Pentecost 6B
July 5, 2015
July 5, 2015
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
The response
to this decision, especially among Christians, has been dramatic. Some are
concerned that this goes against the Bible. Some aren’t on board with it
religiously speaking, but constitutionally see no issue with the decision. Some
are delighted by the outcome, believing this is an important step in our
continuing effort to live into this country’s claim to have equality for all
people. Whatever your particular stance on this issue, I want to tell you
briefly what the ELCA’s stance is, as it was carefully studied recently and
outlined in a document called, Human
Sexuality: Gift and Trust (which you can download from the ELCA’s website).
Basically, it says we agree to disagree. There are so many varied opinions
among those in this church, and biblical mandate is not as clear as it may
appear on the surface, but still we strive to be the church together. And so we
commit to being in continued conversation with one another – on this and on any
divisive issue that may come up – and speak respectfully and encouragingly with
one another. To that end, if you would like to speak with me about it, or would
like to start a discussion group on the topic, please do.
Meanwhile, I
have been applying the values that the social statement lays out beyond my
engagement with my immediate congregation. A friend of mine recently posted
very articulately her opinion on the matter on Facebook. What ensued was a very
lengthy thread, which broke into even more threads, perpetuated by some of her
more conservative friends on one side and her more liberal ones on the other. Now
I consider myself to be sympathetic to both sides of the argument, so I thought
getting involved sounded like fun, and a good way to exercise my theological
muscles in a different way from usual, and with a different audience. So I read
through the comments, picked up on some red flags, and commented on those. What
followed was a long debate with a man whose
It started off sort of fun, and
mutually respectful. But as time went on, I sensed his tone start to change
from one of thoughtful debate, to one of snark and arrogance. I was really
turned off by his certainty that he knew exactly what the Bible said and what
it meant, and what God intended. Even as he easily dismissed my thoughtfully
formed approach to biblical study, he boasted about his own formation and
perspective in a way that came off not as confidence in the truth and promise
of the Word, but rather as arrogance, almost as if he knew as much as God.
Where I suggested the value of approaching scripture with a question in your
heart, ready to hear what the Spirit might be saying today, he said there is no
question in scripture, because it is God’s Word. Where I expressed concern
about claiming to understand everything about scripture because such a claim
puts limits on God and assumes to know and understand something we by
definition cannot understand, he insisted
on the meaning of several individual passages. Where he said, “I stand 100% on
the Bible,” I countered with, “I stand 100% on the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Each response he offered, it seemed, included a not-so-subtle dig at me or at
the validity of my faith. Needless to say, I eventually excused myself from the
conversation (as did he) saying his unwillingness to treat me and my faith with
respect was no longer fun, and certainly not worth my time and energy.
The reason I
share this story with you is that, as I have been thinking about it and
processing it, I have done so especially in light of our epistle reading today
from Paul’s second letter to the
Corinthians. This is one of those passages
that at once frustrates and encourages me. Paul writes, “On my own behalf I
will not boast, except in my weakness.” It frustrates me because of this idea
of boasting in my weakness – what fun is that?! Sometimes in an argument or
discussion, don’t you just want to whip our your credentials to put someone in
their place? (I certainly wanted to, with Facebook guy!) Don’t you want to tell
the person or people, “Listen, I have a lot more experience in this than you
do, so give it a rest and just listen to me.” Surely, it’s the argument to end
all arguments. And yet Paul is telling us no? To boast instead in our weakness?
How do you win an argument with something like, “I don’t actually know anything
about this”? And yet, boasting in weakness is exactly what Paul says, and in
several different ways.
 |
| The Apostle Paul, writing from prison |
That’s what
frustrates me, but I said this passage also encourages me, and that is because,
as Paul writes a few verses later, “I will boast all the more gladly in my
weakness, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” Ah, now here is
something to consider. He offers this wisdom in light of the “thorn in his
flesh.” Scholars have gone crazy over this autobiographical bit, trying to
figure out what that proverbial thorn is – a physical ailment? A speech
impediment? Or is it the power of sin? No one
knows, and it’s the only time it
is mentioned.
 |
| Possibility for a thorn in flesh?? |
But maybe it is better not to know,
because when I hear it, because it is left undisclosed, I automatically insert
my own “thorns” into its place. Oh, how many thorns I have prayed to God to
take out of my own flesh – illnesses that leave me or my body in a state I
dislike, realizations that there are some things I am just not very good at,
people in my life who drive me nuts or outright hurt me with their words or
actions, situations that persist in wearing me down. I’m sure you have your own
thorns, some trivial, some big and persistent. Paul says it is his own thorn in
his flesh that has helped him to realize that at the end of the day, he doesn’t
have a leg to stand on if he were to rely to on his own gifts and skills and
understanding. It is only by the power of Christ that he is able to do anything
at all.
And if we
are so busy showing off our shiny armor or our colorful feathers or our sharp
minds… then where is there space for Christ’s
power to be revealed through us and to be made known to anyone else? It harkens
to another wonderful writing of Paul’s, earlier in this same letter, in which
he talks about us being clay pots, vulnerable to breaking and cracking, such
that we must rely on the strength of Christ to hold the beautiful and
life-giving truth of the gospel.
If you’re
like me, relying on the strength of Christ is easier said than done. You see, I
know my gifts, and I know my limits, and if I just focus on doing things I’m
good at, then I know I can be successful. But deep down I also know – I cannot
be successful without Christ’s power. And the more we rely on our own strength
and knowledge, the less room there is for the power, the love, the grace of God
to come into us and transform us, to move us, to make us grow, to help us see
God at work in the world.
This humility
Paul calls for, whether brought on by some thorn in our flesh or just by deep,
thoughtful prayer – it is a hard word to hear. But it is an important one,
especially as we as a country continue to have some tough conversations – about
race, about sexuality, about health care, about
Let us pray…
Gracious God, we are often so tempted to
boast in ourselves, in our knowledge, in our gifts – even as we know that it is
all, in the end, your power of which we boast, not our own. Help us to leave
space in our hearts for your love and power to shine, to see our struggles as
opportunities to better hear you, and in all things to boast more of your
strength than of our own. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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