Make a Difference
“I want my life to make a difference. I want my life to make a change. I want my life to do some good here. I want my life to make a change.” These are the words to the chorus of the song “Make a Difference” by Rachel Kurtz. We sang these words at the National Youth Gathering in New Orleans in 2012 during the first worship on Wednesday night in the dome. Before we embarked into the following days of service, learning and exploring, we started with this declaration. “I want my life to make a difference.” For the High School youth, not to mention the adult leaders traveling with them, it was easy to sing this. That’s why we had come to New Orleans, to make a difference. High School youth at their core want to make a difference. They have the energy, the drive and the vision to reshape the world around them. They also believe that they can. I think that inside each and every one of us their also lives this belief that we can make a difference. We may not have as much energy, the drive might be dedicated to a different place and the vision may not be as 20/20 as it used to be, but it’s there. We believe, at some level, that we can reshape the world around us.
We follow that belief and it is then we run smack dab into something tough. After I read the gospel text for this week I promptly looked up and went “Geeze.” This one is tough. I was tempted…I really was…to just go for something else. Let me look for some other passage that is truthful but not in such a “in-your-face” way. Something convicted me though to get in the middle of it. Then came the temptation to want to stick a fluffy bunny in the middle of it all to soften it up a bit. I can’t do that either…the only remotely cute thing that we get is a dog that’s licking sores. The parable that we have is tough and that’s the way Jesus meant for it to be. One of the main functions of parables is to teach some sort of lesson in story form. Another function, that we experience this morning, is to shake up the listeners. When the parable was read, did anyone else get this sort of feeling of “oooo” or that feeling in your stomach? That is the truth of it all hitting us. We usually hear parables by identifying with one of the characters. In this case, the almost immediate connection for us is with the rich man and we know what happens to him. Jesus is pretty explicit about that.
Jesus’ parable confronts us with the way we are. Sure, we want to make a difference, until we are face to face with Lazarus. Then the song changes a bit “I’m not sure…I want to make a difference. You mean it takes that? To make a change. Well why do I have to do some good here? Maybe someone else, can make the change…” The parable personalizes it. It’s not just about hunger, homelessness, poverty, poor literacy skills, loneliness, joblessness, or any of the other big problems in our world, but now it is a person, Lazarus. What the parable tells us is that the rich man failed to see Lazarus as a person. When the rich man looked across the wall that had been built in real life he saw someone who was not in need, but rather someone who was less than himself. The rich man probably knew exactly who Lazarus was…he had to walk right by him. Even in the afterlife the rich man still doesn’t see Lazarus as a person. He talks with Abraham as though he is on the same level as him. Then the rich man essentially commands Abraham to send Lazarus down to relieve his suffering or at the very least to go to his household to warn his family. Lazarus even in the afterlife is treated as some sort of servant, as less than. The rich man is the one who creates this great chasm in both life and death.
When we look at people today do we see only their needs or do we see them as a person? I think we know the answer when we read the parable and we have the uncomfortable feeling. We feel that when we’re faced with the fact that we look past people without even acknowledging their existence. It might even be with the best intention: We want to help them. We want to alleviate their pain. Sometimes it’s just because we are wrapped in our own thoughts, our own life, our own hurts and pains. Often it’s in self defense and self preservation: I don’t know what they might do, they’ll just spend the money on something else, or I need to get to something else. In an age where we have the potential to be the most connected and actually see one another, we spend more time trying to stay at arm’s length from each other. I want to get just enough involved to show I care, but any deeper down the rabbit hole and I am out. Relationship is messy and tough. Other people’s lives are messy and tough. Our lives are messy and tough.
It is into this messy and tough world that God came in the form of Jesus. There’s a big word for it because it is a big part of our faith: incarnation. This is huge! God decided to span the great chasm and come live among us. The Word became flesh and got messy with us. God walking along side you and me through the messiest and most tough parts of life. God, in the form of Jesus, then took it one step further “You gave your life to make a difference. You gave your life to make a change. You welcomed all to your table. You’re telling us to do the same.” At the cross, Jesus experienced death, possibly the most tough and messy thing we ever deal with. Death’s tough and God didn’t shy away from it. God didn’t try and soften it up a bit. Jesus came to experience it all so that he could make a change. That change is to shatter every wall and chasm that stands between us and God and Us and each other. To shake us up and help us to see a different way that’s paved with service and love. To see us where we are, but yet, to change us with love and grace.
So do you feel significantly shaken up? The parable is not a hard and fast rule. It’s not a “this will be the case”. It is a story that outlines the way we are. What it doesn’t outline is the way we could be. That part of the story is unwritten. We are writing that part of the story here and now. I want to encourage you to continue to believe. Continue to believe that you can make a difference because God’s spirit working in you will be the one to make a difference. We can’t do it on our own, but with God all things are possible. Someone said that once…oh yeah! That was Jesus. We can make a difference with God’s help. We can reshape the world around us. Tell a different story. Really see people for who they are and love them. You may not feel like you have the energy, drive or vision and that’s okay. That’s why we go together. It’s not easy and it’s messy, but God walks with us. “We want our lives to make a difference. We want our lives to make a change. We want our lives to do some good here. We want our lives to make a change.” Amen
Monday, September 30, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
Sermon on Luke 15:1-10 (Proper 19C or Pentecost +17)
Are You Lost?
