“The Signs of God’s Faithfulness”

by bjj

March 9, 2003

Lois and I saw a really terrific movie a week or so ago. “Chicago,” the movie version of what was produced on the stage in 1975 and has been playing somewhere ever since. Its about life in Chicago during the 30’s and 40’s when daily newspapers roared with headlines, killers were romanticized or vilified, and cops and lawyers and reporters lived in each other’s pockets. The story line is about these women who were in prison for killing the men in their lives--- In song each claims that “They didn’t do it but he deserved it!” Richard Gere is Billy Flynn, the slick, high priced attorney who boasts he can beat any rap for a $5000 fee. His motto:

“If Jesus Christ had lived in Chicago and if he had $5000 and had come to me--- things would have turned out differently.”

(Sounds somewhat sacrilegious to say during Lent, doesn’t it?)

Although there were some tense moments in his defense of Roxie Hart, who killed the man who was supposed to be promoting her entertainment career, in the end, he does the ‘razzle dazzle’ to perfection!

(Ebert, Chicago Sun- Times)

That’s all I’ll say. It is a terrific movie.

It gave me pause, though, to remember an oft quoted line from one of Carl Sandburg’s poems—I’m not sure which one but I think that it from one of the poems in his collection called “Chicago Poems”:

“Can we be honest for five minutes, even though this is Chicago?”

As we begin this season of Lent and even though this is Coventry, it’s appropriate for us to ask the same question: “Can we be honest for five minutes or so?”

This morning’s lesson from the book of Genesis, of course, is about the story of Noah and the 40 days and 40 nights of rain that was meant to wash the earth clean of evil doers and doing. As we learn through today’s lesson, however, at the end of that stretch of rainy weather, God is not all that certain that he had done the right thing. As a matter of fact, he vows never to do it again. As we all know the rainbow is then established as a sign of God’s everlasting promise to his creation and us but in truth it moves us far beyond that. God promises to place the rainbow in the sky as a reminder to Himself—a reminder of the promise never again to destroy the earth, never again to respond with that kind of blanket judgement on us for our sin and for our evil--- no matter how bad we get!

And we can get pretty bad--- can’t we?

Today, of course, we remember Jesus’ 40 days and forty nights in the desert—there with Satan and wild beasts, and if it weren’t for the angels, we’re not entirely sure how he would have come out of it! And today at the beginning of this Lenten season we are called to that same place with the same fears and same hope---called to examine and assess who we are and what we value and how we live.

A few years ago, The Wall Street Journal published one of its more provocative editorials that began, “When was the last time you had a good conversation about sin?” The editorial recounted the roll call of moral dilemmas appearing daily on television--- corruption in high places, sex in high school, an addicted culture, and on and on. Then it made the valid point, I think, that the word ‘sin’ has more or less been dropped from our vocabulary. Indeed, as I reflect on myself and what I focus on as a pastor and preacher, I confess to what might be a harmful, if not unhealthy, level of neglect.

As a society we’ve been pretty good at getting rid of the word. Not good for self-esteem we say.

A number of months ago, I referred to a wonderful book by Dr. George Vaillant, a psychiatrist/educator at Harvard. The book was called AGING WELL. He has written another book called The Wisdom of the Ego. It’s a book about our complex system of defense mechanisms, those creative psychic means by which we protect ourselves, by which we cope with devastating onslaughts of reality. Far from being negative, says Dr. Vaillant, our defenses, these idiosyncratic means which the brain devises to shield us from the cold facts about ourselves are positive coping mechanisms. If that is true, I can speak for myself at least--don’t expect too much raw honesty from me about my sin! In fact, Dr, Vaillant believes that we become more adept in utilizing our defense mechanisms, as we grow older, as we gain education and experience. Being pretty well educated myself and having just had another birthday, I guess that I must be pretty well ‘defended’ and therefore, just maybe, somewhat psychologically dishonest!

(Indebted to William Willimon, Pulpit Resource, Vol. 245, #1)

But today can be different, In fact, I’m asking for myself for those five minutes of honesty!

