|
“Learning To Ask A Better Question” Sermon Delivered By
Rev. Dick Stetler – October 4, 2015 Centenary United
Psalm 26; Mark 10:35-45 Sometimes the questions we ask tell everyone who hears them what
is going on inside of us.
Jesus' two cousins, James and John, asked him a question one day
that had to be heart-rending for him to hear.
Mark places the
occasion of this question just before Jesus entered In spite of
their experiences of listening to Jesus' message, they asked him: "When
you sit on your throne in your glorious Kingdom, we want you to let us
sit with you, one at your right hand and the other on your left." (Mark
10:37) On hearing this, Jesus may
have thought, "Has anything I have told you during these last few years
penetrated your minds and spirits?"
Jesus could have had fleeting thoughts of failure from his lack
of progress as a teacher. Vince Lombardi
is the most celebrated coach of the Green Bay Packers' football team.
One game the Packers were playing so poorly that Lombardi began
his half-time strategy session by holding up a football.
He spoke in very soft and measured tones that went something like
this: Gentlemen, this is
what we call a football. The
aim of the offensive team is to move this football across the goal-line
of our opponent by whatever means possible. To do this we have to remain
in control of this football. We
have three downs to move this football ten yards.
If we fail to do this, we have to give this football to our
opponents by punting it. Are
you with me thus far? As far
as I can tell, all of you have forgotten why you came to this field
today and what you are suppose to do while you are here. Following these
few remarks, he raised his voice with considerable decibels of passion
and used words that could have peeled the wallpaper off the walls. He
told them that they were an embarrassment to the game of football.
He described the prima
donnas on the team as
saboteurs that were giving the Packers
a clinic on how to
self-destruct. The only time
Jesus ever ventilated like Lombardi was when he reached a limit to his
tolerance and patience with the repeated failures of his disciples and
his listeners to understand even the basics of his message.
He said, "How unbelieving and wrong you people are!
How long must I stay with you?
How long do I have to put up with you?"
(Matthew 17:17) All of us
identify with the human side of Jesus.
Further, the failure of Jesus' faithful disciples to make his
message part of their lives gives us some comfort when we are asking the
same kind of questions that came from James and John.
What must have compounded Jesus' frustration with his disciples
was the punishing responses by the other ten disciples once they learned
what James and John had asked. People tend to
admire and glorify someone who is extremely successful in merging two
large corporations, or who can broker a peace agreement between warring
nations, or who can demonstrate visionary qualities that lead others to
some miraculous success.
However, Jesus responded to his twelve disciples with these words,
"These examples are not the way it is for you.
If one of you wants to be great, you must become a servant of the
rest; and if one of you wants to be first, you must be the slave of
everyone." (Mark 10:43) One of the most
inspiring things for us to witness during these troubled times was the
arrival of Pope Francis in If we listened
very carefully as news commentators speculated about the Pope's purpose
for discussing climate change, poverty all over the world and the
importance of the family structure, we heard their questions.
"Had he crossed the line with
some of the themes he addressed?
Had he strayed from spiritual issues by wandering into areas that
belong to political leaders?
Was he using his lofty office to promote Roman Catholicism?"
Our
questions reveal what is going on inside of us. Pope Francis
was frequently referred to as having
Rock Star
status. He drew gigantic crowds and he fell behind in his jam-packed
schedule because he wanted to be with the people -- shaking hands,
kissing children and blessing rosaries that people extended to him.
He joined other leaders of the world's great religions at the
site where the It was most interesting that he gave The Golden Rule new meaning simply by saying the words that can be found in every religion on earth. Pope Francis knew that if we lived by those universal words, most of the social issues with which we struggle would begin to fade. What was so amazing is that no one found fault with the Pontiff during his visit for addressing what appears to be universal values of people all over the world. During the last several weeks, many people saw a recognizable form of what Jesus said in our lesson today: "If one of you wants to be great, you must become a servant of the rest; and if one of you wants to be first, you must be the slave of everyone." (Mark 10:43) Somehow, Pope Francis embodied Jesus' words. Even though some of the garments the Pope wore during his visit cost as much as an expensive car, one got the feeling that sandals, Bermuda shorts and a tee-shirt would have suited him just fine. Regardless of
what anyone thought of the Pope's visit and the attention he received,
it has to be said that he led by example.
This style of leadership has become his
signature behavior.
Everything he did by design was symbolic of his dream for
humanity. It was very
refreshing and inspiring to witness his presence as he demonstrated,
often non-verbally, the difference between his style of leadership and
that of so many of the world's leaders. We remember
some of the questions that people asked Jesus during his ministry: "What
good thing must I do to receive eternal life?" (Matthew 19:16)
"What is the greatest teaching
among the Laws? (Matthew 22:36)
Many of the questions were about personal spiritual security.
Among the most
powerful answers Jesus ever gave to his listeners about personal
salvation was when he said, "It is impossible for any human being to
achieve salvation. However,
for God everything is possible."
(Matthew 19:26) The question
that Patrice Frith-Hayward and her volunteers asked when they became
involved with the Women's Resource Centre was this one:
"How may I serve?"
Listening to Patrice last Sunday, you heard her say, "Are some people
using the system? Sure they
are, but we do not care. We
are here only to serve people when they tell us they have a need to feed
their children and they are unable to do so."
When we listen
to Jesus' message and we remember the preaching of Pope Francis last
week, it may dawn on us that all of us can do something to help others.
When we begin dwelling on how worthy someone is before we love
them, Jesus taught, "Even people who have no faith at all do as much for
each other." (Matthew 5:46f) There are so
many people working with others today simply because they have echoed
what Jesus said, "I have come among you as one who serves." (Luke
22:27c) Their energy is reaching
across every conceivable boundary in order to be helpful.
No one is asking, "Are these people worthy of saving?"
As Patrice said last week, "We do not care.
If there is a stated need, we do everything we can to meet it." This past week,
I received an email from a member in my former congregation.
The first thing that greeted my eyes in her email was a picture
of a 3-year old girl named Ashley. She was wearing her first dress that
was made from a decorative pillow case by a group of women who call
themselves Stitches of Blessings.
Ashley, who lives in A sister church
had learned that a group was going to Guatemala from my former church
and gave them 126 dresses to hand out to the children.
The better question
that people can ask is this one: "How can I serve others?" rather than
"What must I do to be saved?"
Once we are no longer worried about our spiritual destiny, more of
us can roll up our sleeves and do something to ease someone's journey
here. Jesus said, "Even if
the only thing you can do is give someone a drink of water in the spirit
of love, you will be blessed."
(Mark 9:41) Some people
sew. Some people put
together a toiletry kit along with canned and dry goods for the Women's
Resource Centre. Some people
give money so that others can do the work.
However, whatever we do to be
helpful we must let go of the outcome. Before Lois and
I came to Centenary, this congregation pooled its finances and gave
$15,000 to Feed My Lambs Ministry
following the terrible earthquake in If you would like to know what happened to your contribution when it joined with other contributions, I have 15 calendars that tell the story of what has happened since that earthquake when lots of people asked themselves, "How may I serve?" When Lois and I return to the island, we will have the 2016 calendars from The Feed My Lambs Ministry and make them available to you for purchase. When everyone works together to make "Love thy neighbor" visible, miracles happen. |