A TRIBUTE TO REV. RANDY SAXON

It is time for me to tell you how much I care for Randy (Rev. Dr. Randall) Saxon, who is my friend and was my Co-Pastor at United Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Il..

The church is named "United" because we oversaw the union of Arcadia Avenue Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church. Both of these churches had long, independent histories. Both of them were reasonably large by our denomination's standards, and uniting them was not an easy task. Thankfully, we were blessed with gifted and supportive leaders who shared our vision for a new beginning and a stronger ministry that would bless our members at the time and generations to come. So, we united, but we also had to unite two distinct ruling bodies, two distinct deacon boards, and two distinct cultures- each of which had always done things "their way."  And we each had our own choirs and our own financial assets. These challenges (opportunities) certainly existed, but we also had two experienced "Senior" pastors- both of whom loved to talk, preach, teach, and see things go their way. Some people said they would give us a year or two at best, but we worked together closely for five years... and I enjoyed every minute of it... because I enjoyed working with Randy.

He was a great partner, and I will always value our friendship. He has a masterful grasp of words- their etymology (if that's the right word) and their usage- and he has a seemingly limitless well of knowledge. He knows virtually everything, and he is a respected authority on Lincoln. He also writes song and poems, gardens masterfully, and as far as I am concerned, he has the best grasp of Robert's Rules in the state. All of these things, and more, are true about Randall Saxon, but they are not why I care so much about him. I care for him because he is genuine, at times even vulnerable; I care for him because he really cares about being a "good shepherd;" and I care for him because we shared some important "kairos" moments. On most Friday mornings, we met for breakfast, and I could tell a hundred stories about those meetings. We simply had fun. We shared thoughts that were inane and thoughts that we surprisingly deep. We laughed at things that anyone would've laughed at, and we laughed at things that might have made others "roll their eyes." Being entertainers at heart, we gave our servers a hard time, but there were also times when we listened to their stories... as pastors ought to do... and there was never a time when we were mean-spirited or took another person's  inventory. We once put a skit together for a church function. It was pretty much off-the-cuff, but it came out alright. We shared the same stage many, many times, and we shared it with grace and respect. We have different personalities in some ways, but we share many of the same interests, and our church members knew that neither one of us- or even the both of us together- could change a light bulb if our careers depended on it.

Saxon is a good preacher, and an even better teacher. He and Anna have a wonderful family and I wish them the best because Randy is retiring this fall. He will be missed. He has touched the lives of many people- many of them in powerful ways- and he has left a huge footprint in Peoria. My friend is not perfect. He's a bit of the absent-minded professor and he tends to schedule too many things at the same time. Both of these traits can be frustrating at times... but he is passionate about the things he loves, and he loves the right things.  He has a pastor's heart, a professor's mind, and a host of well-developed talents. One of them-it turns out- is being a very good Co-Pastor. The church we united will always be a shining moment for me, and he will always be my friend. The good doctor is simply delightful.

OUR DISAPPOINTED GOD

I came one day to this vineyard of mine;
hoping, expecting that it would all be fine.
The soil was rich, the corner... divine;
I loved it, for sure- this vineyard of mine.

The water was plenty, the sun warm and bright;
I worked it by day and watched it by night.
The hedge was protective, the tower sublime;
I invested so much... in this vineyard of mine.

I came to visit my vineyard in the course of time;
Expecting a yield in this vineyard of mine.
Looking for truth, I found nothing but lies;
Looking for justice... I heard nothing but cries.

I came to bask in it's righteousness;
but there's blood in the garden and it smells of distress.
My disappointment's so deep- who will pay for the crime?
What more could I have done, for this vineyard of mine?

Down with the hedge, the watchtower too;
My disappointment's real- I was counting on you.
I gave you a garden with a world of potential;
I filled it with love and all that's essential.
I did all I could, but there will be no wine
for my people never loved... this vineyard of mine.

There you have it: the first draft of a love song that I'm writing about our disappointed God. We've all experienced the sting of disappointment. It's led to a hundred little deaths. Love is disappointing, especially love based on fairy tales. Friends disappoint us. Work disappoints us, especially if we expect it to be more than it ever can be. To mention that politics is disappointing is too easy, but church is disappointing too.  What ought to be a labor of love becomes just a labor for many, and people who are expecting to experience the grace and joy of Christ... are likely to be disappointed.

