THE VUMNERABILITY OF GOD John M. Buchanan

Isaiah 4971-4, 50:4-9 Bethany Presbyterian Church
I Corintifians 1:22-29 Lafayette, Indiana
Degénbey 16, 1973

‘

\_ ames Wharton, Profesor at Austin Theological Seminary ‘tells a story out of his own

experience about the time a drunk stole the show from Mary and Joseph\\ The young people
— a ees

=p Pe

in his church were staging an outdoor tableawas their contribution to the Christmas

eR ag allan ie i

hanging a star thirty five feet up on the church building. \ They had even disguised the

Syma SS FS ay

Season. \ they had hired a brace of sheep and a donkey, and tC y broke their_necks

masonry with an enormous_blue triangle of drapery that spread downward from the star to

ween

suggest a Palestinian night sky,\ In the tableaw Mary and Jopeph stood perfectly still:

the shepherds and Wise Men had the only moving parts. i
<a a Sr \
Along came a drunk - who stood on the sidewalk viewin is scene and competing with
the electronic carols with his applause and compliments.\ Bult then he decided to take a
closer look So he joined the tablean. \ He stuck his head under the lean-to and stared

down at the doll in the manger illuminated by a hidden flasttight\\ He was touched -

great tears streamed down his nose.\ Unfortunately he was also belligerent, and rejected

aS SS,

i
the whispered suggestion from Joseph that he ought to move on. \ Fiant the three Wise
per gg p g op y the

Men arrived and ushed the man away.

That is an example of the tear=jerking séntimentality that Christmas brings out in us.
is owas +o ;
And perhaps we Christians are to blame \ Our entire culture mal i ith the popular

elements of Christmas:\the tender love of a mother, the awestruck and adoring father;

the gentle livestock.\ That's what Advent and Christmas is about, and the church perhaps

a ae ¢ ' Lick A j ! ;
is guilty of reinforcing nothing more than sentimentality, i neglecting to tell the

whole story:| the story of God walking among us, incarnate in Jesus whom we know as the
i
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I talked to my brother this week who is village manager lof Liberty, New York;}a resort

(=o

Christ.

town in which the majority of residents are Jewish.\ He was telling me that because of the

energy crisis they decided not to turn the Christmas lights on this year and that the

biggest reaction came from the Jewish communi ty \ They were trying to be kind and sympathetic
and didn't want their Christian friends_to be denied the celebration of Jesus' pirth\\ They

Contention , sat.
couldn't understand my brother's cCUrekmmbag that the lights had little gf anything to

do with a Christian Chriatmas. fres. Elder «

THE VULNERABILITY &@ OF GOD ~~

Now, { would have you understand that I am not putting Hown nativity scenes and

EE

This lovely season has a magic all its own

year ts turned tooses|
Christmas \i

the sentiment that we miss what it represents and means.

Christmas trees)\

wouldn't trade that for anything. } But what a

THe baby in the manger is a lovely tabteawt ut what it
vulnerability of God:

ee,

that is its secret.
Le)

Let's think about that. st we have been looking, in recen:
fF
Book of the Prophet Isaiah 1 known as Second Isaiah

ere,

\ written

aC,

redemptively ') the prophet told the people

of Ged’s cedeuphi ur
ment Ts the Servant.

ularly in Advent, because Jesus saw his life and ministry in

Servant.

De all

very close. \ He was, in fact, describing the way God comes 7

The prophet may not have been predicting the birth
emesis ;

that was fulftiled in the life of Jesus Christ.

were Oa rer rae ior |

In any case, I have chosen two readings]part of the ser
Deel

idea of God's vulaerabitity. \

a a

uy
Lord is addressing the people: \ne Tists his credentials (x
mg mouth like a sharp sword - he said to me "you are my servi
meme

changes:\t
and vanity. ")

The passage concludes affirmatively, with the servant ai
en

he servant says,{"I we labored in vain, I have SPP

ee

validated by God. [aut that “laboring in vain ‘business': tha

nothing" = is like a blow te the stomach.\ One ought to be al

| manne inal

special man would be immune to that kind of thing:\assuffed of success in it he

ba

The message is clear: \God's servant is vulnerable

or ayetet a pial

the Jewish exiles who were living as gmpwedens captives in Bal yton

nlitinemannmmadl ‘ ad
ov that is meets

eaple do seem kinder, gentler, more generous and gracious at
peop » g > g

Ff atl
Ciriatians bere.

ame to make so

nec
oo Sey

indicates is the magnificient
Sl

be]

t weeks, at the portion of the

y and anonymous author to

ore

\ "God is about to act

\ and the figure that emerges as “iis instru-

This part of the Old Testament is inpoftant to Christians, partic-

rr

| terms of the concept of the

of Jesus, but he was coming
pa eri

hto the life of men - a way

vant songs \ to get this

In the first passage, from Isaiah ih 49, the Servant of the

he Lord called me - he made

eo,

But then the mood

ea nes |

ant’. "

ent my strength for nothing

eknowledging that his task is

t “spending my strength for

hte to assume that Gad's

Leiter nemre od

yaa.
et vail 14.

