Groaning for What Cannot Be Seen

Romans 8:18-28
Trinity Sunday
May 30, 2021
William G. Carter

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

Years ago, there was an animated movie that I just loved. I bet many of you have seen it too. It was called “The Incredibles.” It was the story of a family of superheroes who had been forced to hide in the suburbs and lead normal lives. Bob Parr was the alter ego of Mr. Incredible, and he was married to Helen – who used to be known as Elastigirl. They have three kids, Violet, Dash, and baby Jack-Jack. It was a fun movie, had a great soundtrack, and was worthy of an excellent sequel. I just loved “The Incredibles.”

And that has nothing to do with this sermon.

But the title of the movie bubbled up for me when I gave some thought to our text from the apostle Paul. He’s not talking about “The Incredibles.” Rather he’s pointing to The Invisibles. That’s what a good Christian preacher is supposed to do.

He takes up pen and ink to draft a letter he has not met. They are invisible to him, but he knows they are there. He writes shamelessly about the mess that all human people have made of the world. The diagnosis is honest. By all accounts, the situation looks hopeless. And then he begins to talk about Jesus. Jesus comes from God, not as a superhero but as a different kind of savior. He gives himself freely in a sacrificial death, and it’s the event by which God cancels the big mess.

Not only that. God has raised this Jesus from the dead. He lives, he breathes, he speaks, and he is at work, correcting the big mess. The day is coming when he will finish the job. Every broken heart will be mended. Every broken life restored. Paul leans back to take in the largest possible view. Indeed the whole world will be repaired. The entire universe will rejoice (Paul never thought small!). The whole thing sounds Incredible!

And so much of this now seems invisible. The Invisibles. The Gospel proclaims they are true. But we cannot see them. Not yet. That doesn’t mean they are not there. It doesn’t mean they aren’t going to happen. But we cannot see what seems invisible.

Sometimes I wonder if that is a reason why people drop out of church. They get tired of waiting for the promises to come true. Jesus healed other people; why won’t he heal me? Jesus fed the multitude; why am I hungry? Jesus came to lift up the downtrodden; why are so many folks kept down? Those are good questions. They don’t come with quick answers. It is tempting to throw in the towel and decide it’s all a vain fantasy.

But the apostle Paul won’t do that. He holds on to the Invisibles. By this, I mean he holds on to the really big words, like “glory,” “revelation,” “freedom,” “adoption,” and “redemption.” None of these things are obvious. They cannot be seen. They cannot even be verified. But they are real.

It's almost as if they have a residue that has lasted ever since the Garden of Eden. Can you remember the Garden of Eden? I know, some of you aren’t quite that old. You may look it, but you’re not. But can you remember? It’s not an historical question. It’s a spiritual question.

In the Garden of Eden, there was peace. All the critters got along. The wolf and the lamb, the leopard and the calf and the lion, the cow and the bear – they were all playing volleyball. None of them were hungry. None of them were enemies. None were disadvantaged. There was tranquility, justice, and equity. No need for punishment. All lived in a state of grace.

Can you remember that? I ask because the experience is real. The memory is real. And now it’s Invisible. That doesn’t mean it is all fake, or an illusion, or an opiate for the masses. Only that we cannot see any of it now. And Christian people live by the Invisibles. That’s where our hope is lodged.

For this reason, I like to read the words of those who can see what most people cannot see. They aren’t dreamers. They are seers. They are not drunk on the 9 AM wine. They are intoxicated by the Spirit of God.

The other day, I went back to read a speech that was given from the Lincoln Monument when I was three years old. A young Baptist preacher raised his tenor voice and sang these words:

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.  I have a dream today! …

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."

Dr. King could see the Invisibles. He could see what few others could see. Then he threw back his head to proclaim:

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

“My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, From every mountainside, let freedom ring!”

I simply make the point: Dr. King was well-schooled in the Invisibles. Life matters only because of the things we cannot yet see. We cannot see them because they are Enormous and True and Right and Holy. But if we have the memory, it will fuel the hope.

So the apostle Paul is giving us hope. He is reminding us that God saved us in Christ because God bears this great hope – the hope of renewal, the hope of restoration, the hope of all things redeemed. It’s what the Jewish mystics call “Tikkun Olam,” literally “taking the world in for repairs.” This is God’s great purpose for the earth – a complete salvage operation.

But just as soon as Paul points to this, he adds, “Now hope that is seen is not hope. Who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” So here we are, week after week, supporting one another. Encouraging one another. Standing with one another. Praying with one another. And we are pointing, not merely to the end of a fifteen-month pandemic, but for a world renewed and healed.

Some may dismiss all of this as Incredible. That is, “not credible.” I believe it to be Invisible. And there’s a difference. Do you know how I know there is a difference? Paul has given us a clue. He says it’s in the groan. Creation groans, he says. It is the sound, not merely of pain, but of longing. Of expectation.

And if we groan – hoping, waiting, expecting the Invisibles – it is a certain sign that the Holy Spirit is within us. It is the evidence that God is at work with us.

Now, it’s a sound that is easy to miss. If your ears aren’t tuned to the right frequency, you might not hear it.

It was there in the prayer with a woman we know. We talked through face masks, separated by plexiglass, tears flowing because she misses you all. But the love is there since love is the greatest of the Invisibles. She trusts the day is coming when she shall be healed. Our prayer together sounded like a groan.  

I overheard the groans in the Halls of Injustice. One more case dismissed, one more wrong unaddressed, one more wound in the cause of Truth, another one of the great Invisibles. But there was enough of a residue, enough lingering Hope, that those who had been wronged committed themselves to work for what is right. You could hear it in the groan.

Yesterday morning, shortly before 9:00, a new voice was heard on the maternity floor. One of the young couples that I married off last summer during the pandemic became parents together. The Momma was groaning in her labor, but when the little boy emerged, all three of them sang with delight. What kind of people bear children in times like these? Those who are held by Hope.

These are always uncertain times. We can speculate what lies ahead – but the assurance has already been given. So we groan, expecting the Invisibles that are promised to us, to the world, to the entire created universe. These are the gifts that will save us. They come through the grace of God, through the mission of Jesus Christ, and sealed in the heart and mind through the Holy Spirit.

So we join all creation in our Spirit-filled groan, and we pray:

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
            All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth and sky and sea.
            Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty!
            God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

(c) William G. Carter. All rights reserved.