We all know disappointment well... but it may surprise us to see that God knows it too. According to Scripture, God has experienced moments of extreme disappointment, and he experienced them from the time he walked in the garden to the moment he hung on his cross. After God created Adam and Eve, He said it was "very good," and He delighted in His evening walks with them... until the day came when they were both hiding... in their nakedness and in their sin. They were punished, of course, but as He made clothing for them, I can't help but think that God was extremely disappointed... in and for them. They had had it all and just threw it away. Later, in Noah's day, when God could no longer watch his people sin, his heart filled with a grief that we will never know, He said it plainly: "I am sorry I made humankind." How disappointing to know that no one, save Noah, gave any thought to pleasing or obeying him. So, with emotion that our Bible doesn't try to hide, God started over with Noah. Then came his call to Moses, and his law, which was an act of grace, showing his people how to practice mishpat (justice) and sedeqah (righteousness), but they continued to chase idols and go their own way. Prophet after prophet came to teach, warn, cajole, and plead with them. God tried  ...  but his people would not listen, which brings us to our passage today- Isaiah's wonderful love song. It is much better than my song, and it calls for a moment of our time.

Imagine the emotions- the disappointment- that underlies this song of a love gone wrong.

 I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard:
My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.
 He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines
      (the ones that were sure to bear fruit)
He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well
      (believing that it would soon produce wonderful wine)
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit
      (called "wild grapes" by other translators, the fruit also had a displeasing odor)

 “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
      (take stock in yourselves. I'm listening-tell me...)
What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it?
      (Sunlight, gentle rain, the best of soil, alot of care, preparation and maintenance-
        I've done all of this and more)
When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?
Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed;
I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled.
      ^{(Animals will eat what is left and trample on what they don't eat)}
I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated,
    and briers and thorns will grow there.
I will command the clouds not to rain on it.
      (It will be as dry as hopeless as those who refused to take care of it)

The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in.
And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

Cross references:

1. Isaiah 5:1 : Ps 80:8-9; Isa 27:2; Jn 15:1
2. Isaiah 5:2 : S Ex 15:17; Isa 16:8
3. Isaiah 5:2 : 1Sa 2:9; Isa 27:3; 31:5; 49:8; Mt 21:33
4. Isaiah 5:2 : S Job 24:11
5. Isaiah 5:2 : Mt 21:19; Mk 11:13; Lk 13:6
6. Isaiah 5:3 : Mt 21:40
7. Isaiah 5:4 : S 2Ch 36:15; Jer 2:5-7; Mic 6:3-4; Mt 23:37
8. Isaiah 5:4 : Jer 2:21; 24:2; 29:17
9. Isaiah 5:5 : 2Ch 36:21; Isa 6:12; 27:10
10. Isaiah 5:5 : S Ps 80:12; S Isa 22:5
11. Isaiah 5:5 : Isa 10:6; 26:6; 28:3, 18; 41:25; 63:3; Jer 12:10; 34:22; La 1:15; Hos 2:12; Mic 7:10; Mal 4:3; S Lk 21:24
12. Isaiah 5:6 : S Ge 6:13; S Lev 26:32; Isa 6:13; 49:17, 19; 51:3; Joel 1:10
13. Isaiah 5:6 : ver 10, 17; S 2Sa 23:6; Isa 7:23, 24; 32:13; 34:13; 55:13; Eze 28:24; Hos 2:12; Heb 6:8
14. Isaiah 5:6 : S Dt 28:24; S 2Sa 1:21; Am 4:7
15. Isaiah 5:7 : Ps 80:8; Isa 17:10; 18:5; 37:30
16. Isaiah 5:7 : Isa 10:2; 29:21; 32:7; 59:15; 61:8; Eze 9:9; 22:29
17. Isaiah 5:7 : S Isa 1:21
18. Isaiah 5:7 : S Ps 12:5