oe deat Cau foil: -

to failure.

be nl

attenpts. |

The point is made even more dramatically in the 50th Ch

apter | Again the servant is

describing himself - this time as a teacher, a gentle rabbi pho helps those who are

ee
ee

weary. | And suddenly, without warning or explanation you see

Lenin |

this gentle man surrounded

THE VULNERABILITY OF GOD ~3-

by a viscious, jeering mob of people: "I gave my back to the

a,

and my cheeks to those

the beard.

I hid not my face from shame and spitting,”

Now we see God vulnerable to evil and human sin as wel I
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close at this point t to the Biblical doctrine of God and the |

Christmas. s not an easy one. \
moe TEs | ¥ |
infinite, onn potent. \ He is the ¢

all, is Almighty, Eternal,

\

ruler of the Universe.\But here is Isaiah suggesting that he

banister ver I ——ramne 5
project can fail, that his chosen servant can be surrounded ;
hatetieemeten | act imnaieniel

when the chips are really down God comes out looking weak ant

Linnie er ied

manger scene really Jeans - weakness, vulnerability. \For abo!

cee emepneccem

cattle lowing and the gentle mother cradeling her baby rises

eg er 2

a real crowd jeering at God's servant, spitting ka on him,

his head and hanging him on a cross to die.
ewe ETD

The bws and Gentiles could never understand the Gospel

Demand

Writing to the early church in Corinth, Paul said: ("we preac

biock to Jews and fo-ly to Gentiles." He might have said Chr’
seume - weatanass, Dube BIN Boke, Baul went my Ma,
idea is the Seve - weakness of God is stronger than men...Gok

world to shame the strong."

Now Tet's be clear that we're talking about real uulner
rh

the pretended kind that actually disguieses power and streng!

i aa ee

movies several years ago was Billy gack.\ Bitty Jack wad ap ne

a vekeran - who lived as a kind of mountain mystic and gave
=o

for runaway children and Indians against the bigotry of the

novie\\so

38 vutnerabte_|

me critics suggested that Billy Jack was a Christ f
niece Bo. “Wate Gaeta, Uh PLU:
But that misses the point: Jesus in the manger

ea rr

not pretended weakness. \It is real, all-the=way vulnerability.

Lt er ill

God ~ for our sakes - becoming as vuinerable as any man.

—

In fact, it is somewhat of a paradox.

local residen

smite.

who pulled cut

as reiture,\ And we come

Christian understanding of
i

\ God, after

creator of all things, the

is vulnerable - that his
|
and tormented by a nob: \that
tr
d powertess.\ That's what the
wee 0 emcweetecineny.
Ve the stable, with the

Ci al

the spectre of a cross,

pusiing a crown of thorns on

9f Jesus Christ at this pint.
nh Christ crucified, a stumbling

ist ina manger , because the

Hh chose what is weak in the

ability - real weakness \ not

th ns Cne of the most popular

man, a black belt in Karate,

a a eenl

nimself to protecting a shcool
ee

It was a good
Woe AD Ube » gowtr

rgure because he made himself
ee vember Muy guttmce = aliens a. ares

and Jesus on the Cross 1s
It is the incarnation:

i ial

and not the nursery of an

errr:

irate

Just as God chose to come among us in Bethlehem stable, |

THE VULNERABILITY OF GOD -4~-

n the life of an inconspicuous

oriental potentate's palace - so he chose to live among us i

a i,

carpenter instead of a military or political leader. | So he

lien

of his kingdom to ordinary men and women

nae

myself for nothing. *) Nany of us could and do say that on occ

(1 have dabored in!

commits the continuing tasks

vain...1 have exhausted

asion.\ One Tha
ae ameneualll

n put it this

amine

ast who stick thi

re

way: {"The H&&kX wor}d eats people for breakf
behalf of real j

and practically for peace on earth, for compassion toward th
Eee ee EE

would change things. \- You can't beat City Halt! \ ve admin

aut of those who hold out to the end ~ after they have been

ii

threaten us." )

God choses to be vulnergbte.\ He choses to commit his wo!

eir necks out very far on

reels

ustice for the human community. | Tt breaks pbople who work specifically

e poor and oppressed that_reall
com le Sete ® aut Arar

2 pepple who make public heras

x

decently buried and no longer

rk to people who are vuinerabie.

a

nothing.

that is good and ri

KHHEX “laboring i

People who work in the Church know that feeling.

i,

Daina al

"What's the use?" we ask:\"I'm tired of knocking myself out |

‘ho tmferdrenieni sh drahinisepamhai

it's all a part of serving this vulnerable God who chose ka

ght and in which they believe - and no oni

oneself for
ene,

Nn vain - exhausin

on eel

Siving themselves to a project

=]

cares \\ne one shows up.
ad FO ata

For nothing." Jwe say: and

a manger for his incarnation.

