ORDINARY PEOPLE EXTRAORDINARY GOD

(Preached on Sunday, August 19, 2007)

By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.                          -Hebrews 11:31

 

Over and over again in the scriptures God chooses the seediest characters to do God=s work.  None of them, from the mightiest tot he most obscure, would stand up to the scrutiny and bright lights of a modern political campaign.  All of them have skeletons in the closet that would bring their aspirations crashing down.  Pick any biblical hero and I can point out their feet of clay.  Moses, hero of the Exodus and bearer of the 10 commandments?  Early in his life he had to flee his homeland and go into exile because he was a murderer.  Noah, the righteous one God chose to build the ark and save all species from the flood?  Afterwards we learn he is a drunk.  King David?  Where shall we start?  An adulterer, murderer, such a terrible father that his children are a mess, with one even leading a rebellion against him.  Turn to the Christian scriptures and things don=t improve.  All of Jesus= disciples desert him; brash, loud-mouthed, impetuous Peter denies him; Judas betrays him; and Paul persecutes the church and is clearly a bigot before his conversion.

 

It=s no wonder that a woman like Rahab is able to make the honor roll of faith in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews.  Do you remember the listing of Rahab? ABy faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.@  Imagine that, a prostitute listed as a heroine of faith.  Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, yes, we can understand them being on the list, but a prostitute?

 

Here=s the story: (You can find it in Joshua 2 & 6) Joshua has led the army of Israel to the threshold of the promised land.  Two spies are sent to reconnoiter Jericho.  As soldiers so often do, they end up at Rahab=s place in a seedy section of town.  The king got word that the spies were about and sent messengers to seize them.  When they inquired at Rahab=s, she lied.  Batting her heavy, false eyelashes, she said, ATrue, a couple of Jewish boys were here earlier, but when the gate was closed, at dark, they left; go quickly, and maybe you=ll overtake them.@  The king=s men rushed on, not knowing that Madame Rahab had hidden the Israelites on her roof.  Rahab told the spies that she had heard of the mighty works of their God.  All she asked was that the Israelites show her family mercy when the walls of Jericho come tumbling down.  Then, while it was still night, Rahab let them down by a rope, tying scarlet thread in her window to identify her place for the invading Israelites.  When Joshua and his army finally entered the city, the folk of the red thread house in the red light district were the only ones spared when the invaders leveled Jericho.

 

A prostitute, a liar, and yet, Rahab is not really any worse than any other biblical character.  In fact, the Bible is extremely honest about the character and character flaws of all the heros and heroines of faith, because they are not the center of attention.  Rahab is not the focus of the story.  Humanity in general is not the center of attention.

God is.  God is the hero.  The mighty acts in the Bible, even the mighty works of faith, are all God=s doing.

 

All the characters in scripture, all the heros and heroines, are just that because God chose them for the role, not because of who they were or what they could do.  In fact, more often than not, it was in spite of who they were or what they could do.  All of these people achieved great things and were accounted faithful and holy, not because they were pure and spotless, but because God chose them to do great things and because they responded to being chosen by saying Ayes!@  It was because they trusted God to work in them and through them that they were able to achieve what they achieved on behalf of God.

 

I don=t know about you, but this is very reassuring news to me, this is Agood news.@  Which is exactly what I think the author of Hebrews was trying to achieve with this pantheon Ahall of fame@ list.  The author was originally addressing a group of Christians who, faced with increasing opposition from the world around them, were in danger of losing their faith.  This list was intended to encourage them.  They are reminded what faith can enable people to do and to overcome.  Verses 35-37 speak of those martyred for faith, and the tortures they endured.  Those people all died before seeing and receiving the promised hope to which they were journeying, but they all persevered in their faith and in their hope, moving forward in that journey toward that realm of love, joy, peace and life.  The way to face the present crisis, the author is telling them, is not to focus on it, but to remember those faithful witnesses who have gone before us, and to focus on the goal of life with God lived as Jesus teaches us and calls us to live it.

