Help, thanks, WOW RUMC February 4, 2017
Rev. Terry Plocher
WOW, aren’t you glad you weren’t old Job standing there receiving that dressing down?
In order to understand this passage from the book of job, we need to get the whole picture.
Job is a parable about the relationship between God and man, good and evil.
Remember Job was a righteous man. God had every confidence in Job. Enough so that God made a bet that nothing could make Job lose his faith.
In the story, Job loses everything: family, cattle, houses, health, everything is gone. A lesser man might have taken a cue from Job’s wife, cursed God and died. But not Job. To tell you the truth, Job would have been just fine, if it hadn’t been for the lame ideas from this wife and friends trying to make him feel better.
Job says that he was respected, honored, consulted, wealthy and powerful. Now, he says, children make up funny little rhymes making fun of me, no one listens to me, no one respects me and my life has gone to pot.
Job says he could understand that if he had been a sinner, but he says “I have not sinned.” I have helped others in trouble, I have never even laid eyes on any woman besides my wife. I don’t lie. I don’t cheat. I have fed the poor, clothed the naked, taken in the homeless, looked out for the orphan and he goes on and on like that for a full chapter (check out chapter 31) He says I have not sinned in any way.
Then he calls God to the witness stand saying, “Let the Almighty answer me;
let my accuser put his indictment in writing.” (Job 31:35)
let my accuser put his indictment in writing.” (Job 31:35)
In another place he says, ““I’m not letting up—I’m standing my ground. My complaint is legitimate. God has no right to treat me like this— it isn’t fair! If I knew where on earth to find him, I’d go straight to him. I’d lay my case before him face-to-face, give him all my arguments firsthand. I’d find out exactly what he’s thinking, discover what’s going on in his head. Do you think he’d dismiss me or bully me? No, he’d take me seriously.
He’d see a straight-living man standing before him; my Judge would acquit me for good of all charges. (23:1-7)
He’d see a straight-living man standing before him; my Judge would acquit me for good of all charges. (23:1-7)
In Chapter 28, God starts the speech and the only answer Job can give is WOW. God goes on for 2 chapters and 2 verses “tell me about this or that or the other thing, and Job answers, “Um…” God says to explain how this works and where that came from and Job says, “Um”… God asks do you understand the inner working of creation… how about the inner working of heaven… and Job responds “er…” God says if you are so smart and know so much; tell me how I created this thing, or how I created that thing. What could job say besides “WOW?” Really… WOW!
Wow is a word first seen in the 15th century. Like the words “Whoosh” or “Ka-bam” it is taken from an actual sound the gasp. The sound we make when something takes our breath away. The kind of sound we make when we just don’t have any words to describe how we feel. “Wow” is the sound of our physical response to something that shakes us, awakens us, astounds us. “Wow” is having our world changed in an instant – even if for just an instant.
Ann Lamott first wrote that there were two essential prayers HELP and THANKS. But years later she added … WOW!
Anne Lamott tells of her young son, Sam, who, when he was six or so, told his mother why we call God “God.” Sam said, “When you see something so great, you just say, ‘O God.’” Sam might be on to something, WOW might be just another name for God. WOW!
The great theologian Rabbi Abraham Heschel often talked about the importance of “Radical Amazement.” He said “Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement. ....get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.” [1]To be spiritual is to live life with a WOW on our lips.
I saw a political bumper sticker a few weeks ago that read, “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention,” it is equally true that “If you are not radically amazed, you are not paying attention.” If you aren’t filled with awe you are not paying attention. If you are not gasping a prayer of WOW to God you are not paying attention.
I’ll be the first to admit… I don’t do a good job of paying attention.
However, I think that is true for a lot of us. We have become so busy – so on the go – so focused – so occupied or pre-occupied – that we fail to notice much of what is right before us. We suffer from a severe case of spiritual ADHD. We have become a distracted people – an unfocused people – an inattentive people. We hardly even notice the things that would radically amaze us… even though they surround us every day.
Additionally, we worry, about things we did, or didn’t do, or should have done.
Add to that, exhaustion (mostly exhausted from constant distraction and incessant worry) that we simply fail to notice the thousands of “wows” that surround us every day. And the more we fail to see the “wows” the more we drift away from those deep moments of prayer when all we can say is “WOW.”
Of course, I have been thinking about this sermon for a while but I tried to make note of a few of the WOW prayers I prayed or didn’t pray.
There was the WOW of the very day I took the baskets for foster kids aging out of the system into the social worker that Shianne walked into my office. (I missed that WOW until later.)
There was the WOW prayer driving home from new Sharron 2 weeks ago after my second funeral that day, and spotting a family of deer silhouetted by the setting sun.
There was the WOW while we were in California of seeing a bird of paradise in bloom for the first time I remember. I mean really seeing it. I stood there looking at it from all angles simply saying WOW.
There was WOW prayer of seeing an actual Guttenberg Bible for the first time.
I could go on, but I want YOU to wake up and be awed.
It is time to wake up and be awed by the strength and beauty of the awesome athletic feats we will see in the Olympics this week.
It is time to pray WOW when we see one of those natural snowscapes created by the winds blowing across a field or the infinite depths of the clear winter sky at night.
There’s the WOW of holding someone’s had for the first time or the first kiss.
There is the WOW of seeing a baby born or holding a grandchild for the first time or watching a loved one draw their last breath.
There’s the WOW of giving a gift or receiving a gift from a special someone.
There’s the WOW of being able to breathe again after a terrible round with the crud that we have been passing back and forth this winter.
WOW’s are everywhere and for people of faith – for you and me – these moments of “wow” are opportunities for us to reconnect with the God-behind-the-Wow. For people of faith, God is behind the inspiration for all of life’s “WOWS.”
That is why I chose the reading from Job today. Job was in about the same place we are. He was focused on his little life, his little problems, his little sense of right and wrong and his sense of justice that was set in stone.
And then God spoke.Where were you Job, when I set the foundations of the earth? Tell me exactly how I did that if you can… Oh, you can’t… then stop your complaining and just stand here and pray WOW. Job realized that it is not our place to sit in judgment of God; it is our place to be awed by all that God does. God is God and we are the creatures who (if we are in right relationship with God) stand at God’s feet and cry WOW.
I want you to do 2 things this week.
First, take your prayer Yarn, and fold it in half. Go around the corner to the half in which you have not tied any knots. Go about a third of the way from the middle to the end and tie three knots real close together representing the letters W. O. W.
Second, over the next two weeks watch for WOWs. Take a picture of them (Most of us have cameras on our phones.) and post it on the church Facebook page. (or you can text or email it to me and I’ll put it there.) Let’s make a gallery of WOW pictures. Now that won’t work if you all think someone else will do it. Everyone has to participate to make it work.
The trick is that taking a picture forces us to stop, take out the camera, get it ready, frame the shot, and push the button… all of which forces us to slow down and really see the WOW in front of us.
I’ll get you started off. Today, we gather around the Table of the Lord. It is a Table of “wow.” It is at this Table that we can say: “Wow” – God cares about us
“Wow” – God loves us beyond any measure we could offer.
“Wow” – God is here – right here – right now – inviting us to the Table.
“Wow” – the Holy Spirit surrounds us and joins us together.
If you want to take a picture of me praying the prayer, or breaking the bread, or a picture of your piece of bread to get started on our WOW album that’s fine. In fact, I hope someone will.
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