PROPER 7C – 1 Kings 19:1-15a; Psalm 42; Galatians 3:23-29; Luke 8:26-39 – 20 June 2010 – A sermon given by The Rev. Peter A. Munson for St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, Boulder, Colorado

Afraid of Our Own Power

INTRODUCTION – Two Stories About Power and Fear

We have two stories today about power and fear.

In the time of the prophet Elijah, the king of Israel, Ahab, married a woman who was a worshipper of Baal – Jezebel. Because the king’s allegiance was divided, the people of Israel were in the same boat. (See 1 Kings 18:21) Who was the real God? Who really loved the people of Israel, and who had the power – Yahweh or Baal? Finally Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a showdown – 450 prophets who worshipped Baal against one prophet who was faithful to Yahweh… Elijah. Each side was to cut a bull in pieces, bring no fire to the sacrifice, and call on their God to consume the bull with fire. The prophets of Baal went first. They called on Baal from 9 am until about 6 pm, to no avail. They even cut themselves as part of their praying to Baal, and there was no answer. Elijah joked that perhaps Baal was sleeping, that they should cry louder, for perhaps he needed to be awakened. When it was Elijah’s turn, he first repaired the altar to Yahweh that had been torn down. Then he built a trench around the altar, and had water poured all over the bull and the wood, so that it filled the trench. And then Elijah prayed to God, saying, “O Lord, O God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding.” (1 Kings 18:36) And the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and even the water that had been in the trench. And then Elijah killed all the prophets of Baal. And when Ahab told Jezebel what Elijah had done, she swore to kill Elijah by the next day. So he ran for his life. On the strength of some cake and water, he traveled for 40 days to Mt. Horeb, where twice the Lord asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

In the Gospel story, Jesus travels out of Galilee and meets a man who has been tormented for a long, long time. The demons in the man recognize Jesus at once, and start to scream at him. “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” (Luke 8:28) Finally, still recognizing the power of Jesus, the demons beg Jesus to let them enter some nearby swine, and when they did, the pigs went nuts, ran down a steep bank and into the lake, and drowned. And the man who had been naked and tormented for so many years was suddenly in his right mind, wearing clothes, and sitting at Jesus’ feet – as any eager disciple would do.

And what was the reaction of the townspeople? You might think that they would be celebrating the transformation that had happened in this man, but instead, they were scared to death – scared of this demonstration of power, and perhaps just as scared of what might happen in them and to them if they allowed this Jesus fellow to stick around. So in their state of great fear, they asked him to leave their neighborhood. And Jesus, being Jesus, did exactly that.

ELIJAH’S FEAR AND OUR FEAR

Sometimes you and I get a taste of what we can really do in this world – when we’re confident, creative, and grounded in God. We make a big contribution at work, and we’re recognized for it. We go live and work in another country, and we make strong connections with people in another culture, and we see the fruits that can come from such work – fruits of peace and understanding and collaboration for good. Or we share our faith and the convictions of our beliefs in some way – just as Elijah did – and we see that we can influence others, and be a force for light and love and transformation in the world. Or we become deeply grounded in our creative side, and we write a book, or compose a song, or act in a play, or we create a piece of artwork, and – again – we get in touch with our power and the impact we can and do have on others.

And then – how quickly things can turn! – something happens. We get a little criticism… someone says, “Who do you think you are? You’re not so hot!”… and the voices of self-doubt creep in, and just as quickly as we were using our creativity and our power for good in the world, we are suddenly shrinking back, or even running for our lives, looking for a place to hide – as Elijah was.

THE FEAR OF THE GERASENES AND OUR FEAR

And sometimes you and I are like the Gerasenes. Someone shows up in our lives -someone who is grounded in God and confident and powerful… someone who is in touch with their creative side, and who knows what it is to be what Jesus called “the light of the world.” We are intrigued with these folks. We are intrigued with their big energy and their big dreams and their aliveness and by how much they seem to get done over the course of a day or a month or a year. We feel more alive around them. But we can just as easily feel small and inadequate around them, and we barely allow ourselves to breathe or think about how we could be bigger and more powerful in the world, and suddenly we find ourselves feeling too stirred up. “This is too much! Who I am to go to Pharaoh? Who am I to confront King Ahab? Who am I to bring my aliveness and power wherever I go, and be the light of the world?” And before we know it, we are saying to God or to Jesus or to the person we recently met who is so intriguingly alive, “Please leave! I can’t take any more of this! I can’t take any more of you! I feel very scared – threatened even. I may not be much but I am comfortable in my life, and I am not comfortable thinking about what I might become. So leave me alone! Get out of here!”

OUR BIGGEST FEARS

You and I are middle class and upper-middle class Americans. Our biggest fear is not where our next meal is going to come from, or whether we’re going to have a safe place where we can lay our heads down tonight. You and I have times when we see parts of ourselves that we don’t like; we get glimpses of the darkness within us. But I would suggest to you that our biggest fears are not even related to our darkness.

Our biggest fears, I believe, are related to what we can become. Our biggest fears are related mostly to this question: What would my life be like if I fully allowed God to work in me, if I fully exercised my God-given power, if I really allowed myself to shine?

You might think to yourself, “What if God is calling me to be the next great American actress?” Or the scientist who helps us solve our energy crisis? Or a writer or a politician or a priest who moves people to care and to act and to make a difference in the world? What if God is calling me to speak the truth in a room full of people who are denying the truth, or to speak the truth in a county or state or country where people are denying the truth?

NOT SETTLING

There is a temptation – and perhaps the temptation grows as we move into middle age and beyond – for you and me to settle… to be average… to be okay with how things are… to say, “Well, maybe this is as good as it gets. Maybe this is much as I’m going to learn. Maybe this is as much as I’m going to accomplish. Maybe this is as much joy as I’m ever going to feel, or as alive as I’m ever going to be.”

There’s a big problem with settling, though. And the problem is this: How long can you and I plug our ears and talk and make noise and successfully drown out the voice of God? Because God is still calling, and God does not believe in us settling; God does not believe in our being “just okay”. God comes after us, even when and maybe especially when we’ve already done some shining, and God says, “What are you doing here, Joe? What are you doing here, Elsa? What are you doing here, Linda? What are you doing here, Randy? What are you doing here, Peter?”

And when we have experienced some kind of major transformation or healing, Jesus doesn’t just say, “Yes, you can sit around now and relax and get yourself even more together by reading about me all day long in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.” No. Jesus says to us the very same thing he said to the man who was now – finally – fully clothed and in his right mind. “Get out there and declare how much God had done for you. You don’t get to sit around, hide in my shadow, and keep it to yourself. You have a story to tell that is also very important. Go on out there and tell someone what God has done for you. You need to shine; you have the ability to shine, for I am with you, and you are fearfully and wonderfully made. So shine!”

CONCLUSION

Will you and I succumb to the temptation to live an average life, a life where we don’t ever fully shine – because we got scared?

Or will we say to God, “Lord, I’m scared right now. But I know that fear is not a destination. And I know – more than anything – that you are with me. And that with you beside me, I can overcome any Jezebels, any critics, any of my own self-doubts, and become a powerful force of love and light and aliveness in the world, thanks to you, and thanks to the power of the Holy Spirit.”

We have a choice, you and I. And if we say to the Lord, “Please leave me alone”… Jesus, being Jesus – will respect that choice, and leave us alone. But if we choose to shine, then we get to experience a whole different ride. And who knows where the ride will take us? But with God, it sure won’t be boring. I think we know that much.