Luke 16:19-31

Luke 16:19-31

Pay Attention

September 29, 2013

Jonesboro Presbyterian Church (Lee County Presbyterian Pulpit Swap)

“I used to think I was poor,” says one comedian. “Then they told me I wasn’t poor, but that I was needy. Then they told me it was self-defeating to think of myself as needy, so I needed to think of myself as deprived. Then they told me not to think of myself as being deprived but rather to think of myself as underprivileged. Then they told me that underprivileged was an overused term.  I needed to think of myself as being disadvantaged.”  “I still don’t have a dime,” this comedian concludes, “but I learned some great new words!”

Maybe this comedian is laughing to keep from crying, because whatever you may call it, being poor isn’t any fun.

“There was a rich man,” Jesus says in Luke 16:19-31  “who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, the rich man looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony . . .”

Friends – if there is a parable of Jesus that should keep us awake at night, the story of the rich man and Lazarus is it.  

Why – you ask – should it keep us awake at night? It should keep us awake at night because, compared to most of the people in the world, we are quite rich.

The famed Bible teacher William Barclay gives this passage the title: “The Punishment of the Man Who Did Not Pay Attention.”

The punishment of the man who did not pay attention. 

Friends – when Jesus is talking about men and woman who do not pay attention to the poor that are right around them, He’s talking about us!  And – He’s saying – that there is punishment for those who do not pay attention to those around them who are poor.    In another passage –  Matthew 25: 42-45 – Jesus says that those who overlook the poor overlook Him, while those who reach out to the poor reach out to Him.

Friends — how many of us ever really notice those in our community who are poor?

How many of us really notice those in our community who are in need?

Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, once worked University Settlement in New York City. She and Franklin were not married at the time, and one afternoon Franklin came to see her and she was tending to a sick child at the Settlement and needed to see that the child was taken home. Franklin said he would go with her, and they took the child to an area not far away from the Settlement and Franklin went with her up the three flights of stairs to the tenement rooms where the child’s family lived. It was certainly not a pleasant place and Franklin Roosevelt looked around in surprise and horror. It was the first time that he had ever really seen a slum. When he got back to the street he drew a deep breath and said: “I didn’t know people lived like that!” (1)

Roosevelt had never paid attention to people in abject poverty – even though they lived right around him.  But he’s not alone. Most of us don’t pay attention to the miserable conditions in which many people in our world – and in our community – live.

           Do you remember Ross Perot? He was a Texas billionaire who ran for President several times.  He had big ears that political cartoonists just loved to draw. In one of his advertisements during his run for President he brought out several charts that described economic life in America. One chart showed the level of poverty of our nation’s children compared to the levels of poverty of children living in European democracies. Perot’s charts showed that about five to seven percent of the children in Europe lived in poverty – while about 20% of children in America lived in poverty.  Perot then shook his head – his big ears flapping – and said: ‘It ain’t right, folks.’”

          Friends — Perot was correct: It ain’t right. And many of us don’t pay attention to the problem. Like the rich man in Jesus’ parable, we don’t pay attention. Of course,  we and the rich man in Jesus’ parable are not alone.  All over the world and in every generation  those who have much in terms of the world’s goods have turned a blind eye and not paid attention to those who have practically nothing. According to a report released by the World Bank, almost half the population of the world live on the equivalent of two dollars a day or less. Of these, some 1.1 billion survive in extreme or absolute poverty on less than one dollar.

Does anybody care? Is anyone paying attention? A few do care and a few do pay attention, but it is still amazing to what lengths some people will go to not notice and not pay attention. 

          Brazil is a country with an even wider gap than the U.S. between the haves and the have-nots. I read recently that in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the trying to wall off the poor from the rest of the population. The city’s rich, however, have literally risen above it all by using helicopters to bypass poorer areas. There are now 240 helicopter landing pads in Sao Paulo, Brazil compared to just ten in New York City. (3)

I guess that’s one way to ignore and not pay attention to the problem. Get a helicopter and fly over it all. The rich man in Jesus’ parable would probably have bought himself a helicopter if they had been available back then. He probably settled for a golden carriage with thick curtains so he would not have to look at Lazarus lying there helplessly at his gate. Notice that Jesus said in his parable that Lazarus “was laid” at the rich man’s gate. He didn’t walk there or drive there. He was an invalid who had to be laid there. Lazarus was totally helpless. There were no welfare programs. He obviously had no family to care for him. All he could do was beg, but the rich man couldn’t be bothered even to share a few coins. He refused to even pay attention to the man at his doorstep. He was the man who refused to pay attention.

But, friends, there was one who did pay attention.

 God paid attention.

The time came when Lazarus died. And what happened then? Jesus tells us, “The angels carried Lazarus to Abraham’s side.” What a beautiful image. This time it wasn’t friends or concerned neighbors who carried Lazarus home at the end of a long day of begging. It was the angels. God knew Lazarus’ situation. God had paid attention. God cared about Lazarus.

