Kingship to Kinship

This message was first delivered at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Rustburg, Virginia and Brookneal United Methodist Church in Brookneal, Virginia on November 20, 2016. It is based on the lectionary text of Luke 23:33-43.

When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Last week we began an early look at Advent and now it seems like I'm skipping to the end of the story! But today in the church calendar we are celebrating Christ the King Sunday – so this scripture is particularly key. This is when a political leader – Pontius Pilate – has asked Jesus point-blank “are you the King of the Jews?” And now, as he hangs on a cross that is undeserved, that title is hung over his head in mock respect.

Living in the United States, it is unlikely that any of us has encountered a literal King or Queen. Even if you've traveled to England and been introduced to the Queen, she does not wield the power of a king from Jesus' time because England is actually ruled by a prime minister and parliament (who are elected). So it is very difficult for us to imagine the kind of power that a king has, or used to have. In Jesus' day, the power of a king was absolute. Even if there was a set of laws, the king could overrule the law because ultimately, the king's word WAS the law. Such a person was the only kind of king the people of the time were familiar with.

Kings from more recent history also had that unquestionable power and on a personal whim could decide a person's fate. King Louis XI of France was a firm believer in astrology and yet he was somewhat uneasy when an astrologer accurately predicted the death of a lady at court. He felt the astrologer would be better off dead, so Louis called him to his apartments where his servants were ordered to throw him out the window once given the signal.

First, however, Louis asked the man a question, "You claim to understand astrology and to know the fate of others, so tell me what your fate will be and how long you have to live." The astrologer replied, "I shall die just three days before Your Majesty." This so unnerved the king that he decided to let the astrologer live.

We know a lot about the history of Israel's kings from the Old Testament. We know that the people of Israel begged and badgered Yaweh for a king. And he annointed Saul. And over time, Saul turned away from God and leaned on his own understanding and the influence of the people around him. And as he drifted away from God...God let him. And troubles arose. Saul was replaced by David, Israel's most gifted king. David rose to power when he killed Goliath and he grew up to be an adept military commander. He not only led Israel to conquer the Philistines, but other inhabitants of the Promised Land. Then David's son Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, but Israel declined as a nation under his rule and became a lesser power in the ancient world.

By the time Jesus was born, Israel had been looking for a new David for nearly a thousand years. Israel had seen their country desecrated by the Syrians and conquered by the Babylonians. Solomon’s temple had been sacked and burned. And though the temple had been rebuilt, the kingdom was gone.

Syria and Babylonia were replaced as dominant world powers, first by Greece under Alexander the Great, and then by Rome, under the command of a skilled military leader named Julius Caesar.

By the time Jesus was born, Israel was a conquered nation, ruled by Rome. Israel had rebelled once against Rome, but the revolt had been crushed and the temple sacked and burned for a second time. And although under the watchful eye of Rome, a third temple had been recently built, it was no longer a symbol of national power and pride. It was, instead, a token temple built by Herod, a puppet of Rome, and was run by an ingrained and corrupt hierarchy of Jewish priests.

The people of Israel were not just looking for their long-awaited king; they were desperate for him. Remember the words of the hymns we sang last week? O Come, O Come Emmanuel – a song that recalls the crying out for the promised Messiah. And Come Thou Long Expected Jesus – a plea for one who is “born to set thy people free.” When Jesus was born, wise men came from the East, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” When Herod heard about this, he was frightened because he knew very well that the people were looking for and longing for a new David to rise up and overthrow both him and the yoke of Rome.

In fact, if Jesus would have let them, the people would have proclaimed him as the long-awaited king. They had plenty of evidence. There was the extraordinary testimony of the wise men from the east who claimed that it was written in the stars that a great king had been born in Israel and that one star had outshone all the rest and had moved and led them to Bethlehem where Jesus was born.

And when Jesus grew into adulthood, John the Baptist started preaching that the time was ripe for a king to arise from the people. He began baptizing people to get them ready for this event. When Jesus came to be baptized by John, there was a miraculous sign from heaven proclaiming Jesus to be the one chosen of God. John said Jesus was the person for whom he had been preparing everyone.

But this was a different kind of king than they had expected. And for some, it must have seemed as though God missed the mark. Even in Jesus' closest circle of believers, the disciples, there were those who kept waiting for the overthrow to begin. In John 6 after the miracle of the Feeding of the Five Thousand, the people are ready to proclaim Jesus as King. John 6:15 reads, “When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” We recall James and John asked if they should call down fire from heaven on a village who would not receive Jesus on his way to Jerusalem. In Acts 1:6 – after the crucifixion and resurrection and just before the ascension...they are still asking “is NOW the time that you'll restore the Kingdom to Israel?”

