God Is Still God

God Is Still God  

Old Testament - Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 

Gospel - Luke 12:32-40

In the late 1950’s, I was a boy obsessed by baseball. The New York Yankees were the dominant force in baseball, winning year after year. Betting on the Yankees was considered a sure thing, a low risk commitment. There were many Yankees fans, many of them clinging to the domination. There were also Yankee haters. 

In 1955 there was a Broadway musical called Damn Yankees, which in truth was a retelling of the drama, Faust. It was followed by a movie in 1958, which I saw at home on our tiny black and white TV. It was a remarkable event for a young boy who was very into baseball. 

In brief, it is the story a middle-aged man, who was a fan of the Washington Senators, (as they saying went - “Washington was first in war, first in peace, and last in the American League”) he ached to see his team do better. While watching a late night game on TV after his wife had gone to bed, he decided that all the Senators needed was a stud home run hitter to give them the pennant. He would sell his soul to have a home run hitter. 

The devil appears and makes him a deal. The salesman walks away from his solid family life, and becomes the slugger the Senators need. The deal includes an escape clause, that allows him to recant at the last minute to “save his soul.” The drama revolves around the devil working hard to prevent any last minute change of heart. 

The musical got its heat from a provocative dance number by one of the devil’s leading ladies, trying to seduce the young slugger away from his longing for his wife and simple life. Very amazing to me in my sheltered life. 

In the dramatic conclusion, the slugger recants, is restored to his middle-aged self in the midst of a critical at bat, and still hits the game winning home run to beat the Damn Yankees. 

Obsession can be like that. We spend so much time and energy consumed with the details, flexing our emotional selves, anxious about a thousand “what-if” scenarios, that we lose a sense of perspective. In effect, we sell our soul when we let our fascination with that parallel reality consume more of our brain and heart power than it deserves. 

The prophet Isaiah declares God is not fooled when people make a show of piety in the Temple, but their lives are filled with sinful obsession over the power and prestige of human life. When your hands are stained with the blood of those you have cheated on Monday through Friday, do not think for a moment God is impressed with Sunday morning posturing. 

Luke’s gospel message seems more comforting. “Do not be afraid little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” All right. Luke assures us that we are ok. See, Isaiah was overreacting. Unless - we read Luke’s verses 33 and 34. “Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

So maybe the gospel is a little less comforting. It proclaims that we are servants in the kingdom of God. It treats our precious stuff as gifts for the poor. We are to be watching for the day and the hour that the Christ returns. We are to be focused on the treasures of heaven, and not anxious about the simple things of this world. It may seem pretty easy sitting in here amongst the stained glass windows. 

But have you ever considered it a sin to become so focused, and so desperate about the November election, that it interferes with your sleep? Have you ever been told that permitting yourself to become obsessed by the things of this world, tears you away from prayerful attention to God? If you truly trust in God, what is the actual extent to which you can be anxious about an election - any election? 

Only last week we recognized that great portions of our scriptures detailed life and times when the people of God were either in Exile, or occupied by an invading army, or trying to recover their sense of identity when the occupation had ended. The scriptures seem to assume a world where nation states are in conflict. 

God was still God, when the chosen people of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were enslaved in Egypt. God was still God, when the people of Jerusalem were either killed or taken in bondage to Babylon. God was still God, when the new Christian faith in Rome - met secretly in the catacombs beneath the city for their own protection. God was still God when the German Army filled the camps with citizens of Jewish descent. 

I have spent a week or two recently - when I was despondent - as I recognized the reality that the influence of dark money in politics was now so pervasive, there is no clear path available to defeat the demons set loose - by the “Citizens United” Supreme Court decision -that has legalized bribing our elected officials. Even the Supreme Court Justices take all-expense paid vacation-bribes. Dark money now controls virtually every state and federal legislature. Both major political parties are held captive by their big money donors. 

Only when I was wrestling with the scriptures in order to proclaim hope from the pulpit on a Sunday morning, did I realize the depth to which I had permitted myself to be distracted. Money is not of itself bad, but it can be the root of all kinds of evil. 

Think for a moment, when you were faced with a situation in your own life that appeared to have no possible resolution, and your faith carried you through. Think or a moment about how God has been active within your own story. Remember that you are a child of God, and God’s love has redeemed your own story. 

Obsession with money and political power is a sin. Obsession with other people’s money and political power is a sin. Faith is the only antidote. Trust in God, can be a hard sell in anxious times. 

No matter what happens in November, God will be God. No matter where our fragile democracy comes to rest on the spinning roulette wheel of influence and public opinion, God will be God, and the only truth worth knowing. 

Do you despair because a relative does not ever go to church, even though they seem to be generous? Encourage their generosity, and try to learn that from them. 

Are you anxious because Sunday church attendance is not what it should be? Me too. But I can only bring you my best songs. I can only declare my love for God. I can only praise those who are here in faithful service. I can only do my best to express that: God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. 

Cling to God. Know that God loves to see his children building strong and healthy relationships. Care for each other. Care for your neighbors. Do what you can to be a non-anxious presence in the face of the political diatribe. Trust in the God who has redeemed your story in the past, and trust that God will be faithful in the days ahead. 

We store up treasures in heaven, when we behave as Jesus did. When we listen to those, friend or foe, sinner or saint, and show them God’s good love. We store up treasures in heaven, when we try to remember that our true home is with the Christ, and we are on our own journey to heaven. We store up treasures in heaven when we let the peace of Christ be at the center of our lives. 

If you truly trust in God, what is the actual extent to which you can be anxious about an election - any election - before it becomes a sin? How does one resist the temptations of baseball and the seductress? The true answer can only be worked out in prayer between you and God. And while you are in prayer, the seeds of hope may sprout.  

John Bell is a songwriter and minister of the church of Scotland -and a part of the island community of Iona in the Irish Sea. It is an intentionally progressive Christian community set amongst ancient Celtic ruins where a simple life is celebrated. I have found this song of his to be a treasure, and I used it heavily during the onset of the depression nine years ago, and it remains a source of refuge for me. 

I used it here once, and will use it again in the coming months, as the anxiety around us is bound to increase. I have the lyrics in the bulletin, but it is easy to remember - 

Don’t be afraid. My love is stronger. My love is stronger than your fear. 

Don’t be afraid. My love is stronger. And I have promised, promised to be always near. - Sing it with me -