Don't Sing When you are Mad

October 6, 2013 Psalm 137 Luke 17:5-10 20th Sunday After Pentecost Year C Don’t sing when you are mad A few years back, I went to a talk – it was a Rotary meeting in which one of my high school teachers talked about his trip to Russia. He told us a Russian folktale, and as you know I love stories. I don’t think that I told you this one yet, but if I have, it is in a different context and meaning. It is the story of a little bird – a little bird who loved to sing. One day a peasant was walking done the road, and he noticed this little bird singing his heart out. He was so happy to listen to the bird. But he also noticed that it was getting cold outside and the bird was cold. He tried to think of a way to keep the bird warm. Being a peasant, who relied on the simple solutions of life, he covered the bird in cow dung to keep him warm. As the bird got warmer, he sung even louder. And soon another peasant came down the road, and he too was impressed by the birds singing. He stopped to admire the bird’s singing, but he felt sorry for the bird. Somebody had covered him in cow dung. How cruel. So he set about cleaning the bird up and setting him free. Unfortunately, with the changing temperature from being covered up, and sweating, and then exposed to the cold – the little bird died. The moral of the story – sometime it does not always matter who it was that put us in the mess, sometimes it doesn’t matter who it was that got us out of the mess. The one thing to remember, is that when you are in the mess up to here, don’t sing. Don’t sing? Isn’t that what we do as Christians – we sing our faith in God. Is there ever a situation in our lives when we don’t sing. I am sure that you can see – coming from Russia – a country that was once communist and did not believe in God. It is a political statement about faith. Saying that in the realities of life that sometimes our faith, our need to sing, to pray, to have faith in God can sometime get us in trouble. 3786 No Singing At His Funeral When the noted agnostic Robert Ingersoll died, the printed funeral notices said, “There will be no singing.” Look not for hymns, anthems, oratorios, carols, and spiritual songs among infidels, agnostics, or skeptics. Without God, without Christ, without redemption, without a divine revelation and without hope, what have they to sing about? —Sunday School Banner 85 Two Singing Religions Judaism and Christianity are singing religions. Atheism is songless. It has nothing to sing about. The funeral notices of Robert Ingersoll, the noted agnostic, stated, “There will be no singing.” The psalm-singing of Christian martyrs going to their deaths in the arena alerted the Roman Empire to the fact that a new and revolutionary force was coming into being. When the pleasure-bent populace saw the Christians singing as they fearlessly entered the amphitheater where hungry lions awaited them, they were filled with awe. Heaven is vibrant with song: “And they sing the song of Moses … and the song of the Lamb” (Rev. 15:3). —Walter B. Knight 3786 No Singing At His Funeral When the noted agnostic Robert Ingersoll died, the printed funeral notices said, “There will be no singing.” Look not for hymns, anthems, oratorios, carols, and spiritual songs among infidels, agnostics, or skeptics. Without God, without Christ, without redemption, without a divine revelation and without hope, what have they to sing about? Atheist have grief, pain and suffering in their lives just like we do – but they don’t have a relationship with God. With no connection to God – there is no need to sing. People of faith sing all of the time, we sing when we are happy, we sing when we are sad, we sing when we feel blessed, we sing when we are in need. Singing is at the heart of our faith, and at the heart of God. October is domestic abuse month, I went to this workshop on the causes of abuse and how to stop abuse. It was sponsored by the salvation army. One of the director’s started out the program by talking about the scripture that you should not sing when you are angry. But for some reason, he did not quote the scripture that he was referring for. Don’t sing when you are angry, or perhaps when you are in it up to here – don’t sing – where is that in the bible? I spent all last night searching for a scripture that talks about singing when you are angry. And wouldn’t you know - I couldn’t find one. As a matter of fact – psalm 137 is an angry psalm. The Isrealites have been taken from their land and forced into slavery. And if that isn’t bad enough, their captors torment them by forcing them to work and expecting them to sing while they are working. And to sing not just any songs – but the sing the songs of God. I love that question – how can we sing the songs of God in a strange land. Or some of us who are truly in a painful situation, who are truly in a hopeless situation, in a situation where there is no way out – may truly begin to ask – how can I sing when I am angry, or hurting, or sad, or grieving or in pain or discouraged? I remember going to annual conference one year, feeling deeply discouraged by the church, feeling like my faith had been betrayed, and that there was nothing that the bishop could possibly say that would make me trust him or this conference, again. I remember him looking at me and noticing my anger at everything that happened. There wasn’t anything that he could say to make me feel better. But after his sermon, we stood and and sang amazing grace. And somewhere in the midst of the song – it became more important to sing than to be mad. By the time the song was over, the situation was the same, but my feelings about the situation disappeared. The song that had deeply touched my heart, took to another place and allowed me to go on. I don’t think it is so much that we should sing when we are angry, but we shouldn’t sing and stay angry. Because it is our singing that brings us to the heart of God and the source of our faith. There are 150 psalms in the bible – psalm means song – and they run the gamit of human emotion. Some are songs of