Isaiah's song, which probably rhymed better in Hebrew, in 720 BC, give or take a decade or two, and I wish I could say that God never again experienced disappointment...but I can't... because Jesus also endured the pain of watching others, even his friends, turn their backs on His Father's invitation. For instance, when Jesus preached his sermon in Nazareth, (Mark 6) I imagine that he was really anticipating the moment because Nazareth was his hometown. He had more important things to do than making a good impression, no doubt, but it's reasonable to think that he expected a warm reception. In any event, when he finished preaching, the people accused him of pretending to be more than he was. "Look at you," they suggested, "Up there at the pulpit, acting like you're a prophet, when we all know that you're just the kid who used to play on our streets." According to Scripture, Jesus narrowly avoided physical harm, but it seems that his feelings were hurt the most. The Bible says, Jesus was "amazed at their unbelief" and "could do no miracles in their presence." Jesus was disappointed with his people's unwillingness to accept the good news he was offering, but he was also disappointed with the pain that he saw all around him. We can almost feel his pain when he stood in front of Lazarus' grave.  The Bible says, "Jesus wept," which some believe is better translated, "Jesus sobbed." He sobbed, not because he thought death had won (he knew he would resurrect Lazarus), but because he was overwhelmed by the fear and loss his friends were experiencing. When he saw the "holes in their souls," when he considered their fears and their dashed hopes, he could scarcely take it in... and he sobbed. Standing as God Incarnate, he knew that people, like foolish sheep, had forsaken God's ways and in doing so, they had forfeited his promises. There's nothing much sadder and more disappointing than watching those you love miss opportunities for life. Finally, as he approached Calvary, Jesus stopped and cried over Jerusalem itself, exclaiming that he had longed for a long time to gather her people unto himself. He meant it. He meant it with all of his heart, and he showed it by carrying his cross to Golgotha. He hung there, on that cross of his, feeling a pain that we will never know, taking on our sins, and looking around, in disappointment, I suspect, to see that his friends had run and hid. When he looked down, he saw his mama crying, he saw men taunting him, and he saw any number of others simply gawking or passing by. It must have been keenly disappointing, but in a moment of unimaginable grace, he cried, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing."

For this he had come, lived, suffered and died. "It is finished," he said, in victory, and utter disappointment died with him- at least for those who embrace him as Lord and Savior.  There can be no real disappointment for those who are in Christ for they have inherited full, abundant, and eternal life. Other than not keeping my head down when I swing a golf club, I have little reason to be disappointed because Jesus is my Lord and Savior... but I am convinced that unachieved possibilities still disappoint God. Friends, if you, or anyone you know, is still laboring under the illusion that they don't need Christ, it is time to invite them, or yourself, to experience a joy that only surrender can bring. Friends, if God has given you gifts of time, talent, and/or treasure, please use them. In fact, use them as if there is no tomorrow... for someone you know may not have a tomorrow, and to someone, you may be the only representative of Christ that they will ever know. Friends, God has given us a vineyard, with very rich soil, and he's given us every opportunity to bring forth a yield of life-giving grapes. If you can nurture our vineyard by calling on others, by tending to a section of our property, by joining our choir, by helping us with Drop-In Center, by picking up the cross of servant-leadership, or simply by showing up so that the rest of us don't feel so lonely, you need to respond. I can't promise you a standing ovation, but I am sure that God will smile. When God visits South Park, he expects to see sedeqah and mishpat- righteousness and justice- where righteousness includes the way we live, worship, and serve... and justice includes who we invite and serve, who we stand with, and what we stand for. Let's tend to his vineyard- this one that he has entrusted to us- and let's do it with energy and love... so that we will not disappoint him. Amen.

A BORN-AGAIN PRESBYTERIAN ?

When I was in the throes of my spiritual struggles (which had economic, relational, physical, and marital repercussions), my wife was counseling with the pastor of our neighborhood church. She was searching for serenity and hoping for a miracle. I've never been sure of just how long she'd been seeing and praying with Pastor Lu before I got involved, but in time- as my life spiraled more and more out of control, I certainly got involved. I "hit bottom," as they say in the 12-step world, and Pastor Lu came to visit me on the 6th floor of the Eppley treatment center in Omaha, Nebraska.

