Sermon 8-20-00
Old Enough to Know Better - 1 Kings 8:22-30, 41-43, John 6:56-69
(view lectionary notes for this text)
One week from tomorrow, I leave for a new beginning in my life, three years of seminary education at Drew Theological School. In ways, I feel like this is what I have been waiting for all my life. Finally, after years of preparation, I will be taking the courses I've always wanted to take. I will be so much closer to ordination and the kind of ministry that I feel call to do. The "real world", so to speak, is just a little bit closer.
At the same time, I feel younger and more unprepared for this next step than ever before. Of the eighty something students entering the Master of Divinity program each fall, only about eight enter straight out of college. Orientation for Ohio Wesleyan was geared toward the student and the student's parents. Orientation at Drew is geared for the student and the student's spouse and children. And the biggest shock of all? Students at the seminary aren't given a meal plan to eat at the campus dining halls. We are expected to fend – and cook – for ourselves! Obviously, they have never seen me in action before.
I am realizing, though, that all of these new aspects of life at seminary point to one bigger change. They are expecting me to be old enough to know better. They expect that I know better than did in college how to care for myself and how to plan for my future. They are expecting that I know better than I did before on what path I am heading. They expect that I know better than I did before God's call for me to be in ministry. Growing in wisdom and understanding is what life and faith are all about, after all.
In seminary, I hope that I will continue to know better than I did before. In three years, I hope to be better equipped to serve a congregation. I hope to know and understand the scriptures better. I hope to strengthen my weaknesses, and develop my gifts. I hope to know better than to think that I always know better. In my preparation for seminary this summer, there is one truth that I am trying to know and understand better everyday. I think I know better than to feel that ordained ministry is in essence any different from the ministry of all Christians. Ordained ministry is a different type of ministry – it is a specialization, a specific type of ministry that has to do with serving the body of Christ in a direct way. But broken down into purpose and importance, ordained ministry is no different from the ministry of education, or medicine, or science, or art.
So, are we old enough to know better than to discount our ministry as insignificant, or to credit our ministry as too important? Our scripture lessons today speak primarily of perhaps the hardest virtue to attain – wisdom. Solomon knew better than to ask for riches and power from God. Instead, he asked for wisdom. In our reading from Ephesians, Paul does not so much advise against specific behaviors as much as he encourages wisdom over foolishness. Wisdom is a key to a greater understanding of God, and our role as servants of God. So, do we have the wisdom to understand the role of our ministry?
When Rev. Strader came to our church in May, he added a little something to our staff list that symbolizes his view of ministry. You'll notice on the staff listing in your bulletin each week that the first position listed is not the position of pastor, it is the position of minister. And you'll further notice that you are the person filling the role of minister. You are part of the staff here at Rome First. You have the head position. So, what are you going to do about it? I have learned through my candidacy studies and through my observations of churches in this area that a growing church is only partially related to the kind of pastor the church has. Yes, a pastor has certain important responsibilities. A pastor is a servant leader. A pastor helps people discover their gifts for ministry. A pastor orders the church and sees that things are not being overlooked. A pastor has an important job. However, without the congregation – without the ministers – the pastor has nothing to do at all. A pastor cannot lead if there is no one to be led. A pastor cannot recognize gifts if no one wants to share them. A pastor cannot organize the church is there is not a congregation seeking direction. You are the ministers of the gospel. Without your participation in the life and activities of this church, a pastor is pointless. So, are you old enough to know better than to think that your ministry is not a vital part of the church? Do you know better than to think that the pastor is the only one who is called and serving?
As I move toward seminary, I am also learning another important lesson. I am learning that there is certain wisdom in knowing what you don't know, and not being afraid to ask questions when you don't know. A questioning and searching mind is at the heart of a wise person. As many a teacher has said, the only stupid question is the one that you are afraid to ask. How does this fit into our faith life? In our Old Testament Lesson for today, Solomon had the opportunity to ask of God anything he desired, since he was the King. However, Solomon said to God that he was "only a little child", and therefore asked God for understanding. Surely, this took a great amount of humility for Solomon. A King calls himself a little child. Are we wise enough to do the same? We find that in Solomon's act of calling himself a child, he shows more wisdom than most people have. Solomon recognized what he did not know, and asked for greater understanding. Because of his humble and honest prayer, God gave to Solomon not only wisdom, but riches and power as well.
