Hidden Faults, Enslaved Hearts, and other Ordinary Sins – Geoff Wichert – March 19/06

October 25, 2009

Hidden faults, enslaved hearts, and other ordinary sins

March 19th, 2006

Geoff Wichert

Texts:

Ex. 20:1-17, Ps 19:7-14, Rom 7:13-25

Opening

Ps. 19:14 – Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

I Used to Know What Sin Was

I used to know what sin was
- it was simple and personal; things I did wrong, usually “on purpose”
- it was yelling at my older siblings (but they started it)
- it was not obeying my parents
  - like when I didn’t finish the chores they told me to do while they were out in the orchard picking peaches all morning
  - that was reinforced with a spanking, to make sure I understood
- it was lying to my piano teacher about how much I had practiced that week
  - though I always suspected she knew the truth anyway, so I was never quite sure why I bothered with the lies
Our daughters have honed their awareness to a much finer edge
- Madeleine, with her keen sense of justice, decided at a young age that it was not sufficient for siblings to simply say “I’m sorry”
- You have to specify exactly what you are sorry for…
  - “I’m sorry for yelling and calling you names”
  - “I’m sorry for wrecking your Lego setup”
  - “I’m sorry for spittin’in your face on purpose”
  - (Something is particularly wicked when it’s done on purpose and many arguments hinge on that concept)
  Systemic Sin
  - Then I came to TUMC and I learned a lot more about sin
  - what I mean is, my understanding of sin got much bigger
    
    I began to see it everywhere, but mostly out there
    
    systemic injustice
    
    structures of oppression
    
    cultures of violence
    
    and the grand-daddy of them all: “the myth of redemptive violence”
    
    (if you don’t know what that is, ask me later, or even better, ask Gary)
    
    sin wasn’t just what I or other individuals did; it was the way the whole system worked
    
    in fact, you hardly even need individual sinners anymore
    
    (used to joke that at TUMC the “S-word” was “Sin”)
    
    because its social structures, and cultural patterns, and government policies that are the really nasty problems
    
    there might still be a place for confession, but you also really need a lot of activism
    
    we’re workers; doers
    
    this is big stuff, and it will take a lot of hard work to overcome it.
    
    Searching for Metaphors
    
    somewhere in there Audrey and I worked at Camp Crossroads
    
    searching for metaphors to explain this to children in ways they could understand
    
    Not a simple task. Good metaphor needs to be:
    
    biblical
    
    concrete and memorable, so even children can grasp a difficult concept
    
    simple, but not simplistic; do justice to the scope of sin
    
    Fortunately, biblical writers had the same challenge, and used lots of metaphors that we could and did explore:
    
    sickness / healing / health
    
    brokenness / repair / restoration
    
    severed relationships / renewed relationships
    
    metaphor in children’s story: things getting dirty / being made clean again
    
    Reformed Worldview – Creation / Fall / Redemption
    
    Then I started working for the Christian Reformed Church
    
    if you can believe it, my idea of sin got even bigger
    
    it was their theology, not the people; honestly
    
    Reformed tradition emph biblical themes of: creation, fall, redemption
    
    just as surely as every part of the world, every inch of creation, was made good and blessed by God
    
    so is every part tainted by the fall, broken, stunted,
    
    at every level there is good creation, and there is sinful brokenness
    
    and a needing / longing for redemption
    
    like an earlier Lenten theme: broken, and blessed
    
    so the sin is in here, in me, in my attitudes, and my treatment of others (kids, spouse, friends), my deceptions and desires
    
    and the sin is out there, around us, in the systems we create that become oppressive, and the economies we participate in, that exploit
    
    part of the fabric of the world / our reality (from the personal to the global level)
    
    kind of like the air we breathe
    
    or tainted water, or toxic soil
    
    we breathe it and it collects in our lungs
    
    we drink it and it accumulates in our liver
    
    it’s out there, and it’s in here
    
    so I might also make a personal decision to smoke
    
    and increase the dosage “on purpose”
    
    or perhaps I’m simply exposed to 2nd hand smoke
    
    or the exhaust I breathe while riding my bike to avoid creating more pollution
    
    do you see the dilemma?
    
