A sermon preached at Old South Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, July 30, 2006.
Text: Ephesians 3: 14-21
The Rev. Susan M. Reisert, Minister
When I was a junior in high school, I went on what was called a Wilderness Venture with my church youth group. We met up with three adult leaders in the White Mountains on a beautiful Friday afternoon in September. The first order of business was to release us from those things that we considered to be most essential for a weekend of hiking-- our radios. We were also released from our watches. These things were taken away from us, supposedly for our own good, and locked in the car. Then we received our equipment-- backpacks, ropes, food, and helmets (what were we going to do with helmets, I wondered). But no tents. Somehow, we wouldnŐt really be able to have a wilderness venture with tents. But, there were tarps, just in case it rained really hard.
After loading up our gear, we set off into the woods. I donŐt remember what I expected of the trip, but it certainly wasnŐt what I experienced. After hiking for a short time on a trail, we were stopped by our adult leaders. Someone from our group, the youngest member, was volunteered to be our leader for the weekend. He was shown how to use a compass and a map. After a very compete two minute lesson, we learned how to bushwhack, guided by our new leader. We would somehow get to our destination without the use of silly trails. We were on a wilderness venture after all.
Our first night in the woods was spent not all that far from where we had entered the woods. Thank goodness, it didnŐt rain. But, before we crawled into our sleeping bags to get some rest, we (ŇweÓ being myself and two of my closest friends) were released from the last bit of civilization that we had smuggled in with us-- chocolate. We finally gave that up when we heard about the bears that might come snooping around at night, looking for those yummy morsels that we might be hiding. Bears were rare, of course, in those parts. But who wanted to take the chance of waking up with a bear by oneŐs sleeping bag?
The next day, using our now well-tuned bushwhacking technique, we climbed to the top of mighty Mount Hedgehog, deep in the woods of the White Mountains. Once on top and after some lunch, we discovered what all that equipment, especially the helmets, was for -- repelling . You know, going backwards down a cliff, with a rope around your waist.
This really did not seem like my cup of tea. And, even after a lesson about ropes and safety, I still was not too sure that I would be able to do it at all. At some point, I just said no, that I had no interest in trying this new thing. Several in the group were eager to try. They were able to scale down the eighty feet of rock face with delight rather than terror. Others were more hesitant, but did it after a small amount of coaxing. I and one other were the only hold-outs. One of my friends gave me a good talking to about trying something new. When would I ever have the chance to try something like this again? What was I afraid of? Almost everyone else had done it and they not only survived, but they were ecstatic. Finally, I decided to give it a try. It took about as much courage as I thought I had, but I was finally able to step off the side of that cliff and backwards no less.
Once I got down the eighty feet, I was quite happy with myself, though speechless. Before I could really celebrate, however, I was faced with a far worse problem than repelling down eighty feet. I had to get back up to the top of Mount Hedgehog. I had not really been paying attention to how people were getting back up, until I was faced with it myself. Getting back up meant climbing up eighty feet. And, all there was was straight rock face. It took almost forty-five minutes and the help of one of the adults for me to get back to the top. Although the climb up also involved safety precautions and a rope around my waist, it was far more of a challenge than repelling down. It involved much more than mental strength. It also involved physical strength that I did not think that I had and, actually, in one spot, I did not have. Someone literally had to come to my aid.
The whole experience, of course, was a memorable one. I donŐt even remember that much about what happened after I climbed up that eighty foot wall of rock. However, I do remember the strange mixture of exhaustion and triumph. I also remember the feeling of accomplishment that I had gained through the help of friends. Not just personal accomplishment, What had happened was far more than I ever imagined I could do.
This experience came into my mind when I considered this morningŐs passage from the letter to the Ephesians. Something about the confidence building that made me link them. Clearly, the goal of the Wilderness Venture was to help me and my friends build our confidence in our abilities. When I read through this passage from Ephesians, I began to wonder about what is needed to build our faith, to build our trust in God, to build up our ability to take risks and to try to accomplish things that we donŐt think we can accomplish.
The letter to the Ephesians is often attributed to Paul, although it was most likely written by one of PaulŐs close followers some time after PaulŐs death. Amid the many interesting and significant pieces of information that are valuable when looking at the letter to the Ephesians, the one piece that is most relevant to todayŐs discussion is as follows. The letter seems to have been written to a group of Christians who, like many of the other early Christians, had fallen under the influence of non-Christians. This influence then caused them to lose confidence in their faith. The letter tries to beckon them back to the gospel and to the significance of their baptism.
