"A Lesson from 'The Shack'"
A sermon preached by the Rev. Christopher E. Yopp at Edgemont Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) based on Hebrews 4:12-16.
In the Sunday School Class I teach, we have been doing a study on the best-selling book, The Shack, which tells the story of Mack Philips. Four years before the story begins, Mack’s young daughter, Missy, was abducted during a family vacation. Through her body was never discovered, the police did find evidence in an abandoned shack to prove that she had been brutally murdered by a notorious serial killer who preyed on young girls. As the story begins, Mack, who has been living in the shadow of his “Great Sadness,” receives a note from God, known in this story as Papa. Papa invites Mack to return to the shack for a time together. Though uncertain of what to expect, thinking that this might be some kind of sick or cruel joke, Mack visits the scene of the crime and their experiences and weekend-long encounter with God.
In the book, Mack’s perspective of God drastically changes. His seminary training and stereotypes are cast away as he is encounters and experiences God. For him, the Trinity is manifested and appears in bodily forms as some unusual characters. For instance, God, who is referred to as Papa, not a whole lot unlike Jesus’ reference to God as Abba, which in Aramaic is translated “daddy,” appears as a large, African-American woman named Elousia. Near the end of the book, because Mack requires a father-figure or image when it comes to God, she turns into a pony-tailed, grey-haired man. Jesus appears to Mack as a young Middle-Eastern man, of Jewish descent, who is dressed like a laborer, complete with a tool belt and gloves. And the Holy Spirit is played by Sarayu, which interestingly enough is Sanskrit for “air” or “wind,” and appears as a small, delicate and eclectic woman of Asian descent.
In fact, one of my favorite dialogues that occurs between Mack and Papa in the book was in the 6th chapter, where Mack is forced to open the box that he has so conveniently placed God in. The dialogue reads: “[Mack, as you know] I am neither male nor female, even though both genders are derived from my nature. If I choose to appear to you as a man or a woman, it’s because I love you. For me to appear to you as a woman and suggest that you call me Papa is simply to mix metaphors, to help you keep from falling so easily back into your religious conditioning…” “To reveal myself to you as a very large, white grandfather figure with a flowing beard would simply reinforce your religious stereotypes…”
I can imagine Mack felt a little like the people of Palestine in the 1st century, as this young, Jewish man made his way through the country side proclaiming to be God in the flesh! What’s more, this man would not reach out to the wealthy or the most influential of society, or even the most religious. No, he went to the poor, the sick, the outcaste, the marginalized and preached good news to them; shared God’s love and compassion to them. Obviously, there whole philosophy and way of thinking of God, their whole religious system of beliefs and dogmas, their whole understanding of God would have been altered at that moment. Some accused Jesus of blasphemy; some, as you might imagine, outright rejected his claims; while others embraced him and discovered in him the love and compassion of God.
Our faith is more than a religion! It is revelation! If our faith is nothing more than a religion, then it has no real impact upon our lives. It is something we do verses something that is felt and experienced and lived out.
One of the most beautiful pictures that is captured in the book, The Shack, is a picture that for centuries authors and artists, poets and songwriters, pastors and teachers, theologians and philosophers have tried to capture in their work. And that is the picture of God, not only sympathizing with humanity, but also empathizing with us. And I think this was beautifully pictured in the book when Mack was asked Papa: “‘How can you really know how I feel?’ Papa didn’t answer, only looked down at her hands. His gaze followed hers and for the first time Mack noticed the scars on her writes, like those… Jesus also had on his.”
A poet once wrote: “No matter what God’s power may be, the first aspect of God is never that of the absolute Master, the Almighty. It is that of the God who puts himself on our human level and limits himself.”
