Rev. David Inglis September 9, 2007

2 Corinthians 4:7-12

Today I’m going to finish a sermon series on the Lord’s Prayer I started at the end of July. At first I wasn’t going to begin a new program year finishing up a sermon series. But you know, I really need to pray this last line of Jesus’ prayer these days: “For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.” And I suspect you need this part of the prayer too. Let me tell you why.

When I look at all the happy, bright-eyed children in our congregation that run up the aisle for Children’s Time, I really worry about the kind of world they will have to raise their children in. The early warning signs are all around us of global climate change, depletion of oil and other resources, humans outstripping the world’s ability to provide enough food and fresh water, a widening gap between haves and have-nots, and protracted wars, and an unwinnable war on terrorism. The world’s governments, corporations, military establishments, educational systems, and even religious institutions are all geared to sustaining the values, assumptions and motivations that have put us on a collision course with reality. The earth cannot sustain more and more of the same. But nobody who has any power seems to be willing or able to do more than tap the brakes a bit, let alone really change directions.

So I keep coming back to the last line of Jesus’ prayer: “For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” To hear the hope in these words, we need to hear them in their original context. Jesus was constantly reminded of the power of the kingdom of Rome. This was the power that had caused his parents to make the long journey to Bethlehem when he was about to be born; whose taxation system extracted every penny it could from his father and his neighbors; and whose soldiers had killed fellow Jews who believed God had called them to stand up for the Jews’ autonomy.

This kingdom of Rome was the most powerful empire the world had ever seen. But Jesus knew that it wasn’t this mighty kingdom that would ultimately shape the future. Jesus saw the outlines of another kingdom. It wasn’t yet visible to people who saw with worldly eyes. But it was this invisible kingdom–God’s kingdom–and it was a more subtle power–God’s power–that would create a hopeful future. And he wanted us to see that kingdom and to believe in its power so that we could help create it. “For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever,” he taught us to pray.

So, was Jesus a starry-eyed dreamer, or was he onto something real, something that we can tap into for a sense of hope in this ailing world, something that we can harness to create a new kind of future? Well, I guess you can guess which side I come down on. And I’ll tell you why I believe what Jesus saw with all my soul. It has to do with the nature of power.

There are two kinds of power. The most obvious is what we might call dominating force. This kind of power exerts itself to get what it wants. It acts like this: “Get over here before I whup your little behind.” Or it uses military power to impose its will on other countries. Or it uses terrorist acts against innocent people to try to force its way. Or it bribes officials, rigs elections, intimidates the press, or frightens the public to get what it wants. This kind of power dominates, divides and destroys. But there are two things it cannot do: it can’t last and it can’t create.

Why can’t it last if it holds all that power? Because it plants the seeds of its own destruction. By dominating, dividing and destroying, it sets in motion counterforces of resentment, resistence and retaliation. The more force it uses, the stronger these counterforces grow, so the more money, people, tools, weapons, lives, and other resources it needs just to stay in control. It likes to use words like enemy, evil, might, resolute deterrence, security, protect, defend, authority, loyalty and order. But underneath these strong-sounding words there is a built-in instability, because it creates division instead of unity. Its “power” is its own undoing.

The other thing dominating force can’t do is create. To create, we need to draw on the other kind of power. Creating power has a whole different approach from dominating power. Instead of pushing against or pushing down other entities or people, creative power awakens, empowers and draws other parts together to create a new whole, which can do what they couldn’t do alone. God’s creative power is behind the forces that organized subatomic particles into atoms, and those into molecules, and those into life forms, and those into communities, and those into ecosystems, and those into what we call Creation itself– an incredibly complex yet wondrously ordered dynamo of life.

Now think about how Jesus applied this creative power to the brokenness, divisions and powerlessness of his day. He encountered a Samaritan woman at a well who was ostracized from her community because of her loose morals. He saw through her shameful past and her painful present into her thirsty soul. And he offered her the living water of God’s love to cleanse her of her sin and restore her self worth. And she became a bearer of the good news of the Messiah’s presence to her community. That’s the creative power of redemption.

Jesus saw a man who had been an invalid for 38 years, wasting away by a pool whose water supposedly had healing power when it was stirred up. He looked into the man’s eyes and asked “Do you want to be made well?” And something stirred to life in him–his hope, his faith, his long-lost sense of what he could contribute. And he picked up his mat and walked into a new life. That’s the creative power of healing.

Jesus found 12 ordinary men of all backgrounds, all struggling to find their place in the world. He invited them to follow him, listen to him, and watch him. They began to learn trust, hope, humility, compassion, and service. And before long they too were spreading the good news of God’s kingdom and God’s power into the towns and villages. That’s the creative power of faith.

