Sermonette: Oct. 5, 2020

First Congregational Church

I am moved by what poet and songwriter Sara Graves shares in her song “The Dream” about her grandfather’s recurring image of God:

 You are standing in the driveway

 As I come up the street

 I can tell by your movement you’re not angry

You are waiting there

Because we humans worry. We see the chaos of the world around us. We worry that we’ve done something, that we’ve caused God’s wrath on us. That we don’t deserve the radical love that God offers. Human reason says that “everything happens for a reason” and that reason must be that God’s angry.

 But Scripture tells us differently:

 Philippians 2:6 reads,

 Jesus, who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

When you think of God, what is the picture that comes to your mind? For some, God is like Santa: a wish-granter, out of reach, keeping close tallies on our bad behavior, and rewarding our good. For some, God is like the adult who wielded power over them as a child, controlling, never admitting wrong-doing, manipulating. For some, God is a holy teacher, whom we are striving to emulate.

There are many reasons humans have so many different pictures of God. They can include how we were raised, traumatic events, the way the Church has accepted or not accepted us, helped or harmed. We can base our entire view of God on that one most influential parent or pastor, good or bad.

To Philippians, and Sara Graves, the God of the Universe, all-powerful, humbled himself to be your servant. Stands in the gap for you. Defends you. Waits for you, unangry, at the end of your driveway, even when your faith falters.

Sara Graves goes on:

 I have lived a life of faith

 I have felt and heard the Spirit

 Still the darkness brings its weight

 And assurance is gone

 But as I fall asleep I have a waking dream