we watched it all night
we grew up in spite of it
Okay, before we get started, let me give you a little context.
The first thing to know is, this is a dark point in Israel’s history…
Israel itself, after years of internal conflict, had split into two factions. A kingdom divided. And as Jesus himself would put it, about 700 years later, a kingdom divided against itself can not stand. And sure enough, a divided Israel wasn’t able to stand for long…
So after years of fighting amongst themselves the Assyrian kingdom came knocking. First, Assyria sacked the northern part of the kingdom. And now, the king of Assyria and his armies show up at Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, the capitol of Israel. Jerusalem, where the great house of God, the temple, resides. Jerusalem…
Yes, this is a dark point in Israel’s history.
It’s surprising this moment in their history is even told. Because, you see, the ancients had a way of tidying up their histories.
Probably many of you have heard of the practice of destroying the statues of failed kings. Or, the blotting out of the names of embarrassing citizens from the official registry.
Many ancient kingdoms, if there was a shameful moment in their history, when they recorded it, would edit that part. Amend it. Make it little less embarrassing…
It’s surprising, though, because Israel doesn’t. They don’t clean up their history! This dark moment is written down with unflinching clarity. Isn’t it? It doesn’t make their king or his officials look brave in the face of the Assyrian threat! Instead, they’re totally cowed down.
What’s more, this isn’t the only place this story is told! you can go to Second Kings, chapters 18 through 20, and this moment is retold. Nearly verbatim!
While most ancient kingdoms would clean-up their history, Israel boldly reports of messy moment. And not just once, either! But twice!
It’s surprising. Because truth be told, between the two choices: edit our history or to tell it like it is, we understand the practice of going back and cleaning-up history. Don’t we?
Like most of the other ancient kingdoms, we too try and go back edit our stories. Amend them.
Or, if nothing else, hide the dark moments. Never speak of them.
The story the world tells us is, keep your story perfect. And if it isn’t, make it perfect. And we try, too. We edit our dark moments. We hide them…
That’s not what Israel does, though! In fact, God’s people take nearly the opposite approach! The worse the moment in their history is, the more likely they are to tell of it!
What people would tell about the time they made a golden calf to worship?!? What people would tell the time a foreign army came in and totally scared the wits out of their king?!?
And tell it not just tell it once, but twice!
We all have dark parts of our histories, too. Don’t we? But unlike Israel, we try and hide those parts. Pretend they didn’t happen. Do whatever we can to keep that part under wraps.
…In fact, if we’re being honest, that’s what the whole “Sunday-best” so often represents these days. Putting on the illusion that our best suit or the best foot we put forward, perfectly represents who we actually are and what our history is all about!
But the trouble is, it’s not. Is it? Worse yet, we can’t hide our histories from ourselves. Can we?
No matter how well you hide those dark moments from everyone else. No matter how long ago it happened, there are times when those dark moments rear their ugly head, and come back to haunt us all over again.
It happens when we least expect it, too. When the sleep won’t come. When we’re all alone… And then, some part of our history we’ve been trying to cover, bubbles-up and refuses to let you pretend it never happened.
*I’m not the only one this happens to, am I?
Our past refuses to stay in the past. Doesn’t it? We relive those times over and over again. And when we do, all the bottled-up emotions, the fear, shame and regret rolls over us all over again. Like it happened just yesterday…
And it happens a lot more than twice, doesn’t it?
In fact, if we all take an honest reckoning; the deal Israel takes is a lot better than ours. Israel tells this story twice, and then that’s, that. We, though, try and keep our stories secret, only spend our lives reliving them.
It’s a bum deal. But we’ve all taken it. Because that’s the story the world tells us to tell; “us and our history is picture-perfect.”
Our problem, though, is two-fold. First, our stories are not picture-perfect. And second, we cannot change that.
For better or worse, we are our histories. We wear the dark moments on our hearts. And no amount of editing can change that…
So if you are here with dark parts in your history, today is for you! If you;you’re here and there’s some moment from your past you’ve been trying to hide, this scripture is for you!
This passage is for those of us with dark parts of our history!
And not just this passage, either, but where it’s retold—or first told, in Second Kings! Honestly, it’s written on every other page of the Bible, too!
It’s never to the picture-perfect moments that God comes. Is it? It’s to the histories like this! The moments like this! The times when, like King Hezekiah, all you can do is ask for prayer and then collapse in the pew. These are the sort of moments God chooses to make holy!
The world tell us our histories need to be picture-perfect; BUT the history of God and God’s people, is one that’s totally upside-down to that story! It’s the history of all the times God came to us! Came to us while our story wasn't picture perfect!
Isn’t that what all of scripture is all about?
Many of you know how poorly the disciples are depicted in the Gospels. Sometimes their fumbling is so embarrassing, you wish the Gospel writers had edited out some of the foibles! But the Gospel writers know that’s not how this God works! This God comes, not to the perfect people with perfect histories, but to the imperfect people, with messy histories and dark pasts!
…And we all have dark parts of our histories. Don’t we?
Now that you know the trouble, though, you’re ready to know the Good News hidden in there! Those dark parts of your history, they are precisely the parts God works with best! The ones God can’t stay away from!
We always think we’ll get serious with God, once we have everything in order. But God’s holy history is filled with story after story of God coming to us when we’re not ready! When we don’t have it together! When our story is messy!
So if that’s you, don’t try and pretend otherwise. Instead, take heart!
Take heart because YOU already have what God is looking for! It’s not a picture-perfect past or a resolve to make a better future. It’s a history filled with dark moments; dark moments ready for the light of God!
That’s what Today’s scripture is about! And all of scripture, too!
It’s what your life is all about, actually! It’s how you’re being written into the holy writ! Not by making your history perfect, but by God’s determination to show up in the midst of it! Not when things are perfect, but when they’re far from it. When you most need a Savior! When you’re like King Hezekiah, desperate for a word from the Lord, because it’s all you have…
The world may tell you, your history had better be picture perfect. But that’s not what God says!
Hear the Word of the Lord; Thus says The Lord: Do not be afraid!
Do not be afraid, you have a God who is totally unafraid of you and any moment you may have hidden in the attic! You have a God who is completely unafraid to come into those places, and be your God!
Do not be afraid, you have a God who, into those dark places, sends the Only Begotten Son. Sends the Son to take those moments upon himself and in turn give you his holy history—his past, his present and his future!
Do not be afraid, for God has come to take those moments and flood them with the light of Jesus! Jesus, the light of the world. Jesus, now the light of your life!
People, look up! Your light has come!
Do NOT be afraid! Do not be afraid
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