“The Chosen One” sermon based on Luke 14:7-14 September 1, 2019 preached at York Pines United Church
He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends, or brothers or family, or rich neighbours, just so that they will invite you in return, and you will be recognised. When you give a banquet, invite the poor, and those with physical difficulties. You will be blessed, because you have given in humility, knowing they cannot repay you. Your reward will be that of the righteous.”
******************************************************************
Music:
Lothlorien – from Lord of the Rings soundtrack.
“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
Frodo Baggins. A simple hobbit, from the
green and beautiful Shire. A Chosen One
- one who has been selected to right one of the greatest wrongs, and prevent
total power from resting in the hands of a sole evil entity. A most unlikely
“chosen”, not someone who would have
leapt to mind first. The ranger Aragorn, who turns out to be a real king, yes;
Legolas the Elf, son of a King, yes. But Frodo? a young hobbit who has never been outside his
own shire? Who has grown up on stories from his uncle, Bilbo – fairy tales,
stories of great romance, but outside his experience altogether. Yet he is the ‘chosen
one’.
J.R.R.Tolkien was an English poet,
writer, and university professor who lived from 1892 to 1973. Along with his
contemporary, C.S. Lewis, he addressed a number of issues which he saw facing
the world. First, a dearth of good teaching about the very basic tenets of the
teachings of Jesus, and the role of Christians in the world. Second, the rise
of neoliberalism, and the growing power of corporations over individuals,
particularly in the destruction of the earth.
While the books “The Hobbit”, the “Silmarillion”, and “The Lord of the
Rings” are classed as fantasy fiction, they have as a basis deep moral and ethical
lessons about those who in their arrogance destroy, and how those of a most
humble nature are often the strongest in the end.
In this story, Frodo meets Galadriel,
the Queen of the Elves – and confesses to her that indeed he knows what he must
do, but he is afraid to do it. Her response seems harsh – ‘this task has been
given to you.’ she says. His task is returning the One Ring of power to the
fires where it was made, and destroying it in order to save creation from
destruction. And she says that if he does not do it, no one else can.
But, she says “Even the smallest person can change the
course of the future.”
Even the smallest person can change the
course of the future. Even someone we might deem the least likely, can have a
profound effect, and succeed where others fail.
(Music)
Another set of stories, this time from
C.S. Lewis, Tolkien’s contemporary, a writer and university professor who also
saw a dearth of values and ethics, and even knowledge about right and wrong in
English society. “The Chronicles of Narnia” presents us with four “chosen
ones” - Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy –
ordinary young people sent into the English countryside in order to keep them
safe from the bombing of London in the Second World War. They find themselves
transported by magic, or so they think, into a mythical world called Narnia,
ruled by a Lion named Aslan – and threatened by a strong evil. The name Aslan
means God – and indeed Aslan tells the children, when they are no longer needed
in Narnia, that it is time for them to learn about his other names in their own
world. These four somewhat bewildered, quite humble young people meet a Queen who exalts herself, and rules by stepping on others.
The Narnia stories include other ‘chosen
ones’, such as the children’s cousin Eustace – who is a good illustration of
today’s text. Eustace is an arrogant bombastic child who sneers at anyone and
everything, who believes his knowledge is far more than others, who is used to
a life of comfort – and who through his own greed and arrogance is humbled – by
being turned into a dragon, unable to communicate with humans. Dragons
notoriously love to accumulate great wealth – just because. And Dragon Eustace learns
that even the smallest and humblest of creatures are capable of the greatest depths of
wisdom, and the greatest acts of selfless love and friendship.
In recent times, we have two sets of
stories which also have a “chosen one” – those who would restore balance in the
world. Or would they?
In the Harry Potter stories by J.K.
Rowling, there is a prophecy about a ‘chosen one’, but at the beginning it’s
never quite clear exactly who the prophecy is about . There are two
possibilities – Harry Potter, or Neville Longbottom. Both born at the same time,
both whose parents were murdered by the evil protagonist Lord Voldemort – who in
a search to elevate himself lord over all, and achieve immortality, has split
his soul into eight parts. He is entirely self-focused, discounting everyone
around him as lesser. Neither Harry nor Neville seek to promote themselves or
to wield power – rather they are both surprised by their power. Harry, when
told he’s a wizard, replies “But I can’t be a wizard. I’m just Harry. Just
Harry.”
And there’s a particular scene in the
very first story, the Philosopher’s Stone – where Harry meets the very arrogant
Draco Malfoy, who is raised to believe pure-blood wizard families are better
than others – those who are human yet also wizards. Draco says to Harry “you don’t
want to be associating with the wrong sort. I can help you there.” – and Harry
responds “I think I can tell the right sort for myself, thank you.”
Then there are the Star Wars movies, which
offer us a variety of ‘chosen ones’, and in particular one who as a child was
deemed to be *the* “chosen one” who would overthrow the Emperor and restore
balance to the ‘force’, who would ensure that power and control did not reside
with an Emperor who exalts himself. And in this story, the supposed ‘chosen
one’ turns out to be spiritually and morally the weakest of all – and his son,
who takes a long time to recognise his calling, is the one who brings back the
balance.
Every one of these sets of stories lays before
us this one major theme. In the Luke
text Jesus does a little riff on his “last shall be first” saying - noting
clearly that the one who wishes to be exalted – the one who seeks adulation,
who sets him or herself above others, who claims to know more than anyone else,
who claims to be a ‘chosen one’, will be
brought down – will be humbled. It may take a long time – but it will happen. And
those who are humble, who strive to live in right relationship with Creation,
are the ones who will be exalted, lifted up – because the ones who are humble
are the ones who live by the very basic tenets of the Way.
In today’s world, we see everywhere –
newspapers, television, Facebook, Twitter, all the social media – examples of
people who wish to exalt themselves above all others. There are those who
believe that they only know what is best. Those who have a personal agenda, a
grudge, who behave like children in a sandbox. We see a rise in ignorance, in
lack of knowledge, in unwillingness to look clearly at factual truth, people who
make up a world in which they are the greatest. We see fanatical hatred, an
unsubstantiated fear of being persecuted, of losing power and control.
But Jesus is as clear as can be – those who
promote themselves, who thrust themselves out ahead of others, who insist only
they know, only they are right, who fuss about seating arrangements at dinners –
they will find themselves eventually on the outside, looking in.
And in fact this is a constant theme in
the Bible and in our teachings. We have a hymn “What Does the Lord Require of
You” – to seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. Amos tells us
justice will ‘roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing
stream.’
Although we are well ahead of Advent, and
just moving into Creation time, I hear the words of Mary, Jesus’ mother, as she
learns of her pregnancy. It echoes closely the Song of Zechariah, which we will
encounter in Creation Time.
“My soul magnifies God and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour. For God has looked upon the very lowliness of his handmaiden. From now on all generations shall call me blessed. God’s mercy is on those who walk in awe and humility, through all generations.
God has manifested great strength, scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. God has put down the mighty from their seat and exalted, lifted up, the humble and meek.
God has filled the hungry with good things. The wealthy have been sent away empty. In mercy God has aided his servant Israel, as promised to our forefather Abraham, and his descendants, forever. Amen."
Sources:
1. J.R.R. Tolkien "The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring" Houghton Mifflin 1987.
2. C.S. Lewis "Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", "Voyage of the Dawntreader" HarperCollins.
3. J.K. Rowling, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" Bloomsbury Publishing 1997.
4. Magnificat - paraphrase. Luke 1:46-55
Comments
Post a Comment