I was particularly vulnerable at that time, and I would've welcomed virtually anyone who cared enough to visit me. So, we talked... about my pain, my fears, my regrets, and my need for a new beginning. It wasn't a matter of philosophy or academic research- I had discovered first-hand that the way I was living my life was NOT working. It was a disaster- a complete and utter train wreck. I didn't know where to turn, but Pastor Lu said that he did. He said that I could find forgiveness and new birth in Christ. He didn't mention joining "his church." He just continued to tell me that there was new life in Christ, and that I would discover this life if I turned my life over to Him. He cited several Bible passages to support his position, not seeming to know that Biblical passages meant nothing to me. I didn't know any, hadn't read any, and certainly wouldn't put my trust in any, but... I was ready to embrace the new beginning he was talking about. I needed a second chance. I had reached the point where the unknown- whatever it turned out to be- had more appeal than the darkness that engulfed me.

So, I accepted my visitor's invitation to accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and to put my trust in Him. Sounding like Nicodemus, I asked Pastor Lu what I needed to do to claim the peace and cleansing that he was referring to, and he led me through a "Sinner's Prayer." Sometimes called the "Salvation Prayer," it's a prayer of surrender and trust. It's a prayer in which we can "release" our sins and receive forgiveness. As I recall, the prayer we said together was something like this: "Dear Lord, I know that I am a sinner and I ask your forgiveness. I believe that you died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn my sin over to you and invite you to come into my heart and life, as Savior and Lord. I want to trust and follow you from this point forward, and with your help, I will serve you in every way that I can. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for redeeming me and for receiving this prayer. Amen." That was it- a decision, a prayer, a commitment. That moment was the beginning of a new life for me. In that moment, I was reborn. I was "saved," and I when I finished my treatment program, Sherry and I began to attend Lu's neighborhood church down the street. The people there loved us... and they showed it by involving us. We attended events, big and small; we were regulars at the Sunday evening service; I taught Bible Study (although I was never sure if it was E-phe-sus or Eph-e-sus); and I joined the church's Evangelism Committee (which really was evangelism).

All of this took place in the fall of 1976. It's been 37 years since Lu and I sat together on my treatment center bed, and God continues to bless Sherry and me in many ways. There are still hills to climb and obstacles to clear, but I never walk alone, and I always know that God is with me. I've been pastoring a "mainline" church for some time now. We don't lead many people in the Sinner's Prayer, but I will be forever glad that Pastor Lu did. We don't talk much about "being saved" either, but being saved is the source of our joy and our power. Rather than beginning with a surrendered life, we are more likely to struggle with how, and if, we can fit Christ into our lives. I know that I will not change the mainline church's direction, but I will always be grateful that the Rev. Luther Ratmeyer believed that the Christian life begins with surrender. In fact, although we've strived to be "relevant" for decades now, we (the mainline churches) continue to lose members in droves. Why? Because relevance is not the issue- rebirth is. Amen.

WORSHIP... IS A VERB

Like most of Israel’s prophets, Isaiah was concerned with matters of mercy and justice, and like his contemporaries, Isaiah railed against the abuse of the powerless and the lack of concern for the needy. Instead of caring for the widow, the orphan, and the stranger, the leaders in Israel were abusing and neglecting them. They were worshiping themselves and pretending to worship God. They would take the coat off of a debtor’s back and use it for a cushion in church. They would take a poor man’s last dollar and put it in the offering plate. They had come to believe that they could exchange God’s commandment to love Him exclusively and to love the least among them as they loved themselves… for a ritualistic sacrifice and a modest offering. They'd come to believe that God would ignore their disobedience and willfulness if they showed up at the temple and offered a gift from time to time. They had fooled themselves into believing that God could not see their idolatry and lies... but they were wrong! Like the prophets before him, Isaiah told them "the way it was" in God’s eyes. Like the other prophets of the Old Testament, Isaiah could read the future, but his fundamental job as a prophet was to "read the writing on the wall" and speak for God. Therefore, he told them that their self-indulgent worship would not stand. In fact, in words that we would be afraid to use in our time, Isaiah let the people know that God had had enough! Israel’s self-indulgent leaders and self-righteous clergy were behaving as if they lived in Sodom and Gomorrah… and they would surely face the same consequences… unless they repented and began to worship God as if He were Lord.

