of everyday objects salt, seed, nets, coins. And Jesus used them to make all sorts of point

Transcription

1 February 16, Corinthians 3 Be a Spoon Jesus very often told parables, these short stories that made a moral point, using all sorts of everyday objects salt, seed, nets, coins. And Jesus used them to make all sorts of point about giving, living, serving and loving. So, in that spirit here is my parable of the spoon. While setting the table for dinner one evening, a little girl entertained herself by bringing the utensils to life. Her mother listened as knives, forks and spoons carried on conversation and wrestled their way onto the table. Suddenly the girl looked over at her mother and declared, "If I had to choose -- I'd be a spoon!" "A spoon," her mother replied, intrigued. "Why would you want to be a spoon? What would be wrong with being a knife or a fork?" "Well," the girl explained, "forks are too grabby -- always stabbing stuff and taking it like it's theirs. Like in school -- I hate it when somebody takes a piece of my dessert with their fork and eats it." "Okay," her mother agreed, "what about being a knife?" "No, knives are scary -- they cut things, and you can't really eat with them, just slice stuff up," she responded. "But," the little girl continued, holding a shiny spoon in front of her face pausing, "spoons can. scoop up lots of stuff and pass it around. her mother suggested. Her daughter's eyes lit up. "Right!" she said. "I'd rather be a spoon any day!" So, think about it for a minute, what would it mean to be like spoon? 1

2 Because there are fork people in our world, and we need them. People who know what they want and reach out to get it. We all need to be driven and motivated at times. And there are knife people who see what is before them and cut into it shaping and molding it whether it be an idea, or getting to the heart of dispute or cutting through red tape to speed things up. Our world needs the drive of fork people and the focus of knife people. But when you look at a spoon it s distinctly different, because instead of taking, spoons are designed to serve. When you need to feed someone, you reach for a spoon. When you want to give a generous helping, you reach for a spoon. Spoon people are adaptable -- they can operate in a variety of venues. Whether it's hot soup or freezing ice cream, they can scoop it up. Spoon people serve others, but they are also the best at stirring things up. Our reading today is from one of Paul s letter to the church in Corinth. A church filled with a lot of fork and knife people arguing and fighting over a host of issues like who they recognize as the leader of their community, Paul or one of his workers named Apollos. And this is something Paul intimately understands. Because Paul, before his Damascus road experience and encounter with the risen Jesus, was a driven fork person and a zealous knife person trying to surgically cut off this new group who were following Jesus, which he deemed an offensive growth. His strict adherence to the Law had already sliced his view of rights and wrongs, clean and unclean, chosen and cursed, into neat, predetermined pieces. But after Paul had his eyes open and his heart softened by the risen Christ, Paul found his honed edges beaten flat and smooth, his narrowness pulled into a wide bowl, his rigidity 2

3 bent into a gentle curve. In other words, Paul was transformed into a spoon. Not that he lost his drive and focus of before, but now his capacity to live and love was enlarged and molded into a new shape and a new life. In his new spoon form, Paul became committed to serving Christ by serving others. The sharp, pointed attacks of Saul the knife became the nurturing, nourishing scoops of service and salvation dished up by Paul the spoon. And this was the message Paul came to share. That we are meant to be molded and shaped into servants. For Paul writes, What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth The point is that they served, each using their gifts to scoop up and pass around God s love. And that is our focus as well. To be those spoons of service being held in the hand of God heaping onto the world grace and love and hope for God to bless and grow. There is a story told of a young boy named Shay, who was learning disabled, on a walk with his father. One day as they passed a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they will let me play?" Shay's father knew that most boys would be reluctant to have him on their team. But the father understood that if his son were allowed to play it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging. Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by six runs, and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to 3

4 put him up to bat in the ninth inning." In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. At the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the outfield. Although no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base. Shay was scheduled to be the next at-bat. Would the team actually let Shay bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman. Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first. Run to first." Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" By the time Shay was rounding first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have 4

5 thrown the ball to the second baseman for a tag. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions had been, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head. Shay ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home. As Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third!" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were screaming, "Shay! Run home!" Shay ran home, stepped on home plate and was cheered as the hero, for hitting a "grand slam" and winning the game for his team. On that day, on a simple ball field, a group of boys realized what it is like to be a spoon living out and serving up a generous portion of God s love so that a young boy could feel for a few precious moments like a hero and just one of the boys, instead of a boy with a disability. There s a Hebrew word "tikkun," which means "repair," "fixing," "a task.". It is the idea that each of us - are who we are, with our own particular talents, capacities, personalities, our unique being; each of us is where we are, in our families, in our work, in our community, exactly because God has a particular, unique role for each of us to play, just like the silverware in our the drawer of the kitchen, we each have a role to play in living and sharing our faith, our own "tikkun," as we call it, our own purpose for the world, the influence we are meant to be, the influence that each of us personally is meant to fulfill, and through which we each find our own fulfillment and wholeness. For we are called, as individuals and a community, to be instruments of love in this world to people who need to experience the love of Christ in their lives. We are not called to fix 5

6 people, only God can do that. We are not called to transform the world by ourselves, only with God can we do that together. We are called to be faithful. We are called to be a people of hope. To follow where God leads us. To risk when necessary. To sacrifice when called upon. To touch a life and by letting God work through us bring a little beauty, a little peace, a little justice, a little kindness to the world around us. The world around is hurting and broken at times. And God has fashioned us, gifted us, blessed us for a greater mission. For, we have a purpose. In our reading we heard that we are God s servants, working together Just like Paul and Apollos we are planting and watering, building and leaving a legacy As we surrender - to be held in God s hand, to serve up forgiveness and hope as we hear the call of our savior who says to us - I need you. I need you to walk with me and use what I ve given you to share my grace and forgiveness in how you act, I need you to encourage those who are struggling with a letter, a phone call, a visit, I need you to work for justice and peace in your neighborhood, I need you to pray each day, I need you to share your love and faith with the people you meet. Just like that group of boys who decided to throw their baseball game to lift a young boy up Because it is in this sharing that they can come to a saving relationship in and through me. So, let us hear this message - We are needed. We are useful no matter our age, our physical condition, no matter what is going on in our lives, we are useful because we are a child of God, because Jesus died for us, to forgive us and offer us if we accept it a new life in and through him - because we don t need tremendous talents to make a difference in someone s life, 6

7 all we need is a trusting faith where we tell another person and mean it, where we show them Jesus loves you That s powerful. That s meaningful. That s a message that changes and allows hearts, minds, and souls to be transformed. That s the message Paul planted and Apollos watered and God gave growth to. That is the message we need to serve to the world around us as a community of faith, people of God, the body of Christ. So, as you go to lunch today and reach for that spoon think about what it would mean to dish up a "one another" helping and heap it on someone's plate as we: "Love one another,", "Outdo one another in showing honor," "Live in harmony with one another," "Welcome one another," "Have the same care for one another," "Encourage one another," "Be at peace with one another," "Seek [the] advantage of [one an]other," "Bear one another's burdens," "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another," "[Bear] with one another in love," "Pray[ing] for one another," When we spoon up these "one anothers," our lives and our world is a different place. And so let us all surrender this day to be held and used as instruments of love in the hand of God as we proclaim Have thine own way Lord, have thine own way mold and make me after thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still. Amen. 7