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"Who Gives God Visibility?" Sermon Preached By Rev. Richard E. Stetler - October 20, 2002 Matthew 22:15-22; Exodus 33:12-23
Debates are usually an
interesting experience for viewers because we never quite know what to
expect. When it comes to political candidates presenting their views in
such a forum, many of us have already made up our minds about them long
before they speak. In this case, the people associated with Dr.
Graham's position were already in his camp and those who sided with Mrs.
O'Hare's orientation were equally committed to her position. Close to the end of the debate,
however, Dr. Graham asked Mrs. O'Hare a question that she could not
answer. I cannot recall the exact quote from Dr. Graham, but it went
something like this:
The compassion of Christians for the rest of
humanity has been such that through the years we have founded and built
countless libraries, hospitals, colleges and universities. We have
improved the agricultural techniques and established schools in
countries around the world. We have promoted psychological services,
prison ministries, supported free clinics, and distributed clothing and
food to those in need. We are frequently the first to arrive on the
scene of local and national disasters. Mrs. O'Hare, can you give us a
modest listing of the agencies and organizations that serve humanity
that have sprung into being because of atheism? Madelyn Murray O'Hare had very little to say. In our lesson today from Exodus
there is a very insightful verse. Moses may have been having a crisis
of faith. He appears in this passage to need reassurance from God that
God will always be with him and the people of Israel. In a childlike
fashion, Moses is outlining what he would like God to do. During his
discussion with God, Moses said, "Your presence with us will distinguish
us from any other people on earth." This was precisely Billy Graham's
point. We are a very distinctive people. In some fashion, people who
refer to themselves as Christians belong to a group whose mission it is
to try in every way to make love visible. It is no secret that we
have to work at it nearly every day. We make lots of mistakes in our
judgment. We sometimes say things to each other and about each other
that enemies could say. We sometimes hurt each other with our judgments
and perceptions. We sometimes backslide in our loyalty to what Jesus
taught, BUT, God allows us to become the channels through which God's
grace becomes visible. When the energy of love touches
someone, it often affects everything about them. Even very unhappy
people can have their hearts mellowed because of the loving spirits that
surround them. We tend to understand that when irritable attitudes come
from others, such responses are more often a call for love than anything
else. In spite of what they have done or what they have said, we love
them anyway. We do this graciously because of who we have become within
the Body of Christ. One of my favorite stories deals
with an old man who lived by himself on the outskirts of a town
somewhere in southern West Virginia. He never smiled and did not
associate with anyone. He was known for running hunters off his land
when they accidentally crossed the boundaries of his farm. Word began to circulate in the
community that the old man had broken his arm and badly injured his foot
in a work-related accident. He would be laid up for some time. The
teens in the United Methodist church in town learned of this, and they
talked about him during one of their youth fellowship meetings.
Everybody knew the man. His reputation for meanness had become
legendary in the town. There was an outspoken
17-year-old in the youth group who happened to be the president. She
said, "I think we ought to do something to help him whether he likes it
or not." Winter was very near and they knew he had not cut the
necessary wood for his stove, so the kids came up with a "devious"
plan. They would work after school to cut and split the wood. Then at a
prearranged time, they would sneak out of their homes and fill his three
wood cribs. That is what they did. It did
not take that group long to cut the wood. It was 2:00 a.m. when the
kids left the comfort of their beds to join in this adventure. They met
in the woods across the street from the old man's home and began
carrying the wood. Ever so quietly they filled the three cribs. Then
one of the kids remembered that he had a small one on the front porch.
"That's too dangerous!" one of them said, "He'll catch us!" Of course,
the more macho guys said, "We can do this!" The tedious process began. They
were about done when the outside light came on and the old man burst
onto the porch with his double-barrel shotgun leveled right at them.
"Don't shoot us!" one of the girls said, "We only came to help you with
your wood. We wanted it to be a surprise." The old man spied the
stacked wood. He said, "Get out of here! I don't need anybody's
help!" The youth ran back to their homes, horrified by the experience. The kids were terribly
disappointed. Their gift had not generated the results they wanted.
