Advent Lutheran Church

"Why Am I Here?"

            A few weeks ago, the final episode of LOST aired on television.  Following the big event, Jimmy Kimmel hosted cast members to talk about what THEY thought it all meant, beginning with Matthew Fox, who played Dr. Jack Shephard.  As Kimmel sought to unearth the “true meaning” of the series, he said, “most of Christianity believes that this life is a test.  If you pass the test, you get to go to heaven.  If you fail the test, you go to the other place…”  He then surmised, “the show was about Jack’s ‘test.’”  Wow. 

            Is that REALLY what “most Christians” believe about this life?  Is that what you’ve been taught, what YOU believe?  I hope not.  I’ve said it before, and perhaps it bears repeating:  I spend a good deal of my time as a teacher/preacher “undoing” BAD theology – or what my clergy colleagues are now calling, “cultural Christianity.”  So please hear this:  Life is NOT a test.  We do not “test” people we truly love…and God truly loves each & every one of us.  Remember that, “God loves you, no matter what.  God loves you, better than you love yourself.  God loves you, and there is nothing you can do about it!”  My task – my passion – is to make sure each and every one of you know that love from God in your hearts, and I pray that you have given up on the idea that this life revolves around you to such an extent that God is just waiting for YOU to make a mistake – so he can say, “Gotcha!”  No, God is waiting (patiently) for you to catch on to what God is really up to in the world, which usually runs along the lines of love and restoration.

            But how do we really know what God is up to in the world?  Well, it starts with the Bible, this wonderful library that reveals God to us.  It is a misperception to believe that the Bible is about us.  Nope!  It’s about God (just like parables and teaching stories.)  So let’s take a look at today’s stories, and what they say about God.  Both our Old Testament and Gospel readings are about the raising of widow’s sons.  The first is about the prophet Elijah, who was receiving hospitality from the widow of Zarephath.  You might remember the story, that her pantry did not fail while the prophet stayed with her – the oil did not run out and the jar of meal did not diminish.  However, at some point her son died, and it was up to the prophet to return him to life. 

            The second story is about a widow in the town of Nain, where Jesus and his crowd of followers was going to preach.  Now keep in mind that Jesus was not arriving there, looking for dead folks to raise up.  He had come to proclaim the kingdom of God, and in the midst of that mission, he and his crowd, going in to the city, encountered the funeral procession and its crowd, departing through the same gate.  At this crossroads of life and death, Jesus was moved with compassion for the plight of this woman. 

            Notice that Jesus does not try to resolve the problem here by creating a support group for widows, or attempting to re-order the cultural norm of the day.  He does not rail about the status of women and the powerlessness of a widow in ancient times.  He simply takes stock of the situation – a woman who has already lost her husband, her source of standing in the community and her provider, and now she has also lost her only male son, the heir.  Soon the crowd would disperse and leave her on the margins.  She would have no means of support or community.  She would be as good as dead.  So Jesus seizes this opportunity to do what he could do right then…he saw a grieving woman who had lost her last hope …and he gave her life, new life.  Jesus wasn’t so much raising the son as he was raising the mother…

            As we begin to see who God is and how God acts in Scripture, we can start to see who we can be and how we can act.  Lutheranism gives us the perfect question to ask of these stories:  “What Does This Mean?”  And, according to our Assembly’s Bible Study leader, Old Testament professor Diane Jacobsen from Luther Seminary, “All Biblical teaching is done by analogy.”  In other words, because the Bible shows us what God is like, we can try to model our lives on God’s example.  Today’s stories should make us uncomfortable, because they lay out an agenda for who we are and who we are to be in this world.  It is a very clear answer to the question, “why am I here?”  And it reveals a set of instructions for how to share the good news of God in Christ with the world. 

            Three years ago when we last heard this story, Pastor Roger preached what I think was one of his finest sermons (among so many fine sermons.)  He outlined Jesus’ process in dealing with this widow of Nain.  Pastor Roger explained it in three very clear points:  #1 - Jesus STOPS the procession of death.  #2 – He SPEAKS a word of grace.  #3 – He CALLS FORTH new life.

            We are all here for a reason – to show compassion and “heal the world” through the work of restoration. Even if we don’t FEEL compassion, we have a mission from God.  Oh, we are given other roles, other responsibilities, but they are all FOR THE PURPOSE of doing God’s work in world - not as an “alternative” distraction, to give us meaning until something else comes along, (although we do get to enjoy that benefit.)  That is why, “God’s Work.  Our Hands.” is such a great tag line for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  We are here doing what we have been called to do and using our gifts and talents and blessings to support and carry out what God is up to in the world.  This life is NOT – “our test” – it is God’s mission (and we get to help!)

            So this morning, think about where you “come upon” death in your life - not necessarily physical death -  but death in all of its many forms in this world.  How can you STOP the procession?  What words of grace (God’s love & mercy) can you SPEAK?  How will you CALL FORTH new life, remembering that God is the author, and you are merely the instrument of calling forth…

            I can hear your internal dialog even as I speak.  It matches mine, I’m sure, and recalls those classic words of Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the Star Trek series, “Dang it, Jim, I’m a doctor, not a _______!”  The Season of Pentecost is a lovely, long season in which we get to “fill in” our own personal lament to God about what God has very clearly called us to do.  Those laments and resistances might sound something like this:   

                        Dang it, God!  I’m a MOM, not Mother Teresa! 

                        Dang it, God!  I’m an ENGINEER, not a social worker!

                        Dang it, God!  I’m a KID, not a Noble Peace Prize winner!

                        Dang it, God!  I’m a pastor, not Jesus of Nazareth!

            So you’re not a Messiah who can call back from death someone who has died?  Yes, but, just imagine yourself in these places with family and friends, with co-workers and acquaintances and even those you meet at the gates:  You can stop the procession of death that is caused by pain or anger or guilt.  You can speak a word of grace that brings healing to the pain, or resolution to the conflict, or forgiveness to the guilt.  You can call forth new life which allows for the return of healthy relationship, peace and harmony, and restoration and reconciliation where none had been before.

            This is not a test, it’s a mission from God.  It is YOUR mission from God.  And it is why you are here.