I like the fact that in this parable it is Lazarus who makes a name for himself. It is Lazarus that is named – and the rich man who is anonymous. We know Lazarus’ name, but not the name of the man who refused t pay attention to him. Jesus identified Lazarus; Lazarus was named. That is significant. In no other parable of Jesus is a character named – but Jesus gives the poor man a name. Why do you think that is?   I think Jesus did this to show that Lazarus – who the rich man did not know and did not pay attention to – was known and honored by God — and the rich man who did not pay attention to Lazarus was not known or honored by God. Lazarus knew God and was known by God. His very name, Lazarus, means “God is my Help” or “God is my Helper”. When Jesus gives a name to Lazarus but does not give a name to the rich man, He turns our understanding of who’s who upside down.   He reminds us that those who think they are so important in the world – or that we think are so important – may really be nameless to God – while those we turn away from and do no pay attention to may be the very ones God makes important and identifies with.    

Sara Bunge puts it this way:

“By naming Lazarus and not the rich man, Jesus’ story completely contrasts with worldly understandings of who’s who. “As was His style, Jesus reminds us that heaven is the opposite of this world in many respects, especially when it comes to rating an individual’s worth in society.” Ms. Bunge asked her high-schoolers to name some rich people in our society. They came up with names like Bill Gates, Donald Trump, the Middle Eastern oil guys, and Oprah. Then she asked them for names of the people in their town who beg, or are homeless. The students made vague references to that one guy who sleeps

behind the store that crazy lady always asking for change when they come out of McDonalds.

 Bunge writes, “We all understood what Jesus was saying: God cares about

everybody, even and especially those that society would rather not pay attention to and definitely not name.” (4)

God noticed Lazarus and cared about him. God also noticed the actions of the rich man who refused to pay attention to the poor man on his doorstep. Jesus says “The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, the rich man looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony . . .’”

Why do you suppose the rich man was in Hades? Maybe it’s because God noticed him just as he noticed Lazarus.

But — why did God deal with him so harshly? Jesus doesn’t tell us of any vicious, glaring sin – he was not cruel, as far as we know – he may have been an  upright citizen, respected and well liked. In society’s eyes he may have been honored and highly esteemed. People may have thought well of him. So – what was his sin? Why was he in Hades?

His sin was the sin of not paying attention.

He was in Hades because he did not pay attention.

Friends – we had better listen to this parable.  We had better listen up.

How often do you and I take time to pay attention to the people around us?  

How often do we pay attention to their needs and their concerns?

We need to pay attention to the homeless person asking for handouts and we need to pay attention to the lonely teenager who we may see every day but just pass by. We need to pay attention to the mother who is trying to keep her family together after her husband has abandoned them. We need to pay attention to the elderly person no one visits. We need to pay attention to the jobless guy who is being left behind by a culture that no longer values his talents. We need to pay attention to the Hisapnic family struggling to make ends meet while they struggle to live in a country where everything is strange to them.  And we even need pay attention to the person who may be sitting just a short distance from us in Church who has just received a devastating report from a doctor. We need to pay attention to what others are going through in their lives – and show them God cares by showing them that we care.

When he  was a child Jack Casey needed to have surgery and was terrified. But there was a nurse who remained by his side, holding his hand, reassuring him that everything would be okay. “I’ll be right here, no matter what,” she told him. And she kept her word; she was there and greeted him with a smile the moment he opened his eyes. Years later, Jack became a paramedic and he was called to the scene of an accident. A man was pinned upside down in his pickup. Jack did his best to free the trapped man even as gasoline dripped down on them. The man was afraid that he was going to die as the rescuers worked to free him. One spark and the whole scene would go up in flames. Jack remembered back to that time when he was a child and the nurse who never left. He took the man’s hands and squeezed them as he said, “Don’t worry! I’m right here with you! I’m not going anywhere!” Days after the rescue, the two men embraced as the driver said to Jack, “You know, you were crazy to stay there with me. We both could’ve died.” Jack smiled and said “I just couldn’t leave you. ” (5)

Here is the point, friends – if you don’t remember anything else I’ve said, remember this:  There was a time when each of us were spiritually dead – spiritually a beggar like Lazarus lying at the gate and totally helpless. Chris, though, noticed us and Christ loved us and gave us a name. As we remember that truth, that compassion, and that grace Christ showed us, Christ calls us to look around and see someone who needs our attention, our compassion, and our love and reach out to them.  Make it a point to pay attention to those around you – whoever they may be and whatever their need may be – and show them the love that Christ has shown you.

God wants you to pay attention to and reach out to others just as He has to you – but you can’t do this if you never take time to pay attention to others and look beyond you own cares and concerns. Friends — don’t be like the rich man who will forever be remembered as the person who refused to pay attention. Look around you today, and every day, and pay attention to and show God’s love to someone who needs it.  Amen.

——————————————

1. Leonard & Thelma Spinrad, Spekers Lifetime Library (Paramus, NJ: Revised &

Expanded, 1997), p. 228.

