“Grateful and Gracious” – Matt 25:31-46 – November 23, 2008
This Thanksgiving many families will gather together and take turns at the family dinner, stating what they are thankful for. It’s that one time of year when we focus on what we have rather than what we don’t have. Let’s be honest, it’s not always easy to be grateful to God for what we do have. We spend most of our time complaining about the problems in our lives. We lament over the good old days, we moan about our current economy, we are filled with self pity over our health problems and we grieve over our misfortunes.
When life is overwhelming it is not easy to have a thankful spirit. Perhaps Thanksgiving provides an opportunity for self-examination. For some it can be a reality check. Is life really that bad or do I have a bad attitude?
In the last few chapters in Matthew, Jesus has been describing what it means to be in the kingdom of heaven. He has provided us with a series of “benchmarks” or indicators that enable us to reach the Pearly Gates. At some point we will be held accountable for out attitudes. Just as a shepherd separates the goats from the sheep, God will separate those who are not grateful with those who are.
Why sheep and goats? Both are domestic animals which provide clothing and food for us. Goats however are difficult to manage. They like to wander. They are impulsive and whimsical. Sadly, goats will stay with their own breed and not mix with other animals. In other words, they are unto themselves, not willing to mingle with those who are different.
The primary benchmark which describes the sheep, or true follower of Jesus are those who feed the hungry, provide clothing for those who have none, give shelter to the homeless, attend to the sick and visit prisoners. Rather than interact with these folks, we tend to associate with people who are just like us.
It is much easier to make judgments about those who are unfortunate in this life than it is to reach out to them. Several weeks ago I was helping a family who had no food. I found some resources but the family did not own a car. I offered to drive them there but they had children. I said I couldn’t let children ride in my van without a seatbelt. To be honest, I really didn’t want to be responsible for some poor kids riding in my van. Their mother said she would ask her sister to watch the children while she went with me to get food. When I arrived at the house, the woman was waiting in the front yard with a car seat in her hand.
That incident reminded me that this poor woman had a sense of responsibility. What’s more, she respected me for making sure that her children riding with me would abide by my standards. The goat in me said, “I’d rather not have to deal with transporting poor kids.” But, the sheep in me said, “This family is hungry and I can give them something to eat.”
For me, this was an attitude check. After spending some time with those kids, seeing their poor living conditions and their mother’s desperation, I was grateful for what I have. While she has to walk to work, walk to the grocery store and walk her children to school, I am free to drive anywhere I please.
Jesus said, “For I was hungry and you gave me food.” His followers said, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food?” Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
Gratefulness requires humility. It means we have to be willing to reach beyond our familiar, safe and traditional circles to people who have need.
Casey Crandall belonged to a church that participated in the Appalachia Service Project. One week each summer, a group traveled in Appalachia to build homes for families there. One summer their client family lived in a trailer. It was in very poor condition and badly in need of repairs. They built a new home for the family and they were overwhelmed with their new home. It contained three bedrooms, a bath and kitchen and family room.
The group asked the three boys in the family what they wanted for their new bedroom. They anticipated the boys to say, posters, toys or games. Jose, the oldest said, “I just want a bed.” Casey was stunned. The boys had never slept in a bed. They had only slept on foam pads. The group went to a nearby city and purchased three beds, complete with linens. Later they returned and set up the beds while the boys were at school. When the boys saw their new beds they were enthusiastic. While they were gleaming over their new beds, one of the workers slipped a pillow case on one of the pillows. “What is that?” Eric asked. “A pillow,” Meggan replied. “What do you do with it?” he inquired. “When you lay down to go to sleep you put your head on it.” The boys had never seen pillows before. (from Chicken Soup for the Volunteer’s Soul, “The Pillow”)
When we are grateful we are gracious. When we appreciate what God has done for us, we are willing to be gracious to others. Giving financial gifts help, but real, hands on aid, brings us up close and personal with folks who have needs. It is when we leave the herd and mingle with folks who are different from us that we fully understand what Jesus meant by attending to “the least of these.”
I have a colleague who traveled to Brazil recently. His church is working with a sister church in a community where they have constructed a clinic. All the medical aid is free to the villagers. The project now includes a hostel, so folks who travel a great distance can stay with members of their families.
They don’t have churches like ours. Instead they worship in homes, make-shift sanctuaries and even garages. My friend had the opportunity to worship in a garage that a family had renovated. He also had an opportunity to visit their home. Their home was very plain. Part of the floor was dirt. The walls needed painting and they had little furniture. On the other hand, the garage was beautifully decorated. The garage floor had new tile and the walls were freshly painted. This particular family had made sacrifices in their living quarters so the village would have a beautiful place to worship.
When we are grateful we have been humbled. When we are grateful we are gracious toward others. As Jesus said, “Those who are gracious will inherit eternal life.” Sheep follow the great shepherd. Sheep attend to the least while the goats keep to themselves. On this Thanksgiving may we all be grateful for our abundance yet mindful of those around us who are in need of God’s grace.
Dr. Keith Wagner
"With God, We are Never Lost" - Ezekiel 34:11-16 - November 20, 2005
One of my most terrifying moments was the time I lost my grandson. We were shopping with our daughter and I told her I would watch our three-year-old grandson while she and my wife shopped. We were in the Dayton Mall. I took my grandson by the hand and we strolled down the main mall area. It was crowded and we were looking at all the Christmas decorations and widow trimmings. Something got my attention, just for a few seconds, and in an instance my grandson was gone. I looked everywhere, but couldn’t find him. I was in a panic but remembered the women had said they were going to the shoe store.
