What Concern is that to You and Me? January 17, 2016
-
Fertile LutheranJanuary 17, 2016Sanctity of Life SundayText: Isaiah 62:1-5Psalm 36:5-10I Corinthians 12:1-11John 2:1-11What Concern is that to You and Me?Today is Sanctity of life Sunday- a day set apart to remind us that God is the author and creatorof all life. At creation, God breathed into a lump of clay, His breath of life. Without God, therecan be no life. All life matters to God and is sacred.No matter what color of skin, gender, or nation we live in; God cherishes you and the life youlive. Makes no difference if you are rich or poor; educated or illiterate- your life matters. Makesno difference if you are young or old or yet to be born, each person, each unique life matters toGod. Life is who God is all about- and if God is about life- then shouldn’t we be too? PrayIn this morning’s gospel reading we find the story of Jesus’ first miracle- Jesus turning water intowine- and I’m wondering-as miraculous as it is- what is so important about changing water intowine? Perhaps it is about more than just changing water into wine.There is a wedding in Cana of Galilee- and Jesus and the disciples had been invited to come asguests as was Mary, the mother of Jesus. The party is going along well- and then the wine runsout. Mary comes to Jesus and tells Him: “they have no wine”. Jesus responded by asking aninteresting question: “What concern is that to you and to me?”In society today-we hear that question asked all the time either verbally or quietly in ourthoughts. Someone points out a need or an injustice- and the response is so? “what concern isthat of mine?” People hesitate to speak up or get involved, even if they inwardly think someoneshould say something or do something- as long as it isn’t them. And so they shrug their shouldersand do nothing. “what concern is that of mine?”But Jesus is never apathetic-God is never apathetic- there must be more than meets the eye goingon here. What if Jesus was asking her literally- and us-to consider what we should do in responseto a need we see- and then act on it?Mary responded to the question by turning to the servants and telling them to: “do what He tellsyou.” Wow. In that simple statement she relinquished all her personal agendas and emotions andput it in Jesus’ hands, trusting Him to do whatever is best.When we read the paper or hear the evening news-or see something right in front of us-I’mwondering what would happen if we asked that same question before dismissing it? What if wewere to earnestly ask that question: “what concern is that of God- and if so- shouldn’t it be aconcern of ours? As we become consciously aware of the needs around us- we should first bring
-
that need to Jesus- then tell others- and then listen to Jesus and do what he wants us to do- bothcan be difficult to do.Bombarded with the needs of those we know can sometimes overwhelm us, say nothing of themasses of people we don’t know. It’s not long before we throw up our hands and think: “noconcern of mine- I’ve got enough problems of my own.” And besides- I am just one person- I’mafraid to speak up- let alone do something. I feel so inadequate and weak. But the truth is, wecan. But it needs to start by bringing it to Jesus first.Last weekend, I attended a Youth Encounter Event in Des Moines with the confirmation class.We had a great time and learned a lot. The theme verse was from 2 Corinthians 12:9 that says:“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. I will all the moregladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake ofChrist, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; forwhen I am weak, then I am strong.”Truth is, we are all inadequate- we all mess up- make mistakes-but God never gives up on us- butis there to pick us up- give us strength to go on- and in our weaknesses, we learn to trust God tobe our strength to do whatever He asks us to do. We need to remember that God never asks us todo anything that is not important. Everything he asks us is eternally important-even though itmay not appear important at first. And if it is important-we can trust Him to be our voice and ourstrength. What God desires of us is to listen and obey.We need to remember that God often works through the quiet, unnoticed, ordinary things of lifeto change and transform lives more often than not. Jesus told the servants to fill six jars withwater- each holding 20 to 30 gallons each. Not something they probably were excited aboutdoing-nothing glamorous about filling jars with water in the back. Probably no one even noticedthem working- but they did it anyway- they were called “servants” after all.As servants of God- our job is to do whatever God calls us to do- not just the exciting, up frontjobs- but the seemingly mundane , behind the scene jobs- but they are the things that lay thefoundation of God’s kingdom. That foundation is prayer- turning to Jesus first. Prayer is notseeking glory for ourselves- but as we humble ourselves before an almighty God-He fills ourheats with living water and as we offer it to others in acts of service- however simple we thinkthey maybe-God’s power- not ours-changes lives as if water had been changed into wine.Brings us to today- you and I. God is asking us to ask ourselves to be reminded of the concernsof God and make them our own. Of all the things we hear and see-I believe God wants us torespond to them- and do whatever He tells us to do. How do we know? Read the bible- listen andbe aware of the Holy Spirit gently prompting us to say something or keep silent- to do somethingor the right moment- but above all- to obey whatever we know to be true.What are some of the concerns of God today? God is concerned about all of mankind. Their livesmatter- their pain and suffering matter. God has sent us to be His hands and feet and heart ofcompassion. God has also sent us to be the voice of those who have no voice. Who are the most
-
innocent, the most vulnerable without a voice? The unborn. Since Roe v Wade, millions ofbabies have been murdered in what should be the safest place- the woman’s womb.We have let the issue of abortion become a political issue- when it is a spiritual issue. We havelet abortion become a debate among ourselves instead of listening to what God has to say- andwe have responded with apathy: “What concern does it have with me? When we should beasking: “what concern is it with God?”On Sanctity of Life Sunday the focus is often on the unborn baby- as it should be. They cannotspeak for themselves. The life of the unborn is important to God- but we dare not forget that thelife of the mother who chose to have an abortion is important to God just as much. The past doesnot have to define us. Abortion is wrong- but we have all made wrong choices- all have donethings we now know we shouldn’t have. But the good news of the gospel is that God is a God oflife- new life- who about transforming lives from what seems the worst scenario into the best.God is the God of life- new life in Christ. Our past does not have to define us.God spoke to the nation of Israel saying: “you shall no more be called “Forsaken”, and your landshall no more be termed “desolate” but you shall be called: “my Delight is in her”There are those in this country who want any mention of God be removed. They don’t want us toshare our faith or get involved in politics saying: “What concern is that of God and yours?” Theywant to keep the power of God to change lives confined to the four walls of our churches.Unfortunately, we too often do what they want on our own.There are those in this country who have no respect for the lives of others- and as a resultmillions of unborn babies have been murdered. It is only a matter of time before the lives ofthose considered unproductive and a burden to society to become candidates for euthanasia. Doyou think God is concerned? And if it is a concern of God- shouldn’t it be a concern of ours too?How then should we respond?Let us first turn to Jesus-be attentive to His voice- know what He has to say by reading His wordand the Holy Spirit and hearing and understanding His call- be obedient- even in our weaknesses.And in our weakness- let us trust Him to be our strength- for when we are weak, then we arestrong.To quote the Psalmist this morning: “For with you (God) is the well of life- and in your light wesee light.” May we rest in God’s love, but live lives emboldened to speak His concerns. In Jesusname- Amen.
Upcoming Events 