Out of Chaos

Where is God when the world seems to spinning out of control? We know the answer -- right there with us -- but it's hard to believe sometimes. This sermon takes a look at why I know God is in the midst of chaos with us, planning something new that we could never imagine!

Where can we find God? If we are really in need of the Divine Presence, where should be look? These days, we know the answer to that question: God is everywhere; and we are in God’s presence no matter where we go or what we do. But that’s not what the ancient Israelites thought. They believed that God lived in the Temple in Jerusalem, in the local synagogue, and sometimes even in the homes of people who faithfully followed the Torah. But was God everywhere? Of course not! There were some places where God simply couldn’t be found; places that were so full of chaos that God’s presence couldn’t stay there. The sea was one of those places. After all, the sea is chaotic, rolling and cresting and breaking. As late as the Middle Ages, people believed that dragons lived there. The sea is no place for God! They couldn’t find God where there were demons, either. The presence of demons was always evidence of the absence of God. It was the reason that people who were thought to be possessed were shunned, if not driven out of town! And God certainly had no place in a graveyard. Death is the absolute opposite of the God who gives life; so wherever death intrudes, God leaves. Death and God were like matter and antimatter – they just couldn’t be found together!

So, that’s why this story in Luke – really two stories that Luke tells us back to back – is so astounding (Luke 8:22-35)! In these two stories, God is found not in the Temple, not in a synagogue, not even in a good Jewish home, but in places full of chaos. Luke has combined the three places that are the most chaotic – the sea, the graveyard, and in the presence of demons – and shows God’s power in all three of them! First, Jesus calmed the raging sea that so terrified the disciples. When a storm at sea threatened their lives, Jesus spoke a few words, and the sea calmed down like a toddler whose tantrum is soothed with a lollipop. Then, Jesus ventured into a graveyard and met a man who was possessed by a legion of demons. Legions were divisions of the Roman army, each one consisting of up to 6,000 soldiers. If that poor man were possessed by 6,000 demons, no wonder that he lived among the tombs! He was so filled with chaos that he lived in a place of chaos! And once again, Jesus showed God’s power. He commanded those demons to get out and stay out; and by the time the townspeople came to see what was going on, that man was as sane as we are! The sea… a graveyard… the presence of demons. God’s presence invaded all of those chaotic places in the person of Jesus Christ and showed everyone that divine power isn’t limited to just a few places, even though no one ever thought that God would ever go into places of chaos.

There’s a lot of chaos swirling around us right now. Some people are dealing with chaos in your personal lives. Some are caregivers for loved ones whose illnesses make them more and more dependent. Some are dealing with chaotic personal relationships; while others are wrestling with a difficult decision and simply cannot find an answer! Our world is certainly chaotic. I dare you to find anyone who thinks that the world is doing great right now! People murder one another at the drop of a hat; drug overdoses are a daily occurrence; and whole species of animals are facing extinction. Sometimes it seems like society is collapsing around our ears. Even our own congregation isn’t as stable as we might think it is. We’re appear to be doing just fine (and in many ways, we are), but underneath the surface, a lot of anxiety is bubbling around. Our numbers are declining, our income isn’t steady, and we face some difficult decisions as to how we should move into the future. Some people might even think that God has forgotten us, leaving us to face the unknown chaos of the future.

Well, I’m here to tell you that God has not abandoned us! God is still present in the lives of those who are dealing with personal chaos; God is still present in our chaotic world; and God is still present in this congregation! God doesn’t run away from chaos! Instead, God wades right into the middle of it, like a first responder who runs towards gunfire while the rest of us are scurrying away. We’re all afraid of chaos because we can’t control it. All we can see is the anxiety, the confusion, and the helplessness that chaos causes. But God sees something else in chaos. God sees possibilities! What we see as a confusing, overwhelming muddle of events, God sees as a multitude of paths to new possibilities! In fact, God does God’s best work in the middle of chaos, when the old has completely passed away and what is to be has not yet appeared. That’s when God says, “Great! Let’s do something new!”

