An Opportunity to Trust God

What do we do when challenges stand between us and where God calls us?

Listening for God’s call in our lives requires patience and perseverance. I bet you know what I mean. Sometimes it feels like we strain and strain and strain to understand what God is saying to us. Perhaps that is why we hear in the Psalms of God’s still, small voice—and not God’s loud, obvious speech. Or why Elijah met God not in storms or earthquakes, but in shear silence. But, even when we hear God’s call, even in the stillness, in the silence we may discover a host of obstacles standing between where we are and where God is calling us to be. These challenges can be giant and unfamiliar, or they may confront us when we are eating lunch with our family.

One day I went out to lunch with my mom and sister right before an important meeting with the Rt. Rev. Henry N. Parsley, who was the Bishop of the Diocese of Alabama at the time. The meeting was about my discernment for priestly ordination. After driving down from Sewanee where I was working, my family and I ate lunch at Jim ’N’ Nick’s Barbecue in Southside Birmingham. My niece who was only a few weeks old at the time also came to lunch.

For most of the meal we talked about discernment and being a parent and life. And, for most of lunch my niece slept peaceably in her mother’s lap. Finally, as we finished eating and my meeting with the bishop drew nearer, my niece awoke. My sister brought her over to my side of the booth, so that I could hold her for a few moments. I rocked my niece for just a few seconds before feeling something wet and warm on my forearm. At that precise moment a look of terror crossed my sister’s face and then my mother’s. I don’t remember exactly what was said, but suffice it to say the word “blowout!” was used.

Quickly I rushed to the restroom to assess the damage and clean up. In the mirror I could tell quite easily that I could not go meet a bishop looking like this. As I began to panic, I remembered that I had an extra set of clothes in the car, and so I rushed outside to get them. When I arrived at my car another look of terror arose and crossed my own face. I observed in horror a traffic boot attached to my tire preventing me from going anywhere, and in particular to my meeting with the bishop. In my nervousness before lunch I did not notice that I was parking in a private lot.

At that precise moment, in soiled clothing, with a wheel lock on my car, and proverbial butterflies fluttering in my stomach, I began to question whether I ought to be pursuing ordained ministry at all. Was this a sign? Did God not want me to keep going? Was this a test? What was God saying? You’ll have to keep listening to find out what happened, but what about you?

What happens to you when hard things arise on the journey? Do you fold? Do you think it’s a sign from God to turn around and go home? What do you do?

This morning we heard a passage from a letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. If you don’t know much about that church that’s okay. They were a conflict-ridden lot. They could not wait on each other to partake in communion. They fell prey to infighting, lust, and idol worship. They were to put it simply, a dysfunctional church—one that others in the area probably spoke about in hushed tones.

While the church in Corinth is not identical to the Church (capital C) today, it is not entirely different from it either. What happens when a church or the Church faces difficulties, dysfunction, and drama? Well, what happened in Corinth? Paul, perhaps at this point exhausted from all the Corinthian shenanigans took to writing of his own weakness. Huh? Not strength?

As he wrote of weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities what he urged his brothers and sisters to do was not to let those obstacles overwhelm them. Certainly on their own these things would stop them. Sure, if it was just about them pushing onward as individuals they would not make it. But, those weaknesses were the very place where Christ would strengthen them through grace. I know, that sounds odd, but it’s true.

Paul was right. In those places where he had been afflicted by a thorn, he might not be able to be strong on his own. But, with God’s help, those places of vulnerability become the place where God would show great strength. This was true not just for Paul, nor only for that young church, but also for us.

We often get told things like, “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps,” “Keep your head down and work hard,” “Put in enough honest days’ work and you will achieve the American dream.” Sure, we are to be honest and hardworking. But, as odd as this may sound trusting only in ourselves, thinking we must make it on our own flies completely in the face of what Paul said. And, what’s more it runs opposed to the story of God’s love for us in Holy Scripture.

When the Israelites fled their Egyptian captivity Moses told the people, “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.” When the people needed a champion to beat Goliath, the Lord provided David who then reigned for forty years as king. And, in today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus sent out his disciples without food, extra clothing, or money. Why? Because following Jesus and trusting in God is not about making it on our own—proving that we can overcome all the obstacles on our path.

In this lesson from Mark’s Gospel account, God not only gave provision, but God also gave an opportunity to bring healing and wholeness to the places previously untouched by God’s love! The story of God’s love for us in Scripture reminds us of amazing grace that is not achieved, but freely given to us most abundantly through Christ. So, what about getting through obstacles like dirty diapers, traffic boots, or scary meetings with bishop?

Well, on that day almost nine years ago I learned something very valuable. Those challenges that arose, that now are quite laughable, were opportunities for me to trust God. Eventually, I walked into the bishop’s office in clean clothes and on time. As you may have guessed, I made it through that meeting and one day did become a priest—I know twist ending! But, what about when challenges arise in your life, in our communal life? How do we approach the obstacles ahead? How do we deal with our own physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental dilemmas? How do we as a church stay calm and healthy as we seek an interim rector and then engage in a search process?

In the face of these challenges, we always have more than one way to respond. One way we might respond is being like the townspeople in today’s Gospel lesson. They relied upon the way they had always seen things. They had put Jesus in a box. To them he was always a carpenter, brother, and son—not God come to earth. Instead of knowing the transforming power of God’s repentance, forgiveness, and love they let the obstacle of familiarity get in the way. They missed being part of God’s transforming love because they couldn’t see beyond what they already knew. The disciples though saw things differently.

Now the disciples were not paragons of belief—remember they doubted Jesus on stormy waters in our reading from a couple weeks ago. But, they had just seen Jairus and an unnamed woman trust in God, and they heard Jesus give them authority to go out bringing healing and repentance in his name. So, they went. They trusted. Even without food, extra clothes, or money, they believed! The challenges they faced were opportunities to trust.

When we face difficulties ahead, how will we respond? Will we let a soiled outfit, a traffic boot, or the fear of something important cloud our vision? Or, will we see the obstacles on our path as an opportunity to trust God? God invites us to see these challenges like Paul did. When we feel weak, that is the moment when God shows strength. Our perplexing moments are opportunities to trust God. Will we see God’s strength in our weakness? Whenever we are weak, God is strong. God’s grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness! This life is an opportunity to trust in God’s grace! Amen.