One of These
“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, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” — Matthew 25:35-36.
My bet is we all know these opening words from a classic novel. (Quote): “Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker and the chief mourner, Scrooge, signed it...”
This is, of course, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. And I think most of us know what happens. On Christmas Eve Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Marley and the ghost of Christmases present, past and future.
But earlier in the story Scrooge is visited by some flesh and blood callers. I think it is with these living characters that the real denouement develops, the fulness of the tale turns. The events which will happen at the end of the saga come full circle only when compared with these visits from real people.
In one of those early episodes, a set of visitors, two gentlemen arrive unannounced who seek to collect funds to (quote): “...make some slight provision for the Poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time.” Indeed, they state the obvious in the early Victorian era, conditions about which Dickens often wrote.
This is, you see, a time of great poverty. Some of that poverty exists because of huge cultural shifts within the class structures of British society. These changes came about for various reasons. In part change has happened because of progress in technology and in part because of depression and in part because of a famine and in part because of wars.
World wide, tumultuous was the only way to describe the decade which was the 1840s. The aforementioned shifts in society were happening in front of everyone and for all to see. Does that sound like today, or does it not? So, it is not out of the ordinary that the two callers seeking funds for the poor also make this statement: (quote): “Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts,...”
Perhaps the one slip they make is in their approach. With Scrooge, at least, the tactic they use seems to be a poor choice. They claim Christmas to be a (quote): “festive season of the year.”
Knowing the world to be a harsh place, could it be the old grump sees no place for being festive? The reply Scrooge has for them is chilly and blunt: “Are there no prisons?... workhouses?” (Slight pause.)
The other flesh and blood caller Scrooge has that Christmas Eve afternoon is his nephew. One could argue the greeting of this nephew is, perhaps, more spiritual and, therefore, more telling (quote): “A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!”
On the other hand, the response of Scrooge has for this nephew is also blunt and even taciturn. “Bah! Humbug!... What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry?”
Not to be trampled upon, the nephew shoots back: “What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose?” (Slight pause.)
As I indicated earlier, we all know what eventually happens— four ghosts and all that. But what happens after that? What happens after Scrooge emerges from those trials? (Slight pause.)
On Christmas morning Scrooge sends a big Turkey to the house of his clerk, Bob Cratchit. On the street, he greets people with a “Merry Christmas,” bumps into one of the gentlemen who had been soliciting funds for the poor and promises to send a large donation. He gives Cratchit a raise and becomes like a second father to Cratchit’s son, Tim. (Slight pause.)
As I already indicated, the tale of Scrooge and the ghosts is entertaining. But I also think the crux of story turns on the encounters with the mortal visitors, especially the visit paid by the nephew whose Christmas greeting includes these words (quote): “God save you!”
You see, when Scrooge first awakes from the encounters with those otherworldly beings, this is what the crotchety old fellow says (quote): “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” I will honor Christmas in my heart. (Slight pause.)
So, what is honoring Christmas in the heart? What does that mean? (Slight pause.) First, it means learning something of what our relationship with God is about.
Even old Scrooge understands the centrality of learning (quote): “I will live in the Past, the Present and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons they teach.” I will not shut out the lessons they teach. And notice, that’s not the past tense— ‘the lessons they taught’— ‘it’s the lessons they taught.’ (Slight pause.)
You see, the nephew of Scrooge— by the way his name is Fred, I looked it up— is right in the Christmas greeting (quote): “God save you!” Why? The very name of Jesus, Yehoshua in the Hebrew, means ‘God saves.’ Indeed, if Christmas is to be honored as Scrooge says it should be honored— in the heart and year 'round— then everything, including outreach to others— starts with God and starts with learning that God saves.
So, why did the way Scrooge live life change suddenly? The old codger may have been frightened by ghosts, but the change did not happen because he was frightened.
If you change because you are frightened, that is merely coercion, the practice of forcing another party to behave in an involuntary manner. I do not think God forces anyone to do anything.
I think the change in Scrooge happened because the old man came to an understanding of what written on the heart. And that understanding starts with the idea that God saves. (Slight pause.)
On Friday last, I asked our Parish Coordinator, Cheri Willard, how many Thanksgiving baskets are being assembled by all the participating churches. The answer is 409. This church will distribute about 200 of those out of the Founder’s Room on Tuesday.
Late last week Emmanuel Episcopal Church got a grant through a private foundation to buy $25 gift cards at Save a Lot, where there is no tobacco or alcohol available for purchase, for an additional 100 families. Those also will be distributed here.
So, all together the churches will be helping 509 families. And, as you probably know, all the coordination for this effort happens here, in this church.
Hence, I want to suggest that for us, for ourselves, we need to ask this question: ‘why?’ ‘Why are we, as a church, helping people in this way?’ (Slight pause.)
As a church, I believe our first answer needs to be that ‘God saves.’ And we need to be clear that ‘God saves’ is written on our hearts. To be unambiguous about it: there are a lot of organizations that do a lot of good work for a lot of good reasons for a lot of people— Rotary, The Lions, the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts— that list goes on and on.
But we— we are a church. Our claim is that God seeks to write something on our hearts. That something is about loving neighbor.
You see, Jesus once put it this way (quote): “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, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”
In short, what God seeks to write on our hearts is an invitation to be relational with other people, to interact with other people. So, what we do as a church with the Thanksgiving basket work is not about simply giving someone something or about simply giving something away.
You don’t have to be a church to do that. Anyone can do that. This is about honoring the invitation of God, the invitation of God which says simply this: we are called to stand in solidarity with all humanity. So, indeed, let us stand in solidarity with others for that is the message God seeks to write on our hearts. Amen.
11/20/2011
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Reflecting the Gospel reading my friend Mr. Rasely wrote this words: ‘Hey, we didn’t know it was you / We didn’t know it was you. / If we’d have known we’d have acted differently / But hey, we didn’t know it was you.’ You know what the message is: it’s always you. It’s not an excuse that we didn’t know it was you.” [1]
BENEDICTION: Go forth in faith. Go forth trusting that God will provide. Go forth and reach out to everyone you meet in the name of Christ. And may the peace of Christ which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of the Holy Spirit this day and forevermore. Amen.
[1] Tom Rasely, our Composer in Residence, wrote an song (We Didn’t Know It Was You) which actually did reflect the Gospel reading and was used at the Children’s Time. That time was also used to dedicate the boxes being delivered to the Operation Christmas Child project.
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