Against All Odds
Have you ever experienced the odds against you? It’s not easy when the odds are against you in any field of endeavor. When I graduated from college in 1949 with a major in accounting the odds of me finding a job in the accounting field were against me.
So I had to find something else. When I was in the third grade my teacher told me to learn my multiplication table so I could grow up to be a ditch digger or an elevator operator. She knew the odds were against me as a poor black boy from North Philadelphia. Although the odds were against me I was determined to be more than a ditch digger or an elevator operator. Not that they weren’t honorable jobs. But I believed that some how I could do better than that despite all the odds against me.
The elementary school I attended was right down the street from Temple University. I said to myself that I’m going there someday. My father and mother had never seen the inside of a college. But I said to myself, I’m going there someday. I didn’t know how or when. But I was determined to go there someday.
It’s not easy to succeed at anything when the odds are against you, when you have to overcome obstacles in the way, when you have to leap over high walls, and when you have to swim against the tide. What do you do when the odds are against you?
Back in the book of Jeremiah, the people of Israel faced a situation where all the odds were against them. They had been carried off into captivity into Babylon. They were among a strange people in a strange land. They were so distraught that one of the Psalms has them saying, “How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land.?” You don’t feel like singing when all the odds are against you.
When my first wife died in 1987 I felt like I was in a strange land. I felt as if all odds were against me. Despite it all I didn’t feel like singing because it seemed as if all the odds were against me.
The Jewish people were far away from the towering hills of the city of Jerusalem. They were far away from the friendly confines of the temple where they had worshipped time and time again. No longer could they look to the walls of the city for the protection they had depended on for a long time. In this strange land all the odds were against them. How could they adjust to their new situation? Their very spirits had been crushed by the cruel defeat they had suffered.
But when all the odds were against them there came a letter from the prophet Jeremiah with a message from God. God did not minimize the situation they were in. Their captivity would last for 70 long years. God told them not to listen to those who said there would only be a brief captivity. God told them it was going to be long and hard.
But God told them he hadn’t forgotten them. “I know the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare, not for your harm, plans for a hope and a bright future for you.”
God said when the time comes I’m going to bring you out. In the end I have good plans for you. Your troubles will not last forever. Although all odds are against you now, I will still bring you through. The lesson here is this: God’s plan for us overcomes all odds against us. God’s plan is greater than all the odds against you. We see this enacted time after time in Scripture.
God had a plan and a purpose for Joseph. Joseph even received a hint of God’s plan in his dreams. God’s plan was that Joseph would save his family from starvation when he became second in power to Pharoah in Egypt. But the odds were against it.
When his brothers in a fit of jealousy beat him and dumped him in a pit all the odds were against him. When he was sold into captivity in Egypt all the odds were against him. When he was falsely accused by his master’s wife all the odds were against him. When he was cast into prison all the odds were against him.
But Joseph came through against all odds. God’s plan for Joseph was fulfilled when he was brought from a pit and a prison and elevated to a place in the palace. God’s plans are greater than all the odds against you.
The odds were against Moses bringing a rebellious people out of Egypt. But God’s plans can overcome all odds. The odds were against the people as they faced the turbulent sea before them and felt the hot breath of the Egyptian pursuers behind them. But God’s plans can overcome all odds against you.
The odds were against a little shepherd boy named David becoming King of Israel. But God made him the greatest king of Israel and made him a paradigm for the King of Kings. The odds were against the three Hebrew boys when they were cast into the fiery furnace. But God’s plans will overcome all odds against you. The odds were against Daniel as he faced the gaping jaws of the lions in the cage. But God’s plans are greater than all the odds against you.
But this afternoon you have been invited to a very unusual ordination service. The odds were against this ordination service taking place at all. This service is taking place against all odds. This ordination service is an object lesson that God’s plans can overcome all odds against you. It is possible to have a breakthrough. It is possible to reach your goal. It is possible to overcome even if all odds are against you. This service can show you that you can fulfill your dreams, reach your possibility even against all odds. If God has a plan for you he can overcome all odds against you.
When my wife, Lenora Taylor, entered seminary back in 1995 after the death of her first husband and decided to pursue a call to the ministry of word and sacrament in 1995, all the odds were against her. In fact, when she went to the vocation counseling center which is a requirement for all ministerial candidates in our denomination, the counselor said to her, “You know you have 3 strikes against you already. Do you know what they are?” My wife answered, “The three things are race, age, and gender.”
From the very beginning she was aware of all the odds against her. But she believed it was God’s plan for her to pursue the ministry of word and sacrament. So she went on anyhow despite the odds. Against all odds she went forward to study Greek and Hebrew, and confront all the complexities of theology. Against all odds she tacked final examinations and term papers. Against all odds she faced ordination exams.
But this ordination day has come despite all the odds. When God has a plan for your life, he can overcome all the odds against you. This ordination service illustrates what God can do against all odds. This ordination is taking place against all odds. How did this take place?
