CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH
Rev. Frederick Weimert - July 15, 2007
“Sort It Out”
When I began the process of writing this sermon
My initial thought was to read Psalm 82
from the Message Bible
a modern paraphrase by Eugene Peterson.
I loved Peterson’s hard hitting
pull no punches approach to the text.
He wrote:
“God calls the judges into his courtroom,
he
puts the judges in the dock.”
He used colorful phrases like:
“…the wicked get away with murder.”
“…make sure
the underdogs get a fair break;”
“Head in the
sand judges!”
“…the world’s
coming unglued.”
Peterson gave the text a profoundly prophetic ring…
for him Psalm 82 was a prophet’s cry,
and those of you who know me
know that I like that kind of text.
It may be why I chose this text in the first place.
I almost never preach on Psalms.
I probably chose it because it fit my tendency
to rant against people
in places of power…
against those who abuse power.
After my son’s wedding last month, one of my sister had left me a book
about a wealthy neighborhood in
which
mentioned a private men’s club along
Which in the early 1900’s chose as its motto…
the phrase:
“Where
women cease to trouble,
and the wicked rest.”
It was probably a twisting of a Masonic teaching
about the world to come,
which someone thought to be humorous…
the Masonic teaching about the arc and anchor went:
“Where the wicked cease to trouble
and
the weary rest.”
But some powerful person, or a group of them…
thought it would be more fun
to think that their club was the place for the wicked to rest.
I am certain there are some judges and politicians who have been members
I could rant about them.
But I got to thinking about you all as I was writing…
to my knowledge,
none of us are
or have ever been judges or politicians.
And while all of us might enjoy a good rant about those
no good politicians
what would such a sermon have to do with us.
Except possibly to exonerate us from any responsibility
for the way things are.
Would that be good preaching???
The good news that somebody else is to blame???
which might be good news
but is it worthy of being called “the gospel?”
As I read the text
beyond Peterson’s interpretation…
As I read other commentaries on the text
I found that the problem most modern people have
in reading Psalm 82
is that we impose on it our modern concepts of God…
our monotheistic feelings about God…
But Psalm 82 isn’t concerned with that thought process…
it was written in the time when polytheism was common…
Canaanites believed their God El
convened the council of the gods.
Here
in this text it is the Hebrew God Eloheim
who convenes a court
and calls the gods of all the nations
to come stand judgment.
Much the same feeling is found in the first chapter
of John’s Revelation.
There God sends out seven letters
but the letters are not sent to the 7 churches,
no the letters are sent to the angels
of each of the seven churches.
The belief was that there are in heaven
deities,
angels,
who were responsible for the conduct
of congregations
and, yes, even nations,
and when a congregation or nation
was not behaving properly
it was that angel or god
who was called ‘on the carpet’
or onto the witness stand
to give a report
as to why things were going
so horribly wrong
in the realm which has been entrusted
into their care.
For people in the time of the writing of this Psalm
It helped them understand why institutions
which should help or bring order
could fail
or do evil in this world where God reigned.
It happened because God had entrusted this entity
into the care of a lesser deity,
and for some reason that deity had failed…
or worse that deity had rebelled.
All this may reflect a kind of Platonic idealism
relating heaven and earth.
You might feel a hint of this in the Harry Potter stories…
There are powers at work in the world
beyond our simple understandings.
Psalm 82
God has taken his place in the divine council;
in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
"How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked?
Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
maintain the right of the lowly and the
destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the
wicked."
They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
they walk around in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
I say, "You are gods,
children of the Most High,
all of you;
nevertheless, you shall die like mortals,
and fall like any prince."
Rise up, O God, judge the earth;
for all the nations belong to you!
I haven’t seen the new Harry Potter movie yet,
but I assume that as in the earlier movies
there are gargantuan struggles going on
in the midst of the world.
Struggles which, if lost,
might mean the end of everything.
And all the while these struggles are going on
the muggles,
or every day folks…
non wizards,
are blissfully unaware that there is a struggle at all…
or maybe our memories have been erased…
Are there powers beyond our knowing or comprehending?
Is there a court where these powers are put on trial?
and if there is,
what does it have to do with us?
I threw a little poem from Mary Oliver into the bulletin.
I am not sure it has anything to do with the sermon,
but it may.
I’ll just read you parts.
Dear Lord, I have
swept and I have washed but
still nothing is as shining as it
should be
for you. Under the sink, for example, is an
uproar of mice—it is the season of
their many children.
the
poem goes on to speak of other animals in the house
squirrels,
raccoons.
I need to say right here
that I
am not real comfortable with animals in the house.
A
number of years ago while on vacation…
my family,
I, had an episode
up in
with
some raccoons
coming in
through the roof
and eating
some chips
in the kitchen
in the middle of the night.
I
kind-of-lost it.
chased
them from the house.
Threw
golf balls at them on the roof.
Judy,
the kids, the neighbors
probably
thought I lost my mind.
Animals in the house scare me.
I worry
about rabies.
but
I still like the way Mary finishes her poem:
“And
still I believe you will
come, Lord: you will, when I speak
to the fox,
the sparrow, the lost
dog, the shivering sea-goose, know
that really I am speaking to you
whenever I say,
as I do all morning
and afternoon: Come in, Come in.”
Thirst,
Mary
Oliver, pg. 13
Ms. Oliver feels this connection
between God and all
things living…
even simple
animals…
all
creatures great and small.
In the service today we read another simple little story
a parable Jesus told…
about a
person who got mugged…
on
a very dangerous road.
Maybe
the powers that be
should have taken care of this matter
long before.
Maybe the priest who passed by
went right back to
about
the
Maybe the Levite went home
and talked to the county officials
about
policing
lights,
security
cameras,
rescue
services…
The story doesn’t go there
That
is not the use of power which concerns Jesus.
Jesus
is more concerned with
the
power we have to do what is right
and
needed at the moment…
no
matter who is at need.
Oh
he is speaking about the powers that be…
about
lawyers too concerned with the minutia of the law...
About
temple leaders too concerned with ritual purity…
I
suppose about thieves and robbers
who through violence and threats
victimize all of us…
And
of course there is the matter of racism
Jews
against Samaritans…
us
against them…
that
robs us of our neighbors.
Who is my
neighbor…?
the
one who says… Come in… Come in…
Who is my
Neighbor…?
the
one who understands that all the nations belong to God!
Are there powers and principalities in this world
yes.
But we don’t normally think of our selves as being them.
We are not the ones who God needs to drag into court.
Still we are not without power
and in a way
as we gather in congregation together
we become Gods power for good.
who knows in some way we might change the world.
May we be faithful…
in small things…
in all things. Amen.