Readings

FIRST LESSON

The first lesson is from Taking Flight by Anthony de Mello

A little girl was dying of a disease from which her eight-year-old brother had recovered some time before.

The physician said to the boy, “Only a transfusion of your blood will save the life of your sister. Are you ready to give her your blood?”

The eyes of the boy widened in fear. He hesitated for a while, and then finally said, “Okay, doctor, I’ll do it.”

An hour after the transfusion was completed the boy asked hesitantly, “Say, doctor, when do I die?” It was only then that the physician understood the momentary fear that had seized the child – he had thought that in giving his blood he was giving his life for his sister.

SECOND LESSON

The second lesson is from the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 12 verses 38 through 44

As Jesus taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then Jesus called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

This Week's Sermon

Date: November 8, 2009

Title:Remember the Present

Message Delivered By: Rev. Dr. Joe McMurray

There was a Sunday school teacher who wanted to test the children in her class to see if they really understood the concept of getting into heaven. After she prefaced the question and answer session by talking a great deal about how heaven was portrayed in the Bible, she asked them, "Okay, if I sold my house and my car, had a big yard sale and gave all my money to the church, Would that get me into Heaven?"

"No!" the children answered.

"Well,” she continued, “what if I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?" \

Again, the answer was a resounding, "No!" from the children.

By now, the teacher was smiling. She was actually having fun, particularly since it seemed that her teaching was paying off. She was actually having a bit of fun at this poing.

"Well, then,” she said, “if I was kind to the animals and gave candy to all the children, and loved my partner more than anyone else in the world, and did my chores without complaining and even did some of her chores out of kindness, would that get me into Heaven?"

Again, they all answered with an emphatic, "No!"

By now, the teacher was just bursting with pride, not only for herself, but for the children, who were proving that they’d learned more than she’d ever thought them capable.

“Well then,” the teacher continued, "can anyone tell me how can I get into heaven?"

Five-year-old Timmy waved his hand wildly, and when the teacher called on him, the boy shouted out, "Well, everybody knows … first, you gotta be dead!"

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Will you pray with me? God, there are many bridges of experience we must cross in order to continue on the path you offer to us. Help us to choose wisely, to choose options that will stretch us, that will help us grow into full spiritual maturity. Incite our passions, that we may be energized for the miles of road that stretch before us. And let us enjoy the journeys we travel, even as we yearn impatiently to reach our ultimate destiny. May my words and all of our thoughts be filled with honor and praise to you. Amen.
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The little story we heard this morning by Anthony de Mello gives new meaning to a very pertinent question that faces us in a variety of ways all throughout our lives: “How much are you willing to give?”

The young boy who misunderstood the physician—that only a blood transfusion was necessary to save his sister—was ready to lay his life down for his her. He knew she needed his help, and that was the bottom line. He never questioned what impact it would have on him, because the ultimate question was not about him—it was about his sister’s survival. Talk about sacrifice.

In the scripture lesson this morning, Jesus witnessed the widow placing her offering in the Temple treasury. She could only afford two copper coins worth about one cent. Jesus remarked that though her gift was small, it was greater than those who put in large amounts but actually sacrificed little.

Lest this passage give any of you the wrong idea, suffice it to say that Jesus did not criticize those who gave from their abundance. So get that thought right out of your head. Jesus was simply placing a tremendous value on what others would no doubt consider a worthless gesture. The woman not only had heart, but she had courage—she showed heart by her compassion, knowing that her offering would go to those less fortunate than she; and her courage was evident because she trusted that even though she gave what she had, God would see her through. God would see her through.

It should give us pause, particularly since we’ve just begun our Pledge Campaign, “Creating New Life, Sustaining New Growth,” that every single gift matters. We don’t just say that to say it. We say it because it’s true.
When we talk about pledging and say that our goal is that every person pledge, we mean it, because every single person makes a difference; every little bit makes a difference.

We recall that when Jesus preached to the multitudes and the hour grew late, the disciples came to Jesus and said, “The people are hungry. Quick, send them away.” And Jesus said, “You give them something to eat.” And then the food was gathered and Jesus prayed over the loaves and fish, and what seemed to the disciples like an insignificant amount. And there was not only enough, there were twelve baskets left over.

I talked to you last week about our choice of the Banyan tree as the image we would use for the Pledge Campaign. I talked about the nature of the tree, and we discovered how it sprouted because the wind carried it, as a seed, to some crevice in the bark of a tree or a crack in some type of structure. We learned how the tree came to grow by receiving nourishment from the atmosphere around it rather than from its roots. The roots help stabilize the tree, and eventually anchor the larger branches, which ultimately need support also. But it’s the branches and the leaves that soak up the nutrients from the air, the rain, and the sunshine that allow the tree to thrive.

As remarkable as the Banyan tree is, it cannot sustain itself on its own. It continually needs to be nurtured, every hour of the day, every day of the week, every week of the year. It does not only count upon the nutrients it received in the past—it relies on what it receives in the present—right now.

This is true because the Banyan tree is a creation that is in a perpetual state of positive relationship with itself. It is dependent on every part of itself to contribute to the whole life of the tree. It continually recreates itself, first creating new life in one direction, then sustaining new growth in another. One new branch thrives and grows, and then a new set of roots wend their way to the ground—roots that will support the new branch as it becomes its own center before it gives birth to another branch. And on it goes.

