From a Distance

Jeremiah 18:1-11; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-19; Luke 12:32-40

So, when was the last time you went to the eye doctor? Those of us who have worn glasses ever since we were little kids probably wear them because we are nearsighted. In other words, we can see things that are near to us, but forget it if you want to read a sign coming down the road, or a scoreboard at a football game.

But, on the other hand, those of us who have started wearing our glasses in our later years may be wearing them because we have gotten just the opposite problem. Rather than being able to see things that are up close, those of us who are farsighted have a terrible time seeing things like newspapers and sewing unless those things are at least an arm's length away from us. As the eye muscles lose their elasticity, their ability to tighten up and focus on objects close at hand becomes less precise. So, farsightedness is something that we get more as we get older. Indeed, the baby-boomer generation is only now coming to grips with what this means.

But, being farsighted isn't all bad. It's kind of nice to be able to read those distant road signs and tell who the players are in a baseball game from the cheap seats. I think that God has a special kind of relationship going with persons who are spiritually farsighted. While such persons may not necessarily be a bit older than the rest of the population, they, at least, are able to see the big picture in ways that others cannot. Of course, as we saw in our scripture lesson from Hebrews, God loved Abraham, not just because he was 75 years old, but probably more because Abraham was able to remain faithful to the covenant. In order to do so Abraham had to have the ability to keep focused on the promise of God from a distance.

As we look at our own community, at our own church, for instance, there are many things that we notice if we take a nearsighted view of things. Certainly, it is easier to be critical of others when we only take the up-close view. I've never yet seen anyone do nit-picking from a distance. Indeed, it would be easy to walk through our church and find all sorts of things that are good or bad. But the question is how important those things really are over the long haul. Do they, will they make much difference if we look at them from a distance?

Life is actually more abstract that we think. Even though we live life one brush stroke at a time, or so it would seem, we are wise when we are able to step back from the painting from time to time to see what it is that we've been working on. Many a visitor to an art gallery has quickly discovered that pictures seen close up often take on a completely altered, even more beautiful appearance when viewed from a distance.

Abraham had to be patient and farsighted in order to see the promise of God in his life. After all, he was over 75 years old when God came into his life. The actual fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham would take place long after Abraham was dead and gone! Likewise, we must often have the same kind of patient endurance that Abraham had in order to see the fulfillment of our dreams.

One psychologist, doing an exhaustive study in relationships, discovered after many years of observation that playing "hard to get" may actually work. Of course, only someone like a psychologist would think that you needed to do research like that. I mean, ask any wise old aunt could tell you that playing "hard to get" is one of the chief weapons in the arsenal of anyone on the make.

But, anyway, this psychologist discovered that playing "hard to get" does work. It seems that whenever one person in a relationship wants more closeness, his or her natural response is to try and reach out and pull the partner nearer. Unfortunately, the partner's initial reaction is almost always to pull away. "The best strategy is to become less involved yourself. If you are able to bring your level of involvement to a point lower than that of your partner, you may actually find that he or she will come closer to you, rather than pull away. Thus to achieve greater closeness, you may actually have to start by looking for some distance."

I wonder if God didn't have this bit of wisdom in mind when he related to Abraham and when he relates to us, as well. Most of us have gone through the past few decades wherein God was described as being nothing but "Love" and personable-ness. I think we may have done a bit of over-kill on the idea that God is nothing but Friend, nothing but Helper, nothing but "present in every time of need." While this may be true, and I don't want you to think that I don't believe this, I think that we are wise when we remember that there is another side to God, as well. Indeed, there are those times in our lives, real times, sometimes painful times, when God does play a little "hard to get."

Certainly God played this "hard to get" game with Abraham and the first wandering generations of faithful people. Anyone who reads the stories in the Old Testament about those fervently faithful forefathers know that it was only by a great effort on their part that they didn't give up and become pagans like the rest of the people in the society around them. But, the question is, if God had been too close at hand, would Abraham's striving after faithfulness have been so fervent? If the Promised Land had been given over to him within a year, would the descendants of Abraham have retained their identity and purpose?

Sometimes I think that we United Methodists don't give our congregations enough dogma. In other words, there are times when I think that persons need to be spoon-fed a set of beliefs that is clear and concise and easy to swallow. But, then, on the other hand, I'm glad that we allow our members to do some free thinking, sojourning, and exploring the faith on their own.

Take Jehovah's Witnesses, for example. The typical J.W. is given a set of beliefs to swallow, hook, line, and sinker. And once a person becomes a J.W. they are put through intensive studies that make our United Methodist Seminaries look tame in comparison. But the fact of the matter is that the typical active Jehovah's Witness is five times as likely to become inactive after ten years than the typical active United Methodist. It is when we perceive God's promises at a distance that we endeavor to remain faithful to the end.

And this is what God wants from us: the ability to percervere. And this can only take place in an atomosphere of spiritual freedom.

For instance, exotic fish stores report that sharks have become a popular aquarium fish. If sharks are caught and confined when they are small, they grow only to a size proportionate to the size of the aquarium. The limited environment determines their growth. Sharks can be six inches long and still be fully matured. (Even so, I'm not sure that I'd still want to put my finger into a tank with even a six inch long tiger shark!) But, we're told that it's only when set free in the ocean do these same sharks grow to their normal length of eight feet.

And the same is true of us, spiritually. It isn't my job as a pastor to tell you what you have got to believe. It's not my job to limit your spiritual freedom. I can only offer suggestions and ask you to join with me as we struggle for the truth. And in this struggle there is freedom and there is growth. People need big dreams, expansive horizons, large challenges, stretching ambitions. And Faith gives birth to these "From-a-Distance" thoughts.

Of course, we've all heard Bette Midler's song by this title. The song talks about how important it is for us to keep that farsighted focus in our lives. All the lyrics are moving, but the second stanze of "From a Distance" is especially meaningful and moving:

From a distance we all have enough

and no one is in need.

There are no guns, no bombs, no diseases,

no hungry mouths to feed.

From a distance we are instruments

marching in a common bond;

playing songs of hope,

playing songs of peace,

They are songs of every man.

God is watching us.

God is watching us.

God is watching us.

From a distance.

Today we might ask ourselves what there is before us that we need to focus upon or at least squint at over the next few months and years? Do we not have a church to build? Are there not the struggles with injustice and immorality? What real issues must we focus upon in the next few years in order that we may embody faith, take a risk and bring about meaningful change?

Can you see through the eyes of faith "From a Distance?"

Amen.