Juicy Bible Story

Juicy bible story preached today: David and Bathsheba. Good stuff for a sermon if you’re not squeamish about your heroes in the faith. Here’s a man especially blessed in many ways; warrior, friend, poet, musician, and politician. There’s a Greek word, “erate,” which as an ideal means excellence in all things. In the scriptures, surely David most closely fulfils this Greek ideal. And to top it all, we are told that this was a man after God’s own heart. Don’t you wish that were you?

Yet this was a man who failed UTTERLY in this case. MK—who (bless her heart) did not preach squeamishly about this—didn’t accuse him as violently as I’d accuse him here: I’d have called him a murderer and a Jody-bleeper.

Somebody told me once they thought the Bible was a filthy book. Yeah, it’s about people, and if you tell the truth about them it quickly gets filthy.

From a 12-step perspective, it’d be pointed out that David’s enemy in this case was complacence. His success granted him sufficient leisure to get in such a jam. Had Israel been beset by a truly fearful enemy, he would’ve been in the field with Uriah, rather than at home betraying him. The program would also note that this was pretty much an idea conceived in isolation and carried out in relative secrecy. We’re only as sick as our secrets; yet another reason to talk to my sponsor or to be sharing honestly with one of you. And, oh yeah, under the subject of denial, did you note that David wasn’t clear that he had done wrong until he was rebuked by God’s prophet, Nathan. See II Samuel 12:1-9 for one of the most stage—worthy scenes in the Old Testament. David states what appropriate punishment would be for such an act, “the man who has done this deserves to die.”

Both he and I are fortunate that God’s patience exceeds our guilt.
I am proud that MK called a spade a spade here: it was sin that caused this tragedy. And she went on to state that King David isn’t the only example we have and called the governor of South Carolina by name, thank you very much. But she didn’t stop there and named us as well—all of us—as dirty rotten sinners in need of the absolute radical grace of God. I am proud that at twenty-four or three she knows this. At 23 (heck, at 40) I didn’t know that: I thought all I had to do was try harder. And I am proud that as mission and justice-driven as the PC-USA is today, it is partially responsible for transmitting this to her. Finally, and I praise God, I am proud that this is preached here, on the corner of Kirk and Columbia today.

It is no small comfort to me that the Word contains numerous examples of people who have failed; Noah, the drunk; Samson, the idiot; Peter, the denier, et al. It tells me someone like me belongs in this narrative, this river of the people of God struggling not only with the world, but with themselves, people who are incapable of managing their own lives. Sin hurts. No wonder we seek refuge in the wounds of Christ.

I’d forgotten we had the Salome story coming up in the lectionary until I saw bulletin cover this morning. I have a tendency to classify the story as yet another biblical example of a man making a fool of his self over a beautiful woman (frequently younger): e.g., David and Bathsheba, Samson and Delilah, et al

But Tom took it beyond that. And he was bold enough to start in the children’s sermon where he didn’t back off on the graphics (the decapitation) or the basis of Herod’s choice: namely, sin. Herod had made a bad decision and the result was not mere foolishness. Beyond the foolishness, it was tragic, not only for John whose temporal existence was thereby ended, but for Herod as well whose eternal call from the Lord might’ve ended forever premised upon that choice. Surely, as believers, we quake and tremble at that possibility as infinitely more horrific than John’s demise.

With Herod as the example, the choice (one good, one bad) was between the Lord’s call and the call of popular culture. Ah, there is fertile ground there upon which to preach. We could line up the values of popular culture on one hand and contrast them to values we hold as revealed by the Lord. And we would exhort that the values of the Lord be chosen consistently. And that would play well in this country where we frequently elevate our “right to choose” into a spiritual axiom: your choice is efficacious to salvation. If you just simply believe hard enough, you will be saved.

But there’s a problem with choice and sin that Tom hinted at it with the potato chip example (“betcha can’t eat just one”). Sin has a power of its own. It’s a condition as well as an act, and it’s a condition that we—if you ascribe to Romans 7:15-24—are powerless over. How does a slave to sin choose not to sin?

