Every time I
pull into one of the clearly marked CLERGY PARKING signs at either of our two
hospitals, I grimace. I can hear Jesus
adding to his list of horrific behaviors exhibited by the equally horrific
religion scholars “the love to park in designated parking spaces.” Can’t I hunt for parking like everyone else,
right?
The truth is, by designating parking spaces for clergy the hospitals are acknowledging that clergy are a part of the healing team—that they want us there a LOT—that we actually are there a LOT. In a crisis, they do not want us to spend an hour looking for a parking space. On the other hand, in a crisis, do we want anyone spending an hour looking for a parking space? However, to THAT person who is desperate for a parking space, the clergy space looks, well, special. And there are days where I feel, well, special--and special isn’t the goal.
Every other year I participate in
what’s called BOUNDARY training. It’s
required by my profession. I must
constantly reflect on how I use my power. You see, as a clergy
person, I have power. I am invited into
your personal life, into the life of your family members including your
children, and into the life of the community where I have more access to
people. The question is “What motivates
clergy as a professional group? Is it
privilege and status, or is it service?”
Of course,
Jesus is using the professional clergy to throw the conversation WIDE. Jesus is asking every human being to reflect
on their own personal power, and every congregation to reflect on their
corporate power.
“Power,” you
might ask, “We have power? “ I feel so small”, you might be thinking, or “We
feel so poor.” However, every person and
every group has resources. Some
resources are internal qualities—wisdom, peace, joy, kindness. Some resources are external—material
possessions including money and space, food and clothing, talents and, well,
time. Some resources are quiet, such as
the ability to listen, and some resources are loud, such as a large, up-to-date
facility.
According to
Jesus, it’s what we DO with what we’ve got that matters. Not what we stand FOR, but who we stand WITH;
not what we think about Jesus, but that we DO JESUS ourselves. “Let God tell YOU what to do,” says
Jesus. “Listen, and do.”
This past week
two AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers brought faith communities and service providers
together at an event called Faith
Engagement; faith engaging the community.
The purpose was to find solutions for Billings’ poorest and most
desperate citizens—our neighbors. The service providers present---Tumbleweed,
Montana Legal Services Association, HRDC, Billings Food Bank, to name but a
few—were SO surprised by the turnout. So were the clergy and other leaders from
the over one hundred churches and synagogues that dot the Billings
landscape. And why were we there? We were all there because we love our
neighbors—all of them—and have a huge heart for the poor.
The church leaders heard from the
service organizations that they couldn’t exist without the support they
received from the churches in our area. “Oh how we love the
surprise gifts of hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars,” we heard. We also heard that money was just one part of
the need—these service organizations, some of which the church created in
Billings, are desperate for volunteers.
For example, Friendship House needs persons to cook and serve
meals. The Crisis Center is thankful for
a volunteer who loves to write, and spent time with the clients at the Crisis
Center helping them write their story—which helps those persons struggling with
mental illness to heal. “Spend a day
with us at the Crisis Center,” she said to the leaders present, and through
whom she wanted to reach the worshippers in the sanctuaries, “And see what we
do and who we love—and where you might make a difference.”
Another
service director said, “You know, you don’t have to leave Billings to make a
difference. You and your youth group can
make a difference HERE. Come and see us! We’ll teach you how to serve and love the poor. You know, they are our friends.” Talk about job shadowing!
In Matthew’s gospel we hear Jesus
says, “Be a servant.” By servant he means “Live to meet the needs
of others--the least of these—live to bring honor to the poor.” This isn’t one of many things Christians are
called to do; it’s the main thing. We’ve
got to keep bringing honor to the poor FIRST and FOREMOST in our hearts and
mind—which means we are constantly reorganizing our life together to fee up
resources. That’s what Jesus did. He owned little so others could own much.
This is our
life together, too. We are called to own
little so others can own much. Do you
remember Jesus’ job description? We need
to, because his job description is our job description. It’s found in Luke 4:8:
"The
Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news
to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery
of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” Every time I read this I think “Which
part of this job description can we take on as a church—and which part of this
job description can I take on as an individual?” At the end of the day Jesus wants to know
what we DID and what I DID, not what we believe about Jesus or what I believe
about Jesus. It’s not good enough to
worship God’s kindness, we’ve got to BE God’s kindness. (A nod here to Mother Teresa.)
Early on in
Tuesday’s presentation at the Faith Engagement seminar the director of
Tumbleweed told this story: “We had six
kids sleeping outside when it was minus 20 degrees. One was sleeping in a cave, and one had a
plan of killing himself.” To help the homeless teens the director went on the
Big J radio show and Big J invited her to meet his pastor Rev. Kalen Brown at
City Church. Brown asked the director
what she needed. “I need a house where
youth can stay,” she told him. He found
her one. “Literally that saved the day,”
she told us.
Guess what? Tumbleweed needs another house. And the Montana Rescue Mission needs
mens socks and underwear and Family Promise needs donations of diapers. The Crisis Center needs a larger facility and
more volunteers. Friendship House is
enlarging their facility, but need more volunteers. The need goes on. Jesus wants to know why you and I are
Christians, and why we are a church. Are
we using our power, our resources to serve people—or are we turning our
resources in ourselves. And if the
answer is that we are turning our resources in our selves, how did that
happen—and what are we going to do to get back on track—the servant track—the
disciples of Jesus track?
Prayer: Merciful God, May your compassion for the
least of these become possible IN US.
Amen.
(This sermon was preached by Reverend Dana Keener at Central Christian Church in Billings on November 2nd.)
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