And then Jesus turned and faced the mighty kingdom of the world–the Roman Empire, whose repressive will was imposed on his people by Pilate and his puppet Herod, and which was pulling the strings of the Jews’ own religious authorities to enforce the system of domination and intimidation. Jesus knew that this kingdom derived its power through fear, ultimately the fear of torture and death for those who dared to challenge it. So Jesus acted freely and fearlessly under their noses–driving the corrupt money changers out of the temple, healing on the Sabbath, and exposing the hypocrisy of the religious authorities. They captured him. But throughout his arrest, trial, torture, and crucifixion, his spirit remained free and fearless. They could destroy his body, but their power could not touch the power of Jesus’ faith. He met their torture with serene silence. He met their violent blows with forgiving love. And he allowed death to transform him from a single man to a powerful presence who lived on in his followers.

Inspired by the power of his presence, his followers pooled their resources and shared all they had in common. They reached out to the widows and orphans, the lepers and the crippled, and gave them a family. They broke down the barriers between Jews and gentiles, men and women, slave and free, and knit them all into one body. The invisible kingdom of God was growing and becoming visible, right in the midst of the kingdom of the world–like leaven in a loaf of bread, or mustard seeds spreading and growing in a field.

And that power that Jesus embodied and that kingdom that he saw continues to grow right here at HUCC. It becomes visible as we welcome people of all backgrounds and abilities and knit them into this family of faith, hope and love. As we adapt our Sunday School and provide aides for children with special needs so they can participate as fully as they possibly can. As we awaken the “inner minister” in every member and empower them to offer their gifts to the world. As we deepen our faith together through newcomers classes, retreats, workshops, support groups, and spiritual growth groups. As we help provide a home for refugees, and build Habitat for Humanity houses for the poor, and give to so many empowering missions and ministries through our Board of Christian Outreach. As we seek to understand and appreciate people of other faiths. As we switch to Fair Trade coffee and convert to compact fluorescent bulbs and find more and more ways to care for God’s creation here in our church and in our homes.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who died because he stood up against the Nazis in Germany, said, “ The church is the world the way God means it to be.” We are living out Jesus’ vision, right here and right now– his vision of the kingdom of God becoming visible in the midst of us. It grows whenever we ask God to receive, redeem, heal, forgive, call, and guide us, so that we ourselves can be agents of this creating power wherever we are.

And we’re not alone. At the 2006 Annual Meeting of the NY Conference of the UCC, we were only one of two UCC churches in the state that were recognized for our efforts to be intentional stewards of God’s creation. This year, there were about a dozen–partly because of Liz Pixley’s leadership in shaping a creation-oriented theme for last year’s meeting. And well over a hundred people from dozens of faith communities came to our Earth Day symposium in Rochester last spring, and began thinking of ways to care for creation in their places of worship and their homes.

This past week, the Pope preached and modeled care of creation for some 300,000 youth, who used recycled prayer books, biodegradable plates and backpacks made from reused nylon. And Danny and Stencey Wegman announced that they have started an organic research farm to grow local organic food creating a model for sustainable agriculture.

So I’m with Paul, who said, “Since it is by God’s merciful love that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. . . .We have this treasure in clay jars.” We have this divine power to help re-create the world around us, this creating power that’s hidden in the humble containers of our ordinary human lives. So we look at all that is wrong with this world, and we may feel afflicted with apprehension. But we’re not crushed. We may be perplexed about who’s going to solve it all. But we’re not driven to despair. Even if we’re persecuted for exposing its corrupt underpinnings and standing against its abuses, we will not be forsaken. Even if we’re struck down, we won’t be destroyed. As Paul said, we carry in our bodies the death of Jesus, who showed us that death doesn’t have the last word. And when we lose our fear of intimidation and death, then the life of Jesus is made visible for the world to see in our bodies, as we embody a power that no human force can stop, and help create a new order that reflects the life-giving, redeeming, all-embracing power of God.

So yes, sometimes I worry about the future our children will face. But then I go deeper than my fear, and I feel a surge of hope. These precious souls have come into the world at a crossroads in human history. They will see the old order of dominating, exploiting, violent power begin to crumble and perhaps they will see it collapse. But they will also have the opportunity to be part of the creation of a new order. We are helping them see right here in our midst at HUCC the outlines of a new kingdom–God’s kingdom. We are helping them experience the love, faith and hope that flow through us when our spirits are filled with God’s creating power. What a privilege and responsibility God has given us, to raise these children steeped in faith, hope and love, not only for their sake but for the sake of the world.

Jesus taught us to pray, “For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, now and forever.” Thank God for Jesus’ vision. Thank God for his witness. Thank God that his death did not end his life. Thank God that he entrusted his treasure even to clay jars like us.