Sermon Preached at The Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia Sunday March 16th 201 , The

Re!erend "lan #eale, $The %solation of Conflict&

Today is the second in a series of fi!e sermons entitled $Constant Conflict&' the sermons find their conte(t )oth in Holy Scripture and also in the te(t for the 201 *ne +oo,, *ne Philadelphia Pro-ram $The .ello/ +irds& )y 0e!in Po/ers1 *ne re!ie/er 2ynn Sher /ithout /rites, $Po/er3s searin- de)ut no!el4 captures the casual )rutality and emotional isolation of the %raq 5ar as /ell as the disquietude of returnin- home /hen it no lon-er feels li,e home1& 2ast /ee, $The 6)iquity of Conflict&, today $The %solation of Conflict& 7 $the emotional isolation of /ar4 and the disquietude of returnin- home /hen it no lon-er feels li,e home&1 %n the first )oo, of the 0in-s 8chapters 19 and 1:; /e read the story of <li=ah 8the prophet of the 2ord; in hand>to>hand conflict /ith the prophets of the false -od +aal1 %n chapter 19 !erse 22 <li=ah reco-ni?es that he is on a solo mission )ut not a mission impossi)le' he seems neither o!er/helmed nor discoura-ed and this leads to stunnin- !ictory )ut )y chapter 1: !erse 10 the reco-nition of )ein- alone has descended into paranoid isolation, listen $% only, %, am left and they e!en see, to ta,e my life&1 %n some /ay the dama-e conflict does to <li=ah causes him to inha)it the depths of despair, depression and desolation1 %n Psalm 121 the author is e(periencin- internal@emotional conflict 7 real or ima-ined insta)ility, ne-lect, insi-nificance and fati-ue all /ar a-ainst the )elief that the 2ord /ill protect, care, preser!e, !alidate the author1 +ut he is rescued from paraly?in- and de)ilitatin- isolation as $he lifts his eyes to the hills4 to the 2ord /hence cometh his help&1 The readin- from Paul3s 2etter to the Romans 8chapter four; is not easy to read, to hear or 8A; to understand1 +ut this % see in part4 ")raham is rescued from )elie!in- that the promise of Bod rests upon him rather, no he insists it rests upon the -race of Bod1 %n the conflict of li!in- 8and ")raham often ,ne/ that personal conflict;, in the conflict of li!in- ")raham could )e for-i!en if he felt at times o!er/helmed )y the )urden of isolation and yet4 he ,ne/ /ell, he )reathed deeply, he li!ed in the -race of Bod1 "t one point in the no!el, Pri!ate Cohn +artle /rites of his )elief that the soldiers /ere alone, isolated, a chosen one /ould die, a chosen one /ould li!e1 He mo!es from this isolatin- on!iction /hen he reali?es that he is =ust one of the many, the -reat many1 $There /ere no )ullets /ith my name on them, or /ith Murph3s for that matter1 There /ere no )om)s made =ust for us4 % )elie!e uns/er!in-ly that /hen Murph /as ,illed, the dirty ,ni!es that sta))ed him /ere addressed, DTo /hom it may concern31 #othin- made us special1 #ot li!in-, #ot dyin-1& Here +artle mo!es from a sense of )ein- isolated to a sense of )ein- one in community and this is of some comfort to him, stran-e thou-h it may seem to us1 *ccasionally % am as,ed, $5hat is sinA&1 5ell, ri-ht no/ % propose this as one /or,in- definition 7 sin /or,s in me to )olster the sense that /ith my /ea,nesses, frailties and disappointments % am isolated and, pro)a)ly % deser!e such a fate1 % am not part of common humanity1 The more % sin the more % isolate myself from Bod, from others and actually )e-in to li!e in a )arren psychic place in /hich % feel unhappy /ith, isolated from4 myself1 %n 12 Step Pro-rams the addict is

encoura-ed to mo!e from $terminal uniqueness& and to reco-ni?e that he@she is $=ust another )o?o on the D)us&1 Cohn chapter E, !erse 16 is for many Christians the consummate encapsulation of the /or, of sal!ation41 $Bod so lo!ed the /orld4&1 Bod lo!es His creation that is close to perishin- so He -i!es His only Son to sa!e and rescue us1 %n the cosmic and primal conflict )et/een all that is -ood and all that is e!il, Cesus e(periences isolation and dereliction 7 to rescue us from isolation, he suffers the most profound and psychic isolationso that he cries out, $My Bod4 /hy ha!e you forsa,en meA&1 Friends hear the a-ony of the cry, the shoc, and the horror of the self>reali?ation that Cesus is alone' isolated from Bod, from community and that isolation no/ stal,s his deepest )ein- and rei-ns !ictorious4 friends, this He did for usG Pri!ate +artle e(periences isolation not only in the conflict of /ar )ut also in the conflict suffered )y one /ho has promised to another that /hich circumstances preclude1 Here is shame, here is -uilt, here is po/erlessness and all com)ined force, proscri)e that he e(periences isolation1 He suffers isolation as he returns home > in his )edroom at home in Richmond, Hir-inia /ith his mother do/nstairs +artle says, $% /as disappearin-1 %t /as as if % stripped myself a/ay in that dar,ened )edroom on a sprin- afternoon, and /hen % /as finished there /ould )e a pile of clothes neatly folded and % /ould )e another num)er for the ca)le ne/ sho/s&1 Thou-h a respected mem)er of his community, #icodemus, a learned and respected teacher of the la/, suffers emotional isolation as he attempts to ali-n his traditions and )eliefs /ith Ra))i Cesus1 So he comes to Cesus $)y ni-ht& 8Cohn EI2; 7 a su--estion of isolation for the conflicted soul that he4 for the moment1 May)e sometimes, may)e often /e feel compelled to tra!el and li!e $at ni-ht& 7 /e are persuaded that our conflicts are =ust re/ards for our failures and /ron-doin-s and so /e /ant to )e alone, /e are persuaded that our conflicts are unique to us and that no>one /ill understand and so /e /ant to )e alone1 The no!el presents to me this question, $"m % defined )y my e(perience of conflict or can % )e )old, stron- and coura-eous /ith Bod to define my e(perience of conflictA&1 The choice seems to )e ours )ut this % ,no/ 7 the Bod in conflict /ill not suffer me, you to )e alone if only4 /e call upon Him no/ and in times of need1 This % ,no/ is true1 "M<#