    one of the most striking moments in preparing this sermon was when I discovered that the biblical writers of today’s passages knew all about this dilemma
    
    each passage reflects a deep struggle between good and evil, between wrong-doing and right-doing (righteousness)
    
    but even more, they reflect the ongoing difficulty, sometimes even the human impossibility, of resolving that struggle in the right way
    
    Ex. 20:1-17 – Ten Commandments
    
    antidote to sin = commandments / law
    
    like a pollution filter: “thou shalt not”
    
    (i.e. “keep that stuff out of your system, or you’ll get sick”)
    
    it’s been a theme in their story already
    
    as God repeatedly saves them / gives commandments
    
    and they mess things up again and again
    
    not just a stick to beat them with
    
    more like guidelines for the best way to live
    
    God is establishing a covenant; a relationship of faithfulness; a betrothal
    
    e.g. 19:3-6
    
    the people resolutely vow to be obedient (19:7-8)
    
    I think of the commandments a bit like the marriage preparation Audrey and I are doing with a young couple now
    
    you try to articulate the expectations and boundaries
    as clearly as possible going in
    
    in this case, the first guideline is unequivocal: no other partners. Period
    
    beyond that there are provisions for justice at a basic level
    
    personal integrity, honesty
    
    but you read on just a few chapters ((Ex. 32) and realize that
    
    at the very moment that God is etching the commands on stone for Moses
    
    the people are down below making an idol – what’s that about?!!
    
    The last command isn’t even engraved yet and they’re breaking the first one!
    
    individually and collectively, they’re at it again
    
    Psalm 19:7-14
    
    Hebrew tradition continued to honour the Law and commandments
    
    wisdom literature expanded on this theme
    
    extolled the virtue of the Law
    
    esp. it’s ability to keep one from sinning (and suffering the consequences)
    
    Ps. 19 is a classic example (see vv. 7-11)
    
    The Law is: perfect, sure, right, clear, pure, true, desirable
    
    The Results are powerfully life-giving: The Law of the Lord
    
    revives the soul
    
    makes wise the simple
    
    makes hearts rejoice
    
    enlightens the eyes
    
    it’s more desirable than the finest gold
    
    sweeter than the best honey
    
    the obedient are both protected and rewarded
    
    BUT
    
    there’s that “but” – and it’s a big one (v. 12)
    
    “But who can detect their errors? Clear me from my hidden faults”
    
    there’s the fundamental tension
    
    The problem is that
    
    our errors often go undetected, even from ourselves
    
    our faults are hidden
    
    even worse, like the insolent, we become proud and ignore our sins altogether (v. 13n)
    
    as though they didn’t even exist
    
    and that, says the psalmist, is equivalent to being enslaved
    
    “do not let this kind of life have dominion over me”
    
    HELP! he cries
    
    keep me from pride, from slavery
    
    Let me be acceptable
    
    in the face of
    
    the Law (in all its splendour)
    
    his own sin (in all its elusiveness and mastery over him)
    
    the psalmist utters a humble and repentant prayer
    
    let me be acceptable
    
    you are my rock
    
    you are my redeemer
    
    Romans 7:13-25
    
    It’s striking, really, how closely Paul’s dilemma in Rom. 7 mirrors that of the psalmist
    
    the law is great and blameless
    
    but it makes a mockery of my attempts to be good
    
    it’s a classic statement of a person internally torn by the struggle between good and evil
    
    Read vv. 15-20
    
    Paul’s metaphor: Slavery, captivity
    
    cf. Ps 19:13 (domination)
    
    Another Metaphor: Sin as Addiction
    
    So let’s try out another metaphor: Sin as Addiction
    
    We’re addicted to sin
    
    we’re captive; it has domination over us; we’re enslaved
    
    we might want desperately to get away; but in subtle and insidious ways it has become so entwined with our lives that we can’t extricate ourselves
    
    we do it “on purpose” and also without knowing
    
    we do it alone and together
    
    to ourselves and to each other
    
    to those nearby whom we love, and those near and far whom we don’t even know
    
    And just like the pollution metaphor, it goes all the way up
    
    On a personal level there are behaviours that hold us captive
    
    overwork, cynicism / critical spirit, lustful desires (e.g. internet porn)
    
