July 8, 2009 - Eye of Newt, Spells, and Incantations

     The Christian Faith does not have magic included in its doctrines. We cannot pull together a brewed concoction of herbs and entrails to form a potion that will cause to happen what we want to happen. Icons do not hold power within themselves, water from the Jordan River does not have healing powers, a rock from Jerusalem is not sacred, and even the elements of our Sacraments purposefully have an incarnational earthbound nature.
     Oh, I know we are constantly pulled toward the magical. There are certain preachers who can supposedly, on TV, cause weakened legs to grow strong, cause the deaf to hear, and the blind to see. They can hang up the crutches on the wall to attest to the miracles. They always claim it is the Lord who heals, but all the offering money goes into their pockets.
     There are certain places you can go where someone mystically saw a vision, or cosmically received knowledge and insight, and where illnesses and inabilities are removed. There are shrouds, vials of blood, bones of saints, carvings, statues, and figurines that supposedly have power. You know of these places and have heard tales of these items.
     I once knew a man who was told, by God, that the dirt from a particular side of the creek combined with the creek water, some camphor, moth balls, and a good measure of grain alcohol in a galvanized bucket, mixed together thoroughly, then soaked onto a rag tacked to the end of a stick could, when swathed on the infected tonsils of a child, cure tonsillitis. Truth be known, I never heard of one kid who ever came back for a second treatment since any “treated child” was probably afraid to ever complain of any form of sore throat again. One dose of that concoction gagged down your throat would be enough to cure anyone. You can count that as a 100% success rate.
     While visiting Saint Peter’s Cathedral at the Vatican a few years ago, I stood in line and touched the toe of the statue of a Saint that was supposed to give me forgiveness of my sins for 40 days into the future. Those were some fun 40 days.
     The magical has an alluring affect on us. The magical draws us, because we long to be in control. We want our own will to be the way and our own illness to receive the cure. We are not easily reconciled to bad ends, risks, and fear. God’s children are quick to look to magic and superstition to get positive results and to promote safety.
     Often, individuals in need would touch the hem of the garment of Jesus and be healed, or be cleansed by His spittle and suddenly be able to see, but in every case, the healing was by faith in the hand of God, and never by the garment, spittle, or any other physical item or relic. Healing is not magic, and it cannot be controlled by our will.
     Faithful people with pious lives die of horrible diseases at a young age. Dishonest individuals who are a plague in society live long lives and amass fortunes. Where is the justice? How can this be? The tendency is to take up the wand, pray the incantation, dance the rain dance, or rub the toe of a statue believing that this will bring us the outcome we desire.
     The punch line of Job was the God speech: “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Canst thou bind the cluster of the Pleiades or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou send forth lightning? Hast thou given the horse his might?” The answer from God is that we cannot know God’s way, God’s purpose, and certainly cannot control God’s will. All the magic, incantation, and prayer for earthly control is an empty vessel. As Ecclesiastes reports, the firm intent for us is to “be happy in our work,” to find joy every day, and to give thanks for each blessing.
     Perhaps the Word from God might be for us to put down the pins and dolls, stop trying to sway God’s will, and instead to depend on God in hard times and in good times. Our great opportunity is to surrender, trust, and depend on a grace that is not earthbound with feet of clay, but, rather, a grace that is beyond all that is transient in this life.
Rev. Dan Martin is pastor of First UMC, Hendersonville. He can be reached at moose1953@hotmail.com