6/15/2008                                                                            Romans 5:1-11

“Pathfinders”

Rev. Jonathan Rumburg

Introduction

            On Father’s Day we say thanks to our Dad’s, honor and recognize them for all they have given to us.  I plan on doing that very thing this afternoon, while keeping in mind that my Dad gave me so much when I deserved so little.

            I realize I am among the fortunate ones whose Father took to the responsibility of being a parent.  And with that realization comes the understanding that for some this day becomes anything but a celebration, and instead it’s a painful reminder of what was not.  But I hope that no matter what this day brings out in us—whether it be celebration with our Dad’s or as a Dad, fond remembrance of a dearly departed man, or an attempt to find healing for deep wounds of neglect—that we will see that this day is a chance to honor and recognize the opportunities of life that we were born into, and the paths that were made available to us.  Be it paths toward a future with hope, or the knowledge of what path not to take.

            In his book “Work: The Shadow and the Substance” David Bleakley writes about visionaries who consider what could be.  They are “… those who believe that it is possible to build a better world.”  Bleakley calls these people “Pathfinders.” 

            He defines “Pathfinders” as “ …lovers of our planet, who feel a responsibility for God’s creation, and wish to give true meaning to the lives of all God’s people.” 

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            Father’s Day can be, in addition to the day we honor and recognize our Dad’s, the day when we celebrate those who have become Pathfinders for us.  Pathfinders of paths to take.  Pathfinder of paths not to take.  It can be a day to give thanks for those who have helped us become Pathfinders ourselves.

Move 1:

            I don’t imagine being a father is easy.  When I look back on the kind of son I was, I know that I never made it easy on my Dad. 

            When I was seven or eight years old, I was playing in my dad’s work van, pretending I was big rig truck driver, rushing down the open highway, talking on the cb, and trying to evade the dimwitted Smokey.  (I loved the movie “Smokey and the Bandit.”)

            While playing one night, I inadvertently pulled the gear lever from park into neutral.  The van was parked on a slight grade, and started to roll.  I panicked as the truck lurched forward and, without thinking, I jumped out.  Realizing what I did, I tried to climb back into the rolling truck to stop it, but to no avail.  The truck went down the hill and crashed into a tree.

            Scared for what I had just done, and certain that my Dad would surely punish me swiftly and harshly, I ran into the woods and hide from my father.  I was all right.  The van was not.

            Dad never yelled out me.  He didn’t even punish me.  I am certain he knew that my mind was punishing me enough.  I’m also certain that the idea of one of his children wrecking one of his vehicles was nothing Dad believed could never happen.  However, I doubt he expected it to happen before his kids had driver’s licenses.

            The truck sustained a good bit of damage, but it was still drivable.  Which is what he did.  I imagine he blamed himself even more so than he blamed me because this was one of the fewest of times he hadn’t set the parking break.    

            Dad knew I didn’t mean to wreck his truck.  He knew that though I had done something wrong it was an unfortunate accident.  I had done something that was the characteristic of a bad kid, but the truth of the matter, I really wasn’t.

            That night my Dad had before him a variety of paths to take.  He could have punished me swiftly and harshly.  He could have yelled and screamed.  He could have labeled me a bad kid and parented me, and taught me, accordingly.  Or he could go down the path of seeing things as they really were. 

            I am grateful for the path my father took that night.

Move 2

            “Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”

            Character is a peculiar entity in society today. 

            Character is the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing.  The character of a person becomes then, the definition of who a person is and how a person lives.  And while this definition is true, the truth of the matter is that people are often seen and perceived to be of different character than is always accurate.

            Perception of a person’s character is how the rest of society defines the particular features and traits that form the individual nature of a person.  Perception of a person is more often than not, how we see people, and how we determine if a person is good or bad, right or wrong, moral or immoral, faithful or unfaithful.  But perceptions, like looks, can be deceiving.  Perceptions are opinions, isolated observations that are influenced by our own definitions of good and bad, right and wrong, moral or immoral, faithful or unfaithful.  Perception can, if we are not careful, guide us down a path of misunderstanding and judgment.

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            I have made it a habit to look both ways before proceeding through a green light.  It paid off mightily the other day.  My light turned green, but before proceeding I looked both ways.  I saw a car that didn’t appear to be slowing down, so I waited.  Sure enough, the car continued on through the red light.  Immediately I labeled them a bad driver that should be stripped of their driving privileges, because “they could have killed me.”

            After a few moments of proclaiming self righteously about how I was a good driver and they were a bad driver, I realized that this driver made a mistake.  Yes, it was a serious one, but no one was hurt.  Yes, it was a mistake, but I know this person didn’t intentionally run the red light.  I know they don’t think that the law doesn’t apply to them.  That driver isn’t a horrible person because they ran a red light, but yet, I perceived them to be a horrible person.  And I was wrong for doing so.

            Perception is something that we cannot avoid.  But if we leave our opinion of a person’s character to a simple, brief, and/or isolated observation, then what does that say about our character?  What does that say about the paths we choose to follow?

