07.26.09 The Use of Power
WESTMINSTER PULPIT
July 26, 2009 “The Use Of Power”
Ephesians 3:14-21 John 6:1-12
Today’s Scripture readings give us the raw material for a most intriguing theatrical production, perhaps even an opera. Act I: a beautiful woman, her husband, who is off to war, a powerful king, and an army general. Act II: a small boy, five small loaves of bread, two dried fish, a compassionate miracle worker, one of his followers, and five thousand persons! I am not sure how we could accommodate that many in the cast, but that is another matter. The common thread of these two very different sets of elements is the use of power. It is a golden opportunity for a playwright, even a librettist, if I say so myself!
Act I
For several Sundays we have been following the rise of David from a shepherd boy to a mighty king. The story of David, son of Jesse of Bethlehem, is the typical “rags to riches” story. The account in today’s reading puts him almost at the peak of his reign. He had found favor not only with his subjects but with God as well. He had been victorious in many battles, and was respected as an excellent commander. God even had said to David, “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever,” (2 Samuel 7:16) “What more could he want?” we ask.
Enter a beautiful woman, Bathsheba, wife of Uriah, one of David’s soldiers. When David saw her he said to himself, “Now that is what I want,” and thus the plot thickens. Since her husband was at war, David brought her to his house for an undisclosed period of time, during which she became pregnant. This was the first step of his misuse of power leading to a serious crisis. The second and third steps, which were identical, were the attempts to cover up the fact that he was the father of the child. He brought Uriah back from the war front and sent him home to his wife, so that it would appear later that Uriah was the father. But Uriah kept his vow as a good soldier on furlough and did not go to the comfort of his home and wife but slept at the front door of King David’s house. David’s plan failed twice, forcing him to take an even more horrendous step. He sent Uriah to the front lines and gave General Joab the orders to pull back all the supporting soldiers at the peak of the battle so that Uriah would be left unprotected and killed. David abused his power by committing adultery, two attempts to cover-up, and finally murder! “How the mighty have fallen” has always been true!
But even the mighty cannot escape the truth or the light of day. Nathan, that courageous prophet, stood up to the king and boldly told him to his face that he was no better than a thief! He compared him to a rich man, with a large flock of sheep, who stole a poor man’s only lamb. The rich man served the lamb as the main entrée at a banquet for his guests because he did not want to reduce his flock by one single lamb. End of Act I.
Act II
The scene is the Palestinian countryside by the Sea of Galilee in first century A.D. Jesus’ popularity had grown tremendously, and a great crowd was following this particular day. He had been healing many who were sick and afflicted with demons. And on that beautiful day he reaches out to more than he had ever done in the past. To make a long story short, Jesus had compassion on the hungry crowd because they had been following him all day long. With only the five loaves (small rolls) of bread and two dried fish provided by a young boy, Jesus fed 5,000 people! Again, as I have said before, let us not get caught up with a discussion of how this event took place—upon the actual miracle itself. Theological and biblical debate has been waged for hundreds of years and no satisfactory answer has come forth. Call it what you wish—an actual event, a myth, a legend, a parable, no matter—what is important is that Jesus is portrayed as one who used his power with compassion, to meet the needs of people.
Furthermore, Jesus used the simple food in a little boy’s lunch box in a powerful way. How often we see great wonders happen with very small beginnings. God loves starting small, and then from small beginnings something amazing grows: from cosmic dust to a Big Bang, and we have the wonders of the universe. A tiny baby, born in a tiny town, in a tiny manger, in a tiny country, and we have the birth of a movement that has transformed the world. Consider how often Jesus told parables concerning the importance of small things because they matter in a mighty way: mustard seeds, sparrows, grains of wheat, yeast, a penny, and children.
When the last pieces of bread and fish were gathered after the miraculous feeding, the people realizing Jesus’ power concluded that the promised Messiah was among them, and they came forth to make him king. However, he quickly evaded the crowds and sought a quiet hidden place because the nature of his power was different from the idea commonly held by the people. He sneaks away. He knows that this was not God’s way. His crown was not to be made of gold but thorns, and his throne was not to be in a palace but a cross on a hill known as the place of the skull—the place of death. His final victory was not the warring conquests of his ancestor, King David, but of overcoming the forces that oppress people and rob them of their innate dignity.
What an astounding contrast to the abuse of power in the first act of this drama!
