Timothy J. Clarke - The Power of One: Destination

Beloved, sacred, and sublime, Deacon Ross, comforting and consoling are the words of our text for today. Much like the words of the 23rd Psalm, it comes to us from the poetic pen of that shepherd, soldier, sovereign, King David. This passage that falls from the lips of our Lord has, for centuries, steadied many a struggling soldier, soothed many a troubled soul, and given hope to many a broken heart. If one were to stop to think about it, it may be that what makes these words resonate so deeply—those I did not just read to you, but rather, I listened to as Minister Vivian was reading them—is that you, Tracy, were so rude! You just took it from her; she was trying to do her job as the assigned preacher to read the scripture, and while she was trying to read it, you all were quoting it over her. You know, Bill is how I shall see, she’s height-challenged; enthusiastic work a little harder, and you all just snatched the scripture away from her. As I listened, I stopped quoting in confession; I thought to myself that you really know that scripture! «Let not your heart be troubled.» You should have heard yourself saying it. It may be, deacons, that the reason these words are so powerful, so potent, and mean so much to us is not just, I want you to hear what I’m going to say, Edmund, not just what they say, but who said them, and Tanya, the circumstances under which they were said. It isn’t just the words; it’s who speaks the words. It isn’t just who speaks them; it’s the context in which those words are spoken. If you have the Bible, either on paper or in your electronic device, these are what we used to call red-letter words—these are the words of Jesus. Whenever I read them, whenever I quote them, almost every service of triumph we have in this church, these words are lifted at some point. Whenever I hear them, whenever I grieve them, whenever I quote them, I cannot help but think, brother Lee Hinton, of the words of the late Dr. God and Calvin Taylor concerning this passage: «Only if He is God does He have the right to say this to us.» Only God, Dr. Taylor said, only God has the right to look at us and say to us, «Let not your heart be troubled.» No man, no mortal, no woman, no matter what her position or prominence or power; no man, no matter what his rank, station, or title, has the right, the gall, the nerve to look at us and say to us, «Don’t let your heart be troubled.» Only God—especially when death has invaded the fields of our affection, robbed us of the form and the visage of one we love—only God has the right to walk into the pain of that moment and say to us, «Let not your heart be troubled. If you believe in God, you believe also in Me.» Lean forward; let me talk to you, Lindy. If I said that, it would sound almost grossly insensitive and absurd. I look at you in your grief, your sorrow, your pain, and I say, «Oh, don’t let that bother you.» You would look at me and say, «What kind of nut is that?» But if He is God—you missed it—if He is God, He has the right, no matter what comes our way, to look at us and say, «Don’t let your heart be troubled.» Now, Nicole, I have, over the years, said—and let me say this now, I am not wrong either—I have said over the years that an inference in this implication in this saying, «Let not your heart be troubled, ” could suggest, Dr. Rudy Diggs, that you and I have, I will say this—please don’t take this too far—that you and I have within us, within our personhood, the right to determine what troubles us. Just look at your neighbor and say, „I’m not going to let you trouble me today.“ You’ve been wanting to say that since Tuesday. I just blessed somebody’s life so much! You’ve been wanting to say that since last January. I am some parent who has been wanting to tell their child, „I’m not going to let you trouble me today.“ Some wife has been wanting to tell her husband, „I’m not going to let you trouble me today.“ Somebody is clearing their throat right now; you’re practicing it so you can go to work tomorrow and look at somebody and say, „Ain’t gonna let you trouble me today.“ You and I have, to a degree, Ricky, a measure of authority, power, capability, and possibility not to allow some things to trouble us. „Let not…”—okay, here it is—you stop letting everything and everybody get under your skin. Can I preach without you getting mad at me? Why do you let someone you’ll never see again on 270 make you act un-Christian? You’re never going to see them again, and you’re fussing, cussing, and flicking them the bird! Sister Valeria Bush, they’re never going to see you; you’re never going to see them! But now you’ve let them get under your skin, and now you’re troubled. Why would you let somebody in line at Kroger trouble you? They’ve got 18 items; they’re supposed to have 15. Now, first of all, why are you counting? You’re really that bored? One, two… Don’t, Robin! Don’t let your heart be troubled!