Before the sermon, the children sang,

“I am a great big bundle of ‘potentiality’”

 

  Now I believe the children’s words to be true, but not in the ways that we human beings so often think of----------for our language reveals a certain arrogance about our “potential,” an arrogance which almost seems to indicate that we are the source of such potential.

I was reading an article this past week about “self-made men and women,” and I quote, “The idea of the self-made man or woman is inextricably tied up with that of the American dream. It is the image that has lured thousands of immigrants to our shores, all hoping for the chance to turn a handful of beans into a vast fortune. The self-made man or woman is one who comes from unpromising circumstances, who is not born into privilege and wealth, and yet by their own efforts, by pulling themselves up by the bootstraps, manages to become a great success in life. The self-made embody the goal of everyone: to become ‘captain of his/her own destiny.’”

  What a ridiculous statement---------to think that by ourselves, by our own efforts, and by pulling ourselves up by the bootstraps, we can achieve the great goal that everyone wants, that being----to be wealthy and to be captain of our own destiny.  How arrogant can we get.

  I was thinking about this in the context of the Exodus---------and how the scriptures might read if Moses had come to understand his part of God’s plan as having come from his own determination to be “captain of his own destiny.” It is laughable, but it might go something like this, with Moses telling others about the adventure:

  “Well, I had had enough of my people suffering, so I went down to Egypt to confront Pharaoh. I kept telling him that I was really going to turn the suffering loose on him if he didn’t let the people go, but he just ignored my warnings. And so, I hit him with some plagues, and he began to weaken. Finally after his failure to heed my warnings had cost him his own son, he let the people go, only to hunt us down to kill us. I spread my staff over the waters of the sea, and it opened and my people went through on the dry land. And after the last of the Israelites were through the sea, I brought down the waters upon the entire army of Pharaoh.”

  Human arrogance--------a failure of the human mindset!

 

  Now this is not to say that we don’t have potential, and that we cannot fulfill our potential. But we can never do so if our purpose is to be “captain of our own destiny,” for the truth of the Bible is that we were put here with a purpose, and with specific gifts-----given those gifts for the “whole family of God,” and not for our own selfish purposes.

 

  Yesterday, I jumped into Lake Louise to raise money for the leap for literacy. Now no one would ever confuse me as an Olympic Diver. For those people have taken God-given gifts and abilities, and developed them, honed them, worked on them for many years. I have no such gifts---------but let me say this--------few Olympic Divers could compare with me in Belly flops, for I have been working on this ability for years, developed it, honed it, and eaten in appropriate fashion to get the ultimate use of my talent. 

 

  The text from Deuteronomy speaks of the Land that God gives us as a gift, and it teaches us how it is to be used. There are responsibilities upon all to whom gifts have been given, and the book of Deuteronomy repeatedly speaks of how those blessed by the gift, need to share with the widows and orphans. If we are honest with ourselves, instead of arrogance, we should bow humbly before God, for none of us has made our own way up from nothing. It is not our ‘human potential,’ but God’s potential.

  And from time to time we become aware of how little control we really have.

 

  There was an African American jazz singer in the past century named Thomas A. Dorsey (not to be confused with Tommy Dorsey who was a white bandleader at about the same time). Thomas Dorsey was a Christian who would often sing revivals. He was scheduled to leave his home in Chicago, and travel to St. Louise for a revival, but his wife was 9 months pregnant. He left, and after travelling a short distance, realized he had left his music at home. He returned and found his wife sleeping----he stood next to her, wanting to stay so badly, but knowing that he had promised. And so, without waking her, he left.

  The next night at the revival, after he had finished singing, a telegram was handed to him that said his wife had just died. He returned home to learn that his wife had given birth to a baby boy before she died. Before the night was over, the baby died as well. Driven to the brink of what he could take, depression. Dorsey decided that he would leave singing at revivals and return to the Jazz world. Much of his depression came from those feelings that he had while standing by his wife’s side---the feeling that he should stay. But instead of staying as he had felt directed, he left anyway.

  Sometime later, Dorsey was visiting with a friend, when he sat down at the piano and found himself at peace and a melody came from his fingertips. Dorsey wrote, “As the Lord gave me these words and melody, he also healed my spirit. I learned that when we are in our deepest grief, when we feel farthest from God, this is when God is closest to us, and when we are most open to God’s restoring power. And so I go on living for God willingly and joyfully, until that day comes when God will take me and gently lead me home.”

  The words that Dorsey set to that soothing melody are these, “Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, help me stand; I am tired, I am weak, I am worn; Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light; Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.”

  Amen!