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By Dr. Christopher Bell Jr.
July 12, 2009
Introduction and
objectives:
(Begin by singing one verse of “Standing in the Need of Prayer” with
a solemn tone and measure. Comment on the stress and sense of
imperfection being felt by the singer of such a song and then begin
the sermon)
Church, we shall talk today about your “burning bush” experiences
and allow ourselves to do some introspecting. When I think of us
preparing to take a close look at ourselves I think back to a ditty
that I heard as a child. One of the older members of my family would
be sing the song and you can tell from the words and the tone of the
song that the singer feels he is lak in something: something that he
needs in order to obtain or to be whatever it is that he wishes for
himself. The words of the song suggest that the singer recognizes
that he is incomplete or not fully prepared for what is to come. The
song goes something like this:
Begin singing one verse of “Standing in the need of Prayer” with a
solemn tone and measure:
It’s me, it’s me, it’s me Old Lord,
standing in the need of prayer.
It’s me, it’s me, it’s me Old Lord
standing in the need of prayer.
It’s not my father or my mother,
but it’s me Old Lord,
standing in the need of prayer.
It’s not my father or my mother,
but it’s me Old Lord,
standing in the need of prayer.
It’s me, it’s me, it’s me Old Lord
standing in the need of prayer.
It’s me, it’s me, it’s me Old Lord
Standing in the need of prayer
The singer isn’t down hearted, but e recognized that compared to
other around him, he may be in a more dreadful or desperate state.
Whether his anxiety is due to a spiritual, mental or financial
problem or some other concerns we can’t say, but we do know from the
worlds of the song that the singer admits to being in NEED and not
at the top of his game. He is seeking help from his MAKER: the
Source from which he came, however you may personally define that
Source. Listen to the words of the second verse:
It’s me, it’s me, it’s me Old Lord,
standing in the need of prayer.
It’s me, it’s me, it’s me Old Lord
standing in the need of prayer.
It’s not the stranger or the neighbor,
but it’s me Old Lord,
standing in the need of prayer.
It’s not the stranger or the neighbor
but it’s me Old Lord,
standing in the need of prayer.
It’s me, it’s me, it’s me Old Lord
standing in the need of prayer.
It’s me, it’s me, it’s me Old Lord
standing in the need of prayer
My friends there are times when all of us must admit that we’re
unfinished in becoming our best selves; that we are in need of
spiritual and psychological reassurance; and that we have not been
living up to our own standards of who we think we are or who we
present ourselves to be. It is for this reason that I will cause you
to do a bit of introspection wherein you will consider what you have
learned or have not learned about yourself and the world around you
by using your reaction patterns from your burning bush experiences.
My objective is to allow you to take a quick therapeutic spiritual,
self-inventory about the kind of man or woman you’ve become or that
you’re on the road to becoming, based on how you’ve reacted to
several burning-bush (b-b) experiences.
Background: What do I mean by burning bush (b-b) experiences? I’ll
explain it this way. You have all heard the story about Moses, the
eventual deliverer of the Hebrews from the bondage of slavery in
Egypt. The story goes that, one day while tending sheep, Moses saw a
bush that was burning, but unexpectedly the bush was not being
consumed by the fire. Moses went to investigate this burning bush.
When he drew near the bush, he heard a voice that seemingly came
from the “burning bush,” and he thought the voice was the voice of
God talking to him. According to the story, the voice told Moses to
do something! The voice told Moses to become a spokesperson for his
people (the Hebrews) who were slaves in Egypt, and to go and talk to
the Pharaoh, the Egyptian leader, and persuade the Pharaoh to give
the Hebrews their freedom. According to the story, Moses didn’t want
that job, and began making excuses to the voice. Finally the voice
(God) and Moses worked things out and eventually Moses accepted the
job; the task of going to Egypt, and with God’s help, to convinced
the Pharaoh of Egypt to free the Hebrew people from Egyptian
bondage.
That was Moses’ “burning bush” experience. Moses had come face to
face with what seemed to him to be an unexpected and unnatural
“teaching and learning experience.” The experience made him anxious
and caused him to change his way of thinking or believing or feeling
about himself and his world. The experience prodded him to think
differently, feel differently and even to do something that he
didn’t really want to do or that he felt uncomfortable doing.
Definition: Now what do I mean today when I speak to you about your
own burning bush experience? I want you to think of your burning
bush (b-b) experiences as those experiences that have all of the
following three (3) components:.
1. They come unsolicited, unexpected, un-welcomed, and unwanted;
2. They change your way of thinking, or believing, or feeling about
some aspect of the world and about yourself that leaves you
unsettled and perhaps distressed;
3. They place a behavioral requirement on you that you feel is
uncomfortable and perhaps unfair. The requirement will tests us in
some way, or will require us to go outside of our comfort zones. The
requirement might prompt you to ask “why me, why did this situation
come to my attention, and who am I to get involved?”
