Foolishly relying on God's power

Foolishness

I will readily admit to feeling foolish at the moment. To try to preach on a day like this one is foolish. Here, part of this congregation is potentially celebrating their “patronal festival” for the last time, part of this congregation is facing an important vote about the potential of merger, and part of this congregation is mourning the death of the only sovereign we ever knew (some might remember her father, but by far Elizabeth would have been the image many would call to mind when we would reflect on what it means to be a monarch.)

Somehow, to try to tie all three of these concerns together, into one sermon, seems foolish. On this day, where we hear:

1 Corinthians 1:18 NRSV

For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

If you think the message about the cross is foolish — this too is foolish — trying to find a message that will bring comfort to part of this congregation who might be mourning the end of their identity as Holy Cross, to bring hope to part of this congregation who might be mourning the end of their identity as St. Elizabeth’s, and to bring a message of stability to both, while also mourning our beloved Queen.

However, if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ve probably tried, succeeded and failed at more foolish things than these — so why not try to be foolish again?

Notice I didn’t say, “Why not try to overcome the foolishness?” I said, “[W]hy not try to be foolish again?” For it is my belief that in God, we need not conquer foolishness, but embrace it as part of life.

Perishing

The news on Thursday that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was under the care of her physicians and they were “concerned for her health” was shocking news. Having just met the outgoing Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the incoming Prime Minister a few days ago, few people would have expected the sudden turn. Yes, the bruise identified on her hand was troubling, but honestly this woman had survived so much, her mother having survived to well over 100, I doubt anyone in the general puplic thought she was that ill — until the news came that is.

For the palace to announce that her physicians were “concerned”, to see the coverage of the royals travelling to Balmoral, it didn’t take long to think that Her Majesty was perishing. While we might well have thought that Elizabeth’s medical staff, quality of life, and genetics might have produced a life that would outlive us all, there is part of us, that knows all too well the concept espoused by the Epic of Gilgamesh:

Gilgamesh is told, “The life that you seek you never will find: when the gods created mankind, death they dispensed to mankind, life they kept for themselves” (George, Epic, xliii). Morrison, M. D. (2016). Salvation. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.

We know that none of us is immortal — we all have our end — and we all perish — no matter who our doctors are, what foods we eat, what exercise we do, how far away from foolish pursuits we keep ourselves — none of us will live forever.

Power of God

And yet, while I don’t know about you, I do know when I think about the “power of God”, I think of God’s ability to raise people from the dead. I think of Jesus first and foremost, and of Lazarus, you might think also about Jairus’ daghter, the young man at Nain, Elijah reviving the Widow’s Son in Zarephath, Elisha raising the Shunammite’s Son, or even the man thrown into Elisha’s grave — all signs of resurrection — and for me, that is often the ultimate expression of the power of God.

And yet, I’ve never seen that happen — no matter how much I cry, pray, and appeal, my loved ones are not resurrected — and I begin to wonder why God — my God — a loving God — doesn’t bring about that power again to spare me from the hurt of mourning — not only the mourning that comes from the death of a loved one — but all the types of mourning we experience — loss of status, loss of health, loss of employment, loss of community, … if we believe our God is so powerful, then why do we experience such losses? Should we not experience (in the here and now) some form of escape from all that — for that is what some would say is an expression of what “eternal life” originally meant — an escape from the contradictions, absurdities, and immoralities of life.

How though would we possibly attain that escape? I believe we try to escape the contradictions, absurdities, and immoralities of life through the gaining of wisdom. If we were only as wise as Solomon, we’d be able to see through the contradictions, know that the absurdities aren’t real, and find morality to be present. However one of the commentaries had this to say about the power of God:

By absolute power, … , is meant power free from all the restraints of reason and morality. According to this doctrine, contradictions, absurdities, and immoralities, are all within the compass of the divine power. Hodge, C. (1997). Systematic theology (Vol. 1, p. 409). Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Imagine for a moment, that the power of God, that the way to eternal life, and the way to true wisdom is not to avoid contradictions, absurdities, and immoralities, but to accept that they exist — in ourselves, and in others — and still live the life that we are called by God to live. Imagine for a moment that foolishness was also part of that list — foolishness, contradictions, absurdities, and immoralities are not things we can avoid (and maybe things that we don’t want to embrace) but they are things that can be within the realm of God.

Would it be nice for me to have the wisdom to tell you how these two communties will merge together? Would it be nice for us to have the collective wisdom to complete that merger with no one being upset or leaving? Would it be nice for the family of Elizabeth II to know how to proceed in the days, weeks, months, and years to come? Yup! Right about now, all of that would be really nice — I keep praying for that wisdom, and I’m afraid to admit that it isn’t coming in a way I can recognize it yet.

But just maybe, the real power of God is to get me to still live through that lack of wisdom. We know that decision making is imperfect. We know we see only in part. We know that lack of knowledge, lack of wisdom, can lead to lack of courage, and lack of action.

Power of God

What if the real power of God is to get us all through all that? What if the real power of God gives us the courage to act in times of contradictions and absurdities — not to overcome them — but to live along side with them — and rely on the steadfastness of our God to see us through.

For we know that our Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth II, relied on the steadfastness of her faith — and for the steadfastness of our God to her, and to each of us — we give thanks. Amen.