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"There Must Be Some Mistake" Sermon Preached By Rev. Richard E. Stetler - January 2, 2005 Psalm 72:1-7; 10-14; Matthew 2:1-12
Answering this is like trying to find out why some people are self-starters, inspired and highly motivated while others need direction and guidance from managers. There is no consistent answer. Leadership can arise from within us during the oddest of moments resulting from unique circumstances or from someone asking us to step forward during a moment of need. Right now we find ourselves in the throes of a major international
disaster. No doubt when the final death total is known from this
tsunami, we will find the number hovering around the 200,000 mark. A
number of us have experienced this kind of event at least a half dozen
times in movies like Armageddon, Independence Day, Volcano, Meteor,
or The Day After Tomorrow. It is as though humanity has been
subliminally planning for a global disaster through its entertainment
industry. Yet the media sources reporting from Asia are claiming that
the reality of what they see is beyond imagination. As the world gathers to render assistance, commanding leaders will rise out of nowhere. This quality had remained dormant until a recognized opportunity or an invitation arrived allowing them to express it. As we read and watch during the rescue efforts, we will find numerous incidents of heroism as well as countless stories of people who are total strangers to leadership, rolling up their sleeves and becoming involved in highly effective ways. During the massive flooding in West Virginia in the mid-80s, I had
accompanied teams rendering assistance in the flood zone. Those of you
who were here at the time may remember the role of St. Matthew’s during
those relief efforts. Gordon Harvey and his team were gathering over a
hundred donated cars to take to his native state. What an incredible
story that was! Jay and Susan Bryant’s Christmas letter directed
recipients to funnel financial aid through my church in Arden.
Thousands of dollars were raised through their letter. While in Petersburg, I met a woman who was the youngest general I
had ever known. She had to be in her early-thirties. Heather was in
charge of the command center. She barked out orders, made decisions
without hesitation as she sent into the field numerous work crews that
were arriving by the hour from all over the West Virginia and beyond. She
finally took a break after working for 8 hours and I had a cup of coffee
with her. I asked her if she worked for FEMA. She said, “No. FEMA has
not yet arrived, but they are coming.” I asked her where she developed
such a commanding presence. She said, “I have no idea. Someone asked
me to coordinate activities and I said, ‘There must be some mistake, I
don’t know anything about emergency management.’ They said, ‘Just do
it. You are familiar with Petersburg’s flood zones.’ Actually, I’m a
local. I am a music teacher in one of our elementary schools. Do you
believe this? I guess a person has to do what they have to do.” Leadership can be thrust at us, but there are other times when our
potential role is ill defined and not so clear. We may not be aware
that we are leading anyone or if we are making a mark anywhere that
someone notices. Travel back in time and become Mary or Joseph for a moment. You had a
very challenging journey to Bethlehem, delivered your baby in a stable
and now you are indoors through someone’s kindness. A knock comes on
the door. Three Persian astrologers arrive bringing some very expensive
gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. They tell you that they have come
to pay homage to your baby who will one day be a great king. Your first
response would probably be, “My baby? I know what my dream told me, but
really? There must be some mistake.”
Was Jesus a leader from the beginning of his life? If so, why did
it take him so long to get started? He had not gone into politics that
was a standard model for such a career, but into carpentry. He had not
migrated to one of the great seats of power the likes of Rome,
Alexandria or Athens; he remained in Galilee. He had no royal court,
but surrounded himself with a dozen men who came from backgrounds that
would never propel anyone into greatness as we understand it. There was
no forum, no congregation and no group that would have enabled him to
launch his career. Was
Jesus aware of his potential leadership role among his people? It is
extremely doubtful that he was. Following his baptism his spirit drove
him into the wilderness where he probably experienced a massive crisis
of both his confidence and his identity. Following his death, he left
behind not a shred of evidence that he existed save for the testimony of
those who were called followers of the way. How could such an
unlikely candidate emerge as a towering figure in history? While the Scriptures make the claim that Mary “pondered all of these
things in her heart,” she must have thought, “There must have been some
mistake. My son is no more kingly than I.” Even at the end of his
ministry she may have felt that the astrologers had all made a mistake,
particularly when the one to whom they came to pay homage was now
hanging on a cross dying like a common criminal. No
doubt, Mary experienced the same thought patterns that we do. We want
evidence. We want assurances God is guiding us. We want to see God’s
activity become visible through forms with which we are familiar. Rest
assured, it is by design that we do not. We can only know what God
does through the eyes of faith. (John 3:8) This
understanding has to do with how we perceive. Jesus grew into his
understanding of God’s nature and that is what he allowed others to
see. As we enter the New Year, remember that the word “No” is
fairly limiting. It keeps doors from opening. The word “No” prevents
us from taking risks. It tends to keep us safe, secure and
comfortable. We need to be fully awake in our consciousness of God’s
daily presence when that knock comes at our door. Jesus could have been
baptized and return to his trade of carpentry. At the time, however,
his experience after coming out of the water was life changing. We live in a day when we need people to trust that God
will work through them in ways they could never anticipate or
comprehend. This is how Jesus, the humble carpenter became Jesus,
the Christ. This is how a music teacher became a general in
charge of a command center. Who might we become if we say, “yes” during
some unguarded moment to something that is way outside of our comfort
zone? In the New Year, remain open to possibilities when you hear
the knock on your door. Someone may be bringing the gift of a request
of you or an insight about you that will inspire you to become an
instrument of creation. Do not miss recognizing your moment in time
even when the voice of fear says, “There must be some mistake.” Remember, there has been no mistake. We do not need clarity of vision to understand when our time has come to risk, stand forth and allow God to work through us. This is one of the ways God brings the Kingdom a little closer to the earth. We may be used during this process and never realize when or how. THE CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
We thank you, God, for the dawning of a New Year. Teach us to accept
each new day as a diamond to be polished. Enable us to discard thoughts
that do not serve our growth. Guide us to address those habits and
attitudes that have made us creatures of need and servants of our
desires. Inspire us to dismantle the barriers to sharing our love.
Teach us how to practice our faith by taking risks, by reaching out to
those we do not know and by trusting completely that your will is
unfolding. Enable us to become effective disciples who are every bit as
valuable as those we read about in the Gospels. We never know which
deed or thought has the ability to change how history unfolds. We pray
these thoughts through the spirit of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. THE PASTORAL PRAYER Loving and merciful
God, as we enter the New Year, the entire world community is circling
its wagons once again in an effort to save lives. Surely this is who we
are as a world of diverse people. The relief effort communicates values
far different from those who remain committed to the destruction of oil
pipelines, electrical grids and human life itself through their
self-sacrifice as suicide bombers. O God, let the bell of freedom ring
during one of humanity’s finest hours. It is so ironic that the world’s
people are about to spend billions of dollars to save and preserve life
while others use their financial assets on plans to destroy it. Sometimes great
disasters do shake us from our political agendas, our posturing and our
finger pointing. Something within the aftermath of a natural disaster
reminds us of how precious and fragile life is. May the silver lining
to this cloud be the discovery of our need for each other and our
willingness to share with those whose losses appear insurmountable. God
bless our world as its people embark on a mission of healing. As we continue our sojourn into the New Year, may our lives reflect the beauty of the season we have just experienced. May the warmth of giving, the joy of extending ourselves, and the peace from bringing love to others, remain with us long after the glitter from the tinsel has faded. These are the qualities of life that remain timeless. We pray these thoughts through the spirit of Jesus, the Christ, who taught us to say when we pray . . . |