"Adversity"
God is our refuge and strength.
Sermon Preached by
The Reverend Dr. Bill Fritz
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Text: Gen. 37:17b-28
My family knows adversity, but I do not. As the last-born of seven children I was shielded from adversity. But my family remembers our adversity well. It happened early one November, on our farm in Alberta.
While hunting my dad was severely wounded. His injuries were so extensive that he was sent to a hospital some 100 miles away. In Dad's absence, Mom managed the family and the farm very well. Because of financial constraints her trips to the hospital were very few. Christmas was coming and with all the doctor's and hospital expenses, Mom knew that our Christmas that year would be very sparse. There was no income. Mom drew my oldest sister aside and confided that there would be no presents for the family under the tree. My sister Mary would have none of it. Mary is single-minded, creative and resourceful. She set out to solve our family's dilemma. She sat down and penned a letter.
Dear Santa Claus,
Our dad is in hospital. The doctors say it's very bad and Mom says our Christmas tree will have no presents for us kids this year. Santa, could you rescue us? Could you send some presents? Here are the names and ages of my brothers and sisters.
And she listed the names and ages of us all with a P.S.: “And please don't forget about Mom, either.”
She sent the letter off in an envelope with the following address:
Mr. Santa Claus
c/o The T. Eaton Company
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Just before Christmas my brother and sisters went to the woods on our farm and brought in our Christmas tree. And then we waited, and we waited and we waited.
One day our neighbour brought in a big box from the post office. Some kind and generous people at the T. Eaton Company had thoughtfully and carefully packed together gifts for every member of our family. It was a Christmas that our family still recalls, for it was a Christmas set in adversity. Our dad never, ever did recover.
Perhaps you, too, have walked through the valley of the shadow of adversity. Perhaps you are struggling with some enormous adversity right now.
• A negative report from your doctor;
• Ongoing cancer treatment;
• The loss of a loved one;
• Some family trouble;
• A divorce;
• A betrayal by a friend;
• A setback at work or school;
• A heartache and battle with an addiction.
You, too, know adversity.
Our model for adversity is Joseph. Joseph has in recent years been popularized by Andrew Lloyd Webber and his musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. You may have seen a production. The musical tells the story of the gripping and grinding blight of adversity with great music, dancing and drama.
As a teenager, Joseph is a precocious individual. He is a genuine psychic given to grand dreams. Many people can play the piano, but there is only one Glenn Gould. People do have gifts of prophetic vision, but there is only one Joseph. He is precocious and superior and insufferable in his attitude. Soon sibling jealousies ensue. For Joseph is Daddy's boy, and the brothers disdain him. Some even want to kill him. One day they get their chance. They sell young Joseph into slavery.
In Egypt, Joseph is sold at a slave market to a commander in the King's guard named Potiphar. Joseph surely must have been depressed, but he seeks to make the best of his circumstance. He's intelligent, physically attractive, and motivated. He catches Potiphar's eye. Potiphar promotes Joseph to be his household administrator. But not only does Joseph catch Potiphar's eye, he also catches Mrs. Potiphar's attention. She, bored by her husband's frequent absences and far-flung military expeditions and tours of duty, soon has eyes for this young, handsome Joseph. She attempts to seduce him, but he discourages her. She, however, will not be humiliated. In a rage, she accuses Joseph of impropriety and Potiphar throws Joseph into the king's prison.
In prison, Joseph is surely distressed. Unfair! He has been faithful, just, moral and true. But he has been framed. Nevertheless his intelligence, faith and integrity soon come to the attention of the prison governor. Joseph is promoted to trustee of the prison.
Now, one day the mighty king of Egypt is displeased with his butler and baker and has them thrown into prison. While there, they are deeply troubled by their dreams. Joseph interprets their dreams and pleads with the butler to remember him when he is released so that he, too, may gain his freedom.
The butler is indeed released and restored to his former office, but does not remember the kindness done to him by Joseph, who languishes in prison. How long? One, two, three years? We don't really know. His future is severely bleak and without hope.
But the mighty Pharaoh has a dream, a troubling dream. It is then that the butler recalls the psychic who truly told him his future. And at long last, the days, weeks, months, and years of adversity for Joseph are ended and he is propelled into prominence.
The story of Joseph teaches us about adversity; from Joseph's adversity we learn three important lessons.
