Recently, I ran across some
graphic descriptions of emphasis within various faith persuasions: for
example, how many TV evangelists does it take to change a light
bulb? One, but for the message of light to continue, send in your
donation today. How many
spirit-filled Pentecostals does it take to change a light bulb?
Six, one to change the bulb and five to cast out the spirit of darkness. How many Catholics does it take to
change a light bulb? None, they use candles. How many Baptists does it take to
change a light bulb?….change!
How many members of the United Church of Canada does it take to change
a light bulb? This statement was issued. “We choose not to make a
statement either in favour of or against the need for a light
bulb. However, if in your own journey you have found that a light
bulb works for you, that is fine. You are invited to write a poem or
compose a modern dance about your personal relationship with your light
bulb or light source or non-dark resource and present it at our annual
light bulb Sunday, in which we will explore a number of light bulb
traditions, including incandescent, florescent, three way, long-life
and tinted-all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.” How many members of Squamish United
does it take to change a light bulb? Change the bulb? What
do you mean? My parents gave that light bulb.
Adam and Eve’s other son. It is
line 14 across in the crossword puzzle, and it has four blanks.
That’s easy, you say, Abel! But that won’t work.
Cain, you immediately think, but that won’t work either. This
name ends in “H”. Who are you going to ask? Not many in
Save-On-Foods or Fields are likely to know the answer. It all begins so innocently. You are
reading the fourth chapter of Genesis and you read about Adam and Eve’s
first- born son named Cain and their second son Abel. With an
amazing economy of words, we read about Cain being a tiller of the
soil, a farmer, and Abel being a shepherd. The time comes when
they brought their offerings to the Lord. Cain brought some products of
the field, whereas Abel brought the finest lamb from the flock. In this
story, Yahweh accepts Abel’s offering, but rejects Cain. And Cain
is angry!
Some thinkers have made a great deal
out of this action. Some say it is a typology that hints at the
New Testament idea of the Lamb of God. But I think it reflects a
cultural reality. Many people were nomadic sheep-herders. This
story predates the time that the Children of Israel entered the
Promised Land, and agriculture became a major economic reality. In any
case, Cain was so angry that he rose up and killed his brother
Abel. Four chapters into the Bible, and already we have a murder.
Now comes the 25th verse of Genesis 4-
“Eve became pregnant again and delivered another son who was named
Seth. Eve was happy and said; “now I have a son who replaces
Abel, because Cain slew him.” The very next verse says, “To Seth, also,
a son was born, and he called his name Enosh.” That is glossing
over the childhood, youth and marrying of a person about as fast as
anything I have ever seen.
Yet that verse is very significant, because the genealogy of Israel
comes down through Seth- not Cain or Abel. You can check that out
in the next Chapters if you wish.
To me, this highlights a reality that exists with our society. We are
fascinated by stories of good and evil, and furthermore, we tend to
ignore that which is ordinary. Bible readers know Cain- even
those who don’t read the Bible can be heard saying "he raised
Cain!" But in our society, we gloss over people who in many ways
perform good deeds that benefit society. The news media is much more
interested in the famous or the infamous than in the common and
ordinary.
We know about Albert Schweitzer,
especially his work in the mission hospital in Lamborenee. We are
aware of Mother Teresa and her work in India. We know about
Nelson Mandella and people of that stature. We also are well
aware of tyrants: Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Idi Amin, Sadam
Hussein, Slobodon Milosevich, and even Clifford Olson are known by most
of us. It is a sad
reality to me that a movie filled with violence, blood and gore is
almost certain to become a hit. How can we explain young people
senselessly beating people to death over seemingly insignificant
happenings, or teenagers going into a school to kill and spray bullets
all around? Why are we fascinated by O.J. Simpson, Clinton and
Lewinsky, or the escapades of Diana? Hero or villain, something keeps
drawing us to them- even in the Biblical stories.
But Seth—who is Seth? All we know about him is that he was born to Adam
and Eve, he fathered some children and he died. That’s the way it is
for most of us on this planet. The influence of most individuals is
really very limited. It may be significant within a given circle of
people, but for the vast majority of people on this earth, the circle
is very small. The truth is that most of us are like Seth. Daily
we see the accounts in the obituary columns- so and so was born,
educated, married, worked with such a company or companies, had some
children, some grandchildren, served on a few clubs or groups, and died.
I love reading biographies. I
get caught up in the exploits of the subject's life and
accomplishments. If only, I were like whomever I am reading
about. But I am not. I am like Seth. OH, I’ve done a
few good things, but not noteworthy enough for wide spread acclaim-
sort of like Seth. I’ve had anger, lot’s of it, but not to the
extent of murder or harsh retribution: not very noteworthy, not really
worth remembering.
