Reflections...

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 28 February 2010 by the Rev. Hanns Hoerschelmann. The scripture readings that day were Psalm 27, Philippians 3:17-4:1 and Luke 13:31-35.


In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Dear brothers and Sisters in Christ

When I was a young boy I used to attend summer camps organized by our church. It was always an exciting time. One or two weeks away from home, without your parents with a bunch of other kids - sleeping in tends, sitting around the campfire and go on adventures. But it was also a scary time – especially the first day. Who would be in my group or stay with me in the same tent? Would I get along with them and them with me?

In order to ease our worries the group leaders always planed special activities on the first day so that we got to know each other better. One year, I remember, we sat down together and had to think of an animal to describe ourselves. Sorry, but I do not remember what I chose and it would probably be different today. Nevertheless the activity helped us to get to know and understand each other better. It took away some of our fears and worries.

Our Gospel lesson for today uses the same method. In it Jesus describes two different persons and their characters by using the images of animals. He describes King Herod by using the image of the Fox and himself or God by using the image of the Hen. Well, you could say what Luke is telling us here is the old and well known story of the Fox and the Hen. The story about an superior and inferior; about somebody who things is clever and somebody who seems to be dumb; about somebody who seems to be in control and somebody who is controlled – to sum it up for me it’s a story about leadership. A story about how we treat each other in our churches, families, work places and or daily relationships.

There are many versions of this old story of the Fox and the Hen. Just go for a search in the internet and you will be overwhelmed. In almost all of them the Fox is characterized as being wily, deceitful, seeking for control. And his method of control involves tricky strategies and power plays. At the end he wants to win and have the benefit for himself. Funny enough though a lot of times he does not get what he wants. The opposite is the fact. He ends up losing his power and also his dignity. At the end he is the dumb one.

One example: The Fox runs around the Hen house in circles. The Hen, watching him, gets so dizzy that she falls of the roost. The Fox grasps her, puts her into his sack and takes a moment of rest – he actually falls asleep being tired himself from running around the Hen house. In the meantime the Hen awakes from her dizziness, escapes from the sack and replaces her weight with some rocks. Unaware of what has been going on while asleep the Fox takes his sack, thinking it contains a delicious treat. Even though having the view of being in control it’s the Fox who is being tricked and the dumb one.

Looking at our Gospel reading and its wider surrounding we also can find these Foxes - people who want to be in control and secure their own advantage. Take for example the Pharisees. They tell Jesus that Herod is after him to get him. But of what we know from them through the Gospels they are not know for their deep concern and love for Jesus, who often challenges and criticizes them. Why this change of attitude towards Jesus? Is there a hidden agenda, a final plot they follow? We do not know but at least we should be suspicious.

Then there is Herod himself, whom Jesus calls a Fox. He is known for is cruelty and longing to stay in power. Earlier on in the Gospel of Luke we hear that he would like to meet Jesus. But why? Is he interested in his teaching or does he just want to check if this young and successful preacher can be of danger for him?

It seems to be quite clear that both – the Pharisees and Herod want to stay in control by pulling the right strings. They are both foxy in their own way.

And it is the same today. There are many Foxes around us - people who want to be in control by controlling us. They long for power by using tricky ways - not only in big business or politics but also in our churches, families, our daily relationships. You can even say that being a fox is part of all of us, part of being a human being.

We long to be in control of what is happening with and around us. Better trust oneself than trust others seems to be our daily motto in life. Leadership, as we know it has to do with being in control. Only those who have great power will be good leaders – that is how the world works. But be careful, the biggest Foxes are those who claim to act in our interest but not in theirs. At the end it’s all about power – that is how we are.

Jesus knows that and therefore it is no wonder that his reaction is quite harsh. “Tell that Fox!” he replies to the Pharisees. There is none of his embracing and loving concern in this answer. It is harsh and direct. Bringing to the point what we all are: Foxes, power seekers, self controllers.
But Jesus would not be Jesus if he wouldn’t be able to offer us an alternative type of leadership. It is the core of his good news that there is another way of relating to each other and dealing with each other. He himself stands for that alternative. He is the Hen.

For me it is quite striking that Jesus uses this image to describe his way of dealing with people. He could have choose others, more powerful animals like the Lion, the Tiger or an Eagle. But he chooses the Hen. And with this image he carries the allusion of a loving mother. It is the loving Hen which protects their chicks by gathering them under her wings and exposing her breast to the attacker. But in addition to the love that we can sense in this picture there is also a kind of braveness. When the Hen is attacked there is no fighting from her side, no claws, no tearing of flesh. The only thing she does is to spread her wings and expose her chest. If the attacker, say the Fox to stay in the picture, wants her chicks he has to kill the Hen first.

We know that this is what will happen to Jesus later on. He will go his way all the way to Jerusalem and there it will end on the cross. But by doing so and the way he is relating to others – his preaching, teaching and acting – he sets the example for a different kind of leadership. A leadership that gets its power not out of wily tricks or pure force but out of a caring love and kindness. The love that Jesus has receives from his father and that he then passes on to others – to us.

I wonder if you can think of situations were such love is at work. Where such a leadership is practiced. Most of the times it is not so obvious and seems not so powerful. And sometimes we can even not prevent that people play the Fox game by using power plays or control strategies. What we can do is to stand at the sideline and point to the alternative. Point to the Hen – wings spread and breast exposed. If we chose not to be the Lion, the Tiger or the Eagle in our daily live we ourselves can set examples for a different kind of leadership, for a different kind of relationship between each other. With all the Foxes around there is a great need for such an alternative.

But we also have to be realistic. There will always be the ones who will reject this alternative. Stick to the old power plays and strategies of self control. Today's Old Testament lesson and Epistle reading remind us of times when Abraham and Sarah were suspicions of God's love, and the Philippians had their doubts as well. And we ourselves will find us falling back into the old patters because we are human beings. We are not Jesus and will never be.

But what we have is the experience and hope that there are others ways. We have experienced the loving and forgiving care of God through the gift of faith which enables us to start anew when we have failed – fallen back into the Foxes ways. Through Jesus Christ God invites us to make a difference in this world – in our families, at workplaces or in our church communities. He calls us to stand before the Foxes of this world reminding them, that there is another way of dealing which each other - another kind of leadership. A leadership which takes its strength and power out of Gods loving grace.

Amen