The writer of Hebrews reminds us: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
This past Tuesday, I attended a “Faith and Law Seminar” in Roanoke. And in spite the fact that it was kind of long and exhausting and boring at some points, it was very informative and insightful. It covered a long range of topics such as taxation for clergy and churches or houses of worship, to insurance claims, to public relations. But one thing that I found interesting was one lawyer who talked at great length about confidentiality. Now, most people realize that there is that confidentiality privilege between lawyers and their clients. And obviously, there are a number of other professions where this confidentiality clause takes effect. For instance, pastors, doctors, psychiatrist and counselors, to name a few. But lawyers uphold lawyer/client privileges and one such privilege is confidentiality, because without it, as he pointed out, clients would not be forthcoming, open and honest with them. If they thought that what they were sharing was not confidential, then they would probably not share it. And this is true of our relationship with God!
In our Scripture Lesson this morning, the writer gives us the powerful metaphor of a sword fight with God! You know, friends, make no mistake, God is an excellent and expert sword fighter, and we are novices. God will win every time. God’s victory, however, does not lead to our defeat but to our healing. God’s sword reaches to our hearts. God handles the sword not a warrior, but as a surgeon. God’s sword reveals our innermost thoughts and impulses. We cannot hide from God. God knows us better than we know ourselves. God knows our innermost thoughts and questions, fears and concerns, doubts and struggles. And, you know, friends, the beautiful thing is God welcomes them. God wants us to be open and honest with him. You see, God knows our capacity to fall away from faith, to give in to temptation, to cease running the race because we are spiritually and emotionally tired and exhausted. God knows the burdens we are carrying. The God who cuts us open, spiritually speaking, is also the God of love and compassion, healing and forgiveness. And what a beautiful thought!
When we come to God, God embraces us in his nail-scared hands and says, “I understand!” God not only sympathizes with us, but God through Christ can empathize with us. Someone once offered a wonderful illustration of the difference between sympathy and empathy. If there was a person drowning, the sympathetic person might throw that victim a life-preserver, but the empathetic person will risk his or her life and jump into the water to rescue that person. This is what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. God has jump into our very realm – our very dimension and saved us. But it doesn’t stop there! We too are called to be empathetic and this is beautifully portrayed in the hymn that we will be singing at the end of our service. It reads:
In the book, Mack’s perspective of God drastically changes. His seminary training and stereotypes are cast away as he is encounters and experiences God. For him, the Trinity is manifested and appears in bodily forms as some unusual characters. For instance, God, who is referred to as Papa, not a whole lot unlike Jesus’ reference to God as Abba, which in Aramaic is translated “daddy,” appears as a large, African-American woman named Elousia. Near the end of the book, because Mack requires a father-figure or image when it comes to God, she turns into a pony-tailed, grey-haired man. Jesus appears to Mack as a young Middle-Eastern man, of Jewish descent, who is dressed like a laborer, complete with a tool belt and gloves. And the Holy Spirit is played by Sarayu, which interestingly enough is Sanskrit for “air” or “wind,” and appears as a small, delicate and eclectic woman of Asian descent.
In fact, one of my favorite dialogues that occurs between Mack and Papa in the book was in the 6th chapter, where Mack is forced to open the box that he has so conveniently placed God in. The dialogue reads: “[Mack, as you know] I am neither male nor female, even though both genders are derived from my nature. If I choose to appear to you as a man or a woman, it’s because I love you. For me to appear to you as a woman and suggest that you call me Papa is simply to mix metaphors, to help you keep from falling so easily back into your religious conditioning…” “To reveal myself to you as a very large, white grandfather figure with a flowing beard would simply reinforce your religious stereotypes…”
I can imagine Mack felt a little like the people of Palestine in the 1st century, as this young, Jewish man made his way through the country side proclaiming to be God in the flesh! What’s more, this man would not reach out to the wealthy or the most influential of society, or even the most religious. No, he went to the poor, the sick, the outcaste, the marginalized and preached good news to them; shared God’s love and compassion to them. Obviously, there whole philosophy and way of thinking of God, their whole religious system of beliefs and dogmas, their whole understanding of God would have been altered at that moment. Some accused Jesus of blasphemy; some, as you might imagine, outright rejected his claims; while others embraced him and discovered in him the love and compassion of God.
