July
21, 2019
Hebrews
2:10-18; Matthew 12:46-50; Luke 10:38-42
The
author of the book of Hebrews gives us so many wonderful images of who Jesus
is. Last week, Jesus was described as more than one of God’s Prophets, and even
higher than the angels. He speaks God’s message to us, so we get to hear what
God is saying in words and actions that make sense to us.
As
I read through today’s portion of Hebrews, I was struck by the idea of being
Jesus’ sisters and brothers. We often call ourselves brothers and sisters of Jesus,
but it is usually more a matter of us claiming him. Instead, we should
spend some time remembering that the claim of being sisters and brothers to
Jesus comes first from him. Jesus claims us first!
It
makes me think of choosing sides in school sports. I was always one of the last
ones chosen. But with Jesus, I don’t have to wait to be chosen as part of his team,
because I am already part of his family. Jesus has already chosen me to be his
sister.
First,
let me share some musings. What, we might wonder, does Jesus know about sisters
and brothers? The Bible and tradition show us that Jesus had siblings, brothers
and possibly sisters. James and Jude are known to be his brothers, and after
the resurrection, they were leaders in the newly emerging church. So, he has direct
experience of having brothers.
There
are some stories of Jesus’ childhood, but they are just stories, written
hundreds of years after his death. We have only one story about Jesus at age
12, talking in the temple with the priests and rabbis. Apparently, he did not
think about telling his parents where he was, because they had to go looking
for him. Or maybe he told a brother, but the brother forgot to tell Mom and
Dad. 
While we have
no other stories of Jesus’ childhood, we can imagine what it was like. Jesus
knows the joy and frustration of living with people his own age. He knows what
it means to compete for Mom and Dad’s attention. He knows how scary it can be when
someone you love is sick enough to die. He knows what it means when a sibling
falls in love – the teasing, and the admiration, and the changes that will
occur in the family.
Jesus
also has friends other than the disciples who travel with him. When he is in
Bethany, he stays with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, two sisters and a brother who
make up a household. He hears Martha and Mary compete. Why can’t Mary help with
supper so they can both sit at his feet, instead of one of them missing out?!
Their
brother Lazarus is apparently a dear friend, whom Jesus allows to die, so he
can prove death is not the last word for us. Jesus weeps his grief at the loss
he and the sisters experience. He also prays his trust in God and shouts his
joy at Lazarus’ revival. By the way, it is my belief that Lazarus is the “beloved
disciple” in John’s Gospel.
So, Jesus knows what it
means to be a brother, to have sisters and brothers. Just for fun, imagine for a
moment that you grew up with Jesus. Think about your family when you were about
10 years old. If Jesus is your brother, is he older or younger? What is your
relationship with him? Is he a pest, or are you the pest? Does he teach you
math, or baseball? Do you teach him to sew on a button or cook chicken? Does he
tease you when you fall off your bike? Does he hug you when your dog dies?
If you
can’t imagine Jesus as your brother in childhood, it may be easier to imagine
him as your brother in adulthood. What is our relationship like? Are you close?
Do you live in the same town, or across the country or across an ocean? Do you
agree on most things, or do you argue a lot?
If
Jesus is truly our brother, we want to spend a lot of time with him. He is not
just a regular family member, he is indeed special. And he is not just my
brother, or your brother, he is everyone’s brother. He claims you and me as
brother and sister, and he claims everyone else as sisters and brothers, too.
Since we are all family, siblings with one another, our
relationships in and outside the church will resemble those of families around
the world. We will agree on some things, we will disagree on some things, and still,
our relationships will be based on love. Love for each other, love of
Jesus, love from Jesus.
If
your biological sister is hungry, you want to feed her. If your biological brother
loses his job, you want to help him find another job. If your sister is being
abused, you want to help her out of the abusive relationship. If your brother
is addicted, you want to help him recover. If your sisters or brothers are
veterans, you want to help them adjust to life at home after the horrors they
have seen, and recover from the injuries they have experienced.
Just
so, the Outreach Committee in every congregation on the planet, I think, collects
items to give to their sisters and brothers in need in the community. I spoke with
D last week about Outreach at St Matthew’s. While there are
a few members who deliver what is collected, she needs to know who else is
interested in this ministry. Right now, D confesses she feels like she is
alone, the only one on the committee. Outreach is every Christian’s
responsibility, and we are called to be passionate about caring for Jesus’
brothers and sisters.
To
raise awareness, I have asked that a basket of some of our ingathered items be
presented during the offering. This is to remind us that what we give to the
homeless, the hungry, the veterans, and the abused in Ocala is first a gift to
God.
When
we give to God, we are invited to give from the top, the first fruits, a
percentage of what we receive from God. When we give gifts to our family, we do
not give as little as we can; we give as much as we can afford, and sometimes
more. Let’s think about giving to our sisters and brothers in Ocala the same
way. How generous can you be when it comes to helping our needy family members?
I
admit I haven’t paid attention to our collection baskets, so I don’t know how
full they usually get. Do the baskets overflow on the third Sunday? … Do some
of you write checks to help the committee purchase what is needed?
There
are only two or three proven methods for growing a congregation. The first is
word of mouth invitation: you inviting people you know to join you in doing the
wonderful things that happen at St Matthew’s. … Next on the list is outreach,
thinking more about those who are not yet here than you think about those who are
already here. That means having an outward focus instead of an inward focus as
a whole congregation. … The third is to get the people who are here and any new
people who come involved in some sort of ministry, so they can feel they
belong. Guess what?! They all involve outreach in one way or another.
Are
we at St Matthew’s doing as much as we can for Jesus’ sisters and brothers in
the neighborhood? Do they know we care about them? How do they know? What else
could we be doing? These are the questions that should drive the Outreach
Committee to be a thriving ministry. D would love to do more. I hope you
will connect with her this week, to let her know how you can be involved in
outreach with her.
Now,
I ask you to look around the congregation. See one another as your sisters and
brothers, even if you barely know them. Now, remember these same people are
Jesus’ sisters and brothers, whom he loves.
Further, I invite you, when you go out into the community,
to the grocery store, to the mall, to the movies, to the ball field, see the
people around you as Jesus’ brothers and sisters. When you watch the news, I
invite you to see the announcers, the comics, and the people they talk about as
all Jesus’ sisters and brothers, and therefore also your own sisters and
brothers.
I
even invite you to see the fans of the opposing team as your brothers and
sisters!
Love
them all, because Jesus loves them as much as he loves you. Amen