Responding to Burning Bush experiences
I have taken the liberty of categorizing the types of
responses/reactions that people make to burning bush experiences.
For your convenience in remembering what they are, we shall think of
B-B experiences as falling in four categories: A, B, C, and D.
Again, for your convenience of remembering, I’d like to talk about
these categories in reverse order. I’ll start with Category D, then
C, then B, and finally Category A.
Category D. (Denial) responses
Denial is to deny the b-b experience ever took place. In this case
the individual just dismisses the incident as a “hiccup in his
imagination.” He concludes that nothing happened or what he thought
he saw was only his imagination. This reaction is simply to throw
emotional, psychological water on the burning bush revelation and
keep on going, hoping to move physically away from the imagined
situation as fast as possible. This type of behavior means the
individual will tend to be blind to things around him that should be
of concern to him, but he will never engage in problem-solving or
help to develop situational remedies, because he will not even
acknowledge the situation exists.
BOTTOM LINE; The person who reacts this way may not do harm to any
one, but he will certainly not contribute to the helping the people
with whom he is engaged, or in developing his talents as a human
being. In addition, there’s no chance of bringing new ways of
thinking into this person’s way of seeing himself and the world
about him. (This is the man who is walking along and happens to
stumble over the truth. He gets up quickly, brushes himself off, and
then rushes on to where he was going as if nothing had happened.)
Category C. (Calculating, Crafty and Camouflaging) responses
Calculating and crafty refers to the individual’s recognition that
there is a problem but arranges his thinking and his definition of
what’s going on as being somebody else’s problem, but not his. He
drapes himself with a way of thinking that leaves himself outside
the problem; a way of thinking that camouflages his presence or
nearness to the situation. This individual acknowledges that a
problem or situation exists but makes excuses as why the problem is
not his; and he believes his own excuses. His reaction is along the
lines of, “Yes, Yes, I hear the message, or Yeah, Yeah, I see the
signs, or but there must be some mistake, that message and those
signs are not for me. Yes, yes, it may have some effect on how I
might have to live my life, but on this matter, I’m simply
passer-by. This wasn’t meant for me and will distract me from where
I want to go. I can live with the situation. I’ll let somebody else
solve the problem. So let it be. I have other things to do right
now.
BOTTOM LINE: The individual acknowledges the problem/situation but
assigns the solution tasks to some body else while declaring that it
is not his problem, because his other duties are important and he is
not close to the situation.
Category B. (Bewilderment with circular thinking) Reaction
Bewilderment speaks to the individual acknowledging the the problem,
but is not able to act or solve the problem because of fear and
circular thinking.
Fear comes to us from many directions. Generally we avoid taking
action because we fear that we will lose something that more
valuable to us than what we would gain if we acted.
Circular thinking is the process of recognizing the
situation/problem, but in attempting to remedy the situation,
because of fear or other distractions, the individual finds ways to
avoid directly addressing the problem, and find refuge in discussing
tangential issues and never really grapples with the actual problem.
Therefore the individual avoids moving toward the practical steps
necessary to remedy the situation. This category B individual
thinks, “Okay, okay, there is a problem. And the problem is
effecting me, but what can I do? Let’s discuss it some more. Let’s
form a committee, or a study group. There maybe other
considerations, maybe we should look at those first. With “Circular
thinking” you recognize the problem effects you, but you avoid
moving toward the practical steps necessary to solve the problem.
Bewilderment, fear, and circular thinking leads to procrastination.
Procrastination has an “I’ll think about it tomorrow” mentality.
With procrastination, we cannot expect any problem solving progress,
and if there is any action involved toward problem-solving, the
action will usually be half-hearted and lack the commitment to
grapple with the core issues involved.
BOTTOM LINE: This individual acknowledges the problem as being
related to him, but because of his bewilderment, his fear, his
circular thinking, and procrastination, he cannot act to engage in
successful problem solving
Category A. (Affirm and Action model)
Affirm: This person affirms that the problem/situational experience
exists and that he (often with regrets or under duress) must change
himself (his thinking, beliefs, or feelings) to meet the
requirements demanded by the situation,
Action: This person acts in accordance with common sense based on
their perception of what is needed to solve the problem. One may or
may not make the right decision, but one commits to do something,
even if it wrong. This person will strive with a planned and
reasoned agenda and effort, using linear thinking, to undertake the
tasks needed to deal with the situation. This type of reaction
requires a sense of fearlessness and belief that the individual
holds that to act in this instance is to move forward toward his
better self and not to act would diminish his own self-respect.
BOTTOM LINE: This individual sees the problem and acts in accordance
with what he believes to be his “best self.”
Church, I say to you that Category A is the mentally healthier and
most character building route to go. Why?
· .Only Category A reactions will allow you to solve the problem or
make the changes needed in you or in your environment.
· .Only Category A reactions will result in psychological benefits
to you because your actions will free you mentally, emotionally, and
spiritually from the fears and circular thinking that are holding
you back or holding you down.
