PROPER 6B – 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13; Psalm 20; 2 Corinthians 5:6-17; Mark 4:26-34 – 14 June 2009 – A sermon given by The Rev. Peter A. Munson in the Dominican Republic
Our “Reality” Vs. God’s Reality
INTRODUCTION
My brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, it is our great privilege to be with you today, worshiping with you on this beautiful day. We are 19 in number, teenagers and adults, 16 lay people and three priests, representing two Episcopal Churches in Boulder, Colorado, in the United States. We bring greetings to you from these two churches – St. Ambrose and St. Aidan’s – and we wish you God’s deepest peace, the shalom of the Lord. May the Lord bless you, all those whom you love, and your country.
ON A MISSION TRIP
We are here on a mission trip. When my daughter, Hannah, told some of her friends recently that she was going on a mission trip, some of them asked, “What is a mission trip?” She replied, “You know. We’re going to go to another country and help people.” My daughter was surprised that many of her friends did not know what a mission trip was.
But it is, I think, a good question. “What is a mission trip?” We have come to help build a playground at a school. We have come to help fix a broken water pipe, and to build some library shelves, and perhaps to do some painting. But those are just things to do. My guess is that you will help us as much, or more, than we help you. My guess is that we will learn from you as much as you learn from us. We will be blessed by you, at least as much, or more, than you are blessed by our presence. And I’m guessing that the most important thing that we will build will be the new relationships and new friendships that we form with you while we are here.
WHAT THE SCRIPTURES TELL US
What the scriptures tell us, especially today, is that the way that we perceive reality and the way God perceives reality are often two different things.
The prophet Samuel is told by the Lord that it is a time to anoint a new king for Israel, the one who will be Saul’s successor. He is told that the new king will come from among the sons of Jesse. The sons of Jesse are brought to stand before Samuel, one at time, from the eldest to the youngest. When Samuel looks upon Jesse’s first-born son, Eliab, he thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.” The Lord knew what Samuel was thinking, and said to him, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
Six other sons of Jesse were paraded before Samuel, and none of them was the one the Lord chose. Finally, Samuel asks Jesse if he has any more sons, and is told the youngest one is out keeping the sheep. David is summoned, and he, the youngest of eight sons, and probably still a teenager, is anointed as the one who shall be the next king of Israel. Probably you remember what happened not too long after this, when the young shepherd boy killed the huge Philistine named Goliath, whose appearance had terrified the entire army of Israel.
We look on the size and appearance of someone, and draw certain conclusions. The Lord looks upon the size of a person’s heart, and on a person’s faith and courage and character, and often draws very different conclusions.
When economic times are tough for us, we are tempted to get desperate or angry or lose hope. The Lord looks upon his people and says, “How will they care for one another? Who will turn to me in prayer and in faith, and believe that I will still provide for them, even though times look very bleak?” Where we are tempted to give up or panic, the Lord sees new opportunities for people to have even more faith in him, and exercise more love and compassion toward one another.
We look at a big nation like the United States, with over 300 million people, with so much wealth and so many resources, and we are tempted to say, “The Lord has blessed them! Aren’t they fortunate?” And yet, some of our people are so wealthy that they don’t believe they need God anymore. They think they can do everything on their own, that they control they own destinies. We look at a much smaller country like yours, with what – 9 or 10 million people – with fewer resources, and there are almost as many Dominicans in Major League Baseball as there are Americans. You must be doing something right! On a more serious note, you have some things to teach us about being faithful, I’m sure.
We human beings sometimes think that looking out for #1 – getting for ourselves alone – is the way to go. But God sent his Son, Jesus, to show us another way, to remind us that life is primarily about serving, not being served, and primarily about living for Christ – who died for us – and for other people. To move from self-centeredness to a life where we love God, our neighbor, ourselves and even our enemies – this is what Paul calls being “in Christ”, being a “ new creation”. (2 Cor. 5:17)
We sometimes want to get back at our enemies, get revenge in some way. That is the way we see things. God says, “No. That is not the way. That just leads to more hate, more violence, more division, more destruction. Love your enemies, and in so doing, you will transform your own heart, your own life, and perhaps your enemy’s heart and your enemy’s life.”
We look at a little tiny mustard seed, or any small seed, for that matter, and are tempted to say, “What can come out of something that small?” And yet, when it is planted in the ground, Jesus reminds us, it becomes a large bush, big enough for the birds to nest in.
When we see that even a mustard seed isn’t made just for itself, that even a mustard seed can turn into a bush which serves the needs of birds – when we see this, then we are beginning to see as God sees.
When we plant some sugar cane or corn or squash or coffee, and see what comes out of something so small, then we begin to see as God sees.
When we go to a foreign country, and we have to struggle to speak a different language, and we feel out of place and a little comfortable, and then we discover that people welcome us with love and hospitality, then we see that the world doesn’t have to be a place of fear and divisions, but can be a place of friendship and a place where we recognize that we are all children of the same loving God, then we begin to see as God sees.
CONCLUSION
So… what is a mission trip? We think we have an idea of what a mission trip is. But my guess is that we won’t have a deeper understanding of what a mission trip is until we have had all the experiences that we are going to have over the next week, and we are back on the plane, heading home. And probably, as we sit on that plane, and have some time to think about what we learned, what we saw, what we did, what we felt, and what we offered, and what we received, we will have a new and perhaps very different understanding of what a mission trip is. And all of you will be a very big part of helping us learn what a mission trip is.
We see in certain ways. We look at outward appearances, and often miss the most important thing. The Lord looks on the heart, and it is a whole different way of looking.
Lord God, help us to see as you see. Help us to love others as you love us. Give us the faith of your son, Jesus. Help us to be your instruments of peace, love and generosity in the world. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.