 

We have our own wing on the faith Ahall of fame@ which can encourage us in our present day struggles perhaps even more than the main wing described by the author of Hebrews.  Let us remember how those who have gone before us in this place persevered in the face of those who thought they would never make a go of it; through sweat and hard work they carved out this garden of Eden from weeds, palmettos and snakes; they rebuilt after hurricanes and congregational fights that split the membership, and we are the beneficiaries of their faithfulness.  They were not pure and spotless; take any list of sins, vices, or character flaws and they have all been manifested to some degree in some fashion in this Church over the years.  Yet, there has been a core of faithfulness, a level of commitment to God and God=s purposes, and God has used what the fragile, cracked-pot saints have offered to build this Church, where extravagant welcome, love, and acceptance have been offered, more often than not, to untold countless people who needed just such a community in their lives. 

 

Mel Schoonover, who would have celebrated his 81^st birthday this weekend, by faith not only lived far longer than doctors thought possible with his bone disease that forced him to live in a wheelchair, but did so gallantly.  By faith he offered his life in service to God and that ministry took him from a farm in Indiana, to Harlem, to suburbia, to one of the world=s most diverse cities, relating along the way to a cross-section of the world=s humanity, touching and changing countless lives all along the way.

 

All of this is God=s work.  All of these faithful souls trusted God to do that work.  Theirs is the example to us of how we can persevere in the face of the challenges which confront us today.  The call to us is to follow Jesus: to love with all our strength, to trust God though it feels like dying, to pray like a crazy neighbor under God=s window, never giving up, to let God be God and to undertake everything God delegates to us through the Holy Spirit.

 

There is an old Hasidic tale about three pious Jews who decided to travel to a distant city to spend the high holy days with a famous rabbi.  They set out on their journey, without food or money, intending to walk the entire way.  Several days into the journey, weak from hunger and still a long way from their destination, they knew they had made a mistake and they must do something.  They came up with a plan.  They decided that one of them would disguise himself as a rabbi.  That way, when they came to the next village, the people would offer them food, honored to have a rabbi visit their town.  None of the three, being pious, wished to be the deceitful one, so they drew straws, and the unlucky one who drew the short straw had to don the clothing of a rabbi.   When they drew near to the next village, they were greeted with excited cries of joy, AA rabbi is coming!  A rabbi is coming!@  Escorted with great ceremony to the local inn, the hungry threesome were treated to a sumptuous meal. When the meal was done, however, the innkeeper approached the Arabbi@ and spoke with great sorrow.  ARabbi, you must pray for my son,@ he said.  AHe is dying and the doctors have given up hope.  But the Holy One, blessed be his name, may respond to your prayers.@  The counterfeit rabbi looked desperately to his friends for help.  They motioned for him to go with the innkeeper to his son=s bedside.  They had begun this hypocritical ruse, and now there was no choice but to keep on playing the game.  The mock rabbi accompanied the distraught father to his son=s sick bed.

 

That night the three travelers slept fitfully.  They were eager to leave town before their deception was discovered.  In the morning, the innkeeper, still hoping for a miracle and grateful for the prayer of the visiting rabbi, sent the party off with the loan of a carriage and a team of horses.  They left the village and traveled to the great city where they spent magnificent holy days under the spell of the famous rabbi.  But too soon the holy days were at an end, and the three companions had to go back home through the same village to return the borrowed carriage and horses.

 

Terrified, the mock rabbi resumed his disguise; his heart was in his throat as they approached the village, especially when he saw the innkeeper running toward them, waving his arms furiously.  But to the pretender=s delight and surprise, the innkeeper embraced him with joy, exclaiming, AThank you, rabbi.  Only one hour after you left our village, my son arose from his bed well and strong.  The doctors are amazed, but my son lives, and I am grateful for your faithful prayer.@  The two companions looked with astonishment at their phony rabbi companion.  What had happened?  Had his prayer really healed the boy?  Was he truly a rabbi all along, without telling them?  When they were alone, they turned on him with their questions.  AWhat had he done at that boy=s death bed?@ they demanded to know.  He replied that he had stood at the boy=s side in silence and then, began to lift his thoughts to heaven: AMaster of the universe, please; this father and son should not be punished just because they think I=m a rabbi.  What am I?  I am nothing.  A pretender.  If this child dies, his father will think a rabbi can do nothing.  So, Master of the universe, not because of me, but because of this father and his faith, can it hurt that his son would be healed?@