Symbols and Cymbals
Most of us grew up on fairy tales. We loved listening to these stories of mythical people that always seemed to have a happy ending and made us believe that life could be like that for us. There were stories like Cinderella… Sleeping Beauty… Snow White and the Seven Dwarves… Rumpelstiltskin… Rapunzel… and the list goes on and on. Walt Disney Studios started with those stories and then expanded our repertoire to include 101 Dalmatians… Bambi… Lady and the Tramp… Aladdin… Pocahontas… the Lion King… and many more. Think, for a moment, of your favorite fairy tale or myth. Review the plot of the story briefly in your mind. Do you realize that many of our favorite fairy tales or myths contain redemption stories? Many of these stories tell the tale of a hero or heroine who is trapped in an undesirable place and can only be freed to live the life he or she was destined to lead by the actions of another person. Does that storyline sound familiar? Not only is the storyline similar to our own story of redemption in Christ, but within these stories, you can find an object or a symbol of the hero’s or the heroine’s hope for redemption.
Take the story of Rapunzel, which is one of my favorites. A beautiful woman is trapped in a tower with no way of escaping. And yet, in the end, she is rescued by a prince who climbs her long hair to save her. It is her hair that becomes the symbol of her hope for redemption. Sleeping Beauty is rescued by a prince who kisses her to waken her from her 100-year nap. His kiss becomes the symbol of her hope for redemption. For Cinderella, it is the glass slipper. For Aladdin, it is the lamp. And, in the story of Beauty and the Beast, it is the rose. What is the symbol of the hope for redemption in the fairy story or myth that came to mind for you?
For the Israelites, the symbol of their hope of redemption was the Ark of the Covenant. For the Israelites, the Ark was the symbol of God’s presence in their midst. So, when the Ark was lost in battle with the Philistines, the Israelites lost the visible symbol of God’s presence in their lives. Eventually, of course, the Ark was returned to the Israelites by the Philistines. The Philistines had to get rid of the Ark because it had become a significant threat to them. Every Philistine city in which the Ark rested was visited by disasters of one sort or another. But, when the Ark was returned to the Israelites, the Israelites greeted its return with joy. The visible symbol of their hope of redemption had returned.
The defeat of the Philistines by David and his army cemented the establishment David’s kingdom. And it was David who chose Jerusalem as his capitol city. Since his monarchy had been established by God for the purpose of uniting God’s people, it was fitting to move the Ark of the Covenant into this city, the city of David, which then became Zion, the city of God. Since the days that the children of Israel had wandered in the desert, the Ark of the Covenant had been wandering with them. Now they were no longer nomads. This city was the center of the Israelite world and David wanted the Ark, as the symbol of God’s presence, to be in that city. It was to be the crowning achievement of his life: First, to establish his kingdom for the glory of God to unite the twelve tribes of Israel, and second, to establish a home for the Ark in the center of that kingdom. So, with singing, dancing and rejoicing surrounding the momentous occasion, the Ark of the Covenant came to Jerusalem – to sit in the center of the life of the people in kingdom of Israel – to be the visible sign of their redemption and to be a constant reminder of God’s presence.
So, my question to you today is: What sits in the center of your life right now? And what is the symbol of that presence in your life? Now, let’s not gloss over this too swiftly. It is easy for me to say that God is at the center of my life, but then I have to examine my life to see whether I can find a visible symbol of God’s presence there. As one of my Mexican friends said to me in seminary, “My mother has a large, fancy Bible that lies on a table in her living room, but I cannot remember the last time that we opened it.” Sadly, there are many homes that have Bibles which are never opened. There is a famous saying that made the rounds in Christian groups some years ago that went like this: “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” For most of us, the answer would probably be “No.”
