Fly on Your Wings Like an Eagle. Kurt Esslinger 10/7/12

Transcription

1 Fly on Your Wings Like an Eagle Kurt Esslinger 10/7/12 I am presenting you with two scriptures today that provide some dissonance in the way each of them end. I have a feeling that I recognize them as somewhat dissonant because I experienced some dissonance last week while visiting Hawai i. Of course, Hawai i was wonderful! The dissonance occurred as I sought to take to the waves in Hale iwa for my second try at surfing lessons. It had been two years since my previous and first lesson. Two years ago, I started a little slowly, but quickly picked up on all the little adjustments to position and stance I needed to make as the ride continued. By the end of that first lesson, I finished in style with the biggest ride I had that afternoon. My instructor that day exclaimed, That was wicked! The wave was so big, I thought you were going to totally wipe out, but you didn t! You just kept going. So, this year I found the same instructor and was ready to take that glorious ride from two years ago and make it even more glorious. I was about to live that verse from Isaiah, They shall mount up with wings like eagles, and he shall ride the break of the waves into glory. I was a little shaky at first. Then I started getting a few good rides. But then, my body began to show some fatigue, due to a combination of jet lag, trying to write and give a sermon on jet lag, knee surgery a year ago, and a sprained ankle a month or so ago. Very quickly, my lesson went from mounting up with wings to being battered by waves, becoming frightened, and a bit of sinking. I had to admit that my body was not in good enough shape for taking on the surf this last week. So then, I was stuck for the rest of the week, having to deal with goals unreached with a feeling of failure perhaps a similar feeling to Peter after he returned to the boat with Jesus. I think this dissonance can be something we all have to face when dealing with life here on earth while at the same time reading of God s promises from the past. For those living in poverty, or living

2 paycheck to paycheck at minimum wage jobs, and even for those of us living more privileged lives, when we come up against human failure as we see this country become more and more beneficial only to those at the top of the wealth pyramid. We struggle and fail to reform church and the country as antigay interpretations of scripture are still considered a valid opinion. Meanwhile we read this promise, they shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint, and we ask, why I am so weary of struggling against injustice? Why do I feel like I want to faint during every election? Perhaps when some of you read this verse, your mind brings up the common worship song, And God will raise you up on eagles wings, bear you on the breath of dawn. Well, another song that comes to my mind is actually an Iron Maiden tune, Flight of Icarus : Now the crowd breaks, and a young boy appears. Looks the old man in his eyes. As he spreads his wings and shouts at the crowd, In the name of God my father I ll fly. His eyes seem so glazed as he flies on the wings of a dream. Now he knows his father betrayed, now his wings burn to ashes to ashes his grave. Fly on your way like an eagle. Fly as high as the sun, on your way like an eagle. Fly, touch the sun. The story of Icarus, perhaps is something that we could more easily relate to. Our lives seem like they get so close to greatness at times, but then we make a mistake, we trip, we find ourselves falling. The ancient story of Icarus can help us to an extent. We commonly understand it to be a warning against hubris, or trying to become too godlike. Daedalus made wings of wax and feathers for himself and his son, Icarus, in order to escape the prison of King Minos. Daedalus warned Icarus to not fly too close to the sun. However, once he got into the air, the feeling of flight was so exciting he flew as high as he could. Soon, the wax began to melt; the feathers came loose, and down Icarus fell into the ocean. So, the interpretation of hubris does not make as much sense to us when describing flight, especially as we

3 are graced with numerous pictures of a rover on the planet of Mars interacting with the soil. Nonetheless, it reminds us that even the greatest of accomplishments can be fraught with mistakes. Herein lies the crux of the question, I believe, while waiting and hoping for those days when we mount up with wings like eagles, how do we deal with the missteps in the meantime? What do we do when we seem to have failed? How do we respond to the dissonance of life here on earth? The story of Peter walking out to Jesus on the water takes us at least one step closer to an answer for that, I believe. Jesus appears to the disciples in the middle of a storm, quite incredibly walking on top of the water. Peter, however, sensed that this could be a moment for great deeds. He sees Jesus performing an amazing feat. He knows that Jesus generally asks the disciples to follow him. Could this action, once thought unattainable, be something that I could actually achieve? However, once he takes those steps out of the boat and onto the water, it doesn t turn out like it should, it doesn t go as he planned. The sea was churning a bit more than he expected; there was more chaos than he imagined; too many variables out of his control. He was in over his head, but before the waves crash in over his head he cries for help. Jesus response here is important to me. He says, Well you shouldn t have tried to step out here; too bad for you! And he lets him sink, never to be a leader again. Oh, wait, no, that s not actually what happens. Jesus saves him. Yes, there is a rebuke, Why did you doubt? But Jesus brings him back into the boat. Peter continues on as a disciple and continues on as a leader of the disciples. This moment of failure did not end the story for Peter. There was more yet to come. Even in the passage in Isaiah, we are aware that this message from God is sent to the people of Israel in Babylon. They grow weary of life in captivity wondering why the waves of oppression continue to buffet their community. If we read back to chapter 37, Isaiah describes some of the mistakes and failures that led to their current predicament of suffering. Some of it involved the way Israel treated the poor among them, and some of it involved they way Israel began to take credit itself for its good

