Sermon: What a Weak!

March 22, 2009

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 & John 2:13-22

by the Reverend Steve Clunn

The Gospel story for today is a story of power and misunderstanding.

Jesus exhibits prophetic power by entering the temple and running out the merchants. He

is showing zeal for the purity of the temple and worship, and the fair treatment of

those who come there to worship; not being taken advantage of by those who are

simply trying to exploit the people for a quick buck.

When confronted with the question of authority, Jesus answers with a strange request;

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Scholars are not in agreement with what this question is about. Some believe the

personalizing of this passage to mean his own body, is a later addition to the text.

One thing is certain, Jesus meant this symbolically, not literally, but the temple priests

couldn’t see beyond their own sense of power and legitimacy.

The picture from the front of the bulletin this morning is that of the massive seven-ton,

15-foot tall cast bronze statue of the colossal Titan Atlas that has stood in

Rockefeller Plaza since January, 1937. It was conceived and designed by Lee

Lawrie.

When we think of the mythological Atlas we think of strength, don’t we? In strong man

competitions of today, the huge, heavy stones that are carried on the shoulders of

the competitors over a short distance are known as “Atlas Stones.”

From the cover of Van Halen’s album “5150” to Ayn Rand’s novel, “Atlas Shrugged…

were Atlas is used as a metaphor for the people who produced the most in society,

and therefore "hold up the world" in a metaphorical sense.

Atlas continues to be a commonly used icon in western culture, as a symbol of strength or

stoic endurance.

But the story of Atlas in Greek mythology isn’t one of brute strength, it’s a story of poor

judgement, betrayal, divided brothers in battle and the ultimate punishment by

Zues; that Atlas be condemned to hold up the Earth on his shoulders for eternity.

Only after doing so for 1,000 years is he released from his punishment and

allowed to live at Mount Olympus.

For all his strength and heroic efforts, Atlas is ultimately found to be weak in the things

that mattered most in terms of his existence and fate.

The angle of this particular photograph, showing St. Patrick’s Cathedral in the

background, just seems to beg the question, “where do we see the strength of the

church today?”

Last night I was watching the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Some of you know

that my family are big Carolina fans. Their star guard, Ty Lawson, this year’s

Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year, recently injured a toe and was at

one point, in obvious pain.

He was out for just a few minutes to get it worked on and looked at and then was right

back in the game; leading his team in the second half to victory. I couldn’t help

but wonder to myself what price he will pay down the line.

Professional athletes make their livelihood off their Herculean bodies and physical

abilities. Yet those very bodies are finally an athlete's downfall. Tendinitis and

arthritis slow down a pitcher's arm. Torn ligaments and floating cartilage cripple a

running back's knees. Tennis elbow stops all "ace" servers cold. That which was

once an athlete's source of power and pride becomes the weakest, most vulnerable

part of his or her body. There comes a time in every athlete's life when no longer

does "practice make perfect." Instead, practice only makes pain.

Think your strengths can't become weaknesses? Do you imagine that your strengths

prevent you from being duped? Take a lesson from the story of the Borden

Company. When I was growing up, there were few companies more familiar and

respected and successful than Borden's. Remember Elsie, the cow? Milkman Gail

Borden, who founded the company in 1857 with the invention of condensed milk,

even had his tomb built in the shape of a condensed-milk can. But what made

Elsie grace almost every refrigerator in this nation is also what led to the

company's downfall. Borden's strengths became the very source of its

weaknesses.

First, Frito-Lay, Doritos and other specialty chips began to take larger shares of the

market. Borden saw no reason to change or add to its standard Wise potato chips.

Next, premium ice creams like Ben & Jerry's and Haagen Dazs appeared on the scene.

Borden saw no reason to change or add to its traditional, lower-priced Lady Borden ice cream.

Then, easy-to-prepare meals like Rice-a-Roni became popular. Borden saw no reason to

change or add to its staple Prince spaghetti and Classico spaghetti sauce.

This once $5.5 billion business called Borden went broke and was on the verge of

bankruptcy in the late 1990’s. It was taken over by corporate raider Kohlberg,

Kravis & Roberts, who butchered this once herculean food company, and literally

sold Elsie off piece by piece.

Sure, that’s business and capitalism, that demands that a company keep up with market

forces or perish; but the point of perceived strength being misguided and

eventually foolhardy is well taken.

Some think that the church right now is in a weakened state because it has failed to keep

up with the times and the societal forces around us.

I believe that the church is a weakened state because we have latched on to the societal

forces around us and tried to make them our strength.

Let me ask you this, what brought you here and has kept you here. Was it the way this

church challenged your mind and heart in terms of what it means to be faithful?

Was it because of the relationships you built here with peers, colleagues and

strangers… the joys you discovered as you worked together to try to do

something meaningful and holy in the world?

Those are still our true strengths, because at the heart of them is the power of the love of

God and God’s love is more powerful than our inability to focus on what really

matters.

God’s love is more powerful than our fear over stock markets and budgets.

God’s love is more powerful than our own failure to reach beyond the smallness of

ourselves and our own familiar and comfortable perspectives.

God’s love is powerful enough to transform strangers that cross the lines of familiarity,

sameness, station, educational background, or job skills… and turn us into

brothers and sisters in Christ.

You see, I believe that what Paul understood, and Jesus was trying to teach; was that our

strength lies in the presence of love, God, among us. So yes, the temple building

could fall, but it wouldn’t matter if we would let Love prevailed.

Yes, stock markets could disappoint and economies could recess and even depress, but

people who let Love prevail will find a way through it.

Love is not some flimsy, soft mushy feeling; it is a commitment to God, to Others and

Self that can provide more power and strength than I think any of us even realize.

Robert Lewis Stevenson once wrote, “You cannot run away from weakness; you must

some time fight it out or perish; and if that be so, why not now, and where you

stand?”

If Love born of compassion, hope and Grace is a weakness, dear God, then let us be the

weakest church around. Amen.