But our text in Acts gives us a clue. God did some amazing things at Pentecost. We might say that God broke the odds at Pentecost. God overcame the odds at Pentecost. God was breaking down the barriers between races, cultures, ethnicities, and nationalities. At the tower of Babel, God confused the languages of the world bringing about a division among the nations. But God’s plan was to bless all nations through the Jewish people and of course ultimately through Jesus Christ. At Babel there was confusion of the languages but at Pentecost there was an understanding of the languages. At Babel there was a dispersing of the nations. But at Pentecost there is a hint of bringing the nations together. All heard the good news in their own language. The gospel is for everybody. God is not concerned about the color or the ethnicity of the one bringing the gospel or the race or ethnicity of those receiving the gospel. God was breaking down the odds that separated people. The gospel is for the whole world. This is God’s plan.
But often God’s plan is thwarted. The communication of the gospel is comprised when we worship God inside the box. The odds are against a minister of one race ministering to a people of another race or ethnicity. Churches seeking pastors in our denomination must sign an agreement saying they will consider all applicants regardless of race or ethnicity.
But how often does this happen? The odds are against it. How many churches are willing to think outside the box and call a minister of another race or ethnicity?. There is nothing wrong with this homogeneity in our churches. But the option should be there for people to serve wherever the spirit of God calls them. Lenora was seeking a church regardless of the ethnicity of the congregation. But your search is limited when you restrict it to churches of only one ethnicity. Your possibilities are much greater if you extend your search to all churches regardless of race or ethnicity.
But there was one church who was ready to think outside of the box. They were ready to move on in the plan of God. They were ready to ignore the race or ethnicity of the bearer of the gospel so they could respond to the preaching of the gospel. The odds were against a congregation of a predominantly different race or ethnicity calling someone of my wife’s ethnicity. The odds were against it. But God intended for her to go to this church. God’s plan for you can overcome all odds against you. The odds of race were against her. But God’s plans are greater than all the odds against us.
God was also breaking down the odds against gender. Peter said your daughters shall prophesy. Prophesy does not mean to predict the future. It means to proclaim good news. God has called everybody to proclaim the good news regardless of gender. This actually wasn’t new. The prophet Joel had said this years before. But Peter is putting a new emphasis on it. God was doing a new thing at Pentecost. God intended to break down the patriarchal barrier that had stood between the sexes for centuries. God intended a woman to serve with a man not to be a servant of a man. God intended that there be an equality between man and woman. Some writers have said that Pentecost was the breakthrough for the emancipation of woman. Pentecost was a symbol that God was breaking down the hierarchal barriers between men and women.
Your daughters shall preach. Peter makes it clear when he says that men and women shall prophesy. Today the barrier and odds of gender discrimination are being broken down. It hasn’t been an easy battle. It has been a little more than 50 years since our denomination began ordaining women as elders or pastors. The odds are still against some churches calling a female pastor. This church she is going to has never had a female pastor. The odds might have been against it. But God is greater than all the odds against us.
God was also breaking down the barriers and odds of age. Peter says that the young shall see visions and the old shall dream dreams. You are never too old or too young to serve the Lord. We wondered what church would call my wife at an age when most people of her age are spending their days on the golf course or reclining in some rocking chair. But you are never too old to fulfill God’s promise for you. God’s plans for you can overcome all odds against you, even the odds of age. Jesus said to occupy till he comes. I take that to mean that we are to work for the master until he comes for us. We are to work while it is yet day for the night is soon coming when we will be unable to work. Work as the Lord gives you strength to work. There is work for young and old to do. This ordination is taking place today against all odds, against the odds of gender, against the odds of race, and against the odds of age.
But it is not unusual for God to work against all odds. The very gospel itself was conceived against the odds. All the religions of the earth focus on us striving to reach God. By our own efforts we are to strive to get close to God. But the gospel says that God came down to us. The gospel turns things upside down. The odds were against it. Many people today still don’t believe it. The odds are against it. It is too far-fetched. This majestic God, this transcendent God, this God who sits so high, this God who is so far above us, this God came down to us. The odds are against it. But that was God’s plan.
The odds were against Jesus being born in a manger. The odds were against Jesus being born of a virgin. The odds were against God clothing himself in human flesh and walking with us on the journey of life. The odds are against it. But that was God’s purpose. But that’s why I love the gospel. I love it because the odds are against it. But God’s plan and purpose overcomes all odds. God breaks the odds when he puts his plan in action.
Even Jesus Christ faced all odds against him. When they condemned him and falsely accused him all odds were against him. All odds were against him when they spat in his face and flogged him until the blood came gushing out. All odds were against him when he walked up the hill to Golgatha. All odds were against him when they nailed those spikes into his hands and feet. All odds were against him when they pierced him in the side. All odds were against him as he hung on the cross for six agonizing hours. All odds were against him when he bowed his head and died.
