March 26, 2017 – I Samuel 16:1-13; John 9:1-41
I Samuel 16:1-13; John 9:1-41
Hidden Figures – Lent at the Movies IV
Fourth Sunday in Lent – March 26, 2017
First Lutheran Church – Winnipeg, MB
Hidden Figures is a delightful film about three black women in 1960s America.
All three are formidable mathematicians who are employed by NASA as “computers,”
that is, human computers, who make endless computations by hand required by
NASA’s engineers – this is the days before “machine computers” that
make light of all this laborious work.
They work in a part of the NASA Langley campus in Virginia designated for
“Colored Computers.”
The film chronicles the rise of these “hidden figures” from obscurity to prominence,
as NASA realizes that it needs the best minds to compete with the Russians in the
“space race” – regardless of skin colour.
Their rise is challenged by prejudice based both on gender and race and it is not easy.
But the women are plucky and smart – and NASA needs them.
One of the women, Katherine Gobles, eventually comes to calculate the trajectory of
the first American manned – or is that personed? – flight into space by John Glenn.
And he will only go if she does the calculations.
The film is based on a true story, and in real life John Glenn did indeed refuse to go into space
unless Katherine did the calculations that would allow him to return to earth safely.
NASA needed these hidden figures, and part of what you realize when watching the film is
is just how wasteful prejudice is, just how much racism costs us as human beings,
how much our racism keeps down untapped potential.
You especially realize this when Katherine has to run half a mile – sometimes through the rain –
in order to use the washrooms for coloured people.
When her boss – portrayed by a snarly Kevin Costner – eventually discovers what is keeping
Katherine from her desk for long periods every day, he goes to the coloured washroom
and smashes its sign down with a crowbar and says to
an astonished crowd of onlookers, “At NASA we all pee the same colour.”
It might be circumstances that force him to do it as he is desperate to win the space race,
but he nevertheless judges Katherine – in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. –
not on the colour of her skin, but on the content of her character.
Like God in the first reading, he must look on the heart and soul of Mary, on her character,
on her mind – rather than on outward appearance.
That first reading sort of reads like the first ever beauty pageant,
with all the sons of Jesse paraded in front of the prophet Samuel for him to see
which would make the most suitable king to succeed Saul.
Saul himself is tall, strong, and majestic looking – but it’s not working out.
So God tells Samuel to find a new king to replace him.
God tells Samuel to find one among the sons of the obscure Jesse.
So seven of Jesse’s brawny sons are paraded before Samuel,
and Samuel seems a little surprised when God finds none of them appropriate.
So Samuel is forced to ask Jesse, “Are there any more sons you’re not telling me about?”
And Jesse says, “Well, there is the boy in the field tending the sheep.”
And Samuels says, “Bring him.”
The boy is about 15 years old and his name is David.
And God says, “This is the one.”
Now: the curious thing is, even though God has just told Samuel that
God doesn’t look on the outward appearance but looks at the heart, David is beautiful!
He’s a stunner! He’s a 10!
He has a good complexion, beautiful eyes, and is handsome! Hubba hubba!
But apparently that is not why God chooses him.
God chooses him rather because of his character – his “heart” or, better, his “mind,”
or “inner person” or, best of all, maybe, his “character.”
Now if you read on in 1st and 2nd Samuel, you might find this hard to believe.
David is cunning, manipulative, crafty, and ruthless when he needs to be.
He often makes poor choices, and some of his decisions sow seeds that poison his family
for generations.
And you think, nice choice, God.
But hidden within the heart of David is a key to his character that God cherishes in a king:
the ability to ask God for forgiveness when he does wrong.
It is the ability to not let his mistakes define him, and that, to God, is gold.
Okay: David might be good-looking – even great looking –
but there is a lot more to him than that – and God sees it.
Perhaps his youth blinds Jesse and Samuel and the brothers to David’s gifts for leadership,
but God sees beyond that, and exposes David’s gifts – and, despite his shortcomings,
he will indeed be remembered as the greatest king in Israel’s history.
In the Gospel story, everyone – even the disciples – also have their blind spots when it comes to
the man born blind.
They look at the man born blind and all they can see is either a sinner or
someone whose parents sinned –
after all, there must be a bad cause for such a bad malady.
It must be somebody’s fault, they figure.
But Jesus isn’t interested in such things.
Jesus is not interested in assigning blame or focussing on the past.
All Jesus is interested in is the future – Jesus just wants to open our eyes.
The blind man has his eyes opened, first to physical sight, but then to his own tenacity –
to staying true to what he knows is true – and finally to who Jesus is.
The others in the story all need their eyes opened too – mostly to their own blindness,
which they are blind to.
All they can see is a blind man who must have done something bad –
but Jesus looks on the heart and sees a future disciple with gifts of perseverance.
Blindness in this story, writes Bev Piro,
is not about the quality of our vision or the condition of our eyes.
It is not about the darkness around us, but, rather, the darkness within us.
Which is exactly how racism works.
In the film, one of the super capable black women must deal with a white female supervisor
who is keeping her down.
At one point, the white supervisor says to her,
“Despite what you think, I don’t have anything against y’all.”
And Dorothy says to her, “I know, and I know that you probably believe that.”
The white supervisor is blind to her own racism, until it is exposed to her as such,
until it is brought to light.
Jesus says this morning, “I am the light of the world.”
In John’s Gospel, his saying that is no sentimental thing about him glowing in
perfect, heavenly lighting for his photo shoot.
His light, he says over and over, is meant to expose darkness –
and that darkness is often within ourselves.
Jesus is not interested in blame – he is interested in opening people’s eyes.
The story of the black women in Hidden Figures is uplifting because ultimately it, too,
is about shining a light on a forgotten and little known chapter of American history.
It is genuinely eye-opening and inspiring to hear the story of these women,
To have their story brought to light.
The film doesn’t dwell on blame for racism, but does open our eyes to a truth about our society:
that when we pool the resources of everyone, we are better.
That when we draw on the gifts of everyone rather than focussing on blame,
we can go further.
That the darkness is often not so much outside of us as inside of us,
and that our perceptions are powerful.
And that each of us has a duty to let God open our eyes to the darkness within ourselves,
to the complicity each of us has in racism – and move forward into God’s future,
where each person has gifts that can be used for the common good of all.
Jesus does famously say this morning, “I am the light of the world.”
And that is most certainly true.
But we forget he also says, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Well, Jesus in his physical, earthly body, is no longer in the world.
So, then are we without his light?
Thank goodness for the lectionary, and a hidden verse we might not otherwise remember:
in Ephesians the writer tells us,
Once you were darkness, but now, in the Lord, you are light.
Not, you are in the light, or you are like light, or even you can be light – but you are light.
You, now, are the light of the world.
This fact may be hidden from you but you are light.
Math is the hidden science – but traditionally it is the foundation of all science.
To see the math, you need to have a special vision and eyes capable of seeing it.
Hidden Figures takes its name partly from the math that Catherine had to uncover and find to
keep John Glen safe – she could see the hidden figures others could not.
God sees our math – our hidden figures.
Our hidden potential for keeping others safe.
God saw it in David, Jesus saw it in the blind man who became a witness to his work,
and Jesus saw it in the Pharisees – even though they couldn’t see it themselves.
And Jesus sees it in you – and in the person next to you.
You are light.
You are full of light, full of hidden potential.
You, now, are making this day special by just being you – you now are light.
God looks on your heart, and God sees light.
Maybe not perfect light, but light nonetheless.
Maybe not the billion watt bulb light that Jesus is, but light nonetheless.
And, really, a little light goes a long way.
As anyone in perfect darkness knows, even one candle makes a world of difference.
And that one candle – like the black women in Hidden Figures – can light others’ candles,
and light a way where previously there was no way.
Become what you are, hidden no longer: live as children of light.
So together, let us say, “Amen.”
Pastor Michael Kurtz
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