Last Sunday, a woman appeared in the office before the
service needing help. She did not have a
car, needed to get to Topeka, needed a meal like a McDonald’s, and needed money
for her tuition at Washburn University.
We were not able to meet all of her needs but, I pray that we treated
her with respect. We do not keep money
here at the church. We helped her with
food and told her that a meal would be served in Sunday afternoon at the 1st
Congregational Church. She did not stay
for worship.
One Sunday morning, while serving another church, I was
running around getting ready and a rough-looking man appeared. I was the only one around. He was unshaven, had on dirty boots and a
ragged flannel shirt. He wanted to know
if I had a few minutes to talk. I was
expecting a similar request. I was so
surprised at what happened next. His
mother had died a year ago and he wanted to give a memorial. He and his buddies were out in the
truck. They were camping out on a family
farm for a weekend of hunting and had come into town for breakfast. Boy was I surprised when instead of asking
for assistance, he gave me a big check.
We had just decided to put new Bibles in the pews and his check covered
all of it. He was pleased..
I hope that you were greeted well this morning, whether or
not you have on a gold ring. These words
of scripture are must more than usher instructions.
Penny and I were on vacation in Massachusetts. We lived in Massachusetts while I was
attending seminary, but we did not visit Cape Cod. So on one family vacation we headed there. We
got settled and went exploring. We got
tickets to a summer theater and headed for an art museum. This was one uppity place. Obviously we were tourists from somewhere
else. They made certain we signed in and
that we know there was an expected donation.
The was an air of “I guess we have to let you in.” And I remembered that not too far away there
were early churches where you can still see the paid family boxes where no one
else could sit. It was in that setting
that I got a call from Governor Mays. He
had just come to be the director of Ogden Friendship House and for a week was
staying in our home until Governor and Ollie could find a home. It was kind of fun to say in the lobby…Hello,
Governor. Yes, Governor. I am so glad you are staying at our
home. I had no clue that that the
Governor that they might have thought I was talking to was going to be a
candidate for President. This place was
still so snooty that they still wanted our money. We were not shown anything, let alone better
seats.
On one hand, it is great to have favorites. Facebook and Youtube want you to have
favorites. Cooking and fashion shoes on
TV ask you to text in to tell your favorite.
Each of have favorite sport teams.
I know that with a KU license plate on my car, I cannot expect better or
quicker service when I go for an oil change.
I know that the favorite of all kids for our Wednesday night meals is
chicken nuggets. And we are all forming
our favorites for the upcoming elections.
This text was written because even the early church was
slipping back into the pattern of the world around them. The country was ruled by Rome and the church
found both guests and active participants varied greatly in their wealth..
The world around was full of painful favoritism that keep
poor “in their place.” Favoritism or
partiality, the use of power and influence was based on valuing some over
others on the basis of race, or family, or appearance. Some were given special places to sit, special
privileges or benefits. That meant the
rich got the good stuff and the poor were left out.
This is not the way the Kingdom of God works. When this new community was formed…or called
out in Christ’s name, it was unique and remarkable and amazing. To think of a place where a rich person might
be the one to serve a poor person was very hard to get used to. It took a giant leap in thinking and in
behavior to know that God’s image was just as much in the poor person as the
rich.
It is quite possible for a rich person to be also rich in
Spirit, or very poor in Spirit. Jesus
was hoping for a community where all persons realized their need of God and
godly respect. Jesus sought out rich and
poor in order to bless them with more abundant and generous living.
Obviously James saw in his church at least one poor person
who was rich in Spirit and entered the fellowship in fear of being put
down. And he knew in his church there
was at least one rich person who was poor in spirit evidenced by his behavior.
So what was needed then?
James called the church to respect the dignity of all and offer constant
care to make sure it stayed that way. It
all begins with God’s love and our response.
God loves so we love, God gives so we give. And our lives are to be a balance of worship
and works, prayer and acts of care.
I hope our children learn that this faith family is a place
where we meet in our common need for God and find here celebration that life is
so good. We have at College Avenue, an
amazing team of people who prepare classes for all ages.
The church was is a family for all, so that rich and poor
may become more spiritually rich together. The materially rich also find here
the resources to be as spiritually rich as anyone…and the opportunities to
share wealth as a gift of love.
I hope someday to see the Great Wall of China. 5,500 miles of a wall with a history of 2,000
years. I see that one part of the wall
you can explore by scuba diving because the construction of a lake put it under
water. I think I will be happy to do my
exploring above water thank you very much.
The wall was built to keep invading armies out. It’s weakness was in the guards at the
watchtowers. They could be bribed to
open places in the wall. Walls work for
a while but not forever.
The world is eager to build walls. Even the enemies of Jesus noticed that Jesus
did not evaluate people merely by position or by appearance. Jesus was eager to build foundations on
values and to build bridges between the rich and the poor.
With so many transitions and changes, we have little time to
spend getting to know our neighbors.
There is so much fear and so little understanding. We need trust…and
openness…and understanding…which would lead to greater trust. This is the hope of the church. Then the walls that the world seems so good
at building might come tumbling down.
What thrill it must have been for Andy McIntosh to have
arrived in Berlin at the very time the wall came tumbling down. The wall had
been built by the German Democratic Republic in 1961 to divide East and West
Berlin. It tried to keep people and
ideas out. The border between East and
West Germany were seen as an Iron Curtain dividing Western Europe and the
Eastern Bloc.
Walls may work for a while, but there have to be other
solutions. The three slides that I show
you now were used as part of Bishop Scott Jones presentation here a week ago
Saturday. Walls and wars cannot be the
solution for lasting peace.
Jesus said, “You know that the rules of the Gentiles lord it
over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But, it will not be so among you; but whoever
wishes to be great among you, must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be
first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not ot be
served but to serve….(Mt. 30:25-28),
There are so many things that divide us now. Income and race, ethnicity and languages,
gender issues, and sexual identity. And
we are preparing for an election. And
one of the main issues is how he help create jobs.
The church needs to say to the world…we cannot love God
without loving what God, in love created.
Jesus showed no favoritism. But
he did say that we ought to include especially the widows, orphans, and those
often left out. Jesus’ grace-ful salvation
was offered to all, not just a favored few.
To the unclean he offered acceptance and healing. To the foreigner he offered hospitality. To the outcast, he brought them in.
Some churches work so hard to have the right beliefs, the
right ideas. Jesus wanted most for us
to: to do the loving thing. I invite us
again in our worship in our Sunday school, to let Christ open our minds and
hearts, our doors and our mouths to offer praise to God.
Some parts of salvation are person. God wants all of us to be free from fear,
free from depression, eager to learn, free to give. God wants us free from the love of
riches. Free from putting anything
before God. God wants us free to love.
And there is more.
God wants all people on the planet to be free from oppression and
violence, free from hunger and disease and injustice. God wants us free to enjoy “the other,” the
ones different. God wants us even free
to love the enemy. God wants faith
families to be a blessing for themselves and for all around.
Perhaps this can be the place of even greater blessing. We all have a need for God, to celebrate all
things bright and beautiful…especially people…all people. Then we will know the riches of the spirit in
faith, hope, and love. Then we will be
eager to aid those who need some help and to be this community of love that
transforms the world.
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