(This is an introduction to a sermon entitled, "The Strangest Thing About God.")
Have you ever had your expectations about somebody turned upside down, much to your amazement? Have you ever learned something about someone and thought, "This is really strange!"
For years I had known of the Presbyterian theologian Shirley Guthrie, a professor at Columbia Theological Seminary. I knew that she had written many books and articles, some technical, some for a lay audience. Though I didn't always agree with her ideas, which were more liberal than my own, I respected Shirley as a theologian and a woman of faith.
Thus, when Shirley Guthrie was coming to our Presbytery meeting to speak, I was pleased . . . and curious. I was eager to see what she was like in person. Perhaps I'd even get to meet her. But when Shirley walked up to the pulpit, I had a giant shock. Shirley Guthrie wasn't a woman . . . but a man! No, no, there hadn't been any sex-change operation or anything like that. Shirley was born a male, and his parents named him Shirley.
I know this sounds a little strange today. You may be questioning the sanity of Shirley Guthrie's parents, remembering the Johnny Cash song "A Boy Named Sue." But, in fact, Shirley used to be a common name for a boy. According to the Social Security Administration, in 1927, the year of Shirley Guthrie's birth, 240 baby boys in America were named Shirley, giving it the rank of 380 on the list of the top 1000 male names. Shirley, by the way, reached its pinnacle in 1935, when it was ranked #259 among male names, with 431 baby boys in America given that name. In 1935, there were more baby boys named Shirley than all of the Jasons (84 boys), Joshuas (80 boys), Justins (69 boys), Kirks (60 boys), Matts (59 boys), and Jeffreys (47 names) put together. The problem with Shirley, however, was that it had become a very popular girl's name. In 1935, there were 42,331 baby girls named Shirley. That's about a hundred times as many girl Shirleys as boy Shirleys. In fact, it was the second most popular girl's name that year. So, beginning in 1936, Shirley fell into disfavor as a boy's name. From 1958 onward, it didn't even make the top 1000.
At any rate, until I got used to it, the strangest thing for me about Shirley Guthrie was the fact that "she" was a man.
The Strangest Thing About God
Most of us have similar experiences when it comes to God. There are certain aspects of God's character and activity, which, if we're honest, seem truly strange to us. They overturn our expectations. They shock our sensibilities.
I asked folks at the Pastor's Study on Thursday morning to weigh in on this question: "What do you find to be the strangest thing about God?" Their answers made sense. One woman shared that she finds it strange to think that God can hear all the prayers of all people in the world at once. Another man offered that he finds it odd that God is willing to put up with all the imperfections in the world, and in us. Another person added that it's strange that God allows such theological disagreement among religious people. Along those same lines, I said that I find it strange that God hasn't been more obvious in His revelation of Himself to us. He's left so much room for confusion, even for unbelief. If I were God - which, by the way, we should all be grateful is not the case - I'd leave much less room for conjecture.
I agree that there are many strange things about God, strange in the sense that they don't match our expectations, or that they're hard for us to comprehend. But for me, one thing is the strangest of all. I don't mean this negatively, by the way. What I find strangest about God is wonderfully strange; it's marvelous beyond anything I could imagine. It's not only the strangest thing about God, but, possibly, the most magnificent. (To continue with this sermon, click here.)
