Today's Sermon: Adversity
This sermon was given by an mid 50's single lady who I had never seen before at church but who claimed to be a long term member of the congregation. She felt qualified to address the topic since she had to "go through" losing her son to an illness. Granted, losing a son is a trial.
She explained her insights as to how god works in mysterious ways. The churches, in general, view trials and suffering in a very positive light. Mormonism is no exception. She explained how suffering is an 'opportunity' to become more like god; therefore, we should expect to see suffering in our lives... and take up the task of endurance... and endure suffering well. That which does not kill us makes us stronger.
Point #1: She has a nice man in the church who calls her out of the blue every single time she is feeling really low. God inspires this man to call her up. This is a miracle. I though miracles were when withered hands restored themselves, blind people saw again, dead people stumbled alive again from their tombs, mountains moved at verbal commands, water turned to wine, humans walked on water, and fish or loaves of bread self-replicated. No apologies, but her miracles seemed dumbed down a bit.
Point #2: One day years ago, she had a sick child in the car who threw up, then she got a flat tire on the freeway and she frustratingly pulled over to the side. This was a serious trial for her, she was weeping hysterically. She was even wearing a white suit so she was unable to fix the tire. (please).
Insert her 2nd miracle: Just then, a state trooper pulls up and fixes her tire and gets her on her way again. God does work in mysterious ways.
Point #3: As she preached to the choir and congregation, this woman waxed a little more bold with the following statement:
"We have Jesus Christ to raise us up in our trials and tribulations. If any of you have been coasting along without any trials, you are not living the gospel strictly enough. God tests his people! God tries his people! You need to embrace your struggles and trials! This is God's way of helping you grow! If you lived life without any struggle, you would never amount to anything!"
(I don't even need to comment, but I did roll my eyes into the back of my head.)
Point #4: Complete with a wagging finger, and peering over her librarian style glasses she warned us all with the following:
"If you think that you can get through your trials without Jesus Christ, you are a FOOL!"
I sat up at that point. What tha...? This lady just called me a fool! The nerve! Who does she think she is? My blood pressure dropped when I realized that she cannot help herself. Yes, she is in the death grip of a social virus that is killing her softly from the inside. But the dogma of it left me unsettled. Only a little while ago I would have done nothing but cozy up to this woman's message and allow its certainty to tuck me in safely and securely but not today. Today I see this message with opened eyes. This message stripped us all partly of our humanity... our ability to actuate a fulfilling life on our own merits and stamina.
She ended her sermon with her testimony that she knows that God lives, Joseph Smith is a true prophet, and the book of Mormon was translated by the power of god as a second witness of Jesus Christ. She also explained how she knows God sustains each and every one of us through our trials. But what of the Agnostic? Where are we? We are supposedly left out in the cold.
I guess I am a fool. My trials are forged sans this surupy prescription doled out to me. I should have chided or clucked quietly to myself. But this was their territory, their rules, their game. It's their reality and if it was as heinous as I made it out to be, they'd be somewhere else and not here. It's that whole notion of declaring those who do not think like they do Fools that bothers me. I seek to be a little more open minded.
