In Pursuit Of The Great White Rabbit

Sermon text for June 8:
Hebrews 12:1-6
Farewell Sermon - First Presbyterian Church, Lakewood, Colorado

“Let us run with perseverance the race that is before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”

It has been a real privilege to be with you these last fifteen months. You have shared yourselves with us, and Sharon and I have shared ourselves with you. And I would like to believe that each of us is stronger and more faithful because we have been together. Now I am excited for you as you look forward to the next stage in your faith journey.

The faith journey is a major theme in scripture. Abraham and Sarah journeyed toward the land that God promised. Moses led the Chosen People out of Egypt and kept them moving toward the Promised Land for forty years. Jesus, it seems, was always on the move from one place to another. He and the disciples walked the length and breadth of Israel educating, feeding, and healing the people. And Paul, who sounds like the most athletic of the Bible’s authors, speaks of life as a race.

The common theme in each of these stories is movement: moving toward the goal of achieving the promise; moving toward self discovery; moving, moving, moving. God’s people have never been very good at sitting down and smelling the roses. We are always moving, studying, and working toward the goal of knowing God more intimately and doing God’s will.

Now Sharon and I are moving on toward the next leg of our journey. The only thing that I know for sure is that I am glad to have spent time with you. You are important partners in my journey and I feel as if I have a stake in your future. I will be watching closely as you begin the next part of your journey and my prayers will be with you.

In the 11th chapter of Hebrews the writer tells us of the faith journey of Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Gideon, Samson, David, and Samuel. When we read about these giants of faith we discover that they are terribly flawed. They struggled to be faithful and that makes them examples for us. “Therefore” says the author of Hebrews, “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses … let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”

When you were experiencing some of your major difficulties over the years, you probably felt as if you were alone and no one else had ever had these problems. But in fact you have always been surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses whose lives stand as example for you. Some of these witnesses are Biblical, but not all. Other witnesses may include family, friends, and other churches. This “great cloud of witnesses” inspires and strengthens us so that we can run with perseverance the race that is before us. Of course our main inspiration for the journey is Jesus himself. He is the One whom the writer of Hebrews calls the “pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”

I have a favorite story that is found in a book entitled, “In Pursuit of the Great White Rabbit” by Catholic priest, Edward Hays. The story is supposed to have originated in the third century Egypt. This was a time when many believers were moving out of the cities to form monasteries, convents, or hermitages in the desert. They believed that the wilderness was the home of Satan and his evil genies. And those who ventured into the desert believed they were forming a prayer shield to protect the cities from Satan’s power. This is the context of Father Hay’s story.

"One day a young seeker after holiness approached a holy man who was sitting in his doorway as the sun went down. The old man’s dog stretched out across the threshold as the young man asked the holy man a question. 'Why is it, Abba, that some who seek God come to the desert and are zealous in prayer but leave after a year or so, while others like you, remain faithful to the quest for a lifetime?'

"The old man replied, 'Let me tell you a story: One day I was sitting here quietly in the sun with my dog. Suddenly a large white rabbit ran across in front of us. Well, my dog jumped up, barking loudly and took off after that big rabbit. He chased the rabbit with a passion. Soon other dogs joined him, attracted by his barking. What a sight it was, as the pack of dogs ran barking across the creeks and up stony embankments and through thickets and thorns! Gradually however one by one the other dogs dropped out of the pursuit, discouraged by the course and frustrated by the chase. Only my dog continued to hotly pursue the white rabbit.

"'In that story, young man, is the answer to your question.' The young man sat in confused silence. Finally he said, 'Abba, I don’t understand. What is the connection between the rabbit chase and the quest for holiness?'

“'You fail to understand,' answered the old hermit, 'because you failed to ask the obvious question: Why didn’t the other dogs continue on the chase? And the answer is that they had not seen the rabbit.'"

My prayer is that you have seen the rabbit and will pull together in pursuit of the One who is the “pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” If you have caught a glimpse of Jesus running ahead of you, you will have both the incentive and the perseverance to journey on toward the goal. In reality, there is no destination important for the church if we are not following Jesus.

In the 1992 Summer Olympics, athletes were competing in the finals of the 400 meter dash. As they approached the finish line it was almost anyone’s race, but the front runner was a young man from Great Britain. Coming out of the final turn he stumbled and fell. He lay on the track for an agonizing moment clutching his knee, his eye on the finish line. Then slowly he got up and began limping toward the goal, even though the race was over for everyone else. As the world watched in stunned silence, the young athlete’s father jumped from the stands and ran to his son’s side. Arm in arm the father and son finished the race together.

There may have been times in your past when you lost sight of the goal or when you stumbled and fell. And it may happen again. But the promise of faith is that when we stumble and fall, the One whom we call Father gathers us into his arms and crosses the finish line with us.

