Throwing Spitballs

Ephesians 4:17-18, 29-32

James 3:1-12

Last night I was talking to my little brother on FaceBook.  We were reminiscing about how we used to hide in dark rooms of our house and wait patiently, lying in ambush, to scare the bejeebers out of one another.  Most people, in one way or another are afraid of the dark.  Do you ever remember being terrified to go up or down the stairs and into a dark room where there wasn’t a light on in front of you?  What about just walking around the corner into an unlit room?  In our minds, we have conjured images of monsters, burglars, psychopaths, gigantic spiders the size of Volkswagens, and sometimes clowns.  The furniture seems to move and sway in our imaginations.  Really, we’re just afraid of the dark.

This world is a world of darkness.  It is a place of bottom lines.  We want to know the fastest way to get the best results.  We are plagued with the darkness of it all.  Dark words, dark feedback, dark prospects.  At work, we encounter the darkness of criticism, the shades of gray within evaluations, the long, dark tunnels of goals and improvement action plans.  In sports we face the unlit rooms of making the team, the dark corners of earning a spot, and the shifting shadows of maintaining skills that contribute to the team.  At school, we are faced with dimly lit areas of expectations, the oppressive weight of making the grades, the vacant parking lot of leadership, and the darkened hallways of popularity.   How does one find her way in all this darkness?

Do you remember in elementary school, the experiment that most of us did of growing a marigold seedling in the window of your classroom?  We all took our Styrofoam cups, decorated with our names in marker, and stood around a giant tub of dirt with a cheap plastic tablecloth beneath it.  We filled our cups to three quarters full and returned to our desks.  Our teacher gave us each a seed and told us how to poke it into the soil about a half-inch down.  We then covered the seed and the teacher misted the soil with water.  We then paraded to the windowsill and each student placed his cup strategically where his cup was exposed to the light.  Then, we waited.  Each morning, it became a ritual to look into your cup.  When the seedlings finally started to sprout, they grew straight toward the light.  We began to turn our cups to keep the plants growing straight.  The teacher, as part of the experiment, took her cup and placed her seedling in her coat cabinet…no light.  We watered, measured and nurtured our plants with turning and great care.  The teacher watered and left her seedling in the dark.  It faded, became pale, shriveled, and drooped. 

Humans respond in the same way to darkness.  In the darkness, we sleep.  We close our eyes in the darkness.  In the darkness, we fear.  In the darkness of criticism, gossip, foul language, bitterness, rage, anger, fighting and cursing, we droop, we become colorless and we shrivel. 

An old friend of mine and I were talking about “the old days.”  At his school, there was a teacher ready for retirement.  This was to be his last year.  There were some boys in his class that were absolutely merciless with this teacher.  Every single day, they did something to ruin his day.  My friend was remembering that he joined in one day.  They were ready for him when he came in.  When he headed to the podium, they began to throw spitballs.  Think about this, people.  What exactly is a spitball?  It is a small wad of spit-drenched paper that sticks to whatever it is thrown at.  My friend hung his head while he remembered the event.  “What was I thinking?”  He said.  “I covered little wads of paper with my saliva and then threw them at a human being!”  He put his face in his hands.  “I was only thinking about how it made me look.  I was only thinking about how others would see me.  I never once thought about how it made that teacher feel.  He had been dealing with little punks like me for 30 years.  I just tore him down.  I destroyed his love for teaching.  I showed him just how careless and mean I could be.”  You know, a spitball doesn’t have to be a saliva-covered ball of paper.  A spitball is any mean or careless comment we throw out with our tongue.  A spitball is a precisely aimed sphere of darkness.  Wherever it sticks, it stirs up fear.

With our words, we can bring darkness or we can bring light.  Read Ephesians 4:29:  “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs…” And 4:29-31:  “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” With the muscle of our tongue, we choose to either build up or tear down.  With the language we feed others, we choose either to nourish or to destroy.  With the words we share with others, we can bring a cool glass of water or leave them thirsty for love.  With the things we choose to say, we can bring darkness or we can bring light.

The world is a place of darkness and we, as human beings, are hungry for light.  In Greek, this darkness is σкотоѕ (skotos).  The word σкотоѕ has two meanings:  darkness as in absence of light, and darkness, as in ignorance to divine things.  Ignorance of divine things causes separation from God.  “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts” (Eph. 4:18).  Ignorance of how God wants us to treat one another causes separation from God.  But we, my friends, are not ignorant.

Bearing light to the world of darkness is our call as disciples of Christ.  The Greek term for Christ’s disciples was Christianos, or “followers of Christ.”  It was also used originally as a term of derision, “little Christs.”  Just like the early Christians, we are to be little Christs in the world.  John 8:12 is a great summary:  “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  We are to walk in Christ’s light.  We are also called to share that light with others. 

