IN PRAISE OF CHEERLEADERS AND DROP-GIVERS

Years ago, I was associated with a firm which gave “Drops for Your Bucket” to associates and others who had done something well or had touched their lives in an important way. They weren't formal, but they were affirming. “I want to take a moment and thank you for doing so much around here;”or “I really enjoy the songs you select and play for our Sunday services;” or “Thanks, for your commitment to our ministries of outreach- quilts, food, clothing, visitation;” or “Thanks for taking the time to listen to me last night,” or “Your enthusiasm and joy lift my spirits!”

Drops for our Buckets of self-esteem are important because we all like to be affirmed. As people of faith, we long to hear Jesus say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Sometimes, people tell me that I shouldn’t give so much affirmation to others, but I believe that an affirming word- sincerely meant and honestly said- can make a difference in our lives. In a world filled with “dippers,” who look for every opportunity to bring other people down, giving “drops of affirmation,” is a wonderful and worthy ministry. Being a cheerleader in a world filled with critics is an important thing. Affirming someone else’s ministry, accomplishments, joy, and special qualities can lift their hearts and open doors.

When I taught college courses in Human Relations and Motivation, I would sometimes ask students to identify the people who had made an importance difference in their lives, who were in some way responsible for the way they thought about themselves and for the dreams they were pursuing. I asked them to list those people who had left lasting imprints on their lives. I gave them time to write their lists and then we tallied their answers. “Moms” always won and dads were generally second. Good friends were always near the top. Siblings, grandparents, other relatives, an encouraging teacher, sometimes someone who just showed up in their lives, and others from the helping professions- pastors, doctors, counselors, and such. The lists differed, but the thrust was always the same- the people who had made a difference in their lives were people who affirmed them, who cheered them on, and who stood by them when they were up and when they were down!

Letting someone know that he or she is appreciated is an important thing… and that brings me to the one-page book of Phi-lee-mon, which is very much a drop for Philemon’s bucket and for Onesimus’ bucket too. Onesimus was a slave who ran away from Philemon and ended up at Paul’s side while Paul was in prison. He became a Christian during his time with Paul, but it was still fitting for him to return to the man who owned him, who was an influential Christian in Colossae. So, Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon with a note that read (in my words). “Dear Philemon, your love has given me great encouragement and joy, even as it has refreshed the hearts of others.” This is a drop for Philemon’s bucket in its own right, but Paul went on. “And knowing that you are a righteous man, I am sending Onesimus back as a full brother in Christ. He may have been useless to you, but he has been immensely useful to me. Indeed, I would like to have kept him with me, but I know that you will welcome him in the same manner you would welcome me. If he owes you anything, put it on my bill, and get the guest room ready for me. Luke and the others say hello.”

My point is very simple- let’s be drop givers. Let’s be affirmers for Christ. Let’s look for opportunities to cheer others on. When someone spills a drink at the table, instead of being the person who yells out, “Hey, no more drinks for that guy,” be the one who says “I know how you feel. It’s happened to me.” Over the years I’ve been a drop-giver and I should've given more. One of our saints in Rock Island had read through the entire Bible 33 times and I took the time to affirm her passion for God’s word. I also affirmed the gifts of love that two of our Deacons demonstrated again and again. In Joliet, I affirmed our Stephen Ministry leaders and our Clerk of Session for their own ministries of affirmation and faithfulness, and in the same church, I affirmed the chair of our Prayer Group for leading her group in prayer- without fanfare and often with just a few in attendance- for decades on end. 

I’ve been blessed with drops myself. People have been affirming to us throughout our ministry, but I have two “Drops” in mind that had a bigger impact on my ministry than I think the "drop givers" would’ve expected. One took place in Joliet when a old woman (we had plenty of them) finally decided that I was the “real deal,” and the other took place in Peoria when a man I respected said these words as I was leaving the church for the last time- “Thanks Kenn, you made us better Christians.” These two drops have meant the world to me because being the “real deal” and helping others “grow in Christ,” is all I ever wanted to do. Friends, let's be cheerleaders! Let's be quick to recognize someone who is touching lives for Christ. Let's affirm as many people as grace will allow. Amen!

