Today’s message will be a little different than you are used to, as it will be in the style of an allegory. Jesus used parables, and I suppose this is kind of the same. As you listen to this story, bear in mind that today is the day we remember loved ones and mentors; we make commitments of the heart to the ministry we share; we celebrate the new life we’ve been given around the table of Christ, and we elect officers to guide and encourage our common life and our public witness.
That’s a lot to do. Maybe we can focus that in a bit by saying that today is about tuning into what God has done, is doing, and will do in our midst.
As I begin this story, I want you to know that I’ve chosen a name for the lead character that is fairly ambiguous and I’ll be using “they” as a non-descript pronoun so that any of us could see ourselves in the role of the main character.
The scene opens on Francis, riding the bus before dawn to an unfamiliar part of town and scrolling through video clips on their phone. A sound bite from a new movie catches their attention. “I don’t consider myself to be a particularly ethical person, but I am fair.” The bus stops jarringly and the driver says, “end of the line!” As they get out, Francis wonders if it truly is the end of the line and what it might be like to just step in front of that same bus as it leaves.
As if to answer, thunder and lightning crack open the heavens, and a now drenched Francis looks up and says, “Perfect.” They lower their gaze and straight ahead they see the blinking neon of Angela’s Diner. The “a” at the end is flickering, and they think, “Yeah. I could use an angel.” As they head in, they see that there’s no one inside but a woman with a steely resolve and kind eyes who looks like she has been serving coffee since the Regan era. She welcomes them, “Well, bless my soul! Come on in, Francis.”
Francis stops cold, “How do you know my name?” She points to the TV. The sound is off, but the subtitles are clear and the image is undeniable. “You stuck it to ‘em good, didn’t you?”
Francis had no idea things would go this far. It was spiraling out of control. A week ago Francis had realized that what they learned as a child was not playing so well as an adult. The subtitle on the interview that was playing over and over in the 24 hr news cycle quoted them. “Look, I didn’t want to cause any trouble. My mom always told me that if I see something I need to say something. In school, every year, we heard quotes like ‘If not now, then when? If not me, then who?’ I’m not trying to do anything to anybody. I just knew things weren’t right, so I said what everyone else was thinking.”
Unfortunately for Francis, the corporate gods did not agree. For that matter, there were a fair number of colleagues that were not, in fact, thinking what Francis was thinking. Francis was now getting death threats and had taken the bus to try to get away and get a handle on things. Francis looked at those kind, welcoming eyes and said, “Look, I’m no one’s hero. I don’t even have any cash and my accounts are all frozen because I am somehow under investigation. I just need to get out of the rain.”
The seasoned server gave a wry smile. “Oh, but thee doth protest – I’m sorry, dear one, you are in a tough spot. You might not think you’re a hero, but you do believe you did what was right. Look, it’s none of my business. Just sit a spell. If you want some coffee or some toast it’s on me. I can’t send you away hungry.”
After a bit, the rain cleared and Francis noticed a theater nearby. Angela, turn’s out she wasn’t just a waitress, said to ask for Gabriel. He’d let Francis in, besides, movies always helped her gain a little perspective. Turns out it was $1 theater that just ran classic films. Francis was surprised one of these was still in business. There was a strange lineup today, and Gabriel said they could just sit through as much as they needed.
First was the classic film The Ten Commandments, and Francis thought about how faithful they had tried to be and wondered where God was and started sulking even more – wishing for a pillar of fire or at least a burning bush (or dumpster) or some miraculous sign that what they did mattered. Next was Twister, and they wondered once more where God was in the tragedy and triumph the characters experienced. Apparently the theme today was natural disasters because after that was San Andres, an earthquake movie. Still no presence of God, but it did feature Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson doing some miraculous stunts! The final film of the day was Bruce Almighty, which at least had Morgan Freeman pretending to be God.
Unfortunately, the projector malfunctioned and Francis was left alone in the deafening silence of a theater while Gabriel worked on the projector in the projection room. There, in the silence, Francis heard something – or at least they thought they heard something. It was more like a thought that was not their own thought. The thought wondered, “Why are you here?”
Francis thought back, “Because I did the right thing – the thing no one else would do.” The thought that was not Francis’s thought asked again. “Why are you here?” Again, Francis thought back, “Because I did the right thing – the thing no one else would do.” Then the thought that was not Francis’ thought reminded them about the lawyer a friend had suggested. Then the thought that was not Francis’ thought reminded them about the stories of others who spoke out about things in the past and how inspiring that was. Then the thought that was not Francis’ thought reminded them about the chance to support others who speak up when things are not right. Finally, Then the thought that was not Francis’ thought reminded them of the church where they had first heard the words “justice” and “righteousness” as a child.
