Come, Join The Party!
Stories
Object:
Contents
"Come, Join the Party!" by Keith Wagner
"Only Fools Do Not Share" by Keith Wagner
"Examples of Grace" by Peter Andrew Smith
Come, Join the Party!
by Keith Wagner
Luke 15:1-10
Remember the runaway bride? At first, the woman, Jennifer Wilbanks, who disappeared from Duluth, Georgia in August of 2007 during the week of her massive wedding, was considered to be a missing person, and a victim of foul play. A massive search was undertaken. Instead, much to the public's shock and outrage, it turned out that Wilbanks deliberately ran away.
Unfortunately Wilbanks ran out of money in a seedy section of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in a cross-country bus trip that took her to Las Vegas. She called 911 and claimed she had been kidnapped by a Hispanic man and a white woman. Hours later, her story fell apart, and she admitted to lying about the kidnapping story.
Wilbanks wasted tens of thousands of dollars in law enforcement time and manpower for a missing persons investigation that never should have been. Wilbanks later claimed she wanted to pay restitution to the city. She was eventually sentenced to community service. Her family also vowed to pay back the city for the cost of her search.
But, when Jennifer was found her family celebrated. Her fiancé was not very pleased, but he too eventually forgave her. The story made national headlines. Everyone, especially the media, focused on her faked disappearance. Few people however celebrated the fact that she was alive and ok.
As human beings we have a tendency to rush to judgment. Like the Pharisees who Jesus constantly confronted, we have difficulty rejoicing when someone has come home, come to their senses or resurfaced after a lengthy absence. We’re more apt to say, “Where the heck you been?” rather than, “It’s wonderful to see you again.”
Jesus illustrated the attitude of the Pharisees with these two parables; the lost sheep and the lost coin. Taking the time to find a stray sheep and leave the rest of the flock unattended was offensive to the Pharisees. Why waste time on a single sinner when there are so many righteous folks? Also, why spend time and resources looking for one lousy coin that wasn’t worth much? A silver coin or drachma in that day was only worth about a day’s wages, not a great sum of money.
The parables are intended to show that God does not limit mercy to a special few. The lost and the worthless are important too. In fact, they are so important to God that in both cases there is a celebration. Friends and neighbors are called together to share in the good news. “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.”
Many people I know can’t appreciate a gift. When you give them something they say, “Oh, you shouldn’t have.” Or, “What have I done to deserve this?” A gift is just that, a gift. God’s mercy is a gift and that gift is reason enough to celebrate. If we can’t accept a gift for ourselves then it is unlikely we will be able to accept God’s gift to others.
Perhaps we can’t understand the need for celebration because we have never been lost. After all, we can be just as lost in our goodness as we are lost in some other way. Some are too proud to accept the fact that they are lost. Others are just simply in denial.
In his book, I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church, Paul Nixon tells the story about a new church start called The Community Life Center. It was to be an outreach ministry of the Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church in Florida. They flooded the neighborhoods with postcards and other publicity that asked the question, “Are we having fun yet?” That question puzzled some folks since church folks don’t traditionally have fun. The new facility was bordered by two churches that were, in contrast, overly serious. Neither of the neighboring churches enjoyed reputations as centers of fun and joy.
In the first weeks that the Community Life Center opened, hundreds of people from the community flooded into the building and into the life of the church at every level. The church worked hard to ensure that they had fun. In our culture most people will instinctively choose joy and fun over drudgery every time. To be a person of faith is to be able to experience joy, to celebrate the discovery of finding the lost.
To have faith is to be joyful. Christianity should be an exuberant and happy faith. Somewhere in history we have replaced celebration with stoicism and rigidity. God wants us to let our hair down. God wants us to join in the party!