His enemies thought they had him now. All odds were against him ever challenging them with his teaching again. All odds were against him ever undermining their authority. Even the disciples thought all was lost. Jesus was gone. All odds were against ever listening to his preaching again. All odds were against ever walking with him again. Even the women were frustrated because of the large stone in front of he tomb. All odds were against ever seeing him again.
But early Sunday morning against all odds he got up from the grave. That’s the story of the gospel. Even after Peter’s sermon at Pentecost all odds were against the disciples. All odds were against them as they were persecuted and prosecuted. All odds were against them as they endured trials and tribulations for the cause of the gospel. But God had a plan and a purpose for the gospel. Despite all odds the gospel has flourished for over 2000 years. Against all odds millions have put their trust in Jesus. Nobody is too hard for God to save through the gospel. God’s grace is greater than all our sins. The odds are not too great against anyone being saved. God can save the vilest sinner as well as comfort the sweetest saint. Against all odds the church is still rolling on. Against all odds the gospel has spread from shore to shore and from sea to sea. God’s plan for you can overcome all odds against you.
God’s plan for you extends beyond the grave. All of us face the 100 % chance of death. No one can escape the 100% odds of death. But God’s plan for you does not end at the grave. Against all odds I believe Jesus is preparing a place for us in bright mansions above. Against all odds we shall wear a crown when the journey is over. Some would say that Christians are following a pipe dream. The odds are against there being anything beyond this life. But against all odds I believe that I shall dwell the house of the Lord forever. Against all odds I believe that at the right hand of God are pleasures forever more.
This ordination service is a symbol and a sign that God’s power can overcome all odds against us.
Finally, what is God calling you to do? You may not be called into the ministry. But again God may be calling you to the ministry. Some particular tug may have been pulling at your heart for a long time. But you dare not even think about it because the odds are against you. But is there something else you’ve been longing to do or thinking of doing for a long time? Chances are if you have a strong desire to do something it is God’s plan for you. God may have planted that seed, or etched that thought or idea in you.
Search yourself. What one thing would you like to do? It could be anything, big or small. It could be something in your church. It could be something in your neighborhood. It could be something on your job. It could be something in your home. It could be something anywhere. But you may say, “I would do it but the odds are against me.” You may say that you don’t know enough or you are too young or too old. It’s easy to look at all the odds against doing something.
But if God has planted it in your heart he will make a way for you to do it against all odds. There are always odds against doing God’s plan. If there were no odds or obstacles against you, you wouldn’t need God’s help. You could do it in your own strength. But God uses the odds against you to teach you to have faith in him. In our gospel passage in Mark Jesus tells the disciples to have faith in God. Maybe you are in the midst of some situation and you have become discouraged and despondent because the odds are against you. You are ready to quit because all odds are against you.
Don’t give up. Don’t quit. Keep on keeping on. Have faith in God. If you have faith in God you can do anything which is according to God’s purpose and plan for your life. Jesus says you can move mountains if you have faith. You can speak to the mountain and that mountain will be taken up and thrown into the sea. Speak to the odds that are against you. Tell the odds to get out of the way.
One minister preached a sermon entitled the miracle in your mouth. You have a miracle in your mouth. Believe that you can speak on behalf of God and the odds will be overcome. Believe that God can overcome and beat all the odds that stand in your way. Believe you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Have faith in God--not in faith. God is the one who has the power. If God is on your side what can the odds
do against you?
What is God calling you to do? What dreams do you have in your hearts? God overcame all the odds of race, gender, and age facing our ordination candidate today. You too can overcome. You too can overcome if God has a plan for you to do. What is God calling you to do? Forget about all the odds against you. Don’t miss God’s blessing because of the odds against you.
A generation of the people of Israel missed God’s blessings of entering the promised land because of the odds against them. Only Joshua and Caleb were blessed to see the land because they refused to look at the odds but instead focused on the possibilities. God says “I know the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare and not your harm, plans that will give you hope and insure you a bright future.”
No matter what hardships or odds are facing you today, don’t give up. Keep on keeping on. Have faith in God. Keep speaking to those mountains. Keep speaking to those odds.
When I was in the hospital a week or so ago I felt like giving up. I sometimes felt I would never make it out. My stomach was out of order. My brain and thinking were confused from a mugging I had received. I felt like giving up I was frustrated about not being able to preach this ordination sermon. I felt the odds were against me. Yet I knew that God was not yet through with me. He still had plans for my life. After 10 long days in the hospital I came home against all odds.
WHAT ARE THE ODDS AGAINST YOU? GOD HAS HIS PLANS FOR YOU. AND HIS PLANS FOR YOU CAN OVERCOME ALL THE ODDS AGAINST YOU..
Rev. Dr. J. Bernard Taylor
October 2007