Jesus was a different kind of king. One that they were not used to. It was one more radical way that Jesus turned the status quo upside down. Look at the way he answered Pilate's question in John 18:33-36 from Peterson's The Message: Pilate went back into the palace and called for Jesus. He said, “Are you the ‘King of the Jews’?” Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you this about me?” Pilate said, “Do I look like a Jew? Your people and your high priests turned you over to me. What did you do?” “My kingdom,” said Jesus, “doesn’t consist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But I’m not that kind of king, not the world’s kind of king.”

I like the way the Peterson puts it – If I was the kind of king you are talking about, my followers would fight my arrest – but I'm not the world's kind of king. The world's kind of king is about power. Jesus had power – we know that he had plenty of power (and still does, btw) – but that kind of power wasn't what the world needed. We've got chapters upon chapters in the Old Testament about that kind of power and look where it has led Israel! What Jesus brought to earth was a completely different kind of kingship than they had ever experienced. It was the new concept of servant leadership. And a radical idea of how the willing sacrifice of our king would bring about lasting change in the world. Servant king? What kind of crazy oxymoron universe have we dropped into?

I like oxymorons. As a fan of the English language and words in general – the idea of smashing together two disparate words is fun! Maybe you have a favorite: jumbo shrimp, spectator sport, or original copy? I've ridden on elevated subways. Worked in an industrial park. Been to a slumber party. Played double solitaire! I've reported on increasing losses and things growing smaller. But for me...passive resistance and servant leadership are unusual.

Jesus was a radical new kind of king. He told his followers that if they wanted to be first, they'd have to put themselves last. That the meek would inherit the earth. Matthew 18:1-5 defines true greatness - “the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” So as we celebrate Christ the King Sunday, we recognize that we celebrate a different kind of king. I do not deny his power and kingship and all of the honor and glory that should bring forth from us. But we need to note that the honor and glory are not demanded like an earthly king demands. No, that is just our natural reaction to worshiping our different kind of king.

I wonder if the honor and respect that is given on demand feels the same as honor and respect freely given? One of my favorite internet videos is of a charity race in San Jose, CA in 2014. 95 year old WWII veteran Joe Bell sits in a chair on the sidewalk in front of his house to cheer on the runners taking part in a race for the foundation of fallen Army Ranger Pat Tillman. He claps and runners clap back to him. The video continues as runner after runner breaks away from course to stop and shake hands with the veteran and thank him for his service. Joe Bell was an Army corporal who trained paratroopers from Italy to Africa. During his service he saluted and was saluted as his rank demanded. The day of that race was a different form of honor and respect.

The neighbor responsible for taking the video that went viral said in an interview later, “perhaps most amazing of all was that the tributes among the 5,000 runners kept coming. Throughout the race, they came in waves. Women and men would be running down the middle of the street, then, without warning or prompt, one would peel off, then another.” This was a spontaneous show of respect and honor that wasn't staged or demanded. Joe's reaction? “They hugged me and kissed me and the young men shook my hands,” Joe said. “I never knew there were that many people that would do that.” That is the difference between genuine honor offered freely and honor which is demanded by earthly systems and kings.

Since we serve a risen Savior who taught us a different way – how does this affect how we honor and worship him? How do we carry on his example of servant leadership? Are we so caught up in the earthly kingship and bending others to our way that we lose track of kinship? Remember as we prepare for the coming of the Christ-child we know that Advent is about preparing for Christ to come again. Will our worship and service show what we learned from Jesus? Or will we be sternly reprimanded like the Israelites in today's Old Testament scripture?

I'll repeat Jeremiah 23:1-4 from The Message, hear it as leaders of the church of Jesus today: “Doom to the shepherd-leaders who butcher and scatter my sheep!” God’s Decree. “So here is what I, God, Israel’s God, say to the shepherd-leaders who misled my people: ‘You’ve scattered my sheep. You’ve driven them off. You haven’t kept your eye on them. Well, let me tell you, I’m keeping my eye on you, keeping track of your criminal behavior. I’ll take over and gather what’s left of my sheep, gather them in from all the lands where I’ve driven them. I’ll bring them back where they belong, and they’ll recover and flourish. I’ll set shepherd-leaders over them who will take good care of them. They won’t live in fear or panic anymore. All the lost sheep rounded up!’ God’s Decree.”

I do not want to hear that I've driven anyone away from God. I don't want to hear that I've not kept my eye on the scattered sheep. I surely don't want to hear that I've misled God's people. And I don't want to hear God tell me that he had to do my job for me and that he's gathered what's left of the sheep. That means I've got to pay attention to my responsibility as a follower of Christ – to spread the good news to everyone. God loves you and wants to be in full relationship with you. I need to live my life in such a way that I put myself last and others first. And with God's help, to strive to show the world a radical new idea...servant leadership. Kinship.