Bear with me as I paraphrase Isaiah’s passage in my own words. Listen to what God is saying to the great church of Christ today.­­­

Hear the word of the Lord, you leaders and people of the church. Your ritualistic sacrifices have become a burden to God. They mean nothing. You’ve been dragging your offerings… to God's altar forever and a day… but you’ve never offered your hearts. You’ve brought your sin offerings and your guilt offerings, and God has seen them. But He's also seen the blood of injustice on your hands, and He's heard the cries of your victims. He's seen the animals that you’ve offered, and He knows that it was an act of giving. But giving ought to be a way of life. He's received the meal and flour you’ve presented. He knows they involved a sacrifice of time and labor… but you should’ve devoted the same time and labor in showing mercy and breaking the bonds of injustice. In the beginning, these rituals of yours seemed to have a place, but they were never… meant… to replace love and justice. When God spoke to your ancestors at Mt Sinai, He comma­­nded them to love Him with all of their being and to love their neighbor as themselves. He said that they would be His people… if they lived…as if they were His people, but you've brought shame on yourselves by disregarding His word and abusing your neighbors.

 

Where did your covenant go so wrong? When did you get the idea that, instead of living for God, you could live for yourselves and offer Him a token gift from time to time? How could you possibly believe that a covenant based on His grace and your obedient love could be replaced with a manipulative and self-serving ritual… that you call worship? How many times must He repeat that it is justice and righteousness that He seeks, not polity nor piety. Don’t you know that, as liberated slaves, you ought to liberate slaves; and that as a people whom I fed day by day in the wilderness, you ought to give others their daily bread; and that as a people who had to struggle for life quality in a land in which you were aliens, that you ought to pave the way for all of the struggling aliens in your land? Don’t you see that you’ve been saved to serve… and that your service… is worship to God?

Some day, God will establish a new Jerusalem and it will be a place or complete joy and real love. There will be no tears there, no fears either, or wounds that can’t be healed. People, all people, will eat like Kings, and all of the Cinderellas will be Queens of the Ball. There will no need for judges, or counselors, or unemployment clerks… because everyone will be treated with respect and love. Justice and righteousness, love and obedience, health and life- don’t you see that these are God's goals? Don’t you know that loving me with everything you have- your heart, your soul, your all- and loving your neighbors- male and female, black and white, straight and gay- is why… you were created! Amen!

Friends, real worship cannot be reduced to our coming and going into a sanctuary and the offerings that find their way into the plate. Friends, it is true- a house of worship is sacred … but worship is a verb that involves surrender, obedience, service, promise, sacrifice, and commitment. Worship is a way of life… that honors God and treats others as if they were Christ. Worship is other-directed and God-centered, and no church building, no matter how grand; no choir, no matter how talented; no youth group, no matter how large… will ever substitute for it. But here’s the good news: hope is not lost because, in Christ, God will make our sins as white as snow if we stop worshiping ourselves and trust in Him. If we are willing and obedient, our forgiving God will cleanse us and feed us the good things of the land. In short, our tomorrows do not have to be the same as our todays. We can change. We can repent. We can trust in Christ as our Lord and Savior, and live boldly. We can begin to worship God in willing obedience…and we can begin now!

Let us vow… to be a church… where worship… is a verb, and let us agree to evaluate the quality of our worship more by the way in which we treat the least among us and less by the size of our foundation.  Amen. 

REFLECTIONS ON FAMILY REUNION

When the faithful congregate this Sunday, they won't find me in the pulpit... because I'm taking my first Sunday off this year. I'm going to be in Belle Plaine, Iowa... to attend our annual Shedenhelm family reunion. With the exception of uncle Duane and aunt Betty, my father's siblings have passed on, and uncle Duane is unlikely to attend the reunion. Still, I have cousins that I want to see and besides, I feel a genuine connection with these people and, for that matter, with all of those who comprise "my" family tree. If you had asked me "who I was" a few years ago, I would've said a Shedenhelm (Schuttenhelm in the old country) from Aach, Bavaria. My dad always said we were "Dutch German" and in some ways, he was right... but we are much more than that.

