Untitled Sermon (2)

Last year CBS news ran a story about a man who teaches algebra to boys at a high school in La Canada, California. Jim O’Connor is known for being a tough, no-nonsense guy who pushes his students to excel. He told the reporter, “It drives me crazy when people say school should be fun. I mean, it’s nice if it could be, but you can’t make school fun.” One of his students who was interviewed for the story said that most students thought Mr. O’Connor was “really mean.” That assessment changed one day when a number of students visited Los Angeles Children’s Hospital to recruit donors for a blood drive they were organizing. When the boys told the hospital staff where they went to school they heard comments that stunned them. The staff said said things like, “Oh, so you must know Jim O’Connor. Isn’t he wonderful?” The students were a little confused about the man they thought they knew. Then they saw a plaque in the hospital for all-time blood donors. At the top of the list was the name “Jim O’Connor.” Since 1989 he has donated seventy-two gallons of blood and platelets, surely impacting countless lives. But then the students found out that Mr. O’Connor, who never married or had children, volunteered three days a week to hold and rock sick and dying babies when their parents can’t be there. The students of this “mean teacher” had their opinion of him totally altered. One said, “I’ve always respected him, but now it’s to an even different degree - really to the point where I try to emulate him.” (S. Hartman, “Tough California teacher has a tender heart,” CBS News, 2-14-14)

If someone had told those high school students that their math teacher was a wonderful human being, but they had not seen it displayed, it would have been a tough sell. But once they saw the evidence of his heart, they gained a whole new perspective. Most people are far more likely to believe what they see than what they hear alone. When followers of Jesus claim that their lives have been changed through faith in Christ, some will say, “That’s nice for you,” but inside they are wondering what difference all this faith stuff makes. Yet when they see it demonstrated, it’s much harder to ignore. If others see us working to feed the hungry or care for homeless or provide medical care for those who can’t afford it, the validity of our faith gains credibility. I am convinced that in this day gospel will have to be visible before its believable in the eyes of most people. But that’s OK, because it falls right in line with how Jesus lived and what he taught.

Very near the end of his public ministry, in the day just before he was arrested and crucified, Christ told three stories about the end of time. They are all recorded in . One of those is the parable of the sheep and the goats. It illustrates what will happen when Christ returns to earth as King and Judge. At that time all humanity will be divided into two distinct groups. In the parable he called them “sheep and goats.” In the typical flock of first century Palestinian herdsman it was often difficult to tell the sheep from the goats; they looked alike. Sometimes only the shepherd himself knew which was which. So it will be at the end of time. From looking at a person on the outside, it is difficult for us to know who truly belongs to Jesus and who does not. There are no identifying physical marks. Yet the Lord knows because he sees into the recesses of our hearts. He knows whether we have put our faith in Christ alone. The parable, though, indicates that there will be some identifying external actions which reveal the state of the heart.

Jesus put one group on the right, always the side of favoritism in Scripture. He invites them to enter into the inheritance that has been prepared for them since the creation of the world. And just who will find their way in? Jesus indicated that those who have a place reserved for them in heaven demonstrated their faith through compassionate actions that helped the hurting. He pointed to the hungry, the thirsty, and the stranger who found food, drink, and hospitality. He spoke of the sick, the imprisoned, and those who were without adequate clothing who received care, attention, and garments. Interestingly, though, Christ didn’t talk about “the hungry” or “the sick” or “the imprisoned.” He made it much more personal by saying, “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.” (verses 35-36)

In the parable those whom Christ praised for their acts of compassion are surprised that Jesus thought they had cared for him; they don’t recall ever extending courtesy or help or kindness to him. So they ask, “When did we see you in such a condition?” Then he will answer, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” (verse 40) In other words, in any act of compassion done for the poor, the prisoner, the hungry or the homeless we encounter Christ himself. Those headed for heaven had no idea this was the case when they responded spontaneously to the plight of a fellow human being. Their acts were not calculated to “polish” their record or earn “brownie points” with God.

Then the Lord addresses the 2nd group. This group is put on the left side and hear only words of condemnation. These did not respond with compassion. Maybe they were too busy taking care of themselves to worry about the sick. They were too preoccupied with meeting their own needs to pay attention to the hungry. They were focused only on helping those in their own circle of acquaintance or family to welcome a stranger. In so doing, though, they revealed that they had not allowed the gospel to take root in their lives -- it had not opened their eyes or softened their hearts or changed their attitudes.

It is true that this parable does not tell us everything about the second coming of Jesus or heaven or judgment. There is not a word here about sin or repentance or forgiveness or walking daily with Jesus. What it does teach us is that when a person has truly found faith in Christ, received forgiveness for their sins through his death and resurrection, and committed to following him as a disciple, it must impact the way we actually live our lives, form our relationships, and seek to make a difference in the world. This parable excludes any notion that one can just believe in Jesus and wait for heaven.

We are in the middle of our series on the “Vital Signs” that characterize both the individual believer and whole churches that have a vibrant, living, growing relationship with God. These are intentionally following Jesus, reading Scripture, regular worship, sharing our faith with others, demonstrating compassion locally and globally, using resources properly, creating compelling community, and nurturing godly leadership. Each of these traits is important for each of us individually and for all of us together. Some of these, though, are probably easier to pursue. It’s not that hard to come to worship each Sunday. Most of us have a Bible in the house so it’s a matter of making the time to read it. Demonstrating compassion, mercy and justice, though, means getting involved with folks who are in difficult circumstances that may make us feel uncomfortable or even overwhelmed.

