1 Corinthians 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

I guess by now you've all heard of the criticisms about Harry Potter. I know some of you have read or are reading the books and maybe some have gone to see the movie. I've read all but the fourth book. Then last Monday Jan and I caught up with the movie.

In the movie, and in each of the books it's clear the main characters are going to face a very powerful evil force before the end of the story. Just to emphasise both the power and the evil a little more the author even has all the "normal" characters refusing to pronounce this evil one's name. He is "you-know-who" or "He who cannot be named". Only Harry Potter is that brave.

The story builds to a climax with these student wizards and witches learning more and more about the amazing powers that are available to them. In the final show down, Harry finds himself all alone facing this awesome evil power who he's also learnt killed his parents when he was still a baby. Harry's able to defeat this monstrous evil one, but guess what power he uses. Could it be the power from his wand that's able to spit sparks, levitate things, or transform one thing into something else? Does he perhaps use the power of his invisibility coat so that he can launch a surprise attack? Is the evil one defeated with the assistance of Harry's powerful broomstick zooming in like an F111? No, in fact Harry defeats evil with ... the power .. of love. But Harry doesn't even understand how he managed to defeat the evil one. It's explained to him later. "Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldermort cannot understand it is love." Harry's been touched by the love of his mother and it now flows through him and this is what forces the evil one to flee.

At this very moment in our world, the most powerful nation keeps telling us that they are also facing a great evil. As we all know, this evil turns airliners into bombs and innocent passengers into suicide bombers. But how are they attempting to defeat this evil. What power are they using in response? Not love. They are attempting to defeat evil by releasing other evils - the evil of war - the evil of denying human beings basic human rites.

Which of these two is more dangerous? Which one should Christians be preaching and demonstrating against? For me there's no question. Some might say, "Come on, get real, you're just being silly. Harry potter is a fictional character in an unreal world. The United States and Australia live in the real world and must face evil with real weapons. Love really only works in story books."

Well allow me to read again from this book. The last verse of our text this morning. "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

In the message of the cross of Christ we have a very foolish message about love being the answer. But it gets even more foolish. We could understand, if like Harry Potter, Jesus' and his love wins the day. We could understand if Paul were to have encouraged us to us look for the power of God in the miracles Jesus performed, the providing of bread, the healing of the sick, the raising of the dead. We'd be able to accept without any question if he pointed to the resurrection, there is the power of God fully displayed. And we'd love to be able to point to our own wonderfully successful life as well as millions of other human victories and say, see, look how powerful our God is. But strangely, unbelievably, and as Paul admits, foolishly, he points us to Jesus as he hangs suffering, dying, defeated and beaten on a cross. There, there on the cross itself, you see the real power of God - power that's able to rescue us from the jaws of death and defeat the greatest Evil One there is.

Some will tell you that God's power is most clearly displayed in the lives of those who seem to have all the answers or the gift of being able to quote a Bible verse for every tough questions of life. I'm sure that while Paul would not reject such knowledge, he'd also want us to see God just as powerfully present in the parents desperately searching their faith for answers to why their young son died. We human simply can't hope to understand God's wisdom, but to still cling to him in faith, now that takes power well beyond human ability.

Some would have you look to the person miraculously cured of cancer and say there is God's power. Paul who you'll remember had to suffer his thorn in the flesh, might also point to the suffering or dying Christian who is still able to shine with the peace and love of God. Some would equate God's power with those who can cite long lists of answered prayers, Luther declared that it's a good sign when our prayers are not answered. We don't know what we should be really praying for anyway. God has much better answers. Some would point to the successful Christian businessperson as an example of the power of God at work, but the constant theme in God's Word is that rich, powerful, and successful are the enemies of God, and he's more clearly seen in the lives of the poor, the oppressed and defeated.

Let me share a quote from a fellow called Walter Wink ("The Powers that be" page 93) - "One does not become free from Powers by defeating them in a frontal attack. Rather , one dies to their control: "those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it' (Luke 17:33). Here also the cross is the model: we are liberated, not by striking back at what enslaves us - for even striking back reveals that we are still controlled by violence - but by a willingness to die rather than submit to it's command."

The real trouble with fighting back against evil is simply that you are forced to respond with similar evil. "Whoever fights monsters" warned philosopher Fredrich Nietzsche, "should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster." Martin Luther King Junior said, "The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy."

The only real answer we have, is the cross. But what a powerful and amazing answer it is. In these days our world is becoming more and more violent and less and less compassionate as the hours go by. It's entering our homes and our lives. What with labels like road rage, computer rage, school rage it seems to be in danger of being accepted as the normal way that human beings relate. Let's fight back, but not with more even worse rage. Let's forget about victory and trying to win. Let's give up and die to those "normal" human tendencies of getting the better of others and winning and instead open our lives up more and more to the foolish power of the cross and the amazing love found there. Let's remember that like Harry Potter we've been touched by love, not just the powerful love of a mother, but the even more powerful love of God himself.

© Copyright Rev. K.W. Stiller.