how i got over
where the people come apart
There’s a a brilliant television show that aired on HBO a while back; “The Wire.” “The Wire” is a police drama; you know, cops and criminals.
The way “The Wire” tells this familiar story of the good-guys versus the baddies, though, is a little unsettling…
The show is so disquieting because as you watch the cops pursue the criminals, you’re given a glimpse into the ambiguities that cling so close to this life.
The camera is unflinching as the police make unethical decisions. And not only that, but as the camera follows the criminals, you get glimpse into their lives.
The story “The Wire” tells isn’t necessarily one you’d expect. The cops behave illegally, and these criminals are not morally bankrupt villains, but rather humans - humans with hopes and aspirations.
At the end of the day “The Wire” is so compelling because it fiddles with our simplistic notions of “good and evil.”
As the series progresses there are moments when you can help but root for the criminals, thinking (along with them) that this caper will be the last and then they’ll finally be able fix some part of their life or world that has become broken.
And there are moments you can’t help but root against the police, because the way they’re doing business feels more corrupt than the criminals…
“The Wire” is acclaimed; and it’s brilliant not only for its honesty, but also for it’s insight into the human predicament…
The creator of “The Wire” understands that good and evil aren’t pure categories in this life, and plays our assumptions against us to create a compelling drama…
Theologically speaking, though, what “The Wire” does is take seriously the power Sin and Death have to pollute everything,
(in this case, even the law).
For as unsettling as “The Wire’s” depiction of how Sin and Death wreak havoc on life is, it’s honesty about the problem can be refreshing.
That probably is part of the show’s popularity…
Because honestly, we’ve all felt the power of Sin and Death in our life. We’ve witnessed for ourselves how Sin has corrupted our attempts at doing good.
For as painful as the truth about Sin and Death’s power is; it’s nice to hear the truth - if only for a little while…
As St. Paul said, “If, because of one man’s trespass, Death exercised dominion though that one.”
In other words, once Adam disobeyed, Sin and Death entered God’s creation.
Once Sin and Death got into creation they spread their influence over everything…
Once Adam put his trust in doubt, Sin and Death broke into God’s creation, and tragically the story ever since has been that Sin and Death have proven to be too powerful for humans.
Despite all our best efforts, Sin and Death have never met a force they couldn’t handle, and so Sin and Death seated themselves as rulers over Adam, and that ruling has continued to Moses; to us…
“The Wire” takes this universal reality of Sin and Death seriously, and that’s why the program is so darn good, so acclaimed and respected.
After all, for as uncomfortable as this truth about Sin and Death may be, sometimes the comfortable lie becomes too overbearing.
It might be nice to pretend that Channel #5 can keep us young forever, but each morning there are new aches as we pull ourselves from the bed. It might be nice to pretend that since we donate to the United Way that we’re good people, but we all know there are marks on our ledger that suggest otherwise…
For as often as we may prefer the comfort of an easy lie; the truth can’t be ignored forever; Sin and Death are too powerful to be looked past.
One of my favorite authors, David Foster Wallace once quipped, “Indeed, the truth will set you free; but not before its done with you.”
And that’s true.
In our own congregation we have a public defender, and I am sure he has plenty of stories of criminals who are surprisingly ethical, as well as stories of police who are tragically unethical…
Sadly, though, none of us need to go to someone else to confirm that those easy lies of good and evil, life and death; are just that, lies.
We’ve all felt Sin and Death’s power to pollute for ourselves. We’ve seen Sin ruin the best attempts at doing the right thing, we’ve all felt Death’s calloused hand.
We’ve all gone along thinking we were doing or saying the right thing, only to realize the consequences of our actions are dubious at best. We’ve all watched as Death crashed in and shredding the fabric of our lives…
Each of us, deep in our bones, has felt that power of Sin and Death sitting at the edge of life; declaring they are the Lord.
I’m sure that is why, despite the snow, many of you ventured out on a dark Wednesday evening for a curious, some might even say morbid, purpose.
That snowy Wednesday night, ashes were smeared upon brows, as a solemn counsel was pronounced; “Remember, you are dust; and to dust you shall return.”
As if your schedules weren’t full enough or the roads slick enough, many of you felt the need to gather in this holy place to be reminded that you are dust and to dust you shall return…
Now, to a world that spends all it’s time, money and energy denying this truth; our gathering for such a somber reminder must seem at best, odd.
But perhaps the status quo of the world has become to unsettling. Perhaps you came to the point where you could no longer pretend the lies are true. There is something inside us all that longs, that needs, that’s dying to hear the truth;
even the truth that is hard to hear - maybe especially that truth.