* * *
Only Fools Do Not Share
by Keith Wagner
Psalm 14
One of the primary theories that I used to teach in Marriage and Family classes at Edison Community College was the Social Exchange Theory. Basically the theory means that actions, especially domestic chores, are measured on a cost-benefit basis. When there is equity in a relationship it is strong. When there is inequity one partner carries a heavier load and that can lead to problems. When partners are in an inequitable relationship, they generally feel uncomfortable, angry or distressed since one partner dominates or overpowers the other. In other words, sharing is what creates a healthy relationship.
I believe that the Psalmist is describing the attribute of sharing. The “fool” doesn’t share. Those who understand God however, share their resources with those who have need. God made humans to be God’s partners in taking care of God’s creation. God gives us partners to share life and God’s creation. The most successful relationships are those where the partners are equal. Our partners however can be anyone, a spouse, an extended family member or friend.
I have many images of my parents but the one that stands out the most is the image of my mother and father doing the dishes together. Mom would wash and Dad would dry. I once asked them why this was such a meaningful event for them. My mother replied, “Because your father and I know that you four boys will leave us alone while we do the dishes.”
My parents were married for sixty-seven years. Their roles in the household were mostly traditional, my mother attending to the household tasks of cleaning, cooking and doing laundry, while my father worked, mowed the yard, fixed things around the house and maintained the cars. Besides doing the dishes together they shared in gardening and most importantly parenting their four sons. Their role model as equal partners has been a tremendous influence on me, especially the importance of sharing.
Another role model for me is the actress Carol Burnett. When Carol was at UCLA she was in a drama group that wasn’t having a great deal of success. One of her professors invited Carol and eight other students to his vacation home in San Diego. The group did a performance of Annie Get Your Gun, for his guests. Afterwards a complete stranger came up to her and said he had admired her performance.
The stranger asked Carol what she intended to do with her life. She told him she had aspirations of going to New York and beginning a career on stage. He then asked what was stopping her. She told him she did not have the funds. The man then pledged to give her a thousand dollars to get her started. She was reluctant to take the money but he said that it was a loan. If she didn’t succeed she would have to pay him back. Carol then headed for New York and you know the rest of the story.
Carol attributes the start of her career in show business to her silent partner. Five years later she repaid the loan and pledged to never reveal his identity. She said she will always be grateful to her silent partner and what she learned from the experience was to be a silent partner to others.
Maya Angelou had an aunt by the name of Tee. She worked as a maid for 30 years as a live-in housekeeper for some wealthy white folks in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, CA. On Saturdays Aunt Tee would cook pig’s feet, greens and fried chicken. She invited her friends for the evening. Her friends included the chauffer, another housekeeper and her husband. They ate, drank, danced, laughed and played cards. One evening her employers knocked on the door. They apologized for disturbing her but they were curious about all the joy and laughter coming from Aunt Tee’s apartment. They wanted to be part of it. They asked if she could leave her door open so they could enjoy the joy and laughter coming from Aunt Tee and her friends. They yearned for the warmth and happiness that their 14-room house, three cars and swimming pool could not provide for them. In that moment Aunt Tee’s employers learned the meaning of sharing.
The Psalmist said, “Will evildoers never learn, those who devour my people as men eat bread and do not call upon the name of the Lord?” Perhaps it’s all about sharing our bread, especially all of our resources.
In April, 1973, the Park Center YMCA in Midland, Texas, asked for volunteers to help repair seventeen run-down homes in the city. The effort was so successful that the Midlanders made it an annual event. After volunteers had completed repairs on one home, the owner opened her front door and exclaimed, “It’s just like Christmas in April.” The name stuck. “Christmas in April” has made hundreds of homes livable in Midland and it also brought the people together. Men and women, young and old, black, white, and Hispanic built a community spirit. The program became a tradition and one year they repaired 84 homes. The Midlanders have learned that helping others benefits the whole community. All they had to do was rearrange their priorities, pull their resources and go to work.
Rev. Dr. Keith Wagner is the pastor of St. John's UCC in Troy, Ohio. He has served churches in Southwest Ohio for over three decades. He is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and has an M.Div. from Methodist Theological School, Delaware, Ohio, and a D.Min. from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He has also been an adjunct professor at Edison Community College, Piqua, Ohio. He and his wife, Lin, live in Springfield, Ohio.
* * *
Examples of Grace
by Peter Andrew Smith
1 Timothy 1:12-17
John shook his head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“Why not?” Mary asked. “They can be built, can’t they?”
“The design is easy enough.” John waved his hand over the plans on the table. “I think I could build these flower boxes in my sleep.”
“So what about the youth from the program making them?”
“They would need some instruction and some supervision.” John rubbed his chin.
“So is the project beyond them?”
“No,” John said. “They may have to learn some things but I think the teens in the program should do fine.”
Mary gestured at the tools that surrounded them in the workshop behind the church. “I know they’re donated and not in the best shape but are the tools not right for the project?”
John let his eye wander over the boxes of drills and stacks of saws. “Some of them probably should be tossed but most of them look serviceable.”
“So is the building material not sufficient?”
John picked up a sample of the wood. “No, the wood is fine for the task. They should probably paint the outsides before they put them together but it is solid enough for the project. You really have enough to make a hundred boxes?”
“We do. The hope is we will raise enough money to keep the program going for another year.”
John whistled. “Can you sell that many?”
“If we make the boxes different sizes so people can plant vegetable or flower gardens on roofs and balconies we shouldn’t have any problems. Teddy says that he can move them as fast as we can build them.”
“With his connections Teddy is the person who can.” John put the wood back on the table. “You seem to have everything.”
“We have everything except someone to work directly with the kids to make these boxes. That’s why I’m asking you.”
“What about Pastor Ike?”
Mary snorted. “Did you see the bookcase that he tried to put together for the Scout room?”
“Okay, maybe not him,” John said. “You or one of the other youth leaders could do it then.”
“We’ll be around to help as assistants but we need someone who knows wood working.”
John sighed. “There must be someone else you can get to lead the project.”
“There probably is but I’m asking you.”
John shook his head. “I’m not the right person.”
Mary crossed her arms. “Why not?”
John said nothing for a moment and then sighed. “I haven’t lived that great a life. I did some sinful things when I was younger.”
“Do you still do them now?”
“No, of course not. I gave up those ways when I became a Christian.”
“So what’s the problem?”
John threw up his hands. “The problem is that I’m not a good role model. Especially not for the kids who come to the program- those who are at risk of falling into the life I used to lead. I think you need to find someone else.”
Mary looked at her friend. “John, have you ever thought that I asked you because I think you would be a great role model for these kids?”
“Honestly, the thought never crossed my mind.” John sat down on the stool beside the table.
“Why would you think I should be someone the kids look up to?”
“Simply because you are one of the most honest authentic Christians I know.” Mary paused. “I think the teens can learn a great deal from you.”
“I could teach them about building these boxes that’s for certain.” John scratched his chin. “I just don’t think my life is one they should be looking at for direction. I don’t want them to pick the wrong path like I did at their age.”
“Would you be honest with them if they asked you about that wrong path?”
“Of course. I know the pain and heartache which waits for them if they keep going that way in their lives.”
“Which is why I think maybe your example is what they need to see. Someone who followed the way of the world and discovered the only true way is through Jesus.” Mary sighed. “You know most of them have had trouble with the law, at home, and are at the point of dropping out of school, don’t you?”
John nodded.
“Can you think of another person to show them the faith and determination they will need to let their lives be changed?”
John looked at Mary for a few moments. “Okay. I’ll try.”
Mary reached out her hand. “That is all God asks from any of us.”
Peter Andrew Smith is an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada currently serving St. James United Church in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He is the author of All Things are Ready (CSS) a book of lectionary based communion prayers and a number of stories and articles, which can be found listed at www.peterandrewsmith.com.
*****************************************
StoryShare, September 11, 2016, issue.
