Dan Joseph
In 2001 a new word joined the oxford English dictionary.
"Expressing frustration at the realization that things have turned out badly or not as planned, or that one has just said or done something foolish. Also (usu. mildly derog.): implying that another person has said or done something foolish (cf. DUH int)."
Doh!
We are all used to catchphrases entering our language, “Good Moaning” and “Lovely Jubbly” still seem to ripple through conversations years after the programmes ended, and yet somehow Matt Groaning and the other creators of the Simpsons managed to invent a new word.
When the Simpsons first started it was intended that the focus would be on the antics of Bart Simpson, yet it quickly became apparent that the character who the public would take to their hearts was Homer.
So why is Homer popular?
On the surface of it Homer hasn’t got much going for him, as was shown in the clip, he clearly wouldn’t recognise a good idea if it got up and gave him a haircut. He drinks too much, is lazy, ill mannered and extraordinarily selfish. Why would people like a character like that?
For me the reason why Homer strikes a chord with so many of us, is that he reminds us of ourselves – and not always in a nice way, but we look at Homer and we have a sense of recognition.
Homer feels hard done by, he finds family life frustrating - both with those he shares a home with but also the in-laws, he’s constantly envious and resentful towards his neighbour who he’s convinced got a better deal in life than he did. Homer feels like a fish out of water. Inside Homer is scared.
We connect with Homer’s character because it is very easy for us to feel like that too, that we aren’t clever enough, that the people around us are better dressed, better educated, more confident. Regardless as to who we are, there will be some occasion where we look at someone else and become aware of our own shortcomings.
In our reading today we are called to reflect and indeed celebrate that we as a people are blessed with many different talents, no one person has all of them but each of us is given particular skills and talents.
We can go through life looking at everyone else and thinking, oh I wish I could be like them – or we can reflect on what we have and think about how we can use them.
Homer may be ordinary, but he seems to lead a charmed life, he’s met many famous people, performed death defying feats and yet he still feels inadequate. He’s blessed with a family that forgives him his excesses and mistakes and who when it really comes down to it, he loves intensely. Likewise, it can be very easy for us to retreat into not believing we have anything to offer – but we do.
When we start to consider the gifts together it’s not surprising that we end up needing a very diverse community to include all of them.
We need those who have insight and are prepared to speak up about injustices and unfairness in society. But we also need the voices of those who build us up and make us feel valued.
We need those who make the Communion table centred and comfortable, so that we understand better how God uses the commonplace. We also need those who make the Eucharist magnificent and colourful and mysterious, so that we understand that we are being fed with the Body and Blood of God's Son.
We need those who have the gift of healing, because there are so many who need to be healed. Some of it is healing of the body; some of the mind; some of the soul. Some of it is the need for the healing of the wounds of racism and bigotry, and pride. The reality is that none of us can comprehend all of the gifts of God.
Having the discernment to recognise what we have been blessed with is a talent in itself. It can be very easy to do ourselves down, to think that what we can offer isn’t important.
There’s another hurdle to overcome even when we are aware of what we can do, one of Homer’s other traits can come to the fore.
Homer is a major couch potato. If he can avoid doing something, or put it off, then he will. We can all think of something that we’ve put off doing. Homer is scared of hard work; it normally takes an angry mob to motivate him into action.
Our reading today is full of words that would scare Homer, and might scare many of us.
Taking our gifts and using them, or learning how to use them in God’s service is not just something we focus on at Pentecost, but throughout our lives as our faith matures we can become aware of things that we never thought we could do. Shy people find the courage to stand up and lead a community in prayer. Out of nowhere regardless as to how inarticulate we may feel, somehow we find the words of comfort that someone hurting needs to hear. We find that our social networks become contacts for us to spread the word about a justice campaign that moves our hearts.
We are each of us blessed with different fruits of the spirit, when we come together we become a celebration of the fruits of the spirit.
As part of the Body of Christ, we need all of our parts, and are dependent upon one another for the fullness of our life. The God who made us, made all of us, knows all of us, loves all of us, forgives all of us, and binds all of us into His Body.
Patience is one of the fruits of the spirit, having the resolve to see things through and help build god’s church and his people in this world is one of the reasons why we have been blessed in the first place.
We are blessed so that we can bless others, so that we can affect other people’s lives for the better, be it with our money or be it with how we give our time or how we choose to use the talents we have been blessed with.
It’s good every now and then to ask ourselves, what talents and skills we have and how can we use them in God’s service. Do we have a creative flair that could help with designing promotional material? Are we able to offering our homes for a small church group to meet in? Can we write a letter that may save someone’s life?
Sometimes the smallest thing can be used by God to work
out his mission in the world, so even when we are feeling particularly small –
when we seem to say the word “Doh!” more than we say the word “Hurrah” we still
have a part to play.
(Dan Joseph)
This sermon was first preached in the Metropolitan Community Church of Manchester. Click here for further information.