Nothing is impossible, I hope

A Sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour, Penticton BC
Sunday, October 13^th, 2024 (Canadian Thanksgiving)
The Very Rev. Ken Gray

JOB 23:1-9, 16-17; PSALM 22:1-15; HEBREWS 4:12-16; MARK 10:17-31

I can say with confidence that I have never been accused or convicted of a crime. I have been in court a number of times to watch others defend or advocate for themselves; I have thus far avoided the dock myself. Most importantly, I am a longstanding fan of Law and Order, Perry Mason, and more recently The Lincoln Lawyer, and Goliath (starring Billy-Bob Thornton). And, bear with me, I have watched the occasional episode of Judge Judy. “Law” it seems is in my blood.

Initially it surprised me to see how Hebrew Bible writers often use the  metaphor of court proceedings to describe human encounters with God. No less so today, in the verses from the Book of Job. In what is arguably the oldest scriptural tale in our Bible, Job’s life is heading in a disastrous direction. Framed as a contest between God and Satan, a comparison between faithful and faithless followers, Job takes us today into the courtroom:

JOB
“Today also my complaint is bitter; [God’s] hand is heavy despite my groaning. Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his dwelling! I would lay my case before him, and fill my mouth with arguments. I would learn what he would answer me, and understand what he would say to me. Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? No; but he would give heed to me. There an upright person could reason with him, and I should be acquitted forever by my judge.

In contrast hear these words from PSALM 139

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.”

As the Job text is disputational, the psalm is relational.

Back to JOB:

If I go forward, he is not there; or backward, I cannot perceive him; on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him; I turn to the right, but I cannot see him. God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me; If only I could vanish in darkness, and thick darkness would cover my face!”

Job’s language is anything but comforting. It is the language of despair. BUT, One last time, the PSALM

Where can I go from your spirit?
    Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
    if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning
    and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me fast.”

Two very different engagements with Creator God; both sacred canonical texts. Both describe very real human experiences — comfort, and despair; darkness and light; insight, and blindness. People often look to the bible for an answer to a question.

In his magisterial work Theology of the Old Testament, biblical scholar Walter Bruggemann presents the history of Israel itself in terms of a legal dialogue. Such an approach makes a lot of sense to me personally. We are always in a dialogue with God, Creator, as we seek greater understanding of life, love, spirit, and community. Whether we know it or not, God appears — in the duties and delights, in the celebrations, challenges, and circumstances of our daily lives — lives here in the South Okanagan, where agriculture rapidly adjusts to new climate realities; in our province as an election looms where we make our own decisions based on a mixture of fact or hunch; in Florida, where a succession of hurricane-strength storms has destroyed lives, livelihoods, and communities; in the Middle East, including Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon as war erupts and escalates; in Ukraine; and most importantly in and through creation.

I was shocked to learn the other day about AI improvements to hearing aids, which I wear with a mixture of success and frustration. Each second, this new technology makes over 7.7 billion calculations to accommodate hearing loss — no wonder the batteries die quickly. Now consider how many natural calculations occur each second in nature, just in the biosphere in which this church finds itself.  We are surrounded by and dependent upon a miracle.

New Testament Scholar Sylvia Keesmaat,  will shortly complete her book on climate grief. I invited her to submit a chapter for my book, hence our ongoing friendship. Her book will be better; much better; guaranteed. She is struggling however with the final chapter. It is hard for those of us who study the climate crisis to be hopeful; if however we lose hope, we become. . . wait for it . . . hopeless. Others have faced similar challenges. Abraham was faithful as he “hoped against all hope” for salvation for himself, his family, and his evolving nation. (Romans 4:5; Hebrews 11:8) Scripture makes it look easy — I am certain it was not.

Canon Don Binder oversees the ministry at St. George’s Episcopal Cathedral in Jerusalem where they celebrated harvest thanksgiving last week. Posting on Facebook he shared a lovely picture of his decorated church, looking similar to what we see before us this morning — the fruit, and vegetables of our own gardens, physical symbols of a healthy and productive creation. He writes: “Even in the midst of the present calamities, we at St. George’s Cathedral give thanks to God for all our many blessings, and we wish you all a blessed Thanksgiving Sunday!” Can you imagine — being thankful in a war zone.

Even when things seem hopeless — remember Job — hope remains an option if not a real presence; otherwise we succumb to despair. There are certainly days when I wonder where hope lies. At times, discipline will allow me to proceed, at the very least, with caution, if not positivity. In the end however, our ultimate source of strength is found in God, Creator.

Jesus’ disciples faced similar quandaries: “They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” (Mark 10:30-31)

Creator, from the depth and breadth of creation, we thank you. Amen.