triumph, some are pleading for vindication, some are thankfulness for what God has given, some are praise for when God has done, some are a celebration of community, some are a plea for health. Anything that happens in our live, is mentioned somewhere in one of the psalms. As a matter of fact, when I think of singing in anger – psalm 137 is an angry psalm. Not only does the person say I really feel like singing right now, but it is also a request that their captors be killed, and that their babies be killed – how angrier can you get than that? There is not peace in this psalm, no resolution, no forgiveness, just anger and a request for vindication. And yet even in the midst of the anger – is a need to praise God. To be faithful to God, and a promise that they will never forget the home that God promised them. A psalm is a praise of God in the midst of all of the circumstances of life. Serving God begins with how I feel. In order to be honest with God about how we feel, we have to have a relationship with God. God is God all by himself. Faith is where we are in our lives in relationship with God. And sometimes, in order for us to get right with God, we first have to deal with how we feel. In order to make peace with the situation, we have to make peace with God. Faith is not about God – Faith is about us, and our feeling and our lives. It is how we feel about God. Faith does not have to do with God, heaven, or anything else spiritual. On the contrary, faith changes the landscape of this world. It moves mountains and transplants trees. It is not a passport to heaven nor is it a belief about God. Faith is not even belief in God. It is a new understanding of the way this world can be. Faith sees with amazing clarity a reality that others do not yet see. Sometimes we long for a faith that can move mountains, uproot trees, heal the sick, or raise the dead, when sometime all we really need is faith to get us through the day. Luke chapter 16 talks about having that faith to move mountains. We all know the story of the faith of the mustard seed. But before we think about that kind of mountain moving faith, I want us to think about the rest of the story. Jesus starts to talk about the role of a slave, he says that a slave should not expect a place at the table, when they are expected to serve. He says that we are worthless slaves, we have done only what we have ought to have done. Jesus is reminding us that we are the slave and that God is the master. More importantly he is reminding us that we can never have any claim on anything that God does. In other words, no matter what happens in life – we can never tell God that he owes us. He is the master – and he doesn’t owe us anything. I will always remember the words of Job 1:21 – the lord giveth and the lord taketh away – blessed be the name of the lord. Whatever we might be feeling about life right now – God is always worthy to be praised. Life could always be worse. Our anger is not about God, it is about how we feel about God. How can I praise God when I am angry? In Luke 17:5 the disciples ask Jesus – how can I have more faith? If I am angry, or hurt or discouraged and need to get right with God, then that must mean that I need to have more faith. Because if I had more faith, I wouldn’t have negative feelings? Right? In this life that is wrong. Jesus reminds us – trusting in God is not so much about how much faith we have in God – it is whether we have any faith in God at all. A little faith does just as much as a lot of faith. How many times in our life, have we truly believed that if we think hard enough, or pray hard enough, or fast enough that things will get better, and they don’t. and the reality is they wont. Because our faith doesn’t change anything – it is only the grace of God that changes things. A seeker once challenged a faithful servant – “convince me of the existence of God.” Knowing that the man had traveled in the seas, the preacher asked him, “Have you ever been caught in a fierce storm in the middle of a voyage, your rudder gone, your sails torn, your vessel in danger of capsizing, and no land in sight? The man replied yes. The Iman then asked him, “Yet was not there always, despite your black despair, a glimmer of hope in your heart that someone, somewhere – some unnamed and unknown power- could still save you? Yes, the man answered again. To which the faithful servant replied, “that power is God”. We don’t have to have great faith in God, we have to have faith in a great God. Someone asked the question Why do we sing? When we lift our hands to Jesus What do we really mean? Someone may be wondering When we sing our song At times we maybe crying. And nothings even wrong I sing because I'm happy I sing because I'm free His eye is on the sparrow That's the reason why I sing Amen. ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Homework Is a Duty by WESLEY T. RUNK Passage: Luke 17:1-10 • Lectionary: Proper 22 Item 1 of 12 | Back to Results "So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.' " Objects: Some homework papers. Lesson: Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you are glad to be in school? (Let them raise their hands.) Most of you like to go to school, but some of you are not too happy about it. Not all of us like the same things, but I am glad that most of you like to go to school. School is really very important, because it is there where we learn to read and write and work with numbers. All of those things and many others are really very important, and school is the place where we learn them. How many of you have homework to bring home with you after school is out? (Let them answer.) Do you like to do homework? Most boys and girls like to play outside, or watch TV, or do something else when they come home instead of doing their homework. But still we must do it. It is our duty. How many of you know what the word "duty" means? (Let them answer.) Most all of you know the word "duty." It is when we have something to do that is our responsibility, something that we do not receive special thanks for doing. It is something that is