It’s worth remembering what God said through the prophet Isaiah so many years ago (43:1-3, 18-19): “Don’t be afraid, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Forget the former things; don’t dwell on the past. Look, I am doing a new thing! It is springing up even now; don’t you see it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” A way in the wilderness: that’s what God promises to do for us, no matter how chaotic the situation may be to our eyes!

Now, I know that’s hard to believe sometimes. We can’t often see God in the middle of mass shootings and political turmoil. But remember, we are people of the resurrection. Every Sunday morning, we proclaim Christ risen; and it that’s not making a way out of chaos, I don’t know what is! Jesus was crucified, dead, and buried. He had been sealed into a tomb. It was the end. Jesus was gone. His followers were in the middle of chaos. And yet, that was the moment that God waded right into the middle of that chaos and said, “I am doing something new!” and up from the grave Christ arose! A God who can raise Jesus from the dead can do anything, even in the midst of the chaos of our world!

Don’t be discouraged. Don’t be afraid, no matter what kind of chaos swirls around you. Don’t be afraid of the chaos in your personal life. Don’t be afraid of the chaos that rumbles under the surface in this congregation. Don’t even be afraid of the chaos that threatens to engulf our whole world! God is working in the midst of it, seeing new possibilities and moving us into a future that is full of hope.

Follow Me

Following Jesus is part of being a Christian. But what exactly can we expect when we do that? Can we expect to be comfortable while we never leave old familiar places? Can we expect to go to church on Sunday with people who are just like we are while staying in our comfort zones. If the experience of Jesus' disciples is any indication, the answer to both those questions is a resounding "NO!" This sermon explains why.

“Follow me, and I’ll help you catch people.” It’s a deceptively simple invitation that Jesus offered to some fishermen (Matthew 4:18-22). There are no details on how they will catch those people, no information as to travel plans, and no hint of who else has been invited to follow, too. Jesus simply invited his first disciples to “Follow me.” Don’t you wonder sometimes why Peter, Andrew, James, and John left everything so quickly and followed along? You would think that they would want to discuss this life-changing invitation for a while before responding; but if the gospels are any indication, they didn’t even think twice about it.

Perhaps the reason is that Jesus’ call was one that invited them to become more than they were already. Theologian Rob Bell tells us that traveling rabbis were actually a common sight in first-century Israel. As they traveled, they would invite people along the way to become their students. But they usually didn’t ask fishermen! They usually invited bright young men who were studying in the synagogue to join their group of disciples. For Jesus to invite fishermen to follow him was very unusual, to say the least! It would be as though Steve Jobs, that computer genius, had invited a janitor to come and study his methods! No wonder the fishermen followed right away! They were the least likely people to be invited to join a rabbis group of students; and they were honored to be asked.

Those fishermen thought that they knew what they would be doing in the days ahead. As they traveled around Galilee, they would sit at the feet of Jesus in the evening and discuss the scriptures with him. They wouldn’t stray too far from home – traveling rabbis usually stayed in a fairly small area – and the people they spoke to would be pretty much like they were: good Jewish men who simply wanted a deeper understanding of the scriptures. But that’s not how it turned out. As they followed Jesus, he led them into all kinds of unexpected places! They traveled through Samaria, that land of heretics where no good Jew would go, and Jesus talked with not a good Jewish man, but a Samaritan woman! They traveled into gentile territory, into the region of Tyre and Sidon where Jesus met a gentile woman; and across the Sea of Galilee where they encountered a madman who lived in a graveyard. And finally, they traveled to Jerusalem, where Jesus challenged them to follow him all the way to a cross. All of it was strange country – places where the disciples had never been, and some places where they never wanted to go! But as they followed Jesus, they found that he took them outside their comfort zones again and again.

We’re outside our own comfort zone now, aren’t we? Right now, we’re just like the disciples, in a strange place where we don’t want to be. Our sanctuary used to be crammed with people on Sunday mornings. Now, it’s normal for only 30 or so to gather for worship. That’s half the number of people who gathered to worship when I first came to this congregation as your pastor 10 years ago. The older people that we have relied on to lead church activities aren’t here anymore. They aren’t able to gather with us for worship, or they have passed on into glory. And we’re not sure where we’re headed. Do we build a multipurpose facility in our recreation park; or do we sell that land? What should we do with our financial investments? And what in the world will we do if our numbers continue to decline? We’ve never been here before, and we don’t like it very much!

What’s even worse is that we have no idea how to proceed. We don’t have a GPS telling us to “turn left in one quarter of a mile.” We don’t have a road map so that we can pinpoint where we are. We are like those folks who are in the middle of a late-fall corn maze. We can’t see over the corn; we don’t have a map to show us where we are; and we don’t know exactly how to get out. On some days, we’re afraid that we might be stuck in here forever! And that’s what Jesus’ disciples probably thought, too, when he led them into some God-forsaken place yet again.

But here’s the good news. Jesus never abandoned his disciples. He led them into places that they would rather not go; but he always led them out again. All those uncomfortable places were temporary. They went through Samaria; and they visited the gentile regions on the far side of the Sea of Galilee. Even when they followed Jesus to the cross and they thought it was the end, Jesus showed them the power of the resurrection! Jesus never leaves us in uncomfortable places – unless, of course, we decide to abandon Jesus and stay there by ourselves!

Jesus hasn’t abandoned us, either. He will lead us out of this uncomfortable place where we find ourselves step by step, day by day, decision by decision. It may be a long road, and one that we would rather not travel; and we have to trust him as he guides us. That’s the question that I have for you right now. Do you trust Jesus to guide us? After all, we don’t know the way out; but Jesus does. And he is calling us right now to “Follow me.” “Follow me” out of confusion into clarity. “Follow me” out of darkness into light. “Follow me” out of loneliness into love. Because that’s our goal, you know. We’re following Jesus towards the Kingdom of God, where the fullness of love will surround us and everyone will proclaim that Jesus is Lord. I certainly want to go there! How about you?

Trail Mix

We spend a lot of time thinking about food: purchasing it, preparing it, and eating it. Because Jesus' followers were no different than we are, he talked about food, too -- especially the kind that we need to take with us through our lives. This sermon is about that food: what it is, and what it isn't!

Let’s go on a hike together! It’s a hike that we will take in our imagination, so don’t worry about the mosquitoes or the heat. We’re going to hike on a long trail that heads into the distance. We know what we’ll find at the end of our hike: a landscape of lush green meadows, ancient trees that invite us to sit in their shade, and a lazy river of crustal-clear water that is just waiting for us to take our shoes off and dabble our toes in its cooling water. But we have to get there first; and we have to be prepared for the difficulties that the trail might present to us along the way. Maybe we should make a list of what we need to take with us. We need sturdy hiking shoes. Check! We need a hiking stick to help us keep going when the trail goes uphill. Check! We need a canteen of water to quench our thirst. Check! And we need some food. But what should we take along? Sandwiches? No, the meat will go bad quickly in the heat. Bananas? No, they get all black and squishy. Doritos? Heavens, no; they’ll just make us thirsty and then we’ll run out of water. What we want is something that will not only keep, but will be good for us as we journey. The food that fits that description is trail mix!