2. Richard Watson, Future Files: A Brief History of the Next 50 Years (Boston:Nicholas Breasley Publishing, 2010).

3. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Proper+21%3A+September+26,+2004.-a0120526513.

4. The Rev. Dr. Thomas G. Long,http://day1.org/1051-meeting_the_good_samaritan

Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:1-13

“No Point In Having It If You Don’t Use It!”

September 22, 2013

            This Parable — this story that Jesus told of the dishonest manager — is a little difficult for us to understand. 

            What is Jesus saying here? What does all this mean?

            Parables are stories that are intended to teach a lesson – so – what’s the lesson here?    

            How do you think Jesus would this story if He were telling it today?

            Well – while we can’t really be sure – but maybe it would go something like this:

            Joe worked for a major textile corporation.  This corporation made a variety of products — carpets, towels, rugs, bed sheets — almost anything desired in textiles were manufactured by this company. Joe was always looking for ways to make money — ways to “get ahead” — and he didn’t care if the money was made honestly or otherwise. Because he wanted to make money and didn’t care if he came about it by honest means or not, Joe came up with a plan to make some extra money – in fact  a lot of extra money.  Sense he was one of the top executives in the corporation, he learned months in advance what new products they were planning to distribute and what innovations would be introduced to products already on the market.  Every year when he was told of new products or innovations on old ones, he would immediately inform the competition — and — as you can imagine — he would be paid a great deal of money for doing this. Everything went as planned until one day at a staff meeting his boss informed the group that they thought that someone was tipping off the competition — and they would discover — and fire — whoever it was.  Joe felt that the boss was looking directly at him as he said this, but instead of “coming clean” and confessing to his boss, Joe got busy land learned all the advanced styles and techniques in the business.  If he was going to be fired, he thought to himself, he was going to make sure he knew everything there was to know about the business so he would be able to secure another job with one of the other textile corporations in the area. 

            Sure enough — one day Joe’s boss called him into the office.  He had been discovered.  He was fired. He acted as if he were upset — but the very next day it was announced that Joe had secured a higher-paying job at one of the competing textile firms.

            Now — what do you think Jesus would say about Joe?

            Would He say that Joe had done a good job — and that our business ethics and dealings should be like his?

            Of course Jesus wouldn’t say that.

            But — what He might say is: “I wish my people would be as crafty and scheme as much about how to get my work done as this man was in planning how to get his job done.”

            Jesus would not condone Joe’s actions. In fact, He didn’t condone the actions of the man His story here in Luke 16.  The dishonest steward was a scoundrel. Jesus is not condoning shady business practices at all in this parable – but he may be saying here:   “Why can’t y’all be just as worried about my work as this manager was about his?” “Why can’t y’all plan — scheme — and plot ways to get my work done? You plan and scheme and plot to get your work done — why not mine?”

            Friends — how do you use what God has given you?

            Do you use all you have for God’s kingdom — to spread God’s love to the world —  to get God’s work done in the Church, the community, and the world  — or do you use what   has given you for your own  glory – to do your will — to satisfy your desires – without considering God’s will for you?

            Where are your priorities? Is it a priority for you to use what you have — what God has blessed you with — for worldly things –such as your job — your entertainment — your material needs – or is it your priority to use what you have and  to do what you can to serve God and serve others?

            Jesus is not saying here that the actions of the manager in His parable were right — but He is saying that we need to be as concerned with getting God’s work done as the dishonest manager was in getting his own work done. 

            Think about it — are you all that different from this manager in Jesus’ story? Sure – you may not cheat and defraud as this manager did — but if you’re like mst people you have your own ways of making sure that your businesses is a success — and that your needs are taken care of — and that your job  is secure. I am sure that you make certain that you use everything that you have to make your business or your job as lucrative for you as possible.           

            But what about God’s work? What do you use to make sure that the work of God’s will is getting done?

What about the Church? What do you use to make sure that the work of the Church gets done in the best way possible?

            Too many times God’s work gets what’s left over after you get your work done — the leftover time — the leftover energy — the leftover ideas — the leftover enthusiasm. Friends — it should not be that way. You need to use what you have for God’s work in the Church, in the community, and in the world —  not what you have left over.

            God has blessed you with so much. It’s up to you to look for — plan for — and yes — even scheme ways to use what God has blessed you with for God’s work — God’s glory — and to show God’s love in the Church, the community, and the world. 

            God has blessed you with so much – God may be asking:

            “What are you doing with what I have given you? Are you using it to do my work and my will in the Church — the community – and the world?”

            When it comes to the gifts and abilities God has given you  — there is no point  in having them if you don’t use them!

            There is no point in having an ability if you don’t use it for God!

            You need to use what you have — and all that you have — to get the work of God in the Church, the community, and the world accomplished. You need to spend as much time planning how you can help   accomplish God’s work as you spend time planning how you are going to accomplish yours.  You need to commit  your time to God’s work – just as you do to ours.  You need to take the work of God as seriously as you do your other jobs.