4 fortunes, saying, I dug wells and drank waters, and I dried up all the streams of Egypt, I built it! As opposed to giving God credit. Perhaps even more clearly an example of hubris than flying your wax wings too close the sun, eh? Yet now in exile, they finally recognize what they have done wrong, and they turn to God. This is the context in which God assures them, I know it is bad right now, but hang in there. Yes, you messed up, but I m still going to be with you anyway, and I m going to help you set it right. A story I continuously return to about dealing with failure and how you respond to life s dissonance involves my absolute favorite fictional hero ever, Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King and the leader of Halloweentown in Tim Burton s Nightmare Before Christmas animated movie musical. The story begins with Jack lamenting his growing feeling of discontent and lack of inspiration as his work had become un-engaging. Each new worship service--- excuse me, I mean, each new Halloween celebration just became more of the same old thing and he did not feel like himself anymore. In a bid to break into new territory and spark life into his work, he misguidedly tries to fuse Christmas and Halloween together by taking over the Christmas celebration along with the Halloween townspeople. The way Jack imagined it, this involved fun, and happiness, and good cheer. Everyone would enjoy it! But his plans did not come to pass as he expected. He stepped out onto the water expecting to fly on the wings of eagles, but ended up crashing and burning. A particular song near the end of the story explores Jack s feelings as he finally realizes the error of his ways. This actually reminds me of psalms such as Psalm 22 that spend the first half lamenting problems. Then, without a clear explanation you find a sudden shift. Within one verse it shifts, verse 21, Save me from the mouth of the lion! From the horns of the wild oxen you have saved me. You could call this a Spirit shift wherein God s Spirit gives understanding and redemption. In Jack s song, you also

5 see this kind of Spirit shift. After he creates his own Santa sleigh, he is shot down and crash lands in a cemetery. Jack is left to ponder the charred remains of his plans. What have I done? What have I done? How could I be so blind? All was lost? Where was I? Spoiled all spoiled all. Everything s gone all wrong. What have I done? What have I done? Find a deep cave to hide in. In a million years they ll find me only dust and a plaque that reads, Here lies Poor Old Jack But I never intended all this madness, NEVER! And nobody really understood. Well, how could they? That all I ever wanted was to bring them something great! Why does nothing ever turn out like it should? Well, what the heck, I went and did my best, and by God, I really tasted something swell. And for a moment, why, I even touched the sky! And at least I left some stories they can tell, I did. And for the first time since, I don t remember when, I felt just like my old boney self again. And I, JACK, the Pumpkin King that s right I AM the Pumpkin King, and I just can t wait until next Halloween because I ve got some new ideas that will really make them scream, and by God, I m really going to give it all my might! From then he trudges on to set things back to right. Jack recognizes the mistakes he made. However, he does not give up on himself just as Jesus refused to give up on Peter despite his failures. As Presbyterians we are fortunate enough to consider a document from Scotland part of our heritage, the Scots Confession. I believe Jack the Pumpkin King illustrates vividly one particular section, I ll make it gender inclusive just for us, But the children of God fight against sin; sob and mourn when they find themselves tempted to do evil; and, if they fall, rise again with earnest and unfeigned repentance. And here it acknowledges God s role in it: They do these things not by their own power, but by the power of the Lord Jesus, apart from whom they can do nothing.

6 So let s do it, let us reach for the sky. When you find yourself losing interest in your work, do some introspective searching, let the Spirit lead you to new inspiration and mount up with wings like eagles. Sure, you may fall, not even if, but WHEN you do, dust yourself, get yourself back up, and trudge on through the pain to set things right. God, Jesus will be there with you, taking your hand, and giving you the power to continue on. Even Jesus would not let death and all its finality be the final word in the story. It may feel like we have to wait for now, but little by little we will help God to someday fully realize the heavenly commonwealth on earth. You may not get that moment of touching the sun until your days finally expire. The world may not live the life where they walk and do not faint until after we have passed away giving generations after us the fruit that we have planted. Even so, with the power of the Spirit we will one day prevail. Amen.