As a part of my ministry here at Shepherd of Life I work very hard to make sure every possible safeguard is in place. We fill out registration forms, health forms, consent forms, and I always make sure that we have plenty of adult help. I am very careful to make sure everyone knows where to go and that there are always eyes watching. All this planning, all this time, all this carefulness and guess what happens occasionally? We get a code red. Someone decides to wander off. It never fails that every once in a while someone decides that what we are doing isn’t that cool anymore. They want to stay behind and do their own thing. These times are the one of the most unsettling parts of my ministry. The thing that raises my anxiety level the quickest is when one of the kids is not where they are supposed to be. The youth can tell you that I very rarely have to raise and add tone to my voice, I don’t ever yell, but when I don’t know where you are and then I find you… there is definitely an edge to my voice. You can tell that I am disappointed and upset. What they can’t tell you is the immense sense of relief I feel when I see the face of the kiddo that I’m looking for.
We come today in the gospel of Luke to two very well known parables of Jesus, the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin. We see again how those dang tax collectors and sinners are coming to Jesus, wanting to hear what he has to say. The Pharisees and the scribes are a little grumbly about that. These aren’t the kind of folks Jesus should be hanging out with, much less eating with them and welcoming them as friends. Then Jesus tells two ridiculous parables. That’s right, they are ridiculous. Jesus begins “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?” The real answer? No one! No one would leave 99 sheep by themselves out in the wilderness. That’s just asking for trouble. Jesus then continues “Or what women having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?” Again the answer? No one! Putting off an entire day’s work or even staying up all night to search for one coin? Yeah…sure…it’s worth a day’s wage, but still! Not gonna happen. When we read these parables, we think “Oh yeah. I could see doing that. Sure.” That’s because we put ourselves in the place of the shepherd and the woman. We understand losing things. It’s a part of the human experience. So that is the role we automatically see ourselves in..the one who is searching for what is lost.
That’s not the role Jesus has us in. We’re the sheep. We’re the coin. We are the ones that are lost. Now you might be sitting there thinking, “I’m pretty sure I’m one of the 99 or even one of the 9. I’m not wandering off. I mean I’m here at church this morning. It may not have been the easiest to get up and get here, but I’m here!” Sure. You’re here. But that doesn’t mean you’re not lost either. How many of us absorb ourselves in work at the expense of other things, chasing after that promotion or next big thing. How many of our schedules are controlled by an extracurricular because of the way it will prepare our child for the future. How many of us are tormented by the way people think about the way our house looks, the way our car looks or what stuff we have, playing that comparative game in our minds. How many of us pride ourselves on being independent, answering to no one, doing it all ourselves under our own steam. How many of us our stressed, tired, anxious, worried, afraid, angry or hurt about one thing or another. Just plain burned out. Sounds like the one sheep out there by themselves to me. The one sheep knowing that the way that they are going is the best. I’ve got this…no problem.
When I was in late elementary school and early Junior High I remember something my parents used to say when I lost something. As they were helping me look and listening to me claim over and over again “I don’t know where it is! I don’t know where it is!” they would eventually lose their cool a bit and say “Well it didn’t just up and roll away or walk off” We are a coin that can just get up and roll away. If we choose to and often we do, we can hide ourselves pretty well. We hide ourselves away because we are afraid that we’re not good enough. We’re afraid of messing up. We’re afraid that if people saw the real us they would reject us. Or what’s worse if God saw who we really are, that love wouldn’t come so easy.
When we are in the role of the sheep and the coin, God fills in on the role of the shepherd and the women. Remember how I said earlier that the parables where ridiculous? Well they are, because the truth is that is how ridiculous God’s love is. God cares so much about you that the 99 get recklessly left behind in the wilderness just so that God can come find you. God cares about you so much that the house gets swept and searched over and over and over again until you are found. Even though other things preoccupy us, God comes after us again and again with love. Even though we may hide inside ourselves and not let anyone know who we truly are, God searches and pulls us out of hiding. Then, God rejoices. God calls together everyone and says “Rejoice with me because I have found what was lost” and they rejoice too. You can’t imagine the immense sense of relief that God feels when God finds us and gets the chance to see our face again.
Personally I think our world needs a bit more ridiculous. I mean, it’s already pretty ridiculous in a lot of ways, but what if it was more ridiculous with the radical love of God? Friends, we get the opportunity to help bring the message and signs of that ridiculous love to a world that is full of lost people. I’m not talking in the sense that they are lost and it’s our job to fix them because let’s face it…we’re lost too. What’s nice though is we can walk and be lost together. Even in our lostness God will work through us to bring the kingdom. A new path that is paved with love and care. Walking and turning away from the things that hold onto us and turning towards God. What is lost won’t be lost forever because with God doing the searching we can be confident that all will be found and rejoiced over. Amen.