Copyright 2016 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
"Come, Join the Party!" by Keith Wagner
"Only Fools Do Not Share" by Keith Wagner
"Examples of Grace" by Peter Andrew Smith
Come, Join the Party!
by Keith Wagner
Luke 15:1-10
Remember the runaway bride? At first, the woman, Jennifer Wilbanks, who disappeared from Duluth, Georgia in August of 2007 during the week of her massive wedding, was considered to be a missing person, and a victim of foul play. A massive search was undertaken. Instead, much to the public's shock and outrage, it turned out that Wilbanks deliberately ran away.
Unfortunately Wilbanks ran out of money in a seedy section of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in a cross-country bus trip that took her to Las Vegas. She called 911 and claimed she had been kidnapped by a Hispanic man and a white woman. Hours later, her story fell apart, and she admitted to lying about the kidnapping story.
Wilbanks wasted tens of thousands of dollars in law enforcement time and manpower for a missing persons investigation that never should have been. Wilbanks later claimed she wanted to pay restitution to the city. She was eventually sentenced to community service. Her family also vowed to pay back the city for the cost of her search.
But, when Jennifer was found her family celebrated. Her fiancé was not very pleased, but he too eventually forgave her. The story made national headlines. Everyone, especially the media, focused on her faked disappearance. Few people however celebrated the fact that she was alive and ok.
As human beings we have a tendency to rush to judgment. Like the Pharisees who Jesus constantly confronted, we have difficulty rejoicing when someone has come home, come to their senses or resurfaced after a lengthy absence. We’re more apt to say, “Where the heck you been?” rather than, “It’s wonderful to see you again.”
Jesus illustrated the attitude of the Pharisees with these two parables; the lost sheep and the lost coin. Taking the time to find a stray sheep and leave the rest of the flock unattended was offensive to the Pharisees. Why waste time on a single sinner when there are so many righteous folks? Also, why spend time and resources looking for one lousy coin that wasn’t worth much? A silver coin or drachma in that day was only worth about a day’s wages, not a great sum of money.
The parables are intended to show that God does not limit mercy to a special few. The lost and the worthless are important too. In fact, they are so important to God that in both cases there is a celebration. Friends and neighbors are called together to share in the good news. “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.”
Many people I know can’t appreciate a gift. When you give them something they say, “Oh, you shouldn’t have.” Or, “What have I done to deserve this?” A gift is just that, a gift. God’s mercy is a gift and that gift is reason enough to celebrate. If we can’t accept a gift for ourselves then it is unlikely we will be able to accept God’s gift to others.
Perhaps we can’t understand the need for celebration because we have never been lost. After all, we can be just as lost in our goodness as we are lost in some other way. Some are too proud to accept the fact that they are lost. Others are just simply in denial.
In his book, I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church, Paul Nixon tells the story about a new church start called The Community Life Center. It was to be an outreach ministry of the Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church in Florida. They flooded the neighborhoods with postcards and other publicity that asked the question, “Are we having fun yet?” That question puzzled some folks since church folks don’t traditionally have fun. The new facility was bordered by two churches that were, in contrast, overly serious. Neither of the neighboring churches enjoyed reputations as centers of fun and joy.
In the first weeks that the Community Life Center opened, hundreds of people from the community flooded into the building and into the life of the church at every level. The church worked hard to ensure that they had fun. In our culture most people will instinctively choose joy and fun over drudgery every time. To be a person of faith is to be able to experience joy, to celebrate the discovery of finding the lost.
To have faith is to be joyful. Christianity should be an exuberant and happy faith. Somewhere in history we have replaced celebration with stoicism and rigidity. God wants us to let our hair down. God wants us to join in the party!
* * *
Only Fools Do Not Share
by Keith Wagner
Psalm 14
One of the primary theories that I used to teach in Marriage and Family classes at Edison Community College was the Social Exchange Theory. Basically the theory means that actions, especially domestic chores, are measured on a cost-benefit basis. When there is equity in a relationship it is strong. When there is inequity one partner carries a heavier load and that can lead to problems. When partners are in an inequitable relationship, they generally feel uncomfortable, angry or distressed since one partner dominates or overpowers the other. In other words, sharing is what creates a healthy relationship.
I believe that the Psalmist is describing the attribute of sharing. The “fool” doesn’t share. Those who understand God however, share their resources with those who have need. God made humans to be God’s partners in taking care of God’s creation. God gives us partners to share life and God’s creation. The most successful relationships are those where the partners are equal. Our partners however can be anyone, a spouse, an extended family member or friend.
I have many images of my parents but the one that stands out the most is the image of my mother and father doing the dishes together. Mom would wash and Dad would dry. I once asked them why this was such a meaningful event for them. My mother replied, “Because your father and I know that you four boys will leave us alone while we do the dishes.”
My parents were married for sixty-seven years. Their roles in the household were mostly traditional, my mother attending to the household tasks of cleaning, cooking and doing laundry, while my father worked, mowed the yard, fixed things around the house and maintained the cars. Besides doing the dishes together they shared in gardening and most importantly parenting their four sons. Their role model as equal partners has been a tremendous influence on me, especially the importance of sharing.
Another role model for me is the actress Carol Burnett. When Carol was at UCLA she was in a drama group that wasn’t having a great deal of success. One of her professors invited Carol and eight other students to his vacation home in San Diego. The group did a performance of Annie Get Your Gun, for his guests. Afterwards a complete stranger came up to her and said he had admired her performance.
The stranger asked Carol what she intended to do with her life. She told him she had aspirations of going to New York and beginning a career on stage. He then asked what was stopping her. She told him she did not have the funds. The man then pledged to give her a thousand dollars to get her started. She was reluctant to take the money but he said that it was a loan. If she didn’t succeed she would have to pay him back. Carol then headed for New York and you know the rest of the story.
Carol attributes the start of her career in show business to her silent partner. Five years later she repaid the loan and pledged to never reveal his identity. She said she will always be grateful to her silent partner and what she learned from the experience was to be a silent partner to others.
Maya Angelou had an aunt by the name of Tee. She worked as a maid for 30 years as a live-in housekeeper for some wealthy white folks in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, CA. On Saturdays Aunt Tee would cook pig’s feet, greens and fried chicken. She invited her friends for the evening. Her friends included the chauffer, another housekeeper and her husband. They ate, drank, danced, laughed and played cards. One evening her employers knocked on the door. They apologized for disturbing her but they were curious about all the joy and laughter coming from Aunt Tee’s apartment. They wanted to be part of it. They asked if she could leave her door open so they could enjoy the joy and laughter coming from Aunt Tee and her friends. They yearned for the warmth and happiness that their 14-room house, three cars and swimming pool could not provide for them. In that moment Aunt Tee’s employers learned the meaning of sharing.
The Psalmist said, “Will evildoers never learn, those who devour my people as men eat bread and do not call upon the name of the Lord?” Perhaps it’s all about sharing our bread, especially all of our resources.
In April, 1973, the Park Center YMCA in Midland, Texas, asked for volunteers to help repair seventeen run-down homes in the city. The effort was so successful that the Midlanders made it an annual event. After volunteers had completed repairs on one home, the owner opened her front door and exclaimed, “It’s just like Christmas in April.” The name stuck. “Christmas in April” has made hundreds of homes livable in Midland and it also brought the people together. Men and women, young and old, black, white, and Hispanic built a community spirit. The program became a tradition and one year they repaired 84 homes. The Midlanders have learned that helping others benefits the whole community. All they had to do was rearrange their priorities, pull their resources and go to work.