I am the first to admit to you that my first year here has been a very difficult one for our church, financially. Don’t get me wrong—I have been blessed again and again by this church, by you, and through your support. I have been blessed by your words and your good intentions, through the good deeds of the volunteers who have sustained us all, and through the prayers I know many of you offer without being asked.
But, we have struggled financially, not because we did too much or overspent what we could afford—but we’ve struggled because of a weakened economy, the struggles in the housing market and the increase in foreclosures, lost jobs and income … and the fact that everyone has been impacted by this. Nobody I know has escaped these tough times.

As a church, we have a lot of big ideas, though most of our ideas have come to fruition. I’m happy to say that our programs and mission goals have been sustained without interruption. Thanks to your generosity, your time and your support in multiple ways, we are surviving these difficult times. I daresay, we’re much better off than a lot of other organizations right now. We have an awful lot to be thankful for. And I thank God every day for so many gifts that are beyond our comprehension.

But it’s because of what you are doing now that I am able to be the Pastor I believe you called me to be; to become the Pastor you need and want me to be. And because of your faithfulness and selflessness, we are able to be the church God continually calls us to be.

We have a reputation in this community that has grown immensely because of the good will generated within these walls. It didn’t all happen in one year. But we have surely built thick walls of support in the community this past year. Our reputation is based not only on who we are, but what we believe about social justice, and our good works in the community that reflect our beliefs. In other words, we are a community built on trust.

When the occasional person who usually receives a meal on Saturday does not receive a meal for some reason, they trust us enough to call and let us know. They don’t just blow by it, throw up their hands and become disgusted and say, “You can never count on that church.” No. They call, sometimes a bit indignantly, and tell us they were skipped or we missed them or forgot to take them a grocery bag of food. We can take the criticism; because when they point out our mistakes they know we’ll do better the next time. And we do improve the next time because we don’t throw up our hands and say, “Gee, too bad. Nothing I can do about it.”

When folks stop by on Thursday, Friday or Saturday to ask for a bag lunch, it pains me to tell them that we only serve Monday through Wednesday. I usually apologize but invite them to come back. And they most often say, “I’ll come back later—thanks for what you do.”
Ask the volunteers who sit in the chairs out front. They’ll tell you that 95% of the people who come for a meal express their thanks because we are making a difference in their livelihood.

And I have to tell you another story, and I asked permission to tell it before hand. Most of you know Dwayne and Smitty. They’ve been attending for several months now, they’ve been very active in volunteering for the Pantry, as well as several of our fundraising events. They were instrumental in many of Vicki’s events when she was running for Queen of Fantasy Fest.

Many of you know that on the afternoon of the Coronation at La Te Da, Dwayne and Smitty were arrested for shoplifting. I had no idea so many of you actually get online everyday and check out who got arrested …

Anyway, those of us who know Dwayne and Smitty fairly well were pretty surprised and very disappointed in hearing about this. We felt a little let down that they didn’t trust us enough to tell us what they needed. We felt sad that they didn’t come to us to say, “Hey, I need some help,” because they have helped us many times and in many ways.

So I went to visit both of them last Monday. I had to go twice—once in the morning and once in the afternoon, because they were not housed in the same section of the jail, and each section has its own visitation period.

When I went to see them, you would think they had just won the lottery!
Dwayne kept thanking me over and over for coming to see him. “I owe you big time,” he said. I assured him that he didn’t owe me anything.

Of course, before I saw Dwayne, I saw Smitty. That’s when I first came to find out what happened that day. After an afternoon event, they were hungry. They went to Albertson’s for sub sandwiches and sodas. They made the mistake of starting to drink their soda before they got to the checkout. I have never done that, but Eric has and lots of people do. Then they go through the checkout and pay for it. In fact, one day last week in K-Mart when I was looking for sales on peanut butter, I saw a young woman grab a Red Bull, drink it, and then deposit the can on one of the shelves. Nobody saw her, so she didn’t get caught.

So they started drinking their sodas. Then they went through the checkout lane. When Dwayne went to use his food stamp card, the pin number would not work. Despite trying to tell the checker that there was money on the card, but the pin number wasn’t working, she said if they didn’t pay cash she would have them arrested for shoplifting. Dwayne said, as only Dwayne could, “Well, I don’t know what to tell ya. We don’t have the cash. So call the police. Why would I come through the checkout if I was shoplifting?”

They did not have phone numbers on them and could not reach anyone. There was an off-duty officer in the check-out lane. When he asked Dwayne where they lived, he said they stayed at KOTS, they were arrested. Dwayne told me later it might have been because it was the week of Fantasy Fest and they were being careful.

Now, I’m not being critical of anyone who’s doing their job. I have my own opinions about the actions of the cashier, but again, I wasn’t there and it’s too easy to lay blame where it may not belong. I do want to emphasize that both Smitty and Dwayne told almost exactly the same story, and they’re not being housed together in jail so they did not share their story. That’s not the point of my story.

The point I want to emphasize is the way these two have lived, at least in my and others’ experience of them. Dwayne and Smitty are cousins, and Dwayne has looked out for him for some time. Together they have given a lot of time to this church and to the community—precious time they could have spent elsewhere. At one point, Dwayne wanted to give some of his food stamp credit to the Pantry because he said he didn’t need it all. And he’s not the first to offer that.

Are they perfect people? No. Am I? No. Are you? No.

But I’m drawn again to the young boy who was willing to lose his life—literally to have his blood drained from his body so that his sister might live. And I’m drawn again to the woman who gave all she had to the Temple, even though it was not of great value in and of itself—it was of great value to the whole because of the generosity, compassion and love that came with it. It sweetened the pot, if you will.

Giving generously out of our abundance without hesitation; giving generously from our scarcity without regard for one’s own needs are both blessed acts.

May we find that happy balance within as we prayerfully discern about our actions in the present. And may we always continue to follow where God is leading. Amen.