Sermon for the 13 th Sunday after Pentecost Proper 16, Year B Written by Barbara Marshall Sunday, August 23, 2015

Transcription

1 1 Sermon for the 13 th Sunday after Pentecost Proper 16, Year B Written by Barbara Marshall Sunday, August 23, 2015 Psalm 84 Joshua 24:1-2a, Ephesians 6:10-20 John 6:56-69 Loving and serving God requires action! In today s Old Testament reading Joshua gathers the tribes of Israel and summons the elders, the head leaders, the judges, and the officers of Israel. His speech reviews the people s history. He tells them to be intentional and explicit about how they lead their lives and to be faithful to God. Joshua and his household served the Lord, not foreign gods as some were doing. The Israelites needed to learn to live a life of love in the Promised Land. Psalm 84 tells of the joy of being and living in God s presence. In Ephesians the writer prays for the spread of the gospel. Loving and serving God requires action! Complaining, rejection, confession of faith and betrayal are evident in today s Gospel. Many of Jesus followers responded with a range of reactions when they heard Jesus teaching. They felt the teaching was difficult and hard to accept. Jesus offered himself to those who believed stating those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. There is a prevailing sadness and disappointment in the Gospel reading because some of the disciples felt that Jesus was not the Messiah they were expecting. Jesus words about the bread of life alienated many. Peter and some of the other disciples were struggling to make sense of Jesus, to understand what his Word

2 2 meant in their lives and to realize where it would all lead. We, too, may by struggling to make sense of it all. The sadness and disappointment the disciples felt turned some followers away. Others were able to stop and realize what they had seen and heard was important. Thus, they continued their journey with Jesus. They had a new understanding, appreciation, and feeling of joy. Loving and serving God requires action. On Sundays, the Macomb Daily has added a new section to the paper entitled Faith. There are stories about people, churches, and programs that demonstrate love and ways to serve God. The headline on Sunday, March 15, 2015 caught my attention. I saved the article knowing that some day I d share it with you through a sermon. Now is my opportunity. The headline was 12-year-old dreams of ending homelessness! Written by Maryanne MacLeod Adults hide their eyes from the homeless, But 12-year-old Robby Elmers of New Haven builds bridges to their heart. He shocked the reluctance out of 67-year-old homeless Detroiter Walter Brown when they met for the first time two months ago on the corner of Third Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard where Team Robby was sharing donated food and clothing to his friends in need. He came after me, said Brown, who was trying to sell a wooden walking stick he carved by hand with a brick. He wanted to see how I did it. That s what inspired me. He wanted me to make him a stick. Since the pair met on the street in the cold days of January, Robby, bought Brown a small briefcase of carving tools and started selling his pieces on The Elmers Foundation Facebook page. Brown now has his own mobile phone, is applying for

3 3 a Detroit apartment and through Robby seeking $50 sponsorships for the walking sticks he carves for veterans. When I met Robby, I wasn t doing my work like I m doing now, I wasn t doin nothin, said Brown, who moved to Detroit from Mississippi with his mother, Ella Brown, when he was nine-years-old. He motivated me. I appreciate this young brother. To me, he is beautiful. Robby, who since 2011 has been spending five or six hours every weekend feeding Detroit s homeless, is matter-of-fact about his vocation. It s just that I know these people need food, said Robby. I d rather be there than home playing video games cuz I can do that when I get home. Robby s ability to earn people s trust is perhaps his greatest asset. Robby has partnered with the Detroit Rescue Mission. Cindy Eggleton, chief strategy officer for the Detroit Rescue Mission says, Robby has really good eyes and ears. He sees things that someone else might not see. He helps them get a meal, but he sees more to the story. He learns their names, he learns their stories which leads to personal progress. It all started about 4 years ago, shortly after Robby s father died. His grandmother invited him to accompany her to the city with a friend who was donating blankets. I knew there were homeless people, Robby said, I just didn t know there were so many. He went home and raided his piggy bank, and grandmother s as well, then asked her to take him to the dollar store for supplies. The next time Robby returned downtown he had fresh fruit and Little Debbie treats in tow. But on the way home, his grandmother noticed tears in his eyes. We had passed everything out and the line still went on forever, said his grandmother. It was heartbreaking for both of us.

4 4 Soon Robby and his grandmother, and now sister Emma, 9, were heading down every weekend where they feed 200 people hot meals in front of or on frigid days inside the Detroit Rescue Mission. Robby reaches individuals where they are and motivates and inspires others to get involved. To expand his network and fund his campaign, Robby is forming his own non-profit, The Elmer s Foundation; its Facebook page has more than 3,000 fans. Inspiring other kids to join the cause is a big part of Robby s mission. His sister Emma has already been motivated to start her own initiative The Furry Friends, also on Facebook to feed homeless dogs and cats in the city. Robby occasionally partners with Detroit businessman Dan Gilbert and dreams of the day when he will own his own food truck, increasing the variety of foods he can offer, including ice cream and reaching more people At present, he settles for hosting Christmas and Halloween parties for his friends, to which he respectively brings gifts and costumes. Although Robby s kindness is leading to Walter Brown s independence, the thing Brown is most excited about is the opportunity to teach Robby the lost art of carving. Robby s ultimate goal is To keep going until there s no more homeless, he said. If a 12 year old can make such a big difference, can we? Crossroads Sunday is coming up December 27 th. Recently I placed several notices in our Refrigerator Page about the need for co-chairs to carry on our yearly support of this outreach to the hungry, some of whom are homeless. The task requires a few hours. I am happy to report that Randy Young has stepped forward as chairperson. A few others are interested and willing to work with him and

5 5 hopefully another person will step forward to co-chair so we can continue our support for feeding the hungry in years to come not just - December 27, Yeah God, we will continue to make a difference! The theme of a new Pixar film Inside Out tells the story about Riley, an 11-yearold girl. Two other characters are called Joy and Sadness. They are assisted by Anger, Disgust and Fear. The characters, named after feelings, work together. Despite being at odds with each other, they try to help Riley through her struggles. In the funny movie is the reality that Joy and Sadness are not rivals, but partners. Robby in the Macomb Daily story is very much like Riley. Robby was sad when he witnessed the plight of the homeless. His feeling of sadness empowered him to respond to the plight of the homeless with empathy and understanding and became the means for turning his sadness into joy. Thus began Robby s work to make a difference. Joy is confidence that tells us We can fix this. and We can do it. Our ability to feel sad can move us toward compassion and empathy from within ourselves. Once sadness is acknowledged, it allows us to take command for the moment. Joy can follow. The sadness Jesus disciples experienced enabled them to stop and realize what they had seen and heard was important. Jesus words helped them to begin their journey by following Jesus with a new understanding, appreciation, and joy. I pray that our faith in the Gospel of Jesus continues to inspire us to the demanding work of compassion, reconciliation and justice. Loving and serving God requires action. What actions are you willing to take? Resources for this sermon: Connections for August 23, 2015 The Macomb Daily, section on Faith, March 15, 2015 The New International Study Bible