We know Him by many different
names: Savior, Redeemer, Son of God. Today's text invites
us to think about Jesus as God's YES to all God's
promises, and to us.
It's an interesting twist, isn't it: Jesus as supreme
affirmation. Think of all the times God said yes: In Genesis,
God saw all that He had made, and God said, "Very good." In Exodus,
God saw oppression, and said to Pharaoh, "Let 'em go!" The
eternal L'chaim: to life!
Now it comes down to a person. God affirms being human by,
well, being human. Was it worth the risk? Was it worth the pain,
and the loss? Who drove the nails, when Jesus shared his love?
God says, "It's worth it." I make this sacrifice, because it's
worth it. We are worth it, to God. And when we act in ways that
are not life-enhancing, we're trying to say no to God's
yes. But yes ultimately prevails. God's kingdom cannot
fail.
Well, they say, when life hands you lemons—you know the rest.
In this passage, Paul has lemonade in progress. Some people misunderstood
his motives, and they were saying nasty things about him. Did you
ever want to write a letter and 'splain yourself in no uncertain
terms—to show how right you were, and how wrong they were? You
lie awake at night thinking of some really good zingers—"that'll
show 'em." Good thing you never sent that LETTER!
Or did you? Paul sent a letter. But instead of putting them in
their place—he tried to put Christ in their hearts—or renew
Christ in their hearts.
What if we saw that as our mission, too?
Every misunderstanding can become an opportunity. Every wrong
interpretation of our motives becomes a chance to show the love
of Christ. I didn't say it was easy. But if that's uppermost
in our minds, it becomes more and more of a possibility. Because
of him, we can react counter intuitively. In the face of fear
and malice, we can offer strong love. Not wimpy love—"oh, okay, I guess
you're right. I give in." It's lemonade—it
should be a little bit tart. But strong love: in the name of
God, let there be light.
You and I apparently have that power. Paul the apostle knew
he had that redeeming power. We have the power of yes in our
lives.
Jim Fay is the head of a parenting organization called Love
and Logic. He has a technique called "Attribution Theory." He
says, "I asked parents to look at their kids' school
papers 2-3 times a week. They were to ignore the wrong answers
and focus only on 2 or 3 correct answers. Then they were to ask, "How
did you make this happen?" If the child said, "I dunno" then
the child could choose between "I tried harder" and "I'm
getting smarter." He gave the same technique to thousand
of school teachers. He offered a hundred dollars to any who didn't
see significant improvement. After many years he's only
had four takers.
What's the value of it? It makes them own their success.
It's not a fluke. It's not that they got lucky. It's
that they earned their success.
God's yes is an empowering yes. It helps people stand
tall.
Now think about that great story where the friends lowered
their buddy down through a hole in the ceiling. Jesus responded
to their care for their friend, as well as to the friend's need
for healing. Of all the things we might do for somebody else,
the greatest thing is to lower them down into the presence of
Jesus. I was on a youth group trip once when I was in high school.
It was a beautiful spot in Warwick, N.Y. But there were high
cliffs calling out to be climbed. But you know what? It's a lot
easier going up than coming down. Somebody—our youth pastor—talked
me down. Then, he said, "Great job." He made me think
I did it!
We don't need to make others dependent on us. We just
need to pray them into the presence of God. Meanwhile, we can
try to show integrity, to keep our word, fulfill our promises.
Jesus often said, "Your faith has made you well." What a liberating
thing.
Paul could have written a juicy, angry letter back. He didn't.
He said, "I love you people with all my heart. I say yes to you."
Look for the opportunities to affirm—to empower—to release
the redemptive factor in every situation because of God. Call
it what you will: making lemonade; affirming others; saying yes
to life. It's an act of faith, and it allows room for the
Spirit to bring hope, help, and healing.
Let us pray: God of love, in Jesus you say "Yes!" to
us. Help us to live in the strength of your affirmation, so others
will know the power of Yes in their lives, too. Amen. |
