Theological Truth: God’s power is made perfect in weakness; God’s light is most visible in the darkness.
Come Holy Spirit and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.
In her second Ted Talk, following the enormous popularity of her first, researcher
and author Brene Brown sets out to expose the fallacy that vulnerability is weakness. To do that she asks the audience this question: “How many of you honestly, when you’re thinking about doing something vulnerable or saying something vulnerable think, ‘God, vulnerability is weakness, this is weakness.’ How many of you think of
vulnerability and weakness synonymously?” Unsurprisingly, most people raise their hands.
She then follows up by saying, “Now let me ask you this question: This past week at TED, how many of you, when you saw vulnerability up here [on stage], thought it was pure courage?” Everyone’s hand goes up, claiming this sacred and obvious truth. Brown concludes “Vulnerability is not weakness. I define vulnerability as emotional risk, exposure, uncertainty. It fuels our daily lives. And I’ve come to the belief … that vulnerability is our most accurate measurement of courage.”
We know it as courage when we see it in others, but we still see it as weakness to be avoided or denied for ourselves. We recognize the courage of other people when they risk being seen, being honest, facing uncertainty, but for me to make a regular habit of it? No thanks! Fine for them. Too risky for me.
We persist in the belief that we must never admit weakness. We continue pretending to be invincible, claiming to be absolutely certain, and projecting unwavering strength. We pledge allegiance to leaders and institutions who exude power and assert supremacy. We cling to the old lie that to show any vulnerability would be foolish and disastrous. And yet today the teachings of both Jesus and Paul remind us of how accepting, admitting, even embracing our weakness opens us to nothing less than the power of God.
In the reading today from his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul is addressing the community’s obsession with spiritual gifts. They’re impressed by, possessive of, competitive about who has the most enviable spiritual scorecard. Paul could boast about his own spiritual resume (and does a little bit if we assume he’s referring to himself when he says, “I know a person”), but he quickly goes on instead to boast of his weakness: a thorn in his flesh which he asks God three times to remove. He shares with them how God declined his request with the explanation: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”
Many dissertations have been written on what this thorn my have been, but the important thing to note here is the effect it had on Paul’s understanding of the Gospel. Rather than it being a hindrance to his faith, it became a catalyst for it. Rather than falling into the tempting trap of relying on his own sense of power and might, Paul becomes more fully aware that there’s only one place to turn. When all else fails, he finds the Source of Life and healing that never fails and the only thing that ever truly and fully saves any of us: the grace and mercy of God. Grace is sufficient for us. This power becomes perfectly clear in our weakness.
In my own spiritual life, my deepest and most authentic connections with God did not come while I was delighted with my own accomplishments, leaning on my own merits, depending on my own abilities, or sure of my own self-sufficiency. It’s been
just the opposite. It has been when I was most desperate, most afraid, completely out of alternatives. It feels awful to be that vulnerable, but that’s when we realize that God’s grace is indeed sufficient. When I am weak, then I am strong.
It’s in those moments that we fully know God’s strength because we are acutely aware of our own weakness. The light of Christ shines brightest when we’re groping in the darkness. We desperately reach for God’s saving grace when we realize we’re drowning. We discover more deeply the life-changing truth that God’s grace is sufficient. When we recognize and admit our weakness, then we can truly know God’s power, then we can sing with John Newton, “I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see.” When we recognize our weakness, we can rely ever more fully on God’s strength.
Jesus knows our tendency to avoid vulnerability. He knows it’s hard for us to rely on God instead of our selves. And so, he builds in some vulnerability and weakness when he sends out the twelve. They go out two by two, because alone they may have been tempted to believe in their own greatness. They travel light: no bread, no bag, no money, no credit cards or apple pay, so that they have to live like the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, depending on God’s providence and the kindness of strangers. This puts them in a mutual relationship with those they are ministering to. There’s reciprocity rather than spiritual hierarchy. Everyone has something to give and something to receive. They share in the grounding truth that all of us are dependent on God’s grace; we are all equal beneficiaries of God’s providence; we are all powerless without the power of God’s love.
There’s a subtle but important distinction to note here. Jesus isn’t sending them
without power (that would be cruel), so much as he’s aligning them with the real
Power. Jesus’ instructions help them maintain focus on the grace they share rather
than some selfish, self-centered power they might wield.
Feeling vulnerable is scary. We still resist and deny it, get angry and bitter because of it. I believe that so much of the angst in our country, and in our world, particularly at this moment, is because we feel powerless. We can’t change the news. We can’t change the polls. We can’t change people’s minds. Or maybe it’s more personal. I can’t change my kids, or my grandkids. I can’t change the diagnosis. I can’t repair this relationship.
It feels awful to feel so incredibly powerless and vulnerable. And yet…when we remember that vulnerability is not weakness … our powerlessness can become the
crack that lets the light in.
This week, rather than suppressing weakness, risk being honest and open with God. Make the words from that old hymn your prayer:
“I am weak but thou art strong;
Jesus keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long,
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.”
When we admit our weakness, we know God’s strength. When we acknowledge our
powerlessness, we are better able to hear those reassuring words, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Then we can live courageous lives held by that Power that is made perfect in weakness.
Daily walking close to thee,
Let it be dear, Lord, let it be.
Sermon by The Rev. AJ Heine, at Trinity Episcopal Church, the seventh Sunday after Pentecost, July 7, 2024