            You might spend hours planning how to make your business a success and doing what you need to do to make your business successful – but how much time do you spend planning how to make the work of God in the Church – the community – and the world a success? God has indeed blessed you – and it’s up to you to use what He has blessed us with.

            Yea — when it comes to the abilities and gifts God has given you – there is no point in having it if you don’t use it!

            Use what God has given you to get God’s work done! Get involved in the work of God in the world!

            The work of God — the work of the Church – the work God wants to do in the community and in the world — is of vital importance to us — to the Church – to the community and to the world.     It takes commitment. It takes time.   It takes planning. It takes all you have. It takes your realizing God’s gifts to you and using all that God has blessed you with to get His work done.

            Yes — it takes time to participate in the work of the Church – in the worship – the learning — the fellowship – and the outreach that goes on here and in the community. I’m not going to lie to you and say that it doesn’t. What I  will say, though, is that you need to be willing to take the time it takes to participate in as many of the services, programs, and activities that we have – as many  of the  things God is doing through us here at Edgewood – as you can. You also need to take the time to help plan how the work of the Church — the work of God in the community and the world – can get done in the best way possible. The work of the Church – the work God is doing and calls you to take part in within these walls and in the community takes time. It also takes money. It also takes commitment.  It takes imagination.  It takes all these things — just like your daily job does. Be willing to give the work of God in the Church – the community – and the world the things you can give it so it can get done.  

            When it comes to the abilities and gifts God has given you – there is indeed no point in having it if you don’t use it!

            In the book A Third Helping Of Chicken Soup For The Soul  Marion Doolan relates the following story of how she discovered how rich she really was — and how she could use what God had blessed her with. She tells the story this way —

            On a cold winter day two children in ragged  outgrown coats knocked on her door.  When she went to the door, one of them asked:

            “Any old papers, lady?”

            Doolan was busy working on her household budget – but asked the children in and served them cocoa and toast with jam to fortify them against the chill outside. As the children drank the cocoa and ate the toast, Doolan went back to the kitchen and started to work on her household budget again. After a few minutes she peeked back into the room where the children were and noticed that one of the children held the empty cup in which she had served them the cocoa in her hands, looking at it. One of the others asked Doolan: , “Lady…are you rich?”

           “Am I rich? Mercy, no!” Doolan replied.

            The child holding the cup put her cup back in its saucer – carefully.

             “But you must be’ — the other child said – “Your cups match your saucers.”

         After the children left, Doolan  began to prepare her supper — potatoes and  gravy — and thought to herself – matching cups and saucers, potatoes and brown gravy, things she took for granted – but things  these children thought were signs of wealth.   As she moved the chairs back from the fireplace where she had served the children she thanked God for how rich she really was – and prayed to always use what she had to get God’s work done.

            Friends – you may want to get rich – but the truth is you are rich! God has richly blessed you with so much that you can use in here in this Church, in this  community, and in the world. It’s up to you to use what God has given you.

            What good is it if you don’t use it?

            Indeed — why can’t you be like the manager in Jesus; parable in Luke 16:1-13 — — planning, plotting, talking about, and discovering new ways to be about the work of God? The work of God in this Church – the work of God in this community – and the work of God in the world  takes all you have! A better way to put that is that it takes all God has blessed you with! Don’t hake what God has blessed you with for granted – don’t let it go to waste.  Don’t let it be of no use because you don’t use it!

            Don’t take the work of God in this Church, in this community, and in the world for granted — but use what God has blessed you with for His glory and His work. God has blessed you with so much – but there is no point in having it if you don’t use it!   Amen.

 

Jeremiah 18:1-11, Luke 14:25-33

Jeremiah 18:1-11

Luke 14:25-33

What Will Be Your Legacy?

9/8/13

             I recently heard a story about a guy named Bob. Bob was single and worked in a very successful family business. His father was in very poor health, and Bob knew that when his father died he would inherit the family business and the fortune that his father had made, so Bob decided to get married so he would have a wife to share his soon-to-be abundant wealth with. One evening Bob was attending an investment meeting, and he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her natural beauty took his breath away. He knew this was the woman he wanted to marry and share his life,  and his soon to be fortune, with.   He introduced himself to her and said: “I may look like just an ordinary guy, but in a few more years I will inherit $200 million.” Impressed, the woman asked for his business card. Three days later, this beautiful woman became – not Bob’s  wife —  but his stepmother!

                      Now there’s a woman who had a plan for success! Everybody needs a plan in today’s fast changing world — though marrying a wealthy widower may not work for everybody. But the world is changing and we need to be prepared – to have plan for our lives.

In the passage from Luke 14:25-33 I read a few minutes ago  there were many people who were starting to follow Jesus. Did they know what they were getting into? Unbridled enthusiasm has its place, but it must be tempered with reason. So Jesus uses an analogy. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’” Jesus then moves  to another analogy. “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”

You know — Jesus is stating a solid spiritual principle in practical and recognizable terms. People fail in business. People also fail in life. And the reasons are often the same.