Think of the people who have
influenced and affected your life-Doctors, teachers, and neighbours.
The world at large may not know them but you do! Think of the researchers who labour
in anonymity; only a few ever become known, yet they change the entire
dynamics of living in health and happiness. Or preachers, they
were the heroes of yester-year, yet only a few are well known.
Most labour faithfully in obscurity, influencing the lives of just a
few- like Seth. Still, Seth and his descen, who with their wives survived the flood. A
new covenant with Yahweh is established -“I shall be your God and you
shall be my people.” In
the Old Testament, whenever circumstances became difficult, people
started looking for a saviour or a Messiah who would lead them to a new
day. The prophets had plenty of words of hope about a new era, where
peace and prosperity would reign, and Israel would become a great
nation under God. Usually, these messianic visions contemplated a
return to the old days, when they remembered that things were better,
or at least they thought they were.
The disciples were adherents to this
philosophy. To them, Jesus was the new messiah who would return Israel
to her fortunes. They were flabbergasted when Jesus was seized
and put to trial, and shocked when he was crucified. They were not
present at the crucifixion, and none of them contemplated a
resurrection. They were boarded up: incommunicado. When the women came
and said the grave was empty, they saw that as the last straw-now they
have even stolen his body. They ran to the tomb. And then it
dawned on them what Jesus was saying when he asked Martha, “Do you
believe in the resurrection?” “Sure”, she said, “at the last day when
Elijah returns and the trumpet sounds and the gates are opened” Jesus
said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life, do you believe that?”
And she said, “yes, yes.”
Fifty days after the resurrection, at
Pentecost, the disciples were no longer ordinary people. They were on
fire; they were believers, they were fearless. They were
convinced that what Jesus taught was indeed correct and they proclaimed
it for all to hear. "He is alive." Their liturgy was plain and
simple. It said “Praise the Lord, Christ has risen.” Throughout the ages, ordinary people who
have caught the vision have responded, “He is Risen Indeed.”
History remains similar. Even today,
we look for Messiahs to bail us out. Millions wait for a dynamic leader
to reappear miraculously and usher in a New Kingdom. Every year, we
hear about charismatic personalities who proclaim that they are the
Lord’s anointed, and they lead a few faithful followers to a commune,
or an island, or sometimes even to mass suicides.But what the world needs is good people;
good people who will establish good homes, where discipline, reading
and encouragement are taught and modelled; where morality and honesty
are seen and grasped. In the final analysis, no example is as
powerful as children seeing that their grandparents and their parents
love each other, and love them.
The world needs good faithful
Churches; God knows the Church is not perfect, but with dedicated
ordinary people leading, working and attending within its ranks, good
can prevail. The Church is still the world's largest volunteer agency,
and we do well to remember that salvation comes in the doing, so
Churches must never hire-out work that can be done by ordinary people
of faith.
The world needs more Seths. God must
have loved Seth, so many were made. Who is Seth? Seth is the member who is usually here,
seldom seen, but who supports his Church and prays for it. Seth is the singer who is usually
here on Sunday, who practices with the choir on Thursday, but who never
sings a solo. Seth is the
teacher who would rather be in worship, isn’t seen much over in Trinity
Hall, but is known and loved by her students and their parents. Seth is the volunteer who gets
people to sign up, who sets tables, prepares coffee hour, mows lawns,
and fixes things in the Church without most people ever knowing. Seth sits faithfully on boards and
committees, even when he would rather be at home resting. Seth is the neighbour you don’t know
very well, but who always smiles nicely and greets you. Seth never tells anyone, but she
writes notes and drops off flowers to shut-ins, works at the care
centre as a volunteer, and drives her car for meals on wheels. Seth works in the soup kitchen,
prepares peanut butter and foodstuffs for the Food Bank. Seth has difficulty telling you what
he believes, but he is usually present with his family, and people like
him. Seth has never been
in a limousine, doesn’t own a tuxedo and doesn’t have investments, but
his grandchildren adore him.
Seth uses her arthritic fingers to sew costumes for the Christmas
pageant, and to knit toques for First United Church in Vancouver. Seth hates talking about money, but
once a year he talks to a few people about the financial needs of the
Church. Seth can’t walk anymore, her body is
worn out, but she prays for her Church, her community and the confusing
things of the world. Seth
is the modest, almost unrecognizable one upon whom families, churches,
in fact the whole country relies. To such, Jesus gave the keys of the
Kingdom.
Seth, may your tribe increase for of
such is the kingdom of God.