First United Methodist Church
October 6, 2024
Rev. Lauren Hall
Do Unto Others: Kindness
When Rowynn was in second grade, we read a book together. I can’t remember the title or the author, but I remember the book. It had several sub-plots, all of which were worked out, but the main plot, I think, was about a woman who entered an essay contest. Nobody in town could stand her. But she decided to write an essay about the town explaining why she loved it. The grand prize would be the installation of computers and internet in every home, something that the town needed but could not afford.
Anyway, her essay described a town that looked totally different from the one that she lived in. The people were friendly, the homes and businesses were bright and fresh, and there was a beautiful fountain downtown where everyone would gather and talk.
Well, she won. And the whole town was mad at her because they knew that her lie would be exposed when the contest sponsors arrived to present her with the check. Luckily, the town was destroyed by a tornado one week before the big presentation.
Since the contest sponsor couldn’t install computers in a town that no longer existed, they instead found a way to rebuild the town – and luckily they had the contest winner’s description to guide them in their effort. As one townsperson began to complain that her description wasn’t even close to reality, someone shushed him, and pointed out that they had a chance to rebuild something that was so much better. As all the townspeople started working together to focus on a more positive vision for their town, they all started getting along better too.
It’s funny how fiction often works things out that way. But don’t you think that Jesus is doing a little of this kind of thing for us also? He takes our reality and helps us to see things differently. If all of us could get on the same page as Jesus and work toward his vision for the Kingdom of God, what an amazing world this would be!
I tend to think there’s some of that going in today’s text. Jesus takes a Commandment – love one another – and turns it into a revelation about the Kingdom of God. The passage we read today is a portion of the Sermon on the Mount (or plain, since we read Luke’s version). After completely challenging his listener’s worldview with blessings and woes, Jesus tells the people to love their enemies and treat each other with respect. This seems like a natural thing to do.
And yet, as we gather here today, people on the other side of the world live in fear of bomb and drone attacks that can destroy their lives at any moment.
Loving each other is not an easy thing to do. It takes time and patience, and as we have seen from our reading of James – intention. James would call this intention “works,” Wesley would call it “means of grace.” We call it “discipleship,” and essentially what we are talking about is embracing the things that Jesus did exceptionally well – praying, teaching, learning, and growing…all the things we want to be more Christlike in. But there is one area in which we could all improve and that is reaching out to the alienated, not just those who are on the fringes of society, but also those who feel like they don’t belong anywhere, the ones who have been rejected, marginalized or forgotten, even by the church. We don’t see these people and they live in isolation.
These are the people that Jesus spent most of his time with. The lepers, the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the outcasts. The ones who were considered "unclean" or "unworthy" by the religious establishment. These were the people unwelcome at the temple or the synagogue, turned away by the religious leadership. And yet, Jesus saw something in them that no one else did. He saw their potential, their worth, their humanity, their divine creation. He welcomed them into his circle of friends, ate with them, healed them, called them, equipped and empowered them, and loved them unconditionally.
The question is, how do we, as modern-day followers of Jesus, reach out to the alienated in our own communities? We begin by filtering our interactions through the lens of kindness. Today’s scripture describes God’s nature as “kind” – especially to those who turn their backs on God’s invitation to be kind. What we put into the world is part of the ongoing creation of the world. That is the part that we can control. We can’t control others’ response, but we can control our own actions.
Second, we can go to them. We need to be willing to go where people are. This might mean stepping outside of our comfort zones, venturing into unfamiliar territory and engaging with people who are different from us.
It might mean visiting a homeless shelter, volunteering at a prison ministry, or attending a support group for people who are struggling to fit into society because of who they are. It is in these places where we can have the difficult conversations about race, politics, or religion and hear another person’s perspective. We are not always the authority when we immerse ourselves into unfamiliar environments.
This is where the people are, and we see the scripture full of examples of Jesus going to the people on the fringes. If we actually want to engage others like Christ did, we need to be willing to meet them where they are, on their terms, and listen to their stories with compassion and empathy.
Next, we have to check our hearts. We need to be willing to challenge our own assumptions and biases. We all have them, whether we like to admit it or not. And they can often get in the way of building genuine relationships with people who are different from us. We need to be honest about our own prejudices and blind spots. It is important to ask ourselves hard questions about why we feel the way we do about certain groups of people, both as individuals and the church. Doing this successfully, of course, means being open to the possibility that our views might need to change.
Be radical in your hospitality. This means welcoming everyone into our community and church, no matter what their background, beliefs, or lifestyle choices and especially those who are the least, the last, and the lost among us. It means creating safe spaces where people can be themselves, without fear of judgment or rejection. It means sharing meals, stories, and laughter with people who might not look like us, think like us, or act like us. The hardest part about this is as soon as you begin to do it, you will find an influx of people who immediately occupy that new space in ways that exercise that radical hospitality.
Speak truth to power. Every Christ follower's responsibility is to call out injustice and oppression whenever and wherever we see it. Advocating for the marginalized, standing up for the oppressed, and working towards a more just and equitable society for all – the prophets and Jesus have cried out for this and it’s a part of our Communion liturgy.
This is a lot to ask. It's not easy work, and it's not always fun. But it's essential work, if we want to live out the gospel in a way that's relevant and meaningful to the world around us.
When we take the time to treat the world with kindness and we go out and see ourselves in those who suffer, then we - just like the character who had enough faith to write an essay about a town she loved – we will be able to imagine, and thus receive, the presence and the love of God everywhere.
So, let's get to work. Let's go out into the world and show the “cast outs” that they are not alone, that they are loved, and that they have a place in God's kingdom and our church.
Let's be the church that Jesus envisioned—Let us pray.
Gracious God, as the church, you have called us to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and to open the prison doors to those who are bound.
Help us to be faithful and to discern what vision you have for our church. Help us to be:
- A church that welcomes everyone, loves unconditionally;
- A church that works tirelessly for justice and peace;
- A church for the least, the last, and the lost;
- A church that follows where God leads.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen
