August 2, 2015: May God’s words alone be spoken, may God’s words alone be heard. Amen.

Previously, on the “David Channel” King David raped Bathsheba, a woman married to one of the leaders of his armies, Uriah, who was valiantly out fighting while David stayed home. When she got pregnant, he attempted to cover it up by recalling Uriah from battle, and having him sleep with his wife. When Uriah refused to enjoy the pleasures of life while his men fought in the field of battle, David sent him back, with orders (delivered by Uriah’s own hand – how crazy is that) to have him killed in battle. We also heard in last week’s Gospel reading that a small boy offered the only food he had, barley loaves and fish, that ended up being signs of God’s grace, and an epistle implored us to be rooted and grounded in love. And we were left with cliff hanging questions…

And now, for part two of Rape, Murder, and Barley…

Our scene opens with the obvious – God is NOT happy with David. Now, it seems mildly put in the narrative – “…the thing that David had done displeased the LORD…” but as we see, David is getting the equivalent of “You are grounded for life! Go out back right this minute young man and find me a switch.” Now for those who don’t know what that last bit means, it is either because you were really really good as a kid, or you grew up without any woods around. At any rate – David is in BIG trouble with God, and rightfully so.

David responds by writing Psalm 51, which we use on Ash Wednesday and other penitential times, and part of which we heard today. It is a heartfelt longing to reconcile to God. And there are some issues there in that Psalm, and in God’s response to David too…but, that is a sermon for another time.

So let’s get back to the essence of all the questions we were left with last week, which is summed up in this: How do we live a life rooted and grounded in love, where the abundance of God’s grace is felt by all who encounter us, regardless of our status in society – or because of it? In other words – how do we change the world, and empower others to do the same – as Jesus did?

The answer – well, Nathan isn’t just good at making hot dogs.

We must become Nathan! Nathan the prophet. Nathan, the one who spoke truth to power. We need to become a “Nathan Nation!”

Nathan did some shaming of David – sort of like the hackers who this week stole all the information off the Ashley Madison website for married people who want to have an affair – well, first of all, there is a website for that? Good grief. I suspect divorce attorney’s phones will be ringing off the hook if the data is shared publicly. Imagine if that existed at the time of David. I can see it now…David posts a profile… “Good looking guy, steady job, several wives, but bored. Looking for a hook-up.” Would have saved Bathsheba and Uriah from all this mess.

See, the thing is, despite some very troubling punishment of the innocent (again – a whole other sermon…see, so much to talk about in the scriptures, right?)…the thing is – God does make a pretty good point here through the prophet Nathan – David, you had everything, and yet that wasn’t enough! You had to take from others too?

Why is it that we always seem to want more? Granted, when one is poor, homeless, hungry, oppressed, it makes perfect sense to want more – and the fight for it is a fight for fairness, not a quest for excess. But it seems from the headlines that it is becoming almost expected that those in the spotlight – the political leaders, the sports and movie stars, the CEOs will cross a line – it has become so commonplace we hardly notice anymore.

And the response when they are caught going beyond the pale can be just as typical. It goes like this:

• I did nothing wrong – those who accuse me just don’t like me or are crazy or it’s a conspiracy or …whatever.
• I may have done wrong – but not what you think.
• It is what you think, but it isn’t my fault.
• I did it, and I am sorry…and aren’t I just such a fab human being for saying so here in front of the press?
• Then they go into hiding for about 6 months to a year.
• Then they are back, with a best selling book, with perhaps more power due to the notoriety.

 

Sound familiar?

It also sounds incredibly sad for humanity, doesn’t it?

 

Power does indeed seem to corrupt…but is it as John Dalberg-Acton famously said that “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”? Maybe. Dalberg-Acton believed that those who are great will always be bad. There are those figures of history that truly bring to mind a sense of evil in the world, making it seem that those who amass more, begin to believe that what they accumulate – be it wealth, power, or fame, is what sustains life. Makes you wonder if more really is better – or at least it should.

But before we jump all over the 1%, let’s remember that people are really people no matter how small (thank you Horton and the Whos for that). They say that alcohol only brings out what is already there – happy, sad, or bad. The same is also true for everything else. See, doing the right thing isn’t something that is based on ones means, but is based on the heart.

Everyone is capable of both good and evil, and there are good and bad acting people in all parts of our society – from the rich to the poor, from the East to the West. Our actions are based not upon where live, or what amount of money we have, but upon what we hold as truth, and how we understand real power. Power is not the ability to do what one pleases – that is power of the small minded. Real power is the ability to do what is right, because in doing that, we change the world for everyone.

A person with real power, real authority, understands that with great authority comes great responsibility (and no Spiderman did not really invent that…actually, it is based on scripture – go figure). And that type of power does not require anything more than what we have when we are born, because that power comes from God. And it is when we lose sight of that, we need someone to remind us, most especially if we walk in the realm of kings – with power over others. That is why we need prophets – truth tellers – Nathans. And thankfully we have them, and have had them through the centuries. We don’t always listen, but God sends them to us just the same.

People like Malala Yousafzai, a young Pakistani girl, and the youngest to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize, who stood up to the Taliban in her country to demand an education for herself and other girls. She did this so much that they shot her in the head as she traveled on her school bus.

People like Nelson Mandela, whose activism against apartheid in South Africa landed him in jail for nearly 3 decades. Upon his release and election to President of the country, he refused the path of retributive justice, but chose instead restorative justice, setting a path for peace in his country.

