John 12:20-33 Seek and You Will Find…Great Expectations

The Gospel passage from John 12:20-33 marks the beginning of a change in Jesus’ ministry. The coming of the Greeks is seen as anticipating the coming of the Gentiles into the community of believers. While it is true that before the events in our Gospel reading Jesus spoke to the woman at the well and healed a woman’s daughter, the primary focus of Jesus’ ministry until this point in time was the people of Israel-the Jews. The visit of the Greeks reflected the Pharisee’s statement in verse 19 that the whole world has gone after Jesus. Their arrival prompted Jesus to acknowledge that the hour had come for him to be crucified, and by his death and resurrection, he will draw all people to him, including the Gentiles.

The drawing of all people to Jesus might seem to be ironic given that those who shouted “Hosanna” on Palm Sunday shouted “Crucify him” on Good Friday. Part of the reason is because of the nature of the Messiah that the people were seeking. They were seeking a Messiah who would create an army, drive out the Romans and restore Israel to the glory days of King David. They had no such expectations of the Son of Man. In fact, the title “Son of Man” has none of the militaristic connotations or meanings associated with the title of Messiah.

Jesus sought to downplay those expectations in favour of the expectations of a suffering servant. He has the same expectations of us. He expected the people of his day to be focused on serving others and in return God would bless them. In fact, he served others by healing, teaching and washing the disciples’ feet just before he celebrated the Last Supper with them. During Jesus’ time it was the custom for guests who arrived at a home to have their feet washed by household servants.

Jesus is the new covenant that God promised to his people in Jeremiah 31:31-34. In Jesus, God united us to him with bonds that can never be broken, and through this new covenant, we and Jesus can look death in the eye and see victory. The new covenant is represented by the replacement of the Ten Commandments with Jesus’ two Great Commandments-“Love God and love people”. If we love God and love people, our desire to serve God and others will naturally flow out of this love.

Jesus’ expectations of service are emphasized in Matthew 25:31-46. During our Mid-Week Lenten meditations this year, I along with the rest of the ministry team members have discussed these expectations. We are expected to be faithful even to death and trust that God will glorify us. In order to be glorified by God, we must be prepared to experience suffering first and serve others, just like Jesus served others and suffered on the cross for our sins.

God glorified Jesus when he spoke from heaven. When Jesus became glorified on the cross, Satan was defeated. The forces of opposition were defeated. The barriers that kept people from joining with God were defeated-and that was proven when the temple’s curtain, which separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple, was torn in two.

The people with Jesus did not recognize God’s voice, largely because it had been years since anyone heard God speak. They did come to understand after Jesus’ death and resurrection. We are the same. When we are on our Christian walk, we encounter things we can’t understand right away. Some things will become clear as we mature spiritually, while other things will become clear when we meet Jesus.

If there is no sowing of seeds, there can be no harvest. We can’t have a harvest of souls for God if we do not sow seeds for God. We must not let the things of this life interfere with our obedience to God’s will. We have been given a message of hope and transformation that the world desperately needs to hear and embrace. If we spread this message, we will draw others to Christ. It involves sacrifice. When we see a rich harvest-in a family, church, mission field or business-we can be sure that there have been people who have given of themselves in their service. The kingdom sprouts out of our daily choices to “die to ourselves and live for Christ’. In other words, the kingdom will grow when we live a life of serving others and loving others like Christ loved others and served others. We will have eternal life and things to do. We will feel better about ourselves because we will be transformed.

Jesus mentions in verse 27 that “My soul is troubled”. No doubt it was troubled by his coming death on the cross. It parallels his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. Some scholars believe that the Greeks knew about the plot to kill Jesus and came to spirit him away to safety. While Jesus’ human side might have welcomed this rescue plan, his godly side knew that this rescue plan would have defeated God’s plan to rescue us from a life of sin and eternal damnation. He gave up his human desire to live in favour of God’s plan for salvation. In other words, Jesus died to his human self so that he could live out God’s plan for his life and our eternal lives.

During Lent, we as Christians are supposed to “give up” something as an outward expression of an inward transformation. To give up something is to relinquish it, to renounce it, to forfeit or lose it, or as Jesus says, to die to it. Jesus hints at the ultimate ‘loss’ anyone might experience, to give up life as normally lived in the world in order to gain a newly enriched life. On the other hand, to try to control every variable in life is the way to death and loss.

