St. Paul S United Methodist Church

St. Paul’s United Methodist Church

Psalm 46 Rev. Marianne Niesen June 14, 2015

Playing Croquet on the Lawn of the Lord

Have you ever heard of a ‘functional atheist?’ It is a term that has been around for a while and it refers to someone who believes in God but acts like they don’t. A ‘belief atheist’ makes the claim that there is no God to believe in. But, a functional atheist is someone who believes in God but most of the time acts as if everything really depends on them. With that definition, I think most of us would have to admit we may border on functional atheism a bit. Not so with the writer of Psalm 46. He was not a functional atheist.

God is our refuge and strength writes the psalmist . . .

A help always near in times of great trouble

That’s why we won’t be afraid when the world falls apart,

when the mountains crumble to the center of the sea

(the psalmist is talking about a tsunami here!)

Nations roar; kingdoms crumble . . .

But . . . the Lord of heavenly forces is with us,

the God of Jacob is our place of safety.

These are the words, the prayer, of a believer. And praying this psalm can be an antidote to the virus that functional atheism has become in our lives. It’s not that we never have to do anything. It’s not that nothing depends on us - we always have to do our part. But, at some point, we must stop acting as if we can do it all - solve it all, know it all, be it all. People in 12-step programs know about this disease. They recognize their need to depend on someone or something greater than themselves. That’s why the first three steps involve admitting your own powerlessness; acknowledging a Higher Power; and turning your problem, indeed your whole life, over to that Power. To overcome an addiction takes hard work on the part of the individual of course, but the wisdom in 12-step programs begins with admitting that what needs doing is way bigger than us. We cannot do it alone. We need a supportive community and we need God.

Again, it is not that the believer doesn’t do hard work - we always have a part to play and it is an important part. But, at some point, if we are to survive with health, we must admit we are not the center of the universe. I think the rampant nature of functional atheism is evident as we look at any “self help” section of any bookstore. That is, I would guess, one of the fastest growing industries. You can find books to help you make it yourself, build it yourself, fix it yourself, heal it yourself, find it yourself, overcome it yourself, get around it yourself, get into it yourself, get over it yourself. There are such books by the dozens with new ones coming out every few days. If you have a problem, there is a book somewhere - often even a step-by-step manual - to help you deal with it. It claims the ability to “change your life.” These self-help books are not bad. But they are misleading.

Consider this. Remember a time you were really angry at someone or frustrated. You read a self help book and inevitably you read the wise advice . . . remember, you cannot change someone else, you can only change yourself. If a situation is difficult, change your attitude toward it, your approach to it, your reaction to it. That is classic advice and it is fundamentally true. Any good self-help program will tell you that the only one you can change is yourself. The only attitude you can change is your own. But let’s be honest. Have you ever really really really tried to change an attitude? I will just not be angry or get hooked, or react. I will not let them get to me. We know we want to do that but it is not so easy. In fact, I think it is mostly impossible by ourselves. We’re good but we’re not that good. We’re smart but we’re not that smart. Knowing what we should do and then doing it are two different things. Admitting our need for help is one of the hardest things we ever do - especially when we get into positions where we think we should know. Or where people expect us to know whatever it is that’s needed. I have come to believe that the most needed skill for modern life is the ability to ask for help - other people’s, yes, and even more - for God’s help. To admit our limitations and ask for help.

Now, I know there are people who don’t like this kind of talk. We like to believe we are independent. We can go it alone. We like to keep God “on call” for big stuff - like world peace or the outcome of a ball game - but facing our basic dependence, our powerlessness, is not popular. Some would say, it is not even American. And it isn’t. But it is Christian.

Perhaps you’ve heard the story of a father who was watching his young son trying to dislodge a heavy stone. The boy couldn't budge it. "Are you sure you are using all your strength?" the father asked. "Yes, I am," said the exasperated boy. "No, you’re not," the father replied. "You haven't asked me to help you."

