"Weak, But Strong" - II Cor. 12:2-10 - July 9, 2000

I’m not a very good golfer. If I can shoot under 100 I feel I have been successful. I used to think my short stature was a hindrance. But, much to my chagrin I have discovered there are many short people who play very well. For me the game of golf is frustrating. I always manage to hit my ball in the water. Sand traps love me. And to hit a ball, cleanly off the tee with a bunch of other men watching simply terrifies me. I do well at other sports, softball, tennis, sailing, racquetball, even football, but golf? No way.

So, where does God send me to preach? To a congregation that is filled with golfers, and many of them are very competitive. We even have some champion golfers among us. Although golf is my weakest sport, I have been sent to be a minister in the midst of people who excel on the fairways and greens.

So why me? Why didn’t God send someone with the skills of Jack Nicklaus to be the pastor of St. Paul’s Church? God only knows. But, there’s more. As I mentioned I am short in stature. This congregation, on the other hand is filled with tall men. Sometimes I feel like I’m living in the land of giants. So again, why me, why not someone tall like Magic Johnson to be the preacher at St. Paul’s? Again, God only knows.

I must admit I have been puzzled by this phenomenon for the last ten years. But, after reading these words of Paul it is beginning to make more sense. Paul said he was content with his shortcomings, weaknesses and limitations. Paul said, "for whenever I am weak, then I am strong."

Paul was a great leader of the Church, yet suffered bad eyesight, bad hearing, malaria, sexual impurity, epilepsy, not to mention being jailed and shipwrecked. Rather than boast of his achievements, Paul, "boasted in his weaknesses." Paul even appealed to God to rid him of his persecutions and sufferings, but God responded by saying to Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness."

"Power is made perfect in weakness." Now there is a concept which is difficult to grasp. If a team wants to win a championship they go out and purchase the best players, not weak ones. No sane person would ever think that weakness is a strength. Instead, weakness is seen as bad, inferior or a path to failure.

Do you ever wonder why people refer to the "Great Depression" as great? Perhaps it is because that in the worst of times people were able to survive, discover resources and inner strength they never knew existed. Perhaps their faith at that time proved to be stronger than at any other. Perhaps in their weakness they were made strong. Perhaps "Power was made perfect in their weakness."

Paul goes on to say that to boast in the first place is foolishness. And to keep him from being too elated he has "a thorn in the flesh." Although the thorn is not described, I believe Paul is talking about that which keeps him humble. What he encountered for his faith was criticism, conflict and arrogance from those who believed themselves to be better than everyone else. The Corinthians were filled with self righteousness and spiritual pride. They looked down on anyone who was not as "gifted" as they were, or did not ascribe to their religious practices.

But for Paul, "Power was made perfect in weakness." He did not have to prove anything. He was not being evaluated on the basis of his performance or success or the necessity to be perfect. On a scale of 1 to 10, Paul was most likely a 1.

Do you realize that the very best hitters in baseball only get a hit 3 out of 10 times? Ken Griffey Jr. is leading major league baseball in all-star voting but only has a batting average of .237. Chris Stynes is hitting .441 but he won’t even play in the all star game.

We live in a statistical world where everyone wants to be a winner. People want to be able to boast of their accomplishments, receiving praise and adoration. Those with perfect bodies are the ones we see modeling clothing. Those with perfect homes are the ones we loathe in magazines. Men expect their spouses to look like Bo Derek. Women expect their homes to be like Martha Stewart’s. Our youth want to be dressed like Calvin Kline.

Even the Church gets caught up in pride as some boast of their attendance, their musical greatness or their sophisticated technology. Jack Deere, a theologian, says that "Religious pride is the worst form of arrogance." Humbling ourselves, rather than exalting ourselves seems to have gone by the wayside.

To understand that power was made perfect in weakness we have to accept and embrace three dynamics in our lifestyles. First, that boasting is folly and gets us nowhere. Second, that the grace of God is sufficient for us. And third, wherever we are weak, we are strong.

Have you ever heard of the Challenger Division in Little League Baseball? Its not for the strongest and best but for the developmentally disabled. Darrell Burnett, clinical psychologist at UCLA tells of his discovery of this baseball program for youth in Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul.

The kids who play in the Challenger Division have Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, spina bifida or other serious problems. What’s different about these kids is they don’t play to win, they play for fun. They have a buddy system where each youth is accompanied by a helper who pushes them in their wheelchair or points to the base to where the ball is to be thrown.

There is no comparison to "normal" little leaguers where parents scream at umpires and kids display their tempers. These kids give each other high fives, cheer for both sides all in an atmosphere of fun and games.

Burnett was so moved by the Challenger Division that he became a manager. He said, "To feel the warmth of camaraderie and compassion on the baseball diamonds renewed everyone’s faith in the goodness of the human spirit." For Burnett, Power was made perfect in weakness.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio