“Giving Hope To A Sinner”

Sermon Delivered By Rev. Dick Stetler – November 20, 2016

Centenary United Methodist Church

Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43

 

    Some of you may have been surprised by the Gospel reading this morning.  I can remember a time when I looked out at my congregation in Maryland as the lay-reader was reading today's Scripture lesson.  People were frowning in disbelief that I had chosen such a lesson days before our celebration of Thanksgiving. People may have been thinking, "Why do we have Jesus on the cross when next Sunday is the beginning of Advent?"

    The answer is that today is called Christ the King Sunday.  The emphasis of Christ being a King grew from a Roman Catholic tradition that was first celebrated by Pope Pius 11th in 1925.  The tradition has spread across many Protestant churches. The Luke passage was the one listed for today from the lectionary that I follow.  The lectionary is a collection of four Scripture lessons for every Sunday during the Church year.

    The word King in this context could easily be translated as a superior guide, compass, or coach.  This morning our emphasis is going to be on the powerful change that occurs in a relationship when forgiveness is introduced.  This one skill of spirit frees us from the numerous barriers to our loving others.   Forgiveness also extends hope to people by treating them as a son or daughter of God, whether or not we feel they deserve such recognition.

    Christ the King Sunday was the Church's final exclamation mark on the stature Jesus had reached during his short ministry. Jesus' life on earth was coming to an end, and yet before he died, his numerous acts from the cross were so compassionate that a Roman Centurion declared, "Truly this man was the Son of God."  (Matthew 27:54)

    What Jesus said to one of the thieves hanging next to him changed his life.  Jesus knew the despair that must have been tormenting his mind because he was guilty as charged.  There was no time for that thief to mend his ways.  He was paying a penalty for his crime.  In response to the thief's request to be remembered, Jesus said, "Today, you will be with me in Paradise."  It was like the thief believed that he was in total darkness and Jesus turned on a light.

    When I was a little boy, I began collecting postage stamps just as my father had done.  While I collected them from all over the world, I specialized in stamps from the United States.  As I grew older, I came to realize that the Postal Service celebrated various aspects of our country's history with each printed stamp.  A 3-cent stamp that was issued in 1948 captured my attention.  It was commemorating the deeds of four chaplains.

    On February 3, 1943, the Dorchester was torpedoed and sank in the North Atlantic.  Rabbi Alexander Goode, Father John Washington and Rev. George Fox and Rev. Clark Poling each gave up their life vests to four passengers who were scrambling to get into the few lifeboats that were still usable.  Just as Jesus did for a thief, these four chaplains gave life and hope to four people they had never met. What interested me was the different religious orientations of the four men and yet their mission remained the same.  

    We can only imagine what was going on inside of the mind and spirit of that thief when he learned that, following his death, he would be in Paradise with Jesus.  Think about the recipients of those four life vests who realized that they would be returning to their families because four pastors were willing to give up their lives.

    There has always been a debate among Christians about what happened to the other thief.  Did his words prevent him from joining his companion in Paradise? After all, his question was all about his life in this world.  He said,   "Aren't you the Messiah?  Save yourself and us!" The answer is that the other thief's words made no impact on the loving spirit of the one hanging next to him.  Both thieves made the journey to the other side of the curtain with the master.

    What makes Jesus a king was his desire and ability to teach outcasts and sinners that pious living does not win salvation for anyone.  What saves people is the love and forgiving nature of God.  Jesus was only doing what he knew God would do. What is very challenging for Christians is to understand that God loves all people equally, not just those who feel they are righteous. 

    Numerous Christians still cling to a formula that guarantees salvation, e.g., "Believe in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." (Acts 16:31)  There are numerous Scriptures that suggest that beliefs assure Christians of a glide-path into Heaven.  However, God's grace is far more expansive in its inclusiveness than narrowing the field of candidates by something people need to do, think or believe.  I cannot resist the use of one of my favorite poems which illustrates this point very well.

I was shocked, confused and bewildered as I entered Heaven’s door, not by the beauty of it all, nor the light of its décor.  But it was the folks in Heaven who made me sputter and gasp – the thieves, the liars, the sinners, the alcoholics and the trash. 

