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There
once was a man whose life ended in dramatic, tragic failure. It
wasn't that he was untalented. Far from it! He had
exceptional ability. It wasn't that he had no vision, no goals, no
clear sense of what he wanted to accomplish. He knew exactly and
precisely what his goals were, and articulated them powerfully.
It wasn't a lack of dedication, an unwillingness to even
try. As a matter of fact, he ultimately dedicated his life to
accomplishing his vision. Nor was it laziness, or any other fatal
character defect. He gave it his best shot, and he was a
spectacular failure.
There were many others contemporary with him in time
and place who were much more successful. Perhaps they understood
reality better. They accommodated, compromised when necessary,
made do, got by. Their dreams and goals were far less audacious,
and thus far more likely to come true.
What was the problem with the person who failed so
completely? Let's look at it obliquely. Imagine a very
talented, very well-paid research scientist or engineer, who is
encouraged, indeed paid, to fail! Any successful ideas are
appreciated, but downplayed. Failure is encouraged, indeed
required by job description and supervision! Why? Failure is
the path to really new ideas, which can lead to breakthroughs
unavailable to those who insist on success!
In case you haven't guessed already, the spectacular
failure to whom I alluded in my introduction was Jesus! Let's
review his situation.
He was born among a people whom God had called,
gathered, and rescued to be God's own people, unique among all the
nations. They were never to be particularly wealthy or powerful as
the world evaluates such things. One thing set them apart.
God had given them his precious vision. As we review their
scriptures, we can clearly see God's vision laid out through Law and
through the prophets. They were to model and proclaim God's way
in full view of all humankind.
How did they do over the centuries? They had
some success! But they had far more failure at living according to
God's Word. Our first lesson this morning describes the death of
Stephen, the very first Christian martyr. The Jewish authorities
were clearly enraged at him. Why? When put on trial before
them he declined the opportunity to defend himself. Instead, he
put them on trial, holding a mirror up to them of how they had failed
to live out God's vision for them. Listen to his words, addressed
to the Sanhedrin: [Acts 7:51-53] "You stiff-necked people,
uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy
Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. {52} Which of the prophets
did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the
coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and
murderers. {53} You are the ones that received the law as ordained by
angels, and yet you have not kept it." Ouch! No wonder they were
provoked, the more so because his words had the sting of truth.
What was Jesus' goal? He came among us to
bring about a renewed people of God, radically committed to God's will,
empowered to live together according to God's ways, willing to take the
risks necessary to change the world! In a phrase, he proclaimed
the kingdom of God. Nor did he simply describe it, saying "Hey
everyone, you might want to consider this possibility" He
proclaimed God's will not only as opportunity, but as imperative!
He dedicated his life to bring about the kingdom among us!
The problem was that if you call for real, radical
change, you will certainly offend all those who are highly invested in
the way things are. People who have dedicated their lives to
wealth are not always eager to sell all they own and give to the
poor. People who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of
power are not always eager to surrender all power to the will of
God. People who have designed and imposed their own version of
religion will not eagerly embrace a renewed and authentic spirituality,
even as a gift from God.
You all know the result of Jesus' efforts.
They crumbled into dust! One of his best friends sold him
out. Another denied ever having met him. All of his best
friends deserted him in his time of greatest need. His enemies had
their way with him, falsely accusing him, torturing him, finally
executing him. Now that's spectacular failure!
And yet ... as the second lesson puts it, "he is
precious" to those who believe. To the extent we have caught God's
vision, we simply love Jesus, for Jesus embodied that vision among us,
and through his living presence it still shines brightly, brilliantly,
against the perpetual darkness of this world. Strangely enough,
God raised him from failure, restored him to relationship with us, and
has provided new birth, new life to those who follow Jesus ever
since!
Which brings us to the incredibly powerful message
of today's Gospel lesson: "Do not let your hearts be
troubled." Think about the context of this message. This
begins what has long been called Jesus' "farewell discourse". It
is quite plain to Jesus and to his disciples that the nation has failed
to embrace his vision of the kingdom, and that the Jewish and Roman
officials will soon eradicate him. Utter failure looms in the
immediate future! In view of this, "Do not let your hearts be
troubled" is a stunning, audacious message!
I'm sure that some of us gathered here today are in
trouble. We have our failures too. Life can get very tough,
in all sorts of creative, devastating ways. However, despite that,
I'll wager that not one of us is in as tough a spot as was Jesus, and
his disciples at that moment. And yet he says to them, "Do not
let your hearts be troubled!" What is the alternative? The
answer is given immediately: trust God; trust Jesus! No
matter what, we are safe in Jesus' hands!
There's more! Jesus assures us, just as he
assured them, there is a place for us. Not just the best of
us. Each one of us. After all, there was a place in Jesus'
heart for those who had let him down most dramatically, his own
disciples. The second lesson expresses the same assurance, in
different words, reminding us we are "chosen and precious in God's
sight."
Furthermore, in Christ, as part of the church, we
can be part of "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's
own people". Our mission is clear; we are to proclaim the mighty
acts of God, through history, and in our own lives!
Let me suggest, in conclusion, that it is much more
important for us, as individuals and as a church, to fail at Jesus' goal
than to succeed at our own. Amen.
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