In my thesaurus, one of the synonyms for wisdom is common sense. Somebody might be book smart, and get all the answers right all the time, but common sense can be seriously lacking. Having common sense, however, is at the heart of true wisdom. Wisdom is not the ability to memorize facts or retain information. Wisdom is about being insightful and understanding, having a comprehending mind. Common sense says that not knowing the answer is OK, but if you don't know the answer, ask someone who does! Solomon was old enough to know better than to think he had the answers, or than to think that because he was a king that he didn't have anything left to learn. He was also old enough to know where to go for the answers. He asked God for wisdom, and he received more than he had ever imagined.
For us, Christians struggling in the world thousands of years after Christ lived, thousands of years after the scriptures were written, understanding about God and God's desires for us is not so easy. We try to use the Bible to guide our lives, but we have a hard time knowing what God would say about current day issues. Would God be a democrat or a republican? Would Jesus watch TV? The Bible can guide us in answering these questions, but the issues are not discussed directly. So, what do we do? If we don't know the answers to these questions, we should ask someone who does – God. God has the answers to our questions – we just have to ask. We have to have the wisdom to see that God is the source of the guidance we are seeking.
In our gospel lesson for today, we read about Jesus talking about the bread that gives eternal life, the bread of his own body. Naturally, the Jews who were listening to Jesus, as well as Jesus' own disciples, were confused by Jesus' statements. Imagine someone telling you that you must eat their flesh and drink their blood to gain eternal life. Obviously, this would be a very troubling statement. The hearers of Jesus' words did not have the wisdom to see or understand Jesus' message. But they did have the wisdom to ask Jesus to explain further – and he did. Jesus helped his disciples to see beyond the obvious or seeming meaning of his words, to a deeper, more thoughtful, more important message. He said to his followers, "It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life". When questioned, Jesus reveals that he is speaking of spiritual consumption of flesh and blood, a sharing in his body in a spiritual sense. The hearers were old enough to know better than to take Jesus' words at face value. They probed him for answers, and in turn for the their wisdom, they received the key to eternal life.
In a faith journey, we meet up with all sorts of obstacles. We are confused by the messages we hear. We know God is calling us, but are unclear about exactly what God is calling us to do. We encounter God's word and feel it holds more meaning than we are seeing, but do not know how to delve deeper into the text. This first stage – knowing that we don't know – is the key to wisdom. Being ready to ask questions, ready to take the next step, ready to understand – this is the heart of wisdom. Jesus said, "knock, and the door will be opened to you, seek and ye shall find". Wisdom is following his advice.
Our closing hymn brings us someone asking God to open them to what is not yet known, not yet seen or heard or said. The hymn shows us a person wise enough to know what to ask for, as Solomon did. Are we old enough to know better? Are we ready to ask for answers in faith, when we have questions? When we are ready, we have no excuse not to dig deeper into our faith. Are we ready to feel the full importance of our ministry? When we see how vital our ministry is, it makes it harder not to give it the attention it deserves. Open your eyes, and see the glimpses of truth. Open your ears and hear the voices of truth. Open your mouth, and bear the truth on your lips. Here is the door. Will you knock? After all, aren't you old enough to know better?
Let us pray: God of wisdom, God of knowledge, God of understanding, we stand before the door, unsure about our futures, about our roles as ministers, about the meaning in your words. Give us the wisdom to know that we don't know, and to ask you for the answers. You are the source of all insight. Open our hearts to your clear vision. In Christ's name, Amen.
Benediction: Here are wonderful visions. Open your eyes. Here are beautiful choruses. Open your ears. Here is a ministry waiting to begin. Open your mouth. Here is God's house, and here is the door. Knock, and await the blessing of wisdom that will come your way. Amen.