One guy said sadly, “I started out on the theory that the world had an opening for me. I was right. Today I’m in a hole.”  We know what he was talking about, don’t we? The person who does not sit down and count the costs – whether in building a tower or conducting a military campaign or building a life–can find themselves in a  deep hole. Successful living begins with a plan.  The old saying is true: people who fail to plan, plan to fail.

An Englishman named Lionel Burleigh decided to become a newspaper man. He was unhappy with the depth of reporting in British newspapers at the time, so he decided to publish his own paper. He called his paper the Commonwealth Sentinel.  He worked diligently for weeks writing articles, promoting the newspaper on billboards, selling advertising space, and printing up 50,000 copies. He was determined to make the first edition a success. After the first edition of the newspaper was printed, Burleigh was resting in his hotel room when he was interrupted by a call from the London police. “Have you anything to do with the Commonwealth Sentinel?” the officer asked.  Well, yes, I am the publisher Burleigh replied – waiting for the officer to congratulate him on his new paper.  But the officer continued:  “There are 50,000 of these newspapers blocking Albemarle Street.” Oops. With the hundreds of details to attend to when publishing a newspaper, Burleigh had overlooked one critical detail: He never got a distributor. Nobody was out delivering his newspapers. They were sitting in the middle of the street blocking traffic. The Commonwealth Sentinel folded the following day. (1)

You know — Lionel Burleigh  was probably a fine man. He may have even been a smart man in many ways. But his plan was not completely thought out. Like the man who ran out of money building a tower or the king who brought too few soldiers into battle, Lionel simply didn’t take all the necessary contingencies into consideration.

How much time do you spend planning your life?  Some people spend more time planning for a vacation than they do planning for their life. We are so busy with so many things in our lives, we may not even think about the things that really matter. So — to help you as you plan your life — I want to ask you some questions that I believe you will have to answer.

The first question is: what kind of legacy do you hope to leave?  Some day you will no longer be here. How will people remember you? In what ways will the world be a better place because you’ve been here?

One of the habits of successful people that Stehen Covey writes about in his book The Seven Habits Of Highly Successful People is begin with the end in mind. Covey writes that – if you were to die tomorrow – what would you leave behind? Which of your values would you want to pass on to others? Covey than asks — Are you living out those values right now? Covey asks you to think about your funeral.  What would you want your family – your friends – your  co – workers – people who attend Church with you —  to say about you?  Would you want them to say that you were kind and loving – that you  did what you could to love others and help others – that you were an example of God’s love to them? This is what Covey calls your legacy – what people remember about you. And – who wouldn’t want  this kind of legacy – who wouldn’t want people to say these types of things about them?  Covey then points out – and it is so true – that if you want to leave a legacy of being a loving, devoted family member and friend – a person who follows God and tries to show God’s love to others with actions and words — then you are going to have to be a devoted and loving family member and friend – you are going to have to follow God and you are going to have to show God’s love to others in all you say and all you do. Your legacy is based upon your life.  You are building your legacy every day.   Beginning with the end in mind, Covey says, is deciding what you want your legacy to be – then building and planning your life around that.

This is the kind of thought for life that Jesus encouraged among his followers in the Luke 14 passage we are looking at today and in so many other teachings.

What kind of legacy do you hope to leave to those you love and to the world?

Here’s a similar second question for you to consider as you plan your life:

What is your sentence? 

Clare Boothe Luce, one of the first women to serve in Congress,  once offered some advice to President John F. Kennedy. “A great man,” she told him, “is a sentence.” Abraham Lincoln’s sentence was: “He preserved the union and freed the slaves.” Franklin Roosevelt’s sentence was: “He lifted us out of a Great Depression and helped us win a world war.” Luce feared that Kennedy’s attention was so splintered among different priorities that his sentence risked becoming a muddled paragraph. (2)

As you consider your purpose for your life, your plan for life, you might want to ask yourself:  What’s my sentence?

My Dad and I once went to a professional football game in Atlanta. We saw the Falcons play the then- Baltimore Colts.  We saw several great football players that day – including Earl Morral and Bubba Smith. Bubba Smith tells of how he once came face-to-face with his sentence many years ago, and how he didn’t like it. Bubba was a big man who first came into prominence playing football at Michigan State University where he was an A ll-American defensive end. The first selection of the 1967 NFL Draft, he played nine years in the pros. He was named to two Pro Bowls and was a First-Team All-Pro in 1971. After football, Smith was recruited to appear in commercials for Miller Lite beer. He and fellow NFL veteran Dick Butkus were cast as inept golfers and polo players in the TV spots. In one of the most memorable ads, Smith recited the virtues of the beer, beaming into the camera, “I also love the easy-opening cans,” while ripping off the top of the can. But Smith walked away from the job because he didn’t like the effect drinking had on people and he realized that he was contributing to a significant social problem. In a magazine article about his life, Bubba Smith said that neither beer nor any other alcoholic beverage had ever been part of his life. But he advertised Lite beer and felt good about his job. It was an easy job. It was an enjoyable job, it paid a good salary. Until one day when he went back to Michigan State, his alma mater, as the Grand Marshal of the Homecoming Parade. As he was riding in the limousine at the head of the parade, he heard throngs of people on both sides of the parade route shouting. One side was shouting, “Tastes great!” and the other side was shouting, “Less filling!”– the slogans Miller Lite used to promote their products. Bubba Smith suddenly realized that he and the beer commercials that he made had had a tremendous impact on the students at Michigan State, and he was becoming known as “Mr. Miller Lite”.  When it came time to renew his contract, he refused to sign because he said that he didn’t want his life to count for something like that. He said that there was a still, small voice in his mind that kept saying, “Stop, Bubba. Stop.” Bubba Smith didn’t want the sentence he would leave as his legacy to be “Tastes great! Less filling!” So he walked away.

