Thankful Memorial, Chattanooga
January 26, 2020
Year A, Epiphany 1; Annual Parish Meeting

Isaiah 9:1-4
Psalm 27:1, 5-13
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Matthew 4:12-23

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

There’s something really wonderful about unlikely heroes.  So many of our popular narratives are about the underdogs who come out on top.  Who doesn’t find inspiration in Tolkein’s short, comfort-loving hobbits who go up against evil or the Tennessee Titans’ recent win against the #1 ranked Baltimore Ravens in the NFL playoffs?  And it’s not just today’s culture.  Our scriptures are laced with similar stories of holy underdogs.  Just think of David and Goliath or Jacob, the younger brother who tricks his way into his inheritance.  And then there’s the lesser-known story of Gideon versus the Midianites that gets a mention in the reading from Isaiah we hear this morning. 

The story goes like this: Gideon is a farmer in ancient Israel who is trying to get in his harvest before the great army of Midian, poised at the border, descends upon the kingdom of Israel right around the area of Gideon’s farm. Suddenly, God’s messenger appears to Gideon and tells him to gather together an army of men because Gideon has been chosen to lead the fight against the Midianites.  Though surprised, Gideon musters an army of more than 30,000 troops.  But, God thinks this is too much and eventually whittles the number down to a mere 300.  To make matters even more impossible, God forbids Gideon’s army to be armed.  Instead, they are to face the army of Midian with just “jars, torches and trumpets.” 

Despite the massive inequalities between the Midianites and Gideon’s rag-tag group, you can guess how this story ends.  Gideon is triumphant; the army of Midian is resoundingly defeated and God’s ultimate power is proven. 

And that whole story is the background for this one line in the prophecy of Isaiah: “For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.”  The section of Isaiah we hear this morning is written to another subset of the people of Israel, the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali who have been suffering under conquering empires and oppressive regimes.  Isaiah tells them not to lose hope, for God is still doing a new thing and the people who now walk in darkness will yet see the “great light” of God.  And the reference to Midian serves much the same purpose as do our modern-day underdog stories.  They remind us that even the most unlikely people can become heroes.  Or, in the case of Israel, we are reminded that with God, even the impossible becomes more than possible.  “The day of Midian” is a short-hand way of saying, Have hope; trust that God will show up even in the most forgotten places and among the most unlikely people.

So, Isaiah uses the earlier story about Gideon and Midian from Israel’s history to give hope to his contemporary audience, and then, the writer of the gospel of Matthew picks up on the prophecy from Isaiah to set up Jesus’ first acts of ministry and the call of his first disciples.  And the context here is just as dire.  John the Baptist has been arrested and it’s becoming pretty clear that it will not end well for Jesus’ cousin.  And here comes Jesus, preaching the same exact message that John did, pushing forward John’s dangerous mission with renewed energy.  The stakes are high.  The risks are even higher.  And the powers-that-be clearly mean business. 

Given all that, you would think that Jesus would look for equally powerful people to help him in his task.  Heck, you would think that Jesus himself must be a pretty powerful person.  But, in fact, the opposite seems to be true.  Jesus is an itinerant teacher from Nazareth, so unknown that he doesn’t even have his own following – instead of disciples seeking him out, he’s got to go looking for them.  And – even worse – he doesn’t go to the big cities or well-known temples to find followers, but to backwater towns to call regular old fisherfolk.

Talk about underdogs.  How can this unknown rabbi, these simple fishermen ever hope to make a difference in the world around them?  How can they even dream of facing up to the Roman Empire that rules the physical realm, not to mention the forces of sin, sorrow and death that are so much part of human experience in the spiritual realm? 

Of course, we know how this story ends – how it gets worse – so much worse – before it finally becomes good news.  But we also know, like Paul, that “the message about the cross, [about Jesus] is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us […] it is the power of God.”

So, we’ve got Gideon vs. Midian.  We’ve got the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali who walk in darkness but expect joy.  And we’ve got Jesus and his first disciples beginning their journey to the cross – and to what lies beyond.  And to those with ears to hear, these stories of humble beginnings and unlikely heroes remind us that the “power of God” works in and through all sorts of folks to transform the world. 

And I’ve got one more story of holy underdogs that I want to share with you this morning.  It’s not a story we find in the scriptures – at least not the sort of scriptures that are written down.  It’s the story of a small community of Christians who gather week after week to worship God.  They’re not superstars of the Church.  Their community doesn’t show up in the news for headline-grabbing good deeds.  Their members aren’t usually found in the halls of power.  In fact, not too long ago, there was some doubt that the little parish would even survive. 

But survive it has; indeed, it has thrived and, in its own corner of the world, it has reflected God’s light abundantly. 

If you haven’t guessed, the story I am telling is ours.  It’s the story of this little parish that could.  It’s the story of Thankful Ones who, even when uncertainties abounded and the future seemed dark, trusted that God would show up.  It’s the story of a small group of people donating thousands of dollars and hours of work to places like MetMin and Bridge Refugee Services and Clifton Hills School.  It’s the story of folks who support each other through heartache and hardship, sorrow and joy, who love the children in their midst, even when they forget to whisper during worship, who try new things and sometimes give up old ways, who discern God’s call together and figure out a way forward with whatever resources they have been given.

This morning, we hear the stories from scripture of humble holy ones – the unlikely heroes who trust in the power and providence of God no matter the circumstances.  And sometimes, we think that such stories are relegated to the past, to ancient people and the pages of old texts.  But nothing could be further from the truth.  Here we are, right here, right now, living in the abundance of God’s grace, trusting in the power of God’s providence and working for the mission of God’s kingdom.  And all we have to do is keep going in faith, for “The Lord is [our] light and [our] salvation; [what] then shall [we] fear?”  Amen.