Strength in Weakness

A sermon delivered by the Rev. Roger Scott Powers at Light Street Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, on Sunday, July 9, 2006

II Corinthians 12:2-10
Mark 6:1-13

This morning I want to focus my remarks on the reading from Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. The passage is rather obscure taken by itself, so let me help to put it into context. Paul is writing to Christians in the city of Corinth. He had spent about 18 months there in the years 50 and 51, preaching the gospel, baptizing new converts, and establishing a congregation there. So naturally, he feels a special responsibility toward them.

After Paul leaves Corinth to continue his missionary journeys, the church there is visited by some people claiming to be apostles, who seek to discredit Paul. They claim that Paul does not exhibit the gifts an apostle is expected to have. They say that he has a weak public presence and that he is a poor public speaker. Moreover, they charge that he does not have the spiritual experiences or perform the miracles one would expect of an apostle. If he did, he would surely boast about them, to show his authority. He doesn't boast about them, so he must not have them!

As Paul's opponents claim to be superior to Paul, he refers to them, sarcastically, as "super-apostles." These "super-apostles," Paul believes, are leading the church astray, proclaiming "another Jesus" and "a different gospel" from the one Paul proclaimed to them. They are "boasters," he says, "false apostles,"   "deceitful workers," ministers of Satan "disguising themselves as apostles of Christ."

In this morning's excerpt from the letter, Paul is defending himself from the attacks of these "super-apostles." He sees nothing to be gained by boasting about it, but the truth is he has had "visions and revelations of the Lord." He tells of one extraordinary spiritual experience that he had fourteen years earlier. Paul tells the story in the third person as if he were speaking about someone else, but he is actually speaking about himself. He was "caught up to the third heaven, . . . into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat." Whether he was transported to heaven in the body or out of the body, Paul does not know; only God knows. Twice he repeats these words, perhaps mocking his opponents, yet affirming God's knowledge over his own.

In spite of having this extraordinary spiritual experience, Paul chooses not to boast about it. He refrains from boasting, so that no one will think better of him than what is seen in him or heard from him. Paul would rather his authority be based on his integrity -- on his character -- than on visions or miracles. He would rather be judged on the basis of his words and actions in the present than on some spiritual experience he had fourteen years earlier.

I could imagine someone having such a vision and getting pretty full of themselves or getting carried away in some spiritual euphoria as a result. But in Paul's case, there is something that keeps him from getting too elated, something that keeps him grounded, something that reminds him that he is still only human. Paul suffers from some malady -- a thorn in the flesh that torments him. What kind of malady, he does not say. He could be referring to a physical or mental illness, or he could be referring to his opposition as a thorn in the flesh. In any case, it was bad enough that he appealed to the Lord three times for it to leave him, but to no avail. The Lord said to him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness."

If that's the case, Paul said, then "I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong."

"Power is made perfect in weakness."   "Whenever I am weak, then I am strong." It's a paradox, isn't it? It goes against most everything we are taught in our culture. Power comes from the barrel of a gun. Peace through strength. Might makes right. Or power comes from being rich and famous. The powerful in our culture are those with wealth and social status. And yet, there is truth in what Paul is saying, just the same.

Think of newborn babies. Infants are innocent, weak, helpless, completely dependent on others for their survival. And yet, we stand in awe of these tiny miracles. And in their vulnerability they have such power over us that we would do anything for them -- even risk our lives to protect them from harm. There is power in their weakness.

Or have you ever seen a tiny blade of grass grow up through asphalt? It seems impossible. But life finds a way.

Or think back to the civil rights movement, when African-American young people were being attacked with fire hoses and police dogs in the streets of Birmingham, Alabama. Their nonviolent resistance and voluntary self-suffering in the face of such brutal repression had the power to transform hearts and minds with regard to racial segregation. There was strength in their weakness.

The gospel lesson for this morning tells us how Jesus sent the disciples out in mission teams of two. They were "to take nothing for their journey except a staff," a pair of sandals, and the clothes on their backs. They were to take no bread, no bags, and no money. They were to be completely dependent on the kindness of strangers. For them to step out in faith and take that risk was a powerful witness in and of itself.

I remember some years ago there being a number of walks for peace, in which large groups of peace activists walked from the West Coast to Washington, DC, calling for nuclear disarmament. Along the way they depended on churches, schools, and community organizations for food and shelter, and people along the way rose to the occasion. The vulnerability of the peace walkers drew out the best in others.

There is strength in weakness. Indeed, that is the power of the cross. Jesus died on the cross so that we might live.

There is strength in weakness. It is at our weakest moments, when we feel the most vulnerable, that we reach out to God in prayer and find strength to keep on keeping on.

There is strength in weakness. Even a small church like this one has strength in its weakness. We may not have a large membership roll. We may not have a full sanctuary on Sunday mornings. We may not have a big budget or a large staff. We are at the opposite end of the spectrum from the megachurches.   But still, we have faith.   We have heart.   We have passion.   What we lack in quantity, we make up for in quality.   Unlike a big church, we're small enough that we can all know one another.   We're small enough that we can have intimate worship experiences. And we're small enough that we can offer opportunities for everyone who wants to to contribute their special gifts and talents to the life of the congregation.

I've heard of people visiting large churches with full sanctuaries, great music programs, and lots of activities, coming away from the experience saying to themselves, "That church doesn't really need me. My presence and involvement in that congregation wouldn't make much difference to them either way."   Then, they visit a small church like Light Street, with twenty or thirty people in worship, and they say to themselves, "Now that church really needs me!   My presence and involvement there would make a big difference!" And they're right! Our church's need offers an opportunity for others to join us in ministry, knowing that their gifts and talents will be valued and appreciated. There is strength in weakness.