| September 20, 2009
You are welcome to reflect on this message From The First Baptist Church in America pulpit – Providence, Rhode Island
The biblical writers understanding of humankind is ambivalent, but they're never loathe to wonder about it: "What is man that God is mindful of us?" Higher than the angels, as the Psalmist sees is, but lower than God (8:4). How much higher or lower, like anything complex, is open to debate, which makes it hard to get it right. Our species comes in all sizes, shapes, and attitudes. And except for Jesus, we’re very hard to nail down. We all have limitations depending upon the luck of the draw, environment, and decisions we make. But no matter who we are or what's happened to us, I take it that people come to church because they want to improve themselves. The more authentic we are, the better.
Genuineness in any endeavor is hard to come by these days. Too many things work against it. Even more things favor faking it. Our need for approval causes some of us to say 'yes' too readily and 'no' too rarely, so we end up being doormats. In spite of “reality” shows, that are more glitz than reality, being real often means being rejected. Consequently there’s a run on nastiness today, with no regard for who it hurts. People used care about what others thought of them. Few enjoyed disappointing others. So we mask ourselves to hide who we really are.
When Peter said to Jesus, “Where else can we go? Only you have the words of eternal life.” That’s still a good reason to have churches. If nothing more than a place we can go and be accepted for who we are; so we can improve our character and become better humans – no more, no less. St. Paul knew about it, as we see in his pointed confession in Acts: (V. 15). "But we are only men." Is it surprising that this is so hard for a lot of people to say? Even though it really isn’t an option. Yeah, the young think they’re immune to the world’s ambushes. But the vicissitudes of life will force it on us sooner or later.
It might come as a shattering revelation to some of us, who happen to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Or it may be a buried neuroticism, if we think too lowly of ourselves. But live long enough and I guarantee it, age will force you to confess your creatureliness. Until recently I’d been able to get away with deceiving myself from admitting it. I always thought I could do most anything I set my mind to. Then the day arrives when you realize your running out of days.
Ya’ll have seen the silly things we do to keep from being who we are, like tatooing our bodies, and the plastic surgery that the jet-set does to put it off. It’s never pretty when somebody refuses to act their age. But it’s a great day when we can admit about ourselves what Paul said. Because it removes our illusions about living forever, or thinking life is always supposed to go our way and we are free to be who we are. It’s a painful confession but necessary, if for no other reason, it reminds us that we're not God. I hate to break that news to ya’ll. We live in a world of influence and power, where might makes right, and calling the shots is the bottom-line. But those who realize they’re, "only mortal," can eliminate the heavy burden that goes with the perfection of divinity.
Letting God-be-God and us be humans is difficult for control freaks. It’s what makes us want to be God. I don’t mind somebody thinking that, as long as they don’t try to act like it. But those inflicted with inferiority have a strong need for superiority so they can “Lord it over others.” It’s in politics, religion, business, education and sports. Think of the clout of a physician. You go to them so they can tell you what to do. And you better do it, if you know what’s good for you! It permeates our government, homes, schools and pulpits. Consequently, our culture of money-mindedness, winning, and power has fostered its ideas of success onto the church, which happen to be the opposite of Jesus.'
I’ve seen preachers give in to the Messiah-mentality and get chewed-up and spit-out by churches with unrealistic expectation. It was a rude awakening when I realized you can’t help all the people in the church that need help. You’d like to; you think you should be able to; but if you try too hard you won’t be in the ministry very long. It’s not easy in a star-struck society to settle for being mere "clay pots." But more problems arise from people trying to be something they’re not than we like to admit. "Treasure in earthen vessels," is how God set things up. He’s the Potter, we’re the clay. Most of the world’s problems can be traced to our getting the order reversed. We keep wanting to be the Potter!
Elevating religious people to god-like status is nothing new. It's been around as far back as Asia Minor, some 2000 years ago. Paul declared his humanity only because the people mistook him for a god. But he’s just carrying around the weight of being a preacher, used to getting in trouble with religious people. Some times he was stoned. Here he’s worshiped! But these humble missionaries wisely refused to accept the load of divinity. That’s a burden too heavy, even for Jesus. People expect you to perform the miraculous. But we have no magic wands. That includes the White House, the Big House, and the Meeting House. As well as those who pull the strings at banks, the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill. We’re in for a let-down to think otherwise about any of them.
One of the greatest dangers public servants are exposed to is the adoration of others who put them on a pedestal. That’s why I like to have people around me who disagree. Most of the time! But “we’re only human,” and sooner or later that mentality is in for a big ldisappointment. After that, you have to decide what to do when your messiah lets you down. Invariably, we’ll go looking for another messiah. And that’s why the first task of any messiah, is to get people to quit looking for one!
