March 10, 2002
Fourth Sunday in Lent

Seeing Differently

Samuel was looking for a beauty pageant. He had been part of the search committee that called Saul as King of the Hebrew people. When that didn’t work out, he was tapped again to be part of the process of choosing a new King for all of the people. He had an image in his head of what the king was going to look like. Tall, handsome, strong, confident, assertive. We read the studies of political candidates. Often, it is the taller candidate that gets selected. A lot of this has to do with image. How a person looks, how they carry themselves. In all the debates now about television news, there is a lot of discussion about whether the newscaster is a reporter or an entertainer. Samuel is called to a task and he is not happy about it. God said, “Go to Jesse. Look at his sons and I will tell you which one I want for the next King of Israel.” Jesse had his own assumptions. “Aaah, you want to see my sons? Let me show you the best first. My first born, tall and handsome…Not what you’re looking for? Let me show you his brother.” And another and another. David wasn’t even in the mix. “Somebody has to take care of the flock. David is just a kid. You’re not worried about him? I have so many others for you to choose from.” But the seven come and the seven go. God has not spoken yet. Samuel said, “Do you have anymore sons?” “Well, one more.” “Bring him here. We’re not done until he shows up.” So David came, and God spoke, and David was anointed King of Israel.

Did you wonder about Saul? What trouble Saul go into? Why he was thrown out of office? There was a battle. God said, “I will be with you, but Saul, you go out to face the enemy and destroy them utterly.” This is the God of vengeance. The God of wrath. God said, “Go and kill all of the enemy. Men, women, and children. Kill every single one. Then kill the ox and the goat and the sheep. Destroy utterly everything of your enemies.” Saul went to battle. He was brave and strong. He destroyed the army of the enemy. But, then the time came to deal with the flocks, the herds. There was some discussion. People said, “Do we really have to destroy these animals? Why don’t we hold on to them and take some of the best and go and offer them as a sacrifice to God.” Saul listened to the people. Saul said, “That sounds reasonable. That sounds like a good idea. Why don’t we do that. We’ll sacrifice to God. Give thanks for our victory. But, we’ll not destroy all of the flocks and herds.” God’s judgment was as harsh on Saul as it was on the enemy. God said, “You didn’t do what I told you to do. You are no longer King.” So, the call went to Samuel to anoint someone new to lead the people of Israel.

Saul’s experience should have been a good lesson about the desirability of standing and providing strong leadership, rather than listening to the commands of the people. Some of our politicians today would do well to lead from their strengths, lead from their own gifts rather than to lead by polling the people and finding out what the electorate desires.

Bob Kerry was born in 1943. He graduated from Lincoln High School in Lincoln, Nebraska. He attended the University of Nebraska. Graduated with a degree in Pharmacy. In 1966, he volunteered for service in Vietnam. He served in the Navy Seals, an elite group. He was wounded in battle and lost one of his legs, and now walks with an artificial leg. Some of you may remember that Bob Kerry was in hot water a couple of years ago about some alleged atrocities carried on by him and his men during Vietnam. In general, though, Bob Kerry is extremely well respected. He served not only with the Navy Seals, but he also served as the Governor of Nebraska from 1982 to 1987. As Governor, he worked very hard to make up a budget deficit, and when he finished his terms, there was a surplus in the state coffer. He also worked to support education in his state, and to establish a closer relationship between the University and the public school systems. Health care was an important issue for him. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1988. Re-elected in 1996. During those times, he was an important voice speaking out for fiscal responsibility. Speaking out for universal health care. Speaking as a veteran to some of the issues that faced the country about how we should live as Americans in the world. But, the thing that I remember most about Bob Kerry was the impact of polls, of handlers, on a candidate. Bob Kerry ran for the presidency in 1992, when Bill Clinton received the nomination. I remember seeing Gov.Bob Kerry on television in Nebraska, and every time I saw him, I felt like I was receiving the truth. He was speaking directly to me from his heart. Not telling me what I wanted to hear, not telling me stories, but speaking the truth clearly and directly. But, the time came when he was up in New Hampshire for the presidential primaries. We would receive network feeds on the evening news. Kerry appeared a number of times. Cindy and I both shook our heads and said, “What kind of gobbledy-gook is he speaking? What is he doing? That’s not Bob Kerry, not the Bob Kerry we know.” Unfortunately, when you are running for public office you are speaking to reporters and newscasters all day long. It’s tough to maintain your integrity. People are telling you what you need to say. Telling you what spin to put on events so that you are able to get elected to office. Bob Kerry didn’t get the nomination. I think he would have been much better off if he would have been himself.

My wife, Cindy, has said similar things about Bob Dole. Bob Dole ran and lost the election for the presidency. Since then, he has done commercials for viagra and Pepsi One. He has been on talk shows, and has shown a great sense of humor and ability to laugh at himself, to enjoy people. Cindy has often said that if Bob Dole would have laughed a little bit more during the election, he probably would have been elected president of the United States.