expected. I think that there are things like that between us and God. There are some things that are our duty to God, and we should not expect God to send us a special message of thanks, or have one of his workers pat us on the back, for doing it. I know some people who think that they are doing God a favor when they come to church or Sunday church school. That is not a favor, or something that you should be thanked for doing. That is your duty. Some people think that they should be thanked for telling the truth or helping someone who needs help. If you see someone who needs you, then you should help them because you are a Christian. We don't need to be thanked and patted on the back for doing good things, because that is what we are supposed to do. No one thanks you for doing your homework. Doing homework is your duty. No one should thank you for doing Christian things, either, because you also have Christian things to do. That's what Jesus thought, and he told the disciples that very thing one day when they asked him about doing special things to be special people. Do what is right, and you will be doing your Christian duty. The next time that you do some homework and you think about it, I hope that you think about your Christian duties, and then remember to do them. CALL IN THE CLOWNS!, WESLEY T. RUNK, C.S.S. Publishing Co., 1988, 1-55673-071-3 Back to Results | Item 1 of 12 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Acts, Not the Dreams The sales manager of a large real estate firm was interviewing an applicant for a sales job. "Why have you chosen this career?" he asked. "I dream of making a million dollars in real estate, like my father," the young man replied. "Your father made a million dollars in real estate?" asked the impressed sales manager. "No," replied the young man, "but he always dreamed of it." Have you ever noticed that the Bible never mentions the dreams of the apostles? It doesn't even mention the ideas of the apostles. However, it devotes an entire book to the "Acts of the Apostles." Chane M. Hutton, Jesus Says, 'Just Do It' One day the great Michelangelo attracted a crowd of spectators as he worked. One child in particular was fascinated by the sight of chips flying and the sound of mallet on chisel. The master was shaping a large block of white marble. Unable to contain her curiosity, the little girl inquired, "What are you making?" He replied, "There is an angel in there and I must set it free." Every Christian at their confirmation or conversion is handed a large cold white marble block called religion. We must then take the mallet in hand and set to work. Religion is not our goal but we must first start there. Now there are many names for religion. At times we do call it religion but we often use other words and images to describe it. Sometimes we call it our faith. Jesus spoke in terms of the Kingdom of God. We say we are the Church, Christians, or Disciples. There are many names with varying nuances of meaning but in the end they all describe the same thing. We are a people of Faith, faith in Christ to be sure, but faith nonetheless. We are not a business or institution. We do not sell or produce anything. We advocate no earthly cause. We serve no worldly authority. We come to a church building made by men. And to do what? Practice our faith. But we just as well could have met on a hillside or cave… 3787 She’d Rather Sing PARABLE OF THE CANDLES There was a blackout one night. When the lights went out, I fumbled to the closet where we keep the candles for nights like this ... I lit four of them. I was turning to leave with the large candle in my hand when I heard a voice, "Now, hold it right there." "Who said that?" "I did." The voice was near my hand. "Who are you? What are you?" "I'm a candle." I lifted up the candle to take a closer look. There was a tiny face in the wax. "Don't take me out of here!" "What?" "I said, Don't take me out of this room." "What do you mean? I have to take you out. You're a candle. Your job is to give light. It's dark out there." "But you can't take me out. I'm not ready," the candle explained with pleading eyes. "I need more preparation." I couldn't believe my ears. "More preparation?" "Yeah, I've decided I need to research this job of light-giving so I won't go out and make a bunch of mistakes. You'd be surprised how distorted the glow of an untrained candle can be..." "All right then," I said. "You're not the only candle on the shelf. I'll blow you out and take the others!" But right then I heard other voices, "We aren't going either!" I turned to the other candles, "You are candles and your job is to light dark places!" "Well, that may be what you think," said the first one, "You may think we have to go, but I'm busy ... I'm meditating on the importance of light. It's really enlightening." "And you other two," I asked, "Are you going to stay, too?" A short, fat, purple candle with plump cheeks spoke up. "I'm waiting to get my life together, I'm not stable enough." The last candle had a female voice, very pleasant to the ear. "I'd like to help, "she explained, "but lighting the darkness is not my gift ... I'm a singer. I sing to other candles to encourage them to burn more brightly." She began a rendition of "This Little Light of Mine." The other three joined in, filling the closet with singing. I took a step back and considered the absurdity of it all. Four perfectly healthy candles singing to each other about light but refusing to come out of the closet. Here is a question for you--when was the last time you shared the gospel to someone? This world is full of darkness, with many people stumbling around trying to find their way. You can be a light for them, and believe me, there's a light waiting for you. It can all happen with something as sharing the faith, to just a smile across the room, to a quick hello to a forgotten friend. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE BEFORE MEN THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS, AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN." Matthew 5:14-16 - Author unknown