LIVING AS FORGIVEN SINNERS

Someone noted that, if we want to find a person’s god, we should follow the money- their checkbook will tell us whom they are worshiping. But it’s not all about the love of money, we can also find our god... when we find what or whom we turn to for comfort, whom we run to when we’re scared, that person or thing that most fulfills us, or gives us the greatest joy! There was a time when I couldn’t conceive of a “good time” without alcohol. Other people don’t feel complete unless they’re “in love” with something, and still others hoard stuff to feel complete.

Who or what… makes life worth living? Who or what “turns you on”? In whom or what do you trust? This question is at the core of God’s case in the 2^nd chapter of Jeremiah, where God indicts Israel for two interrelated sins: 1) replacing a loving and living God with lesser gods who cannot love, respond, or save; and 2) trusting in broken cisterns for the water of life. Trusting in something or someone else as our source of fulfillment and joy… is the source of our sins… and it is a shame because God is so very near to us.

Chances are you haven’t thought much about sin lately because it’s a term that seems outdated. It's passe. Biblically speaking it means “missing the mark,” which includes sins of commission and sins of omission. In practice, however, we don’t count the things we didn’t do- like welcoming strangers, feeding the hungry, sharing our talent and treasure- as sin because our focus is on specific behaviors that we did do. In recent poll of Christians, 81% said that adultery a sin,  and it was followed by racism, hard drugs, keeping the money when a cashier gives us too much change, abortion, homosexuality, falsifying income tax returns, pornography, gossip, and swearing. In contrast, 100% of Evangelical Christians considered adultery to be a sin, and that was followed by: gossip, swearing, racism, income tax evasion, keep excess change, abortion, porn, pre-marital sex, getting drunk, having sexual thoughts (other than spouse), marijuana, having homosexual thoughts, telling white lies, harming the environment, smoking, R-rated movies, playing the lottery, not attending church…. spanking children, dancing, and being rich!

Well, what do you think? Has the "net of sins" gathered you in as a sinner yet? If not, we could add, not worshiping God with all of your heart, not honoring our mother and father, stealing, coveting, pride, anger, judging others, envy, sloth, and many more. We love to list and prioritize sin, but listing sins in this way is just a way of judging others and ourselves. It is also a way of getting well off track because our traditional list of sins is not accurate, complete, or definable. What does it mean, for instance, to honor our mother and father? What can we do about sexual thoughts, other than not acting on them? Getting drunk and telling white lies would pretty much guarantee that we are a gathering of sinners here today, as would going to R-rated movies, playing the lottery, not attending church (every Sunday), and dancing. Yes, it’s true, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. We are a gathering of sinners… who have been forgiven and renewed in Christ! We are a gathering of forgiven sinners who are living in community as a people who know themselves to be forgiven!

We should quit obsessing on the sins of others and live each day as a glorious opportunity for ministry. We should have mile-wide smiles and boundless energy to love one another, welcome strangers, and serve Christ in our community… because He has given us new life. We are new creations in Christ and, with that in mind, we are encouraged to throw our scorecards away and to love others in the same way and to the same degree that we love ourselves. Our fundamental sin is our inability (and unwillingness) to let go and trust God. We are tempted to talk about grace, transformation, and acceptance on Sundays, knowing that we will be trusting in our nest eggs and our connections… come Monday. This doesn’t make us bad people, only good people who are unable (or unwilling) to let God make us better and more fulfilled. Coming and going to church, without surrendering to God, is not the worse thing in the world, but it’s not the best either because we can trust God and embrace each day without worry or fear.

We can live and love as a carefree Christian community and we can do so in many ways. But today, rather than dwelling on sin, I will conclude by lifting up the ways that we can please God, which the author of the book of Hebrews noted centuries ago. Instead of focusing on a list of sins, let us claim our baptisms. Let us trust God and live as God's people. Let us continue to love one another as brothers and sisters, as a chosen family, because in Christ, that’s what we are; 2) let us continue to show hospitality to strangers- to those who are new to us and not like us, and as a More Light church, we’ve already taken a stand; 3) let us identify with those who are imprisoned (in all the ways we get chained) and with those who are suffering… in a deep and powerful way, as if we are suffering ourselves; 4) loving God and God’s people is enough. Let us pray that we will never fall in love with our money; 5) let us be content with what God has given us. There’s nothing out there or across the road that going to make us any happier than serving God; 6) Ideas change over time. We know that the color of our skin and the people we choose to love are gifts from God, for instance. But God does not change- so let us resist the temptation to chase every fad that comes our way; 7) Life is short. Tomorrow is not ours. So, let us seize the moments that are given to us in which we can do good and share what we have with others. 