This morningŐs passage, a small section of the letter, is a prayer to the readers. The writer prays this prayer: ŇI pray that, according to the riches of GodŐs glory, God may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know that love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations.Ó
In this prayer to the readers, we too are called to remember the power of God that is available in our lives through faith. When we respond to the presence of God that dwells in us, when we live out of faith and trust, we are able to accomplish more than we can ask or imagine. The love of Christ surpasses all understanding, but yet it exists within us and among us. It leads us to the fullness of life which only God can offer.
The power of God is available to us through faith, but how do we build confidence in our lives of faith? The quest to build self-esteem is quite pervasive these days. Adventures and programs, such as the Wilderness Venture, are common. Businesses, church groups, married couples, troubled teens, and even groups of friends are known to go on these sorts of programs. They learn about themselves and about the strengths of their relationships. They learn how to work together and how to be more productive. They learn how to be more positive about their abilities and how to overcome their fears. As in my own story, I get the feeling that these sorts of experiences can be quite positive and constructive in peopleŐs lives.
While I certainly see the value in such programs, I must admit that there is something that troubles me as well. As in my own experience, the opportunity for the thrill of achievement and accomplishment can be wonderful. But, at the same time, I fear that these sorts of experiences are too personal and personal achievement oriented, even though they are done in groups. They tend to focus on the courage that comes from within, rather than the courage that comes from outside of oneŐs self.
In todayŐs passage, we are confronted with a crucial reminder about the significance of faith and trust in God, a reminder about the only source of fullness of life. The prayer focuses on the promise of GodŐs faithfulness as well as GodŐs reliance on our ability to live out of faith, as individuals and as a community, in order that wonderful things might happen, in order that GodŐs realm may find a place here in our midst. This passage reminds us of the importance of being rooted and grounded in love so that Christ may dwell in our hearts. This passage reminds us that GodŐs glory works within us and is able to accomplish abundantly when we follow the Spirit flowing through us and around us and within us. This passage begs us to consider deeply our relationship with the God who gives us life.
The message here is about trust and faith, something that demands more courage than repelling down a rock face. It takes a lot of courage to clothe ourselves in GodŐs strength and power. Going on something like a Wilderness Venture can do wonders for oneŐs self-esteem, but what do we do to build confidence in our faith? What do we do to strengthen our ability to respond to the movement of the Spirit in our midst? What do we do to develop a more attractive place in us and among us as a dwelling place for God? How do we build up our faith-esteem, as individuals and as a church?
There are some obvious answers-- prayer, worship, reading the Bible, vigilance in creating and maintaining a place for God. Remember the prayer in the letter is a prayer for those who have lost their discipline and lost sight of the gospel as well as their baptism. It is important to recognize when we have lost our way, when we have lost our focus and perspective on what really matters. Discipline, being rooted and grounded in ChristŐs love-- these are important too.
The horrors of the failure of our ability, as a people, to respond to GodŐs grace in our individual and collective lives is all around us. We cannot look into the faces of those whose lives have been torn apart by war-fare, in places like the Middle East, in the Congo and Sudan, and not see our own failures. We cannot look into the faces of young people who wander our streets, thinking that life is empty and meaningless and not see our own failures. We cannot look into the faces of women battered by someone they love without seeing our own failures.
Whether we are confronted by the truly horrifying tragedy of Sudan or some of the challenges that exist in the life of this church, we cannot deny the fact that we human beings cannot manage this place on our own. We do not have the ability to bring peace and to conquer the ills of our society by ourselves. But, in order to begin to overcome the horrors, we must be willing to face reality and to gather up our humility, to ask for GodŐs help and to be open to the power of the Spirit moving in us and among us. We simply must be willing to build our confidence in our faith, to dress ourselves for the success that God has for us.
Let us pray for GodŐs strength to be with us so that we may have the courage to live out of faith and hope. Let us pray for understanding so that we may continue to build confidence in our faith. Let us pray for courage so that, through us, God may be able to accomplish abundantly far more than we can ask or imagine. Let us pray for a willingness of heart as we attempt to live in the light of GodŐs glory, that we may find a new willingness to follow the Spirit who lives and moves among us. Let us pray that we may be renewed as faithful followers of Christ, full of the knowledge that we can accomplish great things through the One who strengthens us. Thanks be to God. AMEN.