May I begin with a story at the
expense of us men and fathers? One of my loving relatives sent me this
story:
One day, three men were hiking and unexpectedly came upon a
large raging, violent river. They needed to get to the other side, but
had no idea of how to do so. The first man prayed to God, saying,
“Please God, give me the strength to cross this river.”
Poof! God gave him big arms and strong legs, and he was able to swim
across the river in about two hours, after almost drowning a couple of
time.
Seeing this, the second man prayed to God, saying,
“Please God, give me the strength and the tools to cross this
river.”
Poof! God gave him a rowboat and he was able to row across the river in
about an hour, after almost capsizing the boat a couple of times.
The third man had seen how this worked out for the other two, so
he prayed to God saying,
“Please God, give me the strength and the tools…and the
intelligence..to cross this river.”
And poof! God turned him into a woman. She looked at the map, hiked
upstream a couple of hundred yards, then walked across the bridge.
When it comes to men and maybe
fathers, it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks, isn’t it? But there is
hope for us. No matter how all of us end up trying to live our lives or
establish priorities or set our course of life there is in each of us that
natural, innate tendency, even ability, to know the truth. Thee is
residing in each and every one of us the heart of a child of God—a heart
that always resonates with the harmony of truth and responds to the call
of love. By that heart you know you are a part of something so much
greater than just yourself. Your heart, your true heart, is what keeps
you centered on the truth and loyal to your duty to love.
By way of illustration this morning,
let me turn to the realm of nature. Have you listened to the night sounds
lately? Have you heard the song of the cricket as it rubs its legs
together and sends its greeting through the night air? There is something
very interesting about that song which scientists have discovered. When
German paleontologists came across 20,000 prehistoric katydids which were
preserved in solidified ocean sediment for 55 millions years they
discovered fossil impressions so detailed that you can see the find
outlines of the insects wings and forelegs. From this fossil evidence
they were able to recreate the creature’s tune, producing a sample of what
Earth probably sounded like in the night long, long ago. When you hear
that song in exhibits in Danish museums today you will discover that the
katydid song is just about the same now as it was 55 millions years ago.
Through the millennia what was one constant tune has developed some
variations, but the main tune is exactly the same.
In the Old Testament
lesson today the Psalmist shares an ancient hymn that was sung over 3,000
years ago. We shared it together this morning. This ancient hymn speaks
the truth about life—it, too, is a song that is the same now as it was
then. Through the years this song has developed some variations for sure,
but the main tune is exactly the same.
There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there
any works like
yours…For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are
God.
Psalm 86:8,
10
This ancient hymn of the people of God tells the truth
today. After all has been said, when the dust settles, and you really
look life straight in the eye, the truth finally comes out. The truth is
There is none like you among the gods,
O Lord, nor are there any works like yours…For
you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.
This ancient hymn resounds
throughout history as the foundation upon which creation was made. It is
a song that resonates in the hearts of all humanity. As a matter of fact,
many songs that have been sung through the ages are but a variation of
this same tune, because life dances to this theme.
Oh, we’ve tried to sing
other songs—we’ve tried to choreograph the dance of life around other
themes, that’s for sure. We’ve tried so many songs, so many dances trying
to make sense of life. And we certainly live in a culture that has taught
you well that truth in life ion self-seeking short-sighted gain, wealth
and power. The trouble is none of these hold the tune very long, do
they? Oh, they keep you stirred up and get you moving all right, but what
they inspire is anything but the dance of a joyous, fulfilled heart. What
the culture offers, you see, is nothing more than just the same old song
and dance. So we keep coming back again and again to truth of this
ancient hymn and again follow to lead of the Lord of the Dance.
You do that because
that’s the way you’re made. When it comes to this hymn and the dance it
inspires I don’t care what your personal opinion of your singing voice or
your dancing ability—you were made to sing this tune and to perform this
dance of life gracefully and confidently. That’s the way God made you.
The song, you see, and the dance are not all about you, but everything
about God. The true dance of life is the spontaneous and grateful
enjoyment of the sufficiency of God. That’s the way you’re made. If you
sing any other song you’re out of tune—if you try any other dance you’ve
got two left feet. Life is not all about you! Life is about joy and
freedom in God.
There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there
any works like
yours…For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are
God.
This song and this
dance are so natural to you because you were created in the image of God.
The very nature of God is the basic ingredient in your life. There
resides in you the heart of a child of God. Your whole life is designed
to be lived with God at the very center, so much so that nothing can ever
take God’s rightful place there. Almost like a tune that gets stuck in
your head that you just can’t get out of your mind, such is the song of
this ancient hymn resonating in your heart calling you again and again
back to the truth.
God believed in the
truth of that song so much and held to the one true dance so vehemently
that God gave an only Son to restore the tune and help us dance again. In
Jesus Christ, God sang the song and God danced the dance. By the life,
death, resurrection, and coming again in the Spirit of Jesus Christ you
can sing the song, the movement of the dance comes back to you. When you
give your life to Christ God is restored to the very center of your life,
the very nature of God becomes you again. You no longer strain and
strive, fussing and fuming all about you. No, you enjoy the sufficiency
of God and freely give and share as an expression of a grateful heart.
You sing the tune and dance to the theme again:
There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there
any works like
yours…For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are
God.
That song, that dance
comes so naturally to you because that’s the way you we’re made.
There was a member of
one of my past congregations who was a ballroom dancer. Several years ago
Elinor suffered a debilitating stroke that permanently impaired her
ability to walk. Along the way of her rehabilitation a dance therapist
said to her, “Come on, you’re going to dance again.” He said this to a
woman who can barely walk! But week in and week out they practiced as his
skillful instruction and patient experience led her. Finally the day came
and as the music of the orchestra filled the room she was swept across the
ballroom floor again gracefully supported by the skillful hands of her
partner. I know because she proudly showed me the picture one day during
a pastoral call. I could tell by the way she told her story no matter
what life brought to her, she is still a ballroom dancer. That’s who she
is. It comes naturally to her. Nothing can ever change that.
In the fall of 2003
Hurricane Isabel barreled through Virginia. My own family escaped its
severest effects only because we moved to Roanoke barely three months
before the storm ravaged the community and home where we had lived in
south east Virginia. As I was keeping up with the track of the storm on
CNN, they reported on its aftermath in Northern Virginia. As hurricane
conditions blew their worst at Arlington National Cemetery, the guards at
the tomb of the unknown soldier were granted special permission to seek
shelter if they needed it. They remained at their posts.
Sisters and brothers,
there is hope for us. There is in each of us a natural, innate tendency,
even ability, to know the truth. There resides in each and every one of
us the heart of a child of God. By that heart you know you are part of
something so much greater than yourself. Your heart, your true heart
keeps you centered on the truth and loyal to your duty to love.
Just like the night
call of the cricket that has remained unchanged for 55 millions years, the
song of the ancient hymn the Psalmist shares over 3,000 years ago declares
the truth established in the beginning and preserved for all eternity:
There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any
works like
yours…For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are
God.
It’s not about you. It’s about
God. Anything else is just the same old song and dance.
