Shout Stew

Children’s Sermon

Intentionally breaking up routine...Something about paying attention to people’s emotions? How though? Breaking up routine once in awhile?

Scripture

Ezra 3:10-13 - When the workers laid the foundation of the Temple of God, the priests in their robes carried their trumpets , and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, carried cymbals, to praise the Lord according to the directions of King David. They praised and gave thanks to the Lord, “For he is good, for his mercy endures forever toward Israel.” Then all the people shouted booming praises to the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was set. Yet, many of the older priests, Levites, and heads of families who had lived long enough to see the first Temple wept when seeing the new foundation set and others of them shouted for joy. Those present couldn’t distinguish the sounds of joyful shouts from the sounds of weeping and the sounds were heard far away.

Engage

Many of life’s situations are a mixture of emotions. Funerals, for instance, are often an interesting mix. Of course everyone, or most everyone, is sad at a funeral for the death of their friend or loved one but there is also joy at reuniting with long lost friends and family, particularly for those who don’t see each other very often or who were not as close to the deceased. I even remember one of the most tragic deaths I’ve been around, an accident, that some of the kids present just went on playing…and one of the adults made a joke at one point that had everyone laughing. A funeral or memorial for a Christian is the ultimate mix of emotions because we are celebrating the person’s graduation to the presence of Jesus, and the life they led, while also grieving the lack of their active presence, their voice, their smile and laugh.

One of the most unified experiences of jubilation I can remember was game 2 of the World Series in 2014 at Kaufman Stadium where the Kansas City Royals play. The Royals won that game, the first World Series game they’d won since 1985…Toward the end of the game, it was raucous and jubilant…something, perhaps, like what is described in the Scripture from Ezra today. Yet, undoubtedly, there were a small contingent of San Francisco Giants fans present who were not celebrating.

Encounter

As followers of Christ, there is nothing wrong with celebrating, of course. But, it also helps to remember that sun for one might mean clouds for another…OR, clouds for one might mean sun for another. Our job is to be as aware as we can with all and minister to all we can. Perhaps you might remember a time in your life where it was clouds for you while everyone else was cheering the sun? That’s a pretty lonely place to be…and a good place to reach out a caring hand to someone.

To our Scripture for the day: let’s set the scene, shall we? A number of Jews have returned from exile in Babylon to the scene of destruction created 50 years before their time. Many of them, naturally, are seeing Jerusalem for the first time or, perhaps if they were very small, the first time they remember. Undoubtedly they’d been told stories, given descriptions, and dreamed of it but now they were seeing it. Understandably, emotions were running high.

Naturally, people are celebrating. A cornerstone is laid for a new Temple. Every little step can be a cause for celebration! There is nothing wrong with celebrating! But we ought to be aware that some might be cloudy while we’re sunny.

What are some reasons people may be grieving while others are celebrating? Let’s look at today’s Scripture as an example...

Grief may come from memories of the past compared to the present…even if the present is worth celebrating. The book of Haggai, in the minor prophets, points to this in 2:3:

Haggai 2:3

New American Standard Bible (Chapter 2)

3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison?

On our trip earlier this summer, we stopped in Salina, Kansas at the world famous Cozy Inn. They make little hamburger sliders with onions, kind of like White Castle. Melanie has a t-shirt from Cozy Inn that she will testify, even after numerous trips through the laundry, STILL smells like onions. Anyway, we learned that they had used the same grill / griddle for many years…BUT, at one point, tried to replace it. Customers complained. They could TELL the grill was different. Same ingredients, same time & temperature, same hands forming and cooking…different grill. So, they put the old one back in! The Israelites couldn’t do that here…and, for some, it produced grief.

Grief may also come from remember failures and sins that brought the Israelites to their current state, or in our case, to our state or states. Those mourning at this celebration may remember how their communal sins destroyed that first glorious temple and sent them into exile. The occasion is joyous but it may open wounds afresh that had sort of began to scab over but hadn’t really properly healed.