Suddenly, in the silence so palpable that they could hear their own pulse, they realized that God had indeed spoken, and they knew where God was. None of this had been about Francis doing the right thing all by themselves. It was about God working through us all to bring about justice and righteousness and hope and faith and meaning in a world that makes movies to try to make sense out of the senseless fears that control us and the tiny gods that we worship.
Francis didn’t wait on Gabriel. Francis got up and went on their way, because now they knew that they were not alone.
So it was with Elijah. So it is with you and with me. We are called to speak up when others are mistreated. When we do we will find ourselves in positions of conflict, but if we attend to the relationships that sustain us and the presence of God between us we will see that it was never about us in the first place.
Elijah is revered as the hero that Isreal needed but did not deserve, but as we read the text we find that Elijah was convinced that it was the work of his own hands and the rebellion of the people that placed him in the wilderness. He received the providence of God over and over and seemed to think it was due to him because he alone was faithful.
In the end, he was sent to others whom he was not able to see as faithful followers because he was so focused on his own faith and the personal sacrifices that he made. Once again we see that this story is not about Elijah or Francis or Zach. It is about God, and through this story, God asks us the same question, “What are you doing here?”
Being faithful. Worshiping. I think we’ve said a lot of this already in the Confession and Assurance, right? “I know, but what are you doing here?”
We say this often, but maybe not often enough, that ministry is not what happens when we come into the sanctuary. It’s what happens when we leave. It’s what happens when we live worship-filled lives. It’s what happens when we spend less time looking for God and more time seeing God in the faces of those God loves. It’s what happens when we hear God’s command to share power instead of holding onto it.
Elijah heard God’s command and anointed leaders for God’s people – including his own successor. So it is with us when we elect officers to guide our common life and our public witness. So it is with us when we make commitments of mutual support for the ministry that we share. So it is with us when we honor God by remembering the witness and ministry of those that have gone before us. So it is with us when we celebrate the new life offered to us through Christ around Christ’s table, together.
Come to think of it, maybe that’s not too much to manage, or at least it’s not too much for God – and thanks be to God for that, now and always. Alleluia! Amen.
That’s a lot to do. Maybe we can focus that in a bit by saying that today is about tuning into what God has done, is doing, and will do in our midst.
As I begin this story, I want you to know that I’ve chosen a name for the lead character that is fairly ambiguous and I’ll be using “they” as a non-descript pronoun so that any of us could see ourselves in the role of the main character.
The scene opens on Francis, riding the bus before dawn to an unfamiliar part of town and scrolling through video clips on their phone. A sound bite from a new movie catches their attention. “I don’t consider myself to be a particularly ethical person, but I am fair.” The bus stops jarringly and the driver says, “end of the line!” As they get out, Francis wonders if it truly is the end of the line and what it might be like to just step in front of that same bus as it leaves.
As if to answer, thunder and lightning crack open the heavens, and a now drenched Francis looks up and says, “Perfect.” They lower their gaze and straight ahead they see the blinking neon of Angela’s Diner. The “a” at the end is flickering, and they think, “Yeah. I could use an angel.” As they head in, they see that there’s no one inside but a woman with a steely resolve and kind eyes who looks like she has been serving coffee since the Regan era. She welcomes them, “Well, bless my soul! Come on in, Francis.”
Francis stops cold, “How do you know my name?” She points to the TV. The sound is off, but the subtitles are clear and the image is undeniable. “You stuck it to ‘em good, didn’t you?”
Francis had no idea things would go this far. It was spiraling out of control. A week ago Francis had realized that what they learned as a child was not playing so well as an adult. The subtitle on the interview that was playing over and over in the 24 hr news cycle quoted them. “Look, I didn’t want to cause any trouble. My mom always told me that if I see something I need to say something. In school, every year, we heard quotes like ‘If not now, then when? If not me, then who?’ I’m not trying to do anything to anybody. I just knew things weren’t right, so I said what everyone else was thinking.”