Our call is to be light-bearers for a world of darkness that is hungry for the Light of Christ.  How do we do this?  Our Epistle lessons for today give us a good start.  Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”  So, we are to show kindness and compassion, and we are to forgive.  There is a whole list of “One Anothers” in the Bible that give us instruction on how to behave toward others as light-bearers.  (See insert/ on screen).  Mark Twain once said, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.”  This is quite the opposite of that spitball, isn’t it? 

Think of times when you’ve received praise.  How did it affect you?  How long did it keep your heart glowing and warm?  One February, when I was teaching high school.  I had this class of kids that just couldn’t be nice to one another.  I dreaded going into that room where darkness was prevailing.  So, I pulled out a story from Chicken Soup for the Soul.  It was Valentine’s Day.  I read the story and then handed out a list of students to each person.  They were to write one genuinely felt nice thing about that person.  No sarcasm, no insincerity.  It was to be simple and real.  They grumbled for a minute, until they realized that they weren’t going to have homework.  They completed the assignment.  I handed each student a copy of what everyone else had written about him or her.  It was a tough class.  By Spring Break, many were at the Juvenile Detention Center.  After graduation, one of these students went to prison.  When he got out, he came to visit me.  “Mrs. Baker,” he said.  “I still have my list.”  He pulled it out of his wallet and showed it to me.  “I use it to remind myself that I do have good qualities.  I try to focus on those, now.”  In one way, I am glad that he still has his list.  In another way, I am sad that no one in his present life bears light to him on a daily basis.  Think for a moment how this list was a bright light in his dark world.  Can you remember the last genuinely kind thing you said to another person?  Can you remember the last genuinely kind thing someone else said to you?  James 3:9-10 says, “With our tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who have been made in God’s likeness. From the same mouth come praise and cursing.  My brothers, this should not be.”  God, who created each and every one of us in God’s own image desires for us to bless one another with light.  God, who sent his only Son to die so that we may be reconciled to a perfect relationship with God, is asking us to love one another as we have been loved.   God’s call is to bear Christ’s light to others.

In our house, the darkest room is the bathroom.  It is the only room with no windows.  I know it is the darkest room because this is the place my kids go when they want to see if something actually glows in the dark.  But we are afraid of the dark.  Who wants to go into a dark room?  Somehow, though, if there is hope of light within the darkness, even the slightest bit, we are able to carry that hope of light with us.  My kids do it all the time.  And it is truly amazing how the tiniest object bearing light in a completely dark room banishes the darkness, banishes the fear.  For us, the glowing thing could be a smile or kind word in the life of someone who does not know Christ.  Christ is the light of the world.  Our small act of love, our witness to the light, our witness of Christ’s love could light up someone else’s dark room.  Think about just one candle in a dark gymnasium.  Think about every Christ light in the darkness of the world.  Christ’s light is the light of the world and we are witnesses to that light.

As we enter into a new school year as students, teachers, parents, aides, and volunteers, let us remember what it is like to fear the dark.  Let us hold onto the image of the seedling shriveling in darkness and flourishing in light.  Let us build up, nourish, and give cool drinks of water instead of throwing spitball-shaped spheres of darkness at others.  And where there is fear of darkness, let us carry the light of Christ in order to banish that fear with love.  Amen.

Benediction of Light

We live in a world of darkness with people who are hungry for light.  As we leave this place, let us remember that our own words carry the power to bring light.  As we go out into the world, we carry within us the light of Christ; the light that overcomes all darkness.  Let us be witnesses to Christ’s light.  Go in peace. Take with you the light of Christ.

“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” ~John 1:14

I have been reading Barbara Brown Taylor’s An Altar in the World as part of my morning soul food.  Today I read about “The Practice of Wearing Skin.”  I truly admire the way she is able to formulate into words such incredible visual images.  I find it humorous that she asks, “Do we dismiss the body’s wisdom because it does not use words?”  I spent the morning allowing words to be formed in my body. 

I walked my dog today, and at 8:45 AM, the temperature was already nearly unbearable with the humidity.  As I walked with my faithful companion, Panda, I opened myself to my senses.  I could feel the warmth of the sun, the density of the air, and from nowhere, a healthy breeze blowing intermittently.  I offered up thanks to God for all of those sensations, that I could feel them in my body; my body that God created. 

I listened to the music of the cicadas that seems to only arrive after the Fourth of July, here in my neighborhood.  The neighborhood was uncannily quiet without lawnmowers, cars or even barking dogs.  Birds, cicadas, my footfalls, Panda’s breathing and my own were all I could hear.  Again, Ioffered thanks to God that I could hear.  I began to marvel at how the body works.  How we are created to see, feel, smell, hear and taste our surroundings.  I can’t describe the smell, except that it smells like summer with dry grass and hot pavement.  My lips are salty with sweat and my brow furrowed with squinting into the sun.  I forgot my sunglasses today.

