“That Mysterious Life-Transforming Prism”

Sermon Delivered By Rev. Dick Stetler – June 30, 2019o:p>

CCentenary United Methodist Church

Luke 9:51-55; Matthew 26:31-35

    All of us have had moments during our lives when our emotions have caused us to behave in a manner that was beyond what we thought possible.  Some event in our lives triggers a response that is exactly opposite from the values in which we firmly believe.

    This morning we are going to explore how it was that the most faithful disciples of Jesus reacted with intense anger when their request was denied.span style="mso-spacerun: yes">  Living in the Kingdom of God was suddenly silenced as though they never heard of it.  Perhaps it was an unknown neediness that pushed them to step over the line of their values. 

    James and John had been sent ahead by Jesus to secure the evening lodging for the group.   The Samaritans in the village rejected their request.  The two disciples became so enraged by their response that they wanted to call down fire from heaven to destroy the entire village.  We can hardly imagine this response coming from two of Jesus' cousins.

    Jesus had always taught them the wisdom of displaying humility as a daily practice.  He taught them not to make assumptions.  (Luke 14:11) What happened to Love one another as I have loved you?  What happened to remembering the Golden Rule?  All of us are capable of misplacing our values when some variable changes our movie.

    When we read in the Gospels how Jesus' disciples were hand-picked to become his followers, it is hard for us to imagine that James and John were a split-second away from having murderous thoughts. These men have been with Jesus for years and yet thoughts of doing harm to people were still alive and well within them. If they could not maintain control over their emotions, how can we expect success in controlling ours?

    We are living in a period of history where one or two statements spoken during unguarded moments can erase from the public's memory everything that person has contributed to society.  Such a mistatement can also be the cause of their being terminated from their place of employment.

    Where did this zero-tolerance come from? People have lost the ability for having grace, tolerance, and forgiveness for what others say, what others have written, and what others did sometime in their past when they were still maturing as an adult.

    In our second Gospel lesson, Jesus clearly revealed his awareness of the fragile nature of his disciple's commitment to him.   He said, "This very night all of you will run away and leave me."  (Matthew 26:31) Each disciple denied that they would ever consider abandoning Jesus.  They all agreed that they would rather die than leave Jesus alone.  However, when the clouds of uncertainty arrived and Jesus was arrested, they ran out of the garden. 

    It should not surprise us that those closest to Jesus had clay feet. All that we need to do is look into a mirror at our own reflection and call to mind our countless short-comings and our lapses of memory of who God created us to be.  There are so many times when the natural temptations of life can lure us into pleasurable or hostile illusions that produce responses that we can perfectly justify.

    The person who delivers our newspaper failed to do so last Monday. When this occurs occasionally, I drive to buy one at Bulk, store in Devil's Hole. While on Harrington Sound Road on a beautiful day, a motorcyclist whizzed past me. He did so on a curve where the yellow line was very prominent.  I cringed as I always do when these cyclists act as though speed is a higher value than the lives of others.  

    Suddenly, out of nowhere came a taxi cab traveling at enormous speed.span style="mso-spacerun: yes">  The cab not only passed me but also the motorcyclist! I could not believe it!  I muttered out loud, "What a stupid idiot!"  Just then, my mind went to thinking about the sermon I was creating for this morning. I had just allowed someone's activity to interfere with what had been a beautiful, scenic drive along Harrington Sound.

    It is very difficult to remain so deeply rooted in our convictions that absolutely nothing attracts or disturbs us in the material world.  Jesus had a powerful experience at his baptism.  He also had the experience of speaking with two towering personalities on the Mount of Transfiguration.  These men were Elijah and Moses who had died centuries before.  In spite of all these other-worldly experiences, we know that there were times when even Jesus could not keep his emotions under control.  (John 2:13f & Matthew 17:17)

    Is keeping our emotional desires, needs, and knee-jerk responses under control the pearl of great price? Obviously, a lot of people in Western societies think so, particularly when they hold others to a higher standard than what they honor in themselves.  Jesus taught that we cannot be the leaven for the loaf by remaining aloof from the rest of the ingredients. We must forge ahead in life confidently, warts and all. We win some and we lose some just as Jesus did.