Our faith is more than a religion! It is revelation! If our faith is nothing more than a religion, then it has no real impact upon our lives. It is something we do verses something that is felt and experienced and lived out.
One of the most beautiful pictures that is captured in the book, The Shack, is a picture that for centuries authors and artists, poets and songwriters, pastors and teachers, theologians and philosophers have tried to capture in their work. And that is the picture of God, not only sympathizing with humanity, but also empathizing with us. And I think this was beautifully pictured in the book when Mack was asked Papa: “‘How can you really know how I feel?’ Papa didn’t answer, only looked down at her hands. His gaze followed hers and for the first time Mack noticed the scars on her writes, like those… Jesus also had on his.”
A poet once wrote: “No matter what God’s power may be, the first aspect of God is never that of the absolute Master, the Almighty. It is that of the God who puts himself on our human level and limits himself.”
The writer of Hebrews reminds us: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
This past Tuesday, I attended a “Faith and Law Seminar” in Roanoke. And in spite the fact that it was kind of long and exhausting and boring at some points, it was very informative and insightful. It covered a long range of topics such as taxation for clergy and churches or houses of worship, to insurance claims, to public relations. But one thing that I found interesting was one lawyer who talked at great length about confidentiality. Now, most people realize that there is that confidentiality privilege between lawyers and their clients. And obviously, there are a number of other professions where this confidentiality clause takes effect. For instance, pastors, doctors, psychiatrist and counselors, to name a few. But lawyers uphold lawyer/client privileges and one such privilege is confidentiality, because without it, as he pointed out, clients would not be forthcoming, open and honest with them. If they thought that what they were sharing was not confidential, then they would probably not share it. And this is true of our relationship with God!
In our Scripture Lesson this morning, the writer gives us the powerful metaphor of a sword fight with God! You know, friends, make no mistake, God is an excellent and expert sword fighter, and we are novices. God will win every time. God’s victory, however, does not lead to our defeat but to our healing. God’s sword reaches to our hearts. God handles the sword not a warrior, but as a surgeon. God’s sword reveals our innermost thoughts and impulses. We cannot hide from God. God knows us better than we know ourselves. God knows our innermost thoughts and questions, fears and concerns, doubts and struggles. And, you know, friends, the beautiful thing is God welcomes them. God wants us to be open and honest with him. You see, God knows our capacity to fall away from faith, to give in to temptation, to cease running the race because we are spiritually and emotionally tired and exhausted. God knows the burdens we are carrying. The God who cuts us open, spiritually speaking, is also the God of love and compassion, healing and forgiveness. And what a beautiful thought!
When we come to God, God embraces us in his nail-scared hands and says, “I understand!” God not only sympathizes with us, but God through Christ can empathize with us. Someone once offered a wonderful illustration of the difference between sympathy and empathy. If there was a person drowning, the sympathetic person might throw that victim a life-preserver, but the empathetic person will risk his or her life and jump into the water to rescue that person. This is what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. God has jump into our very realm – our very dimension and saved us. But it doesn’t stop there! We too are called to be empathetic and this is beautifully portrayed in the hymn that we will be singing at the end of our service. It reads:
“Sister let me be your servant, brother, let me walk with you;
pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.
pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.
We are pilgrims on a journey, fellow trav’lers on the road.
We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.
I will weep when you are weeping; when you laugh I'll laugh with you.
I will share your joy and sorrow till we've seen this journey thro’.
We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.
I will weep when you are weeping; when you laugh I'll laugh with you.
I will share your joy and sorrow till we've seen this journey thro’.
When we sing to God in heaven, we shall find such harmony,
born of all we've know together of great love and agony.”
I will hold the light of Jesus for you in your time of fear;
I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.
born of all we've know together of great love and agony.”
I will hold the light of Jesus for you in your time of fear;
I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.
Sister let me be your servant, brother, let me walk with you;
pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.” Amen.
posted by Pastor Christopher @ 12:32 PM
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