People like Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Dr. King, Rosa Parks, Archbishops Oscar Romero and Desmond Tutu, Dorothy Day, and so many more. These were all extraordinary people…but none of them started out with much. What they did have was a sense of something greater than themselves, and THAT is what differentiates them from those who lose their way.

In other words, every one of you are like them…if you choose to be. The truth is – we usually don’t see it in ourselves.

Have you ever noticed that in the bible, the prophets are always the ones who least want it (Isaiah), seem least equipped (Moses), and try like hell to run away from it (Jonah)? Yet, as unequipped as all of them might be, as far fetched as it might have seemed for all the prophets I named earlier, God has a funny way of getting through to us – no matter how much we might fight it. And oh how we fight it sometimes.

We think we aren’t good enough, don’t have the time or the resources, or even that we have better things to do. Sort of like the three I just mentioned – which is exactly what they thought too.   And to be sure, I doubt very much that all the modern day prophets I named earlier started in childhood selling lemonade and prophesy for 5 cents (unless, of course, we are talking about the infamous Lucy Van Pelt).

See, if we are to live out our lives as prophetic witnesses – as a Nathan Nation, we need to pay attention to the words from Ephesians. In last week’s reading from this epistle, the author prayed “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.” And what would that look like? It would look a lot like Nathan, but we just don’t see it in the mirror. I think it’s because we believe we need to be like Mother Theresa, or Dr. King, or Nelson Mandela…we think we have to start where they ended…rather than starting where they started. We think we have to be something we are not.

No, not that we aren’t called, as they were, but that we try to be them, rather than our own wonderful unique selves. We think we have to have all sorts of skills, or money, or status….when all we need to be a Nathan – is love. It’s really that simple. And, the love we need will never be found on the website of Ashley Madison. The love we need is ours from the moment we are created to the moment we return to the earth. The love we need we have always – it is God’s love. And it is this – this foundation of love – that is our calling card in the world.

But how do we know what to do, where to go, what to say? Well, the same way Nathan and all the other prophets of long ago and today do.

You know, we often speak of our being the body of Christ – and the author of Ephesians does too. I love this imagery, because we must use our eyes to see what is happening, our ears to listen to others, our heart to feel the pain of the world, our mind to think outside the box, and our mouths to speak truth. And then with all of our senses, to be guided by the Holy Spirit to take the steps God would have us take.

That is what Nathan did. Nathan stood up to a king – spoke the truth – proclaimed that David was “the man” who had done dispciable things. There are Kings today – people with unchecked power in the world – people who oppress others through words, through violence, through actions that marginalize and abuse. Where are the Nathans? There are a few, but not enough.

And that is where everyone of us comes in.

See – the answer to those cliff-hanging questions from last is that, when we live a life rooted and grounded in love, when we understand first and foremost that we are loved beyond measure by God, we are given all we need to be a Nathan. I guess the Beatles were right – All you need is love.

Now, what happens when you feel loved. Think about it. Remember falling in love, maybe the first time (or the last time) you heard someone say “I love you,”? What happened to your whole body? You probably floated down the street, your heart bursting, the smile on your face beaming with joy, right? Colors seemed brighter to you on the flowers, or the sky just seemed much bluer than usual. Or maybe the whole of creation seemed to be bursting with music.

Well, when you accept that God loves you, beyond any human love imagineble, then your world changes completely too. You begin to see life not as something to be lived for yourself, but a life that is important to the whole world. And you begin to feel – really feel – with all your body – the world around you.

“For years, people have been asking the question, “What Would Jesus Do?” Well, maybe the better question is, “What Would Jesus Feel?”

The answer, today and every day, is: compassion. Deep, heartfelt and unconditional compassion for the powerful and the powerless, the misguided and the misunderstood, the least and the lost. And then, he would act.”[1]

When we remember who we are – beloved children of God – loved beyond measure, we stand on a foundation that frees us to open ourselves up to what should be, rather than what is. And then…we act (or we should). Because it is only partially true that “the unexamined life is not worth living,” as the philosopher Socrates famously suggested. The life lived solely for oneself, without regard for others, or for creation, is also a life wasted. And there are so many lives being wasted, while the world waits in hope of prophets. While the world waits for you.

But, if you are still thinking you are not good enough to change the world, think about Babe Ruth. Now, you all know I am a baseball fan, and Babe Ruth, perhaps the most famous baseball player of all time, played for that other NY team (and also for their biggest rival). But “The Babe” was only an average baseball player – well, if you consider that Ruth struck out 1,330 times! Yet we remember him as the “sultan of swat” because he hit 714 home runs.

If we step up to the plate, we’re going to strike out sometimes, but we will also knock in a few runs!

God is looking for people who will step up to the plate.

God is looking for YOU!

Because the world is full of kings that need Nathan’s to speak truth to them.

And Nathan would say to all of us “YOU are the one!” Not because we did something bad (or at least I hope not), but because we are not doing something we are called to do.

We need to be a Nathan Nation, the prophets filling the world with truth and love…and okay, maybe a few hotdogs too.

Amen.

 

[1] Homeliticsonline.com

[Sermons as written may not be as delivered on any given Sunday]

The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge
August 2, 2015
Pentecost 10 – Year B – Track 1
1st Reading – 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a
Psalm 51:1-13
2nd Reading – Ephesians 4:1-16
Gospel – John 6:24-35