Sermon preached February 25, 2024 at the Area 5 lenten service at Edgewood Church of the Brethren
Come From Away
The title of this sermon was inspired by a musical that reminded me of the importance of trusting God in all situations and bowing before him in humility. This title comes from the Bible verse Philippians 4:6, and is quoted in the famous musical "Come From Away". This musical tells the unique story of thousands of people who were flying through the United States airspace at the time of the 9/11 attacks. Instead of focusing on the drama and tragedy of the event itself, its attention is placed squarely on Gander, Newfoundland, where all of these planes were diverted until it was safe to fly again. The events of this musical are based on a book, and all of these stories are true.
This small, Canadian town went from business as usual to more than doubling in size to make room for the "plane people" who were diverted in a matter of hours, most of whom had no idea what was going on, why they were there, or how long they would be staying. Some people were trapped on their planes for 28 hours until they got word that it was safe to disembark, and at that point, everyone was confused, exhausted, and frustrated, and had not heard the news of the attacks yet.
When they got off the planes, it was dark outside, and they were being loaded into busses and taken to schools and other local facilities to stay the night, or however long they were staying. Police and volunteers in Salvation Army uniforms greeted the "plane people" once they got off of the busses at their locations. Most people found comfort in the protection and pride of these uniforms. However, there was a bus full of people from Africa. Where they come, the uniform is associated with deceit, abuse of power, bribery, and violence. For someone who has grown up in a culture where police are perpetrators of injustice, and not defenders against it, their hesitancy to get off the bus was perfectly understandable.
The driver of the bus was not sure why these people were not getting off the bus, and there was a significant language barrier. The bus driver tried to explain to the passengers that this was a safe place for them to stay until they could fly again, but their immediate reaction of fear to the uniformed people paralyzed them in place. But then, the bus driver noticed that a woman in one of the seats was holding a Bible. He thought that the English Bible and the African Bible must have the same chapters and verses. He asked her to look through it and looked for a Bible verse - Philippians 4:6, and with hallmark Canadian kindness, he emphatically reassured them with these words "Be anxious for nothing". And at this, they were willing to get off the bus and settle into their new, temporary home in Newfoundland.
Every time I listen to the soundtrack of this movie, I cry at this moment. When the bus driver and the African man and his wife share this moment with the Bible, in unison, they both say "and that's when we started speaking the same language" before they continue with the musical number. The word of God is a powerful source of comfort for people around the world in all situations. In this moment, when these people were stripped of everything - in an unknown place, for unknown reasons, for an unknown amount of time, with nothing but the items in their carry-on luggage, that was precisely the time to be anxious. Everything must have felt completely out of control. So what is the comfort in the words "be anxious for nothing" in a time like that? For people of faith, as that bus driver and that group of Africans were, the comfort lies in the hope that God is in control of all things. They had no reason to be anxious because, despite their circumstances, they trusted that God would take care of them no matter what, and bring them through any trials they would face.
This is the attitude of faith and trust that we seek to cultivate in this season. As we start in this season of fasting and praying, we put our full trust in God, knowing that when we strip ourselves of distractions and vices, it makes us stronger for the days that we unwillingly endure even greater trials.
Why Trust God?
But how can we trust someone we can't see to take care of us and provide for us in our lives? Why do we find comfort in this phrase “ be anxious for nothing”? For someone outside of a Christian context, this phrase can be interpreted as an unachievable command "Be anxious for nothing" - the equivalent power and sentiment of telling a person who suffers from depression "Don't be sad" - unhelpful and hollow. So it's important to know the context that surrounds this verse, and how we get to this place of faith and trust in God so it no longer feels like a hollow attempt to make us feel better, but a promise from God himself to care for us in all circumstances.
Trusting in this promise is not something that happens overnight. It is a journey of faith to reach this point of trust in God no matter what circumstance we are in. As we reflect on the scriptures for today, I believe they highlight 3 ways we cultivate faith in God that is strong to withstand any storm of life we may encounter - 1) Recognizing God's Glory, 2) Exercising Faith, 3) Activating Trust. As we journey through our faith, and as that journey is reflected and strengthened during Lent, we are constantly strengthening our faith by bringing our focused attention on God, practicing making him a daily part of our lives so that our faith in him can carry us through the hard times towards his eternal hope.
Recognize God's Glory
Trusting in God to be anxious for nothing begins with understanding the glory of God. The gospel reading for this Sunday of Lent is Mark 9:2-10, a passage colloquially known as "The Transfiguration". In this story, Jesus, Peter, James, and John hike up a mountain, and at the top of that mountain, Jesus is transformed into dazzling white, and two of the most famous fathers of the faith - Elijah and Moses - appear next to him.
Now I have never seen the bodily glorification of Jesus on a mountain before, but I have seen mountains. If you have ever climbed to the top of a mountain anywhere in the world, almost as a natural reflex to witnessing the glory of God, your breath is taken away. I am convinced that the mountains are the pinnacle of God's glory in nature. The amount of time scripture talks about mountaintops being synonymous with God's presence is no coincidence. But imagine you have just hiked to the top of a mountain, and you are looking out at the most glorious sunset cascading off of the rock faces creating lines of color and shadow in every direction. What is the first thing you want to do - take a picture! You want to commemorate this beautiful moment, knowing full well that no picture can do this scene justice.