What sentence will one day summarize your life? “He was a great father.” “She kept a spotless home.” “He had a bad temper.” “She wore the cutest outfits.” How about if that sentence was, “He or she was a genuine disciple of Jesus Christ.” 

Here in Luke 14 Jesus was addressing people who were considering becoming Hhis disciples. He wanted them to understand what was involved. He didn’t need half-hearted saints. He wanted people who were willing to leave everything they considered important– if that were ever needed- -in order to follow Him.

Would you measure up to that standard?

            Years ago there was a remarkable village in southeastern France called La Chambon. What made this village remarkable is that the residents of that village, as a community, risked their lives to protect Jews during World War II. In later years documentaries were made about them and  a wonderful book titled Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed was written about them by Philip P. Hallie. But the villagers tended to be irritated by questions that made their risks sound noble or praiseworthy. “What else would you do?” they responded. “You do what needs to be done.” (3)

            That would be a good one-sentence legacy: They did what needed to be done.

            You may have heard the story of Tom Burnett, a passenger on United Flight 93 which went down in Pennsylvania n 9/11.  When he and other passengers began realizing what was happening  — that two planes had hit the World Trade Center  and that their plane had been hijacked – he called his wife and told her: “I know we’re going to die,” he said. “But some of us are going to do something about it.” And because they did, many other lives were saved.

            Now — “I know we’re going to die,” is an unremarkable statement. Each of us here today could say the same. But those other words, “Some of us are going to do something about it,” is an inspiring one sentence legacy.

            What will be your legacy?

What one sentence would you want to define your life?

Are you living right now so that that legacy may be achieved?

God wants to shape your life – then use you to accomplish His will in the world.  That’s what Jeremiah realized when he noticed the potter shaping the clay.  God has a purpose for your life  – a legacy for you to live that includes living a life that serves Him and others – and shows His love to others.

Jesus said: “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? . . . Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”

            So — what will be your leagcy?

            What is the sentence you are writing for your life? 

            Better questions are — What is legacy God wants you have? 

            What is the sentence God wants you to write for your life?

            Are you living according to God’s purpose for your life today?

            Are you writing the sentence God wants you to wrote?

            Every day you are living your  legacy  — writing your sentence.

            May you legacy – your sentence — be that you love God and do what you can to serve God and others, 

 

1.      Leland Gregory, Stupid History Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions Throughout the Ages (Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, 2007), p. 173.

2.      . Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us (New York: Penguin, 2009).

3.      John Ortberg, The Me I Want To Be: Becoming God’s Best Version Of You (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), p. 75.

 

Jerermiah 2:4-13, Luke 14:1, 7-14

What Is Our Mission?

Jeremiah 2:4-13

Luke 14:1,7-14

September 1, 2013

In Walking On Water Madeline L’Engle relates a science fiction story about a planet that  earth was attempting to colonize. The planet was harsh in climate and it’s inhabitants hostile. The best men and women that could be gathered were brought together into teams and sent to establish a colony on this harsh, unwelcoming planet, but expedition after expedition returned to earth broken after each one tried and failed to gain a foothold. Finally a new general was charged with the responsibility of making the colonization venture work, but instead of looking for the strongest and most qualified people he could find to send for establishing the colony he went to the waterfronts, to the slums, to the darkest places on earth and got together a contingent of thieves and indigents — the most “down and out” people he could find – and sent them to colonize this harsh planet. And – guess what? Where the strongest had failed, the “down and out” succeeded. Now – you may ask why the “down and out” succeeded when the strongest had failed. Well, for several reasons. First of all, they already had learned to survive in a hostile environment. Second, they had no place to go but up. (1)

You know — throughout Jesus’ ministry the Pharisees, Sadducees, their Scribes, and other religious leaders grumbled about the kind of people who came to hear Jesus. Many of those who gathered around Jesus were uneducated people who could care less about the Pharisees, Sadducees, and their Scribes and the pomp and finery many of them added to the Jewish religion, and the Sadducees and Pharisees didn’t like them either.  They regarded Jesus’ followers as the scum of the earth — fishermen, tax‑collectors, prostitutes and others they considered “unclean” and did not allow to enter the Synagogues for worship.  It particularly galled the Pharisees and Sadducees when Jesus said that these people – these “sinners” – the people of low social status — would go into the kingdom of God before they, the religious elite, would. This was a bizarre teaching to many of Jesus’ listeners, yet Jesus made it clear that He had not come for the “righteous” who thought they had God all figured out – but for the “sinners” who knew they needed God in their lives.

