Hidden In Plain View
2nd Sunday of Lent
Rev. Barry W. Szymanski, J.D.
First Congregational Church of Wauwatosa
February 28, 2010

In his prayers, we can sense that the Psalmist sometimes felt frustrated. In our prayers, we often feel frustrated mostly because we want immediate answers to our petitions.

In 2010 we imagine that our generation is the first to want everything 'now;' and we want to feel special. Therefore we think that all of the people who lived before us were, somehow, patient individuals. I am not easily led to patience. Over the course of years I have become more patient – but anyone who has known me over the decades would not describe me as a patient person. Therefore I like the person who wrote Psalm 27, which we prayed this morning. I want to pat him on his shoulder because he prayed stridently as he demanded of God: "Hear me, Lord, when I cry loudly... Lord, answer me!" Then the psalmist shared with God what was in his heart: "Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek God's face!’" You can hear him perhaps whisper to God when he continues his prayer: "Your face, Lord, I seek." Then he pleas to God: "Do not hide your face from me." We want to see the faces of people. Criminals who rob stores cover their faces. That covering by itself frightens people. If someone is crafty, we label them two-faced. Faces tell us much about individuals. Faces have the lines of life. A smiling faces shows joy, laughter. A tearful face manifests sorrow.

Jesus noticed the importance of our eyes. Eyes are the windows to the soul. I find it interesting that the Internet site that connects most people is called Facebook. We want to see the faces of our friends. It is no accident, then, that we want to see God's face. But how many of us feel comfortable praying like the Psalmist in asking to see God's face? For years I did not feel at ease praying like that. Then over time, as I reflected on these strong words, I quietly repeated the words of the psalmist. For I want to see God's face also.

I don't understand, if God wants a relationship with me, why God hides his face from me. My heart tells me it wants to be with God, to see God's face. Yet, in times of rational stillness, I feel a closeness to the Divine. In that emptying time, when nothing on this earth can make me feel complete, I can begin to pray with the trust that the psalmist prayed: "The Lord is my light and my salvation" and then add: "Whom shall I fear?" I share this with you, because there are times when I think we all feel fearless like the psalmist.

There are times, when we feel that because Jesus is our light, we fear nothing; and because Jesus is our salvation, there is nothing to fear. But, there are other times, in empty stillness when nothing can satisfy us, it is then we plead that God will teach us his way, so we can be led to a level path. Yet, at other times, in our humanity, we decide that God may not be the answer to our emptiness. It is then that we want more of what life can fill us with. We want more food, more enjoyment, more comforts, more entertainment. We see people around us with more stuff, and they seem happy enough. We want what they have – their happiness.

Yet God is the Divine More. He is the More that completes us. But what does God want? God certainly does not need us; however, God brought us into being not just to know him, but to freely enter into a relationship with him. God, a person, wants to be with you, and me. Not yet completely face to face. But the Divine is present in God's ways and in God's time. This is shown over and over and over again in the entire Bible: God reaching out to us to reveal who God is; and how God can work in our lives.

Some people have the thought that if they are to be a saint in this life, they are to isolate themselves from other people, TV, the world. One writer, centuries ago, wrote: 'When I go out into the world I come back less a man.' On television some six years ago I heard a sermon by a preacher who held that same attitude! I don't believe that. The opposite should be true. We should be able to say that when we go out into the world - we have made it a better place – that we carried Christ in our hearts into the world because we were kind like Jesus, and honest like Jesus, and pleasant like Jesus, and treated others like they would like to be treated, and accepted every person as a neighbor.

The psalmist knew, like we know, that we have enemies out there. We accept that some people want to take advantage of us, to cheat us, to take our stuff, and possibly to hurt us. The psalmist accepted that fact. He told God, in prayer, that even if an army of evil persons should build a camp around him, his heart would not fear, he would be confident, because his very being lives in the house of God – and his heart beholds the beauty of God! The psalmist, in joy, tells God that he will sing, like our choirs sing, and make melody to the Lord. The psalmist has a close, honest, and prayerful relationship with God. This is what God desires.

Whether in despair, or good fortune, in good health, or sickness, in troubled times, or good times, in an economic boon, or a recession, in emotional upheaval, or in stability, God is here with us – and wants to be here with us. This is shown in the great story of Abram in the Genesis passage this morning, tells us that the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. God's first words to an obviously troubled and frightened Abram were: "Do not be afraid, Abram," and God added, "I am your shield."

