[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 29A- Christ the King Sunday

[Joe Parrish]

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-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Fri, Nov 18, 2011 9:41 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Proper 29A- Christ the King Sunday


Dear Friends,

Tomorrow’s sermon is entitled “Don’t Call Him ‘Savior’ if You Won’t
Call Him ‘Lord’” and “Helping Jesus”  and deals with the Gospel-
(Matthew 25: 31-46). Here it is:

This is the last Sunday of the church year- next Sunday starts Advent;
we’ll start getting ready for ChristMass;  and I’ll be wishing you a
blessed New Year.  Thus you see, it is very appropriate on this last
Sunday of the church year that we celebrate Jesus as Lord, so happy
“Christ the King Sunday!”  We’ve done a lot of talking about Jesus
being the Lord of our lives- how being saved means being baptized and
accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord.  As you recall from last Sunday,
we are all born amazingly gifted.  Today we focus on how Christ, our
Lord, our King, wants us to use these gifts so they are therefore
“spiritual gifts.”

I know you noticed this Gospel.  The story Jesus tells is so very
compelling- it would be hard not to notice it.  Here is Christ, after
we die, separating the sheep from the goats.  He sends the ones on his
left for further painful refinement, because in neglecting those less
fortunate than themselves, they neglected Christ himself.  The ones on
the right are given great rewards in heaven, because in helping the
less fortunate, without knowing it, they were helping Christ.  Every
time I hear this parable read, I think- “Now- how have I done this
past year?  Has Jesus truly been Lord of my life?  Have I consistently
used my gifts as spiritual gifts- to reach out to others?”  This
morning, I’m not going to just think through this myself; we’ll do it
together.  I’d like us to prayerfully consider four implications of
Jesus’ expectations for our own lives.  Specifically, I’d like us to
consider (1) whom God expects us to help; (2) to what extent God
expects to go in helping; (3) how we relate stewardship to our helping
ministries; and finally- (4) what if we fail.  So- we already know
that God expects us to help the less fortunate, because by helping
them, we are helping Jesus himself.  Are there supposed to be any
limits?  If so, what are they?

FIRST: WHOM DOES GOD EXPECT US TO HELP?  Jesus’ parable of the Good
Seminarian answers this very clearly.  Remember, Jesus told the story
to answer the question of “Who is my neighbor?”  His answer: “Your
neighbor is anyone who needs you.”  He even goes so far as to have an
enemy helping another enemy, because Jews hated Samaritans and
Samaritans hated Jews.  In our time it would be as if a Palestinian
helped a Jew or an African-American helped a member of the Klan.  It
would be as if the person who stole your boyfriend, girlfriend, wife,
or husband needed help.  It’s mind-blowing!  Jesus expects a lot from
us, because there are no limits to whom we are supposed to help.

SECOND: TO WHAT EXTENT DOES GOD EXPECT US TO GO IN HELPING SOMEONE?
There is no limit- if we can do it and it needs to be done; God
expects us to do it!  What is my Biblical base?  The foot-washing.
When Jesus was about to be offered up for our sins on the cross and
his disciples still didn’t get it, he washed their feet.  That would
be a nasty-enough job today, but in those days remember- people walked
through animal waste as they traveled the roads.  If the Lord who
created the heavens, the earth, everything that exists (including us)
would do that disgusting a job, tell me what you are too good to do;
tell me what I am too good to do.  Just as our neighbor is anyone who
needs us, so what we are expected to do is whatever needs to be done.

THIRD: HOW DOES STEWARDSHIP RELATE TO ALL THIS HELPING?  God’s
resources are unlimited, but ours are not.  I can’t speak for you- I
can just speak for myself, but my time is limited.  (I only have 24
hours in a day.)  My energy is limited.  My wallet is limited.  Our
church is limited.  We only have so much money, so much food, and so
it goes.  You get the idea.  Everything we have- our money, our food,
our very lives really are on loan from God.  We’re simply taking care
of them for him (like in last week’s gospel).  Let’s use our St.
Paul’s feeding ministry as an example.  God created us to be thinking
people.  When someone comes to us for food, we make a quick decision-
in our opinion, does this person really need a lot of help?  Why is it
necessary to ask such a question?  Because if we give the first person
(who maybe isn’t needy at all) most of our food simply because they
ask, what do we give the huge family with hungry children when they
come?  As you know, it’s called “prioritizing.”  We have to do it at
church and we have to do it in our own personal lives.  We can’t give
all our money to the person ringing the Salvation Army bell and then
go inside and buy the food our families need for the week.  So, how do
we prioritize?  First- pray, and pray seriously.  Then- make a
decision.  If (in your opinion) the person asking for help really
doesn’t need it, either simply help them a little or don’t help them
at all.  The problem comes when we’ve thought, we’ve prayed, and we
still don’t know.  That’s when we use Jesus’ parable of the wheat and
the weeds as our guide.  Remember how an enemy planted poisonous weed
seeds in the farmer’s wheat field?  Remember how the farmer’s servants
asked if they should pull them up, but the farmer said to just let
them all grow together until harvest time.  That’s what we do.  If in
doubt- we feed.  If in doubt- help; then give it to God.

FINALLY: WHAT IF WE FAIL?  These are hard teachings- not hard to
understand, but extremely hard to consistently apply in our lives.
What if we fail?  I’m going to answer that question with a story I
heard many years ago; in fact one I use at least once a year.  It’s
the story of the time that the Rev. Tony Campolo was catching a single-
engine private plane from a small landing strip leaving Haiti
returning to the United States.  As he walked toward the airplane, a
woman carrying a very sick infant ran toward him, shouting.  The baby
was so very malnourished; it looked like all those pitiful little
children we see on television with their pot bellies and orange hair-
too sick to even cry.  When she got to Rev. Campolo, she begged him to
take her baby back to the United States where he could have adequate
food, good medical care, and a chance for life.  “Take my baby!”  she
pleaded.  “Please take my baby!”  Tony tried to explain to her why
this wouldn’t work, but she only kept pleading, “Take my baby; please
take my baby!”  Rev.  Campolo said he couldn’t stand it any longer.
He rushed to the door of the plane; boarded; and told the pilot to
quickly close the door so they could get out of there.  The pilot
slammed the door; the plane taxied down the runway; and for an instant
the woman ran next to the fuselage- banging on it and shouting, “Take
my baby; please mister, take my baby.”  Finally the plane was
airborne, and both Tony and the pilot breathed a sigh of relief.  Rev.
Campolo said it wasn’t until they had flown half-way back to the
states that he finally realized who that baby was.  What Tony Campolo
realized was that when he died and faced his Lord, Jesus would say, “I
was sick, and you wouldn’t help me.”  And Tony would answer, “When,
Lord, did I ever see you sick and not help you?”  And Jesus would
answer, “Oh, that’s easy- on an airplane runway in Haiti.”  Think
about it.

For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American
wisdom statements are posted on our parish web site. The address is:
http://www.stpaulsepisag.com .

Blessed preaching.
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan

 
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