Kinship is defined on dictionary.com (after getting past the ancestral / genealogical definition of being biologically related) as “relationship by nature or qualities; a sharing of characteristics or origins.” All who walk on the earth share characteristics. When you get right down to it, despite our differences – race, religion, upbringing, personal values, political views – we can find more common ground than disparity. And that is where we begin.

What are characteristics shared by members of the human race? We need food, water and shelter. We desire love, a sense of belonging, community. Perhaps Shakespeare provides a good grounding in Act 3 of the Merchant of Venice, “If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?"

We hurt. We are affected by the actions of others, both positively and negatively. We all need to eat to survive – and even though we would choose different foods, I don't think I've ever been in a conversation that had someone say “I don't really enjoy eating. I'd much rather go to the Jetsons' concept of a pill for food.” So we seek common ground. And we look to see others by their true identity as another child of God.

We didn't have enough time last week to explore the Epistle lesson from 2 Thessalonians. I think the key question answered in that passage was “okay, what do we do while we are waiting?” If the message of Advent is to wait and prepare...what are we tasked to do while we are anticipating?

The answer to the church at Thessalonica is the same answer to us today. Get to work! Don't sit idly – there is work to be done! Paul said in chapter 3 of that epistle to “stay away from believers living in idleness and not according to the tradition they received from us (the church planters)” he told them that the church needed to imitate their example to toil and labor. Are we as the church reaching out to BE church or are we content to COME to church?

There is a world out there that needs to hear the good news. They need to see goodness and hope and community in the world. They are not going to get the message from the world...goodness and hope and community don't get the ratings that fear and mistrust do. But we have the example of Jesus trying something radical to follow. Maybe we try something radical too?

We show servant leadership and invite people into the community without making sure they are worthy first? We accept the stranger, the foreigner, the different, the weirdo, the drunkard, the harlot, the questioning...then we let them know that we are more similar than different. And kinship and community can catch fire.

I'll close with a story of kinship and belonging from one of my favorite authors. Father Greg Boyle's book Tattoos on the Heart impacted my life in a remarkable way and I often share stories from it. Father Greg began Homeboy Industries – a tremendous gang intervention, prison ministry and job training program – in the poorest parish in Los Angeles. On this occasion, he takes two former rival gang members as part of a three state set of speaking gigs. They visit Atlanta, Washington, DC and are wrapping up the trip in Mobile, Alabama. A man named John invited Pastor G, Memo and Miguel to visit his ministry in a community in Pritchard, Alabama. I quote, “We take two hours to drive and walk around in what I think is about the poorest place I've ever seen in the US. Hovels and burned-out shacks and lots of people living in what people ought not to live in. Memo and Miguel are positively bug-eyed as they walk around, meet people, and see a kind of poverty quite different than the one they know.

We return to the house where we're staying and have half an hour to pack...I look up, and Memo is standing in my doorway, crying. He is a very big man, had been a shot caller for his barrio and has done things in and out of prison for which he feels great shame – harm as harm. The depth of his core wound is quite something to behold. Torture, unrivaled betrayal, chilling abandonment – there is little terror of which Memo would be unfamiliar.

He's weeping as he stands in my doorway and I ask him what's happening. “That visit, to Pritchard – I don't know; it got to me. It got inside of me. I mean, how do we let people lie like this?” He pauses, then, “G, I don't know what's happening to me, but it's big. It's like, for the first time in my life, I feel, I don't know, what's the word...I feel compassion for what other people suffer.”

The poet Rumi wrote, “Close both eyes to see with the other eye.” See the shape of God in every person we encounter. In this way we embrace the radical new perspective of greatness that Jesus modeled. Greatness measured outside of the human version of success and power and kingship. Greatness measured by the impact we make on the world we inhabit. The transformation of the world as each act of kinship is echoed and multiplied. Christ looked upon our brokenness with mercy, go and do likewise. Amen.

We Need a Little Christmas

This message was first delivered at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Rustburg, Virginia and Brookneal United Methodist Church in Brookneal, Virginia on October 9, 2016. It is based on the lectionary text of Luke 21:5-19.

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he (Jesus) said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”

They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them.

“When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

“But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.