When I graduated from high school, my parents gave me a choice…they would give me the down payment on a car or a trip to Europe. It was not really a difficult decision. The European voyage was a tour including Germany, France, Switzerland and Italy. I picked the trip. And it was on that adventure that I had my first experience of an overnight train. We found our berth in a sleeper compartment and very soon the steward paid us a visit. He asked to see the ticket, took it and then asked for our passports. He explained that he would keep the documents for the night and would return them in the morning with the morning coffee. Now, if there is one universal warning you get before traveling, it is that you should never EVER let go of that precious identity document. But, the steward explained, we would be passing over several borders and this would prevent us being awakened at each one throughout the night. (Of course, this was before the European Union which now makes this kind of travel much easier.) In the end, we did it and, during the night, the steward got us through the border crossings without a hitch and the next morning the passports were returned, safe and sound. Now, admittedly that was a long time ago but I remember it well and as I worked on this sermon, this thought occurred to me. If I can trust a steward on an overnight train in Europe, why is it so hard to really believe God will help me with my latest challenge? To help me through my daily border crossings? Why is giving over control so difficult?

And I wonder if it isn’t at least in part because we really think God is a lot like us. High standards. An expectation of excellence. Always watching to see if we pass the tests we’re given in life. In fact, the extraordinarily popular Christian self-help book of several years ago - The Purpose Driven Life - actually proposed exactly that. One of the ‘points to ponder’ in that book is this - life is a test and a trust.[1] And God is watching to see if you pass. And, of course, the reward is heaven. Well, this is one Christian preacher who doesn’t buy that at all. I don’t believe life is a test. I believe fundamentally life is a gift. It is where we get to meet God and to know God. Testy things happen, of course. Earthquakes, tsunamis - of the natural and personal kind - and in it all, God is with us. In it all, God longs for us to do the simple profound act of admitting we are powerless and asking for help. Now that help may not come as we’d like. It often requires waiting, and working as we wait, but as we wait, we cultivate an awareness of God’s presence and an expectancy of God’s help that calms us and focuses us. And, in the end, God does not disappoint.

A story:

Deep in the dense rain forest of the Philippines, lived a primitive people. They were hunter-gatherers who wore loin cloths and little else. Several years ago, a missionary family who was working among them set up a croquet game in their front yard. Before long several of their neighbors curiously gathered to watch them. Soon they wanted to play too.

The missionaries explained the game and gave each of them a mallet and a ball. Halfway into the game, one of the natives’ croquet balls landed next to another’s. The missionary excitedly explained one of the more aggressive rules: you can put your foot on your ball and smack it hard with the mallet, causing your opponent’s ball to go flying far away. The native understood what he was saying, but he couldn’t comprehend why anyone would want to do that. He said, “Why would I want to knock his ball out of the court?”

The missionary replied, “So you will be the one to win!” The native shook his head in bewilderment. You see, competition and winning are not important in hunting and gathering societies. People survive not by competing but by working together.

The game continued, but no one followed the missionaries’ advice. When the first player successfully got through all the wickets, he didn’t see himself as the winner. For him, the game wasn’t over. He went back and gave aid and advice and encouragement to the others. Finally, when the last wicket was played, by the last player, they all shouted happily, we won! We won![2]

“The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.” Though we live in a culture where competition is the norm, where we must prove ourselves worthy, where the object too often is to win at all costs, where ‘pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps’ is considered an ideal, it is not that way with our God. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.[3]

Sometimes the summer months bring a little more time to think and a little more time to ponder how life is going. I don’t know what your particular challenges are but I do know one thing. No matter what you face, it is not a test of your strength or your faith. God does not want you to fail. Life is not a test. It is an invitation to a partnership - with other people and with our God. And, at the end of life - and probably at the end of each day - God is there jumping up and down shouting happily we’re in it together and together we win! Imagine how the world would be different if we did the hard work of partnering with each other, rather than competing, in work, in church, in life. Imagine how the world would be different if we partnered with God rather than trying so hard to be saviors of ourselves and the world around us. Imagine playing croquet on the lawn of the Lord where . . .

The Lord of heavenly forces is with us,

the God of Jacob is our place of safety.

[2] “The Croquet Lesson” found at www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations

[3] Isaiah 55: 8