DRESSED FOR ACTION
A sermon by the Rev. Dr. James G. Kirk
Harundale Presbyterian Church
Glen Burnie, Maryland
August 12, 2001
Text: "Be dressed for action." (Luke 12:35)
First Reading: Isaiah 1:1,10-20
Second Reading: Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
The talk around the office the other day was the new Harry Potter movie to be released this fall. One grandparent told us how she’s already on notice by her granddaughter that they will be going to see the movie. Also, of related interest is that many children have been going to the movies just to watch the previews of the new Harry Potter movie. Once the previews are over they leave the theater and ask for their money back. This has become such a trend that the movie houses have said they can’t have their money back, they have to stay for the entire movie, whatever it is.
At any rate, there’s no doubt that Harry Potter is big business these days and many of our children have used the summer to read every book. In fact, there was an article in The Sun the other day on what to do while the kids wait for J.K. Rowling to write her next book. It seems there are other books of similar themes as the Harry Potter books that the children will find just as captivating.
In a recent issue of The Christian Century Catherine Wallace points out some interesting facts about the Harry Potter series that go well with our text for the day, "be dressed for action." Now there’s no doubt that Harry Potter has become a fad. Kids are reading the books because other kids are reading the books. But, at least there’s some redeeming factors the kids are finding while they read and one of them is that Harry does seem to be "dressed for action." ("Rowling as Moralist, Harry Potter and the Bullies," Christian Century, July 18-25, page 18-19)
Most of the action takes place at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Harry Potter attends. Everything about the school seems to resolve around his being "dressed for action." For example, there’s the Forbidden Forest and a mysterious lake across which new students must sail in the dead of night. The lake and forest teem with magical creatures who are both dangerous and helpful. There’s also Hagrid, who guides the first year students in their maiden voyage across the lake. But he’s also somewhat of a drunk and has the strange habit of adopting dangerous magical creatures as pets, both of which keep Harry, the first year students and the reader alert to being "dressed for action."
It seems that at every turn there’s some bully or another waiting to do Harry and his pals harm. There’s Professor Snape, who teaches how to make magic potions. He’s also a real bully towards Harry Potter. Do you remember that teacher who just seemed to have it in for you? No matter how hard you tried in class he or she always found something wrong in what you did. I can remember how many times I was ready to go to Cresskill High School and berate one of John or Jamie’s teachers. They were nothing but bullies in my eyes. They were unfair; they were playing favorites; they had no right to single out my sons for some discriminatory behavior! Each time, both John and Jamie had to remind me that they could fight their own battles and did not need their father to fight them for them. They, like Harry, would be dressed for action.
There’s Lord Voldemort. He’s another bully. Voldemort shows up in each novel stronger and more determined to regain his power and those loyal to him after his initial attempt to kill Harry Potter backfired and almost killed Voldemort instead. As one of his accomplices says, "There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it." Bullies like power. For them it’s not a matter of good and evil. They like the feel of power. They like to exercise their power over others, especially those who are weak. As long as you’re willing to remain weak, those who want to bully you will. There’s a sign on a martial arts store on Crain Highway that says, "Learn how to deal with the bullies." The best way to deal with the bullies is to get some strength and the sign wants someone to step inside the storefront and take advantage of the martial arts. Tae Kwon Do or karate will give them what they need to face up to the bullies. It’s also interesting the different belts they earn. As they progress they continue to "dress for action."
The problem with bullies is they never go away. This fall will be the time for high school reunions. Many of us remember high school as a very formative time in our lives. It was also a time when we got to know first hand who the bullies were. Awhile ago I went to my 40th high school reunion. I hadn’t gone to many before that, since I lived on the East Coast and the distance was too great to travel. However, I wanted to go to one just to see how the people had changed. They hadn’t! The noisy ones were still noisy. The popular ones were still popular. The athletes still looked in good shape. The quiet ones hardly said a word. The bullies were still there, and if you let them they’d still try to get away with things just as they had in high school.
Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter’s headmaster, says an interesting thing. "‘It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.’ (Chamber of Secrets). People do have a choice when it comes to bullies. Either they can be weak and let them take advantage or they can make the choice that enough is enough. Interestingly, just as Dumbledore says, people don’t think that they have the ability to stand up to the bullies. "When Voldemort kills a student in the school, Dumbledore warns the assembled students to remember the boy’s fate whenever they must ‘make a choice between what is right and what is easy.’ (Goblet of Fire). (Wallace. page 19)
That’s where we catch up with Jesus’ teaching this morning. Are we going to do what is right or what is easy? The easy way never wants to get involved in the hard decisions. The easy way always questions someone’s ability to make any change. The easy way wants to be liked by everyone, and never wants to rock the boat. The easy way feels one person can’t make that much difference anyway. The easy way thinks that eventually the problem will just go away and nobody will get hurt. All of these easy choices are what Jesus would call baggage that will only get in the way of traveling light. Time and again they’ll hinder people from making the right choices.
Jesus tells us that what people need to make the right choices is to travel light and have their lamps lit. Bullies don’t like people who shine. People who have their lamps lit aren’t afraid to make the right choices. They welcome the hard decisions. They know they can make a difference. While they don’t want to be disliked by anyone they know that sometimes the difference they make will not always be well received, but it will be worth it. They’re also smart enough to know that the problem isn’t going to go away with wishful thinking. People who have their lamps lit aren’t afraid to make the choices that show who they really are. No wonder bullies don’t like people who shine. People who have their lamps lit may not have all the abilities they need, but they’ll choose the right way over the easy way anytime.
The latest bully act happened in Jerusalem this past Friday. Hamas had no other purpose for killing those fifteen people in Sbarro’s than to incite more hate amongst the Jews and the Palestinians. They were kids and young people, not the political targets or the military. So, violence will beget violence until, as The Sun pointed out yesterday, "To outsmart and isolate terrorism takes toughness, resolution, and also, wisdom."
Unfortunately, the bullies don’t just lurk in the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizadry. They’re in the church. They’re in the world. They’re in our own families. When Jesus taught his disciples to be "dressed for action" it was in anticipation of the master returning from the wedding feast. They were to have their lamps lit and he would see and applaud their anticipation and preparation. Hopefully, J.K. Rowling in her books is helping our children to learn the toughness, resolution and wisdom is takes to deal with the bullies. Just as hopefully, when our master returns, the risen Christ will see us dressed for action to take on the bullies in our lives.
Thanks be to God,
Amen