Act III
Yes, there is a third act, which I failed to mention at the beginning. The scene is now anywhere and everywhere in our country and takes place in the present time. The setting poses some dramatic questions for us as a nation and personally: How do we use our power?
Scene 1 – Our National Life
We live in a country that is considered one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, in the world. Let us reflect on what implications this has for us as we consider the use of power as demonstrated in Acts I and II.
Political and Military Power
Let me suggest that we put on the scales of justice the misuse of our political power on one side and our use of it for the good of all nations on the other. We recognize immediately that this is a very “mixed bag.” However, this should not keep us from compelling our leaders to look with an eye of justice and compassion in our foreign policy. Our leaders must scrutinize our schemes to support oppressive regimes in countries simply for our economic benefit or strategic alliances. What about the plans forged by some of our leaders to assassinate or overthrow leaders of countries we opposed so that we can gain more power for our own benefit? It is our patriotic and civic duty to hold our leaders to the highest standards in our relationship with the nations of the world. We are fellow citizens of the world in which the powerful are to exercise compassion and respect for all nations. We must acknowledge that there are times when we are very vocal and forceful only because it is to our benefit. On the other hand, we must also acknowledge that we are silent about injustices in other nations only because silence is to our benefit. Notice the common denominator in those statements: “our benefit.” That appears to me to be misuse of power, and that is cause for serious consideration.
Economic Power
We find ourselves in a world-wide economic crisis of the most severe proportions. Nevertheless, Dr. G. William Domhoff, sociologist at the University of California in Santa Cruz reported in May, 2009, that 1% of the US population held 42% of the financial wealth of the country. An additional 19% held another 50% making a total of 20% of the population having 92% of the wealth. This leaves the remaining 80% of the population having merely 8% of the financial wealth. The accounts in our two biblical passages for our consideration today have volumes to say for our discernment of the use of economic power not only within our national life, but in the world scene. We are called urgently to assess how our nation’s wealth is used to empower rather than to exploit. Furthermore, the foundation of a thriving democracy is a solid middle class, but it is apparent that the middle class is shrinking rapidly in our nation! This is cause for alarm!
Scene 2 – A Closer Look
But there is another kind of power that lies much closer at hand to each one of us—it is our own personal power whether great or small. Little things do matter, those little things we do and those little things we leave undone. For every moment we miss the opportunity to do something small but right, the small but wrong will not hesitate to move in turning it into a misuse of power.
· A smile directed at someone we meet can offer a fragment of the love of Jesus Christ.
· A condemning stare invites the seed of another sort to settle in—the seeds of suspicion, hostility, disregard.
God is not calling us to save or change the world all on our own. But God is calling us to bring our small lunch of bread and fish so that God can accomplish great things. We are called:
· To make repeated attempts on a daily basis to have our power transform our surroundings for the better rather than tearing them to shreds.
· To offer simple kindness and encouragement to others and in doing so to share the grace we have been given with everyone we encounter and in all the actions that we take rather than speak the condemning word or do the hurtful thing.
· To realize that our lives have “saving power,” even though our saving power may not be in the big things but in the small things.
· To realize that delivering a meal to someone who cannot get out is a small thing, but the offering of food and friendship can bring nourishment to body and spirit in both the giver and the recipient.
· To read to a kindergarten class is a small act, but it can build connections between generations or perhaps help a neglected child feel the care of an adult.
· To seek out those who have wronged us or to those whom we have wronged and make peace, knowing that Jesus Christ is our peace.
· To really listen to your children’s lives when they are five; it will make it easier to talk to them when they are fifteen.
· To find a way to be a good neighbor; it will help bring a sense of blessedness and belonging to your entire community.
· To share grace with others; it will blossom into an abundance of grace given back into your own life.
· To make peace with one; it will grow peace between two.
· To start seeing the sacred in the tiny; then you will start to see the sacred in the entire world.
Paul Tillich, one of the great theologians of the last century, reminded us that the only way we have to reach an understanding of the universal is through the particular. Our lives are comprised of an accumulation of “particulars,” of small things with which we have the power to make a huge impact.
· These “particulars” or “small things” can be the individual bricks that help us build a strong foundation of faith and community.
· On the other hand, failure to do these “particulars,” these “small things,” can become bricks we throw at each other to hurt and chip away at the bedrock of our confidence and trust. Remember King David. Remember Jesus and the little boy’s lunch. Our power, you see, can be used for good or for ill. Which will it be?
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