First Congregational United Church of – Eugene, Oregon Page 1 of 4

“PARABLE PROBLEMS” Rev. Janet Scott Matthew 25:31-46 November 23, 2014

Scripture: Matthew 25: 31-46

31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ 41Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Sermon

Whew! And we thought the last two weeks of parables were hard! Sheep, goats, and eternal fire, Oh my!

I remember hearing this story in Sunday School when I was little and hoping with all my heart that I would be a sheep and not a goat. We might even say someone was a goat as a real insult. I think I missed the point of this complex parable. These parable problems give us a lot to think about. They linger in our consciousness and seem to apply to each of our lives, don’t they?

Today, we have a story about homelessness, hunger, and sickness; the very things that our whole community is struggling with right now. You may have heard the story about Pastor Steepek. He transformed himself into a homeless person and went to the 10,000 member church where he was to be introduced as the head pastor that morning. He walked around his soon- to-be church for 30 minutes while it was filling with people for service. Only 3 people out of the 7,000-10,000 people said hello to him. He asked people for change to buy food; NO ONE in the church gave him change. He went into the sanctuary to sit down in the front of the church and was asked by the ushers if he would please sit in the back. He greeted people and was greeted back with stares and dirty looks; with people looking down on him and judging him.

First Congregational United Church of Christ – Eugene, Oregon Page 2 of 4

As he sat in the back of the church, he listened to the church announcements and such. When all that was done, the elders went up and were excited to introduce the new pastor of the church to the congregation, “We would like to introduce to you Pastor Jeremiah Steepek.” The congregation looked around clapping with joy and anticipation. The homeless man sitting in the back stood up, and started walking down the aisle. The clapping stopped with ALL eyes on him. He walked up to the altar and took the microphone from the elders (who were in on this) and paused for a moment. Then he recited the very scripture that I just read to you from Matthew, ending with, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

After he recited this, he looked towards the congregation and told them all that he had experienced that morning. Many began to cry, and many heads were bowed in shame. He then said, “Today I see a gathering of people, not a church of Christ. The world has enough people gatherings, but not enough disciples. When will YOU decide to become disciples?” He then dismissed the service until the following week.

It goes without question that, for many, this scripture is a call to arms for everything from political policies which benefit the poor to calling the church to be more active in charitable giving. We need to remind people that God wants us to do something for the poor, and sick, and least among us. But this, I fear, is as far as we are willing to take this passage. “Help the poor and you can gain eternal life. If you want to be part of the Kingdom then do something for the least of these,” we preach. That has been a traditional message about this scripture. But, at its very core, that is just self-serving in nature. The poor become nothing more than a pawn in our pursuit of eternal life. We may think, “I don’t care about them any further than offering something to drink or giving them some clothes from time to time. After all, my place with God for eternity is what’s at stake here. Helping the poor is but a means to that end.”

That just does not sit well with me. However, I think it is how a lot of Christians think. “What must I do to get my ticket to heaven validated? Say I believe XYZ and help the poor? Check. I am set.” Or how about the references to eternal fire and eternal punishment - can you really scare someone into true compassion? Surely there’s more. What more could this mean?

What if Jesus is telling us about the eternity that starts now? What if this is also about life on earth and how to live it to bring the realm of God here, the realm of love?

I know for sure that when I walk by a person with a sign asking for help and I do nothing, I feel bad. I know for sure that when I see people living in tents in the cold, I feel a hole in the pit of my stomach. I know that when I see the faces of those coming to the Dining Room for a free meal, I am moved with compassion by the apparent needs. When I do nothing, I feel hard-hearted.

And when I take a moment to acknowledge those on the corner with a sign, I feel a connection. When I silently bless or pray for them, I feel their spirit with mine. Even when I give an extra dollar at the checkout line to help someone who might be hungry, it builds my soul and I have a sense of joy and connection. Is this what Jesus is talking about?

Could Jesus be giving us a map for living in the realm of God? Instead of a threat, maybe we have a roadmap. Generosity and open heartedness leads to that Spirit connection for which we long. Having communion with God, and Spirit, and one another I think could be the beginning of heaven. The heaven that starts now! To love and honor God, yourself, and others to the degree that you feel a union. And, to love to the extent that you want for all of them what you want for yourself.

