Tom's Sermon Notes - February 5th

They Shall Mount Up with Wings Like Eagles

Rev. Tom Sawyer’s Sermon Notes, February 5^th, 2012

Grace United Church, Lloydminister

Isaiah 40:21–31; Psalm 147:1–11, 20c; 1 Corinthians 9:16–23; Mark 1:29–39

I have a friend, now in his eighties, who was for many years a soar plane – often called glider – pilot, who usually flew out of the Chipman club.  He said that once released from the tow plane, pilots would look for summer-fallow black fields on a hot day.  That was because the sun, hitting the black soil would heat it which would – in turn – heat the air above causing a thermal, a place where the warm air would rise circling above the field sometimes for thousands of feet.  If one could guide the glider into that thermal, it would rise with the hot air like a skier up a lift to the top of the mountain to enable a long glide down, when once again another thermal was sought thus enabling hours of gliding.  He said one of the joys sometimes experienced was seeing a hawk across on the other side of the thermal also rising without having to flap its wings.

On March 20 1992, Peter Sherrington and Des Allen were conducting a general bird survey in the Kananaskis Valley near Mount Lorette. Late in the morning Peter observed an adult Golden Eagle soaring high above the valley to the east of Mount Lorette. A short time after they saw two adults soaring over the mountain. These two birds were quickly joined by a third. All three moved off to the northwest, to be replaced a few minutes later by more birds moving from the southeast. By the end of the day Peter and Des had counted over 100 Golden Eagles migrating to the northwest. These birds caught the updraft of the wind hitting the mountains to rise high enough to glide to the updraft of the next mountain. Two days later Peter led a group of amateur naturalists to the area to look for eagles and they were rewarded by seeing nearly 250 Golden Eagles flying from southeast to northwest in a single afternoon.  Everyone was amazed to discover how those magnificent birds migrated.    

The ancient Hebrew people observed that eagles, like the hawk gliding companions of my soar plane pilot friend could rise up without even flapping their wings.  To a people who knew nothing about thermals and updrafts, this seemed like a mysterious happening that must have had the hand of God at work in it.  

The Jewish people were in exile in Babylon, separated from the promised land by a terrible wilderness desert.  Their temple had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar .  Their priests were killed.  There exiled with no way to get home. But Isaiah had a vision.

³⁰ Even youths will faint and be weary,
   and the young will fall exhausted; 
³¹ but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
   they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
   they shall walk and not faint.

Our Hebrew forbearers saw a comparison between the eagle soaring on the wind and the faithful soaring on the Spirit.  Remember that in both the Old Testament Hebrew, and the New Testament Greek, wind, spirit and breath were all the same word. If the believer has faith enough to stretch out their wings, the Spirit of God is there to lift them up.  

There are many people today who feel in exile from the church and beliefs they once knew.  There are the symbols that once meant something that are set aside.  I remember a member once being very upset that I was not giving honour the God by not wearing an alb and stole on Easter Sunday.  We had a long discussion about how clerical garb has changed, even in my own time in ministry, from the full clerical collar to the roman style collar that was just a little tab, to shirt and tie, or from all black Geneva gowns to white albs and coloured stoles, to formal business suits, to casual dress. We changed from hustling children out of the sanctuary before communion could begin to having children assisting in the serving of communion.  Then there are the struggles with who can be an integral part of the church with us accepting women as ministers, allowing divorced people to remarry, recognizing that gays, lesbians, transgendered  and others are people created by God as we are created and that Christ calls all to be his body, the church.  It is no wonder that some feel exiled from what they thought was the promised land of the church.

There are other who feel defeated by life, by illness, family and career problems, financial difficulties, health issues, or even the challenges of aging and learning each year that there are fewer things that we are able to do and accomplish.

There are still others who look at tasks before them and wonder how they can ever do them.  They feel overwhelm by the size and number of demands that life is putting upon them.

When we find ourselves in such circumstances, we need to remember the eagle, and how God’s Spirit can lift us up if we spread out spiritual wings.

When I arrived at Barrhead there was a single mother who a few months before had lost her teen aged daughter who was driving on loose gravel on a road near home, lost control and was killed.  The mother was trying to find answers to her pain and came faithfully to worship, study groups and retreats.  She had a casual relationship with a man for a number of years but it was going nowhere.  As she began regain her confidence, she broke off that relationship and eventually entered a new one that led to wedding plans.  The couple bought a house on the shore of Lac La None and planned to hold their wedding on the lawn which bordered the lake.  Among other things she chose the psalm that we will sing shortly, “On Eagles Wings”, with the request that I sing the chorus.  She sought to be lifted up.  

As I was driving to perform the wedding, I suggested to God that it would be so meaningful if and eagle should actually appear during this outdoor, lakeside service.  There were about 40 guests present.  When I finished the song, I commented to the people that in a perfect world and eagle would appear.  A few seconds later the groom looked up and said, “Here it is!”  A golden eagle drifted overhead, circled the gathering and went on.  We were all speechless. People with cameras actually recorded it.  That was strongest affirmation of faith the mother could have, and she was convinced that it was Gods way of saying her daughter is fine with God and blessed this new relationship, so she could  get on with life.

When the road seems hard, the obstacles insurmountable, and hope begins to fade, may you spread your wings of faith that will allow the spirit to life you up like eagles wings lifted by God’s breath.