Sermons for the Month

Giving the Gift of Grace
DATE: 5-12-02
SERVICE: 7th Sunday of Easter
TEXT: John 17:1-11

It's great to be here as your Pastor as we begin worshipping together on this last Sunday of the Easter season, which also happens to be Mother's Day. Of course, Mother's Day is not a religious observance, although I know many a mother who has said a prayer or two about her children including the ever popular, "Please God, do something!"

I must admit to you, though, that Mother's Day is an observance that pretty much is lost to me since I have not had a living mother or grandmother for more that 24 years, and I also am not a mother, although I find myself in a nurturing role with a number of children and young people.

For that reason, on this day to honor mothers, I would like to focus on the important ministry of all people who influence the lives of children and youth. This is a particularly important topic given the constant news reports about the abuse of children by those whom they trust.

So I'd like to begin by posing this question, "What is the most important lesson to teach a child or youth?" It seems that there are many opportunities for children to learn and enjoy varied activities. I'm often amazed at the schedules people keep - which reminds me of that TV commercial in which the parent has to make an appointment with the child's secretary in order to talk with him or her. Young people are kept busy with academic and extra-curricular activities related to school, lessons of every variety - music, dance, karate - to name a few, Scouting programs, volunteer activities and sports, including the ever-popular soccer.

These opportunities are all good, and children learn valuable lessons in each setting. But, and I realize that what I'm about to say is quite direct; these activities are worthless unless we as a nurturing adults and the Christian community teach two things.

They are: 1. That our worth is not found in what we do, but in the fact that we are the loved and forgiven children of God. 2. That trusting God above all else is vital. In other words, we must give to one another, and especially to our children and young people, the gift of grace.

In his book Let Your Life Speak: Listening to the Voice of Vocation, Parker Palmer tells about the death of his father who he describes as "more than a good man." During the difficult days that followed the author says that he began to see something that had been concealed when his father was present and able to help cushion life's blows. His first thought was, "Now I must do for myself", but then a truth was revealed, "It never was my father absorbing those blows, but a larger and deeper Grace that he taught me to rely on. My teacher is gone now … but the grace is still there." he said.

The grace is still there … if we have that grace - a sense of self-worth that transcends what we do AND an unwavering trust in our loving creator - than we can face what life presents to us. The role of parents - and all loving adults - is invaluable when it comes to giving this gift of grace to those who will so need it.

Many of you know that about a month ago I was in Bolivia for two weeks; I had many amazing experiences while I was there but one of them touches on this topic of giving the gift of grace.

While there I had the opportunity to meet and interact, in a minor way, with children who live on the streets. I'm not sure I can describe them to you; those whom I encountered ranged in age from 8 to about 15. They all looked malnourished, were covered with dust and grime, were either missing teeth or had obvious dental decay and most were addicted to sniffing glue, a means by which they forget the deprivation of their lives.

My first contact with them occurred after sharing a meal with Jim and Roberta, a volunteer American couple who is overseeing a shelter for street kinds. We had walked to a nearby plaza and found ourselves surrounded by about 10 young people, many of whom were pleading for money. Two girls, both 15, were pregnant, each one for the second time. They pulled up their jackets to make their bellies, and their need, more obvious. We were shown wounds acquired in fights and that's when we encountered Juan Pablo, a boy who appeared no older than 10, who had been badly battered.

These youth were begging for attention; they literally hung on Jim and Roberta, wanting to be patted and hugged. They stood close enough to me to touch me, but not in a threatening way. Most of them were hiding glue bottles in their sleeves, putting them up to their noses to sniff every few minutes until their eyes became glassy.

It was an overwhelming moment, and then a mini-drama of sorts began to unfold as Jim began bribing Juan Pablo in an attempt to convince him that he should go to a hospital for treatment. After much wrangling, and several attempts on Juan Pablo's part to gain money so he could, "buy medicine," a deal was made. Jim would buy him a double dip chocolate ice cream cone, complete with sprinkles, if Juan Pablo would go with him to the hospital. But, he would not be given the ice cream until they were inside the hospital.

Having decided, Juan Pablo headed for the ice cream shop and there was a moment of trauma as a solider touting an automatic weapon stepped in front of him. (Evidently these men routinely beat street children.) But, Jim arrived before there could be even more reason to take the child to the hospital. The last I saw of them, Jim was holding dripping double dip chocolate ice cream as he guided Juan Pablo into a taxi and the young people who surrounded us were frantically asking where they were headed.

I later heard that they did indeed make it inside the hospital, and Juan Pablo was treated for a concussion and other injuries. He fought the medical personnel when they tried to take off his pants, which is when they found several bottles of glue taped to his legs, and he refused a shot of penicillin. He also would not return to the shelter with Jim, a place where he would have received the loving care he so needed.

There's more to the story, of course, but here's the reason I tell it to you. In the midst of this intense activity the words Jim had spoken earlier that evening stuck in my mind. "What these kids need is parents," that is, parents who will parent them. That's the role that Jim and Roberta - people who have raised their own family and given up a comfortable life in the United States -are giving of themselves to fulfill. They are giving the gift of grace to these children not only by meeting their physical needs, but by teaching them to trust both people and God.

My friends, the children of this place - this immediate community - do not have such extreme needs, but their need for grace still is great and it is our job as loving adults and a church community to offer it to them. And while it is challenging, this is a role that we have been given the ability to fulfill. I normally will focus more on the day's scripture in my sermon, but today I want to point out just one verse, verse 10 of the Gospel lesson. In it Jesus says, "All mine are yours and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them."

Please think about that for a moment; it is saying that we who follow Jesus also belong to God - that's not a big surprise - but perhaps the next phrase is, "I have been glorified in them." Taken in the context of the rest of the chapter what Jesus is saying is that the glory He has from God has been transferred to us. Since glory means the presence of God in power, then the power of God is among us enabling us to minister to our families and our community, perhaps not as Jim and Roberta are doing, but certainly in important ways.

Through various avenues we offer our children and youth the gift of grace; we give them affection and encouragement; we pray for them; we are good role models, teaching them how to set appropriate priorities; we encourage their growth in faith both - through worship, Explorer's Club, the preschool and the youth program and we give of time and talents to make these things happen. (Let me note that this is not just a school-year commitment and encourage attendance in worship with your children this summer.)

In all of this we give the gift of grace so that young people will become adults who find their value in being children of God, who trust their loving Creator above all else and who project the glory of God. When that happens, a day like this one is not just a way for card companies to make money; it is a celebration of the church.

AMEN

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