It is often hard for us to do the same thing. It is hard for us to say no to self and yes to God. In fact, we often do exactly the opposite-we pray “yes” to self and “no” to God. We tell God what we want him to do for us, what we want his plans for us to be, and how we are willing to serve him. It usually takes a crisis of significant proportions for most of us to give up control of our lives. It means we come to the end of ourselves and our struggle to control the events of our lives and we finally come to the place where we can say, “I surrender, God! Please take full control of my life”.

It reminds me of the song “Jesus Take the Wheel”, which was recorded by country music singer Carrie Underwood. The song tells the story of a mother who lives a hectic life. On a late-night Christmas Eve drive on a snow-covered road, the woman begins sorting out her emotions and bemoans not having enough time to do the things that really matter. Then, her car hits a patch of black ice, causing the woman to lose control of her car. She panics, takes her hands off the steering wheel and cries out to Jesus; shortly thereafter, the car stops spinning and safely stops on the shoulder. After taking stock of the situation (and seeing that her baby has remained fast asleep in the rear seat), the woman decides to let "Jesus take the Wheel" of her life.

Jesus was facing an overwhelming situation and struggle in his earthly life. He came to this hour in his life to be the answer to the overwhelming situations in all of our lives. He was raised up to draw all of us to him. This was done so that in Jesus each of us will find the answer to our problems, the courage for the trials we face, and the victory over Satan who brought all of these problems upon us through his temptation. God recalibrated our internal compass so that it would point to Jesus. He is the leader whose directions we listen for and with whose plan for our lives we choose to align ourselves. If we want to serve Christ, we must be a follower. To do as Jesus did is the best way to bring honour to his name. He will give us the resources we need to meet the spiritual needs of others. He has given himself and he has given us his word.

When a martyr is created, it is like lighting a fuse or throwing a lit match into a can of gasoline. It begins the process of change. Jesus’ martyrdom/crucifixion began the process of change from the Law of Moses to God’s grace. Would Jesus’ ministry have been as effective if he had not been martyred? The answer is a resounding “NO!” Had he not been crucified, he would have been seen as just a prophet or a faith healer or both.  His death and resurrection, during which he paid the price for our sins, opened the door to the restoration of our relationship with God. His death was necessary for the salvation of many lives.

Jesus looked ahead to his upcoming death and resurrection. Like a single seed, he was buried in the earth. He died to his oneness, his solitariness and was raised up not only in his own glorified body, but in the lives and the bodies, of his followers. His enemies thought he was dead, but he was raised to a life more abundant than before. He became the Christ of countless places and countless people.

When Jesus referred to being “lifted up” in verse 32, he drew a parallel between his crucifixion and Moses’ placing of the serpent on the pole in Numbers 24:4-9. Just like those who were bitten by the snakes could look at the snake on the pole and live, those who look at the crucified and risen Christ in faith will be healed of their sinful nature and have eternal life. The key words are “in faith”. We look at the risen Christ in faith when our words and deeds are in alignment with his plans for our lives. When we show concern and help for our fellow man, we show that we are looking at the risen Christ in faith. Jesus is the signpost pointing us to God and to a life of self-surrender in love and service to others.

We are to represent Jesus as well as we can in our thoughts, words and deeds and allow him to live through us. We can never convert anyone. That is Christ’s job, not ours. We are to effectively communicate God’s love to a world dying for love. To tell people about the whole counsel of God, we also need to tell people about the stark spiritual reality of a life without him in this world and the next. If we trust Jesus we are united to him and his death is our death according to Galatians 2:20 and his condemnation is our condemnation according to Romans 8:3. If we never trust Jesus, we stand condemned by our sin, and by our rejection of the offer of forgiveness. 

We and the Greeks who came to see Jesus are the same. They and we are attracted by the one who, in his hour of suffering, is a completely faithful servant to God; who shows total generosity; willing to give up everything for us, without holding back anything in reserve; who shows us that defeat and death open up new possibilities, when we would see only endings and lose trust; who offers us hope, even when the doors are shut and when we would throw our hands up in despair and prepare to accompany one more body to the tomb. In return, we are to present the love of God in real ways and present Jesus as a human friend, companion and guide in both word and deed.