So my friends move out boldly as you continue your faith journey, and “run with perseverance the race that is before you, looking to Jesus who is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”

Copyright © 2008 by Dwight R. Blackstock

The Winds of Change: On Holy Ground

Sermon text for June 1:
II Samuel 6:1-5; 12b-19

When I was a boy, the choir in my home church often called the people to worship with this introit: “The Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him; keep silence, keep silence, keep silence before him.” I could not have expressed it then, but I knew that I was on sacred ground, and in the presence of the One who is Holy. Sacred ground. Holy objects. Presbyterians don’t usually talk of such things. But today’s lesson almost demands it.

The winds of change have blown mightily over the land of Israel. Nothing is as it was just a generation ago. David is king and rules from Jerusalem, which has become the center of his government. But strangely, there is no center for practicing faith. A generation before, the Shrine at Shiloh was the center of religious practice because that was where the Ark of the Covenant was located. In those days the faithful considered Shiloh holy ground.

Year after year, believers traveled to Shiloh to offer sacrifices because God was believed to be present there with the Ark. But Jerusalem was different. There was no holy place, and in the context of decades of mind numbing change, the people yearned for the stability and security of worshipping on holy ground. They wanted to worship near the Ark of the Covenant.

Like our ancient brothers and sisters, we too need to experience sacred space and the presence of God. For some of us, the church is holy ground, but not for all of us.

King David listened to the elders who wanted Jerusalem to be the center of religious practice as well as the center of his government. He realized that if he was going to be successful in the long run, he needed to be seen not only as a great general but as a religious leader as well. The answer for David was to recover the Ark of the Covenant and bring it to Jerusalem. With the Ark there, Jerusalem would become the center of religious faith.

In earlier times soldiers carried the Ark into battle with them. They believed that as long as they had the Ark, they had God and could not be defeated. Then in one decisive battle not only was the army defeated, but the Ark was stolen by the Philistines. It was a bitter betrayal, and even though the Ark was eventually returned, the army never again took it into battle. For a long time after the Ark was returned it remained in storage in someone’s home. After being in the hands of the Philistines, the Ark seemed less sacred, and lost some of its luster.

Even so, the Ark remained Israel’s most important sacred artifact and David decided to retrieve it and bring it to Jerusalem. It was a bold, insightful move, but David did not consider the consequences of moving a holy object. The Bible tells us that as the Ark was being moved David was giddy with joy, perhaps celebrating his own genius. He danced wildly while his own personal band played.

But along the way tragedy struck. The Ark began to tumble and the young man who reached out instinctively to steady it was struck dead. One does not lightly reach out and touch that which is holy.

The story sounds odd to our modern ears. It seems like foolishness, magic or some kind of superstition. But ancient people understood. Even today in primitive societies those who unworthily touch sacred objects often die.

But David was livid. Death seemed like a heavy price to pay for such an innocent gesture. David stopped the Ark’s progress toward Jerusalem and found a family who would keep the Ark while David pondered the next steps. Eventually, David did bring the Ark to Jerusalem, but this time with reverence bordering on fear. With the Ark in the City, Jerusalem became the religious center for the People of God.

Sometimes that which is holy loses its allure if trouble or tragedy is attached to it. That is why after the young man died David wanted nothing to do with the Ark even if it was said to be holy. And sometimes the church seems like anything but sacred ground, especially if we have had hurtful experiences.

Before coming to Denver, Sharon and I started a new church in Wyoming. The new congregation had normal ups and downs and by the grace of God the church grew. Finally, the leaders decided that we needed to build our own building. It would be our very own sacred ground. Plans were made, money raised and everything was hopeful and exciting. But then it all turned sour. Some members didn’t feel they were adequately represented, and suddenly it seemed as if our congregation was disintegrating.

There were charges and counter charges. And the fellowship we had built so carefully no longer felt safe, let alone sacred ground. It was as if someone had reached out to steady the Ark and died in the process. People were at each others throats, friends said hurtful things to friends and even coming to worship was painful.

We got past our pain through long conversations in which members were honest and vulnerable to one another and by holding a special service of reconciliation and forgiveness. Those most deeply hurt agreed to attempt reconciliation, and in a very moving service, we allowed God to bring healing. We asked for and received forgiveness from one another and from God. In the weeks that followed our congregation once again began to seem like sacred ground where we could experience the presence of God.

I wonder how you have gotten beyond the pain you have experienced as a congregation. When you have had major disputes with one another, what did you do to give and receive forgiveness? I pray that you are assured of each others’ forgiveness and that you have experienced heart-felt reconciliation, so that when you gather in this place you know you are on holy ground. That is the only soil from which to launch a new ministry.

Copyright © 2008 by Dwight R. Blackstock