After two weeks with others preaching for our stewardship program, I'm back.
Isaiah
2:1–5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11–14; Matthew 24:36–44
Some
days I wish we had the capability of showing images during worship, but we
don’t. You’ll just have to use your imagination as I paint some pictures for
your mind.
Near
the end of his life, Jesus is in Jerusalem, challenging the leaders, publicly
condemning their unjust practices. Late in the day, he gathers the disciples in
the olive grove on the hill opposite the temple in Jerusalem. He has been
talking a lot lately about the destruction of the temple, and about a time when
he will leave them. He also assures them that he will return to them.
Like
all of us, the disciples are puzzled, confused. They want to know the facts;
they ask Jesus when all this will happen. But, Jesus says, he doesn’t know. No
one knows, only God knows. In the meantime, his followers should be ready.
Paul
urges the Roman believers to be ready for the new world. We hear his words as
good advice for us today. Be ready to put on the Lord Jesus Christ as our
armor; be ready to follow Jesus wherever he leads us; be ready to see him
again. Be ready.
Once a week, on his show, Steve Harvey
honors a hero, someone who has made a real difference in the lives of others.
This week, the hero was California Highway Patrol Sergeant Kevin Briggs, who is
nicknamed the Guardian of the Golden Gate. He sees a lot of desperate people as
he drives over the bridge, and he has learned to always be ready. Since 1994,Sgt
Briggs has saved more than 200 people, convincing them to not jump from the
bridge. His compassionate listening skills help the desperate folks realize
that someone does care about them, that there is a reason they are alive, and
that the pain they are feeling will not last forever. Sgt Briggs helps them
develop a plan for tomorrow, and stops them from ending their lives. Be ready
to save a life.
The
Prophet Isaiah imagined a day when swords would be recast as plows, and spears
reshaped into pruning hooks. Today’s weapons are different, bombs and bullets
and drones have replaced swords and spears and boulders, but the goal of ending
war remains.
Civil
Wars ravaged the country of Liberia from 1989-2003. Jonathan Worlobah found a
new use for the used bullet shells that littered his country. He reshaped them
into crosses. Crafting and selling the bullet crosses provided an income for himself
and his family, and gave hope to those who work to restore order to his
country. Be ready to change swords into plowshares.
John
T Young turns parts of decommissioned nuclear submarines into art. A friend of
his told him the navy was trying to get rid of some material that was
impossible to recycle. John looked at the pieces and knew instantly what to do
with them. The horizontal fins – like tails on a submarine – look like dorsal
fins of orca whales when planted in the ground. Together, the dozen or so fins
looks like a whole pod of whales. Be ready to have a new vision.
Hazel
is a patient at Children’s Hospital enduring 18 months of treatment for a
cancer in her belly. One day, she wrote on her window – or had someone write –
“send pizza, room 4112”. Someone saw the message, and sent pizza. They also
took a picture and posted it on the internet, so lots of people saw the message.
Suddenly, there was so much pizza, Hazel and her roommate shared it with all
the kids on the floor. Finally, Hazel’s mother had to call the pizza shops and
tell them to stop sending pizza. Be ready to send pizza to sick little girls.
Jeff
was a chef in a restaurant with $40 entrees. He was earning over $100,000 a
year when he went through a divorce. In the process of reshaping his life, he
realized that he was empty spiritually. When he saw an advertisement for a job
as a cook at the local Salvation Army soup kitchen, he applied. Now, he earns
about $30,000 a year. Using donated food, fresh fruits and vegetables, and his
own creative skills he has reduced the cost of meals to about $.60. He has also
revived his faith in Jesus. Be ready to change your life.
Tony
Rohr had worked for Pizza Hut for 10 years. Until a few days ago, he was a
manager at his store. When his boss told him the Pizza Hut would be open on
Thanksgiving Day, Tony resisted. It wouldn’t be the boss who had to work; it
would be the lowest paid employees who had to give up their time off. In a
conversation with his boss, Tony was asked to resign, and refused. His boss
fired him. Be ready to stand up for what is right. Be ready to stand up for the
poorest folks.
A
group of folks who love video games meets together about twice a year. They
bring their own laptops and play games, eat, and party for several days. They
met in Portland, Oregon about a week before Thanksgiving, and were given the
instructions to bring non-perishable food to share with the hungry. Their gifts
totaled about 37,500 pounds. Be ready to feed the hungry.
100,000
homes is a movement to get the chronically poor and medically challenged off
the streets and into safe, inexpensive housing. The Housing First program has
shown that when homeless people are given a place to live, most of the other
problems disappear. Yes, there are exceptions, and yes, it doesn’t work for
everyone, but the movement is proving it works for most folks. Together with
other goals: know who is homeless, and improve local systems, the goal is to
get 100,000 people off the streets.
These
are just facts and numbers and ideals until we see the video of photos – faces,
names, and locations of people who used to be homeless. Ed: Skid Row. Fey:
Santa Monica. Cato: San Diego. James: Phoenix. 100,000 Homes sees the homeless
as individuals with potential, not as throw-away people who should be shunned.
Be ready to see the people behind the statistics. Be ready to give homes to
those without a place to live.
Be
ready, Jesus and Paul say. Be ready to see Jesus in each other, and in our
neighbors, including the ones we don’t like. Be ready to be Jesus’s hands,
feet, and heart. Be ready to make a difference. Be ready, because it is through
us that Jesus has indeed already returned.
Let
all God’s people say, “Amen!”
