“Changing the way things are” is the Methodist way: to get both
wings of faith beating so we can fly with our mission to make
disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
That’s what happens when you walk through the door of service.
Your eyes open. Your vision gets bigger. You want
more for your life, because you can see—there is proof, right
there!—that what you do can make a difference to someone else’s
life.
Most things break instead of transform because they resist.
The quiet miracle of love is that without our interference, it,
like water, accepts whatever is tossed or dropped or placed into
it, embracing it completely.
Today, we move through the door of loving and will explore the
healing power of a loving presence. Here, I am suggesting
we focus on the way we are present to others, particularly those
who are
lonely, poor, or struggling in some way. We are all healers
and I’d like to present three stages of being present to another
person based on today’s scripture reading:
1. Give yourself a break: go without delay.
2. When you arrive, leave the negativity behind.
3. Remember to provide a helping hand.
Some knowledge comes from books, some from media, some from
lectures, some from Bible study. But knowledge that comes
from experience is usually the best teacher.
How can we be fulfilled Christians without pursuing
knowledge? Why do we resist? Is it because Jesus’
teachings are dangerous? Are they worth the risk?
The first Easter must have been like a dream. The
early-rising women report back to the other followers that Christ
is risen. They were probably thought of as foolish
dreamers. Then Peter finds the tomb empty and is amazed at
what had happened. The dream was real!
Luke’s Palm Sunday story followed by the Passion story may give
us a sense of how to mitigate uncertainty and fear while pursuing
dreams rooted in God’s desires for us.
The parable of the Prodigal Son is one of Jesus’ most treasured
stories and one that provides a rich interpretative texture…it is
so very human…we find ourselves in the story whether we want to
or not…the prodigal son, the older brother, the farmer, the
father.
It is important how we listen to ultimate power, to God’s
voice. Over the centuries, we humans have come to have a
deepening sense of God’s power and how that power speaks to us
and lives in us and transforms us.
Are we ready to speak to power? Are we ready to stand on
the promises of Jesus, to walk in The Way of our ancestors, to
challenge the status quo toward responsive action…to change the
way things are into the way they should be?
Temptation – sometimes we hijack our own best intentions with old
habits that work to keep us trapped. Jesus finds a way
through all this and so can we.
This Lent, we can carefully examine our hearts. We can
listen to the soft, tender voice of Jesus, calling us beyond our
everydayness into the kingdom of God. Through all the
craziness of 21st century living, Jesus voice hasn’t
changed. He is still inviting you and me to the glorious
banquet.
The solution that Jesus gives about being a good neighbor is not
just some frosting on a cake. It is meant to be
foundational to our living…to our living together.
…every kind act, every shared joy, every compassionate embrace,
every prayer, every tear shed with another, every meal served,
every dollar in the offering plate, every hymn sung, every child
we teach, every child who teaches us…changes the way things are
into the way they are meant to be: the unfolding kingdom of God.