So, if God is not at the center of our lives, who or what is? I know that, in my own life, for many years, my career was at the center of my life. And the visible symbols of that – and, yes, I had more than one – were the certificates and awards that hung upon the wall of my office and the business cards that faithfully proclaimed my status to the world. Every new accolade or promotion was cause for celebration. Some of my friends have made educational achievement the center of their lives. Symbols of that include their diplomas… or the listing of their names in the book, Who’s Who in Colleges and Universities… and letters they put before and after their names to tell others what they have achieved. I have friends for whom sports lives at the center of their lives. Nothing interferes with a soccer game… or a track meet… or a football game. Visible symbols of their focus on this included framed ribbons or trophies for contests won… or memorabilia of the team (a Michael Jordan autograph, a Super Bowl ticket, and so on)… or the large screen television that dominates the room in which they view the event. I have known people whose lives are centered on computer games… or music… or animals… or television programs... people who cut short conversations to rush home so that they won’t miss the latest episode. As you look at your own life, what is it that takes center stage? What is it that so draws you… so captivates you… that you will not allow anything to interfere with your relationship to it?
If you moved whatever is at the center of your life now to the side and put God there instead, would it be an opportunity for rejoicing and celebrating? Would it bring such joy to you that you would want to dance in the streets as David did? For most of us, I’m afraid, the answer would be no… it would not be cause for celebration. Most of us, when we think of God… or Christianity… moving into the center of our lives, think of all the things we will have to give up… all the things we can no longer do. It’s kind of like going on a diet… it would be better to put it off until tomorrow… and have another dessert today. Isn’t that why we celebrate the start of Lent with Fat Tuesday and a Mardi Gras festival… an orgy of excess? Isn’t it because we think that to come close to God, we must give up the things that bring pleasure in our lives?
If we believe that moving God to the center of our lives is a time for fasting… a time for sorrow… a time for silence… then, I believe we do not understand what it really means to be chosen by God. If you will look again at the passage that Wanda read this morning from Ephesians, you will see that we have been chosen by God before the foundation of the world to receive every spiritual blessing. We have been marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit, which is God’s pledge of our inheritance and our redemption. In love, God has destined us for adoption as God’s own children, that we might be heirs with Christ to everything in God’s kingdom. God has lavished on us the riches of God’s grace that promises us the forgiveness of not just some, but all of our sins and a place in eternity with God in the fullness of time. How can anything in this world compare with the abundance of God’s grace and the outpouring of God’s blessing in our lives? Why do we think we are giving anything up?
We are God’s children and heirs to God’s kingdom! From before the foundation of the world, God has loved us – loved us so much that God sent his Son to die for us! What will it take for us to move whatever is in the center of our lives to the side and put God in the center? And what will it take for us to realize that this action is a cause for celebration… a reason to join with other Christians to rejoice… to sing… and to dance? God loves us! God cherishes us! God has chosen us from before the foundation of the world! God has created us in love to be God’s children and, through the blood of his Son, God has redeemed us from every sin! How can we sit silently in our seats? It is a time for singing… for dancing … and for making music – as our children did this morning.
The Israelites moved the Ark of the Covenant into the city of Jerusalem as a symbol of God’s presence in the center of their world. Eventually, Solomon’s Temple to God was built to protect it and to provide a central place for the Israelites to worship. What is the symbol of God’s presence in the center of your life? What is the symbols of God’s presence in my life… and it is not an ornate cross that is hanging on my walls. Seminary students and pastors collect crosses like other people collect knick-knacks. Ornate crosses hang on the wall in every room, but they have lost their meaning. My mother is one who hates ornate crosses because our Savior did not die on an ornate cross. The ornate crosses in my life are beautiful works of art, but they do not remind me of my Savior’s death any longer. They are just art. What will be the symbol of God’s presence in my life every day? What will jerk me out of my complacency and speak to God’s presence in my life? Or will they all become like the Bible that sits in the living room in my friend’s Mexican home… a symbol that is never opened… a reminder that no longer reminds us of anything?
I challenge you (and me) this week to find a visible symbol of God’s presence in your life and to move that symbol, with joy, into the center of your life. And to do it with singing, with dancing, and with loud music… with cymbals, if you have any! Then, I challenge to watch… and see what a difference it makes. In Malachi, we read: “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.” Our tithe to God is not just our money – it is our lives, our time, our thoughts, our actions… everything that we are. Put God in the center of your life and watch wonderful work of the Lord unleashed! See if your life is not filled with peace… with joy… and abundant blessings! Amen.