It’s
been a very interesting week, a volatile week, and a very challenging
week in the news. We’ve seen massive destruction in Peru –
the result of an 8.0 earthquake south of Lima. The stock market has
become extremely volatile and has plummeted, driven in part by the
instability of the housing market. Leonardo DiCaprio’s “The
11th Hour” has come out as another examination of global warming
- and the responses to it are also somewhat overwhelming. This on
the heels of the bridge collapse in Minnesota, the damage to another
space shuttle, and now rescuers of miners trapped in Utah also now
in the news. It was also one of the most tragic weeks of death and
destruction in recent times in Iraq. Also, hurricane Dean is approaching
the Gulf Coast as the hurricane season is now upon us. It is certainly
easy to get depressed in weeks like this and wonder, “Who in
the world is in charge?” The preparation for this sermon felt
very much like that Karl Barth quote of holding the Bible (this Psalm)
in one hand and the newspaper (or CNN) in the other. And I hear you
already asking, “Is this going to be one of those depressing
sermons about the fate of the world and our role in it?” Well,
we’ll see. What I ask is that you don’t check out about
now, but that you listen and find if there may be a message for each
of us in this. Let’s begin with prayer. Let the words of my
mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.
Let
me say at the outset that for a wide variety of reasons, I don’t
like this Psalm. I’d like to rename it to the self-centered
psalm, the ‘even though I didn’t do my part, I expect
you O God to do yours’ psalm. The, ‘it really is all about
me’ psalm. The flowery language hides something very deep within
that is so appropriate as we look at this second part of God’s
Order – that of restoration. More on that in a few minutes.
First we need to look at the psalm itself to see why I might feel
the connection between this and the news stories related at the beginning.
The Psalm was probably written just before the Assyrian exile - around
722 BCE. In other words, invasions had already taken place and the
people of Israel were feeling the weight of the possibility of literally
losing it all. What’s important to note is that this was obviously
not a good time for the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and it hadn’t
been for a long time. Prophetic writings from that time make it clear,
as does archaeology, that by this time the northern tribes of Israel
had intermarried, were involved with significant tribal infighting,
and the leaders had made political alliances with powerful neighbors
including Assyria. Worship had slackened, particularly in the north
and priorities had shifted from a dependence on God to a dependence
on these
social and political
relationships. All of that to say, because of their actions Israel
was exceedingly vulnerable. Assyria struck and struck quickly and
the takeover was absolute. Following the Assyrian conquest, no trace
of the existence of Israel in that region could be found. It literally
disappeared from the planet. No remnant, no temple, nothing. Only
the southern kingdom of Judah remained and it was to be conquered
and exiled for the same reasons 150 years later, the result of very
similar circumstances. Now, back to the psalm itself. Open it up and
let’s look at it again.
This Psalm is
about being chosen and set apart – but it’s also about
failing to do what was expected or even required. It’s about
knowing who leads and who follows, who plants, who nourishes, and
who feeds. It’s about doing those things that open the recipients
up to the kind of nourishment that is healthy and needed. In other
words, it’s about recognizing – or not – what is
to be done and why- and then doing them. But it’s also, in a
more obscure way, about consequences or not really wanting to accept
the consequences – feeling as though, given the special relationship,
nothing can harm you…and then being surprised – even hurt
- when harm comes. The result of everything I’ve mentioned is
vulnerability on a bunch of different levels. Now let’s go back
to the newspaper.
About three years
ago two things happened in the real estate market – the lowest
interest rates we’ve seen in decades combined with a literal
cafeteria of loans, including some of the easiest to get in recent
history. The result: too many people who shouldn’t have purchased
homes did. The secondary result is that we now have one of the highest
levels of foreclosures in history – represented now, at least
partially, in the vulnerability of the stock market. In Peru, like
in so many other places across the third world, an earthquake hits
of this magnitude and structures that are not built to withstand it
crumble. The loss of property and life can and often is staggering.
Again, vulnerability. Global Warming has become a very hot topic;
the result of pollution, the use of fossil fuels, emissions, industries
that don’t care about what they are releasing into the atmosphere
all resulting in dangerous levels of warming on this planet. The earth
itself has become vulnerable as have we, as have our children, and
their children’s children. Again, vulnerability. Might the vulnerability
found in the bridge collapse in Minnesota have to do with pushing
the limits of engineering? Might there be vulnerability issues that
lay crouching beneath the escalation of violence in Iraq? Might we
have learned about ice or foam coming off of the boosters from a few
previous space shuttles, or be concerned about levies in New Orleans
as Dean approaches? But what does any of this have to do with us,
or God, or God’s order? Easy…In God’s order it isn’t
until we realize that we are broken, or that society in some way is
broken, that change can truly occur. That is true in us as individuals,
as a city, a country or a planet. God’s order has all of us
involved in recognizing the brokenness and then taking appropriate
actions to change. But what and how are the key questions.
Many of you are
aware that before I became a pastor I worked in the field of drug
abuse, drug violence, and prevention. As long as I live I will never
forget meeting Rebecca. At that time she was sixteen, as sweet as
can be, and an okay student. For the previous three years she had
been diagnosed by her doctor as suffering from a chronic sinus infection.