Unfortunately for Francis, the corporate gods did not agree. For that matter, there were a fair number of colleagues that were not, in fact, thinking what Francis was thinking. Francis was now getting death threats and had taken the bus to try to get away and get a handle on things. Francis looked at those kind, welcoming eyes and said, “Look, I’m no one’s hero. I don’t even have any cash and my accounts are all frozen because I am somehow under investigation. I just need to get out of the rain.”
The seasoned server gave a wry smile. “Oh, but thee doth protest – I’m sorry, dear one, you are in a tough spot. You might not think you’re a hero, but you do believe you did what was right. Look, it’s none of my business. Just sit a spell. If you want some coffee or some toast it’s on me. I can’t send you away hungry.”
After a bit, the rain cleared and Francis noticed a theater nearby. Angela, turn’s out she wasn’t just a waitress, said to ask for Gabriel. He’d let Francis in, besides, movies always helped her gain a little perspective. Turns out it was $1 theater that just ran classic films. Francis was surprised one of these was still in business. There was a strange lineup today, and Gabriel said they could just sit through as much as they needed.
First was the classic film The Ten Commandments, and Francis thought about how faithful they had tried to be and wondered where God was and started sulking even more – wishing for a pillar of fire or at least a burning bush (or dumpster) or some miraculous sign that what they did mattered. Next was Twister, and they wondered once more where God was in the tragedy and triumph the characters experienced. Apparently the theme today was natural disasters because after that was San Andres, an earthquake movie. Still no presence of God, but it did feature Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson doing some miraculous stunts! The final film of the day was Bruce Almighty, which at least had Morgan Freeman pretending to be God.
Unfortunately, the projector malfunctioned and Francis was left alone in the deafening silence of a theater while Gabriel worked on the projector in the projection room. There, in the silence, Francis heard something – or at least they thought they heard something. It was more like a thought that was not their own thought. The thought wondered, “Why are you here?”
Francis thought back, “Because I did the right thing – the thing no one else would do.” The thought that was not Francis’s thought asked again. “Why are you here?” Again, Francis thought back, “Because I did the right thing – the thing no one else would do.” Then the thought that was not Francis’ thought reminded them about the lawyer a friend had suggested. Then the thought that was not Francis’ thought reminded them about the stories of others who spoke out about things in the past and how inspiring that was. Then the thought that was not Francis’ thought reminded them about the chance to support others who speak up when things are not right. Finally, Then the thought that was not Francis’ thought reminded them of the church where they had first heard the words “justice” and “righteousness” as a child.
Suddenly, in the silence so palpable that they could hear their own pulse, they realized that God had indeed spoken, and they knew where God was. None of this had been about Francis doing the right thing all by themselves. It was about God working through us all to bring about justice and righteousness and hope and faith and meaning in a world that makes movies to try to make sense out of the senseless fears that control us and the tiny gods that we worship.
Francis didn’t wait on Gabriel. Francis got up and went on their way, because now they knew that they were not alone.
So it was with Elijah. So it is with you and with me. We are called to speak up when others are mistreated. When we do we will find ourselves in positions of conflict, but if we attend to the relationships that sustain us and the presence of God between us we will see that it was never about us in the first place.
Elijah is revered as the hero that Isreal needed but did not deserve, but as we read the text we find that Elijah was convinced that it was the work of his own hands and the rebellion of the people that placed him in the wilderness. He received the providence of God over and over and seemed to think it was due to him because he alone was faithful.
In the end, he was sent to others whom he was not able to see as faithful followers because he was so focused on his own faith and the personal sacrifices that he made. Once again we see that this story is not about Elijah or Francis or Zach. It is about God, and through this story, God asks us the same question, “What are you doing here?”
Being faithful. Worshiping. I think we’ve said a lot of this already in the Confession and Assurance, right? “I know, but what are you doing here?”
We say this often, but maybe not often enough, that ministry is not what happens when we come into the sanctuary. It’s what happens when we leave. It’s what happens when we live worship-filled lives. It’s what happens when we spend less time looking for God and more time seeing God in the faces of those God loves. It’s what happens when we hear God’s command to share power instead of holding onto it.
Elijah heard God’s command and anointed leaders for God’s people – including his own successor. So it is with us when we elect officers to guide our common life and our public witness. So it is with us when we make commitments of mutual support for the ministry that we share. So it is with us when we honor God by remembering the witness and ministry of those that have gone before us. So it is with us when we celebrate the new life offered to us through Christ around Christ’s table, together.
Come to think of it, maybe that’s not too much to manage, or at least it’s not too much for God – and thanks be to God for that, now and always. Alleluia! Amen.
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