We can reflect upon God's words, as God tells Abram, our spiritual father, whose children for all generations to follow will be more than the stars in the heavens, that He, the Lord, is forever our shield. However, even after hearing those comforting words from God Himself, Abram remained troubled. And we learned in the Genesis reading, that in the evening after Abram fell into a deep sleep, "...a dark and terrifying darkness descended upon [Abram]." Then it was that God made a covenant with Abram. In this instance, God's relationship with Abram did not happen when Abram sat beside a beautiful river on a sunny day. It happened when Abram was frightened, troubled, and in the throes of a terrifying darkness. Our realization in life is that God can come to us when life is good or dark or we are quiet or are busy. God chooses the time and the place, and Jesus knew this because of his prayerful union with his Father. He knew what work he had to do -- and so he ministered.

I mentioned earlier that some people have the thought that if they are to be a saint in this world, they must isolate themselves from the world. But Jesus did not isolate himself. He was fully in the world. He mixed with saints and sinners; with the religious and the pseudo-religious; with those who were with God, those who didn't know or trust God, and with those who did not want to know God. While walking in this world Jesus knew politics.

In today's Gospel reading we learned that some Pharisees warned Jesus about Herod. They told him that Herod wanted to kill him. Jesus knew that Herod, who was Antipas, was the son of Herod the Great. You remember that Herod the Great had many innocent children killed because he was afraid of the infant Jesus. He had learned of his birth when the wise men came asking for directions after seeing a certain star. Herod the Great was not called 'great' because he slaughtered innocent babies, but because he became king over Palestine through cunning by being appointed by Rome. He was politically powerful. After his death so was his son, Herod Antipas. Antipas, you will remember, found his brother's wife appealing to him, so he married her. And, you will recall, John the Baptist condemned that marriage. Herod Antipas jailed John the Baptist.

When that woman's daughter danced for Herod Antipas, he had John the Baptist beheaded as a gift to her. There is a lot more intrigue to the entire Herodian family, such as Antipas serving as a spy for the Romans, which is why Pontius Pilate distrusted him. Jesus well knew the history of that astute and dangerous political family. So he referred to Herod Antipas as 'that fox.' Jesus told the seemingly friendly Pharisees to take this message back to Herod, "‘Go tell that fox for me, 'I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, on the third day I finish my work. …[then] I must be on my way [to Jerusalem]'". Jesus was thoroughly in the world. He did not escape it. He well understood it – enemies and foxes.

Jesus also avoided a trap. For when the Pharisees warned him, the test was this: if Jesus was more concerned about himself more than in preaching, he would run from Herod. But Jesus did not run. He trusted in his Father's will to eventually unfold in his life. Jesus' reply shows that he considered his citizenship to be in heaven. Paul tells us that our citizenship is in heaven. Paul is right. While we are here, on earth, even as citizens of heaven, our task is to continue to seek the face of God, and to bring God's face to others. We realize God's face through Jesus, and we can bring God's face to others through our relationship with Him.

Christianity is not what we know; it is Who we know. Many people may never get a glimpse of God's face without us. And we may never experience God's face without others around us. We are all part of the Body of Christ. God's face is hidden, but it is hidden in plain view. God's face is not in a museum; it is in Jesus, and all who walk with Jesus. The difficulty is that there are many foxes in this world, many who are not willing. Our difficulty is compounded because from day to day, if not hour to hour, we are led in many different directions. At times, we may even be a fox. Our prayer, as was the psalmist's, is to remain true, and when we stray to continue to return to God. Our freedom is such that we can be a saint or a sinner, we can minister or we can be an enemy.

Mark Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbs, said this of our free will decisions, "Sooner or later, we are all asked to compromise ourselves and the things we care about. We define ourselves by our actions. With each decision, we tell ourselves and the world who we are." We, like the Psalmist, can decide to seek the face of God, or decide not to. Now we can better understand Paul's prayer that each of us be conformed to the body of the glory of Jesus by the power of Jesus, and, during our time on this earth, to "...stand firm in the Lord."

Let us pray,

God, our Father, your son, Jesus has assured us that if we know him, we will know you, for he and you are one, for in Jesus we see your face more clearly than Abram could. Therefore, we pray that through a vibrant and living relationship we be able to become closer to you through Jesus in your Holy Spirit.

Lord, we look forward to saying, “Blessed is the one, [Jesus], who comes in the name of the Lord.” During this life, when we yearn to see your face, let us continue to look around us at beauty in this world, at your inspired word, at the Word made Flesh who has lived among us, and at those around us who strive to live with and in you.

Lord, you continually call us

* whether through our experience of beauty,

* or whether we to seek you when we suffer,

* or whether we find you in our search for truth,

* or our longing to seek your face possesses our soul,

* or however we act in response to your loving grace.

Lord, the God of Abraham, we pray that we do answer your calling to us, for we recognize you as the God of our salvation. Amen.

READINGS

Gen 15:1-12,17-18

Phil 3:17-4:1

Luke 13:31-35

Psalm 27