In the first place, most of my family can trace their roots back to England, although there is a strong contingency from Scotland and a few from Wales.  Secondly, there are many more last names in my ancestry that I could've imagined. I should have known this. I wasn't "just" a Shedenhelm in the first place. My mother is a Sylvester, but beyond that, my grandfather, Clarence Shedenhelm. was married to Myrene Simmons. His grandmother was Catherine Schall and my grandmother's mother was Mary Agnew. So, almost from the beginning, I was a Shedenhelm-Simmons-Schall-Sylvester-Agnew. Thirdly, although he would not have been impressed, dad would've been surprised to see that the "rich and famous" dot our family tree, including Robert the Bruce of Scotland, Louis VII of France, Charlemagne, Henry II of England, Anne Boleyn, and Sir Walter Raleigh. Fourthly, he would've been surprised to learn that we have so many ancestors who immigrated to America in colonial times. One of them arrived on the Mayflower, one of them co-founded Hartford, CT., one of them arrived in his own ship, many of them arrived as indentured servants, and most of them were in America by 1650. However, Friedrich Schuttenhelm, Nicholas Schall, John Beck, John  Liebenstein, and Georg Dotterer  came to American as part of the Palatinate migration. I suspect that dad, like me, would have an interest in learning more about the lives and times of our ancestors. What were their dreams? Their burdens? Their victories? Their defeats?

All of this is on my mind as I prepare to drive to Belle Plaine, but I do know that, as a Army pilot in WWII, my father would've been pleased with the number of heroes and warriors among our ancestors. As an example, John Agnew served America with the 7th Virginia Regiment in the REVOLUTIONARY War. Abraham Barnes also fought for our freedom in Virginia, although he served as a gunner with the 2nd Artillery Regiment, Continental Troops. Michael Blue served in the 2nd Battalion of the NJ Militia, and Samuel Simmons fought for freedom in Cook's Regiment of the Rhode Island Militia. More than a dozen Schalls fought for the Union in our CIVIL WAR, mostly in Pennsylvania units, while Thomas Shedenhelm served the Union in the 164th Ohio infantry and John W. Shedenhelm fought for the 24th Iowa infantry. Finally, although dad didn't know it, other Shedenhelms joined him in the War against Hitler, one of whom enlisted at the same facility in the very same week.

I have all sorts of family members. Some are famous-most aren't. Some were Quakers- many were Catholics. Some have been victims of injustice (one was executed as a witch in Salem)- others have been in law enforcement (the Agnews were hereditary sheriffs in Scotland for centuries). Some have been wealthy- most have not, and not a few have even been poor. They came to America for all sorts of reasons, and as a group, the Shedenhelms, Schalls, Slaymakers, and Rosenbergers moved first, from Frederick, MD to Seneca, OH., and then to Iowa County. The Shedenhelms were farmers. The Simmons family were business people. So, I don't know how a girl like Myrene Simmons even met Clarence Shedenhelm, who struggled to make a living off the land throughout his life, in the first place. But she did... and here I am... on the way to Belle Plaine, Iowa to break bread with my family.

I only see them once a year and I don't know much about their daily lives... but I sure do feel connected to them. If I could, I would gather them all together, from all of their times and places, in one big hall... and thank them... for their blood, sweat, and tears... for the efforts... and for doing the best they could.

ARE YOU MY NEIGHBOR?

      There are many good questions in the Bible. Really good questions, like... "Am I my brother's keeper? Why do you seek the living among the dead?" and many more. There are many life-changing questions in the Bible... and as part of my ongoing "series" on the questions that are particularly important to me, I am updating a blog that I published some time ago because it brings us face-to-face with this question: who is my neighbor? Who is my neighbor? And in what way am I "neighbor" to them?
      According to the Bible story about the "Good Samaritan," a religious man asked Jesus, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" This is a life-changing question in itself, but when Jesus pointed out that the Law required him to love God with everything he had (mind, heart, and soul)... and to love his neighbor as himself... the same man asked him a second question, "Who is my neighbor?" Who is my neighbor, Jesus? Who really is my neighbor? Whom are you asking me to love as I love myself"

      Who is my neighbor? The couple who live next door (to the north) are my neighbors. They are good, hard-working white people. I like them, and I consider them to be my neighbor. However, the single man who lives next door (to the south) is a loner, and given what you hear about loners, I wonder... if this man can really be my neighbor. Then there's the family who just moved in to our neighborhood. They are from a country in Asia, and they just smile when I talk to them. The single man who lives behind us in the alley is also hard to know, and until recently, he was ruining our view because his garage door was an absolute disaster! Now that he has painted it, he feels more like a neighbor to me. 