    When God created us, we came equipped with five senses and a world filled with every variety of temptation imaginable.  Each of these temptations in varying degrees begs us to jump on their bandwagon.  When Jesus incarnated, he presented humanity with a very unique prism through which to view life.  This mysterious prism is the spirit of loving energy that we can bring into every circumstance we encounter in the material world when we remember that we have it. 

    Think of how many issues would no longer hold us prisoner if we instantly responded to them with forgiveness, tolerance, compassion, and understanding.  Think of the pains we would escape if we allowed the world and its people to be exactly what they wanted to be, particularly when our feelings, insights, and  judgments seldom influence anything but our own attitudes. 

    We came packaged with many talents and abilities within us.  When we add to the mix, the prism of loving energy, what else do we need?   Such qualities cannot be found in the world.  The world cannot create artists, poets, authors, composers, musicians, lovers, etc.  Likewise, intuition, imagination, and creativity are not qualities that the world can give to anyone.

    These veins of gold can only originate from within us. By using this loving energy prism as the lens through which we view life-experiences, we never have to control or apologize for our emotions.  No one would object to our humility, enthusiasm, joy, hope, optimism, patience, and our being lovers of animals, nature, and each other. 

    Can we name a circumstance that we cannot forgive?  If we can name even one, we stand among those who have misplaced the prism. There is no justice, no fairness, and no level-playing-field for everyone because very few people interpret their life-experiences in the same way.

    What are we to do when we step across the line and violate values that we ourselves put into place and desire to up-hold?  The answer is that we have an opportunity to learn from our detours like any other teachable moments.  The prism of loving energy is the cure for every disappointment, every bad-hair day, and every unloving attitude that others display.  Forgiveness of ourselves and all others is truly a magical influence in molding who we are becoming.  If James and John had not momentarily misplaced the prism, due to their passion of the moment, they would have responded differently.

    In John Denver's song, Some Days Are Diamonds, Some Days Are Stone, he sang about a process that we can always reverse:

Now the face that I see in my mirror, more and more is a stranger to me.  More and more I can see there's a danger in becoming what I never thought I'd be.

    What understanding can we take with us this morning?  We can always make another choice as soon as we learn that we have entered a blind alley that belongs only to this world.  We also can give instant-forgiveness to everyone, a quality that communicates the depth of our spiritual journey.  Had I remembered that, the speeding taxi cab would not have interrupted the tranquility of last Monday morning.

    Like God, we are allowing others to have the freedom to be exactly who they want to be.  We are all loved by God in spite of ourselves.  Why not join God in our understanding of those who at one time would have disappointed us?  Jesus died with forgiveness on his lips so that we might have the prism that can transform our life-experiences.  Let us try to use that prism more frequently. more often to use it.

     

CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER

Loving and always faithful God, we thank you that there are times when we must struggle with alternatives, when decision-making is difficult, and when finding the best path is unclear.  We are creatures that need to understand life’s events when so many of them in the world seem random and senseless.  Such experiences cause us to look for reassurance that your will is being done. Our identities, our faith, and our trust are always on the cutting edge of more growth. Thank you for giving us the potential to live faithful lives even during the moments when our world appears to be in chaos.  Thank you for calling us to be a light in darkness.  Amen. 

     

THE PASTORAL PRAYER

We thank you, God, for placing within us the desire of wanting spiritual freedom.  Even though some of us are not wise stewards of our choices, we realize that we now live in the best environment for our growth.  Making mistakes is part of our learning process.   

When we contrast our culture in Bermuda with what appears to be taking place all over the world, we suddenly develop a renewed appreciation for what we have. We are grateful for the rules that have been designed to give our liberties form, direction, and purpose.  Even though we share great diversity of opinions, many of our values are commonly shared and cherished.  When we use our choices to be of service to each other, we share an abundance that would not have happened without all of us working together. 

Each day, we are given the opportunity to redefine who we are.  In spite of our circumstances, we can choose to remain kind.  We can decide not to hurt others.  We can reflect spirits that are forgiving and generous.  We can become the presence that stills troubled waters simply by being a part of people’s struggles.  As we ask for mercy for our many errors in judgment, so may we show mercy toward others whether they request it from us or not.  Help us never to forget that we are angels-in-the-flesh who are carriers of your spirit. We pray these thoughts through the spirit of Jesus, the Christ, who taught his disciples to say when they prayed . . .