To complete the process, though, now requires a battle with our petty selfishness in what is a form of death. That is why Jesus speaks of losing our life in order to find life. It is a form of death, because, as Hebrews 5:5-10 suggests, after the learning of hard truths about ourselves, we must sacrifice wrongful pleasures, habitual injustices, false gods. And it hurts to surrender those ways of living. It hurts both when we first start to serve others and when we seek to deepen that service.

Whatever our age, we can't say that we've finally cracked it, that there's nothing left to tackle, that we are immune from these growing pains. But as the soul of Jesus was troubled, and as Jesus offered up his anguish in prayer, so, too, we must experience the anguish of discipleship, and hope to find his resolve as that anguish is lifted up to God in prayer.

Bibliography

1.      Exegesis for John 12:20-33. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

2.      Dr. Tony Evans, “Reaping What You Sow”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

3.      Gary Brumbelow, “Harvest Hang-up”. Retrieved from www.christianitytoday.com

4.      Dr. Jack Graham, “Lift Christ Up”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

5.      Gerritt J. Bomhoff, “Wheat”. Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net

6.      Notes from Peter Anthony’s Bible Study on the Gospel of John

7.      Rick James, “Plant a Rolex…” Retrieved from www.christianitytoday.com

8.      Dr. Bill Bright, “Lift Him Up!” Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

9.      Rev. Paul DeVries, “Praying in Alignment with God”. Retrieved from www.backtogod.net

10.  Dr. Jack Graham, “The Victory You Have in Christ”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

11.  Stanley Mast, “The Wisdom of God”. Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net

12.  Online Devotional-Day 72. Retrieved from www.leadlikejesus.com

13.  Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, 5^th Sunday of Lent (B)”. Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org

14.  C.H. Spurgeon, “Following Leads to Honour”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

15.  Anne Graham Lotz, “Jesus Meets Our Needs”. Retrieved from www.angelministries.org

16.  John Piper, “For This Purpose I Have Come to This Hour”. Retrieved from www.desiringgod.org

17.  Os Hillman, “God is Not about YOUR Success”. Retrieved from www.christianity.com

18.  Leslie Snyder, “Follow the Leader’. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

19.  Dr. Charles Stanley, “Brokenness-The Plan”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

20.  Rev. Ken Klaus, “Consequences”. Retrieved from www.lhm.org

21.  Rev. Ken Klaus, “Lifting Others Up”. Retrieved from www.lhm.org

22.  Frederikson, R.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 27:John (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1985)

23.  Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NKJV (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)

24.  MacArthur, J.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASB (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers: 2006; 2008)

25.  “Jesus Take the Wheel” Retrieved from www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Take_the_Wheel

26.  ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch Bible software package.

27.  Wycliffe Bible Commentary. Part of Wordsearch Bible software package

28.  John Shearman’s Lectionary Resource, Year B, Fifth Sunday in Lent. Retrieved from http://lectionary.seemslikegod.org.archives/year-b-fifth-sunday-in-lent

29.  Daniel B. Clendenin, Ph.D., “The Backward Life of a Lenten Spring”. Retrieved from www.journeywithjesus.net/index.shtml?view=print

30.  The Rev. Dr. James B. Lemler, “Seeking, Searching, Seeing”. Retrieved from www.day1.org

31.  The Rev. Charles Hoffacker, “The Sprouting of the Unexpected Good Seed”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

32.  Dr. Randy L. Hyde, “The New in the Old”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

33.  Richard Finn, O.P., “Poison and Antidote”. Retrieved from http://torch.op.org/preaching_sermon_item.php?sermon=5672

John 12:20-33 Helping Others

Boys and girls, can you tell me about some times when you’ve had to help other people, especially when you didn’t want to or when you’ve been in a bad mood? Well, that’s what Jesus expects us to do. He expects us to help others even when we don’t want to help them. He expects us to love others just like he loves us.

I’m going to tell you a little story about one little boy who learned that lesson. This story is about a little boy named Eddie. He was mad at Jesus. He grabbed a crayon from his baby sister and she started crying. His mother went up to him, took the crayon away and said, “Eddie, Jesus wouldn’t treat his baby sister like that.”

Eddie went out into the backyard and kicked the dog. His father saw him do it and said, “Eddie, Jesus wouldn’t treat animals like that.”

Eddie went into his room and started playing with his toys. Pretty soon his mother came into his room and said, “It’s time to put the toys away. We’re leaving for church to learn about Jesus”. But Eddie said, “I’m not going. I’m mad at Jesus”.

That afternoon Eddie was in the backyard with his father, and his father said, “Eddie, I want to show you something,” and he pointed to a little, harmless ant. The ant was all by himself. He was going as fast as he could across a brick, but when he got to the end, he would turn around and go back. The lonely ant finally came to the edge of the brick and went up a blade of grass. Then he came back down the blade of grass. The ant ran as fast as he could, and then he came back to where he started. Eddie’s father asked him what he thought about the ant.

Eddie replied, “I think that ant is lost”. “And what do you think is going to happen to that ant?” said his father. “Well, I guess he’ll die, especially if I smash him”.

His father said, “I want to show you something else”, and he showed Eddie a little clearing in the garden where there was a tiny hole. Around the tiny hole were lines of busy ants going in the hole and coming out. The ants were running around, bumping heads, back and forth down the hole and out. “Eddie, what do you think?” said his father.

“Well, I think that when the sun goes down and it gets cold, all of these ants will go down in their home and they will be safe tonight”.

His father continued, “You know that looks a lot like church this morning with all of your friends and all of the people coming from different directions, coming into church where they could all be together and be safe.” His father stopped and walked back to the brick where the lone little ant had been and asked, “Now what do you think about this ant over here?”

Eddie went over and looked, but the ant was gone. While he was watching the ant came back up on the brick. Eddie bent down and let the ant walk up on his hand. Then he went over to where all the other ants were by the hole in the ground. He put the ant down on the ground and watched him get in line. Then he looked up at his father and smiled.

“Do you think Jesus would have done that?” Eddie asked? His father bent down and picked Eddie up. He gave him a big hug and said, “Yes, I think Jesus would have done just that”. And they said a prayer right there in the back yard.

Boys and girls, let’s bow our heads, close our eyes and have a moment of prayer.

Thank you Jesus for watching out for us and for teaching us to watch out for others. Give us the wisdom and the strength to help others as you help us. We ask this in Jesus’ name, AMEN

Bibliography

1.      Children’s Sermon for Lent 5. Retrieved from www.mcgregorpage.org

Matthew 25:31-46 Clothe the Naked

“I was shivering, and you gave me clothes…”

Martin of Tours was a Roman soldier and a Christian. One cold winter day, as he was entering a city, a beggar stopped him and asked for money. Martin had no money, but the beggar was blue and shivering with cold and Martin gave him what he had. He took off his soldier’s cloak, worn and frayed as it was; he cut it in two and gave half of it to the beggar.

That night Martin had a dream. In it he saw the heavenly places and all the angels and Jesus in the midst of them; and Jesus was wearing half a Roman soldier’s cloak. One of the angels said to him, “Master, why are you wearing that battered old cloak? Who gave it to you?” Jesus answered softly, “My servant Martin gave it to me.”

We do not have to do big things to help the poor. There is a saying-“big things come in small packages”. Even the smallest things we do can make a big difference in the lives of the poor. For example, any time my mother and I have extra clothes that we want to get rid of, we donate them to the Canadian Diabetes Association. In return, the Association sells these clothes to Value Village stores. These stores, which are similar to the local Salvation Army Thrift Store, sell clothing and other household items to low income people at affordable prices.

There are other things we can do as Christians. For example, our Mother’s Union group gathers items for needy families. Last year the group sponsored a local family by providing them with clothing, useful personal items and household items at Christmas time. Trinity Church’s ACW group sponsors a foster child. Our parish supplies boxes of clothing for our Rector to use in his role as the Honorary Chaplain of the Mission to Seafarers in the Port of Liverpool and Brooklyn. In our wider community, the Salvation Army’s Thrift Store provides clothing and other assistance to the needy. Every fall the local Kinette Club offers a Warm Winter Clothing Exchange where people can donate winter clothing that they no longer need and the poor can get winter clothing at no charge.

Speaking of the Mission to Seafarers, this worldwide organization, which started as a mission of the Church of England in the 1850s, also serves the poor by providing support, emergency assistance and a friendly welcome to ships crews in over 250 ports worldwide. This support ranges from caring for the victims of piracy to caring for seafarers who are stranded in foreign ports to providing warm clothing, personal care and sundry items to the crews of ships to providing Internet access so seafarers can keep in touch with loved ones at home. Our Rector has mentioned that whenever he takes warm clothing to seafarers who arrive at the local port, they are extremely grateful-so grateful that they often take every item of clothing he has brought on board. 

