"Combinations and Passwords" October 11, 2009

Job 23:1-9, 16-17
Mark 10:17-31

A friend described coming to a new church, and on the desk in the pastor's office was an envelope inside were instructions that said “The church has a safe where all important papers and documents are kept. The combination is five numbers 50-30-20-40-10. The safe is quite ancient, so after you roll the combination, you need to jiggle the handle, then push in and lift on the door for it to open.” This to me seemed rather archaic, but as someone new, if it had worked all these years, he could get along, so he dutifully memorized the combination 50-30-20-40-10 and taped it to the bottom of his desk drawer. Years went by, only once or twice a year did he ever have to open the safe, sometimes the Treasurer or the Secretary went in there because they also had the combination. But invariably it required an extra three jiggles of the handle, pushing in and lifting to open. Finally, one day it no longer seemed to work, so we called a Locksmith. The locksmith worked for about 20 minutes, when he came out of the office and said “You've been using the wrong combination!” Sure enough, each digit was off by one or two, and when turning the tumblers to the correct combination, not only did you not need to jiggle the handle, you could actually hear the tumblers drop into position and the door pop open as if brand new. Upon further checking, it appeared the Treasurer and the Church Secretary also each had incorrect combinations that were different from one another and had been passed down from one person to another.

That is what the Book of Job and Jesus conversation with the young man and the disciples are all about. Our basic presuppositions worked for generations, being passed down from one to another to another, but they are off by just a digit or two, making it harder and harder for the combination to work.

Throughout the last few weeks, I have met with a number of folk who have said, “I don't get it. You speak of forgiveness, love and acceptance, but when do you speak of judgement? When do you say: “You should do this” or “If you do that you will be punished?”” That is the imprecise combination we have inherited. We have been the Church in this community for 208 years, and yet this is not our church, the church is the body of Christ, it belongs to God, and we are charged with being hosts.

In the first chapters of the Book of Job, Satan is described as having this contest with God, of whether suffering will make a person give up their faith. When I was a young boy, my brothers and I would spend summers at our grandfather's farm in Fulton. One of the mischievous things boys would do was to find frogs, then put them on top of fence-posts out in the field. Frogs are wonderful jumpers, but their skin is accustomed to being cool and moist, so sitting atop that fence-post the frog would begin to dry out. The question was always how long it would take for the frog to overcome their fear of leaping into the unknown, in order to escape the heat of the sun and the mischievous young boys?

But in the intervening chapters a shift has taken place. Rather than taking on Satan for his suffering, Job comes to realize that God is in charge, God is all knowing and all powerful. According to Moses and the promise at the Burning Bush in the sacred story of the Exodus, God listens to the voice of the oppressed, God pays special attention to their cries. So why, why did God allow this suffering? Job's questioning in this chapter exactly retraces Moses' Words at the Burning Bush, “If I go forward, will Thou be there? If I go backward? What then?” Job is questioning the most basic premise of the promise, God if we do all you expect, why do we suffer?

I have a good friend who spent his career as a management consultant. In his work he had routinely used a computer software for comparing statistics and demographic projections. When he retired the software company recognized what he had done, and gave him a special authorization to use their product. For life, he would have free access. But periodically, the software company made upgrades, every six months they changed their passwords, every three or four years the company was bought and sold. At each of these, they changed the password. He had been given AUTHORIZATION for life, but the PASSWORDS kept changing.

The rich young ruler comes to Jesus describing, “All my life, I have followed the commandments,” And Jesus loved him, and said one thing more must you do, Sell all you possess to give to others. When reading passages like this, we like to emphasize “It was a Man” “He was Rich” “He was Young” “He was a Ruler” and we discount and distance ourselves from being like him, who embodies all our ideals.

Are we to act as Hosts, welcoming others?
Are we not to Worship God?
To educate and develop Faith,
to do Mission and Service,
and Give?
We are, but just as having the combination off by one or two digits, the GIVING we are to practice, is to be without reserve, without possession, what we imagine to be extravagant! Francis of Assisi did not simply live a life of poverty, he was born and raised as the eldest son of a wealthy Fabric Merchant who renouncing his possessions literally stood in the Marketplace and stripped off all his father's fabric. The MISSION and service we are to do, is not simply writing a check, but walking 5 miles because in other parts of the world people walk 5 miles to get a jug full of water, then walk another 5 miles home. When John Dau receives the Caring Award this week, standing beside the Dalai Lama and Colin Powell, he also stands with you beside him, because you made it possible. Volunteers going to Sudan to offer Health Care to fight infectious disease for a people who never learned the technology of the Wheel. Not just education about faith, but developing intentional FAITH. Worshiping God, not as a routine, that you have to go to Worship. But PASSIONATE WORSHIP. Being Hosts in the House of God, is not simply worshipping beside someone attempting to not sit too close or sing to loud, but rather recognizing others as someone you do not know, so offering to guide them through the Worship. When photographers come for a Wedding, I take them aside to offer here are our recommendations and what we know work. This is what is unique and personal in this worship.

As such we recognize life differently.
This is not OUR TABLE, but to determine who belongs and who does not. THIS IS GOD'S TABLE. The loved one with Alzheimer's does not need us to correct them, they need to know they are loved.
It is possible for all of us to have been a digit or two wrong in life, and still loved by God, still used by God for God's Purposes, not necessarily as we choose, but continually learning new passwords to the everlasting life we are promised.