I could go on, but you get the point. No one knows who, or how many, people, live in the yellow house across street, and therefore, we don't know whether they're neighbos or not. But then again, who are my neighbors? People who look like me? People who agree with me? People who have the same values as I have? Am I neighbor with people who don't go to church, mow their lawns, or paint their garages? Am I neighhbor with people who have a different skin color? How about the tatoo parlor at the end of the alley? Are they my neighbors? Lord, I pray that you will show me my neighbors, and also... please show me how to BE NEIGHBOR to them. Jesus, what does it mean to be a neighbor? Let me tell you a story, he might say. Let me tell all of you a story. There's a stranger lying beside the road-robbed, beaten, wounded, maybe dying. He's in great need...when two very religious men (one a man of the cloth) came down the road, one after the other. They see him lying there. Maybe the victim will be blessed. Maybe his prayer has been answered... maybe, but both of these self-righteous men walked on by.

You know how it is- sometimes when you're walking down a street, you see a homeless beggar with a sign, or an unkempt man who may be dangerous. You see them and you see that they probably need help. You know that it will take a lot of time, energy, and courage to get involved. You have other things to do. You don't know them... so you walk on by and pretend that you didn't see what you saw. You know how it is, and the religious leaders in Jesus' story did too, which is why they walked to the other side of the street and hurried by just as fast as they could go. You've been in these situations  and you can empathize with the religious leaders. Maybe you've even walked by someone who was in obvious need of attention. In any event, there is a Samaritan "half-breed" coming down the road as well. He's a half-breed because all Samaritans are. They've intermixed with other cultures for centuries. They don't worship in Jerusalem, and they're held in contempt by every faithful Jew. Picture the kind of person you most detest coming down the road, and think of him as a Samaritan for a moment. He isn't anyone's neighbor, it seems, but upon seeing the man (who is also a stranger to him), the Samaritan is filled with mercy. He identifies with the man who's been beaten- so much so that he sets his fears aside and gives him concrete help. He doesn't simply check to see if the man is dying. He doesn't simply tell the man that he will "keep him in his prayers and thoughts." Instead, the man we now know as the "good" Samaritan, tended to the victim's wounds, took him to a place where he would receive assistance, and paid two day's wages in advance... for the stranger's care... out of his own pocket.

Which one was "neighbor" to the man who had been beaten and left to die? A fellow Jew? Someone who lived just to the north, or the south, of the man? Someone who had all the time in the world to spend helping strangers? Someone actively engaged in "victim's rights" causes? A family member? No, not at all. The smart, religous teacher was smart enough to get this question right. Who was neighbor to the man who needed help? The one who had mercy on Him. The one who related to him as a child of God. The one whose empathy and mercy demanded action. The one who put service ahead of self. Being neighbor has nothing to do with proximity. It has nothing to do with the things that attract us and deeply divide us. Being neighbor is all about seeing Christ in... and being Christ to... others, especially the least among us. It is about identifying with others at a level far deeper than skin color, political views, or sexual preferences.

We all sin. We all go astray. We are all lost. We all get mugged. We are all in need. Seeing and responding to this is what neighbor's do. If Christ can forgive us because we "don't know what we're doing," we can reach out and be neighbor to anyone- even those who have ugly garages. What is more- my own focus needs to be on how I can be a "neighbor" to others.... and not on who is qualified to be a neighbor to me? I need to invest more energy in doing what God has commanded and less time wondering about who deserves my love. At times, the log in my own eye blinds me to the most obvious truths! Amen/