“When you give a luncheon or dinner,” He says in today’s lesson from Luke 14 “do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

If Jesus were still on earth today I doubt He would be invited to be a speaker at one of the many popular Church Growth seminars that are so popular these days. One of the major tenets of many of these seminars is that successful churches, like successful businesses, should choose a target audience, preferably one like everyone else in the Church, to try to reach for membership.  For example, in his best – selling book, The Purpose Driven Church, Rick Warren writes about their “target market.” He writes: “Our Target: Saddleback Sam. He is well educated. He likes his job. He likes where he lives. Health and fitness are high priorities for him and his family. He’d rather be in a large group than a small one. He is skeptical of ‘organized’ religion. He likes contemporary music. He thinks he is enjoying life more than he did five years ago. He is self-satisfied, even smug, about his station in life . . .”

That’s the kind of person Saddleback Church is trying to reach. And what church wouldn’t want members like that? Good job, strong family, healthy, well-educated–gather enough people in that demographic and your church is going to be extremely successful as the world terms success.

And yet – are those are the people whom Jesus told us to target?

No – Jesus says to invite – to target – “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” – the sinners – the ones who are not like us – the ones who are “misfits” – the ones others don’t want to have anything to do with. These are the people Jesus tells us to “target” in our Church. These    are the people Jesus himself targeted in His ministry.

On one occasion Jesus declared, “I have come to seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). And on another occasion He declared, “The well have no need for a physician, but those who are sick” (Mark 2:17) When He stood up to preach his first sermon and announced His mission, He read that God: “has anointed me to preach good news to the poor; sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18).

Yea — Jesus saw His mission as trying to reach the poor, the blind, those who were oppressed and who were captives- – but these are the last people on earth – the last people in their community — the average church today is trying to attract. These are the last people most churches have as their “mission” or their goal for reaching in their community and the world.

What about us? What about us – here at Edgewood? Is our mission – our goal – to attract folks like us – or to reach out to the poor and needy – the ones Jesus reached out to in His ministry?

What is our mission?

I’m afraid that Reggie McNeal is right on the mark when he writes:

“Church culture in North America is a mere vestige of the original Christian movement, an institutional expression of religion that is in part a civil religion and in part a club where religious people can hang out with other people whose politics, world-view, and lifestyle match theirs.” (2)

Ouch! That description of the church hits the nail squarely on the thumb, doesn’t it? And it hurts! But it’s true — we want to be around people who are like us. That’s only natural, but it does not make it Christian or Christ – like.

One of Sally and my friends in Reidsville went on a camping trip across the country to the Grand Canyon. When he got back he told us about how at night his friend and he would stop and camp – and would sit by the camp fire and review everything they had seen that day and plan for what they would see the next day. He says they would sit by their camp fire until late into the evening, but he began to notice how he and his friend enjoyed sitting around their own campfire, while all the other campers at the camp site sat around their own camp fires. Rarely would anyone venture into the darkness, and rarely would anyone enter another groups camp space. Each camping group, he said, was content in its own space, safe from the darkness and secluded from outsiders in is own exclusive fellowship.  

When he related this part of his trip to us I thought—that’s a great metaphor for the average church — content in its own space, safe from the darkness and secluded from outsiders in its own exclusive fellowship.

And yet – Jesus says: “When you give a luncheon or dinner do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors . . . when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.”

So what is Jesus saying to us in this strange teaching?

He’s saying that the church is the one institution in our society that does not exist for the benefit of its own members.

Sure, it’s natural to want to be around people who are like us, but Christ wants us to do something that is very unnatural- – Christ wants us to reach out to those who may not be like us, but who need us to show them His love.

So – again — is our mission – our goal – here at Edgewood to attract folks like us – or to reach out to the poor and needy – the ones Jesus reached out to in His ministry?

What is our mission?

Yea – the Church is the one institution in our society whose mission is not to focus on benefitting its own members. The Church’s mission is to focus on “the others” – the poor, the needy, the “down and out”,  the “sinners”. The Church’s mission is to show them the love of God.

That’s been God’s mission from the beginning.  In our passage from Jeremiah 2 God is upset with the people of Israel – His chosen people – because He had called them to show His love to the rest of the world, but they had chosen to feel proud that God had chosen them and not   share His love. God’s response to this was to choose to no longer love the people who did not share His love.

Our mission as a Church – our mission as God’s people – needs to be sharing God’s love with all people – particularly the poor, the needy, and the “sinners”, those who need to experience  it the most.    

