The year I turned thirty, long before I was a pastor, I had to have surgery on my foot. By this time, I had broken my toe at least seven times – the result of an initial break which displaced the bone, was never reset properly (because you really can’t do anything with a broken toe, right?), and thus healed out of place. The surgeon had to remove part of the bone in my pinky toe and fuse the joint so my toe would stay in its proper place. In the scheme of other health issues and surgeries, it was not a major problem. And though I was made to walk out of the hospital the same day as surgery, it affected my stamina, my mobility, and the amount of time I was allowed to stand (10 minutes out of every hour) for the next two months.
At the time, I was a wife and a mother of a five-year-old and a two-year-old. Carl was out on the streets looking for trouble (that’s a good description for police work, don’t you think) in rotating shifts, but could usually drop by the house if I needed help. My parents lived less than two miles away from us. I had an income that continued while I was off work, albeit at a lower rate than normal. I had friends who loved me and would give me the shirt off their backs if I needed it. In short, I had all the help and support I needed.
Even then, my church chose to do a meal train for us – all four of us – for the first two weeks after surgery. Was it needed? I suppose not. We had food in the house. Carl is an excellent cook. My parents were nearby and wouldn’t let any of us starve. Was it appreciated? DEFINITELY!!!! It eased my mind, took some of the burden from me, and gave me time to rest, recover, and adjust to my new normal. I was blessed by the thoughtfulness and care from my church family.
Last week on March 9th, we heard a sermon based on the parable of the Good Samaritan. In it we learned the lesson of Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility.” As Christians, we all have great power placed on us because we carry the name and authority of Jesus. We heard that it is our responsibility, then, to serve others and treat them well and to allow others to serve us and treat us well. It is a two-way street. How quickly we forgot the lesson, if we even heard it in the first place.
In the last month, we have had two of our members who have experienced medical issues of their own. Both required surgery. One also required a second surgery and an extended stay at a rehab facility. Neither of them is young. Face it, there are very few young people in our congregation. Neither of them asked much from the church. And both of them were incredibly grateful when I suggested a meal train for two weeks when they got home. Again, I suggested it. Neither one of them asked.
In the last two weeks, I have had complaints about both of these meal train requests. Do these people have family who can help them out? Yes. But remember family members also have lives and obligations outside of providing at-home care. Can they get Meals on Wheels? Of course, but that only covers one meal a day, Monday-Friday. I am quite sure we all like to eat more than five meals a week. Do they absolutely need us to provide for them? Probably not, but that is not the point.
The point is this. Jesus calls us to be His hands and feet to all God’s children. That is what meal trains, visits, and any other kind of service are about. It doesn’t matter if there are other options. It doesn’t matter if we are taking care of a young, healthy mother or an older, medically frail widow. It doesn’t matter if the issue came up because of an accident or if somebody ‘brought it on because they didn’t do what the doctor said’ (not my words, but the words of a complaint I received this week). IT JUST DOESN’T MATTER!!!! We are to be Jesus’ hands and feet anyway! We are to serve our neighbors anyway! No questions asked! No conditions applied!
In our Scripture lesson for March 9th, we heard these words (more than once, I might add), Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:36-37, NRSV) Jesus didn’t add qualifiers like “only if he doesn’t have a family” or “only if Meals on Wheels isn’t an option.” NO! Jesus just told us to have mercy and to take care of our neighbors, period.
The Good Samaritan gave the innkeeper two denarii to take care of the injured man and promised to reimburse him for anything else that was spent. That was two days wages, plus. Today, even at minimum wage in New Mexico, that would be $200 or more. The price of a meal – especially a meal for one person – is miniscule in comparison. The Good Samaritan performed first aid in the field, dressed the man’s wounds, and took care of him. We don’t read it in the Bible, but blood, dirt, and quite possibly guts were involved. A few dirty dishes or the gas used in picking up and delivering a take-out meal pale in comparison.
Brothers and sisters, The Gospel of Matthew says:
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:34-40, NRSV).
I don’t know about you, but for me providing a meal to a sibling in Christ is a small effort on my part that can bring a blessing to another person. More than that it is a very small way in which I can serve Jesus.
I know providing a meal for someone may not be what you want to do or are able to do. That’s ok. There are nearly 200 members of First United Methodist Church – Deming. Over the last couple of weeks, we have only asked for twenty-eight meals to be provided. That isn’t even close to one per person. So, if that is not your forte, find what is and serve Jesus and your neighbors that way. No excuses. No complaints about what someone else is doing. If we are busy serving Jesus Christ, we won’t have the time to see or worry about what anyone else is doing anyway.
That sure is a lot to say for a pastor who has nothing to say.
Blessings, Pastor Koreen