Do you remember the classic Christmas carol, “We Need a Little Christmas?” It was written by Jerry Herman and first was heard onstage in his 1966 Broadway musical Mame. In the show, Mame has lost her fortune in the Wall Street crash of 1929. In classic Mame style, she decides that her nephew Patrick and two faithful (now unpaid) household servants need “a little Christmas” NOW to cheer them up. In Ace Collins book Stories Behind the Greatest Hits of Christmas, he writes that at the time that Jerry Herman penned the lyrics to the song...America was depressed and divided. The mid to late 1960s were a time of upheaval. The Vietnam War, the integration of schools, the assassinations of prominent politicians and social leaders, and the threat of another World War – this time with the Soviet Union – had everyone on pins and needles. Millions were depressed, feeling as if the best days in life were behind them. Suicide rates were rising. Television preachers were proclaiming that the end times were at hand. Americans were finding more ways to divide rather than unite. Sounds eerily familiar.

But when Jerry Herman sat down to write scenes in the musical that followed the stock market crash...he knew that he needed to lift people's spirits. But how does one crawl out of a Depression? What brings true happiness? That's when he realized that the play needed a big dose of “the most wonderful time of the year.” He had observed that even in the midst of the Depression in New York City – Christmas had a way of transforming moods and lives. Jerry Herman wrote in his autobiography that, “You don't have to wait for a special day to celebrate Christmas. It's more important to celebrate Christmas when you need it.” Because Christmas is about hope. It is about the realization of the anticipated. It is about a gift of love.

I love Christmas and lest you think that I am rushing the season – it may interest you to know that originally Advent was 7 weeks. It was shortened to 4 weeks in the 11th century by Pope Gregory VI. Although I don't understand his rationale for shortening Advent – I like the idea of restoring a longer one. We all know that there is a lot competing for our attention during this time of year. But it is interesting to think that Advent competes for attention with Christmastide. Advent – the time of waiting and preparing and anticipating the SECOND coming of Christ – gets overshadowed by Christmastide...the fulfillment of the waiting and preparing and anticipating of the FIRST coming. And that is a major loss because this is the one time of the church year specifically dedicated to this focus. We KNOW the rest of the story – we get to see Christmastide in the rear view mirror. We KNOW this tiny baby grows up to be Jesus. Who walked on Earth, fully God and fully human at the same time!

We know that Jesus gathered followers preaching a radical new idea – that God loves us and wants to be in relationship with each of us. He loves us!

And we know the hard part of the story – how Jesus was persecuted. How he was falsely accused, disbelieved, abandoned by those closest to him, tried and convicted. We know about the dark day when he was crucified and the world went dark. And he was laid in a tomb.

AND we know the rest of the story! We know about Easter. We know that we serve a risen savior. Who ascended into heaven and is our advocate to the Father in heaven.

So – we can approach Advent in a whole new light. With a different perspective. Imagine what it would feel like if you didn't know...if you had been told to expect a Messiah, some day...

This is what Isaiah was telling the people of Israel – about a promise yet to be fulfilled. And he's delivering this promise to a dejected, defeated and depressed group of people. After 60 years in captivity in Babylon, a remnant of Israelite survivors, battle worn and world weary, was allowed to return home. Whey they came back from Babylon, though, what they found was not very promising. Nothing was the way they remembered it. Everything they had built had been destroyed. They had returned home, and their homes were no longer there. Coming up with a plan for moving forward was not easy.

I think here about all the people in Louisiana who were evacuated due to flooding, and of the people in California and Washington who have had to flee their homes because of wildfires. They left their houses and their belongings and had to wait patiently, not knowing what was happening to their possessions, until it was safe to return home. Some people went home to find everything as they had left it. Others came home to find a house still standing, but many things destroyed and a massive clean-up and restoration to undertake. And of course, some returned to find everything gone.

We know what this looks like. We watch people go through this on television practically every day. So we can imagine what it must have been like for the Israelites. This was an extremely difficult circumstance for Isaiah to speak to. What do you say when people are in crisis, when they’ve lost everything, and the future doesn’t look very promising? What could the Lord, through the mouth of Isaiah, say at this point that would help these returning refugees?

Isaiah says that he has been listening carefully for the voice of God, and God has spoken. Through Isaiah, God speaks a word of hope and promise to the chosen people: “Pay close attention now: I’m creating new heavens and a new earth. All the earlier troubles, chaos, and pain are things of the past, to be forgotten. Look ahead with joy. Anticipate what I’m creating: I’ll create Jerusalem as sheer joy, create my people as pure delight. I’ll take joy in Jerusalem, take delight in my people: No more sounds of weeping in the city, no cries of anguish; No more babies dying in the cradle, or old people who don’t enjoy a full lifetime; One-hundredth birthdays will be considered normal—anything less will seem like a cheat.

They’ll build houses and move in. They’ll plant fields and eat what they grow. No more building a house that some outsider takes over, No more planting fields that some enemy confiscates, For my people will be as long-lived as trees, my chosen ones will have satisfaction in their work.

