Proper 8 (A) Now That’s What I Call Religion!
Proper 8 (Year A)
Now That's What I Call Religion!
Today's short reading from Matthew's Gospel ends on a positive note:
"Truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward."
Even giving a cup of cold water to someone who is thirsty makes you an apprentice of Jesus Christ.
The dictionary defines reward as "a return made for something done."
For example:
- Her hard work and positive attitude were rewarded with a promotion.
- His laziness and constant complaining were rewarded with his dismissal.
Jesus was always urging His disciples to reach out in the name of love. It doesn't matter whether those you are reaching out to are important leaders or the poor and powerless—simply reach out in love.
And, Jesus would add, reaching out doesn't require a capital fund drive. A cup of cold water will convey love's message:
You are welcome here.
campers arrive, they are greeted with the smell of fresh baked bread.
What is the reward for that gesture of hospitality?
Campers, counselors, and staff relax. It helps move everyone beyond the stiffness and hesitation that naturally comes when strangers first meet.
In today's reading from Romans, Paul puts it right on the line. Ignore God's loving kindness and the joys of life begin to shrivel and die. Listen for God's loving kindness, become an agent of God's loving kindness, and the time we share with one another will be richly rewarded.
Scripture tells us:
"Taste and see how gracious the Lord is."
We will never know the truth of that promise until we "taste and see" for ourselves.
It is good to be reminded that we are all standing on the foundation of God's loving kindness.
The trouble is that not everyone is tuned to God's frequency.
Think of it as spiritual static.
There is the:
- "People who don't agree with me" static.
- "People I don't like" static.
- "People who have let me down" static.
- "People who lied to me" static.
- "People who cheated on me" static.
- "People who rejected me" static.
But—and here is both the hard part and the good part—we are all sinners.
We all create distracting static, yet we are all invited to God's table to participate in God's loving kindness.
Jesus said:
"I give you a new commandment, love one another as I have loved you."
Whoever welcomes another welcomes Him.
Whoever makes room for another is making room for the loving kindness of Jesus Christ.
It doesn't have to be a big production.
Making room could begin with:
- a "cup-of-cold-water" phone call,
- a "cup-of-cold-water" breakfast,
- a "cup-of-cold-water" handwritten note,
- or even a simple cup of tea when someone really needs it.
Example
On a canoe trip during a major storm everyone was exhausted after setting up camp. Just as I finished helping with another tent, one of our campers handed me a cup of hot tea.
It came at exactly the moment I needed it.
Jesus was big on the concept of agency.
Agency refers to acting on behalf of another person, group, or organization.
Jesus believed that the disciple who went out in His name was not merely a representative but an extension of His own presence.
We are agents of Christ—the Way, the Truth, and the Life—to the world.
For better or worse, Jesus is often known by our words and our actions.
If only one out of a hundred people living in Walla Walla reads the Bible, the other ninety-nine read...us.
How do we take the Good News of God's loving kindness into our community?
If we follow Jesus' example, we must take it person-to-person.
We take it in our willingness to listen.
We convey God's loving kindness through our focus, our attention, and even our tone of voice.
When Jesus spoke with the woman at the well, He was fully present with the woman at the well.
If I asked you to name someone who brought you closer to the loving kindness of Christ, I suspect someone's name would immediately come to mind.
What can we learn from those agents of Christ?
Example: Bill Coy
Let me tell you about Bill Coy.
During my fourth year of college I enrolled in a graduate-level course titled History Through Great Public Speeches.
The professor was outstanding—but the workload was overwhelming.
On the first day he handed out the syllabus.
It was one full, single-spaced page.
I thought, What made me think I was ready for graduate school?
Then he smiled and said,
"This is page one of a fifteen-page syllabus."
I had never studied much history and I was a slow reader.
I probably should have dropped the class.
Instead, I decided to give it my best shot.
When final exams approached, panic returned.
Without help, I knew I wasn't going to make it.
Out of sixty-five students there was one young man who seemed approachable, even though we had never met.
I asked,
"Would you be willing to let me study for the final with you?"
His name was Bill Coy.
He said yes.
He earned an A.
I earned a D.
But I passed.
During our study sessions Bill invited me to join a small Friday afternoon prayer, Bible study, and discussion group.
Do you know what usually happens on a college campus around four o'clock on Friday afternoon?
Everyone heads off for recreation.
Instead, Bill's group spent an hour talking about life, studying a few verses of Scripture, and praying together.
That hour became the best hour of my week.
Instead of talking about the next football game or our next date, we talked about what really matters.
Eventually Bill shared that he intended to attend seminary.
At the time, I had already begun wondering whether God might be calling me into ministry.
Bill's kindness, warmth, and quiet faith gave me the gentle nudge I needed.
Those are the kinds of agents God is looking for.
Not elaborate religious rituals.
Agents.
People who learn to do good, work for justice, help the down-and-out, stand up for the homeless, and go to bat for the defenseless.
And God says,
"Now that's what I call religion!"
Christianity is the most practical religion on the planet.
Most of us don't have to look very far into our own past to remember opportunities we have missed to reach out to someone in need.
If we see someone who is thirsty, merely thinking about giving them a cup of cold water isn't enough.
I believe every one of us lives somewhere along a continuum between loving kindness and indifferent neglect.
The direction we are facing determines what we are able to see.
Confucius said,
"It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."
Jesus said,
"You are the light of the world."
Go...and be His agents.
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