In the tenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is sending out his disciples. He is sending them out into a world that is dangerous and threatening . . . a world that will be in opposition to their mission of sharing the “good news” of Jesus . . . a world that would go to no end—even death—in order not to change. It is a world of old and tired ways bent on keeping the powerful in place and the status quo in line. Is this not the existence to which we—the followers of Jesus—have been called today. Being a follower of Jesus and sharing his “good news” is not an easy task.
Jesus says this to the disciples as he sends them out: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves . . . Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues . . . Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death . . . You will be hated by everyone because of me . . .” (Matthew 10:16-39)
Well, we know that Jesus never said that it would be easy . . . and it is not! Following Jesus is tough. Sharing his “good news” is tough. We live in a world that goes against Jesus and his “good news” . . . a world that loves and embraces power over love, relationships, and the wholeness and holiness of community. A world that stands in opposition to God’s Kingdom and its call to “love one another”. It is tough going for those who are the followers of Jesus.
So where do we find hope? Where do we find the energy to keep going? When we look at the task of sharing Jesus’ “good news” to the world in which we live . . . well, does the task not seem impossible?
Loren Eiseley tells the story of “the star thrower”. It is a story that you probably know about the guy tossing starfish after starfish into the sea. When asked why, he replies that if they don’t get back in the water soon, they’ll dry out and die. Looking at the beach strewn with thousands of starfish, the person asking the question tells the guy that he can’t possibly hope to make a difference. To which the guy responds, “To the ones I throw back, it makes all the difference in the world.”
Sometimes the big picture is overwhelming. Sometimes we need to step back and take a smaller view of the situation before us . . . to take smaller bites instead of attempting to swallow the whole thing at once. By ourselves it is difficult to save the world. Instead, we should acknowledge that God will take care of that and that the best we can do is to take care of the business that is in our little corner of the world in which we have been placed. We do what we can do where we are and trust in God to take care of the rest. Thus, we are called upon to do acts of mercy and deeds of compassion—large and small—and realize that even these make a difference. In this even a “cup of cold water” can make a huge and unexpected difference to those to whom we give it.
Discipleship—following Jesus—does not have to be heroic. Too often we do not realize that all the small acts of devotion, tenderness, kindness, and forgiveness within the relationships that are important to us are the foundation of faith. Faith is composed of a thousand small gestures. But also remember, Jesus tells us that there are no small gestures. Anything done in faith and love has cosmic impact and significance for the ones involved and, indeed, for the world God loves so much. Ask that star fish that got tossed back into the sea.
A couple of weeks ago at the summer camp the university runs for high school kids with disabilities exploring the transition from high school to post-secondary education I was having one of those days. First of all, riding herd over a group of teenagers is a challenge all of its own but throw in there unforeseen bumps in the road . . . well, lets just say I was having a rough day. From the start nothing seemed to go right . . . speakers showed up late and then went way over their time limit . . . we got way off schedule . . . we literally missed our bus . . . I had to punt and come up with programming on the fly . . . the weather was getting stormy . . . I had to cancel a part of the day’s schedule . . . and I was getting more frustrated and anxious by the moment. I felt like I was in a disaster film.
At the end of the day, as the kids gathered for our closing exercise before heading to their beds in the dorms, we sat in a circle to wrap up the day. The tradition at the end of each day is for everyone to share two things—one thing that was good and one thing that they would change. Worn out by the day’s events . . . I started. I thanked the kids for their attitude, openness, and willingness to hang in there despite all the hiccups of the day. I explained that I really felt bad about it all and that it wasn’t fair to them.
As I was sharing, I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder . . . patting me. The young lady sitting next to me was patting me on my shoulder . . . she just reached out and started patting me. She offered me a moment of comfort . . . a moment of reassurance . . . a moment of acceptance . . . hospitality. In that moment at the end of a long day it was just what I needed . . . a “cup of cold water”. A simple act of kindness.
As the family gathered last weekend to celebrate a granddaughter’s birthday, we all sat in the living room watching the opening of presents. Like any family there were the usual “ohhhs and awes” as each gift was revealed. With this granddaughter Dana and I had given her an American Girl doll that was Native American of the Nez Perce tribe call Kaya. Everything about the doll was approved by the tribe before it was put on the marker, thus everything associated with the doll is expensive. As she open one present to reveal the doll’s pet I jokingly said, “Now you just have to find someone to get you her teepee.”
At that moment every adult turned and looked at me with that “what are you doing” look. Not knowing what the problem was, I sat there confused as it began to dawn on me . . . Nana and Papa—Dana and I—were giving her and her doll that expensive teepee. OH! The look of surprise on my face made them all laugh. I was embarrassed to the moon and back. If there had been a rock to crawl under, I would have . . . I was six shades of red.
Then I felt a small hand on my back. Up and down, up and down. My youngest granddaughter was rubbing my back. In the midst of the laughter and my embarrassment came an act of reassurance, comfort, and love that let me know that I was loved. Again, a small act of kindness . . . a “cup of cold water”.
Looking back on those moments, those simple acts of kindness made all the difference in the world about how I was feeling. With perfect 20/20 hindsight that we have all been blessed with, I wish I had taken a moment to say, “thank you.” To say thank you to that young lady for having made a difference . . . of saying thank you to my youngest granddaughter for turning my world right side up . . . of saying to both of them that it was because of you that it made all the difference.
This is where we find hope. This is where we find the energy to keep on going. This is where the world begins to change . . . one small act of kindness at a time. We are all recipients of such acts of kindness every day. And we are also the givers of such gifts and blessings. It is in such acts of giving a “cup of cold water” to another that Jesus’ love is shared. It is a love that can be shared anytime and anywhere with gestures that seem small in the eyes of the world but loom large in the life of those who receive them. In such a way we are making the world God loves so much a little better, a little more trustworthy, a little more joyful through our gestures of love, mercy, and compassion.
Remember, there are no small acts of kindness in the eyes of Jesus. Through “cups of cold water”, hugs, helping hands, encouraging words, and listening ears we are caring for the world that God loves so much. It is because of you . . . and you . . . and you . . . that we find hope and strength for the journey we have been called to take. We probably don’t say it often enough but thank you. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment