01/31/2010 NOT MISSING A SOUL

NOT MISSING A SOUL

 3^RD Sermon in the “Sent By God” Series

 

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

 Hebrews 13:2 (NRSV)

 

          It makes sense to build on one’s strength.

 

Two weeks ago, the first sermon in this series acknowledged that we are a rather friendly congregation.  Even with our hospitable nature, though, there’s always room to improve.  Last week’s sermon, then, presented the message that hospitality is not just for visitors in worship, but is to be extended to everyone we meet.  Hospitality is not some church program to do, but a way of being for the Christian, a ministry in which we’re all engaged.  As the great saint renowned for his hospitality, (St.) Benedict, taught, “You can set your will to be more open to others, but your heart still has to stretch gradually.”[1]

 

          Today, I want to help us stretch our hearts by considering how we welcome certain strangers, the “strange stranger,” if you will.  I’ve asked our Signing Choir to help us.

 

 [Signing Choir & “If We Are the Body,” by Casting Crowns.]

 

Greeting that young family of five is easy.  The children’s faces are so bright, plus we can direct that littlest one to the nursery.  We know how to do that.  The senior couple dressed so well is easy to make conversation with, too.  Even the single person, regardless of age, sex, or race, who has such a nice singing voice, is easy to acknowledge & make small talk with.

What about the person who seems withdrawn, who makes only fleeting eye contact, whose head is bowed & not because it’s prayer time, who doesn’t take the hymnal from the rack, or is unable to sing while silently choking back tears, who sends the distinct non-verbal message that something is wrong, something is different, yet despite everything, is here…in church…at worship…among Christians? What do we do when the stranger among us is “stranger than most?”

 

Many of us have been in churches smaller than this one.  In a small sanctuary with less than 100 worshipers, the congregation counts on the pastor to spot & care for visitors.  Many long-time members here remember such a setting at our old Green Street church a half century ago.

 

I confess, when Dot Kuschel sat down during last week’s first hymn & took on an ashen complexion, I didn’t see it.  I learned about the situation a few minutes later.  Or, when Gordon McPherson wasn’t feeling well while singing in the choir before Christmas, there was a nurse right in the chancel with him who didn’t see Gordon sink back into his chair.  It was nurses in the pews who cared for him before that nurse only a few yards away.

 

This is a large sanctuary with a lot going on during worship & we miss some important happenings like those, don’t we (the sermon which puts our eyes closed, notwithstanding!)?  Imagine, then, how easily we can miss the stranger, especially the stranger who is doing his or her best to go unnoticed, but genuinely needs someone to notice.  Their receiving a smile & kind word, not a smothering by a group of us (!), may be as crucial to their spirits & emotions, as the two seniors who required physical, medical attention.

 

Finding a nurse in the pew or dialing 911 is a lot easier for many persons, than ministering to the stranger who is acting oddly or seems a bit out of sorts.  We recognize that in this body of Christ there exist a variety of gifts, not just nurses & doctors & emergency medical personnel, but teachers, principals, social workers, counselors, psychologists, salespersons, & others with abilities to deal with persons who appear to have some need, beyond what is normally expected of the average visitor.  If your handshake & warm greeting are not met with the usual response, or you sense something is awry, discreetly tell an usher or someone nearby who can provide the kind of ministry that may be needed.

 

Let me make an additional confession.  When individuals present themselves to me & specifically ask for help or to be counseled, I’m “good to go.”  Relying on me to always perceive emotional needs & cues is not my gift.  And the busier I am, the worse I am at spotting such things.  Some of you know that, & still love me.  I need to rely on many of you to be my eyes & ears.  I don’t know if I would be as blind as the priest & Levite in our gospel lesson, but it would probably take a situation as dramatic as that one to get my attention.

 

Imagine, though, being a person in some distressed state of need – maybe lonely, or depressed, facing bankruptcy, just had a cancer diagnosis, had a loved one die, were hurt & rejected by another congregation, or you name it.  You come to church expecting something – an uplifting hymn, comforting words in the sermon, a prayer to help, a kind, caring individual.  Your expectation may be reasonable or it may be totally unrealistic.  It doesn’t matter.  You’ve chosen to give Christ Church a chance to minister to your legitimate need that needs tending. 

 

Then, imagine the pastor (Luke calls him the priest) & other religious persons in church (the Levites) not responding to you.  Talk about adding insult to injury!  You’re feeling bad enough.  It’s the story of the Good Samaritan, but happening right here, not along some lonely Jericho Road.  You might as well have watched one of those TV churches, or found a kindly barrista at the coffee shop to listen, or just stayed in bed.

The three strangers from our lesson about Abraham & Sarah in the first sermon turned out to be angels (Genesis 18).  Today’s lesson from Hebrews reminds us that when we are welcoming to strangers, despite being unaware of their identity, we may be entertaining angels, too. 

 

Well, angels or not, let’s treat individuals as though they were Jesus.  That’s not my idea.  That’s from Jesus’ own lips.  He said that when we care for others, particularly persons in need, we are caring for him (Matt. 25:40).  That puts things into context, doesn’t it?

 

This morning’s concluding video segment is about Richard Kimbro.  He was a convicted felon & addict on his way to buy bootlegged whiskey one Sunday morning.  En route, he felt strangely drawn into Seay-Hubbard U. M. Church.  In a pew during worship that day, he lit a cigarette.  Imagine!  Seated nearby was Michele Morton who responded to his actions in a compassionate way that changed his life forever.  She was not only being a hospitable Christian who was being Christ to Richard KImbro, but treated this stranger as though he were Christ.    <> <> <>

 

As our signing choir made clear:  If we’re not the body of Christ, who is? We have something great to offer here – Jesus Christ & ourselves.  Our hospitality, the love of Christ flowing from our hearts to others’, transforms lives.  The stakes really are that high! 

 

And we don’t want to miss a soul!

[Watch video clip.[2]]

 

In the Name….             Copyright 2010 by G.D.Knerr at Lansdale, Pa.  All rights reserved.