Rev. Dr. Keith Wagner is the pastor of St. John's UCC in Troy, Ohio. He has served churches in Southwest Ohio for over three decades. He is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and has an M.Div. from Methodist Theological School, Delaware, Ohio, and a D.Min. from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He has also been an adjunct professor at Edison Community College, Piqua, Ohio. He and his wife, Lin, live in Springfield, Ohio.
* * *
Examples of Grace
by Peter Andrew Smith
1 Timothy 1:12-17
John shook his head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“Why not?” Mary asked. “They can be built, can’t they?”
“The design is easy enough.” John waved his hand over the plans on the table. “I think I could build these flower boxes in my sleep.”
“So what about the youth from the program making them?”
“They would need some instruction and some supervision.” John rubbed his chin.
“So is the project beyond them?”
“No,” John said. “They may have to learn some things but I think the teens in the program should do fine.”
Mary gestured at the tools that surrounded them in the workshop behind the church. “I know they’re donated and not in the best shape but are the tools not right for the project?”
John let his eye wander over the boxes of drills and stacks of saws. “Some of them probably should be tossed but most of them look serviceable.”
“So is the building material not sufficient?”
John picked up a sample of the wood. “No, the wood is fine for the task. They should probably paint the outsides before they put them together but it is solid enough for the project. You really have enough to make a hundred boxes?”
“We do. The hope is we will raise enough money to keep the program going for another year.”
John whistled. “Can you sell that many?”
“If we make the boxes different sizes so people can plant vegetable or flower gardens on roofs and balconies we shouldn’t have any problems. Teddy says that he can move them as fast as we can build them.”
“With his connections Teddy is the person who can.” John put the wood back on the table. “You seem to have everything.”
“We have everything except someone to work directly with the kids to make these boxes. That’s why I’m asking you.”
“What about Pastor Ike?”
Mary snorted. “Did you see the bookcase that he tried to put together for the Scout room?”
“Okay, maybe not him,” John said. “You or one of the other youth leaders could do it then.”
“We’ll be around to help as assistants but we need someone who knows wood working.”
John sighed. “There must be someone else you can get to lead the project.”
“There probably is but I’m asking you.”
John shook his head. “I’m not the right person.”
Mary crossed her arms. “Why not?”
John said nothing for a moment and then sighed. “I haven’t lived that great a life. I did some sinful things when I was younger.”
“Do you still do them now?”
“No, of course not. I gave up those ways when I became a Christian.”
“So what’s the problem?”
John threw up his hands. “The problem is that I’m not a good role model. Especially not for the kids who come to the program- those who are at risk of falling into the life I used to lead. I think you need to find someone else.”
Mary looked at her friend. “John, have you ever thought that I asked you because I think you would be a great role model for these kids?”
“Honestly, the thought never crossed my mind.” John sat down on the stool beside the table.
“Why would you think I should be someone the kids look up to?”
“Simply because you are one of the most honest authentic Christians I know.” Mary paused. “I think the teens can learn a great deal from you.”
“I could teach them about building these boxes that’s for certain.” John scratched his chin. “I just don’t think my life is one they should be looking at for direction. I don’t want them to pick the wrong path like I did at their age.”
“Would you be honest with them if they asked you about that wrong path?”
“Of course. I know the pain and heartache which waits for them if they keep going that way in their lives.”
“Which is why I think maybe your example is what they need to see. Someone who followed the way of the world and discovered the only true way is through Jesus.” Mary sighed. “You know most of them have had trouble with the law, at home, and are at the point of dropping out of school, don’t you?”
John nodded.
“Can you think of another person to show them the faith and determination they will need to let their lives be changed?”
John looked at Mary for a few moments. “Okay. I’ll try.”
Mary reached out her hand. “That is all God asks from any of us.”
Peter Andrew Smith is an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada currently serving St. James United Church in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He is the author of All Things are Ready (CSS) a book of lectionary based communion prayers and a number of stories and articles, which can be found listed at www.peterandrewsmith.com.
*****************************************
StoryShare, September 11, 2016, issue.
Copyright 2016 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
