe,
    I am the Lord, who do all these things.

All those promises are still true. . . it doesn’t matter how dark it gets. . . God is the light. . . in him there is no darkness at all. . . but who is this Cyrus. . . do you know? He is the king of Persia. . .another of the great empires of the ancient world. . . the one who destroys Babylon. . . can such a one be the instrument, the anointed tool of God. . . can you imagine what that would be like if it would happen today? I can’t. . . a foreign ruler being the chosen deliverer? I think we would jump the faith ship before such things could happen. . . but this is the message Isaiah brings. . . and it all comes to pass. The Persians displace the Babylonians, and the Persian policy of local religious toleration allows for the reconstruction of the temple. . . and the reconstituting of Jerusalem. . . but the people would still be waiting of a King, Messiah. . . but he would come three Empires later. . . and he would fall into the freshly washed hands of a Roman Governor and his cross. In him there is no darkness at all the night and the day are both alike. ..

I can’t answer the why and the wherefore officially, at least not from here, because I don’t know. . . I have some faithful theories. . . mostly having to do with the amazing power of love and what it can do in the world, what I’ve seen it do. . . but I really don’t know how to answer the problem of pain. . . other than to say that even with the pain in the world it is possible that the world is still Good. . . and that a Good God is in control of it after all. . .

Alexander Pope put it this way. . .

ALL are but parts of one stupendous whole,
Whose body Nature is, and God the soul;
That, changed through all, and yet in all the same,
Great in the earth, as in th' ethereal frame,
Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze,
Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees,
Lives through all life, extends through all extent,
Spreads undivided, operates unspent:
Breathes in our soul, informs our mortal part;
As full, as perfect, in a hair as heart;
As full, as perfect, in vile man that mourns
As the rapt Seraphim, that sings and burns:
To him no high, no low, no great, no small—
He fills, he bounds, connects, and equals all....
All nature is but art, unknown to thee:
All chance, direction, which thou canst not see:
All discord, harmony not understood;
All partial evil, universal good.

John wrote it that God is the light shining through and out of the darkness. . . in him there is no darkness at all. . . William Blake said that he made both the lamb and the tiger. . . History shows him making the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and Romans. . . Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, and Pilate. . . My niece Julianna, sang. . . It’s the circle of life. . . and my students saw it in the food chain and the cannibalistic male eating black widow spider. . . and it is there in the Cross and the Empty Tomb. . . I took the title of this sermon from C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. . .

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

There are many things we don’t understand. . . God made both the tiger and the lamb. . . but he became the lamb amidst the tigers. . . not safe, no, but Good.