SUNDAY SERMON - OCTOBER 16, 2016 - THE REV DAVID R. STODDART

Church of Our Saviour, Charlottesville

Genesis 32:22-31; Luke 18:1-8

22 Pentecost/Proper 24

16 October 2016

The Rev. David M. Stoddart

Some of you may have read Scott Peck’s The Road Less Traveled. Peck was a psychiatrist who was particularly interested in spiritual growth. He wrote a number of books, but this was his first. And it begins with a simple, one sentence paragraph: “Life is difficult.” He then goes on to write: “This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult – once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.”

Well. That is both an indisputable and totally provocative statement. Obviously, life is hard. It is also filled with joy and wonder and delight, but we all know that life is not easy. But the idea that accepting the difficulty of life makes life less difficult may make us uncomfortable. Actually, the main thesis of the book, which he goes on to articulate, is that most people do not fully accept the truth that life is difficult: they fight it and rebel against it continually, thus undermining their own spiritual growth and well-being.

This has been on my mind because the Bible definitely accepts the fact that life is difficult. Everything we hear from Scripture on Sunday mornings was written before the advent of antibiotics and anesthesia, before there was such a thing as psychiatry or psychotherapy. Not a single biblical author lived in a democracy that valued human rights. Life was hard in a way that most of us can’t even imagine. Stories from Scripture not only assume this, but they assume that if we are going to encounter God it will only happen in this difficult world, and not in some spiritual la-la land. If we are really going to experience God, somehow we have to accept this.

And that leads me to these two stories today, which vividly illustrate this point. Jacob is a liar who has cheated his brother and is about to meet him again after years of separation. He is scared, and he has reason to be. Like all of us at various times, Jacob has caused his own difficulties − and he is suffering. The widow in Jesus’ parable is among the most vulnerable members of her society. She has clearly been wronged or taken advantage of in some way. Like all of us at various times, she is a victim of powers and circumstances beyond her control − and she is suffering. But neither of these people rolls over and gives up. More significantly, neither of them spends any time wondering why life is so hard. They just accept that and go with it – Jacob wrestles with this mysterious stranger all night long; the widow keeps going back to that judge over and over again. And in both cases, accepting and tackling their difficulty – in Jacob’s case, literally tackling it – leads to blessing.

There is so much to say here, but let me focus on two essential points. The first is just how accessible God is. Presumably God could have appeared to Jacob in some awesome form, but he comes to him as a man, someone he can touch and wrestle with, skin to skin. The judge in the parable is a jerk, but he is still available to this widow, who comes to see him often, leading Jesus to say, “If even this guy is open and available, imagine how much more God is.” And here’s the crucial point: it’s not that God is close to us in spite of our difficulties: God is close to us in our difficulties. It is when we struggle that we so often encounter the Holy One. This may be counter-intuitive for some of us. It is easy to indulge in the fantasy of the perfect moment, a moment when everything is just right – our children are behaving, our spouse isn’t annoying us, our job is going well, the day is sunny, they chose decent hymns at church, UVA won the football game, all the stars align – and in that rare instant of peace and contentment, we can experience the presence of God. I have listened to people wistfully describe such scenarios, but if that is our expectation, we will miss out on everything. Part of accepting the difficulty of life is accepting that God meets us in the difficulty, not just in ideal moments that almost never happen. We may not like that, but it’s the truth.

But this leads to the second essential point: in those difficult times, God always wants to bless. Jacob won’t let go of that stranger until he blesses him; the widow won’t stop going back to that judge until he blesses her. I want to pause here and have you consider, honestly, what do you believe God wants to do in your life? Too many people actually believe, in their heart of hearts, that God wants to judge them, to punish them, to condemn them. But God is love, and if that statement is to have any value or relevance, it means that God always wants to bless us, always wants to do good in our lives, even and especially when we are struggling. Now, let me be clear: I don’t think God blesses us by magically making all our problems go away: after all, life is difficult. And I know it can take time for blessings to unfold and take time for us to recognize them as blessings. But I have been around the block enough times to know that it happens all the time, in ways both mundane and miraculous.

There are as many difficulties among us today as there are people gathered in this church. I certainly have my own. But we gather in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, who came to show us how close God truly is to us and to bless everyone, even the most distressed people, even the worst sinners. If you came here today to escape your troubles, let me gently suggest that you embrace them instead, and accept the truth that God wants to bless you in the midst of disease or financial hardship or emotional turmoil or whatever is making your life difficult right now. Not everyone will do it, but in a challenging world, that is the best way forward. Scott Peck calls it “The Road Less Traveled.” Jesus calls it faith. Whatever we call it, it leads to that joy and peace which the Holy Spirit seeks to instill in our difficult lives each and every day.