There are things government can do to ease poverty, especially since government decisions sometimes cause poverty. A recent report criticized the Nova Scotia government for not dealing with high taxes and its inability to control energy prices. Double-digit hikes in electricity rates and high heating oil prices are taking a bite out of household budgets, and this has led to an increase in the number of people seeking social assistance. Earlier this year, the Salvation Army’s Good Neighbour Energy Fund was fully depleted for the first time ever, largely because the provincial government reduced its annual contribution, but because the fund was depleted, the government had to contribute extra money.

In January 2011 the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada and the National Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada sent a letter to the Canadian government urging it to adopt the recommendations of a House of Commons committee for reducing poverty in Canada. It urged the federal government to support broad measures to improve living standards for impoverished Canadians. Across Canada, committed Anglicans are dealing with the poverty issue at many levels and in many ways. They are asking for sweeping forward-looking measures that will address the root causes of poverty in the years to come. Others are continuing with traditional charitable work---soup kitchens, shelters, drop-in centres, food banks and clothing giveaways---to help the needy now.  

When we serve the poor, sometimes we serve angels in disguise, and sometimes we can be rewarded by them. For example, last fall the Missions to Seafarers centre in Halifax received a donation from an ex-seafarer who had stopped at the centre in the 1960s. During that visit he lost his shoes. The chaplain at that time bought him a new pair of shoes. The ex-seafarer never forgot the chaplain’s kindness.

When we help the poor, we are answering God’s call as written in Isaiah 25:4 and Isaiah 58:6-11 to reach out to others in His name. When we do, we not only respond to God’s call, but we salt our communities with the preserving influence of the Gospel. Solving the causes of poverty requires large-scale government and non-profit action as well as the church’s compassion and social activism.

The Canadian Christian community has long been a leader in caring for the less fortunate in Canada. From church groups inspired to serve sandwiches on a local street corner to those offering a place of refuge in extreme cold or heat or the operation of multi-million dollar addictions rehabilitations centres, hostels and food service programs to conducting clothing drives for the needy or operating Salvation Army Thrift Stores, love is shared in practical expressions that meet human need. Faith-based charities such as the local Food Bank, the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund, or Chalice (which is the Roman Catholic Church’s equivalent of the Primate’s Fund) have the infrastructure and expertise to multiply the effect of government funds in the delivery of service. As a service provider to poor and homeless people, faith-based charities and their communities offer a significant experience-based resource to the government. In doing so, they also advance religion.

 

Why does God allow so many of his children to be poor? After all, he could make all of them rich if he wanted to, and that’s the key phrase….if he wanted to. But he does not choose to do so. He allows them to suffer and want. Why is this? One reason is because he wants to give those of us who have plenty an opportunity to show our love for Jesus. If we truly love Christ, we will care for those who are loved by him. Those who are dear to him will be dear to us as well.

What are the best ways to fight poverty? That depends on what we mean by poverty. If by poverty we mean the inability to access financial, social or political resources, then it is essential that we help the poor overcome their poverty. At the same time, we must be careful not to do for them what they can do for themselves.

If, on the other hand we mean spiritual poverty, and if restored relationships are essential to overcoming poverty, then Christ-centered, church-based community development is the foundation of sustained change. This is an example of what the church is called to do-walking with the lost and broken while embracing and restoring the whole person in Christ to reach their God-given potential. We are called to be compassionate, to love, and to carry each other’s burdens. (Pause)

The criteria for judgment are deeds of mercy-food, drink, welcome, clothing, nursing care and visitation. Acts of kindness are simple and concrete. They are indiscriminate and uncalculating. They are also transforming in the lives of the recipients. Remembering acts of kindness we have received keeps us humble, makes us grateful and helps us to be more compassionate toward others in need. When we serve, our focus shifts from self to selfless.