One of them said, "We should have figured that the old guy wouldn't be
appreciative of anything." The youth advisors, who had known nothing
about this high risk adventure, were both proud and chagrined by what
they did. They did not know whether to scold them or praise them. The weeks passed and eventually
it was Christmas Eve. Who should come to their service but the old
man. He sat in the church and cried for most of the service. During a
period when people could share their joys, he stood up and said very
hesitantly, "A little over a month ago, I ran a group of kids off my
property. . ." He couldn't finish. After a lengthy emotional pause, he
sat down. The word had spread in the
congregation about what the youth group had done, and everyone
understood that he was too overwhelmed to voice something he had never
expressed for a long time -- his appreciation. The kids glanced at each
other with looks that communicated, "This is some serious stuff going
down here. The old man has a heart after all."
Dr. Leo Buscaglia once wrote in
his book entitled Love these words, "Just because a message of
love is not received by someone, does not mean that it was unworthy of
being sent." Those youth went against their better judgment to err on
the side of kindness rather than on what was safe and secure.
Sometimes people have to take risks with their love or their love will
never become visible. In this instance, it took a little time for
an unselfish deed by a group of young people to be understood by a man
who may have forgotten what it was like to feel loved.
Obviously, this message today
represents the third in our stewardship series. Today's emphasis is on
membership in the church, on belonging to this distinctive group we call
United Methodists. We are often judged by people outside the fellowship
as being hypocrites, as saying one thing and doing another or of being
no better than those who do not belong to anything. When I hear
accusations like these, I always say, "Such things are true. We are all
those things and have earned labels that communicate much worse, BUT we
are also so much more than what those descriptions communicate." Those of us who have belonged to
the church for years too often take our faith experience for granted.
Even though we have a lot of variations in our behavior, it is the
collective consciousness of the fellowship that helps nurture us with
the divine energy we call love. We do not see it. We cannot
quantify it, but it is among us and in us nevertheless. We see
tremendous results when we make visible God's loving energy. It is
during such expressions that we become one with God. When we plug into what Jesus
taught, our lives change. When we learn to give without counting the
cost, our authentic identity begins to surface. When we learn to treat
other people as we would like to be treated, even more of our identity
begins to show. When we begin to volunteer, serve others and take
responsibility for making this world a better place because we are here,
we begin to see clearly what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
The world is filled with blind alleys, and many people forget that where
their treasure is, there will their hearts be also. When their treasure
and fortunes fade and change, this is frequently the time when their
authentic search begins. That search can begin at any age. All
conflicting issues within people are spiritual in nature, and we cannot
find solutions if we are constantly looking in places that will not
yield them. We need to thank God for our
church and for the Grace of God that many of us find here. We have all
fallen short of the glory of God, but it is wonderful to know that we
have a spiritual home. It is right here, and it needs our support both
financially and spiritually. Being involved in St. Matthew's does make
a difference in all our lives. If it did not, we would not waste our
time. Invisibly, the Holy Spirit enables and inspires us to make God
visible. THE CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER Our lives are
such a threshing floor, O God, and it is painful when the wheat is
separated from the chaff. Yet we desire to escape the clutches of our
irritability and frustration. We would gladly trade our learned
routines and habits for a purpose that would give our lives greater
meaning. Hold our hands as we take these steps. Empower us as we leave
behind those things that once gave us a fleeting sense of happiness.
May we learn that for angels in the flesh, our purpose is to encourage
and make hope visible. Our meaning comes from giving love its hands and
feet. Our joy is in passing our peace to one another. God, we trust
the outcome of our lives to your care and guidance. THE PASTORAL PRAYER Eternal and always faithful God, how grateful we are for our gathering this morning. We often take for granted what happens to us by association. We can be working with a shelter meal, serving on a committee, learning in a class, working with children in Church School or with their choir, and we do not realize how nourishing to our spirit such experiences are. Jesus taught us that when we give away who we
are, God can preserve hand-written letters until one day they are called
Scriptures. God can inspire a small group of people committed to
following Jesus and suddenly his followers are on every continent around
the world. Ever so slowly the work of the church becomes the leaven for
the loaf and so many people have been blessed as a result. Help us to trust you completely with
everything that we are so that we do not allow snipers, difficult
family relationships, challenging issues at work and our own
frustrations with life to cloud our understanding of your presence in
our lives. May we live in such a way that who we are makes you visible
everywhere. We pray these thoughts through the loving spirit of Jesus
who taught us to say when we pray . . .
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