Barren

There was very little soil, and the only plants were some miniature alpine flowers and some bent-over heather that was struggling to grow in cracks in the rock.

The fog obscured the terrain, and the wind made us pull our jackets close.

I appreciated having earmuffs to wear that day.

The place could well be described as barren, not hospitable for growth.

The good news in this scene is that it is not the whole of the story, but only one episode.

We had a destination ahead, and this was only one of many different areas through which we had to pass in order to get there.

I'll not forget that mountain-top in Spain, but neither will I dwell on just that, but on the whole of the journey and its outcome.

It is interesting that we have chosen the same word “barren” to describe this sort of landscape and also to describe the situation of desiring to bear children and not being able to do so.

It is a very painful word to hear, and to experience.

But scripture does not shy away from the word or the experience even though it is uncomfortable.

It happens.

But this is not the end of the story, but only one episode in it; it does not fully define the person, nor this person's relationship with God.

We can see again and again how the Lord God upsets the expectations of the world, and does a different thing, not in accord with the assumptions that people make about his nature.

In an era when the older son most often inherited everything, scripture shows us that God often chooses to work most closely with the younger son.

God favored Abel over Cain, Jacob over Esau, Joseph over ten older brothers, David over his older siblings.

God blessed the women whom the world despised because they were so long without children.

Remember that in addition to the sheer emotion of having children, one needed children so that there would be someone to care for the senior in old age.

There are no pensions, social security, or 401-K's; one depends upon family for care.

When Abraham is so old that he appoints one of his servants to manage his affairs, and when his wife Sara is long past child-bearing years, then God blesses them with the son Isaac.

When Rachel is deep in despair because she has no children, and her sister Leah is bragging about how many she has, and even Rachel's maid servants have children, then in his good time God blesses her with Joseph and Benjamin.

When Hannah grieved because Elkanah's other wife had children and she did not, and she prayed year after year at Shiloh, Eli declared to her that the Lord would finally grant her petition, and Samuel was conceived and born.

Hannah sings My heart exults in the Lord...

The Lord raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap. [1Sam.2:1,8]

Again and again, God chooses the lesser over the greater.

God chooses the slaves of Israel over Egypt, the grand and glorious empire.

All of these stories form the background as today we encounter Mary, the poor peasant girl from the hill country of Israel.

On her own, she has nothing about which she can brag, but with the Lord's angel having made his announcement to her, now she can sing her song modeled on that of Hannah.

When these persons could do nothing, when it is clear that their own powers are weak or non-existent, then God acts.

Paul writing to the Corinthians muses over these kinds of situations and writes:

Consider your own call, brethren: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing the things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God.

He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” [1 Cor.1:26-31]

Is this our experience?

Trying to boast of ourselves is like being on that wind-swept mountaintop; it is barren, and our boasts are lost in the wind.

And conversely, we do not yet know what wonderful things may occur when our words and actions point to the Lord God.

So in a moment we will be singing about some of these persons who knew the truth about which Paul later wrote:

--Mariam, sister to Moses and Aaron, who sang of God's triumph in the Exodus.

--Hannah, whose childlessness was ended and her prayers answered.

--Mary, who was given grace to say “May it be with me according to your word.”

--And the other Mary, who was the first to recognize the new thing that the Lord God did in Jesus Christ's resurrection.

It is a fearful time these days for Christians in so many parts of the world.

Murderous hatred is rife; in the Prayer of the Church we only name a tiny number of those who are killed because of their faith in the Lord Jesus.

That is a barren situation indeed.

Yet, God can overcome the barrenness.

Yet, new persons are coming to faith in spite of these appalling conditions in Africa, Asia, and elsewhere.

Yet, God may do something with the wreckage of our failed denominational system in the US.

Yet, God will give signs and wonders to those who need them most, the ones who know their utter dependence on him.

Yet, God can bid us join in Mary's song: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my Spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

Let all say: Amen.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.