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Pentecost 22 -- October 12, 2008 If only I could paint. I have been admiring the beautiful Fall colors that I have been seeing while driving on County roads 77 and 78 this past week, and while going for walks on County 13 and Camp Lincoln Road. The variations of brown, red, gold, yellow, and green on the trees are striking. It is times like this, sceneries like this, that makes me wish that I could paint. I can, and do, take pictures, but it is not the same as being able to give my impression of what I am seeing by using colors and a brush. If only I could paint. If only I could paint there is another scene I would paint for you. It is from our Exodus text this morning (Exodus 14:10-31). Let us pretend that I can paint and I have a large canvas up here behind me. I’m painting a picture of the Israelites as they stand on the shore of a large body of water - there is Moses, Miriam and Aaron, along with a multitude of people all of whom have fled Egypt. Those closest to the water are crying out: "Moses, save us! You got us into this mess, do something!" Those farther away from the water are also crying out, but for a different reason. I have painted the Egyptian chariots closing in on the fleeing slaves. Those are war chariots and those soldiers riding in them are armed for battle. The Israelites in the back are crying out: "Let us go back as slaves to Egypt!" and pressing in on those in front. The people nearest the water are pressing back on those behind them, and the people in the middle are panicking! Moses is crying out to God, praying for a miracle. And in this painting we somehow can hear God saying: "Why do you cry out to me? Tell the people to walk forward!" Tell the people to walk forward?! If only I could paint. If only I could paint I would paint a contemporary scene following a recent joke that I came across. A man is on his roof, surrounded by rising flood waters. He is praying to God for deliverance. We see a large plank come by with reach of the man on the roof, but he lets it go. We then see a man in a canoe come by who offers to take the man off the roof, but he waves the canoeist on. We next see a man in a motor boat who also offers to take the man to safety. But he too is waved past. Our last scene is the man standing before God crying: "I prayed to you for deliverance, but you did nothing." We see, and hear God saying: "Let’s see, I sent a plank, a canoeist, and a man in a motor boat. What were you waiting for?" If only I could paint. If only I could paint I would paint a scene from Psalm 77, our psalm for this morning. We see God delivering, rescuing his people Israel not from the churning waters, but from the midst of the churning waters through the sea. We see God delivering, rescuing people like you and me from the midst of the churning waters of our lives, for anxiety about health, sorrow of the death of loved ones, from worry about finances. If only we let him. If only we listen to him. We see God holding out his hands to us. If only I could paint. If only I could paint I would paint a scene from the life of Jesus where a man who has been unable to walk for nearly 40 years has been waiting by a pool in the Temple, waiting to get into the pool when the waters are stirring because then healing will come. But he can’t get into the pool before someone else gets there first. Jesus comes up and asks him if he would like to be healed. A local Pastor shared this story with Pastor Joan and I along with other pastors at a meeting of the local ministerial association. I would paint what this pastor pointed out that all the man needs to do is answer Jesus’ question with a simple "yes" or "no," nothing else. But the man doesn’t answer Jesus, instead he begins to make excuses. Jesus simply heals him. A miracle has been there waiting but had the man been allowed to continue his excuses, it would have never happened. If only I could paint. If only I could paint, I would paint a scene showing the suffering of people who have been through typhoons and hurricanes. People who have lost everything to massive floods along the gulf coast, the Mississippi, the Missouri, in Bangladesh, in India. I would paint into this scene drought and extreme fire danger in northern California, drought in the Sudan, Ethiopia, Darfur. I would paint into this scene a picture of one out of six people in the world who do not have access to safe drinking water. I would paint a scene of infants, children, both boys and girls, young people who die from water-borne diseases, an average of one every 15 seconds, 5,760 brothers and sisters every day. What a terrible picture we see! An average! What kind of picture is that? An average of 5,760 young people, all of them created by the same God who created us. I would paint into this picture the cure - that we know how to provide safe water and God is waiting for us to do it! If only I could paint. If only I could paint I would paint a scene from our Gospel text (John 3:16-17) and our second lesson from Colossians (1:15-20). I would paint a scene showing the "image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation, for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created..." This picture looks just like Jesus. It is Jesus. The image of God, the face of grace; unmerited, unearned, undeserved love. The love of God. In this picture we see the spirit of God brooding over the waters of creation, brooding over the waters of our baptisms. We see Jesus in a fishing boat with Peter. We see Jesus taking a drink from the woman at the well, telling her about "living water." We see her running off to those in her village, some of whom come to believe because of what she told them, others who went to see and hear Jesus for themselves, who then came to belief. We see Jesus, God incarnate, love incarnate, dying on a cross for us. We see and hear Jesus giving a commission, a "Great Commission" to go forth and make disciples, baptizing and teaching in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. AMEN. Rev. Bruce Hannem,
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