We have people that follow what they think are the desires of the people, forgetting to live out what is in their heart. To be who they really are. To walk as the children of God. To live the light that God has given them in their lives. It’s important for people to be individuals, to use the gifts that they have been given.

One of the important preachers of a couple of generations ago, Phillip Brooks, said that you should preach with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in another. Well, there have been a couple of stories over the past few weeks about individuals that made a difference in peoples lives because they were living out who they were. There is a story that you may remember about bus driver Reggie Wilson. Reggie Wilson is not your everyday bus driver. He drove a Metro bus, route 48. When you got on his bus, you were going to sing. You were going to interact with other people. Reggie would lead the sunshine song and people would clap their hands in unison. They would share little packets of cheese and crackers and Reggie would say, “Well, cheese is good, and what do we do with cheese?” And everybody would yell, “We share it!” On special occasions, Reggie would hide candies and other surprises under the seats. Or he would have a bag full of stuffed animals to share with children who were unhappy. Now, not everybody loved what Reggie did on the bus. But, he received commendation after commendation from people who felt that he made a difference in their lives. One woman said, “The first time I rode his bus, I was totally amazed. I couldn’t believe it. I’d hardly ever hear other bus drivers even speak. But, he makes the trip faster and funner and now I always try to catch his bus. Reggie himself said that when he started driving bus he wanted to make a difference in peoples lives. He wanted to change peoples attitudes. He reported that there was a time when he considered giving up his routine, his songs, his laughter. He knew that sometimes people wanted to sleep on the bus, they wanted to be left alone. He knew that some of his bosses thought that he didn’t take his job very seriously. He said, “One day a lady got on the bus and she said to me, ‘Yesterday I rode your bus. I just found out that day that I have terminal cancer. And you made me laugh. So please, don’t ever stop.’” Reggie said he didn’t stop and he’s not going to stop now. He says that he’s not sure that he really could stop. It’s kind of who he is. He recently changed bus routes and I’m sure that those on his old route miss him, but I have no doubt that he’s singing now on his new route.

This past Friday, there was another article about Bill Brayer. Bill suffers from Multiple Sclerosis. He has been lucky enough that he hasn’t had all of the difficult symptoms that many people have from that disease. But, he has had enough problems with impotence, difficulty with getting around, some slurring of speech, that he knows what it is to carry the burden of that disease. He hassuffered from it for forty-eight years. During most of that time he was able to carry on is printing business and live his life. But, when he retired a few years ago from the printing business he became even more active in the cause of MS. He had already helped to coordinate a web page. He had written articles about it, “So you have MS. Let’s talk.” But a change came when a woman asked him if he could help her find a home for a hospital bed and other equipment that belonged to her daughter who had died of MS. He put an ad on the internet and found a home for the equipment quickly. That wasn’t the end of it. More and more people came to him with donations. At first, his car had to sit outside as his side of the garage filled up with equipment. He knew it was time to change when his wife’s car had to sit outside too. He rented some storage garages and now there are three separate storage units that are filled with electric wheelchairs, walkers and canes of all kinds. The equipment comes and goes quickly, because there are so many people in need.

These are individuals, Reggie and Bill, who could have just done their jobs. They could have just lived their lives driving bus, making sure the money went in the box. Or working in the printing business and then retiring to make the best of things. But they were people that were filled with God’s Spirit, filled with light in their lives. They decided they needed to share that life with others.

Paul says that we should give up. Give up the things that are bad for us. Give up the things that are bad for other people. And do what’s right. Do what’s caring, and loving and just. Live with the light of Christ in our lives. The song that we sang with the children today is one of my favorite songs. Now, I know I have lots of favorite songs, but it is among my favorite songs. In the last congregation I served, it became a theme song for the church. The church was having difficult times when I arrived. It was a new church start. But they had already gone through two pastors, and there had been difficulty in those ministries. The church had great debt and not very many members. We changed the name of the church from geography, “The United Church of Christ of Millard,” to “Advent United Church of Christ,” giving us a first name, giving us a theme, a way of looking at ourselves. Season of Advent, looking forward with anticipation. As the logo for our newsletter and our church sign, the word Advent with a descending “t” and a candle flame at the top. So, this little light of mine literally became the theme song of the congregation. We sang it frequently and people there, as they do here, humored me and sang it with some enthusiasm. Well, a couple of years after I came up here to be your pastor, I received a Christmas card from one of the young men in the congregation. It had a candle on the front with a flame. He wrote inside, “I saw this card, and I thought of you and I had to send it to you. Whenever we sang that song, I always though it was kind of hokey. But, as the years have gone by, I’ve realized the deep spiritual meaning of letting Christ’s light shine in our lives. So, I wanted to tell you that I was thinking about you.”

Don’t walk in darkness. Don’t look at the world like other people. Don’t complain about things, or only value status or money or power. Look deep inside and see what gifts you have in your life. Look deep inside and see how the light of Christ is within you. Then, don’t hide it under a bushel and don’t let evil blow it out, but let it shine out to the whole world. And walk through life as children of the light.

Thanks be to God. Amen