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Sermon preached at Trinity Church, Newport RI; Sunday March 11 2018, The Reverend Alan Neale; “Facing Demons”

One of President Trump’s spiritual advisers. Gloria Copeland, told Christians recently, “Do not inoculate yourselves with a shot against flu, rather inoculate yourselves with the Word of God.” She went on “We don’t have a flu season. We’ve got a duck season, a deer season, but we don’t have a flu season. And don’t receive it when somebody threatens you with ‘everybody’s getting the flu.’ Just keep saying, ‘I’ll never have the flu, I’ll never have the flu.’ Inoculate yourself with the word of God.”

Well, we know that the President was not convinced by Ms. Copeland’s view and neither am I. I will continue to be grateful for medical science as I am for the Lord’s healing ministry.

And I guessing that if Ms. Copeland had tried that approach with the Israelites in the wilderness, she would have one distressed Moses with whom to deal!

Our Hebrew Scripture reading (Numbers 21) tells the story of the people of God assailed by a virulent and fatal sickness. Out of anger toward God and discontent with their situation, the people find themselves bitten by poisonous serpents. They come to their senses and ask for help – so they turn to Moses and Moses turns to the Lord. The remedy (incongruous, ironic, strange yet powerfully effective), the remedy is to make a serpent of bronze and (Numbers 21:9) put it upon a pole, and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.”

Here it seems is a primal expression of the acclaimed psychotherapeutic truth – that it is in confronting our demons, our dark side, that we set our feet firmly on the road to recovery and health.

 

Engaging with denial, sham, pretense, make-believe and some pollyann-ish view of the world is to dance with death and decay both of the body and the spirit (and the mind).

Their dis-ease/disease finds its origin in grumbling against God (and his minister Moses!). Despite an historic and triumphant escape from Egypt, despite miraculous guidance and sustenance… the people immerse themselves in a death-dealing relationship with ingratitude. As is heard in many a 12 Step meeting, it is the “attitude of gratitude” that saves us from insularity, self-sufficiency and resentment.

You must remember that it was the serpent in the Garden of Eden that ingratiated itself with Adam and Eve and, oh so subtly, intruded itself between the Creator and the created, between the divine lover and the human beloved. And here in Numbers 21 the serpent continues its work off separating creator and created, grace donor and grace recipient with awful consequences of real and present danger.

Only in confronting their demons, literally their serpents, could the people be rescued, liberated and made whole again.

There was a time when if “cancer” were mentioned in a conversation, the voice would suddenly turn to a whisper as if to mention the word aloud were to give it power. Of course the opposite is true and the word be better mentioned as soon as possible or else it is given an unnecessary energy.

Relationships between people, between partners (business or otherwise), between us and the Lord all will be damaged unless there is a commitment to face the serpent. What gave the people of God comfort in the desert was that this precious path to healing did not need be a solitary road… it was done in company with others as well as with the Lord.

In his Oratorio “The Crucifixion”, John Stainer wrote a recitative that reflects these words in today’s Gospel, John 3:14 “For as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so much the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

Last week our Bishop spoke eloquently and helpfully about the Cross… its power and its significance. He reminded us that truth is holographic and is inevitably and authentically multi-faceted. And so this week another perspective on the Cross given to us by St. John… as we look toward the Cross so we are called to face the truth of death, of grace and of our inability to save ourselves.

Years ago, at a different parish, I was talking with a parishioner about Holy Week. I was urging her to make time to attend some Holy Week services so that she might all the more celebrate the fulsomeness of Easter Day. Her reply to what I considered a cogent appeal was, “I’m sorry, I don’t do Good Friday” and, in so doing she uttered the mantra, the creedal belief of all those who will not confront the Cross and be transformed what takes place upon it. “God so loved that he gave His only Son.”
As we consider the Cross, we face so many demons and awful truths including how vicious we can be to those who love us with perfect grace. I want this Cross to transform my life again and again…
5 They rise, and needs will have
my dear Lord made away;
a murderer they save,
the Prince of Life they slay.
Yet cheerful He to suffering goes,
that He His foes from thence might free.
7 Here might I stay and sing,
no story so divine;
never was love, dear King,
never was grief like Thine.
This is my Friend, in whose sweet praise
I all my days could gladly spend.

AMEN