January 24, 2010
The Book of Eli sermon
- Nehemiah 1:1-13:31
- Dr. Teri Thomas
There is a new movie out called “The Book of Eli.”
Its 30 years after “the war,” a man walks across the wasteland that was once America. Empty cities, broken highways, seared earth- all around him. There is no civilization and no law. Everyone left is either predator or prey. Water is so scarce that people bathe with leftover wet wipes from KFC. Food is so inadequate that many resort to cannibalism. Eli makes his way westward across the charred, barren landscape. He has an impressive amount of fighting equipment strapped to his torso and an iPod. A warrior, not by choice, but necessity, Eli will kill anyone who threatens him.
It is not his own life he is guarding- but rather his hope for the future- a hope he has carried, wrapped and hidden in his pack for thirty years. The prize possession Eli so zealously guards
is a heavy, leather bound tome that he calls “the book,” it’s the Bible and it is the last known copy in existence.
This book is coveted by a sleazed named Carnegie who has assembled a gaggle of thugs and runs a makeshift town in the middle of nowhere. Like Eli, Carnegie remembers the days before the war, and he also remembers his Bible. He tells his henchmen- “It’s not a book. It’s a weapon. People will do whatever I tell them if the word comes from that book.” He thinks that he can subjugate the world if he can only get his hands on a Bible.
Eli, driven by his commitment and guided by his belief in something greater than himself, does what he must to survive and continue. He keeps moving to the west where he believes he will deliver the Bible to restore a ravaged humanity. His strength comes from his belief in the power of the Book he carries.
We have trouble imagining killing someone in order to get a copy of the Bible. We also have trouble imagining dying to protect one. Is that because we have too many? After all, we have lots of Bibles sitting on shelves gathering dust. Or is it because we don’t fully comprehend its power?
This morning we are presented with images of two public readings of the Bible. In both accounts there is excitement among the people over the power of The Book.
In Nehemiah the Jews had been in exile, and now they are being asked to go home and start over once again. All the people gather together into the square before the Water Gate. They tell Ezra, priest and scribe, to bring the book, which the LORD had given to Israel.
Now, anticipation builds. The book sits above the people, when it is opened the people stand,
the LORD is blessed and worshipped. The book is read from for the entire morning. The words are read in Hebrew and interpreted into Aramaic, so the people might understand and when they hear the words the people weep.
The Book reminds them of who they are.
It reminds them of what they have endured.
The Book tells them what they have forgotten-
You are a people who mark and celebrate the holy days of Yahweh.
You are a people who provide for others.
You are a people whose strength is in the joy of the LORD.
The Book had the power to restore the faith of the people.
The reading from Luke comes several centuries later. The people are no longer exiles but they are under the yoke of the Romans. They do the customary thing and go to the synagogue to hear the Book read to them. Jesus has returned home to Nazareth. The people are eager to hear the word from the hometown boy. With assurance he reads from Isaiah, those powerful, familiar passages. He proclaims his mission, here in the town where he grew up: he has come for the poor, the captives, the blind, the oppressed.
There is a sense here of the people holding their breath, of anticipation of the power in the Book, and Jesus said: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
The people are reminded of who they are.
The Book reminds them of who they are called to be-
what they should do-
The Book reminds them God is at work in and through the world.
The Book has the power to challenge the people.
Now I am going to ask you to help with this sermon by responding to these questions-
Is there scripture that makes you weep?
Is there scripture that challenges you?
What power do you believe scripture holds for you? For the world? For the future?
In “The Book of Eli” a young girl asks Eli to read her something from The Book. If you were asked to read a passage to someone who had never heard any scripture- what would it be?
Thanks be to God for the power of The Book.
Amen.