In Adversity You Encounter Destruction
Joseph was bodily seized by his brothers and sold into slavery. They thought they were rid of this dreamer, this upstart. Good riddance. Consider the magnitude of destruction for Joseph. His family, his father, his friends, his community - all that was now gone. His place in the family was erased. Surely his self-esteem was violated and his sense of belonging destroyed.
Consider how, centuries ago, men and women in Africa were forcibly taken from their homes, their villages, their communities and sold into slavery. The lives of human beings were violated. Their home life and sense of belonging to a family, within a community were obliterated. Their sense of personhood and identity were erased from their very being. Slavery is not the only kind of adversity that destroys people. There are many other adversities in life that you and I know about. Adversity frequently destroys individuals, families, homes and communities.
In the adversity that Joseph encountered, many things were destroyed - home, family, friends. But there was one thing that adversity in his life could not destroy and that was his sense of faithfulness. In the midst of the holocaust that surrounded him he did not curse God. Rather, he had faith in God. God was with him. God would see him through.
Viktor Frankl the famous Jewish psychiatrist, was seized under one of Hitler's pogroms. His wife and children were separated from him.; he never saw them again. In the concentration camp, his suitcase was taken from him. Then he was ordered to strip and his clothing was taken away. He was then shaved and his hair was taken away. Naked now, he stood before his captors. One of them saw his wedding ring: “Give us the ring.” And they took that. But as he stood before his captors he thought, “They have taken my home, my family, they have taken my clothing, my possessions, even my wedding ring, but there is one thing they cannot take from me. They cannot take away my hope.” And it was Frankl's faith in those dark days that saw him through.
In a time of adversity do you have faith? Do you have hope? Listen. Even in the darkest of days when you are gripped by the jaws of evil and destruction, when trouble, turmoil and turbulence seems to be without end, hold on. Hold on to your faith.
After World War II in a basement in Germany where a Jewish man had been hiding, the following was found scrawled on a brick:
I believe in the sun when it is not shining.
I believe in the birds when they are not singing.
I believe in love when it is not present.
And I believe in God when He is silent.
When you are besieged by adversity, when you have lost, when you feel destroyed, when you have failed, know that God is with you. In his time of trouble Joseph maintained his serenity because he knew he was in God's hands. He knew his life had a purpose under God. God was his sanctuary and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.
In Adversity You Experience Despair
Joseph was faithful, intelligent and motivated. At the local slave market it was Potiphar the king's elite military commander who bought him. Surely Joseph was depressed, but he applied himself. He learned about his master's business and needs. He demonstrated his integrity. Soon he caught his master's eye and Joseph was promoted to be Potiphar's administrator - no mean position. However, Joseph also caught someone else's eye. Potiphar's wife, no doubt bored and lonely with her husband's many tours of duty, tried to seduce Joseph. But I tell you, this is not your typical Hollywood film, where they fall in and out of bed and we, the film watchers, are voyeurs. Joseph discouraged her advances. But Potiphar's wife was not to be frustrated and humiliated. In a rage she falsely accused Joseph and Joseph was summarily thrown into prison. Can you imagine the invasion of despair that overwhelmed him?
“Unfair! I'm innocent! How can they do this to me?” Surely the despair was deafening and defeating.
Do you know despair?
A woman got off the subway and pushed her way through the crowd on her way to work. There she saw a man standing alone. He clothing was well worn, his hat crumpled. He looked as if he hadn't eaten for a week. He looked discouraged. She reached into her wallet and pulled out a $20 bill and placed it in his hand. And she whispered words of encouragement, “Don't despair.”
The next morning she was surprised to see this man at her subway stop again. He was smiling and wearing a new hat and new suit. He greeted her and handed her a roll of bills and said, “'Don't Despair' came in at 10 to 1.”
In 1983 a brutal civil war erupted in Lebanon. The beautiful city of Beirut was virtually flattened. The Associated Press kept a cadre of reporters and correspondents in Beirut to inform the outside world of the overwhelming tragedy gripping the city and country. The Hezbollah terrorists wreaked havoc and introduced a new fear tactic - hostage-taking. Terry Anderson was bureau chief for the AP when one morning in 1985 he was abruptly dumped into a car that sped away into a maze of deserted streets.
