DELIVERED FROM DARKNESS

A sermon by the Rev. Dr. James G. Kirk

Harundale Presbyterian Church

Glen Burnie, Maryland

July 15, 2001

Text: "He has rescued us from the power of darkness." (Col. 1:13)

First Reading: Amos 7:7-17

Second Reading: Luke 10:25-37

Two thoughts come to mind as we reflect on Paul’s assurance that God has rescued us from the power of darkness. The first is an e-mail I received entitled "Moments that take our Breath Away." "I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband unexpectedly and suddenly died of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insight with a classroom of students. As the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom windows and the class was nearly over; she moved a few things aside on the edge of her desk and sat down. With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused and said, ‘before class is over, I would like to share with all of you a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is very important.’

"’Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps this is the powers that be way of telling us that we must make the most out of every single day.’ Her eyes beginning to water, she went on,

‘So I would like all of you to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn’t have to be something you see. It could be a scent – perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of someone’s house. Or, it could be the sound of the breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the morning light catches the autumn leaf as it falls gently to the ground.’

"’Please look for these things, and cherish them. For although it may sound trite to some, these things are the ‘stuff’ of life. The little things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take for granted. We must make it important to notice them, for at any time it can all be taken away.’ "The class was completely quiet. We all picked up our books and filed out of the room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school than I had that whole semester. Every once in a while, I think of that teacher and remember what an impression she made on all of us, and I try to appreciate all of those things that sometimes we all overlook. Take notice of something special you see after worship this morning. Or, stop on the way home later to get a double-dip ice cream cone. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn’t do."

To read Paul’s affirmation is to hear how God "has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." What Paul affirms is what God has done for us. They are "done deeds." God has delivered us from darkness. God has transferred us into God’s kingdom. God has redeemed us from living a life of exile. God has forgiven us our sins. All of these are very powerful affirmations of what God has already done for us, any one of which should make a difference in how we live our daily lives.

They are God’s "done deeds." We don’t deserve them. We didn’t ask for them. There’s no way we could have earned them. God just did them out of God’s love for us.

The problem with them is the same problem we have with so many gifts we receive. We don’t appreciate their worth. The light of God’s love may be too bright for us. So, we content ourselves to live in the darkness we create for ourselves. When God delivers us from darkness, like moles coming out of our holes in the ground we momentarily see the light of day and scamper back into the confines of our own security. When God transfers us into God’s kingdom, rather than looking to live in accordance with God’s will for us, we create our own sense of security and well being, things we can control and manipulate and through which we can determine our own destiny.

It’s no wonder then that when we hear how we should take time to enjoy each day God gives us, it comes as a revelation, as something we need to take seriously. It may be something so simple that captures our attention, like smelling freshly baked bread or listening to the leaves rustling with the wind. Or, when Paul reminds us how God forgives us our sins, it may be a mandate upon us to forgive others their sins.

There’s a second thought that says the same thing from a different perspective. Joan Sell sent me "Some Day My Mom will Hear me Play." "At the prodding of my friends, I am writing this story. I’ve always supplemented my income by teaching piano lessons-something I’ve done for over 30 years. Over the years I found that children have many levels of musical ability. I’ve never had the pleasure of having a protégé though I’ve taught some talented students.

"However, I’ve also had my share of what I call ‘musically challenged’ pupils. One such student was Robby. Robby was 11 years old when his mother (a single mom) dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer that students (especially boys!) begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby. But Robby said that it had always been his mother’s dream to hear him play the piano. So I took him as a student.

"Well, Robby began with his piano lessons and from the beginning I thought it was a hopeless endeavor. As much as Robby tried he lacked the sense of tone and basic rhythm needed to excel. But he dutifully reviewed his scales and some elementary pieces that I require all my students to learn. Over the months he tried and tried while I listened and cringed and tried to encourage him. At the end of each weekly lesson he’d always say, ‘My mom’s going to hear me play some day.’ But it seemed hopeless.

"He just did not have any inborn ability. I only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled but never stopped in. Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons… Several weeks later I mailed to the student’s homes a flyer on the upcoming recital. To my surprise Robby (who received a flyer) asked me it he could be in the recital. He said that his mom had been sick and unable to take him to piano lessons but he was still practicing.

"I don’t know what led me to allow him to play. Maybe it was his persistence or maybe it was something inside of me saying that it would be all right. The night of the recital came and the high school gymnasium was packed with parents, friends and relatives. When Robby came on stage his clothes were wrinkled and his hair looked like he’d run an eggbeater through it. I thought, ‘Why didn’t he dress up like the other students? Why didn’t his mother at least make him comb his hair for this special night?’

"Robby pulled out the piano bench and he began. I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen Mozart’s Concerto #21 in C Major. I was not prepared for what I heard next. He went from pianissimo to fortissimo, from allegro to virtuoso. His suspended chords that Mozart demands were magnificent! After six and a half minutes he ended in a grand crescendo and everyone was on their feet in wild applause. Overcome and in tears I ran up on the stage. ‘I’ve never heard you play like that Robby! How’d you do it?’ ‘Well,’ he replied, ‘remember I told you my mom was sick? Well actually she had cancer and passed away this morning. And well…she was born deaf so tonight was the first time she ever heard me play. I wanted to make it special’"

Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. Sometimes it may mean taking the time ourselves to appreciate all that God has done for us and continues to do for us each day. Other times it may mean making sacrifices so that others may hear the music we make through the life God gives us to live. Whatever, it all has to do with letting our light so shine that others may be delivered out of their darkness. In the case of the teacher who’s father died it was her wish that her students would shed a little light in their own lives. In the case of Robby he couldn’t rest until his mother had heard him play. Through their efforts God rescued them from the power of darkness. Let us go likewise and let our light shine in his love.

Thanks be to God,

Amen