They won’t work and have nothing come of it, they won’t have children snatched out from under them. For they themselves are plantings blessed by God, with their children and grandchildren likewise God-blessed. Before they call out, I’ll answer. Before they’ve finished speaking, I’ll have heard.

Wolf and lamb will graze the same meadow, lion and ox eat straw from the same trough, but snakes—they’ll get a diet of dirt! Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill anywhere on my Holy Mountain,” says God.”

There is hope. And so the people of Israel waited. Were they always patient? Were they always good? Not all the time and not as good as they could be or should be. Just like us. Just like us as children waiting for Christmas and just like us as adults impatiently wanting that peace on earth – that sheer joy of the New Jerusalem. The hymn that we sang earlier expresses the wanting and waiting...O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Ransom captive Israel. Mourning in exile...waiting until the Son of God appears. Then we'll rejoice. We're waiting for someone to save us, to bring wisdom and order and knowledge and direction. We desire your coming. We want to experience all peoples being of one heart and mind – to shake off envy, strife and quarrels. Please...we need you! You are the source of hope, peace, cheer, joy...and love.

Advent is about more than preparing for the birth of the Christ child and the beginning of Jesus' walk on Earth. It is a wonderful and incredible gift from God. It is worthy of celebrating and preparing for – and it will be the focus of upcoming weeks. But Advent is about preparing for Jesus to come to Earth again. The second arrival. The promise of the New Earth and New Jerusalem. And that takes the idea of anticipation to a whole new level.

Today we hear Jesus describe the “end of the world as we know it” in terms more frightening than hopeful. “Wars and insurrections” are not, says Jesus, clear signs of the end of the age. No. That kind of turmoil is simply situation normal for world history. “Portents and signs in the heavens,” often considered across many cultures to be “sure signs” of the end are instead, simply part of the inevitable and regular sufferings of the present age.

And it only gets worse. Jesus goes on to tell his disciples to expect all of these things to be happening, and to experience persecution on top of it all.

They will escape none of this. The question for disciples is, how will we live in the midst of it, here and now?

What do we do when things go wrong, when our lives fall apart, and we don’t know what to do or where to turn or how to keep going on? What do we do when life seems to have backed us into a corner and we simply can’t find the strength or the courage to go on? What do we do?

We run to God. Because God is the only one we can really count on to turn things around. God is the one we can trust to make all things new.

• A new heaven and a new earth.
• A place where God is so near that “before they call, God will answer, and while they are yet speaking, God will hear.”
• A time when “the wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox, the serpent’s food shall be dust, and they shall not hurt or destroy on all God’s holy mountain.”
• A word of hope from God, through Isaiah, to the people of Israel, during their most desperate hour.

We need to remember that God has the power to heal even the most broken and damaged things imaginable. God is so powerful, so loving, so amazing, and so steadfast that literally nothing is beyond the possibility of God’s healing. God IS able to make all things new in any situation. We need to KNOW that, so that we can be strengthened for whatever trial lies ahead.

Jesus gives his followers this promise: “I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand,” Jesus teaches there will be disasters of all sorts. Your own lives will be threatened. Keep your eyes on me. Keep your ears open for my guidance. Trust. Listen. Period.

Chances are high that if you are Christians in the United States, you are experiencing no real persecution. People may disagree with you. Government policies may not be what you prefer. But no one is out to arrest you, torture you, or execute you because of your faith. So how does this apply to us?

If no one is out to threaten your safety or destroy your body, they are still out to capture your allegiance from following Jesus and spreading the good news of God’s kingdom. There are forces out to redirect your desire from desiring the kingdom of God above all else to desiring what they want you to desire.

Jesus instructed his disciples long ago in the face of all kinds of upheavals to do one thing: Always keep trusting and listening to my voice. You’ll be given what is needed.

The world doesn’t need to persecute us to stop us. It only needs to divert us. Wars, uprisings, portents, even threats, these are all diversions. They take our eyes off Jesus. They call us to trust in their impressive power, and to reduce our trust in him.

We get worn down and frustrated and overwhelmed. It seems as though the world is full of bad news. We get discouraged and feel isolated, depressed, fearful that we won't make a positive impact on the world. Fearful that we won't make any impact at all. How do we climb out of a Depression?

Maybe we need to take a page out of Jerry Herman's book...maybe we need a little Christmas. What is it about Christmas that transforms moods? Is it the lights, the presents, family, traditions, cookies, carols, worship? Yes.