Move 3

            There are some in our society who have the mindset that if you think, act, believe, live, or even speak in a way that is contrary to the “American Way” that you are un-American, that you are our enemy, and you are probably conspiring to hurt true Americans, and/or impede upon the sanctity of the “American Way.”  It has become nearly habitual to perceive someone who has different opinions, different views, different life styles, as bad, wrong, immoral, unfaithful, or all of the above, particularly those with differing political views.

            This way of thinking is a path down a slippery slope.  And the Apostle Paul shows us a better way of thinking, a better path to look for.

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            I love it when Paul uses his familiar “therefore” introduction.  You know upon seeing that one word that Paul is about to say something we need to pay attention to. 

            “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

            Our faith alone in God gives us the peace of God.  Our faith alone gives us favor with God.  Our faith in Jesus Christ means we have received reconciliation with God.  All wrongs are forgiven.  -à

All sins are reconciled.  Even the wrongs and the sins of those we perceive to be our enemies.

            God never perceives any of us to be unworthy of God’s grace.  God never perceives any of us as bad.  Instead, “while we are still weak” Christ’s death and resurrection shows us that there is a path we are invited to follow regardless of how other’s perceive us because God’s knows us, and loves us unconditionally.

            Yes, we do things wrong.  We make mistakes.  We cause accidents.  We have differing opinions.  And sometimes we fail miserably.  Yet all those things are done, at some point, by those who are good, right, moral, and faithful people.  No one is perfect.  But fortunately we don’t have to be, for while we are still sinners, Christ died for us, and we have peace with God because of it.

            With his “therefore” statement, Paul is reminding us that all God’ children are loved and accepted.  With his “therefore” statement Paul is calling us to be the Pathfinders who see beyond perception and see the true child of God in every human being.

Move 4

            Jemma Leech won an essay contest after a panel of judges unanimously voted that her essay was far and away the best of all the entrants.

            Listen to an excerpt from Jemma Leech’s winning essay about a park near her former home in London.

            “I remember in London the winters were warm and wet. No snow or ice, just rainy gumboot puddled walks in Brockwell Park, while the summer-packed paddling pool filled of its own accord with rainwater, autumn leaves and rainbows of crisp bags. We disappeared in the secret garden underneath palisades of sleeping creeping clematis and wisteria, swapping dry dark with the wet light as we trailed the paving maze to the fishpond at its heart.”

            As you can hear, Jemma is a talented writer.  She has hopes of wining a noble prize in literature, as well as a Grammy and an Oscar.

            What I haven’t told you is that Jemma Leech is just ten years old. 

            Her talent at such a young age is impressive.  However, it might further impress you to know that not only is Jemma ten years old, she also has cerebral palsy, a disease for which there is no known cure.

            Jemma Leech, confined to a wheel chair, cannot sit up without support.  She was unable to communicate until the age of five when she was provided a computer touch screen and a xylophone stick.  With those tools, and her mother helping to steady her arm, Jemma’s thoughts and talents came pouring out.

            It is a tedious process however.  In the ABC News story where I read about Jemma, they revealed that it took a good ten minutes for Jemma to answer just one of their questions.

            I can’t help but imagine how Jemma is perceived by those who don’t know her.  I wonder if people look at young Jemma, feel sorry for her and her parents, and then perceive that her life is worthless, and that her parent’s lives are forever burdened.

            It’s then that I can’t help but think about the shock they would have if they knew of her talent despite her affliction.  I think about how inaccurate they would be to perceive this young wheelchair bound girl as worthless and a burden.

            I think of these mis-perceptions of Jemma while realizing that Jemma is one who embodies Paul’s words of “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”  Remember, Jemma has hopes of winning a Nobel Prize as well as a Grammy and an Oscar. 

            Jemma is nothing short of a Pathfinder.

Conclusion

            Too often society sees what is, and not what could be. 

            My father could have perceived me as a bad kid who wrecked his truck.  But instead, he saw in me what could be.

            I could have perceived the driver who ran the red light as a horrible person because they “almost killed me.”  But eventually, I saw them as someone who made a mistake.

            Jemma Leech could have perceived her condition in life as a reason to never have hopes for the future.  Instead, she is learning ways to share her God given gifts and talents.

            Jemma Leech’s parents could have perceived a crippling, incurable disease as a reason to see their daughter as nothing more than a burden.  But instead, they see what could be in her.

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            We see what is.  But do we not see what could be?

            The person we see as bad could just be making a mistake. 

            The person who we see as our enemy could very well want the same things we want, but is simply trying to get them in a different way. 

            The person who believes and lives differently than us could still be a good person.

            But more importantly than what could be, that we fail to perceive, is the fact that no matter who a person is, no matter who they could be, God loves them, and they have peace with God.

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            Let us not be perceivers.  Let us be those who don’t determine through isolated observations or because of differing opinions that someone is bad, wrong, immoral, unfaithful or even as worthless a burden. 

            Rather let us see all people as God see them; with eyes of grace and peace, understanding and forgiveness.

            Therefore, let us be those who feel a responsibility for God’s children, and strive to give true meaning and true understanding to each person’s life.  Let us be Pathfinders who show the world another way, a better way, of perceiving the children of God.

            Amen.