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| Lent 3 "Judging the Nations" |
This time I can't ignore Matthew's recurring theme of judgment and punishment – because it is the central thread of this parable. But I don't have to make it MY central theme. So I would concentrate on “As you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me” (verses 40 and 46). How does one get across the idea that Christ is incarnate in every person (and perhaps in every creature)? I would look first in the week's newspapers for a story of kindness offered with no expectation of reward. If there isn't one, I would tell a personal story about offering a bowl of cold water to a stray dog (from Edges, June 6, 2001: see below). Or I'd expand on Ralph Milton's story of offering the warmth of his van to a young woman standing shivering by the side of a mountain on a bitter winter afternoon, waiting for a tow truck to haul her car back to civilization. If the worst came to the worst, I'd find a story about Mother Teresa and the poor of Calcutta. As you did it to these, says Jesus, you did it to me. I would point out the reverse, too – a good opportunity to induce guilt! – that as we did NOT do it to others, we failed Jesus. Examples, perhaps: 800,000 people massacred in Rwanda, while we reduced the U.N. peacekeeping force in that country. In Canada, Indian residential schools that ripped families and communities apart and exposed some children to physical and sexual abuse. The homeless on our streets who starve to death. The forced evacuation from coastal regions of persons whose only crime was their Japanese ancestry. The elderly, forgotten by their families, confined to institutions where some staff treat sacks of potatoes better. As you did not do it to these, says Jesus, you did not do it to me. I would draw a parallel to the Cruxificion. Whenever we allow the innocent to be persecuted or executed, we crucify Jesus once more. There's ample material in any week's news to fill a sermon with examples of how we treat – or mistreat – the Jesus in our midst today. God doesn't have to pronounce judgment; we stand convicted by our own actions. I would save for the benediction the traditional Irish blessing, which says, in part, “May you see the face of Christ in everyone you meet, and may everyone you meet see the face of Christ in you.” Excerpt from Edges by Jim Taylor (Winfield Calendar, June 6, 2001) A CUP OF COLD WATER When I went out the other morning to pick up our paper, a shadow suddenly lurched to its feet. It was a dog. A strange dog, whom I had never seen before. A rather mangy, moulting, black Labrador cross. I guess she had spent the night there, on our driveway. I tried to get close to her. She backed away. She was terrified. Her tail was tucked so far between her legs that it looked glued to her belly. I could see a collar around her neck, and a dog tag hanging from it. But she wouldn't let me come near enough to read the number so that I could trace her owner. NOT MUCH OF A GIFT She was still there a couple of hours later. I assumed she had probably not had anything to drink for a while. So I took out a bucket of water. She backed away from me, baring her teeth. But she knew what the bucket held. Even so, she wouldn't take a drink until I moved back. Then, her belly almost on the ground, she crept forward and started slurping. As I watched her, a phrase about "a cup of cold water" came to mind. I looked it up. It comes from the gospel attributed to Matthew. "Whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones ... I tell you, none of these will lose their reward." From there, I turned to what's called the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, also in Matthew. In the parable, Jesus divided people into two groups. The "sheep" had nursed the sick, clothed the naked, fed the hungry, and visited those in prison. The "goats" had not. There's nothing in this parable for those who restrict their faith to spiritual matters. It deals with practical actions. Like giving a drink of water to the thirsty. ENCOUNTERING KINDLINESS Basically, it tells us to treat others with kindliness. Not just important people. Also the unimportant, the overlooked, the undervalued, the unemployed... In short, anyone. And everyone. And then comes the kicker. Jesus told his hearers, "As you did it to one of the least of these... you did it to me." Does "the least of these" include stray dogs? I gave the dog a drink of cold water. I admit that I had an ulterior motive. I wanted to get her to trust me enough to let me get hold of that collar and read the dog tag. I didn't succeed. But I did treat her kindly. She wandered off during the afternoon. I thought she might merely have found some secluded spot, some shady hideaway from the heat of the day. So I put out some food for her that evening anyway, in case she came back. I suspect the raccoons got it, though. Because she never came back. I wonder what happened to her. Wherever she went, I hope she encountered kindliness. JIm's full List of suggestions for preaching these stories
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