At the end of August, 2001 a pastor friend called and told me that he would be out of the state on Sunday, September 16, and asked if I could take the Sunday service at his church. The way my schedules were shaping up, this would be workable.
This congregation uses the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), which directs the readings from the Old Testament, a Psalm, the Epistles, and the Gospels. I consulted the Gospel reading and prepared a draft of the sermon I'd intended to preach. My custom was to prepare the core message ahead of time, and to modify the message as it may apply to any news events or congregational considerations during the week. This was two days before September 11, 2001.
The upheaval in the week that followed affected everyone. Nobody knew what to expect in the coming days, so I simply scrapped everything I'd prepared and waited until Saturday night to start over with something relevant based on the events of the remainder of the week.1
By Saturday night I had been considering my remarks for the following day. When it was time to formalize the message, I reviewed the assigned readings again. To my horror I discovered that the text for September 16 included Exodus 32:7-14 (printed below). The text speaks of God's plan to bring fiery wrath onto the people of Israel who, so soon after deliverance from Egypt, have descended to idolatry.
Think fast! Can I call the church's leaders and ask them to choose a different reading? Can I simply have them pull the bulletin? Can I simply ignore the Old Testament reading, and preach some words of comfort from the other assigned texts (also printed below)?
I called several people at the church. In each case I was greeted by voice mail. With the Bible open to the Exodus text I wondered how I'd sidestep these words of judgment. But something had to be done.
Suddenly I became aware of a thought and I couldn't shake it. I'm not one to use such terms as "God told me...." I'm more inclined to say I had an impression, which I express in a way that would be in a conversation. But in order to describe my struggles and to verbalize this particular thought, bear with my personification of the text. In this personification the text said "PREACH ME."
Perhaps I could say "God was speaking to me through the text and saying "Preach this." But allow me to go with the impression as it came to me. So here is a dialog equivalent to my reflections.
The text said, "PREACH ME."
"I can't preach you. These people are in pain. The whole nation is in pain!" (Maybe the voice of the text will ease up.)
"PREACH ME."
So much for easing up. "How can you say that? What kind of pastor am I, to preach words of judgment to people who need grace?"
"PREACH ME."
"Look, I'm the substitute here! Fill-in preachers aren't supposed to beat the people down. Not even this congregation." I'd filled in there before, and we had an excellent relationship. They loved me and I loved them. How could I be cruel to them? It just wouldn't work.
"PREACH ME."
"Look, don't you realize the parallel here? All right, of course you do. You know what you're saying. So this is how I'm reading you, and this is what everyone hearing the text is going to hear.
"And the LORD said, I brought these people out of religious persecution in Europe, to the land of purple mountain majesties and fruited plains. I gave them abundance in the land, and technology to build factories and make homes and have leisure time never before known in history. Now they have used the technology to corrupt themselves. They have turned aside out of the way which I commanded them: they have given themselves over to pornography, drugs, greed, and all manner of decadence. They celebrate promiscuity and they hold up heroes from their entertainment industry. They have created their little false gods, and have worshipped them, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O America. And the LORD said, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them. I will crash airplanes into their buildings and burn them to the ground. I will bring this nation to ruin. And I will give my favor to someone else who is more worthy.
"And I'd bet you money... uh, I mean, I'm absolutely sure my colleagues have substituted something else for tomorrow's reading. The guys and gals who run the other shops are being a lot more pastoral, more thoughtful than you're telling me to be. How can you be so hard on these good people?"
"PREACH ME."
"Everybody who reads the Bible, and a lot of people who don't, have already asked whether this is God's punishment of America. Even some evangelists have already advanced the theory, and only a few days have passed. All of the 'sensible people' and 'intellectual giants' have denounced these preachers already, rolling their eyes with typical dismissive self-deception.2 How can I possibly preach this?"
"PREACH ME."
"I've got it! Preach you. Now what do you want me to say?"
The dialog ended. Preparing a sermon based on this text was one of the hardest things I'd ever done in my life.
The next morning's attendance was greater than usual, as would be expected following such a horror that our nation had gone through. We began the service with the obligatory call-response of Psalm 118:24.
"This is the day that the Lord has made."
"Let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Somehow, in hearing myself and the congregation say these words, it came to me that these words are not a pep talk. They're a command. God knew we'd run into days like this one, and He knew it would be hard to "rejoice and be glad" after someone had ripped into our nation. But God didn't make exceptions for times that it would be hard to rejoice.
I leveled with the people, sharing with them that this is a hard thing to do.
The service continued as scheduled. The congregation heard the assigned reading from Exodus. And I preached from this text. But once I'd become obedient to the command to preach the text, I realized that I myself had been given grace. Up until then I'd failed to pay attention to the whole text, and in my protests I was whining about God's wrathful words to Moses. Once I had submitted, my eyes were open to the whole text. The passage included Moses' intercession, his prayer to God on behalf of Israel, and God's sparing of them. The reality of God's anger was not to be denied, not to be glossed over. But the reality of the power of prayer must also be recognized, and the reality of God's call for us to intercede cannot be denied. And the extent to which God will go to forgive His people has found a powerful illustration in this passage.
To preach the text required me to preach the whole text. And as with the preaching of any text, it requires total submission to the leading of God.
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1 One of the things I'd thought about as a teaching method in seminary, specifically for the homiletics (sermon-preaching) class, was to take this concept into consideration. At the beginning of the academic term I'd give every student the preaching assignment for the entire term. This would include the Scripture texts and any supplementary material as needed. At the beginning of the class day I would identify each student assigned to preach that day, and I'd give him or her a news report of a significant event. It would be for the student to determine, as an adult pastor and preacher, whether to modify the sermon or remain with the one already prepared. This would be in my opinion a self-teaching exercise for the student, to receive insight into the real world of preaching to a congregation.
2 I'm not in any way saying that the events of September 11, 2001 were God's active judgment on America. I won't rule it out, though my current reflections lean more in the direction of suggesting that God has in part withdrawn from our nation His favor and protection. But while not saying that the events were a direct and active divine chastisement, I'll suggest that it would be foolish not to reflect on this possibility.
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The passages for the day
Exodus 32:7-14
Psalm 51:1-10
1 Timothy 1:12-17
Luke 15:1-10
The texts follow
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Exodus 32:7-14
And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
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Psalm 51:1-10
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
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1 Timothy 1:12-17
And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
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Luke 15:1-10
Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
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