Have you ever noticed how there are usually 3 groups of people at a car accident?  You usually have one group of people that are the bystanders and onlookers. They are curious and watch to see what happened, but take little active involvement in helping those in the accident.  Most of them drive by and look – but keep on driving.  The second group is the group that stands around and tries to assign blame for the accident. They may try to figure out who was at fault – sometimes without regard for the facts. Then there’s the third group of people — the police, the firemen, and the paramedics. Their first response is to help those who were hurt. They bandage wounds, free trapped people, and give words of encouragement. Three groups — one is uninvolved, one is assigning blame and assessing punishment, and one is bandaging wounds, freeing trapped people, and giving words of encouragement.

Friends, when it comes to the hungry, the homeless, the down and out, the “sinners” those that Jesus reached out to and made the focus for his mission on earth – too many times we act like the first group of people at an accident. Instead of showing God’s love and making them the focus for our mission as they were the focus of Jesus’, we act mere spectators.  We may say: “I don’t want to get involved.” We may drive by them and look the other way. Then again sometimes we act like the second group of people at an accident– assigning blame without really knowing the facts. We are quick to criticize those in need and slow to show them the love of God. Rarely do we see them as the focus of our mission as a Church and act like the third group of people at an accident – the police, firemen, and paramedics who assess needs and meet them.

Jesus saw His mission as trying to reach the poor, the blind, those who were oppressed and who were captives- – but these are the last people on earth – the last people in their community — the average church today is trying to attract. These are the last people most churches have as their “mission” or their goal for reaching in their community and the world.

What about us? What about us – here at Edgewood? Is our mission – our goal – to attract folks like us – or to reach out to the poor and needy – the ones Jesus reached out to in His ministry?

What is our mission?

But you know – having Jesus’ mission for the poor – the homeless – those in need – the down and out – the “sinners” as our mission is not easy. It is much easier to be a spectator or to sit back and pass judgment on others than it is to get our hands dirty and seek to minister to the needs of others. But that is not what Jesus wants from us. He wants us to reach out to those “who cannot pay us back.” He wants that to be our mission in our community and the world.

I read a wonderful story about a children’s worker named April McClure. April teaches a Wednesday Bible study for boys and girls in her church. One day a nine-year-old boy named Brandon came to April’s class. Immediately she could see he was going to be a troublemaker. Within 30 seconds of entering the room, he had pulled a chair out from under a girl, punched the only other boy in the class in the arm, and used a four-letter word rarely heard in that church. His family history was not a pretty one. His father was in jail for the third time. He had been abused by his mother, who was no longer allowed to see him, and so he was living with his grandmother. She worked afternoons and evenings. The woman who provided childcare for him while the grandmother worked was not available until 6 p.m. The principal of Brandon’s grade school had heard that April’s Bible study lasted until 7:30, and so, for at least one night a week, Brandon would not be on his own for three hours. Imagine being a children’s teacher and having Brandon in your class. Imagine him constantly changing the subject to talk about things that he had heard from his 20-year-old uncle about girls. Think about listening with apprehension as he told the other children stories he had heard about his father in jail. April McClure did her best to reach out to Brandon. She set him right next to her in the Bible class and she let him help with passing out papers when he behaved himself. She helped him try to control his anger, to keep him from striking out at other children. Even during recreational times, though, Brandon acted up, hitting and pinching the other children. During music, he goofed around and carried on conversations; during meal time, he was an absolute terror–throwing food, spitting at people, and making the little kids cry. April and the other leaders didn’t know what to do. They secretly hoped that his grandmother would make other arrangements for him. The other kids missed an occasional Wednesday but not Brandon. He was there every single week. After about seven months of this, however, April noticed a change in Brandon. He started giving her a hug when he left for the evening with his babysitter. One day, she saw him in the grocery store, and he ran up to her, and pulled her over to meet his grandmother who was one of the cashiers. One day toward the end of the school year, the Bible study class was discussing hospitality, and April   asked the kids to think about the place where they felt most secure, most at home. Some said their bedrooms, or some other place in their homes. When it came to Brandon, he said, ‘Man, I’ve lived in a million places.’ They all laughed and waited for him to go on. He asked, ‘You mean the place where I feel happy and safe?’ April said yes. ‘Oh,’ he said matter-of-factly, ‘That’s right here in my church.’” (3)

            Friends, Jesus wants all people to find a safe place, a secure, happy place in the Church. He doesn’t want anyone to feel left out. His mission was to reach out to all people with God’s love. But you know — most churches don’t really want people who have problems. A lot of times  people who have problems cause problems. Like Brandon when he first came to April’s Bible Study. Yet these are the people for whom God’s heart aches, and these are the people He has calls us to reach out to.  These are the people God calls us make our mission in the world and the community.

            What is our mission?

Let’s make it our mission to discover ways to not pass by those in need – or pass judgment on them – but to actively reach out to them with God’s love. Amen.

             

1. Madeleine L’Engle, Walking on Water (New York: Bantam Books, 1980).

2. Reggie McNeal, The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003).

3. http://www.ottawamennonite.ca/sermons/impractical.htm.