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Oct. 18, 2009 People of Hope, Job, Part III Job 38:1-7, 34-41 Over the past couple of weeks we have been looking at the life of Job; a folktale, but none-the-less, one we can ponder and learn from. Job was about as close as one can come to saintliness. I have a dear friend like Job. I call her “Saint Imelda.” She is the epitome of a saint on earth. I’ve known her for many years, and she has never disappointed me in her faith. If she harbors any manner of harm, it might be with her driving abilities. She grew up in Ireland, and has never been completely competent behind the wheel, which makes riding with her a little frightening. Aside from that, in my eyes, she is a saint. Maybe you know someone like Imelda. Such was the character of Job. He was known as a righteous man, and he believed it of himself; believed his life was lived completely for God. Thus far, the story goes that God and Satan have struck a deal. Satan believes that Job is good and just, simply because he has been blessed with an abundant life. So the question at hand, is, how would Job treat God, if his life were suddenly turned upside down? Would he continue in his loyalty to his maker?/ Satan does everything in his power to test Job, robbing him of his children, his home and animals and then afflicting him with wretched sores all over his body./ When Job’s three best friends hear of his tragedy, they hurry to him and sit beside him, quietly, for seven days. Finally, Job breaks the silence, questioning—always questioning—what’s going on; why this tragedy has occurred, still holding on to the belief that he believes he has not sinned./ Remember, it wasn’t unusual, in antiquity, and even for some, today, to associate illness and tragedy with sin; an indication that one wasn’t living a righteous life. So Job’s friends offer up possibilities, maybe not so unlike what you or your friends might. Perhaps, they wonder, God is punishing Job for his sins, or for his children’s sins. Or, maybe Job has sinned but isn’t confessing, or maybe he just hasn’t realized his sin. Is the sin of pride the cause? They carry on a long, theological debate, while God and satan sit outside, observing the conversation. Job waivers between complete faith, to total despair with God; at one moment he is strong and hopeful, and in the next moment, hopeless and angry at God. We may have experienced as much in our own faith. We are intelligent people. We want answers. We want to know the reasons, the cause for what occurs in our lives, especially when we have lived to our potential, being the best that we can be---sometimes, life just doesn’t seem fair./ Job’s faith was being stretched to its limit. He felt that he had become the target of God’s wrath. What more could happen to him? Woe is me! Have you ever said that, out loud, or under your breath? I’ll bet flood victims, who lost all they had, maybe with no insurance—they may have felt similarly./ Here, in the US, we struggle with joblessness, some homelessness and poverty. My sister in Colorado told me the other day that her newly married daughter and son-in-law had to take his brother to the shelter. He had no job and no place to go. Looking outside of the US, we think of the folks in Indonesia, recovering from the most recent tsunami. We see others in third world countries who barely survive from day to day. Their very young children begin working about the time we send our children to kindergarten. Still, others live in war torn countries. We can’t imagine anything close to this. Not that we don’t have our own heartaches—there’s no doubt about that./ Perhaps the greatest loss, for us, is life itself. We grieve when we are separated from our loved ones. This can happen in a number of ways, but we probably think of it, most often, as in death; the physical body removed. We grieve that our loved ones are no longer present, in body, with us. In the story of Job, remember, God and Satan strike a deal on one condition, and that was that Job’s life would not be taken. We know this story is folklore. God and satan had no such conversation….this is a story generated by human perspective. It’s how our minds continue to try to make sense of the tragedy, and so we think of God and satan, engaging in a conversation. Consider this “condition.” Don’t you find it a little humorous! It’s like saying, “Ok, we’ll play this little game….on one condition….I get to win…You can’t take Job’s life..” Ultimately, even in this story, God is in control. Without question, this story deals with all kinds of theological concepts, but at the very heart of it, is life and death. So Job is all but dead; just barely hanging on to his life. In fact, he would prefer death, but it’s not his choice. The questions have been asked; some, addressed directly to God. What’s next? Well, God enters the scene. Job is probably shaking his head and thinking, “well, it’s about time.” This brings us to today’s scripture, Job 38:1-7, 34-41. (read).// Is this the type of answer you would expect to hear from God? If we were to put words in God’s mouth, is this what would come out? Maybe you can think of something better. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” In other words, can we even pretend to think that we might understand God and God’s ways---or that we might doubt that God has a handle on things. Let’s be clear. Questioning, seeking God’s ways so that we might be more like God is one thing; but doubting, blaming God or believing we should or could know the mind or power of God is quite another. Last Monday I attended a mandatory workshop of healthy relationships within the church. Dr. Mary Fraser, our Iowa Conference Pastoral Care and Counselor was one of the presenters. She spoke about how, in our Christian theology, we forget that we are held in perfect love, or that we are agents of perfect love. We have amnesia; forgetfulness rather than fallen(sinfull)-ness. That perfect love, as understood through the activity of Jesus is not a goal but a way of being alive. But we forget. Death, illness, tragedy consumes our minds, pushing out the memory of love; our love and God’s. Dr. Fraser reminded us: “God’s intention toward us is for goodness, for life and for well being.” Do you forget that in times of tragedy or grief? Dr. Fraser also spoke about incarnation; that which calls us to be present to all the sensations of our bodies, to all the ways our emotions work within us and the many facets of our intellect. The example of Job, reveals the body, mind and spirit connection. The task for Job, for you and I, and for our congregation, is to be fully awake/mindful (not sleep walking!) to what is real and true around and in us. It’s only then that we can care for our physical, psychological and spiritual lives./ You see what happens, if we are not awake,-- and this isn’t because we are bad/evil….but rather, it is the consequence of forgetting that we, and our brothers and sisters, are not dealing with ourselves or others as perfectly loved people who are complex and dramatic. When we are aware, awake to God’s perfect love for us and others, we think about how we live, what we do, and mostly, how we love. We become transformed, continually—we are constantly incarnated, becoming more like God. Death does not touch us, because we become alive again, in our faith. We believe in the power of resurrection---not just when we die, physically, but every time grief and tragedy strike. Our biggest question should not be “why is this happening,” but rather, “how can I love better? How can we love better, as a church?” We begin by remembering that we are perfectly loved. YOU are perfectly loved. We don’t have to have all the answers….just this one. Not only is it affirming and amazing, transformational, incarnational….it is healing. It is the healing balm of God. Did Job forget about God’s great love? It appears so. Have we doubted, and forgotten, ourselves. Probably, again and again. In the end, Job understands that he cannot possibly understand God, nor can we. Without going through the misery of such questioning, we can instead stand, unwavering in our hope, that we are perfectly loved by God. So awaken, people of hope! Open your eyes and heart. Taste and see that the Lord is good! Know that you are loved perfectly by God, and that you are a vessel of that love. Remember, give thanks, and mark the ways that you are loved. And finally, share that perfect love with your neighbor. In ALL things, give thanks to God, for God is with us, for us, with every intention of good. Let us pray: Loving God of comfort and justice, forgive the suffering we have caused others. Forgive our self-indulgence that ignores real need. Forgive us for blaming you for the evil we could have avoided or prevented. And pardon us when we use you to explain that which we don’t understand. Guide us to an understanding of you, not as source of our troubles, but as “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Amen. |