The congregation I served before coming to Farmington Hills was in Syracuse, New York. One day I was asked to visit a young man who was incarcerated. I agreed and found my way to the county jail where I met Glenn who was facing a drug possession charge. We talked for a while, I prayed with him, and then he asked if I would visit his family who only lived a mile or so from our church. So I called them up and went to their apartment. Amid the bluish haze of cigarette smoke I met Bonnie, Glenn’s mom, whose spiritual interest amounted to reading tarot cards. I also met the dad, Jerry, who was an auto mechanic. In the course of conversation I found out he had spent several years in Attica state prison, one of the toughest correctional facilities in New York. This was not the typical family in my suburban, middle class church. To say I was a bit uncomfortable is an understatement. Yet that’s what is sometimes required if we’re going to heed Christ’s invitation to address the needs of those around us. Our comfort is not really a consideration.

Active compassion has been a constant characteristic of Christ followers since the first century. Dr. Peter Brown, a professor of history at Princeton University, wrote a book in which he traced a radical shift the 4th and 5th centuries in how society viewed the poor and marginalized. In that day the poor inhabited the margins of society. They were viewed as “others, as those people.” The change came about through the spread of Christianity. To Christian the poor were not just “those people” who wanted to be rescued by the wealthy, instead they were see as brothers and sisters in faith who had the right to seek justice. (P. Brown, Through the Eye of a Needle, Princeton, 2012, pp. 77-80)

In his book, The Rise of Christianity, Rodney Stark details what happened when plagues swept through the Roman Empire in the 3rd century. At the first onset of disease, non-Christians fled even from their family members, throwing them into the roads before they were dead. Community leaders relocated as fast as they could. But some stayed behind to care for the sick and dying. It was the followers of Jesus. One Christian leader of the time wrote, “Most of our brother Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of danger they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ, and with them departed this life serenely happy; for they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbors and cheerfully accepting their pains. Many, in nursing and curing others, transferred their death to themselves and died in their stead ... The best of brothers died in this way.” (Dionysius, quoted in Star, p. 260)

Those brothers and sisters took seriously the call to “lay down their lives” for others, and in so doing demonstrated the compassion of Christ. It’s also true that in the ancient world that was extremely stratified by class and ethnicity, when people relocated to cities they were shunned as outsiders by everyone except Christians who welcomed them into their community. All these factors contributed to the dynamic growth of the church that went from being a renegade, illegal cult to the largest faith movement in the world. The gospel became visible and so it was believable. Those folks didn’t just say they were different, they were different. They didn’t just mouth words, they lived their faith even when it was dangerous. And the result was that more folks came to know Jesus and had their own lives transformed.

It’s very easy to come up with a rationale to avoid getting involved with those who are poor or hurting or living on the margins of society. It may mean engaging with folks whose lifestyle is radically different from your own. It could be that you will wonder if a person really needs help or is just feeding you a line to get a handout. It’s natural to not want to be taken advantage of, but wouldn’t you rather be known as someone who was generous in the name of Jesus than as someone who was so scrupulous that he ended up turning his back on someone genuinely in need. Sometimes people get into a hard place because of their own bad choices, and so you may wonder if you help someone, will they eventually go back to their old, destructive ways? That can happen. When you help someone you have no control over what they will do in the next moment, and sometimes they will disappoint you. Perhaps you look at those who are down and out and think, “I was born into rough circumstances, but I pulled myself up and made, so can they.” For some that will be true, but for many will never get to a different place in life without a helping hand.

So how do we show compassion and mercy and pursue justice? I believe it begins with opening our eyes to see the world around us. The poor and suffering are all around us, but we’ll never do anything unless we take off our blinders and allow ourselves to be discomforted by the hurting. I also think we will develop a heart for others when become grateful for what God allows us to have. Did you know that 80% of the world lives on less than $10 a day? Maybe we should stop complaining about what we don’t have and recognize the abundance the Lord has blessed us with, and then ask, “What should I do with what I have to help others?” Maybe you don’t know where to start or how to get involved. Ask some questions. Talk to one of us on staff. We also have folks in our church who are engaged in prison ministry, after school tutoring, and other kinds of helping ministries. Go on the web and you’ll find more opportunities for involvement than you can imagine. And if you see a pocket of need and think you can make a difference, share your thoughts with others, pursue the matter in prayer, and maybe the Holy Spirit will prompt you to start a ministry. You have permission to lead the church into a new avenue of expressing compassion and mercy and justice.

The alternative is to sit on hands and do nothing. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Any religion that professes to be concerned with the souls of men and is not concerned with the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them, and the social conditions that cripple them is a dry-as-dust religion.” Who wants any part of a faith like that?

Helping others may not win many blue ribbons from the culture around us, but it may mean that more white roses end up on the communion table because someone felt the loving touch a follower of Jesus, and decided he or she wanted to follow him, too. That’s what happened with the family in Syracuse. As far as I know, the young man in prison, Glenn, never found faith. But his mom came to know Jesus and joined our church, and I was privileged to lead his dad, Jerry, to Christ, just before he died. When Jesus returns will you be identifiable as one of his own? You will if you have tended to the needs of the hungry and the homeless and the hurting, if you have stood in solidarity with those who seek justice at home and abroad. This is