Sermon November 25, 2007 - Pastor Wesley Howell

"Powers Inc."

I thought I’d shift style this morning and preach from the Epistle. Read through it and the rest of the book of Colossians; and you’ll see him write of “Powers and Principalities, Kingdom of Darkness”. What’s that about? Sometimes things take on BIG personae. Our ancestors called them "gods" and named them Mars, Jupiter, and Venus and told wonderful stories about them. We call them "politics," or "economics," or "hormones," and have theories about how they may be manipulated and managed, but…

People in Government. Presidents…congress. We think of them as powerful people; but they say that they are victims of "forces beyond our control."

When we complain about the fix we're in, we're told "The economy" is to blame. What is that? Have you ever seen "the economy?" It is the power that determines our well being, pulls our strings, and gives us happiness or misery, even though you can't see it. That's the language we use.

We can't touch and see the "economy" or "capital trends," we can't touch "terrorism" or the "global market" but these "powers" call the shots.

The world seems twisted…So how did we mess up?

Paul’s clear…what went wrong was that human beings let go of their God-given responsibility for God's world and gave that responsibility over to The Powers.

If you refuse to practice sexuality under God, then Venus is all too willing to take charge. When business is done just for money and not as a gift from God, then mammon takes charge and all “you know what” breaks loose.

That’s the adult world, or at least it’s another world, that happens about three blocks west of here. (the mall)…maybe to connect we need to go deeper. What about the dark. THE DARK. Remember when you were a kid? When I was a kid and Mom turned out the light I freaked. The pile of clothes under my bed shifted and moved…it grew eyes. The closet…what really lived there? What was under my bed? I’d jump three feet out from my bed so “whatever” was under there couldn’t grab me. All because of The Dark. Why? Unknown. Can’t see. What’s out there? I always did fine with scary movies…until I had to get into the car…in the dark…all by myself. Or when you get home afterward. Fess up…who hasn’t gone through the house and turned on all the lights, checked the closets.

Jesus came to take on the principalities and powers. Weirdly enough he enters right into the heart of darkness. Even our own darkness starts changing from the inside out.

How can we live in the light of that victory that was worked on the cross? How can we best exercise our citizenship in this new reign, under a new King?

I'll tell you.
We just had Thanksgiving. Who did you thank? “Oh thank you Wall Street that we can partake of this meal? NO! Every time you bow your head and say a blessing at a meal, you are making a political statement, saying that the food that you partake is a gift of God, not something you did all by your lonesome, or through your savvy mastery of the economic system. Saying, “Thank you God.” is a huge statement.

A few weeks ago Marilee and the kids and I stood around Orv’s bed at the hospital. We said Psalm 23, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…I will fear no evil.” And then communion and the prayer, ”Thy will be done, thy kingdom come.” It wasn’t ear candy. It wasn’t just trying to feel better. It was a calm, quiet...yet defiant NO! We held hands and said no… to everything around us. Sickness, fear, death …darkness in all its forms…you are not in charge!

Trust, believe, and then live like it. Face your own darkness, name it, and then step beyond it. For heaven sakes don’t give in. But at the same time don’t pretend it’s not there. Closing your eyes won’t make it go away. But give it over to someone who CAN do something about it. Then do everything in your power to not fall back into it.

Awareness then choices.

So go back home, go out into our town, and live as those who now know who sits on the throne and how the world ends and who is in charge. The principalities and powers…the darkness is all too eager to bombard people with their illusions.

Trust…believe and live like you do, children of the light. People are waiting to hear…and if you don’t tell them…who will?