Grief may also come from remembering PEOPLE who were important at that past time and are now gone. The laying of the new cornerstone may remind those mourning of the family and friends who died in the destruction of Jerusalem, or in exile, and the longing for their physical presence can, of course, produce grief. That World Series game we attended was certainly magnificent for us on the winning side. A couple of times, though, I thought to myself, “I wish dad was here.” We had just celebrated his life via a memorial service earlier that week. Remembering his love for the Royals, our many games together, and longing for his presence with us produced little waves of grief. How much more for a Temple destroyed and a people exiled!

Now, it’s important to distinguish valid grieving vs grieving that comes from some other, perhaps sinful, source. Sometimes people are just sourpusses, or debbie downers, for no valid reason. Ignore these people, don’t give them any more weight or consideration than they deserve. Let’s look at an Old Testament example from 2 Samuel Chapter 6. I can’t think of a more jubilant time in human history than when the ark of the covenant is brought into Jerusalem by David. The ark that had divided waters and protected Israel for so long. Hear the word of the Lord from 2 Samuel:

New American Standard Bible (Chapter 6)

12 ...David went and brought the ark of God up from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with joy. ...And David was dancing before the LORD with all his strength, and David was wearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with joyful shouting and the sound of the trumpet.16 Then it happened, as the ark of the LORD was coming into the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked down through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she was contemptuous of him in her heart....Then all the people left, each to his house.20 But when David returned to bless his own household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel dignified himself today! For he exposed himself today in the sight of his servants’ female slaves, as one of the rabble shamelessly exposes himself!” 21 But David said to Michal, “I was before the LORD, who preferred me to your father and to all his house, to appoint me as ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel. So I will celebrate before the LORD! 22 And I might demean myself even more than this and be lowly in my own sight, but with the female slaves of whom you have spoken, with them I am to be held in honor!”

Friends, the shouts of those who rejoice and the cries of those who mourn are ever mingled in this world. Sun for one might mean clouds for another and vice-versa.

Let’s think for a moment about Jesus. Jesus sees and feels all sun and all clouds, as God does. Jesus’ ministry is full of examples of him noticing people others did not, or refused to , notice. Consider one example we’ve examined a bit before from Luke 18:35 - Jesus stops a moving crowd to pay attention to the one person present whose not moving in purposeful anticipation with him, a blind man. The others moving with Jesus wanted no part of stopping for this man…who’d had a cloudy day, week, months, years. Jesus stops, listens, inquires, and then turns this man’s cloudy life into the bright sunshine of restored sight. Praise Jesus!

Empower

The lesson today serves as a reminder that when we launch new endeavors, when we celebrate milestones, and the like there is also a stew of shouts, if you will. Even when things are going gangbusters someone isn’t going to be happy or someone is going to be grieving the loss of the way things used to be or something similar. To the best of our God given abilities, we ought to pay attention…learn to tune our radios, if you will, to the emotional climate around us. We’re decent at noticing the physical climate around us, though even sometimes we fail at that. Listen to this:

On the night of April 14, the ocean liner Californian had sailed to within 1500 miles of its destination, Boston Harbor. The captain decided to reverse engines and park for the night due to the probability of iceburgs in the icy cold waters. It’s midnight and Second Officer Herbert Stone arrives for his bridge watch. Eventually he, his apprentice, and the captain of the Californian see 8 flashes of white light from a barely perceptible steamship 9 miles in the distance. The cabin lights of the far away steamer disappear as if the ship is sailing away from the Californian. The three Californian crew members try to signal the distant ship via a morse code lamp with no reply. Later, the crew of the Californian learned of terrible news. The white flashes were flares intended to be distress signals. They also learned that the distant steamship had been sending distress calls another way as well, by radio. The Californian was well in range to receive those radio messages except the radio operator aboard the Californian, fresh from training school, wasn’t at the radio. He was asleep in his cabin. The Second officer, the captain, and the apprentice unknowingly watched the sinking of the Titanic that night.

We have permission from God, as Christians, to ask leading questions, dig a little, maintain a healthy level of curiosity…and, even more, we have the power of the Holy Spirit to guide us when we pray and seek...

Pray!