In his book, Den of Lions, Anderson tells how he was seized and victimized for seven long years. He was always shackled in chains. He was beaten. A black bag was tied over his head for days at a time. He spent his days in the solitary confinement of dark cellars with roaches and rats. Frequently he was transported from one hiding place to another. It was this that he feared the most, for he was tied up and his mouth tightly gagged so he could not yell out. He was transported in the hot belly of a tank under a truck. The smoke and fumes nauseated him, and his great fear was that he would retch and drown in his own vomit.
There were days of false hope. Sometimes it seemed he was near release. And then those hopes were dashed. In this seven-year imprisonment, he sank into deep depression. He saw no hope. He despaired. He wanted to die. Helplessness and hopelessness were his daily menu.
Yet in his darkest hours, he discovered faith. Anderson had been an agnostic, but in his lowest and darkest time of despair, an experience in his days of freedom flooded his memory. He recalled how one day he and his wife toured a small countryside church in England. He recalled the peace, serenity and completeness in that place. He felt it in his inner being. Now in his imprisonment he recalled the experience and it gave to him a sense of peace and calm. He felt that he could go on. He had to go on. And he did. After seven long and arduous years of being confined and in chains he was a free man. Last December Anderson went back to Lebanon. He even met with some of his former enemies. And he exorcized the demons of his past.
Life is not fair.
Disappointment, failures, set backs, trouble can all lead to despair.
Winston Churchill knew despair. For 10 long years he was exiled from public office. He was regarded as a pariah by his own political party. Despair, depression and dread invaded his soul. He called it his black dog. Daily he battled despair. He did not take any drugs (although he took a sip of brandy now and then).
In his despair he built brick walls. He dug ditches. He dredged water ponds. He wrote books. He did this in his days of adversity to fight off despair. And so must you and I. Churchill's great words for you and for me when we despair are these: “Never give up. Never give up. Never give up.”
In the dark night of despair be patient. Hold on and never give up for God is with you. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.
In Adversity You Endure Disappointment
Joseph languished in prison for several years, but he did not give up. He stood apart from the other prisoners. He applied himself. He did his utmost with any assignment given to him, and soon he was promoted within the prison system. Now, Pharaoh was angered by his butler and baker. And he threw them into prison where both men in prison experienced troubling dreams. Joseph the interpreter accurately deciphered their dreams. To the butler, he implored, “When you are restored to your place of power, please remember me.”
But for all his promises the butler did not remember. Joseph surely was disappointed as he continued to languish in prison.
Do you remember Erma Bombeck? She died in 1996. During her lifetime she delighted us with her humourous syndicated columns. Erma made us laugh, yet hers was a life of catalogued disappointment. She travelled a road filled with adversity, starting with her career. As a teenager she was drawn to journalism, but in college she was told by her professor, “Forget about writing. You'll never make it.” She persevered and graduated with a degree in English, but the only job she could get was writing an obituary column.
Adversity also plagued her personal life. In marriage she yearned for motherhood but the doctors told her she was incapable of conceiving. Nevertheless, two years later children were born. But two of her four children died. She continued writing and persuaded her editor to let her include a weekly column on a subject of her choice. Shortly, her articles were noticed by other newspapers, and so her career as a syndicated columnist was launched. Her articles kept us all smiling and laughing, but we never really knew about her troubles and disappointments with her health. She was in and out of hospital many times with breast cancer and kidney failure. Finally it was cancer that cut short Erma's life. But to the very end, in spite of her disappointments, Erma Bombeck kept us smiling.
How do you endure disappointments?
Perhaps you've applied to a university and you've been rejected. Perhaps you've sent out resumés because you need a job and you've been ignored. Perhaps you've deserved that promotion but you've been passed over. You've planned for a trip and it's been cancelled. Your health has been tenuous and now a setback. Your marriage is disintegrating before your eyes. A family member has let you down. You're encountering trouble at work.
Yes, all these and many more represent setbacks and disappointments. Joseph endured disappointment, yet he allowed God to be his strength and his sanctuary. Joseph's trouble lasted 15 or 20 years and he lived to see the day when he was vindicated. Joseph relied on God. God was his strength and sanctuary. In your adversity, God can be your sanctuary too.
Finally, was there anyone who faced greater adversity than Jesus? In his earthly life he came to his own home and his own people received him not. He was despised and rejected by men. In Gethsemane he prayed, “Take this cup from me.” On the cross he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Like Joseph, Jesus was faithful. And here is the good news. You can believe Jesus. For he promises, “In this world you will have adversity, but be of good courage, for I have overcome the world.”
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.
This is a verbatim transcription of the original sermon.