This text is a sad commentary of how many prefer a demagogue who pretends to be God, to the real God who condescends to become human. It’s in sports, and Hollywood because of a thirst for the spectacular, that’s easily satisfied by every cheap and tawdry show of stardom and winning. One of the temptations Jesus rejected. There are no practical atheists, because everybody has a god. The only difference being, is ours the right God? The Bible condemns idolatry because people habitually worship the wrong thing (19). Those who deify human leaders are the same ones who turn on them when they don't turn out to fit the mold that the deifiers have in mind.
Another reason why Paul's confession is necessary is it removes our fear of failing. Everybody fails. What’s worse is to not learn from it. To keep doing it, thinking it’s gonna change. There are fewer fears that immobilize modern Americans than the fear of failing. Or worse, getting caught failing! What the fear of hell was to the Medievalist, the fear of failure is to the modern person.
Everybody was jumping on the bandwagon at Lystra because Paul and Barnabas were successful. They healed a man. What a plan for national health care! Who wouldn’t respond to pulling-a-bunny-out-of-a- hat-miraculous-healings? Best of all, neither insurance companies nor the U.S. government is involved and it doesn’t cost anybody anything! So yeah, the locals loved it! “Hey we’re onto something here! These guys must be gods!” We still do that with anybody who promises us the moon! Something in us makes us want to believe they can pull it off. Everybody loves freebies! So we attach ourselves to the fame of a concert rock star. But even the hip-hoppers are “only human.”
What happens when we stumble? The church ought to be holding the bandages of grace to wrap around those who have a hard time getting it right. How would somebody today measure up, who said “two or three are enough" for church growth? It just sounds soooo … small. His church had only twelve to start with and he ran them all off before he died! Success? The cross was a colossal failure. What if we realized that the church is not called to be successful or big? Just to be true to the gospel, which is bound for a collision course with a materialistic culture.
This is important, because until we can say, "We’re only human," how can we say God is God? John the Baptist got it right, "He must increase and I must decrease." That’s hard for anybody to say. Because I don't know too many folks interested in "decreasing" anything, unless it’s weight! To admit that there will come a time when we need to step aside because "we are only human" then, is a confession of faith! Even Jesus called himself “the son of man.” And no one can become like he is unless they become themselves first. That’s what it means to be “saved.” Neither angel nor God. And not little Jesuses either. Just the best human we have it in us to be.
Ironically, God had no qualms about becoming human. “Emptying himself” is how the Apostle put it to the Philippians. That’s what made Jesus the “best of the breed,” because he didn't go around trying to be God all the time! But it’s one of our greatest obstacles in world affairs...persons who act like they’re God Almighty, when they’re “only human.” Nothing but trouble comes in any realm of life when we try to be something other than who we are; or seek to impose our values on everybody else; when we must have our way at all costs; and then try to get even when we can’t. Watch out!
There’s a "Great Depression" story about a family who didn’t know how they’d get by. The mother would re-assure them: "Don't worry children, we have a special tin box in the closet; saving it for a rainy day." She told them the box contained something very valuable. And if life turned bleak, they could always open the box and it would see them through. On hungry nights, the kids would talk about what was in the box and they’d guess money or jewelry. But they all grew up with this mysterious tin box.
Finally one of the kids let his curiosity get the best of him and he pried the box open to see what this treasure was, that kept them going through the lean years. The box was empty! At first it made him angry, thinking that he'd been lied-to by somebody he trusted. But on further reflection, he realized his mother did have something very real inside the box, and that was hope. For hope is what gets anybody through any depression. Without it we can’t live.
If we are our only hope, what will happen on that day when we pry open our tin boxes of treasure and find nothing in it but our own egos? Then “we, of all people, will be most miserable.” But we of all people “are only human." May this church help us confess that so we can confess Christ as the “son of God.” That way we’ll get it right by worshiping and serving as we ought, as well as Whom we ought.
Providence Prayers: (9/20/09)
This world is an insecure place. Where there is hate and confusion, soften and enlighten us. Where there is apathy, restore us. Where there are burdens, strengthen us. Where there is loneliness, befriend us. Where there is sickness, heal us. Where there is sorrow, encourage us. Some of us are low and need to be lifted; some of us are high and need to be deflated; some of us are angry and need to be heard; some aren’t angry enough and could use a little more passion. Too many are certain of too much; while most of us are simply mystified by what we encounter.
Thou knowest every one of us for what we are and what we might become. Bless each of us with what we need most, to the end that we might better make Thee smile. Meet us incomplete projects that we are and send us forth whole, more determined than ever to see Thee more clearly; love Thee more dearly; follow Thee more nearly. Through Christ our Lord...Selah Back |
