March 18th:
Potsdam Call: Numbers 21: 4-9 Text: Ephesians 2: 1-10 Read: W&S 86 The Gift People who saw the movie, "A League of Their Own", remember two things: Geena Davis as catcher Dottie Hinson being photographed doing a split as she catches a foul ball a picture that ended up on the cover of "Life" magazine and Tom Hanks, as Jimmy Dugan, manager of the Rockford Peaches shouting desperately at a tearful player, "There's no crying in baseball!" As a memorable movie line, Hank's declaration about crying ranks right up there with: "The truth? You can't handle the Truth!" "I'll have what she's having." "Make him an offer he can't refuse." Or more recently, "I made a pie for you." But Hanks' character is wrong and not just in "the All American Girls Professional Baseball League." For there is crying in life We cry when we are sad We cry when we are in pain And We cry when we are moved by something good. Crying is an emotional release. For me at least, the third of the mentioned crying times (Crying when moved by something good) Is the most common. For when my heart and soul have been touched By an act of kindness, thoughtfulness, or generosity I know I have seen an example of the love that God requires of us And it moves me At times, it moves me to tears. Each year for example, when it comes to sharing the name of the person who is to be celebrated at the Sub-district's laity banquet, I have to have the lay leader read the information submitted Because I choke up About the opportunity to celebrate someone in our congregation. And I have been known to get emotional at movies as well When the Romans go to arrest Spartacus And offer to let his band of followers go If Spartacus will come forward, Nearly the entire army stands up one at a time With each proclaiming, "I am Spartacus." My eyes get moist because of their loyalty to and love for him I guess then that it should surprise no one that my favorite short story is "The Gift of the Magi" by O'Henry. The story is not new It was published in 1906 I first read it about 1960. It moved me then. It moves me now. You know the story. Wikipedia summarizes it this way: Mr. James Dillingham Young ("Jim") and his wife, Della, are a couple living in a modest flat. They each have one possession in which they take pride: Della's beautiful long, flowing hair and Jim's gold watch, which had belonged to his father and grandfather. On Christmas Eve, with only $1.87 in hand, and desperate to find a gift for Jim, Della sells her hair for $20, and eventually finds a platinum fob chain for Jim's watch for $21. Happy to have found the perfect gift at last, she runs home and begins to prepare dinner. When Jim comes home, he looks at Della with an expression "that she could not read, and it terrified her." Della then admits to Jim that she sold her hair to buy him his present. Jim gives Della her present — an array of expensive combs for her hair. Della then shows Jim the chain she bought for him, to which Jim says he sold his watch to get the money to buy her combs. These two people loved each other so much That in order to express that love on Christmas each surrendered the possession that meant the most to him/her Doesn't that get to you? Doesn't it touch your heart and your soul? Doesn't it move you - even, perhaps, to tears? I think it should O'Henry's story is a story about sacrificial love And as such is a way for us to understand and experience What Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus In this morning's scripture [Ephesians 2: 1-10] Paul, in speaking to us as well as to the Ephesians, says You were dead Your relationship with God was not living, but lifeless You were dead Through your trespasses (willful or knowing violations of God's law) You were dead Through your sins (any and all violations of God's will) You were dead. Instead of having a living and obedient relationship with God, you followed the course of this world This is what God was talking about. When in our Ash Wednesday scripture, God told Isaiah to "Announce to my people their rebellion" And despaired, "... day after day they seek me .... As if they were a nation that practiced righteousness And did not forsake the ordinance of God." The people didn't even realize that they were rebellious The people didn't even recognize that they were dead They went through the motions of religion They called out to God They fasted; they wore sackcloth; and they sat in ashes They were puzzled and upset that God seemed oblivious to them But in actuality, Despite their rituals and formal actions they were oblivious to God Paul told them that they had been dead Not to be mean Not to chastise them Not to put them down But to help them understand What an awesome and remarkable gift they had received from God For Paul explains that despite their lifeless relationship with God And despite their rebellious attitudes, that God still was determined to revitalize and resurrect their/our relationship to, in short, make us alive again through Christ God was so determined, because God is rich in mercy, A mercy born in his great love for us A love God had for us Even when we were dead as a result of our self inflicted wounds And Paul tells the Ephesians - and, of course, tells us - That it is by grace, you have been saved through faith That this is not your own doing That this is not the result of your works You did nothing to deserve this It is simply the gift of God. That love and that attempt to call us back to a right relationship Is God's approach throughout the scriptures. Even when the people were disobedient God preserved humankind through Noah With the hope that we would come closer When there was about to be a famine God preserved the Israelites through Joseph With the hope that we would come closer When they were enslaved in Egypt God preserved the Israelites through Moses With the hope that we would come closer And speaking of Moses Look at the story that called us to worship The ones about the snakes biting and poisoning the people In that story, it is so obvious that God didn't really want to punish God simply wanted the people to be closer Thus, God had Moses make a pole for them to look at when they got bit That snake pole was to remind the people of God Like the post flood rainbow was to remind God of God's promise How about the prophets Who warned Who cajoled Who promised Always with the goal of bringing God's people back into relationship. But finally, since we still hadn't seemed to get it God who loves us even more than Jim loved Della or Della loved Jim Did exactly what the Youngs did in O'Henry's story to show their love for each other that was: to give up the thing that meant the most Della cut her hair Jim sold his watch God sent God's son to the cross Yes, God did what Jim and Della did For the same reason - love. But there is a difference between these stories Jim and Della made their sacrifices for persons (each other) Who loved them and with whom they had a mutually loving relationship God, however, sacrificed God's son for persons (Ephesians, others, and us) Whom God loved But who had not loved God enough To make the relationship mutually loving God's sacrifice was for people who were dead and in rebellion. O'Henry's story still moves us to tears, In my case a half century after I first read it. If we have a tearful reaction to the sale of her hair and his watch How much greater must our reaction be To God's sending God's son to the cross In order to call us to him Despite our rebellion and our dead, disobedient spirit There is really no comparison is there? God's grace is a gift an awesome, remarkable gift Even more awesome and even more remarkable Than the gifts that touch our hearts in O'Henry's story We should be grateful Powerfully grateful. We should be moved - even to tears.