As I walked around the neighborhood, I felt acutely present in my skin.  For once, I was not judgemental of my flesh, but grateful for it.  I began to notice the rhythm of my breathing and footsteps together, and the clicking of my dog’s toenails in sync with her panting.  She looked up at me in question.  I spoke love to her and we continued on without words, but not in silence, practicing the awareness of wearing our skin.

Beauty is…

her eyelashes on her cheek as she sleeps.

Beauty is…

her voice, every time she calls my name.

Beauty is…

her arms as they encircle my neck.

Beauty is…

the twinkle in her eye when she’s up to no good.

Beauty is…

the music of her laughter.

Beauty is…

the Grace I’ve been given and the awe she inspires just by being

my child.

Luke 1:1-2

“Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. ”

As I was reading the introduction to Luke’s gospel, I was struck by verse 2, “just as they were handed down to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.”  When Jesus walked this earth with his disciples, there were no cell phones, no texting, no FaceBook, no Twitter, no flip cameras, no computers, televisions, or newspapers.  There weren’t even any telephones or telegraphs and the Pony Express and printing press were still centuries away.  So, how did the Gospel message spread so quickly in that first century church?  Word of mouth.  The Gospel message was handed down personally from one human being to the next.

The impact of the quick-spreading Gospel message of the first century is an excellent example of the networking power of human beings.  Think about how you receive a message as truth.  Is it easier to believe a friend or a stranger?  The Gospel message travelled through networks of friends and personal relationships.  A witness of Jesus’ ministry would share with others what she had seen and experienced, and how she had been transformed by what she had seen and experienced.  Thus, the message travelled at a personal level through towns and across national boundaries.  It is key that the message was “handed down,” or passed along and shared among friends.  Without this sharing among friends, the Gospel might never have left Jerusalem.  We know that God had big plans.  God made us for relationship, it is in our DNA.  God’s truth is meant to be shared and we were created to share it. 

How can you be a witness, though, if you’ve never seen the Word?  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”  Do you recognize Christ’s redemptive action in your life?  How is God’s truth transforming you?  What relationships do you have where you can share; where you can hand down the Gospel to others?  Do you have the courage to share?

God, we thank you for your transforming work in our lives yesterday, today and tomorrow.  Bless us with the guidance of your Holy Spirit and give us courage to share our personal stories of  living life with you, so that others may come to know your transforming power.  ~Amen.

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” ~ Isaiah 6:3

I found myself seated on the front porch of our suburban home two evenings ago at sunset.  It had just rained and the air seemed to be cooling from the sticky, humid , high-nineties afternoon.  I was enjoying the wet, summer ozone scent and the calm in the neighborhood.  I could hear the voices of a couple in quiet after-work conversation three doors down.  One neighbor’s airconditioner was droning in the distance.  An occasional car would pass by with a quiet, splashy sound.  The plants were soaked, the dirt was dark, and the grass was greener than it had been at noon. 

I looked up into the gray-purple sky in the south and saw cottony wisps of rainbow sherbet clouds reflecting the orangy-pink light of sunset.  The pines across the street were lit golden and shimmering with raindrops.  I followed the largest pine to its top, pointing skyward.  Seeming to emerge from the point of the pine was a giant, vibrant rainbow stretching north to south over my neighborhood.  I could separate the colors out into the ROY G BIV code of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.  The rainbow was so vibrant that even the violet was clearly visible.  Chimney swifts chittered and chased under the grand arch as I marvelled at its size.  I sat on my porch, barefoot, smacking my feet on the wet pavement and smiling at the sky.

I began to notice the faint colors of a second rainbow above the first.  A double rainbow is a rare and beautiful treat.  I stayed still for a moment, drinking up the blessing as the rain began to gently fall again in the sunlight.  My family came out to see and then shuffled back into our home to watch a movie.  The shower was brief and the second bow disappeared almost as suddenly as it had come. 

I watched until the clearer rainbow seemed to retreat  into the top of the pine.  I found myself humming the hymn, “For the Beauty of the Earth,” though I don’t remember singing it much in church.  I lay my head back against my chair and simply sat with the evening, offering up my thanks to God for such a glorious and unexpected display.

How do you see the glory of the LORD?  Can you see the glory of the Creator in Creation?  Where  and when do you see best?

God, I thank you that you show yourself to us in so many ways.  Thank you for this evening and for the opportunity to see you through the splendor of your creation.  Help me to be ever aware of my impact on your creation through my own actions.  ~Amen.