A WORD FOR TODAY, November 9, 2021
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, November 9, 2021
“What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” 1 Corinthians 14:26-33a, WEB
I was a preschool teacher for a year, and I confess that I struggled with certain aspects of the job, particularly keeping the classroom under control. Children have a way of quickly becoming chaotic. Transition from one subject to another, even in preschool, means moving to a new place and collecting the right materials. Every moment that is not structured is a moment when chatter can begin. Once the noise begins, it tends to get louder rather than quieter. I was not very patient, and I tended to raise my voice to be heard over the noise. Unfortunately, yelling only makes things get louder.
Adults are no different than children in this regard. Notice what happens at work, home or other places, even in church. What happens when the pastor announces the next hymn to be sung? The people begin grabbing for the books, without actually hearing the hymn number. The noise makes it difficult to hear, so the pastor has to repeat the number. Even then the people often turn to their neighbors to ask what song is to be sung. It would be much better if we would wait that moment in silence to listen before jumping to follow the instruction.
It happens when we pass the peace in worship. That moment has a purpose, and it comes from the biblical concept of reconciliation. We are encouraged to attend to the eucharistic meal without anger or division among us. If we have something against our neighbor, we should deal with it first so that we can enjoy communion unified rather than divided. It meant to be about growing Christ’s peace among His body, but it has often become more about greeting one another. I am guilty of this. When I teach about this purpose, I often say that if you see my cross the sanctuary to shake someone’s hand, then I’m going to apologize for something I’ve done wrong that week, but that’s not true. I do go out of my way to say “hello” to my friends. The time of peace becomes a time of chaos that is hard to get under control because of the movement and conversations.
There are ways to get control of a noisy classroom or workplace. In Lutheran circles we tend to use the phrase “The Lord be with you,” which is answered, “And also with you.” Sometimes it has to be said several times before everyone realizes that it is time to settle down for the next thing. Once everyone answers, the leader knows that he or she can go on.
Today is National Chaos Never Dies Day. There is some sort of national day every day of the year, some rather unusual, but I think this might be one of the strangest. The origins of this particular day are unknown, but it makes sense because we live in a world that seems to be getting crazier by the minute. We all pine for “normal” but we all know that “normal” doesn’t really exist. I suppose that’s why some suggest that we should embrace a “new normal” whatever that might be. Whatever we do, it is probably true that chaos never dies.
As we look at the world we wonder how God is going to manage to fulfill His promises. The chaos and confusion is overwhelming, even in the Church where Christians are trying to grow into a unified body of Christ. Good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. Things do not happen according to our time and expectation. We have plenty to fear and to worry about as we go through our daily living.
We are reminded in today’s text from Paul that God is not a God of chaos and confusion, but of peace. It is because of our foolishness that the world is chaotic, but God is able to use us though we are imperfect vessels. Jesus influences the world through us, building faith and community even when we are out of control. Paul focuses on our keeping order within our worship, but we can take his encouragements into our world. God can make incredible things happen even in our times of chaos in worship and in life. We are called to live in honor and praise of God, not boasting in our wisdom or strength, but reveling in our foolishness so that He might be glorified in all we do. God is faithful and His promises are true. We don’t need to live in fear or worry because He has promised us something greater than this world beyond this day. His Kingdom is never chaotic. We can trust that He is in control and that by His grace we will always have peace in Him.
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