November 3rd, 2024
AS YOURSELF
“An atheist fell off a cliff. As he tumbled downward, he caught hold of the branch of a small tree. There he hung between heaven above and the rocks a thousand feet below, knowing that he wasn’t going to be able to hold on much longer. Then an idea came to him. “God,” he shouted with all his might. But there was silence. No one responded.
“God,” he shouted again. “If you exist, save me and I promise I shall believe in you and teach others to believe.”
Again, there was silence. Then he almost let go of the branch in shock as he heard a mighty voice booming across the canyon. “That’s what they all say when they’re in trouble.”
“No, God, no!” He shouted out, more hopeful now. “I am not like the others. Why, already I have begun to believe, having heard your voice for myself. Now all you have to do is save me and I shall proclaim your name to the ends of the earth.”
“Very well,” said the voice. “I shall save you. Let go of the branch.”
“Let go of the branch?” yelled the distraught man. “Do you think I’m crazy?” (PIS #800)
Faith is a strange thing. We are expected to believe in an entity that we have not seen, have never talked to and aren’t quite sure what actions that entity has performed for us or others. Yet we do it anyway. We believe in God because of what we have been taught. We believe in God because of experiences that others have related to us. We believe in God because something with in us – conscience, heart – call it what you will has told us that it is the right thing for us to do. It’s illogical; it’s crazy, but we do it anyway.
But our Gospel reading for this morning tells us that we have to go further. We are told that the first commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength. We are asked to love and then, because trust is such an integral part of love, to trust God completely. How many of us do you think can do that? Blind faith, blind love and blind trust?
But then we are asked in the second great commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. For most of us, it’s a hard thing to do. For some of us it becomes almost impossible because we do not love ourselves. The reasons aren’t important. Perhaps we think that we are inadequate as partners or inadequate in our jobs. Perhaps we think that we will never amount to something.
Perhaps we do not view ourselves as talented. But it is at just those moments that we need the most to remember that God loves us, supports us, and has created all of us with special talents. We can use whatever those talents might be to support and reach out to others with compassion.
Perhaps much of the time when we feel inadequate it is because someone has told us we are or because we are constantly comparing ourselves to others or to an impossible standard. Given that that is the case, how can we possibly love our neighbors?
On the other hand, if our friends are constantly telling us someone is bad because they are different, how can we love them? Why do we listen to our friends? Why don’t we question more? Discrimination can only continue because we allow it to continue.
Perhaps we cannot love others because we have preconceived notions and stereotypes of them. Perhaps deep in our hearts we believe that there are some others who are not worthy of our love. Why is that? In some cases we believe the stereotypes. In some cases we are uncomfortable talking about others because we do not understand them. But the changes can only come when we confront our biases and get to know others who are different from us, regardless of the differences.
As we vote on Tuesday, we are asked to consider those differences. But we are also challenged to vote as Christians – to hold all of the candidates to a higher standard of ethical and moral behavior. We are called to love all of our neighbors, but that does not stop with us personally. We expect those in authority to do what they can to keep others safe, to help when tragedies strike, to lift up those who need our help, and to be an example of what we want our leaders to represent.
Back to the first commandment – love God. Why? Because we have also been taught that God is love. We have been taught that God loves us and cares for us much more than we could ever imagine. That God loves us with an all-encompassing love regardless of who we are, what we have done, or what our station in life happens to be. If we can grasp with our limited understanding what just a small amount of that love is, then perhaps we can start to apply it to ourselves.
Once we apply that love to ourselves, we can start giving ourselves a break. We can start thinking about the good things that we can do instead of what we cannot do. We can start thinking about the needs of others and what we can do to help, no matter how small or insignificant we think that help might be. We can become compassionate, caring individuals. And in our lives, we can mirror the love that Jesus showed for all of the people around him.
Then, we can begin to love our neighbors, whoever they may be, and show them the compassion and empathy that Jesus showed to others.
We all have opportunities every day in small ways to show compassion or empathy for another human being, and we expect our leaders to do the same. Perhaps the story I am going to end this sermon with will give you a small idea of what I mean.
“The mother of a fifteen-year-old named Doug became increasingly worried when her son’s temperature kept rising until it reached 105 degrees. Doug was taken to the hospital where blood tests revealed leukemia. Then Doug developed pneumonia, and for ten days his mother stayed with him in his hospital room.
One night Douglas, afraid, asked her to sleep in his bed by his side. Through her tears, she had to tell him she couldn’t. IV tubes were attached to his body, the bed was small, and there was no room.
The doctors were frank, telling Douglas that for the next three years he would have to undergo chemotherapy. He would go bald and probably gain weight. Learning this, Douglas became even more discouraged. Although he was told that there was a good chance of remission, he was smart enough to know that leukemia can be fatal.
His mother remembered that on the day Douglas was admitted, his first time in a hospital, he had opened his eyes, looked around the room and said to her, “I thought you get flowers when you’re in the hospital.” Hearing about this, an aunt called to order an arrangement. The voice of the salesclerk was high-pitched, and she sounded young. The aunt imagined an inexperienced clerk who would be unaware of the arrangement’s significance. So the aunt said, “I want the planter especially attractive. It’s for my teenage nephew who has leukemia.” “Oh,” said the clerk, “Let’s add some fresh-cut flowers to brighten it up.”
When the arrangement arrived at the hospital, Douglas was feeling strong enough to sit up. He opened the envelope and read the card from his aunt. Then he saw another card. Douglas removed the card and read “Douglas, I took your order. I work at the flower shop. I had leukemia when I was seven years old. I’m twenty-two years old now. Good luck. My heart goes out to you. Sincerely, Laura Bradley.” Douglas’ face lighted up. For the first time since he entered the hospital, he had been inspired. He had talked to so many doctors and nurses in a hospital, but the card from Laura Bradley gave him hope. A card from a salesclerk in a flower shop who, by taking the time to care and do what her heart told her, gave Douglas hope and the will to carry on.” (PSI #164)
May we take those little opportunities that our hearts urge us to take to lift someone else’s spirits. Let us vow in this day to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strengths; and love our neighbors as ourselves. Amen.
