The Rainbow Connection

AM Psalm 50 • PM Psalm [59, 60] or 19, 46
Deut. 9:23-10:5 • Heb: 4:1-10 • John 3:16-21

You are likely to recognize the first verse of today’s reading from the Gospel of John. Some say it is essentially a basic summary of the New Testament, maybe even of the entire Bible.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

The verse shows up on cardboard signs and t-shirts at outdoor athletic events, musical performances, political rallies—in short, any event where there is likely to be a large gathering of people, whether we are there or can view it on television. Former football player Tim Tebow would wear it inscribed on his eye black during a game (“John” under his right eye, “3:16” under his left). When the television camera zoomed in on Tebow’s face as he barked signals, you might or might not have been able to make out the eye black inscriptions—but your chances of seeing them improved in post-game interviews when Tebow’s helmet was off.

You may not recognize the name of Rollen Stewart. But those of us of a certain age remember him at athletic events in the late 70’s and eighties as the man with a rainbow-colored wig and holding a sign that said “John 3:16.” Few of us knew his name, but many of us remember him as “The Rainbow Man.”

According to what I’ve read, The Rainbow Man was at first just looking for attention, but after one day hearing a fundamentalist preacher, he came to believe in the truth of the verse that was cited on his signs and t-shirts. His evangelizing might have been amusing, even inspiring, for a time, but became more serious and problematic as he grew older. One producer is alleged to have threatened any camera operator who gave the Rainbow Man too much screen time. When Rollen Stewart became convinced that the Rapture was coming in 1992, he committed kidnapping and other crimes. Turning down a plea-deal for which he would have served twelve years, he was sentenced to three consecutive life terms in prison, where he is today. He has been denied parole seven times. On February 23 he will turn 79 years old.

It is in the Gospel of John that we read of John the Baptist, the day after he has baptized Jesus:

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” (John 1:29-30)

Not by accident, today’s reading of Psalm 50 reminds us that our sacrifices of living things (bulls and goats are mentioned) without or instead of true thanksgiving are not acceptable to God. In our gospel passage from John for today, we express thanksgiving not for our sacrifice of the sacrificial lamb, but for God’s sacrifice of the lamb for us, because God “so loved the world.”

Consider for a moment that all of us are God’s children. In what ways do we sacrifice those children—our sons and daughters—and each other – to poverty? War? Injustice? And with what motivations?

Consider, too, that when you read this, we will be in Lent. What are we willing to sacrifice? And with what motivations?

Is Rollen Stewart, in prison for the rest of his life, meant to show “belief” gone wrong? Could he be considered to be a kind of sacrifice to show us that we all just need to do better?

My late teacher, John Locke used to say that a question like “Do you believe in God?” is virtually meaningless, or at least, really, really vague. What do you mean by God? What, for that matter, do you mean by “believe?” My Education for Ministry class is to take up this latter question next week, dealing with issues such as what the difference is between belief and faith (I am writing this piece a couple weeks before it will arrive in your emails.) I will leave fuller discussion of that question for another time, although in some of my readings lately it is asserted that the opposite of faith is certainty. Perhaps the kind of certainty that pushed Rollen Stewart over the edge.

Written by James Gamble

James Gamble is grateful for Tuesday night meetings of Education for Ministry at St. Paul’s. He hopes to get to the Jones Center to watch our own University of Arkansas Ice Hogs play, but in the meantime is grateful to be able to watch hockey on television.