Reflections on "show Me a Sign" Judges 6: 11-32

I had fun preaching this sermon. 

I began the week labeling Gideon as unfaithful for asking for a sign. But I finished the week finding something to like about that.  The "perfect" disciple probably does not need a sign; the flawed disciple might need a sign.  I imagine most of us are flawed disciples, so asking for a sign may be a good thing because it reflects a desire to serve God.

Of course, once we start reflecting on signs from God, that opens the door to all sorts of thoughts and stories.  What is the difference between a sign from God and something that just happens?  Hard to say, but I want to hang on to the idea that God is in our midst calling us and giving us signs to guide us.  That approach fits with how we talk about the work of the Holy Spirit in confirmation class.  the gut feeling, the unable to describe or articulate feeling may be the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.

I love the image of Joash, Gideon's father, standing up to the crowds that come to kill Gideon for tearing down the altars to Baal.  That could be a sermon by itself.  In fact, my sermon could have been three or four different sermons, if I had chosen to elaborate on one of the points.  

I am intentionally exploring the facts of the story each week to help the congregation grow in its biblical foundation.

“Show Me a Sign” October 14, 2012; FPC, Troy, Judges 6:  11-32; Judges series

Introduction: We continue exploring the stories of the Judges. This week we meet Gideon

Move 1: Gideon's story is in some ways the same as the judges we have already met, but there are also some differences.

a. things are bad again in Israel.

1. If we go back to the beginning of Chapter 6, we discover that Israel has turned away from God again.

2. In fact, the description of Israel living in shelters and the Midianites taking possession of the land shows a reversal of the Promise.

3. The Israelites entered the Promised Land and settled it; enemies like the Midianites became nomads as they lost their land to the Israelites.

4. Now that has reversed itself. The Midianites possess the land and the Israelites are nomads once again.

b. God will still listen to Israel's cry, but...

1. IN baseball there are three strikes and then you are out. Israel is on its third strike and the question looms – when will God quit listening to Israel's pleas for help?
2. In fact, God seems a little less willing to let it go.
3. Before sending Gideon to rescue Israel, God sends a prophet; a prophet how announces Israel's unfaithfulness.
4. ]This story will be the first time in Judges when God's answer to Israel's plea is a rebuke.
5. God will still save Israel, but...

100. flawed hero

1. Gideon is the imperfect person who will save Israel this time.

2. when God tells Gideon that Gideon will defeat the Midianites, Gideon first suggests why he's not the right person for the job; then he asks for a sign.

3. When God tells Gideon to tear down the altars built to Baal, Gideon goes at night under the veil of darkness because he does not want anyone to know that he is the one who has torn down the altars.

4. a tentative hero to say the least.

d. The real hero, it seems to me, is Gideon's father.

1. when the people want to kill Gideon for tearing down the altars, his father Joash stands up to the crowds.

2. He defends Gideon and they leave Gideon alone.

Move 2: Asking for a sign.

a. When God calls Gideon into service, Gideon asks for a sign.

1. Perhaps this reveals Gideon's reluctance to act on God's behalf.
2. Maybe Gideon is buying some time to sort things out.
3. Perhaps we can relate to Gideon's desire for a sign. We live in a time where we have a constant need to “prove it.” Perhaps you can relate to Gideon's desire to receive a sign from God.
4. Whatever the reason, Gideon asks for a sign the angel delivers a sign.

b. Begs the question – how do your read the signs?

1. What the angel does with the meat and the bread is pretty cool.

2. The fire adds a nice touch.
3. But maybe any magician could do the same.
4. “fools Rush In” – a chick flick like we usually watch at my house. A man and a woman. She is a Mexican-American from Arizona, Catholic and a believer in signs; he is a Waspish, New Yorker, Presbyterian, who does not believe in signs particularly. For instance, they meet while waiting in line to use the restroom – she sees that as a sign; he sees it as a line for the restroom.

In the critical moment in the plot, he needs to make a decision about their relationship. Suddenly, random encounters on the streets of NYC appear to him as signs directing him back into his relationship with her.

5. My hunch would be that we discover signs more readily when we are looking for them.

c. Point of engagement with God.

1. when Gideon asks for a sign, he also signals that he is open to the possibility of doing what God has in mind.

2. Maybe he is not sure or excited about that possibility, but he allows himself to be convinced.

d. People often ask the question: “how do I know when God is calling me to do something.”

1. Or I hear someone's call story and they point out the signs or affirmations they received along the way that let them know what God desired for them to do.

2. Sometimes those signs seem rather random to me.

3. In fairness, when I tell my own stories of signs from God, they sometimes seem rather silly. For example, the story of my being called to serve this congregation goes back to a fall Sunday afternoon lounging around the house reading the Presbyterian Outlook while watching a football game. There was an ad in the Outlook about FPC, Troy. It seemed like a nice church, but I was not really looking to move. Then the phone rang. It was my aunt who lived in Troy, OH. She was of the generation before cell phones that only called long distance when it was something really important. She wanted me to know that the Presbyterian Church in Troy was looking for a minister, and it was a pretty good church. I figured that if she was calling me long distance to tell me about FPC, Troy at approximately the same time as I was reading about FPC, Troy, then I ought to pay attention. Sort of silly, really, but...

c. how do we read the signs? No sure answer, but openness to what God is doing and a willingness to listen help us recognize signs from God.

Move 3: Tearing down the idols.

a. Did you notice what the first thing Gideon does once he believes that God has called him to save Israel.

1. he tears down the altars built to Baal.
2. Before Gideon can save Israel, he must confront the idolatry in his own backyard.

3. A powerful symbol for us as we contemplate serving God.

b. We have to tear down that which separates us from God.

1. Most of us can speak to the many different ways we are pushed and pulled by our jobs, our families, our and our hobbies.

2. The demand for our time and our commitment overwhelms us.

3. We too often find that when we try to squeeze in time for God, we cannot do it.

4. Gideon does not try to fit his faith in with the practices of Baal worship.

5. he understands that he must clean house, tear down the altars literally, and create space for worshiping and following God.

c. When we consider what it means to follow God, it may mean tearing down some structures in our lives.

1. Maybe that was part of Gideon's reluctance to accept God's calling – he knew it meant that he had to change some things in his life.

2. I suspect that one way we will know if the sign is from God is that it comes with demands and expectations of change.

Conclusion: Another flawed hero; another person used by God.