· .Only Category A reactions will allow you to learn to adapt to
change and to cope with new conditions without destroying your sense
of balance.
· .Only Category A reactions will allow you to develop your linear
thinking and problem solving potential.
Now, with these categories in our minds, let us rate ourselves
regarding our reactions to several b-b situations or experiences. I
shall describe to you several b-b situations that you may have
encountered in your life, and I am asking you will rate yourself as
to which category your reactions at that time may be properly place.
You must be honest with yourselves or this exercise will not be
helpful.
(Present a series of b-b situations to the congregation and allow a
few seconds between each presentation for reflection)
Listing of Burning Bush (b-b) experiences for consideration
What had happened and how did you respond:
Childhood Experiences
1. When you first realized that no matter what you did, you would
die one day? (Did you learn to become more saintly or to become more
careful or insidious?)
2. When you knew beyond a doubt that your Dad could not beat
everybody else’s Dad?
3.When you realized that your mother or father had lied to you about
Santa Claus, and his reindeer and sleigh
4. When you were first told you were a girl and you couldn’t play
with the boys any more
5. When you started playing cowboys and Indians and the gang leader
told you that you could play, but you had to be an Indian.
6. When you discovered that your father and mother had lied to you
about Santa Clause and his reindeer?
Adolescent Experiences
7. When you realized that your best high school friend was trying to
attract the affections of the person you had told them you liked and
cared for.
8. When you and your conscience first agreed that telling the truth
is sometimes worse for everybody, than telling a lie.
9. When you were contemplating a test and found you and your
conscience agreeing that cheating on the test was a No, No, but
failing on the test would be a bigger No! No!
10. When you discovered that some of your heroes weren’t really true
heroes
You discovered in the childhood fairy tale of Goldilocks and the
Three bears, that Goldilocks was a burglar,
You discovered in the childhood fairy tale of “Jack and the
Beanstalk”, that Jack was a thief.
You discovered that Columbus didn’t discover America
You discovered that Santa Clause had allowed his Christmas reindeer
to discriminate against another reindeer who had a “red” nose.
Adult Experiences
15. When you discovered that at least one of your children was
growing up and manifesting (showing) some of your worst habits or
behaviors.
16. When you acknowledged that you were not using your God-given
talents as you had promised yourself that you would do to
participate in the activities that would deepen your own
spirituality and fellowship within this church
17. When you discovered that a person you trusted as a dear friend
was involved in an unscrupulous or illegal operation and needed your
silence or cooperation to ensure that they would not be caught
18. You discovered that Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation
did not free the slaves.
19. When you acknowledged you had betrayed your best friend and you
were sorry, but you knew that you would probably betray that friend
again if you didn’t change. And you didn’t want to change.
20. When you discovered that you didn’t believe some of the things
the ministers and Sunday school teachers were saying things about
Jesus Christ?
Wrap Up:
Church, I am suggesting that if your self evaluation did not place
you in the A or B categories, you are missing the mark at becoming
your best self, spiritually and psychologically. In fact, I’m
suggesting that unless you’re living in Category A and B most of the
time, you are not living with the self-care or the self awareness
that is in your own best interest.
If you have not embraced Category A as your primary reaction
objective when dealing with b-b experiences, you are not being or
becoming your best self. You will not always be a category A person,
but you should surely attempt to be such a person. I doubt whether
most of us, if we were honest with ourselves, fell in the Category A
reaction framework most of the time! I would think that most of our
reactions were in the B category more than 50% of the time. And if
this is the case, we know that U-Us like ourselves are very much an
imperfect congregation of people.
Closing Remarks
Davies U.U., this world has turned over many times for many of us.
Everything is changing; nothing remains the same; not even you. You
have to stay on the alert for the many b-b situations that will be
coming your way. Once they flash up around you, you have to
acknowledge them and then go inside your best self; try to avoid
“circular thinking”; and try to lay out a directed linear problem
solving plan. The actions you take will most often require that you
make a change in YOU. So in this way, we who are Unitarian
Universalist are like the rest of humanity and we too resist change.
We all have some improving to do; some of us more than others. So in
a way, we all, regardless of our sexual orientation, race, gender,
religion, education, wealth, and egos need a little help to learn to
cope with b-b situations, to learn to be more honest with ourselves,
and to learn to fight off our fears and anxieties in order to be the
best of the people that we might be. In fact church, we are all in
some way “standing in the need of prayer.”
(Sing one verse of “Standing in the need of Prayer” say “amen” and
sit down)
It’s me, it’s me, it’s me Old Lord,
standing in the need of prayer.
It’s me, it’s me, it’s me Old Lord
standing in the need of prayer.
It’s not my brother or my sister,
but it’s me Old Lord,
standing in the need of prayer.
It’s not my brother or my sister
but it’s me Old Lord,
standing in the need of prayer.
It’s me, it’s me, it’s me Old Lord
standing in the need of prayer.
It’s me, it’s me, it’s me Old Lord
standing in the need of prayer
Amen
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