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A Sermon Delivered at First Christian
Church Stockton Genesis 12:1-9, Matthew 9: 9-13, Romans 4: 13-18 What kind of a God is it
that chooses some people to have special place of honor among all other
peoples? That is one of the
questions posed by the Old Testament, where the Jews are unmistakably
marked out as the chosen ones. Does this mean that God has favorites? In our democratic society
where many kinds of discrimination are outlawed, how do we Christians cope
with the Bible and its God who chooses some while passing over others? Let’s take a look at the
story. Abraham and Sarah, the
father and mother of the Hebrew people, lived between 1,700 to 2,000 years
before Jesus. Abraham first lived in Mesopotamia, in the north of what is
now Iraq. This was a highly developed civilization of proud cities and
temples, literature and astronomy, legal codes, medical skills and massive
irrigation schemes. However, Abraham and Sarah were outsiders, somewhat
like the illegal immigrants in our valley. Abraham was a Semite herdsman;
living in tents among his small tribe, moving from place to place to find
feed for his cattle, sheep and goats. The Bible tells us that
they first lived at a place called Ur. Later they moved up to Haran. From
archaeology we now know that both these cities worshipped the moon god. The Moon? Maybe out there
in the moonlight the crucial event of revelation happened, when a Power
far more impelling than the moon, spoke to them and named them as the
chosen people. Abraham heeded
God’s call to uproot his family and move to a place unknown. By rule of common sense,
what a stupid thing to do! To follow an impulse in his head, to believe
that it was the voice of a supreme, unseen God who had chosen them, to
leave everything familiar and to go south on a long journey to a land he
had never seen, was obviously ridiculous in the eyes of onlookers. Stupid,
stupid, stupid! At least the locals could see the mysterious moon and
worship her. But a hidden God like Abraham now followed? How crazy can you
get! What about us? How mad
would you have to be to think yourself to be one chosen by the God above
all other gods? Why should God pick out anyone in particular and chose
them? And why choose a tribe of herdsmen rather than sophisticated,
educated people such as those in the mighty cities of the Chaldeans? Not
likely! What was even more unlikely
was that kooky idea about becoming a great nation. At the age of 75 years,
to take the hand of Sarah his childless and elderly wife, and to walk off
into the unknown, expecting their descendants to become a great nation,
was extravagantly absurd. Yet from such an absurdity
came a remarkable nation. Never a super power in terms of numbers, riches
or military muscle. But a small Semitic nation that has been misunderstood
more than any other, suffered more than any other, yet also influenced the
world more than any other. In religion, music, literature, law and
science, neither any other tribe nor vast empire has made anything like a
proportionate contribution to the world. I say this with gratitude
to God; to the same hidden God in whom Abraham and Sarah placed their
trust. There is a heritage-stream
which runs from Abraham to Moses to Ruth to Isaiah to Mary and to Jesus;
to the Bethlehem wonder, to the parables of the prodigal son and the good
Samaritan, to the healing of the blind, deaf diseased and handicapped; to
the garden of Gethsemene, the hill of Golgotha, and to the Easter
happening-: that celebration party which started about 32 AD and which is
still running here now! Now I need to pause and
face the fact that at times things went wrong. Among the descendants of
Abraham were those who thought they were chosen because they were superior
to any other tribe of humanity. They thought they deserved being chosen,
deserved being treated like favorites.
One still sees it some of the Hebrew people. We see its ugly side
in the arrogance of right-wing fundamentalist Jews to other people and
races. This arrogance and pride causes their apparent blindness to the
rights of Palestinians. But I
would be careful about casting the first stone until we look at our own
particular arrogance and prejudices.
Have we not, as American Christians, developed a similar
superiority complex toward other nations and religions?
It is ironic that the church, throughout nearly 2000 years, has
displayed this arrogance toward our Jewish brothers and sisters. This idea of superiority
misses the point of God calling a chosen people. God chooses particular
people to be servants of the wider world. The call is not to be pampered
favorites but to spread the knowledge of the love of God in all the world. Abraham and Sarah were
called to be the parents of a race of people who would bring blessing to every tribe and nation. They were not extra special in themselves
but in the task that God had
given them. The great prophets
understood this. Against the Hebrew arrogance of their time they called
for repentance and a call to being a people of justice, mercy and peace. Jesus understood it and
embodied the true mission of Israel more than any before him. He knew that
his people, the chosen ones, were chosen as a means to bring the happiness
of God to all people. Those outsiders who by their misconduct or their
race seemed outside the circle, were the very ones to whom Jesus directed
his ministry. This shocked and offended
the righteous people, the ones who saw themselves chosen of God because of
their superiority. So I ask
again: What kind of a God is it that chooses some people to have
special place among all other peoples? The answer is: A God who
equally loves all people. A God
who loves the whole world. Out
of that inclusive love some are chosen to be God’s special servants in
the world and for the world. They are not special in themselves but
special because they are called to a high responsibility. God could have chosen a
tribe of Africans, or the ancients Brits, or the Australian aborigines, or
people in India, Afghanistan, or America. But it was obscure Semitic tribe
from Mesopotamia who became the chosen people. Why? There is no logical
explanation. Why did Jesus call Matthew and not another tax gatherer? For
that matter, why on earth did God call me to be a minister? You will
happily agree it was certainly not because of some innate superiority!
There is always a puzzle in why some are chosen.
Sometimes God chooses the least likely, the least deserving, to
show God’s love, mercy, and power. But one thing is sure:
those who are chosen are always chosen for the purpose of being a blessing
to others. We are blessed that we may be a blessing to others. It is a
holy call, not to additional "perks" but to additional
responsibility. If you are a member of a club, there are special perks
that come with being a club member. This
is not so with church membership. Clubs
exist for the benefit of club members.
But the church exists for the betterment of nonmembers.
Thus, we have no seat or pews we can call our own, even if we gave
money for that seat. The seat
belongs to any outsider, any visitor, even if they don’t look as if they
belong here. Jesus reaching out to
outsiders, those tax thugs and prostitutes; this is the supreme sign of
what God is about when she chooses a people. Jesus is the perfect example
of a chosen person giving his life for others. Like Abraham and Sarah, we
in the church are a chosen people; chosen by the God who loves all people
to help show that love to all people. Thankfully, by the grace of God we
do get it right sometimes.
Michael Malone
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