Let us rejoice in our forgiveness and meet each day with courage, contentment  and grace. May we live as if we live in Christ. May we love, welcome, forgive, and serve others. As the good Book says, God is pleased with sacrifices such as these! Amen!

CHRISTIANS MUST FEED THE POOR AND WELCOME THE STRANGER

From the beginning, Israel was called to Mishpat and Sedeqah. Throughout the Bible, God’s people were expected to treat others “justly” and “compassionately. They were expected to worship God appropriately, no doubt, to honor the Sabbath, give tithes, and so forth… but they were judged on the way they lived and how they treated others. Mishpat (justice), and Sedeqah, (righteousness), defined their love for God and neighbors.

They were expected to behave themselves, for sure, but their faithfulness was measured by the way they lived and treated others. And so, throughout both Testaments, similar questions are asked: did you leave some of your field untouched and some of your vineyards unpicked… so that the poor and the vulnerable, the orphans and the widows, could survive? Did you feed the hungry? Did you welcome the stranger? Did you keep your thumbs off the scale in the market? Did you offer merciful justice? Was your justice mixed with mercy and kindness? Were you able to recall when you were a stranger, when you were down and out, when you needed a little help to get on your feet? Are you able to see that some of those among you are especially vulnerable and that, for them, justice will require an act of kindness and empowerment? Sedeqah- merciful justice- doing the right thing- is a big part of what it means to be faithful!

In today’s passage we join Isaiah as he sings a song for God. It’s about His people, His vineyard, His disappointment, and it goes like this. God makes the case that He had done all that He could do for his people. He placed them in paradise to begin with. He started over with Noah, freed his people when they were slaves in Egypt, gave them a land of "milk and honey," called them to faithfulness through his prophets, and forgave them again and again. He had protected them, nurtured them, comforted them, and now he cries, “What more could I have done?” I gave my all to these people and I expected anavim (delicious grapes), but instead I see beusim (wild grapes that are good for nothing). I looked for mishpat (justice) but found mispah (oppression). I expected righteousness (sedeqah), but heard cries for help (seaqah). My people, God seems to be saying, have not lived as my people. They have not been just or righteous and these are the very things I long to see. 

In today’s world, taking care of those who are hungry and naked is seen through a political lens, as is leaving some of your profit for the poor and welcoming strangers into your community. This is unfortunate because mishpat and sedeqah are not political issues. They are matters of faithfulness, obedience, and kindness. Sharing what we have, walking across the street to help our neighbor, welcoming people who don't look like us or live like us, and making sure that everybody is treated as if they are somebody in Christ... has long been at the heart of our faith! Indeed, it is much of what it means to be a Christian and it frustrates me when either party tries to claim it social justice and righteousness for itself. 

Jesus didn't talk about things like guaranteed incomes and trickle down economics, but he did hold these truths close to his heart: 1) everybody is somebody in God’s eyes; 2) no one should be discriminated against for "superficial" differences; and 3) blessings, like wealth, time, and attentiveness, must be shared with those who need them! In his Sermon of the Mount, Jesus noted that citizens of the kingdom mourn for a broken world, do what they can to "repair" it, give to the needy, love their enemies, and store up their treasures in heaven. The Hebrews didn’t have government programs for the poor, but God’s people have always been expected to welcome strangers, feed the hungry, and set the oppressed free. Indeed, this is what it means to love our neighbors as ourselves!

In the 25^th chapter of Matthew, we join the passage just as Jesus announces who "is in" and who "is out." Come on in, he will say, to those who are assembled on his right side. Come on in… “for I was was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me”’ Wow. It's an open-book test and we have the answer! It’s as simple as this. Christians see Christ in the least among them... and they feed him when he is hungry, clothe him when he is naked, lift him up when he lies along the roadside, visit him when he is lying in a hospital bed, a hospice bed, or his death bed, liberate him when he is imprisoned by one of the destructive forces that get a hold of us, and accept him in whatever form he appears to us. 

All Christians do these things, no matter where or how they worship and with no account for their political views. There are all sorts of things we can quibble about in our time, but loving others as we love ourselves is not one of them! Amen!