2012 August Clothesline

Greetings to all on 10 AUG 2012
Quote for the Day
Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.
Mother Teresa

Quote for the Day

Providing food baskets once or twice a year is a nice gesture, but most people like to eat more often than that.
Mike Toole

 Thought for the Day

It seems that several recent sermons, from a variety of sources, tell me that right behavior will be rewarded with physical blessings. Sometimes this teaching is overt, sometimes sublime. Perhaps you’ve heard it put negatively “God cannot reward bad behavior” and then implied, if not directly stated, that good behavior (works) will result in the outpouring of God’s blessings.

Some will say “Isn’t it clear that God rewards good deeds?” Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. [LUK 6.38] What if the return measure is in the spiritual realm more so than the physical? The context of the passage is actually about mercy, anyway.

Recall what you imagine about the first century church. Would you agree that they may have been much more “giving” than we are? But, what was their reward? I would submit that their return was spiritual rather than material. Was Mother Teresa a giving person? Would you say her reward was spiritual or physical? What about the apostles?

Perhaps our abundant material blessings, especially here in America, are not from God at all and, maybe, not from Satan either. Our riches could just be the result of our time and place in history. God sends the rain on the “just and the unjust.” [MAT 5.45] Most of us who have plenty can thank God, but we must also acknowledge our debt to: 1) being born in America, 2) good parents, 3) our education system, 4) our healthcare system and 5) good luck. The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor the favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to all. [ECC 9.11]

So, where am I going with this? I want you to consider the possibility that our tendency to attribute our material possessions to God’s blessings has hardened us against being compassionate toward those less fortunate. Maybe we don’t vocalize this sentiment but, at least subconsciously, we think: “If that person would do God’s will, he would not be in the position he’s in.” The corollary to that is, “Since he’s not doing God’s will, he’s not worthy of my help.” Before we help someone, don’t we run through our mental checklist such as: will he use this for beer/cigarettes/drugs, will she waste this on herself and not buy food for the kids, is he just a pan-handler, etc.?

What if helping someone meant you would be inconvenienced; even to the point that a friend might ask if that person is bothering you. Really!? Don’t you think Jesus was sometimes bothered by random people? And therein lies the nub of the matter. If we are to get serious about being the light to the world and the salt of the earth, then we have to embrace being bothered, unappreciated and even occasionally being taken advantage of.

The first century church was known by its care for the sick and the outcast. They would attend to those who had nowhere else to go; no family nor friends. There was no Medicaid nor Medicare and no government safety net. Even if the church could offer no cure, they could at least offer death with dignity. Although we have many programs from both government and private entities, we still have people who slip through the cracks in the system. We have abused and neglected children, abandoned and battered women, confused and frightened pregnant teenagers, foster kids who need a permanent home … the list goes on.

Let me encourage us all to open our eyes to the opportunities that surround us. May we be receptive to the nudge of the Ruach HaKodesh (HS). May we develop a healthy disdain for the status quo of our own easy lives. Remember the camp-fire song from our youth: “And we’ll guard each one’s dignity and save each one’s pride and they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”

May God Bless
Mike Toole
Adrienne Owen, ed.