Yes to all of it. Everyone is affected differently, but overall...it is a time to let go of petty quarrels, to look at each person in your life to examine what gifts they bring from God. It is a time when you stop being irritated by your uncle Bob's endless stories about family members that you've never met. Transform that impatience to an appreciation for his memory and his desire to share history. Perhaps it is a time that you stop to actually tell your sister how much you have always admired her sense of style – instead of pointing out that her new shoes could feed a family of four for a week. Transforming our perceptions to remove our tendency to judge...well, that's not an easy task.

But it isn't an impossible task. And Jesus promised he'd help. We don't serve a tiny baby in a manger. We serve a risen Savior! We know the rest of the story! Jesus did come in a humble way...that time. He's coming back in a different way. Are we prepared? Are we doing what we've promised? Are we spreading this message of love and acceptance? Are we serving the world AS church or are we just coming TO church?

We are faced with challenges. As a country, as a church, as a community, as individuals, as families. Challenges and situations that seem out of anyone's control. Be reassured. There isn't anything that God can't heal or restore.

The Lord promises healing, not only for our personal needs, but for our communal needs. As we look around at our communities, our nation, and our global neighbors and see so much brokenness, it may seem impossible to believe that the wounds of this world can ever be healed.

But! We have been promised by the resurrection of Jesus Christ that God will make all things new. We can’t make the world into a place that is free from hate, free from strife, free from suffering and death, free from evil, or free from disaster. We surely can’t. But our God can. God can create new heavens and a new earth, a place where the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.

Trust Jesus. Keep trusting him. Listen for Jesus. Help one another listen. Re-divert your attention, and help others be re-diverted back to Jesus. His is the wisdom. His are the true words. His is the power to enable us to endure with faithfulness what none of us can escape.

The world as we know it is ending. It doesn’t want to. But it is surely ending, superseded by the coming of the kingdom of God. Do not be afraid or anxious. Rejoice in every sign of the kingdom’s coming. And keep trusting Jesus.

Because ultimately, with all apologies to Jerry Herman and Mame...this season we need to take a moment and recognize that not only do we need a little Christmas with all the joy and excitement that brings... We really “need a little Jesus.” We need a little Jesus now. Amen.

Healing, Gratitude and Attitude

This message was first delivered at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Rustburg, Virginia and Brookneal United Methodist Church in Brookneal, Virginia on October 9, 2016. It is based on the lectionary text of Luke 17:11-19.

When we are harmed, we want justice. When we do harm, we desire mercy. How are we called to be in ministry to the world? The Gospel lesson for today is from Luke 17:11-19 (NRSV)

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

Today we are going to look at this from three angles – Healing. Gratitude. And Attitude. First, healing...because this is an encounter about ten people in need of healing.

First, a little background on leprosy – it is a long-term infection which is spread among people that, if left untreated, can cause permanent damage to skin, nerves, limbs and eyes. Contrary to folklore, it does not cause body parts to fall off – but they can become numb or diseased due to secondary infections that can cause tissue loss causing fingers and toes to become shortened and deformed. Yes, it still exists today. Most new cases occur in 14 countries – with India accounting for more than half of the roughly 180,000 new cases each year. The US reports about 200 new cases each year. It is treatable and the World Health Organization is dedicated to eradicating the disease in the world – beginning with India, Africa and Brazil.

Leprosy was a more than just disease in Jesus' time (still is more than a disease in our time – but much more so back then). Lepers were not just perceived as a physical threat. They were also seen as a ritual and spiritual threat. These folks were more than just potentially infectious; they were ritually unclean. They were cast out (the same term as was used for how demons were treated) because their disfigurement was thought to be not just physically but also spiritually deadly and contagious.

And they were cast out from everywhere. This group apparently included nine Judeans and one Samaritan. They were all equally unclean. The difference in their religious practice was irrelevant now. Somehow, these ten had been grafted into a community by this physical and spiritual contagion, and now they would have to make the best of it together as a community of outcasts. Can you imagine being cut off from everything and everyone that you know and love because of a disease? Not able to be a part of their home communities? Unable to interact with family? Not able to participate in traditions or worship of their faith?

There was only one way back in for them. If a priest declared them clean after an appropriate examination, they could rejoin their own societies.

But Jesus was not a priest. So, Jesus himself could not perform all of the healing needed, a large part of which was being allowed back in regular society again. So, he did what he could. He told them to go show themselves to the priests responsible for making the declaration. And they went on their way to do just that, discovering as they did that they had been made clean.

The physical healing had taken place. The sores were gone. Their flesh was made whole. And these guys were understandably excited. This is a physically painful and uncomfortable disease. To suddenly be freed from that discomfort was extraordinary. We do not know what nine of them did next. Maybe they all headed to the priests to show themselves, like Jesus had instructed. Maybe some of them were so overjoyed they headed straight to family and friends to share the incredible news!