What I find startling is that by this time, Rebecca no longer had
a septum. It had been eaten away by the cocaine use. What was equally
or more startling was that she was found to be one of the largest
drug dealers in the greater South Bay Area with a private bank account
of over a quarter of a million dollars. And no one knew. She lived
with two loving parents, went to Saratoga High School – a very
upscale school, – went to the Lutheran church each Sunday and
their youth group on Sunday evenings. And, as it was found out later,
was selling small pieces of rice paper laced with LSD to older elementary
school children as she sought to expand her market. Talk about broken…
She, however,
after a long talk with a youth pastor in that area, turned herself
in to the police. The story doesn’t end there. What Rebecca
did was to follow that up with an editorial in the local Cupertino
paper confessing and asking forgiveness for her actions, particularly
to parents in the area. She then asked if she could take it further.
She asked if she could physically face to face apologize to any who
would hear it, and talk openly about her life so that others could
avoid the trials she had caused. We called a community forum –
the first of three. The first was Rebecca with parents from around
the area. It was open to any parent but closed to the media. The second
was with school personnel. The third became a CBS “For Kid’s
Sake” special, aired throughout the Bay Area and included local
law enforcement, businesses, churches, school personnel, service clubs,
parent groups, the media, and prevention folks. It was held in the
sanctuary of a church – her request – and was one of the
most powerful events I’ve ever seen.
You see, instead
of continuing to be self-protective, Rebecca began to see that it
was up to her to protect others. Instead of placing responsibility
at the feet of her parents, the schools, or even society itself, Rebecca
realized that ultimately the responsibility lay with her. She clearly
recognized the brokenness in herself, and in so doing helped all of
us to recognize the brokenness of the world that surrounded her. She
did this by placing herself humbly in the middle of the system as
she sought to restore children, youth, and a community to health.
She knew, for
her, real restoration couldn’t happen without sitting in front
of those she’d harmed, hearing their stories, weeping with them,
praying with them, being forgiven (or not) by them, that no one could
be truly restored. This was also a time when restorative justice was
on the rise. It was being done in South Africa with Apartheid. We
were beginning to implement it in the juvenile justice systems around
the country. But it was still very new. In Cupertino and the surrounding
areas, it was through Rebecca that it came alive. One other item to
note, restorative justice usually has compensation issues attached.
It did with Rebecca. The money she gave, and she gave all of it and
more, funded some of the most creative programs in the country at
that time. There is not enough time to go over that aspect. Suffice
it to know that through Rebecca and her courage, the reordering of
her life, a tremendous amount of other children were potentially saved
– all of this because Rebecca recognized the brokenness.
Friends, it is through the realization and ultimate admission that
we are broken, of our own brokenness and the brokenness that surrounds
us, that we find the beginnings of solutions and hope. The recognition
of brokenness is foundational to God’s order. Without the realization
we can, and all too often do, get stuck in a very similar place where
this psalmist got stuck – in our own needs, our own problems,
and our own individual worlds – our own self protection becomes
the driving force in all that we do. All too often our responses,
like those of this psalmist, are misdirected. Instead of looking within,
we look outside. Instead of taking responsibility, we try and place
blame. And instead of changing our own actions and behaviors, we demand
that others change theirs. That is not God’s order.
Jesus names it
in some very creative ways. He said things like, “Instead of
looking at the splinter in the eye of your neighbor, look first to
remove the log or tree from your own.” Then he lived it. Everywhere
Jesus went he went about identifying the brokenness and seeking to
heal it. Whether it was the brokenness of a system that moved the
poor to deeper levels of poverty, or the religious leaders to rob
their followers or those in need of physical or spiritual healing,
he consistently sought to recreate God’s order. He used nature
as the center of his stories – both healthy and unhealthy parts
of nature; fig trees and vineyards, soil and the troubled sea. His
goal at every juncture was to bring things back into God’s order
– light and perfection, healing and wholeness. Ours is the same
role. Paul reiterated it clearly, “Let us be of the same mind
that was in Christ Jesus…” We do that, Paul asserts, and
the same result will come: brokenness will turn and become light,
perfection, wholeness and health. So, how are you doing so far?
You see, like
Rebecca, it is when we too become vulnerable to God, when we recognize
our vulnerability and our brokenness, see that we are a part of God’s
creation and have confidence that with God all things are possible,
that we can finally and ultimately see God’s grace working within
us and potentially through us. We begin to more clearly understand
that we do, in fact, have a role as a part of God’s creation;
a role that has us responding to the devastation in Peru, making sound
stewardship decisions so that we have the opportunities to help others
in more significant ways, see our role in reducing the use of fossil
fuels, driving cars that make more ecological sense and help to clean
up the world. We have a role in every story mentioned at the beginning
of this sermon. But instead of shifting responsibility, let’s
take responsibility for those things happening around us, get involved,
take actions, be the hope, be the solution, and know that if we do,
we can, with great integrity say these words: “Restore creation,
O Lord, God of hosts; let your face shine (through us), that we may
all be saved…” God’s order calls for nothing less.
And remember, it’s less about demanding that God fulfill our
expectations than it is about us fulfilling God’s. It is what
we are to be about. Amen? Amen!
©Brad
Beeman, 2007. Permission is given for brief quotation with attribution.
All other rights reserved.
Psalm
80: God's Order: Protection, Restoration & Grace