I ran as fast as I could to find them and told them that I had lost our grandson. The three of us immediately went out into the mall area. At this point I was sure that my grandson had been kidnapped. Frantically, I asked every person I saw if they had seen a little boy. A few seconds later (it seemed like hours) my daughter said, "I think I know where he is," with a mother’s confidence. Sure enough, he was in a Children’s Apparel store, watching a video. "It’s his favorite place to go when we come to the mall," she said.
As it turned out, my grandson was never lost. He had just slipped into a place that was totally familiar to him. But, for a long time after that I was reluctant to have any responsibility for watching my grandchildren. I didn’t feel qualified. However, that episode taught me that there is someone greater than ourselves watching over us. Although it appeared that my grandson was lost, he was actually never lost at all.
The message of Ezekiel the prophet was that the people of God are never lost. "As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep." God is like a good shepherd, caring for his flock and regardless of their situation God always knows where they are.
But then some will say, "But where is God when I am hurting or scared? Where is God when I can’t find my way? Where is God when I am surrounded by darkness?"
First, we have to admit that we are lost. Unfortunately our pride and/or stubbornness prevent us from letting others know that we need help. In the book, Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul, Cathy Downs, shares the story of her father. He was an old-fashioned country preacher. He could spout verses from the Bible of his little Baptist Church and make his listeners tremble.
One afternoon, Cathy, and her father were driving down a dirt road to visit some elderly ladies in the church. Cathy had just received her new third-grade reader. As she was reading she came to a word she did not know. She held the book up to her father so he could see it. He mumbled something about not being able to read and kept on driving. She spelled the word, but her father said nothing. Angrily, Cathy said, "Can’t you read?"
Her father pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned off the ignition. "No, Cathy, I can’t read." He reached for her book and announced that he couldn’t read anything in the book. Painfully, he began to describe his childhood, how he spent his time working on the family farm never having time to go to school. Since he had two handicapped brothers, he had to do most of the chores. Because he spent so little time in school, he eventually dropped out. Unfortunately he never learned to read.
He seemed ashamed and saddened not being able to help his children with their lessons. Cathy listened as her father shared the darkness of his childhood. She finally asked, "But, father, how could you say all those scriptures in church?" He explained that her mother had read the Bible to him and he memorized all the important verses. Cathy vowed at that moment to teach her father how to read. And, before he died he read the entire Bible. Cathy was so inspired by her father she chose a career in teaching.
God always finds us but we must be willing to release our pride and cry out for help. Like a lost sheep who cries, "Bah," God hears our cries of despair and pain. Not only pride holds us back but embarrassment does too. Sometimes folks are ashamed of the fact that they must rely on others for assistance. Since we live in society which prides itself on "self reliance" we are conditioned not to reach out and depend on others when we can’t find our way.
Not only does God find those who are lost, God provides a safe haven for those who are rescued. "I will bring them into their own land…..I will feed them with rich pasture." God resurrects us from our places of darkness and gives us back our lives.
This past week our area teachers held a workshop at the church. One of teachers told me that she has a friend who was a principle in New Orleans. She and her family left two days before Hurricane Katrina. All they took with them was a few changes of clothing, thinking they would return in a few days. Unfortunately their home was completely flooded. They lost everything, including two automobiles. There nothing to return too. Their home was in total ruin. To make matters worse the school system was completely shut down. Not only did they not have a house they could live in, she had no job. The family temporarily stayed in Baton Rouge where many other hurricane escapees had fled to. There they set up temporary schools and the former school principle got a job in the school library. They had lost everything, but the disaster totally transformed them. They still had each other and they decided to make a new life form themselves in Baton Rouge.
With God we are never lost. God is the great shepherd who watches over us. God leads us to safe pastures, away from the darkness.
Jesus understood himself as the "Good Shepherd." In John (chapter 10) he said, "I am the Good Shepherd, I know my own and my own know me and they know my voice." We can’t expect to be found if we aren’t listening. The voice of Jesus is a familiar one, but we are so distracted and busy listening to other voices, we don’t always hear that forgiving, comforting, reassuring voice of hope.
When Howard Henricks was growing up he had a reputation of being a troublemaker in the classroom. As a fifth grader he was feeling very insecure, unloved and angry at life. On several occasions his teacher, Mrs. Simon, said to him, "Howard, you are the worst behaved child in this school." It was a difficult year for young Howard and the words of his teacher were stuck in his head. But, somehow he managed to be promoted to the sixth grade.
The next fall Howard was sitting in a new classroom with a new teacher, Miss Noe. She was taking roll call and when she came to Howard’s name she said, "Howard Henricks, I’ve heard a lot about you," looking at him and smiling. But then she continued, "But I don’t believe a word of it." For the first time in his life, Howard believed in himself. He had a heard a voice of hope and encouragement. From then on Howard was greatly interested in his schoolwork and he worked as hard as he could for his new teacher. It was a life changing event that led him from the darkness to a safe pasture. (from As Iron Sharpens Iron, Howard Henricks, Moody Press, Chicago, 1995)
Not only is God the good shepherd, God places good shepherds in our midst. And it is people of faith who model themselves after the good shepherd and become good shepherds themselves.
Dr. Keith Wagner