I liken sin to addiction. In my using days, I would decide day in and day out that I would not drink that day. Yet night after night, I found myself drinking like I always drank; until the booze ran out or I blacked out. My addiction had progressed to the point where my ability to choose was impaired. The 12-Step programs are clear about where the solution lies; a higher power than ones’ will power and/or self knowledge must be sought to release the addict.

Just as an addict seeks help from a power greater than himself, we—as believers—roll into Romans 7:25, where Paul rejoices in the source of his salvation. So, not by choice or willpower but rather by Jesus Christ do we overcome sin. A power greater than ourselves does this for us. I think we call that grace.

So Tom appropriately emphasizes grace in the (grown-up sermon) and exhorts us to not to occlude it, a power the program does ascribe to the self. I note and celebrate that Tom does not discuss sin without discussing grace and by that I am reminded of the Puritan prayer:

"Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths, but see thee in the heights; hemmed in by the mountains of sin I behold Your glory."

Sola gratia.

Jesus As An Example

It was good to be back in town and kirk today. Even though the heat was trying to make me sleepy, I found a lot of things to like in that service. And, of course, I got to see my pals again; always a source of comfort at this particularly interesting point in history.

Speaking of comfort, the music…seems like nearly all the selections placed me in the south in June in a reformed church on a sunny day kind of like cicadas’ song place you at dusk on someone’s back porch sipping lemonade; Amazing Grace, How Great Thou Art, Blest Be The Tie That Binds, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, and Great Is Thy Faithfulness. Good to be home.

The Medley for opening was interesting (A verse of Ode to Joy, I Greet Thee, and How Great Thou Art returning to another verse of Ode to Joy). I had used the blue hymnal for the “praise” portion of my morning meditation this week so How Great Thou Art and Joyful, Joyful got read a couple times. It’s a nice coincidence to then hear it in community (maybe the Lord mirroring my efforts back to me?) And great musical dynamics by David on the Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. He caressed that one.

Mary Kathleen’s (doesn’t that sound catholic?) intro to confession was REFORMED. Yes, absolutely, MK; broken we are: “flawed” or “sometimes misguided” being too soft or polite as descriptive for our situation. Gee, if St. Augustine called himself a “moral disgrace”, can’t we at the least own that we are broken? If we’re only flawed, we simply need the right light or a gauzy lens (remember Doris Day movies?). But read the papers (or examine your heart/thoughts); we’re broken and we need a savior.

And we got to hear about Jesus in the sermon because we are in Mark. Yes, give me Jesus. Give me Jesus any Sunday and I’ll not only be fed, I’ll be bathed, clothed, healed, glorified, and placed in the heavenlies, as well.

So MK had us in the story of Jairus and the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and we heard a sermon well thought out and delivered and I thought amazingly good for an intern (some of whose-not MK’s- sermons I have winced through). So yeah, MK! As we say in the program, “keep coming back”.

But for my blood, the story isn’t as much about “Jesus as example” (for instance, just as Jesus took time to encounter those in need, we should- and yes, MK is absolutely correct, we should) as it is about Jesus as revealer of humankind’s potential in the statement, “your faith has made you well”. To me, here, Jesus says in effect, “you are much more than you think/believe you are. In faith, you can overcome disease (the woman) and even death (Jairus on behalf of his daughter).” What does He know about us that we aren’t walking in? We have this type power? Why does He point at those who asked for help as the ones with the power? “You”, He says, “through the exercise of your faith, were healed”.

I could riff for an hour here about those who throw themselves at the feet of Jesus. They were there because they were powerless. I have frequently seen in the program recovery delivered to those who had admitted powerlessness over their disease. And inversely, how frequently have I seen those fail who still believe recovery is a function of willpower or intelligence or self-confidence. We fear powerlessness but in this story it is a prerequisite or gateway to recovery.

And did you notice how Jesus kicks out the disbelieving from the room before he heals the little girl? Is it because they’ll water down the cumulative faith juice of those He lets remain? It’s an argument for faith and our potential here and a real good reason to place myself among those whose faith exceeds mine.

Therefore, I kirk with y’all and go to prayer meetings with mighty men and women of God because faith really is contagious. And even though Jesus says you only need a mustard seed worth, I want more. So I’ll be back too.