First Congregational United Church of Christ – Eugene, Oregon Page 3 of 4

Last weekend I was blessed to spend some time with Oprah Winfrey, Elizabeth Gilbert, Deepak Chopra, Rob Bell, and Iyanla Vanzant. How is that for name-dropping? It was an early birthday present from my generous sister. It was such a Spirit-led and Spirit-filled weekend. I am still reveling in it.

But the big message for me was if you want to live your best life, if you want to thrive and revel in the joy that is your birthright, you need to find your purpose. Why are you here? What is your calling? To do that, you have to get quiet and listen to God. Life is your friend. The Holy Spirit is here to teach you. Just get quiet and listen, and when you do – when you have ears to hear, as the says – you start to notice opportunities that lead you to joy and fulfillment. You learn to get in touch with that guiding spirit, the spirit of love and life and connection. You find yourself wanting for others that same blessing that you want for yourself.

May we all have love, May we all have peace, May we all have joy, On earth as it is in heaven. This is what all people want; all religions, all races, all people. We want the gifts of the Spirit.

When the Son of Man comes in all his glory, when all is said and done, there is a cause and effect. There is accountability to God for the gift of life. And the heart of this accountability is that we have the heart of God, a heart of compassion.

Next week is a new year. Next week is Advent, the beginning of a new year in the church calendar. Maybe we can make some resolutions. Maybe we can start this fresh new year and Love Radically! Give Wastefully! Share Abundantly! Dance like nobody is watching!

Doesn’t that sound great? Isn't that the life you want? Me too. So, it is time to stop hoarding. It is time to love and give.

I feel that being a parent has helped be know a little more about pure love. It might be what God feels like toward me. I love my children, my creation, so to speak, with all my heart, soul, and mind. They could never do anything that would make me not love them. I think that is how God loves me and you, and I pray that in my absence, they will take care of each other.

Not saying, well, I am sorry that you are hungry, but you should have made better choices. Not, I am sorry you have no place to live, but we are pretty maxed out. Not, I am sorry that you are lonely, but we are too busy right now.

I imagine that’s what God is feeling. Please take care of one another. I love you all so much. Be there for one another. There is plenty for everyone.

So, it is not so much a matter of if you are a sheep or goat. Perhaps it could be Jesus saying, “You have choices, my dears. Some create heaven. Some create hell. Remember, I love you. I am always there for you. Please take care of one another. This is what it means to be my disciple. You see, everyone’s future is at stake.”

I am going to invite you to do three things in this new church year.

First, I want you to impulse give. You all do some impulse buying, now, let’s impulse give. God is going to give you thoughts on how you can help someone’s life. You are more powerful than you know. A kind word or gesture will come to mind and I want you to go with it! Be willing to impulse give. You are going to love this giving of self and I am sure it will come back to you multiplied. The joy of giving becomes more joy. First Congregational United Church of Christ – Eugene, Oregon Page 4 of 4

Second, give the un-buyable. We can all buy gifts and give them away, but the real gifts that count in this life are the un-buyable gifts, a portion of you. Give the un-buyable gift of yourself in that impulse giving. Give yourself away.

And third, be an interest giver. This is something that all humanity is starved for. People are starved for people to take an interest in them. Listen a little closer, notice things. We might see who needs that drink of water, who needs a visit. Open yourself up to be interested in others. These all sound doable, right?

We often leave the message at reaching out, because then we can preserve a safe distance from those who may be different and still feel as though we are living up to the call of Christ. But we find this passage is more than a mere call to increase charitable giving. It is meant to mean more than inspiring a little more of a giving attitude near a holiday season centered on consuming as much as we can. Something more of ourselves is needed.

And when we do this, little action by little action, our lives change and flourish. God provides opportunities for you to serve. Divine love in you prepares you to serve and opens you to joy and fulfillment. You will be grateful for your ability and opportunity to serve and give thanks for the fuller expression of life that you find in serving.

Please pray with me: God, this is your time – your time to think through us. We listen for your voice now. Open our spiritual eyes and ears and hearts to what our part is today in bringing your realm of love. Help me in my attitude to be other centered instead of self-centered. How can I change my focus, O God? We rejoice in our relationship to you, O God, as your precious children, held in deep love, gently guided back to our path and purpose. Thank you for your abundant love mercy and blessing throughout our lives. Amen.