For sure we have enough moral dilemmas to consider, don’t we?

As our nation moves inexorably toward war in support of the UN Resolution #1441 and in spite of the opposition of key members of the Security Council, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein and his regime are evil. They have produced, stockpiled and have not accounted for some 8,500 liters of anthrax, 6,500 chemical bombs, 650 kilograms of growth media bioagents and stockpiles of VX gas. He has been ruthless with his own people and certainly is capable of terrorism toward the world. Their sin is great, perhaps as great as what is now being done in North Korea as well. Perhaps we should be saying of them- categorically- that it is a ‘sin’ to build such weapons and agents of war!

At the same time, however, ought we not to be looking at ourselves. Much has been written about the faith of President Bush and its role in this set of circumstances. No one questions his sincerity and genuineness of its role in his life. He was even asked the specific question on Thursday evening at his prime time news conference. Shouldn’t we be asking if it’s all ‘righteousness’ that designs the policy and positions the firepower for this war? Where is ‘our sin’ in the preparation and possible making of war rather than showing restraint on behalf of peace?

Where is our sin in the costs and consequences of war—in terms of human life and limb? How about it’s financial cost? Huge deficits and their effects on the economy, upon jobs (yesterday’s NYTImes reported a rise in joblessness to 5.8 %) or the resources that will not be available for education, health care, aid to our nation’s poor?

Can we be honest for five minutes?

And how about who we are at times—as reflected through what we call entertainment or the rules that govern social interaction.

Need I say much about the state of television?

But how about language? Being as basketball crazy as we are- everybody knows about ‘talking trash on the court.’

A few weeks ago, though, the Wall Street Journal carried at article under its ‘Houses of Worship’ column. George Veith, professor of English at Concordia University, wrote it. It was titled: “Curse of the Foul Mouth.” In it, he laments the fact that profanity is now like ‘cultural wallpaper’, everywhere present—from cable TV to rap lyrics, from casual conversations to prime time award shows. Indeed, Veith makes the case that ‘cursing’ is essentially a violation of the obligation to love one’s neighbor—when we curse, we call down harm, or we call someone a ‘name’ so that we can insult or attack the legitimacy of someone’s birth or a mother’s virtue. And worst of all is the cavalier use of the Lord’s name. How about this comment?

“But I don’t mean anything by it,” a modern day unintentional blasphemer might say. Exactly. Not meaning anything by it is what it means to take the Lord’s name ‘in vain.’”

Can we be honest for five minutes?

You know, it seems to me that as we begin this season of Lent, we’ve got a lot to think about—honestly and not just think about but to change or turn around, if you will, for that’s what repentance is all about. But so much has changed since Noah’s day. Christ has made all the difference for us. In our New Testament Lesson from 1 Peter, we have the writer identifying that difference. He says at the time of Noah, only eight persons made it through the flood but since the time of Jesus—and his baptism and ours --- we all make it through. And it’s not about the removal of dirt from our body but the awareness of a clear conscience—for having received God’s forgiveness of Christ so preemptively (not sure I should use that word) - we can boldly be honest about our sin. We can be in a different place and enjoy a renewed and redeemed sense of self!

There is an old story about a man who sent a floral arrangement to celebrate the expansion of a good friend’s business at a new site. When the sender got to the grand opening celebration, he was shocked to find his flower basket with a card that read, “Rest in Peace.”

Furious, he called the florist to complain about the mix-up. The florist said, “Hey, don’t be upset. Think about it this way. Somewhere in town today, somebody was buried under a sign that said, “Good luck in your new location.’

Of course, there is no luck to it—either for here and now, or later and there! It is simply the fulfillment of God’s promises—something as sure as we’re sitting here. And we have signs of God’s faithfulness—the rainbow, the waters of baptism and of course, the cross.

WE don’t need Billy Flynn --- and fortunately, Jesus didn’t have $5000. Indeed, Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sin and he was raised so that we may have life and life eternal. So throughout this Lenten season, let us be honest about our sin but with the clear conscience of sinners who have been forgiven, let grow in our faith.

Amen