Grace Enough: 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 - Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Worship by spaceamoeba.  Creative Commons Image on flickr.com

²I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven — whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows.  ³And I know that such a person — whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows —  ⁴was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat.  ⁵On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses.  ⁶But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me,  ⁷even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated.  ⁸Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me,  ⁹but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  ¹⁰Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

There are few experiences in life as priceless as visiting a gym for the first time.

The reason being is, at the second you walk in, your attention immediately goes to the person running effortlessly on a treadmill at a ludicrous speed.  Then there’s the guy grunting like a dinosaur as he’s deadlifting a barbell weighing more than even you do, picking it up over his head, and then throwing it down to the floor to an atomic explosion of sound that rocks the building.  One national fitness chain calls this “gym-timidation,” and rightfully so—because those persons make you feel so weak and out of shape that you believe you’re pretty much doomed to failure.

Let’s be frank—nobody wants to be feel weak, and we especially don’t want to be weak.  Weakness is a terrible thing—because you feel like less of a person.  You lack the strength and abilities that others have—or that you used to have.  You can’t help yourself.  You’re not in control of what’s happening to you.  All the while, you have to live in a world that celebrates strength—strength of body; strength of mind; strength of will, and especially: self-sufficiency. 

We 21^st century Christians especially celebrate strength of faith.  That’s probably why, when we look at Jesus’ healing stories, the message we get is “have enough faith, be a good person, and you’ll get healed!”  Name it and claim it.  Believe God, and you’ll move mountains.  Believe God for a house.  Believe God for a miracle!

A famous TV preacher recently told his congregation that he “believed God for a $65 million Gulfstream jet.”

Who does not desire the faith to move mountains, and dance through all life’s problems with your hands and your hands held high, with nary a doubt?

But listen to what the Apostle Paul has to say about weakness…

In today’s second reading, Paul writes rather vaguely of a spiritual experience that put him into a state of pure ecstasy.  A person in Christ was caught up to the third heaven, to see and hear things no mortal is permitted to repeat.  This was for Paul what we would call a mountaintop experience of faith.  But just then, a thorn was given to him in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated.  Three times Paul prayed for God to take it away, but God said “no.” 

Who among us does not share in that experience?  I know I do.  You’re praying and trying to “believe God” for just a little bit of help; a little bit of relief; a little bit of peace and comfort.  But still, you feel as though you are just one breath away from falling apart.  No strength, no peace, no control—and what is there to believe about God except that God is absent?

The darkest times of our lives are so often going to be those times when we’re tormented by our weakness; when we feel as though we’re at the mercy of what tomorrow will bring. 

But listen to God’s answer to Paul’s prayers: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” 

These words sound as utter foolishness until we hear them in light of the cross.  In the weakness and humiliation of the cross, there was grace—that cleanses us from sin.  There was power—that destroyed death and the devil.  God’s love for us isn’t merely revealed, but poured out in the blood that flowed from Jesus’ wounds.  Salvation is God’s power made perfect in weakness.

It is for those reasons that we need to rethink prosperity and success; power and strength.  These are all illusions.  Control is an illusion.  Sin and death can swoop in at any time and strike any one of us down.

We also need to rethink weakness and vulnerability—and not only in light of the struggles in our own lives, but in light of the ways we see the world changing and not for the better.  With global and domestic terrorism, economic instability, and the so-called “culture wars” boiling over following the decisions of the Supreme Court, fear is spreading like wildfire across our society.  Fear is the most irrational of all human emotions—because it makes us do stupid things. 

It’s time to stop being afraid.  It’s time to embrace our weakness and vulnerability—because that is where God’s power lies.  Where there is weakness and vulnerability, there is grace.  There is Christ.  That’s how we can be at peace when the world is not at peace.  That’s how we can rest in hope even when we’re staring death in the face.  That’s how we can live in love for others in the worst circumstances. 

The riches of grace arise when Christian love is shared among those who are weak and vulnerable.  The riches of grace are found as we give ourselves away as bread for the hungry; as drink for the thirsty; as a voice to the voiceless.  It’s grace that destroys poverty, racism, and all the meaningless conflicts and blame games tearing our nation apart. 

God is in control.  You are blessed to live in complete and total dependence on God’s grace in every circumstance of life.  The certainty of God’s faithfulness is revealed in all the uncertainties of life. 

It’s time to believe God to be who God is—gracious and mercy.  Believe God’s grace to be sufficient for you.  Believe God’s power to be made perfect in weakness.