Trail mix used to be called GORP, which stands for “good old raisins and peanuts,” It’s a great food to take on a hike because the peanuts have protein to keep you going over the long haul, and the raisins provide sugar for a quick energy boost. Nowadays, that blend of “good old raisins and peanuts” has been improved in all kinds of ways! You can find trail mix with not only peanuts, but cashews, almonds, and walnuts. Raisins are still there, but they now keep company with dried cranberries, dried apricots, and even dried cherries. And we can’t forget M&Ms! Every trail mix today includes M&Ms, that unmeltable chocolate that helps the dried fruit give you a quick punch of energy. Something to give you quick energy, and something to help keep you going over the long haul. That’s the kind of food that we need on our hike! Wouldn’t it be great if there were a food like that that would help us as we journey through our lives?

This morning’s scripture from the gospel of John is about just that (John 6:24-35, 49-51)! Crowds of people were following Jesus because they had stuffed themselves on the bread and fish that Jesus had miraculously provided for them, and they wanted to eat some more! Jesus knew that they were only worried about their empty stomachs, so he reminded them that their souls were empty, too. “One of these days, the bread you eat will have worms in it,” he told them, “so you should focus on getting the food that will never spoil.” They didn’t have a clue as to what Jesus was talking about; and when he told them that this eternal food would be his own body, they got even more confused. They couldn’t see what we can now see perfectly well: that the food we need to get us through life is Jesus himself. That’s what Christ offers us here at this table: his own presence. The little cubes of bread and the little glasses of grape juice aren’t enough to fill even a corner of our stomachs; but they are symbols of the presence of Christ that promises to fill our souls. Not trail mix, but the presence of Christ gets us through this hike called life, wherever the road might take us.

This morning, we will gather around the Lord’s Table to get some of the food that Jesus offers us. But even as we approach the Communion table this morning, we’ll be distracted by other options. Even as we reach our out hands to receive the bread of life that Jesus offers us, we’ll glimpse, out of the corner of our eye, what the world has to offer; and it is very appealing! The table right here has “stuff” on it: an expensive car, fancy clothes, and a big house. Madison Avenue sponsors that table. On the other side is a table with a whole array of credit cards. Money, money, money; do whatever you want with it. There are some preachers that say that God wants us to be rich; although Jesus says that too much money gets in the way of the Kingdom of God. And over there is a table with weapons on it: clubs, knives, and all kinds of firearms. Violence can get us anything that we want! That’s what some people say – the people who don’t like folks who aren’t just like they are or who believe differently than they do. But none of those options will sustain us all the way to the end of our journey through life. No, the only food that will do that is the food that Jesus has to offer us – himself. Nothing else will carry us through whatever circumstances life may throw at us, despite what the world may say.

Down through the ages, Christians have witnessed to the power of the presence of Christ. They have testified that in the most difficult situations of life, the nurture of Christ himself has helped them to carry on. Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one of those Christians. Back in the 1930s, Bonhoeffer shared this thought about the power of the presence of Christ: “If Christ has been given to us,... we are given all things, literally all things. He will see to it that they are added unto us. If we follow Jesus..., we are in his hands and under the protection of Him and His Father. And if we are in communion with the Father, nothing can harm us. God will help us in the hour of need, and He knows our needs.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer knew something about difficult situations. He was a Lutheran pastor in Germany during the Nazi era; and he resisted Hitler with every bone in his body. He was eventually arrested, confined to a concentration camp, and executed. Only the presence of Christ saw him through all of that.

That is the power of the food that Jesus offers us! Christ has given us himself, nourishing us with his own presence, so that we can walk with courage through this journey called life towards the green meadows and clear river that God has promised to us. As we receive Holy Communion, we are embraced in the love and grace of Jesus Christ that will nourish us forever. As we journey towards the green pastures and still waters that lie somewhere in the future, grace and love is the food that Jesus Christ offers us. It gives us a boost when we need it, and continuing energy for the long haul. And it is available to anyone who wants it! The Lord’s Table is the only table that offers us food that will never spoil. And we are all invited to share its bounty! We don’t have to pay anything for it, or climb over any obstacles to get to it. We don’t even have to take a quiz in order to receive it. It is free to us, right now, wherever we are on life’s journey. What a gift! Thanks be to God!