Well, that's exactly Peter's reaction - he wants to create 3 shrines for the 3 glorified bodies they saw on that mountain. Our natural reaction to beauty is to want to commemorate it, either by capturing it, or keeping it for ourselves. While this instinct has good intentions, it never lives up to its original beauty. Pictures don't do natural beauty justice. Flowers wither, and precious metals and gems tarnish and fade. They do not capture the infinite glory of God's creation. This is why Jesus does not allow them to build these shrines - he wants them to hold that moment in their hearts, where the memory cannot fade or be tarnished and lives on through scripture, far more beautifully than any shrine could have done.
As we revel in the glory of God, we are reminded of how truly mighty he is. So when He promises to be with us, to care for us, and comfort us in our struggles, we can trust that our God is big and strong enough to keep these promises. He shows this in the beauty of creation, he reveals his love and trustworthiness in his deeds. In the light of his majesty, our fears and worries subside. And as we know, the greatest of his majesty was displayed, as the theme hymn says, in his amazing love that he died for you and me.
Exercise Faith
So once the glory of God has been established in our lives, and we feel compelled to respond to his love and holiness in our lives, this is where faith begins. Now faith is the act of believing in the gift of grace given by Jesus's sacrifice on the cross, but faith does not end with this confession. Faith is a state of mind and a position of our heart that we learn to live in. As people of faith, everything is colored by the eternal hope we have in God, and therefore, that affects our actions. But once we accept this to be true, this does not flip an automatic switch that gives us rose-colored glasses. Oftentimes, it takes work to keep our minds and our hearts in alignment with the person and work of Christ, and this is good and necessary work that makes our faith stronger and able to endure the hardships of life.
This season of Lent is one such "faith training" period. It is an exercise of faith to sacrifice the enjoyments of life and put our trust in God in all areas. The beautiful thing about fasting to me is how it gives you consistent, daily reminders to turn to God in prayer and faith. Let's say you give up snacking at night. Every night when you're sitting on the couch and feel the urge to reach for the snack cabinet, that is a reminder to say a prayer and remember. "God, you are stronger than my carnal desires, and I know that there is greater satisfaction in you than satisfying the desires of my flesh". It builds a habit of inviting God into our every day and having conversations with him in even the most seemingly mundane parts of life.
For this step of learning to be anxious for nothing, we turn back to Philippians 4:6, but this time, we're going to read a little bit more through verse 9:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
I absolutely love this verse, and find so much hope in its words. It does not leave us alone with the statement to not be anxious, but gives us faith-building strategies to strengthen our trust and hope in God. When you feel anxious and overwhelmed, pray - focus on the good - and put the love of God you have received into practice.
Activate Trust
So now that we have recognized the glory of God and are exercising faithful habits in our lives as a response, we can be prepared for any trials of life that come our way. When we are called to take up our cross and follow Jesus, that is no small feat. It is difficult, painful, and requires great faith and great sacrifice. Sacrifice is a theme throughout scripture for this reason. It is a worshipful display of a person's whole trust in God for provision and protection. It was designed to cost something, so that a person would have to rely on God rather than themselves. When you give your prize livestock or choice grains for offerings to God, you are essentially saying "Thank you, God, for providing me with these things. I trust that you will continue to do so, and am displaying my trust by giving a portion back to you in worship".
These practices seem so foreign to us today, since Jesus's sacrifice put an end to the Levitical sacrificial system. However, in many ways, what Jesus calls us to sacrifice is even greater than the physical things we have - he calls us to sacrifice our lives, in a metaphysical sense - to surrender our lives to his will, and trust in his understanding over our own. I don't believe that the intent of sacrifice in worship changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament, rather that its original intent was clarified, and released from the culturally-specific rules laid out through Moses. Sacrifice was always about an expression of faith and trust, and few stories in the Old Testament illustrate this point clearer than the story of Abraham and Isaac.
While on the surface, this story has its challenges, more importantly, this introduces the grand plan of God's redemption for humanity - that God would one day give his own son as a sacrifice for humanity. This story helps to illustrate the gravity of what that kind of sacrifice represents. Abraham ends up receiving an incredible blessing through this - countless descendants and blessings for all. Then Jesus upped the ante, and through his sacrifice, not only the bloodline of Abraham, but all of God's children would be blessed through his sacrifice. He gave us all the keys to eternal life and earthly hope because of the love God showed humanity through this miraculous and selfless act.
What God called Abraham and Jesus to do was incredibly difficult. They endured suffering and hardship, but unwavering faith that had been cultivated in their lives allowed them to trust God with their very lives, and we are called to strive for this level of faith in God as we grow and learn in our lives.
Cultivating Trust
As we reflect on all of these ways will build trust in God, and live as people who are wholly and humbly submitted to him, let us seek to always be growing and strengthening our trust every step of this walk of faith. Let us recognize the glory of God in every area of life. Let us exercise faith through this season of Lent to build our faith in God at all times, let us activate our faith in times of trial and suffering, and when we reach our breaking point of fear, choose to turn to God in faith. As the Canadian bus driver reminds us, no matter what situation we are in, when the world seems turned upside-down and we have to sacrifice more than we think we can bear - be anxious for nothing. Trust that God is good in all things, and lean on Him in all things, and continue to strengthen your faith in Him by doing this as a daily devotion to God.
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