Springwood Presbyterian Church: Whitsett, NC

Luke 17: 20-21

Ephesians 4: 1-16                                                                                      10-3-10

All Aboard

Everybody needs a helping hand at times.  This morning I brought some with me on this stole, made for me by the children of a church I once served.  These different sized handprints of children from infants to teen; white and African-American and Asian; some new Christians, some raised from birth in a Christian household tell me that no matter how different we are, we are all one in Christ, who is one with God and the Holy Spirit. 

In the second chapter (v. 10) of his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul writes, We are created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.  Good works: feeding the hungry as we will do this afternoon with your contributions to CROP, as we do with canned goods for Good Shepherd Kitchen and our regular Pennies for Hunger offering.  Good works ; giving cold water to one who’s thirsty.  Good work: visiting the prisoner.  Doing those things Jesus did.  

But those good works, in and of themselves, can be done by any good-hearted person, whether Christian or not.  Christians have the special work, in this wounded world, to do these acts of compassion for Jesus’ sake, that they may build up the body of Christ and bring people together in the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 

Unity is given to us by God, in Christ, but the church must accept this gift, unwrap it, and use it to build the body of Christ in the world.  That’s not so easy when the worldwide Christian Church is so diverse, so far apart, with miles between us geographically, as well as culturally and theologically.  I’ve been particularly mindful in the past month of our differences: first, during Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Great Britain, which set people around the world expounding for and against his leadership of the Roman Catholic Church—then, as I watched in horror as a pastor in Florida threatened to burn the Muslim holy book—and closer to home, as Christians taunt other Christians in King NC over the presence of the Christian flag on government property. 

What are the chances of living into the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace?

Unity in the world-wide church may be beyond our personal reach—but never beyond our prayers or our hope.  And never beyond our responsibility for those around us: in the church, family, community.

Indian writer Suketa Mehta asked a fellow countryman if he ever despaired over the state of the world.  “Not at all,” his friend replied.  “Look at the hands from the trains.”  Mehta explains that, in his birthplace, Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay)—a city of almost 14 million people—the public transportation system can’t keep up with the numbers.

          “If you are late for work in [Mumbai] and reach the station just as the train is leaving the platform, you can run up to the packed compartments and find many hands unfolding outward from the train like [flower] petals, reaching out to pull you on board.  

“As you run along, you will be picked up, and some tiny space will be made for your feet at the edge of the open doorway.  The rest is up to you: you will probably have to hang on to the doorframe with your fingertips, taking care not to lean out too far, lest you get decapitated by a pole placed close to the tracks.

“But consider what has happened: your fellow passengers, already packed tighter than the law allows cattle to be packed, their shirts drenched with sweat in the badly-ventilated compartment, having stood like this for hours, retain an empathy for you—know that your boss might yell at you or cut your pay if you miss this train—and will make space for you where none exists.

“And at the moment of contact, they do not know if the hand that is reaching for theirs belongs to a Hindu or a Muslim or a Christian or a Brahmin or an Untouchable; …whether you were born in this city or arrived only this morning; …whether you live in [a ritzy part of the city or in a slum….]  All they know is that you’re trying to get to the city of gold, and that’s enough.  ‘Come on board,’ they say.  ‘We’ll adjust.’”

I’ve seen the same thing on busses in Cambodia and Haiti.  I wonder if it’s because these countries are so poor and everyone understands the need for caring for one another.  Whatever the reason, these are, for me, images of the church living out God’s hospitality—God’s grace—God’s unity, not worrying who or what someone is, but reaching out to offer a cup of cold water, a space on the bus or beside you in the pew, a word of Christ’s good news, so the body of Christ in the world can grow stronger.  If you’re already on board, God—and likely, some loving Christian--reached out to bring you on.  In gratitude, hold your hands out for others.  Hand in hand, we get on board.  Hand in hand, we stay on board.  Hand in hand, we are Christ’s hands in the world. 

Today, he reaches out his hand to invite us to his table, and to remind us that all of us—and all God’s children everywhere—are held tight in God’s loving hands.  Thanks be to God.