Just turn on the radio or TV and you’ll be bombarded with easy lies that you’ll live forever, be young, beautiful, smart, honest, good and loved if only you buy this, that or the other thing…
For as often as we given our hard-earned money to these pseudo promises, they’ve all been shown as the lies they are…
After all, for as much Channel #5 as Marilyn Monroe spritzed, she lies in her grave the same as any other pauper; and for as good as Bernie Madoff might have looked, he sits in prison like any other criminal…
Sin and Death have gotten loose in this world, and we can’t help but feel their power, we know the stark truth that we are dust, and do or buy what we might, to the dust we will return…
Our Ash Wednesday gathering was an occasion to hear something we all know to be true; that we’re dust.
In a world obsessed with telling the convenient lie; hearing the hard truth is the first whispers of true freedom…
That is why Paul’s letter to the Romans that we heard earlier, is such a welcome Word.
For once someone is frank, for once someone tells the truth about the situation. Paul is candid;
through (not Eve but,) Adam’s disobedience, Sin and Death have gotten loose in God’s good creation, and they are making a muck of everything - even the best we have to offer.
It is because Paul has taken such a honest (and perhaps painful) look at the predicament, though, that Paul is able to point to the only solution.
And perhaps that is why we long to finally hear the truth; because there comes a time when the lies are too painfully obvious; like when we stand before corruption or a coffin. There comes a time when the lie won’t do it, and we know we need to hear the truth.
The tragedy Paul puts his thumb to the pulse of, is the sad fact that as people trapped under Sin and Death’s rule, we can’t solve the problem of their havoc ourselves.
We’ve all tried pursuing the lie that if we just do enough we can finally escape; but that’s part of the problem! Doing more has only made things worse!
As Paul said, since Adam all of us are under the power of Sin and Death’s rule, and theres nothing we can do to unseat these two from their throne…
That’s the truth, but here’s the thing; it’s only half the truth…
That, finally is the shortcoming of the brilliant television show “The Wire.” While the writers may know the power of Sin and Death (knowing good from evil); they know nothing of the power of the Cross and Resurrection of Christ.
Because “The Wire” is a modern television show, there’s a lot of death; but there’s never resurrection! The Wire knows nothing of the “walking dead,” Saints raised from life under the forces of Sin and Death, to new life.
When you can no longer tolerate the comfortable lie that somehow we can do something about Death or Sin’s power ourselves; you might find yourself here on a snowy Wednesday evening, you might find yourself here now, Either way, when that happens you join the company of St. Paul, you finally, truly repent; you place your trust in God,
and you turn to the only solution to Sin and Death’s oppressive power…
See, what Adam did may have unleashed Sin and Death’s power,
but what Paul has come to experience is the promise that what Jesus did more than made up for Adam’s trespass.
but what Paul has come to experience is the promise that what Jesus did more than made up for Adam’s trespass.
God could have merely made up for Adam’s trespass, but God outdid that. God hasn’t simply gone back to square one, fixing the first problem but leaving the real problem of our tendency to doubt to ourselves.
No, the free gift is not like the trespass…
God has undone the tragedy of story of creation by creating a way out of it,
by creating a new story, by creating a new creature freed from the powers of sin and death…
But first we must die…
Because here’s the Truth, the full-Truth; the only solution to the problem of Sin and Death’s rule is to die to their power, to die but also be raised as new creatures freed from Sin and Death.
A creation that, as St. Paul put it, receives the free gift of righteousness, and exercises dominion even over Sin and Death…
God has done this through the gift of baptism.
In baptism the “old Adam” (or Eve as the case may be) is drowned, and God raises a new creation; a new Adam (or Eve, respectively).
God has taken the problem out of our hands and placed them in Jesus,’
Sisters and brothers, you’re here - and I don’t think you’re here because you have nothing better to do; heaven knows that isn’t true.
You’re here because God is doing something in your life; or because life is driving you to God.
Perhaps you cannot manage the power of Sin and Death yourselves anymore, or perhaps you cannot pretend those lies about life under Sin and Death are compelling any longer; either way, you’re here…
You’re here because you; like Adam and Eve ever since they took that apple, like St. Paul; because you need to hear the truth.
So hear it: You live in a world trapped under the powers of Sin and Death; but there’s more. God has decided to finally do something about Sin and Death. God has decided to take away their power by taking away their subjects - one at a time.
God has decided to take you, to free you from Sin and Death by killing you, to raise up a new saint. “By the one man’s obedience,” St. Paul said about Jesus, “the many will be made righteous.”
There, in Jesus, is your righteousness, is your new life free from Sin and Death. You’re here because God is fitting you for a pair of “cement wingtips” as the old mobsters used to say. God’s gotten a hold of you, and the only thing but death and new life is on the horizon.
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