The Gift of Misfits

Do you remember the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer TV special? The one from 1964. I love that movie- it’s the only Christmas movie that I own on DVD. It had all the usual characters like Donner and Comet and Santa and the elves. But it also has Yukon Cornelius, Hermey the elf who wants to be a dentist. And the Island of Misfit Toys. Hermey and Rudolph find each other as fellow misfits, and bond over not fitting in with the others. 

Well, Jesus knew about being a misfit as well. Do you remember when Philip first tells Nathanael about Jesus in the Gospel of John? Nathanael asks “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nazareth was this tiny, backwater town. Not where you’d expect the Messiah to hail from. Or any respectable Rabbi, really.

And then there are the disciples. I’ve been watching the Chosen recently, and was reminded of just how eclectic and, well, misfit this group was. They weren’t the ones you would usually expect to follow a rabbi. Not extra devout or studious. They were common people. They included a tax collector and at least one zealot as well as at least four fishermen. They followed a rabbi who was making waves, and didn’t look to fit in or go with the flow. And then there’s the crowd of followers who proclaim “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.” 

As Christians, we are part of a movement that has been made up of misfits from the beginning. See, when we call Jesus our king, like that crowd of followers we proclaim that Jesus is first and foremost. Jesus is our king. And our king asks for everything: “Take up your cross and follow me.” “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” “Love your neighbor as yourself.” “Forgive 70 times 7.” We are to give it all. 

Are we giving everything? Jesus took hours out of the day to pray and be with God. How often do we take time to pray? Reading the bible is great and part of it- grounding ourselves in what God has said before. It also means getting quiet and seeing what God would have us do. Jesus asks for our entire selves, our entire path. And when we follow this, we might feel silly, trying to pay attention to that inner thunder and lightning. We might feel like Hermey the elf- an elf who doesn’t like to make toys because he’s called to be a dentist, not a toy-maker.

But just as Eli helped young Samuel listen for God’s call, just as the prophet Nathan helped King David, just as the 12 journeyed with Jesus, just as Hermey the elf-dentist found Rudolph, so we journey together. 

In his book Gifts of the Dark Wood, Eric Elnes explains how this gift of misfit community works as we seek our path in life: “While we all walk our paths as individuals, the lone seeker is more likely to get lost or to give up than the one who travels in company. Granted, the Spirit sends every individual plenty of lightning and thunder to be of guidance, but none of us are perfect interpreters of these signals.” Instead of journeying alone, “Making the journey with a few wise companions by your side can keep you from getting lost and make the journey less lonely, even fun. Fun especially when we discover that we may also be of help to our companions as they strive to find their place in the world.”

We have a community. And we worship God in community. In the first scripture, Jesus said “The kingdom is within/among you.” This can mean within us as individuals, but community was extremely important in Jesus’ day. He also meant it as among you. The kingdom of God is here in community. I’ve seen it: as we ask how we can help, and how beloved members are doing whom we know are going through difficult times. As I drove away from Belpre Landing after visiting Lloyd, only to see another member driving up. As we talk about how to serve our neighborhood. As we share about our lives and support each other. 

We come together, whether online or in person, to worship our king- sitting by those who voted differently than we did last November. Listening to the children’s chatter as worship begins and ends. Worshiping together, and being part of a church family with those who may not see Christianity exactly the same way we do; who are in a different place economically; who don’t see the world like we see it. But we are a community, and when we give our lives to Christ, when we seek to change our hearts and lives and listen for how Jesus is calling us here and now, in this time and place, then we all fit into that misfit category.

“We have come through the six weeks of Lent, recognizing the gifts that can come to us anytime we find ourselves in the Dark Woods. Uncertainty can help us let go of our fear of the unknown. Emptiness can leave room for new possibilities. Thunderstruck moments can offer insight. Getting lost invites us to heighten our awareness. Temptation can help us know our true path. And reaching out to other ‘misfits’ on the journey enriches our experience of life and love.”

So continue to show up. Take time to get quiet and ask God “What now?” Pay attention to those experiences of uncertainty, emptiness, getting lost, and temptation, as well as those moments when God shows what a next step might be. And continue to lean on the community and be there for each other. The kingdom of God is among you. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Resources for this sermon include:

Marcia McFee, Gifts of the Dark Wood, “The Gift of Misfits Script: Lent 6” from the Worship Design Studio with Dr. Marcia McFee. 2018.

Eric Elnes, Gifts of the Dark Wood: Seven Blessings for Soulful Skeptics (and Other Wanderers), (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2015), Chapter 8: The Gift of Misfits.

Eric Elnes and Lillian Daniel, “Series: The Gifts of the Dark Wood, Episode 9” on darkwoodbrew.org