"Use The Present Moment To Shine"

Sermon Preached By Rev. Richard E. Stetler - May 29, 2005

Psalm 46; Matthew 7:21-29

    
    During my seminary days our country was in the throes of the Viet Nam war.  The body count among our military was perceived by many to be rising at alarming levels.  The seminary community was divided among the hawks and the doves whenever the ethics of going to war were being debated during class time.  The conflict was between our being wise stewards of the freedom we have the responsibility to protect and the teachings within the Scriptures concerning “Thou shalt not kill” and “Love your enemies while forgiving 70 times 7.”

     One of our professors invited a high ranking military chaplain to come to our campus to give us insight into what goes on inside of the minds of men and women who are deeply imbedded in their faith communities. How do followers of Jesus reconcile their faith within the conditions of war?  His presentation was riveting, compassionate and filled with stories that made us laugh and cry.   

     The chaplain reminded us that disciples of Jesus could let their lights shine wherever they are, even in the hellish conditions of war.  “After all,” he said, “we have been called to be disciples not only in the safe harbors of our communities of faith but more importantly, to a world that may not share many of our values.” 

     War presents a dilemma for humankind, a dilemma that will not go away as long as people want to preserve a way of life that others are attempting to destroy.  However, even in the midst of an international conflict, there will always be moments when men and women can demonstrate their discipleship to Jesus Christ.

     Through the months our troops have been in Iraq, pictures have streamed over the Internet featuring scenes that are so beautiful and positive that they must not have been newsworthy enough. I never saw them in print or on any television news. 

     One picture was particularly amusing.  A G.I. had been sent a bag of grass seed by his parents. Outside his tent he had a plot of green grass that he watered every day, a symbol to his comrades of a chore that was waiting for them when they returned home.  The picture showed him mowing his lawn with hand-clippers. 

     There were pictures of our men and women building a state-of-the-art hospital in Afghanistan, playing with the children in Baghdad and caring for the wounds of Iraqi civilians caught in the cross hairs of insurgents whose appetite for killing civilians appears unrelenting.  There was a picture featuring eight soldiers holding hands in a circle as they prayed. 

     Every scene reflected the various forms of love that were being expressed by people of faith.  Even though Viet Nam is miles from Iraq, the circumstances of war never change what disciples are capable of radiating because of where they stand.

     In our lesson today Jesus said, “Anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is filled with wisdom because he has built his house on a rock.  The rains will pour down, the floods will come, the winds will blow but the house will not fall.”  This is the way life is for those of us whose lives have been changed because of our discipleship to Jesus Christ.  Standing on that rock in the midst of uncertainty is not easy nor is it a desirable place to be.

     One day two young brothers went to the dentist office.  The dentist had fallen behind in his schedule and the boys found themselves with nothing to do but wait.  As the time passed the boys became increasingly antsy.  Only one of the boys needed the dentist.  He had an abscessed tooth that needed to be extracted.  His brother came for moral support. 

    When the dentist finally appeared, the older boy spoke up and said, “A tooth needs to be taken out and we are in a hurry.  Please do this as quickly as you can. I don’t think you will need to use Novocain.”  The dentist smiled and said, “Well, you are quite a brave young man.  You want me to pull your tooth without any Novocain, is that right?”  The boy said, “That is correct, Doctor.  We are in a hurry.”  “Well, okay,” the doctor said, “tell me which tooth is it?”  The older boy, who had been doing all of the talking said, “Show him your tooth, Albert.”  

     We can look at people who are in harm’s way and call them heroes.  We can set aside entire weekends for their memory.  Yet everyday many of us stand at the crossroads of decision-making when uncertainty looms on our horizon.  Who are we going to be:  the one who appears to have all the bold sounding words, or the person who stands forth in her faith because she knows she is standing on a sure foundation?

     We can remain faithful in our discipleship on the battlefields of Iraq, our nation’s highways or in many of our domestic relationships.  In essence, this was the message the military chaplain gave to my class many years ago.

     This weekend we need to remember the men and women who have died in war so that the flags of freedom might continue to fly over those nations willing to stand forth to protect the freedoms we all enjoy.  They died so that our way of life will continue.    

     We must remember the man who threw himself on a hand grenade in order to save the lives of his comrades.  We must remember the dying Protestant soldier who asked a Roman Catholic chaplain to pray for the one who hit his vehicle with a rocket-propelled grenade.  We must remember the cooks who were doing everything humanly possible to give our men and women hot turkey on Thanksgiving Day when mortar rounds landed in their makeshift mess hall.

     Even in the midst of a heavy bombardment we can radiate the truths Jesus taught us.  An American female medic delivered a baby being born to an Iraqi woman.   She demonstrated her love and skills, even though the day before that same woman was carrying a sign inviting Americans to go home.

     One of our helicopters was shot down and children were found dancing joyfully on the burned out wreckage as our search and rescue team approached.  The five soldiers that had been in that helicopter were killed.  During the awkwardness of those initial moments of contact, a 12-year old slipped and fell on a piece of sharp metal that penetrated the young boy’s shoulder.  The medic telling this story said that all he could see was the face of his own 12-year old son that was waiting for him back home.

     With the other children watching, the medic patiently quieted the boy’s spirit with non-verbal assurances.  He carefully lifted him free from the metal, stopped the bleeding and had him transported to one of our medical facilities.  The boy had sustained neurological and muscular damage.  If the use of his arm and shoulder was going to be saved, he required the services of one of our surgeons. 

     That young man had a lot of stories to tell when he was returned to his family.  Suddenly his enemy wore a different face from the one he had been taught to hate.  This transformation occurred because that medic had used a present moment to allow his compassion to show.

     Our perceived circumstances never need to dictate whether or not we can express our discipleship.  All of us have the potential to be in Heaven now, a state of mind where uncertainly will never cause us to debate, “How should I respond?”  Love automatically flows because that is what we do when we have built our house on a rock.

     The potential war zone might be our family, our marriage, our college dormitory or our work environment.  We can be the victim of gossip without becoming a victim.  We can be the recipients of harsh, judgmental words without responding with hurt, anger and our own form of ugliness.  A close friend can betray us without having our disappointment hold our spirit and personality hostage for years.  This is the power we receive when we allow our discipleship to show in environments that can easily reflect wartime realities.

     One day a Cherokee woman watched as her three sons were fighting with three other boys from their tribe.  She went to the clearing where this drama was unfolding and did not intervene.  When the fighting ended, she gathered the six boys and demanded that they sit down.

     She said, “I want you to know that you can fight as often as you like.  You might even succeed in seriously injuring one another if you totally unleash your uncontrolled rage.  Fighting will always be your right. 

     One day, however, you will learn that there are alternatives to fighting if you really want to resolve your conflicts and remain friends.  One day you will learn that it is better to be kind than appear powerful because you have the skills for fighting.  If one of you succeeds in becoming chief of our tribe, you will need to know how to display such wisdom.” 

     Jesus said, “Anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is filled with wisdom because he has built his house on a rock.  The rains will pour down, the floods will come, the winds will blow but the house will not fall.” 

     As we remember our fallen military heroes this weekend, let us also remember that we, too, can remain disciples who do not need to forsake our calling because of the perceived darkness that surrounds us.  Jesus sent forth his disciples to be a light in darkness. Now and then all of us need to be reminded that this is what we do. This is who we are as disciples. This is where we go to make a difference.   

THE CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER

     Gracious God, we thank you for your constant faithfulness toward us.  Our lives are so filled with drama, activity, distractions and routines that expressing our faithfulness to you often eludes us.  We are like a house that is wired for electricity and sometimes we are too busy to turn on the lights.  May we understand that where we are is a perfect place to express your will.  May we realize that being among others whose values are different from ours is the perfect place to let our lights shine.  Help us to be the first in an injured relationship to extend the possibility of healing.  May our light always radiate the rays of forgiveness, kindness, mercy and peace.  May we order our lives so that others will find you in what we do.  Amen.

THE PASTORAL PRAYER

     Lord of creation, we collectively thank you for these moments together.  We have a lot upon which to reflect this morning.  Some of our families have recently experienced sons and daughters graduating from one phase of life into another.  Some within our church family are experiencing the joy of being in nature at Camp Harmison.  Some of us are with Kendrick Weaver as he becomes commissioned for ministry in our conference.  Yet wherever we are, most Americans will pause some time during this weekend in respect and gratitude for the men and women of our armed forces who have fallen in battle defending what we too often take for granted – our freedom. 

     It is so challenging, God, to live in a world where ideologies still clash violently.  We cannot imagine how the tactics of destabilization, suicide bombings, fear and destruction have been attributed to your will.  How far away we have come from the creation stories where everything you made was very good.  And yet, were it not for such uninformed and misguided people, Jesus would not have sent his disciples into the world to bring light, understanding and the sense of community.    

     Thank you for those of us who have said, “Here am I.  Send me.”  Thank you for having equipped us to bring into the world a message that heals and brings peace to weary spirits.  May we never grow tired of teaching others the attitudes of being that spring forth when we authentically love one another.  We pray these thoughts through the spirit of Jesus, who taught us to say when we pray . . .