Loving God, you take even our weaknesses and use them as a means of revealing your power. Teach us to trust in your wisdom and mercy, and thus work through us by the power of your Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

About a week and a half ago, some of us gathered together one evening to watch a movie about Martin Luther and the Reformation in Germany. One of the things that struck me the most in the movie was Luther's very human weaknesses. These were not invented just for the sake of the movie but are well-documented historically. Luther suffered from frequent bouts of anxiety and was constantly trying to get the devil to leave him alone. He was also prone to depression, and the events surrounding the Reformation only made it worse. Yet, in spite of his weaknesses, and perhaps even because of them, God was able to work through Martin Luther in order to communicate the good news of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps we could say almost the same thing about the apostle, Paul. It's easy to see why Luther found so much comfort in reading Paul's letters in the New Testament. Paul, we are told, suffered from some unknown "thorn in the flesh" (2 Cor. 12:7). Speculation has ranged from some sort of problem with his eyes to some sort of physical disability. Yet, it remains just that - speculation. Whatever it was that afflicted Paul, it was a daily drain on him, and he prayed earnestly that God would take it away from him. Yet, God in his wisdom did not take it away. Instead, God's message for Paul is: "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9).

Now, it's a bit of an aside, but I had to look into why this translation says "power" and other translations say "my power." The truth is that the "my" is not there in the Greek, although it is perhaps implied. If we were going to do a literal translation, it would go something like this: "My grace is sufficient for you, for the power comes to its fulness in weakness." In other words, God's power becomes most evident in the presence of human weakness.

In Paul's case, it almost sounds like some imposed humility. Perhaps he would have become too full of pride in the absence of a "thorn in the flesh." Perhaps he would have developed an exaggerated sense of his own power and ability. As one commentary says, "The divine power cannot help or use the self-sufficient man" (The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 10, p. 409). And so Paul learns by experience that God's grace is truly all that he needs. All other things pale by comparison with the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ as Lord (Phil. 3:8).

Both Paul and Martin Luther are examples of people through whom God did great things - perhaps in both cases because of their weaknesses. Paul discovers, "whenever I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12:10). However, we constantly hear a different message from the world around us: Strong is good! Being self-sufficient and independent is good! "Looking out for number one" is good! In fact, we become so used to hearing these things that we don't know how to deal with it when we are faced with our own weaknesses.

I've often heard people talk as if their life is over as soon as they can't do everything that they want to do. Yet, God has a history of using people who are in a weakened condition. I always think of the amazing story of Joni Eareckson Tada. Joni was injured in a diving accident as a young woman. She was left in a wheelchair as a quadriplegic without the use of her hands. Yet, she has never allowed that to stop her from proclaiming God's love through Jesus Christ.

Certainly, she went through the anger and the grieving and the depression and the sadness that anybody would go through when faced with a future as a quadriplegic. Yet, she moved beyond that grief and started asking how she could use what abilities she did have in the service of God and of other people. During her two years of rehabilitation, Joni learned how to paint using a brush between her teeth. She also spoke openly about her faith in Jesus Christ. Eventually she founded an organization to help others who are facing similar disabilities. She has continued to write and to paint and to speak about her faith. In spite of her apparent "weakness" she has allowed God to use every ability she has in order to reach out to others. "Whenever I am weak, then I am strong."

For those of us who know that we are weak, it is easy to relate to what Paul writes in today's second reading (2 Cor. 12:2-10). Yet, what is God's message for those who are strong? What is God's message for those who feel that they are self-sufficient and don't really need God's help?

Last week I shared with you the story of a man who was totally down and out before he was ready to receive God's love. However, God's hope for all of us would be that we realize our need without having to hit rock bottom first. The truth is that, no matter how strong we might be physically, at some point we will likely face illness, and there's a 100% chance that our lives will end in death. The only one with power over illness and over death is God.

At the same time, we have been created as spiritual beings. A full life involves body, mind and spirit. Those who pay attention to their spirit know that this physical world is not all that there is. There are spiritual powers and presences, some of which come from God and many of which do not. The Creator of the Universe says to us that God's Spirit desires to fill our souls with God's presence and God's love. The Creator of the Universe desires to have a relationship with us - made possible through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Now certainly we do not have to say "yes." We can do things on our own. We can rely on ourselves and on our own strength. Yet, our lives will be dominated by sin and its effects. Our lives will also be something other than what God has in mind for us. Our spirits will not grow to their full potential, and we will not know the comfort or the strength that comes from knowing that we belong to Jesus and our lives are in God's hands. We can keep to our own devices, but this will be far from the life that God intended for us.

The life that God gives to us through Jesus Christ is described in the Scriptures as abundant life (Jn. 10:10). It is also described as rivers of living water flowing from the hearts of believers (Jn. 7:38). This was true for Paul in spite of his thorn in the flesh and his human weaknesses. This was true for Martin Luther, too, especially when he acknowledged his weakness before God and uttered the prayer, "Save me. I'm yours." Then God was able to work through him and speak through him. Joni Eareckson Tada also has experienced abundant life in spite of her physical weakness, and God has been able to work through her to do great things.

God will do the same through us if we will allow it to happen. God stands ready to give us abundant life and to work within us and through us by the power of the Holy Spirit. However, God doesn't do this against our will. Rather, God's power is strongest when we acknowledge our weakness and our sinfulness and our need for Jesus Christ. God's power is strongest when we realize what grace and love has been given to us through Jesus. God's power is strongest when we put our trust in the Holy Spirit and not in ourselves. "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." Amen.

Proper 9(B) 2 Corinthians 12:2-10
July 9, 2006
St. Luke's Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison Moore
? 2006 Lynne Hutchison Moore All Rights Reserved