IN THE POTTER'S HANDS

 Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, help me stand...
He's got little bitty baby in his hands; he's got you and me, brother, in his hands;
        He's got the whole world in His hands...
Why should I feel discouraged; why should the shadows come;
        His eye is on the sparrow and I know He cares for me

Some of you know the words to these old hymns. Many of you could sing along (if you had a pastor who could sing), and all of you have clung to these promises at some point in your life. There are tines when all we really want.. is to be in God's hands. We fall- yes, and can't get up. We get lost. We get too far out on the limb, and can't get back. The storms of life batter us. Events overwhelm us, and in a world where we're often just a number, it's comforting to know that God has His eye on us, and that we're safely in His hands. Take comfort in this: we're in God's hands and He will never let us go. According to the 139th Psalm, we are never, no matter how badly lost we are, beyond God's reach. Having known people who have been lost and having been lost myself, sometimes being in God's hands is the greatest truth there is to me. Friends, we can neither live with courage, nor die with grace, unless we're in God's hands. So, cling to this promise and sings these hymns of comfort with everything you have.

But there's another sense in which we're in God's hands- the sense that we find in Jeremiah- a sense that we're not as likely to talk about- and it, too, is a very powerful truth. Being comforted is wonderful, I'm all for it, but there's more to our Christian journey than that. Indeed, our Christian journey also involves accountability. God comforts us, no doubt, but He also expects us to live as if He (and He alone) is Lord. He forgives us, it is true, but it's also true that He loves us enough to reshape us, or even, remake us, whenever He chooses. God may well choose to wipe our tears away, but He may also choose to break us down and start over again. Friends, as our Potter, God can have His way with us. It's that simple. He's not obliged to accept pottery that is slightly flawed, or totally a mess. He can remake or reshape His pottery whenever He chooses. He is the Creator and we are His creations. He is the Potter and we are the pottery. He is NOT our "big buddy in the sky." He is not "our co-pilot," and certainly not a "cosmic vending machine" that gives us whatever we want. God is our Potter, and we are utterly and completely His. This is what it means to be in God's hands! Of course, when God gave Jeremiah (ch. 18) this message about the potter and his pottery, He had consequences in mind. Israel was sinning (again). They had given themselves to idolatry. They were rejecting God's blessings because they were rejecting His lordship, and He was telling them that their unfaithfulness would not be accepted. When we persist in sinning and refuse to repent, God may break us down and remake us, as a potter reworks his pottery. Being chosen is a blessing AND a responsibility. Therefore, when we're in God's hands, we are both comforted and challenged. We are sheltered in many ways, but we're also accountable for the way in which we live our lives. We are "saved to serve," and God may choose to remake us if we're not "useful" for His purpose.

Thus, being in the Potter's hands, is a matter of trust, but it is also a matter of surrender! When Christ bids us to "follow him," He bids us to "come and die." This is what Bonhoeffer said, and it's what we claim every time we have a baptism. Being in God's Hands is a matter of surrender, and our ultimate comfort is not in thinking that we'll be okay because God will keep bad and painful things away... but in knowing that whatever happens will be okay. When we get to the point where we can praise God in any and all circumstances, we are finally at rest in our Potter's hands. If the potter makes me into a beautiful and expensive piece, that's great; if he makes me into a small, non-descript piece, that's great; if he puts me front and center, that's great; if he puts me in the corner, or in the back room, that's great; if I'm a King, that's great; if I'm a pauper, that's great; if I'm handsome, that's great; if I'm homely, that's great... if I can see myself as pottery and be content in whatever form God has created me, then I will have come to spiritual maturity. If I can turn my life over to God, without strings and rejoice in what comes my way, I will never fear either today or tomorrow.

Jesus calls us to "measure the costs" and to understand that we can never look back if we put our hands to the plow. He calls us to yoke ourselves to him and in "being yoked," we will find meaning, joy, and authentic freedom. Being in God's hands is comforting and challenging. It involves reward and punishment, affirmation and correction, admiration and reworking. Mostly though, it involves surrender and acceptance. Once we see ourselves as pottery, we will be content with whatever shape or purpose we have, and then we will know a peace that surpasses all understanding. This is a greater and deeper truth than simply hoping that nothing bad ever happens to us. Surrender to God and set yourself free from bondage to self!