As a part of my ministry here at Shepherd of Life I work very hard to make sure every possible safeguard is in place. We fill out registration forms, health forms, consent forms, and I always make sure that we have plenty of adult help. I am very careful to make sure everyone knows where to go and that there are always eyes watching. All this planning, all this time, all this carefulness and guess what happens occasionally? We get a code red. Someone decides to wander off. It never fails that every once in a while someone decides that what we are doing isn’t that cool anymore. They want to stay behind and do their own thing. These times are the one of the most unsettling parts of my ministry. The thing that raises my anxiety level the quickest is when one of the kids is not where they are supposed to be. The youth can tell you that I very rarely have to raise and add tone to my voice, I don’t ever yell, but when I don’t know where you are and then I find you… there is definitely an edge to my voice. You can tell that I am disappointed and upset. What they can’t tell you is the immense sense of relief I feel when I see the face of the kiddo that I’m looking for.
We come today in the gospel of Luke to two very well known parables of Jesus, the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin. We see again how those dang tax collectors and sinners are coming to Jesus, wanting to hear what he has to say. The Pharisees and the scribes are a little grumbly about that. These aren’t the kind of folks Jesus should be hanging out with, much less eating with them and welcoming them as friends. Then Jesus tells two ridiculous parables. That’s right, they are ridiculous. Jesus begins “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?” The real answer? No one! No one would leave 99 sheep by themselves out in the wilderness. That’s just asking for trouble. Jesus then continues “Or what women having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?” Again the answer? No one! Putting off an entire day’s work or even staying up all night to search for one coin? Yeah…sure…it’s worth a day’s wage, but still! Not gonna happen. When we read these parables, we think “Oh yeah. I could see doing that. Sure.” That’s because we put ourselves in the place of the shepherd and the woman. We understand losing things. It’s a part of the human experience. So that is the role we automatically see ourselves in..the one who is searching for what is lost.
That’s not the role Jesus has us in. We’re the sheep. We’re the coin. We are the ones that are lost. Now you might be sitting there thinking, “I’m pretty sure I’m one of the 99 or even one of the 9. I’m not wandering off. I mean I’m here at church this morning. It may not have been the easiest to get up and get here, but I’m here!” Sure. You’re here. But that doesn’t mean you’re not lost either. How many of us absorb ourselves in work at the expense of other things, chasing after that promotion or next big thing. How many of our schedules are controlled by an extracurricular because of the way it will prepare our child for the future. How many of us are tormented by the way people think about the way our house looks, the way our car looks or what stuff we have, playing that comparative game in our minds. How many of us pride ourselves on being independent, answering to no one, doing it all ourselves under our own steam. How many of us our stressed, tired, anxious, worried, afraid, angry or hurt about one thing or another. Just plain burned out. Sounds like the one sheep out there by themselves to me. The one sheep knowing that the way that they are going is the best. I’ve got this…no problem.
When I was in late elementary school and early Junior High I remember something my parents used to say when I lost something. As they were helping me look and listening to me claim over and over again “I don’t know where it is! I don’t know where it is!” they would eventually lose their cool a bit and say “Well it didn’t just up and roll away or walk off” We are a coin that can just get up and roll away. If we choose to and often we do, we can hide ourselves pretty well. We hide ourselves away because we are afraid that we’re not good enough. We’re afraid of messing up. We’re afraid that if people saw the real us they would reject us. Or what’s worse if God saw who we really are, that love wouldn’t come so easy.
When we are in the role of the sheep and the coin, God fills in on the role of the shepherd and the women. Remember how I said earlier that the parables where ridiculous? Well they are, because the truth is that is how ridiculous God’s love is. God cares so much about you that the 99 get recklessly left behind in the wilderness just so that God can come find you. God cares about you so much that the house gets swept and searched over and over and over again until you are found. Even though other things preoccupy us, God comes after us again and again with love. Even though we may hide inside ourselves and not let anyone know who we truly are, God searches and pulls us out of hiding. Then, God rejoices. God calls together everyone and says “Rejoice with me because I have found what was lost” and they rejoice too. You can’t imagine the immense sense of relief that God feels when God finds us and gets the chance to see our face again.
Personally I think our world needs a bit more ridiculous. I mean, it’s already pretty ridiculous in a lot of ways, but what if it was more ridiculous with the radical love of God? Friends, we get the opportunity to help bring the message and signs of that ridiculous love to a world that is full of lost people. I’m not talking in the sense that they are lost and it’s our job to fix them because let’s face it…we’re lost too. What’s nice though is we can walk and be lost together. Even in our lostness God will work through us to bring the kingdom. A new path that is paved with love and care. Walking and turning away from the things that hold onto us and turning towards God. What is lost won’t be lost forever because with God doing the searching we can be confident that all will be found and rejoiced over. Amen.
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