That would have probably been my first motivation – it would be like winning the healthcare lottery! If I suddenly had all my health issues wiped away – knees not achy, back not hurting, no more cluster headaches, scars faded – I would be thrilled! If Jesus said, go and show yourself acceptable to the priests and I found myself 100 pounds skinnier and no gray hair! I would be texting my family and taking selfies and posting them to Facebook saying – look at this, I'm transformed! But this healing was different because the stakes were so much higher!

The ten lepers were outcasts and now they were going to be let back inside. They were going to be acceptable again. This was more than physical healing – this was a healing of relationship to the rest of society. These ten were being restored – being welcomed back. They were worthy again.

One of the ten turned back. From Eugene Peterson's The Message: One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus’ feet, so grateful. He couldn’t thank him enough—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus said, “Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?” Then he said to him, “Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you.”

How interesting. How ironic. That out of this band of outsiders, it was the MAJOR outsider – the one with two strikes against him: leper AND lone Samaritan – who remembered to give thanks.

The temptation to moralism with this story of the “ungrateful lepers” is very strong. “You ought to be more thankful for what you have and for what God has done for you!” or “Don’t be ungrateful like so many people, even religious people, are!”

Do we have room for improvement in expressing thanks and praise to God? No question about it. We all do. We all should do better.

But today’s story isn’t primarily about moralism. It’s about ritual and boundaries and spiritual realities. And it’s about the underlying call of Jesus to all disciples to keep on healing all people—including people who are deemed beyond the bounds by cultural or religious assumptions or leaders.

It's about bringing people inside these imaginary boundaries of what is acceptable. Do we forget that through Jesus all are saved? That the only question is whether a person desires to be saved? The turning toward Jesus and the desire to be in relationship to God are the ONLY requirements? Who are our lepers...those who we would exclude from our community?

The Epistle lesson today is from Paul's second letter to his right-hand man Timothy. Paul is writing from prison (talk about exclusion from society!) and he is insistent that Timothy get the church focused back on the important stuff. The Message paraphrases 2 Timothy 2:8-15 in this way:

Fix this picture firmly in your mind: Jesus, descended from the line of David, raised from the dead. It’s what you’ve heard from me all along. It’s what I’m sitting in jail for right now—but God’s Word isn’t in jail! That’s why I stick it out here—so that everyone God calls will get in on the salvation of Christ in all its glory. This is a sure thing:

If we die with him, we’ll live with him;
If we stick it out with him, we’ll rule with him;
If we turn our backs on him, he’ll turn his back on us;
If we give up on him, he does not give up—
for there’s no way he can be false to himself.

Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God’s people. Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just wears everyone out. Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple.

Paul is serious. Repeat these things over and over to the church: If we die with Christ, we'll live with him. If we stick it out, we'll rule with him. If we turn our backs, he'll let us...free will and all that. But he won't give up on us, because that just isn't in his nature!! He does not give up and can't fake it.

But we can't ignore that warning from Paul. Stop it with the pious nitpicking, it chips away at the faith. From the NRSV it reads, “avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening.” New King James translation, “[don't] strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers.” One more – the Good News translation, “give them a solemn warning in God's presence not to fight over words. It does no good, but only ruins the people who listen.”

It ruins the people who listen! You see...somebody is watching and listening and seeing how WE act as the church. And they are going to accept or reject our message based on that knowledge.

We have got to get our act together! The world and its people need us. They are counting on us. They'll know... They'll know we are Christians by the love we show for each other.

We have to exemplify God's love in every aspect of our lives, but it is critical that we show love within the church. This story was related to me and it hit so close to home, it felt like a story I could have told myself. “I became a Christian as a teenager, and I immediately wanted to be involved in my church. Hoping to channel that enthusiasm, the church leaders put me on the committee which was planning the promotion for the church's building fund. The adults were working on a brochure, which I was supposed to help them write. It was exciting to be performing an important service, and to be working along side a group of mature Christians-or so I thought.

After the first meeting it was clear that these "mature" believers were more concerned about whether or not to have an air conditioner in the new sanctuary than they were about spiritual matters. They argued and fought through the entire meeting. I got my eyes off the creator and onto the creation, and it was discouraging. For 6 years after that day I refused to go to church, read the Bible or even consider anything relating to Christianity. "If that's what Christians are like, why would I want to be one?" I reasoned.”

You see? They'll know! They will figure it out before we even get the chance to tell them about Jesus and the unfathomable love he has for every single person. Mahatma Ghandi said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Do not let this be our story.

