The Eyes Have It…

October 2, 2016

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

The Body of Christ…?

Eyes…Windows of the Soul

Psalm 100

John 13:1-9, 12-17

James 2:14-17

Matthew 25:34,40-41, 45

The Eyes Have It…

Prayer of adoration and for God’s illumination so that His Word would be heard through me or in spite of me…

I would ask you to rise, as you are able, for the reading of the Gospel of John, chapter 13, verses 1-9 and 12-17…listen to the word from God for you and me, the people of God.

When I talk with my children I want them to look me in the eye. It drives me insane when I am talking with them and they are looking everywhere else but at me…into my eyes. I was always taught that when you talk with someone you should always loo them in the eye. For me…I know they are hearing me when they do. I also can almost tell what they are thinking…as if I am looking straight into their soul. I hate it when I am in pain and Ray asks me how am I doing… Of course I say “Fine…why” and he answers…I can see it in your eyes you are in pain. I can’t hide nothing from him…

Sometimes it is real difficult to look into others eyes. When we do we can see the pain and anguish they may be going through. It is as if their soul is just crying out through their eyes.  It can be hard to see…I know for me it is difficult I don’t want anyone to be in pain…It breaks my heart to see loved ones hurting.

It seems as if humanity…including Christians…are afraid of looking into others eyes because it would mean that they should do something to help and they just don’t want to get involved. It gets too personal when we reach out to others sometimes. We don’t want to get into others “business” so to speak. But isn’t that what we are here for. Even way back in the Garden God created a help mate, someone who would look into someone else’s eyes and be able to see a need and fill that need. Why is it that we are able to see a need and just look away?

We have been trying to define…trying to open our view of…the body of Christ? We have defined it as family. But how we do you and I really define “family?” But we don’t even come close to how God would define it. We are not the ones who define family…the Creator of our diversely awesome family is the One who really defines it…remember “Ohana means family and family means no one is left out or left behind.”  We have come to the realization that in order to become community in the world…in order to continue to be relevant we, as Christ’s followers, need to wake up. Wake from our slumber…wake from our complacency…wake from our numbness and see the world and people around us who are looking for someone to reach out in love, hope and compassion. We need to decide what is most important in our lives as Crist followers. And we need to do this together…as one family…one body of Christ. We are called to love one another. We are called to look into the eyes of those in need and help fill that need…

Ok so why would we want to help someone else? It is their issue not ours. Why do we have to reach out to someone with love and caring when they may not even ask for it? Isn’t that crossing over the line into their personal space…that personal boundary line? Do we really have to help…do we really have to step out of our comfort zone into their space of being? Do I really have to lower myself to their level and help out?

And survey says…Yes…yes we do… In the John scripture from this morning we hear about one of the things that Jesus did on the night before He gave Himself up for our sins. He served His disciples…He washed the feet of His disciples…the ones that were following Him. He was their teacher…their Rabbi…the Son of God…and He lowered Himself and served them…on that night He lowered Himself from Deity too human so that…humanity could be reconciled…so we could be reconciled to God. Now if Jesus…being deity…could lower Himself in so many ways for us…How can we not “lower” ourselves in His name?

Jesus told Peter “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” My question is this…if you and I don’t allow Jesus to work through us to “wash” others feet…do we have part of Him? Do we truly belong to Him if we choose not to look into others eyes…see their pain and need…and not try to alleviate it in Jesus name? Peter answered Jesus “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” Are we excited to have Jesus wash others through us? Are we excited about being used or do we just want to only to as little as possible for the Kingdom of God?

James 2: 14-17 tells us:

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

It is our faith that spurs us to help other. It is within our faith that we look into others eyes…see their need…and fulfill that need. It is not true faith if we glance in their direction and continue on our way. It is a dead faith if we do not want to share it with others through our actions.

So questioned posed earlier:

v why would we want to help someone else? Has anyone ever helped you? Pay it forward. Are you blessed by God? Pay it forward. Have you been accepted as a child of God? Rejoice and share the blessing. If you were in need would you want help? If so be that help that others may need.

v Why do we have to reach out to someone with love and caring when they may not even ask for it? Did Jesus ask if humanity wanted help or did He just go to the cross even as humanity sat in darkness and sin?

v Do we really have to help…do we really have to step out of our comfort zone into their space of being? We are not called to sit in our comfort zones. We are called to go out and make disciples of all nations.

v Do I really have to lower myself to their level and help out? Chances are…at some point in time…someone has felt they had to lower themselves to help you. Look at what Jesus did…

OK…synopsis…As we open our hearts and our doors to those who are on the outside we become family. As we become family we can work together as the body of Christ…as a family of believers who reach out to those who are looking for someone to grab their hand to pull them out of the vortex they are in. As we come together the word Ohana becomes our battle cry because no one is left out or left behind. As we help others our focus is changed and we begin to think “we” instead of “me”. We begin to see a change happen within our communities when we begin to define…to specify what really matters.  As we look into the eyes of others and come up next to them and help them in their need, we will model what Jesus did for you and me.  As we work together as a church…as churches…as extended families…as the body of Christ…one body…we become one as we do all of this in the name the One who is the heads of the coin toss of life…being the head of the church, our hearts and our minds…our Risen Lord Jesus Christ…

Jesus is quite clear on what happens when we do or don’t help other…Matthew 25

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Or

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

Which would you choose?

Amen