 

There stood the kid from seventh grade who swiped my lunch money twice. Next to him was my old neighbor who never said anything nice. Herb, who I always thought was rotting in Hell, was looking remarkably well. I asked Jesus, ‘What’s the deal? I would love to hear your take. How did all these sinners get up here? God must have made a mistake.  And why is everyone so quiet, so somber – give me a clue.’  Jesus said, ‘They, too, are all in shock.  No one thought they would be seeing you. 

    Why is it so shocking for the faithful to understand that salvation is as automatic as the rising of the sun each morning? Perhaps it has to do with our system of fairness, justice and rewards. Maybe we are also thinking of Jesus' teaching about the separation of the sheep and the goats or the parable where Jesus mentions the great gulf between Abraham and a rich man who never lifted a finger to help the poor man named Lazarus who sat at his gate every morning covered with sores and begging him for food. (Luke 16:10f)

    The rich man in Lazarus' parable wanted Abraham to send word to his five brothers to repent of their ways.  Jesus has Abraham say to the rich man, "If your five brothers will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced of a greater truth even if someone were to rise from death to teach them to take a more wholesome path."  (Luke 16:31)  God's love grants us the privilege of remaining the captain of our own ship both here and after we leave this life.

     What Jesus came to teach and show us is that forgiveness is a universal energy that comes from God.  God allows us to become who we are. Jesus illustrated this beautifully in his Parable of the Prodigal Son. (Luke 15:11-32)   Christians are often the ones who want rewards and punishments even though people on earth are never on the same page in their understanding.  God does not engage in such judgments.  God allows us to become exactly what our choices make of us.  We determine the pace of our own spiritual evolution. We all enter Paradise, but if we did not enjoy paradise while living here on earth, the chances are very good that we will not enjoy where we are after we leave our physical forms.

    I remember when we first came to Bermuda we could not get over the physical beauty and the friendliness of everyone. I said to someone at the bus terminal, "You live in the greatest paradise in the world.  This is like living in Shangri-La."  His response was in another universe from mine. He said, "Paradise?  If you lived here as long as I have, you will find Bermuda is a hell-hole of racial intolerance." I felt badly for him after hearing his bitter words, but what he said focused rather sharply how people can be in an emotional prison while living in a paradise.   

    Think of what Jesus was teaching us from the cross. He was teaching us again who he was.  Jesus truly was a king, a remarkable leader, a giant who had mastered the greatest virtue of all -- the art of forgiveness.  Try to imagine what our lives would be like if we mastered just this one skill of forgiveness.

    Everyday, instead of having our passions aroused by how motorcyclists are weaving in and out of traffic and putting so many lives in  danger, we could allow their behavior to be the trigger for our becoming peaceful simply by bringing no judgment to what others are doing with their lives.

    The next time someone disrespects us by being rude, we could practice remaining calm, cool and collected because they are only showing us where they are in life and nothing more. How much energy would it take to turn to the thief who is trying to dilute our thinking with toxic thoughts and say, "Today, you could be with me in Paradise if you follow my example?"

    There are people who believe that righteous indignation has its place. They are absolutely correct; it does have its place. Where would most societies be without their courageous legislators, their strategic military personnel, their skilled police officers and their no-nonsense leaders?  The real effective people can practice their skills for leading without being motivated by anger, resentment and controlling spirits. 

    How can people remain in control of their emotions to this extent?  The answer is that they refuse to personalize the responses or deeds of others.  Again, God allows us to grow at our own pace; why can't we extend the same courtesy to others that God extends to us? 

    This is what sets Jesus apart from countless other leaders.  He was modeling what life looks like when people are governed by loving and peaceful spirits.  In his case, Jesus was in Paradise even while hanging from a cross. The nails and the mockery coming from those who were witnessing this event never penetrated his spirit.

    We all survive our physical deaths, but what we experience just might depend on how we choose to interpret our experiences.  Jesus was patient and forgiving of a common thief.  He also invited his followers to extend the same loving compassion to those whose values often fall short of their own.  It's called forgiveness.  All of us can do this.  All of us must do this even if it is only to understand more clearly who we really are.