What does Paul say right after he tells us to NOT be pious nitpickers? Let's not get stuck on verse 14 without moving on to verse 15! The NRSV, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.” But I particularly like the Living Bible's clear statement: “Work hard so God can say to you, “Well done.” Be a good workman, one who does not need to be ashamed when God examines your work. Know what his Word says and means.”

Work hard. Be a good workman so that God can say to you, “Well done.” That is a worthy goal. We have all had performance reviews of some kind. Maybe at work? I have experienced a lot of different employer review styles. The executive director of my current employer, Rush Homes, has implemented a new style. It is a wheel of competency (which sounds more fun than it really is). He and I each had a chart which was kind of like a round spider web. Each section had a topic like flexibility, teamwork or expertise and we colored in our opinion of my performance so we could compare how each of us felt about how well I do my job. In some areas we agreed – we both think I am expert in the job that I do. We disagreed on how flexible I am...I rated myself higher than he did...

How would we pass on a performance review from God? Are we following the example of Christ? How are we doing with this unconditional love thing?How are we about sharing that love with others? Are we impacting the ones who are watching us in a positive way? If they know the love of God through us...are they getting the right picture? Can we, as Paul wrote, “be one who does not need to be ashamed when God examines our work?”

There is another passage of scripture that describes an instance of healing - where Jesus is in a house so packed that no one can come through the door anymore. So his four friends open the roof and lower this paralytic down through it so Jesus can heal him. Although the focus of the story is, understandably, the healing of the paralytic...there is something more significant happening. It involves his friends and what their faith urges them to do for their friend. They ripping the roof off the place, and those outside are being let in.

We need to rip some roofs off. We need to go outside and see the people who are hurting and need Jesus. We need to find every way possible to get them connected to the one who loves them – and let them know that he does.

There are people who are hurting out there. People who need to see the love of God. We have neighbors who don't have enough to eat, who need a listening ear, who need a helping hand to get back on their feet, neighbors who face barriers that we can dismantle. They are counting on us.

We have the power to show them God's love. But we have to understand something very important. One more warning. They will experience God's love through the love we show. And they will be able to tell if it is genuine. They will know if we are helping them out of a sense of obligation or if our helping them is just an extension of the joy we have in being loved so much by God. If we aren't reaching out because of the healing that we have received through God's mercy and gift of his Son's sacrifice...if we aren't serving the Lord with gladness – it won't have the same impact. Not that it won't have an impact...if you give a hungry man a sandwich because you are feeling guilty or fearful of God's Wrath...the hungry man will still get a sandwich. But the attitude is different.

If you sit with the man – in community with him – and share a meal or a kind word or listening ear. What a different impact. I work with the homeless response system in Lynchburg as part of my job. One of the organizations that I love the most is a scrappy little non-profit called Warm Streets. It's just a guy and a pickup truck and 5000 Facebook followers that he calls his Rapid Responders. It all started with him handing bags of useful supplies to people he saw living on the street. Simple stuff like a blanket, ready to eat non-perishable food, hygiene supplies. It has grown to even more. One thing he does help get people exiting homelessness (especially homeless veterans) settled into homes. Mainstream programs like Rapid Re-housing through Miriam's House or Permanent Supportive Housing through the Lynchburg Housing Authority help find the assistance, support and shelter...Warm Streets provides the human touch. A smiling man and his responders - with a donated microwave or a basket of cleaning supplies, furniture, a NEW bed through his partnership with Mattress Warehouse. A hug and a lot of tears.

That is serving the Lord with gladness. That is the work that we can be unashamed of. It's not about the stuff, the the leper encounter isn't just about the healing...it is about the relationship. It is about caring deeper about THEM. I think this little story illustrates how easy it is to make an impact.

Mamie Adams always went to a branch post office in her town because the postal employees there were friendly. She went there to buy stamps just before Christmas one year and the lines were particularly long. Someone pointed out that there was no need to wait in line because there was a stamp machine in the lobby. "I know," said Mamie, 'but the machine won't ask me about my arthritis."

We all feel a need to be a part of community. A sense of belonging. That someone cares for us even when we feel like we are on the sidelines. Part of being church is that caring, bringing people on the outside into the warmth of God's love and grace. Ripping off roofs so that those on the outside can come in and meet this Jesus we worship.

The mission statement of the United Methodist Church states that we are “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Disciples, by biblical definition aren't simply worship attenders or financial givers, but people who answer the call to follow Jesus with their lives. And their love.

They'll know we are Christians by our love. Everyone needs to hear about this incredible. Unfathomable. Unconditional. Love. When we dive into the depths of that unfathomable love, then we start to see the people around us differently. And this love thing starts to spread. And this just might catch on.