When Jesus says that we serve him when we serve others, he is saying that when we see a hungry or thirsty person, someone in prison or without adequate clothing, someone who is sick and has no one to take care of him or her---in other words, someone not like us---when we see someone who needs what we have in us to give, we have to see that person as the presence and embodiment of Christ even if that person does not act like us. Jesus is in soup kitchen lines. Jesus is waiting at the Salvation Army to get a coat. Jesus is in the hospital, or more likely, suffering, because He cannot afford to go to the hospital (especially if the hospital is in the United States). Jesus wants us to be out in the world every day, looking to find Him in the heartache and pain that surrounds us. Church is the place where we come to feed and nourish our soul for this work, the work that calls us to minister to Him in very real and tangible ways. 

It is hard to see people as the presence and embodiment of Christ when we have to deal with people who have an attitude where they expect us to help and get angry when we don’t. It is hard to see Jesus in people like that, but then we must try to put ourselves in their place, and when we do it becomes easier to see Christ in them. We can’t do anything but help, and we do so not because we feel guilty, but because we know that God loves them just as much as God loves us, and God needs us to show that love to them.

There are people who hear stories on the news about suffering, and go back to their normal everyday activities after they hear the stories. Others choose to act. In a recent article in the Halifax Chronicle-Herald newspaper, freelance writer Monica Graham wrote the following:

None of them worked alone. As they went along, their circles of influence moved outward, inspiring more and more people to act in concert.

                      

Interestingly, religion or faith is not often mentioned in connection with their acts of charity, a word used here in the old-fashioned sense, meaning love. These are people who do God’s work and, it appears, they humbly accept their roles. Helping others has become more than their volunteer activity; it’s an obsession and vocation.

The rest of us can watch, marvel, learn — and then follow suit. When we can’t initiate something ourselves, we can support the efforts of others. There is a lot of work that needs to be done — in Nova Scotia, in Canada and throughout the world. There may be no wages, but it pays off.

God does watch the way we live our lives, and the way we live our lives matters. There will be a day when each of us will stand in line as God points the way to eternity. Some will be directed to the right, and they will spend eternity in heaven. Others will be directed to the left, and they will spend eternity in hell. The only goal of lasting value and fulfillment in life is serving Christ. His call to serve is unique for each and every believer. He will give us the situation, the words and the ability to do what He wants us to do. He is the one who makes a difference. We are tools to be used by Him.

Bibliography

1.      Franklin Graham, “Focus on Solving the Poverty of the Soul”. Retrieved from www.christianitytoday.com/ct/article=print.html?id=95689

2.      Richard Stearns, “Christians Really Do Reduce Poverty”. Retrieved from www.christianitytoday.com/ct/article=print.html?id=95688

3.      Joni Eareckson Tada, “Answering Isaiah”. Retrieved from www.joniandfriends.org

4.      Stephen Bauman, “What Do You Mean by Poverty?” Retrieved from www.christianitytoday.com/ct/article=print.html?id=95690

5.      Grey Fourney, “Poverty Has Many Enemies”. Retrieved from www.christianitytoday.com/ct/article=print.html?id=95693

6.      LeAnn Rice, “Caring for the Overlooked”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

7.      The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, “2012 Federal Pre-Budget Submission”. (Ottawa, ON; The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada; 2012)

8.      Dr. Randy L. Hyde, “The Scavenger Hunt”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

9.      Pastor Steve Molin, “What the Saints Do”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

10.  The Rev. Charles Hoffacker, “Wholesale or Retail”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

11.  The Rev. John Bedingfield, “Seeing Christ in Everyday Faces”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

12.  Dr. Philip W. McLarty, “The Gift of Chesed”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

13.  Kelly Regan, MLA, “NDP’s Energy and Economic Policies Putting a Squeeze on Nova Scotians”. Retrieved from www.nsliberalcaucus.ca

14.  Diana Swift, “The War on Poverty’. Retrieved from www.anglicanjournal,com

15.  Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament. Part of Lessonmaker 8 Bible Software package

16.  Jamieson-Fawcett-Brown Commentary. Part of Lessonmaker 8 Bible Software package

17.  Wycliffe Bible Commentary. Part of Lessonmaker 8 Bible Software package

18.  ESV Study Bible. Part of Lessonmaker 8 Bible Software package

19.  Jim Burns, “You Serve Jesus by Serving His Children”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

20.  Dr. Robert H. Schuller, “The Good Samaritan”. Retrieved from www.hourofpower.cc

21.  Luann Prater, “What Did You Do With What I Gave You?” Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

22.  Charles H. Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening Devotionals. Retrieved from www.bible gateway.com

23.   Monica Graham, “There’s Plenty of Good Work to be Done, Now Do It”. Retrieved from http://thechronicleherald.ca/religion/74657-there-s-plenty-good-work-be-done-now-do-it

Matthew 25:31-46 Shelter the Homeless

“I was homeless and you took me in…”

As the worshipers arrived for church in a small town one Sunday morning, they were met by a rather disturbing sight. An apparently homeless beggar sat on the front steps of the church, wearing tattered clothing, a wool cap pulled down over his eyes, and clutching a bottle in fingerless gloves. They had never seen anything quite like this in their town.