    Our culture is an addictive one
    
    we’re hooked on our stuff; on getting ahead and getting more
    
    we’re addicted to our noise and information overload:
    
    television, radio, internet, cell phones, pagers and PDAs, paper and newspaper, iPods and emails
    
    words upon words upon words
    
    and we’re so busy trying to keep up and make sense of it all that we hardly have time to stop and listen to each other
    
    we’re addicted to our energy-hungry lifestyle and technology
    
    even when we know it’s not sustainable
    
    we’re immersed in economic and political systems that we know contribute to injustice elsewhere
    
    some of us work really hard to combat this, but so many of the sins are hidden ones
    
    we’re addicted to our fast pace
    
    who can get off the treadmill?
    
    We know there are hidden sins, but we can’t know them all
    
    like Paul, knowing is half the problem
    
    if only we could stay blissfully ignorant
    
    What Shall We Do?
    
    Like any addiction, the first step is to name it; admit it; own it
    
    That basic Christian practice through all ages: Confession
    
    in fact, in most traditions, it’s part of every single worship service, right near the beginning
    
    and I think we could probably use more of it here
    
    it’s what Lent is all about – repentance, confession, preparing our hearts to meet Christ
    
    part of the goal is to make sin, and our sinfulness, more “ordinary”
    
    an operating assumption in our daily lives
    
    a basic reality that we all have in common
    
    Kathleen Norris, Amazing Grace, p.165;
    
    She writes:
    “It is tempting to take the pharisaical route, and judge myself to be morally sound, not like “them,” whoever they may be. Conversely, I might believe myself to be such a dreadful sinner as to be beyond remedy. Redemption is for “them,” lucky fools, and all that is left for me is to wallow in despair. To admit to being no more, no less than an ordinary sinner is not comforting, it does not shine with the glamour of despondency; above all, it does nothing to foster my self-esteem. It is easiest simply to reject the whole concept as negative and old-fashioned.
    I am a sinner, and the Presbyterian church offers me a weekly chance to come clean, and to pray, along with others, what is termed a prayer of confession.”
    
    Confession
    
    When sin is only personal
    
    confession is only private
    
    I ask God for forgiveness and he cancels my debt
    
    When sin is systemic
    
    confession seems remote, difficult
    
    we can see the effects of systemic sin, but aren’t always sure (much less in agreement) about where it came from, or who’s to blame
    
    e.g. increasing hunger, poverty, homelessness are surely a shame on our society and our city
    
    it might be us, but it’s hard to say
    
    something is wrong with this picture
    
    shalom has been shattered; redemption lies hidden
    
    So how do we confess?
    
    Let’s try this: God, we’re addicted to sin
    
    individually, collectively, globally
    
    our hearts and minds want to stop, but we can’t
    
    if we’re really honest, we’re not even sure exactly what some of our sins are
    
    but we can tell they’re killing us, and others
    
    Boasting is utterly inappropriate
    
    humility settles in at a profound level
    
    But note this: We’re addicts on a rehab program called redemption
    
    it’s God’s global project of getting individual lives, and the whole creation, back to the way he made it and intended it to be
    
    we’d like to say we’ve got it all together, or at any rate, that we will by next year this time
    
    but it’s more humble and honest to admit we’ll be fighting this thing as long as we live
    
    The church community – worshipping and living together – is our support group
    
    full of other struggling and recovering addicts
    
    confession is our admission that we continue to mess up and can’t manage alone
    
    And the good news is that God, in Jesus (and with roles for us to play) has launched a major initiative to get things back on track
    
    Romans 7:24-25

Hidden Faults, Enslaved Hearts, and other Ordinary Sins – Geoff Wichert – March 19/06

Systemic Sin