W. H. Auden has a delightful passage in his "Christmas

Great speaks about the birth of Jesus.
——

Nratorio": in which Herod the

"Oh dear, why couldn't this wretched infant be born somewhere else?

» that the

WKAK Why can't people be sensibte?.| ity can't they sei

notion of a fimite God is absurd?

Ce a

for the sake of argument, that this story ts true.\. i
make life any better? \. for me personally it would me

God had given me the power to destory Hinsa f. \ 1 refuse,

in. \He could not play such a horrible prattical joke.

For Herod the Great, and a lot of people not

ceireatorr.

bad joke - or it & something they simply cannot comprehend. .

k faiture:| in Herod's words “givin

ea,

be weak: \that he would ris

destroy himself" is in

eR Serre

Pina.

that God can't operate in the world without encountering th
Cee

CCC RE are

\ Because it is.| Andi

ct 8) great, |

| suppose,
ude it
an that

to be taken

I

the vulnerability of God is a

aie

hat God, prposely would
g people the power to

WS means.

credible. \ It is what the birth of Jes

And we have even more trauble with the second aspect of. that vulnerability:| that 1s

e same tragadies as all men.

THE VULNERABILITY OF GOD.

His man was eric fieds\

eT eo

-5-
his son was kitled. \

There was a story in the newspaper last week about a m

burned for the second time in his life ~ after years of sur

oe

first incident. \ And he said what a lot of us would say unde

does God have against me

of it - many times , Even though we've celebrated Christmas

s\ nam e]

\ that he coexists with tradedy.\ that he came

child in a manger, we refuse to learn what it means

—s Ce el

forces of evil

ater ta

Tifes\to bear with us ali the burdens of being human. \ He is
what it means to have terrible tradedy befall a loved one. —

[——o

God took a lot of risks in Bethlehem. \ He risked the bru:
EY

slaughtered a lot of innocent babiesA he risked family strifi

gem TTT

ay does God hate ne?") We ‘ye asked

lity than that.

ah who had been seriously
, in
pr and recuperating from the

the circumstances 4 "What

aD

that question - or a vartation

for years, and pondered th® wot
erect,

,| that God does not control the

among us precisely to live our

| Vulnerable with usd he knows

tality of Herod the Great who
ese risked the hatred men
ed

elfishness of men who this

have for someone who tells them how to live: \he risked the s
Christmas Eve will buy a fifth of wiskey and get gloriously
renee penile Le ei

wait at home .

He risked everything.\In Jesus Christ he became vulneral

runk while their children

why - staring with his own son doesn't he make things turn

The answer - the answer spoken eloquently from Bethieha

freedom more than anything else.
ne a,

Dt re

\ And because of that God ch

ble for our sates sore

or later we have to ask evny?" lity did God do it in this way?

If he loves us so much,

out alright?

m, is that God values our
—

oses to appeal to us rather
1.

than coerce us:\he choses to stand with us in life rather than arranging all thepieces

——

acetha
so that we they fall “into place.

Charles Peguy wrate acbut freedom in a way that express

of God:

in

Submission no longer has any taste.

—

All the prostrations in the world

All the submission, all the dejection in the world

Are not equal in value to the soaring up point,

From a Tove that is free.”

‘When you once have known what it is to be loved freely

es the magnificient vulnerability

De]

Are not worth the beautiful upright attitude of a re man as he kneels.

The beautiful straight soaring up point of one single jinwocation

THE VULNERABILITY @F GOD ~O-

So God took risks.| The Prophet sensed that this is the!

Dail

about the servant.) So desus Christ, his Son, lived our life

ey ir, ne

death.| And before that was born in a stable behind an inn wi

ti

could even see nin So, Almighty God appeals to your heart

The story of the birth of Jesus Christ is beautiful} Si

i

attend the celebration of Christmas. \ Listen to it again thik

way God is when he wrote
aia nd

, was crucified and died our
here nobody that mattered
bnd mine:

b are the sentiments that

7

year’\let wt stir your

heart: let it overwhelm you with its incredible sep h \

— Seer shouts

But see inpdt. the real

out Beleer

meaning - the magnificient vulnerability of God who wants mokt_of all from you and me

"the beautiful straight soaring up point of one single ‘invocation

From a love that is free.” AMEN

Father, as we make our final preparations for Christmas, be bresent. As we are moved by

the good emotions of the season, help us to see the true meal

ing of the birth. AMEN