Most worshipers simply walked around the man, or stepped over him, as he sat there. Some muttered words of disapproval, and others suggested that the man move to another doorway before the Sunday school children arrived. One member told the man, in no uncertain terms, that the Salvation Army was a more appropriate place to sleep it off. At one point, a kind woman brought the man a Styrofoam cup of hot coffee, but not one person asked the man to come in out of the cold, and certainly nobody invited him in to join them in worship.

 
Imagine, then, the people’s surprise during the entrance hymn, when their homeless friend made his way into the pulpit and took off his cap. The people recognized that it was their pastor! The pastor began his remarks that morning in this way: “I didn’t do this to embarrass you or to poke you in the eye. I did it to remind us that this is a person that Jesus loves, and he has called us to love him, too.”
 

There is much that we as Christians can do to ease the plight of the homeless. One of the main causes of homelessness is war and strife that forces people to flee for their lives. They often end up in refugee camps where the conditions are not always ideal. Throughout history, Christians have responded by welcoming refugees into their homes and countries. For example, several years ago the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Milton sponsored refugee families from Vietnam on a couple of different occasions. While these families did eventually leave the area to settle in larger centres to be closer to people from their own country and culture, the members of the church can take some pride in the fact that they did what they could to help.

Sometimes dealing with refugees and the victims of conflict involves personal sacrifice. A good example is the life of Raoul Wallenberg. He was a Swedish diplomat who is credited with saving the lives of at least 100,000 Jews in Budapest, Hungary during World War II. He did this by issuing fake Swedish protective passes. Because Sweden was a neutral country during the war, these passes were recognized and accepted by the Nazis even though they had no real value under international law.

 
Raoul Wallenberg paid the ultimate price for his actions. In January 1945, after the Soviet Army liberated Hungary, he requested and received permission to visit the Soviet military headquarters.  He never arrived, and he was never seen again. To this day his disappearance remains a mystery. The official Russian position was that he was arrested on suspicion of being a spy for the United States. The Russian government even claimed as late as 2001 that he died of a heart attack in 1947 in prison in Moscow. Other stories state that he was executed.

As I look around our community, I see the elderly and the poor, and I’m disappointed by the lack of affordable housing, nursing homes and retirement homes. Our Rector will touch on the nursing home issue in a couple of weeks. I would like to speak for a few moments about the lack of affordable housing and the lack of retirement housing in the area, and what we can do to help the homeless.

If you drive through the low income areas of our community, the lack of affordable housing becomes apparent. There are homes that are neat and well-kept, but there are also homes that are in a state of disrepair because the owners are either unable and/or unwilling to have the necessary repairs done. If they are unable to have the needed work done, it is often because they can’t afford to do so. While there are government programs available that are designed to assist with housing repairs, often times low income homeowners are either unaware of them or they can’t understand the paperwork involved or they can’t navigate the “red tape”.

Habitat for Humanity is a Christian ministry that puts God’s love in action by bringing people together to build low-cost, single family housing. Recently, Habitat for Humanity International’s CEO Jonathan Reckford wrote:

The sum of our work is truly greater than any one part of our equation. In building homes and communities, Habitat welcomes all partners—churches, civic groups, corporations, governments, and individuals. From securing property rights for homeowners to encouraging the provision of the necessary infrastructure to build shelter, Habitat works with governments around the world. Habitat also strives to deepen existing relationships and initiate new partnerships with local churches, denominations, and faith organizations. We believe that adequate housing is foundational for improving the lives of families and that housing is as important to community health as it is to individual health. One of our strengths is the ability to bring together the public, private, and nonprofit sectors—including the church—to change lives and transform communities.

 
Programs like Habitat for Humanity do help, but they can only do so much, especially since the local branch has to do its work in two counties. The branch’s work is also hampered by financial, material and human resources. The various levels of government also have roles to play, but at the same time they can only do so much because their resources are not limitless.

God calls us to honour our fathers and mothers, and he is not referring just to our biological parents. He is referring to all of our elders, especially our senior citizens. Seniors deserve to live with dignity in their golden years, and one way they often choose to do so is by selling their existing homes, especially if it is costly for them to live in their existing homes because of fixed incomes. In addition, a larger home is no longer necessary once adult children have left home.

                                              
Unfortunately, there are two problems with this plan in this area. First, houses are not selling in this area right now because of the sad state of the local economy. Second, there is currently no suitable retirement housing in this area other than senior citizen apartment complexes, all of which are currently full. The nearest retirement complex is thirty miles away, which means that seniors have to leave the area.  If they have lived in this area all of their lives, moving away can be unsettling.
 
There are plans to create a retirement community in this area, but it will take time for it to become a reality. In the meantime, the situation has to be addressed. Some seniors have solved the problem by having adult children living with them, and my mother is no exception. Yes, I still live at home because of both my low wages and my mother’s age-related health issues. While having adult children living at home or having live-in caregivers is a solution, it is not without its own set of problems, such as the stress involved in caring for elderly parents. Thank goodness some nursing homes and retirement homes have recognized this and offer respite care and adult day care programs.

So what can we as Christians do to address these issues? Lobbying our elected officials for more retirement homes and affordable housing is a start. Such initiatives would also go a long way toward easing the employment situation in the area, both in the short term and the long term. We can also help in other ways. For example, we can help low income homeowners understand the paperwork involved in applying for government grants to make repairs to their homes. We can also offer to spend time with senior citizens who have adult children as live-in caregivers so that the children can have a much-needed break. We can also volunteer on a Habitat for Humanity home-building project or donate money or other resources.

These are just some suggestions-the possibilities are endless. Whatever we do, we serve God.  When we serve those who do not have adequate housing, we serve God, and when we serve others, the focus shifts from self to selfless. Jesus himself said, “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me”.

Jesus' command to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth has never been withdrawn -- nor will it be withdrawn until He comes again. His final words to his disciples in Mark 16:15 were absolutely clear: "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation". Missionaries today carry out Christ's command in many ways, not only by preaching the Gospel but by demonstrating Christ's love and compassion to those in need. Jesus said in Matthew 10:42 that we serve Him even when we give "a cup of cold water to one of these little ones".

God asks us to give our lives to him and serve him by serving others. We say to them, “God loves you and so do I”. We can reduce poverty. On Judgment Day, we will be judged by how we lived our lives and whether or not we loved others like Christ loves us. If we are currently showing God’s love to others, we must continue what we are doing. If not, we must change our ways. There is an old saying-“shape up or ship out”. If we don’t shape up, God will ship us out-and we won’t like the place he will ship us out to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bibliography

1.      Sheila Schuller Coleman, “Got a Dime to Spare?” Retrieved from www.hourofpower.org

2.      Pastor Steve Molin, “What the Saints Do”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

3.      Jim Coleman, “Eliminate Negative Thinking”. Retrieved from www.hourofpower.org

4.      Dr. Robert Heerspink, “Finding Jesus”. Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net

5.      Diana Swift, “The War on Poverty”. Retrieved from www.anglicanjournal.com

6.      Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament. Part of Lessonmaker 8 Bible software package.

7.      Jamieson Fawcett Brown Commentary. Part of Lessonmaker 8 Bible software package

8.      Wycliffe Bible Commentary. Part of Lessonmaker 8 Bible software package.

9.      Jonathan Reckford, “We Can’t Do Everything”. Retrieved from www.christianitytoday.com/ct/article_print.html?id=95691

10.  Jewish Virtual Library, “Raul Wallenberg: 1912-? “. Retrieved from http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/wallenberg.html#efforts

11.  Rachel Oestreicher Bernheim, “Raoul Wallenberg: A Hero for Our Time”. Retrieved from www.raulwallenberg.org/raulwallenberg_aheroforourtime.htm.html

12.  Billy Graham, “Why Do We Still Need Missionaries?” Retrieved from www.arcamax.com/religionandspirituality/billygraham/s-1097039?print