A few years ago, on one the
first Mission Trips our youth group took, we went to a homeless shelter that
served meals to those on the street and provided a program for those who wanted
help getting off the street. We met our guide, who was once a teacher and ended
up on the streets after a few mishaps in his life. One of the first things he
told us before taking us on a tour of the place was that they call all who
visited the place a “neighbor.” I remember talking to our youth later about
this term for all who walked through their doors, their reaction to it was one
of profound respect. They said by labeling those who are homeless “neighbors”
made it more personal. It helped them to feel more comfortable with whom they
met. It made it easier to work beside those they thought were so different, but
ended up being so similar to them. I believe our guide made this very easy by
sharing that he had been a high school teacher. It made our youth think about
the teachers they saw every day at school & how easy it was for someone
they knew to end up in the exact same place as our new neighbor, our guide.
In Luke, Jesus is asked, “Who
is my neighbor?” His answer is everyone. Jesus tells us a story of a man being
hurt and many passing him by, but the least likely character, a Samaritan who
is not liked or respected by the Jews, is the one who stops to help him. Jesus
tells us this is how to be a neighbor; he says to “Go and do likewise.” So who
is our neighbor? It is the neighbor we meet in a homeless center and kids at
VBS and people that live around the world. Which reminds me of our VBS theme
this year: Everywhere Fun Fair, Where God’s World Comes Together. At VBS kids
met welcoming neighbors from the Bible and explored the everyday lives of
neighbors from different places around the world. Throughout their week at VBS
they discovered how to love our neighbors near and far, in our own community,
and around the world. This is what I see our youth doing through their love for
mission work. They love to help others. They like to be in places where it is
easier for them to put down their everyday lives and focus on how God is
calling them to show God’s love through their actions.
Now, our readings today give
us two different reactions to a request from God – we have Moses, and his
reluctance – almost fear, and we have Isaiah, with his detailed visions and
eagerness to do God’s will.
In the Exodus passage from
today, we heard Moses say, “Who am I that I should go…” I
think many of us feel this way when we feel like we are being asked to do
something for God’s people. One of the members of our group experienced this on
Tuesday this past week. I will not mention her name, as to help her to stay
anonymous. This individual shared with me on Wednesday afternoon when we were
enjoying our free time that she had felt unsure about going to The Clara White
Mission to feed homeless in Jacksonville. This was her first experience at a
soup kitchen and didn’t know what to expect. It is also similar to our confession
we said earlier. We are asked for our hands to be used for God’s purpose, but
we doubt they are able to do enough, so we withdraw them. We are asked for our
voices to speak against the things we know are not right, but we are afraid we
don’t have enough power to make a difference, so we only whisper. We are asked
to for our eyes to see the pain in the world, but we turn away because it is
too much for us to handle and we feel like there is nothing we can do. But in
Exodus God tells Moses, and us, “I will be with you …” God promises we don’t
have to have everything and to be everything, but that God will be with us
giving us the strength and power to handle what needs to be done. By the way,
the youth I was talking about earlier reflected about the time we spent there
and she said she was really happy she stepped out of her comfort zone and went
with our group to feed so many people.
In Isaiah the Lord says,
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”
This is what I see our youth and their parents saying when they sign up to go
to Charlotte or Savannah or to help plant all the plants in the courtyard or
when they help at VBS or when they help carry items over for the Craft Fair or
when they collect food for Arlington Community Services. They are saying to God
“here am I; send me!” They are saying “I want to help my neighbors here at my
church, here in Jacksonville and in other communities and countries. Send me!
Pick me! I’m ready to share your love with all my neighbors!”
I’d like to show a short
video of some of our youth & their parents sharing why mission is so
important to them.
SHOW VIDEO (video of our youth doing many different mission projects along with their parents talking about why mission work is so important for their child to do was shown here with Michael Jackson's song "Man in the Mirror" playing in the background)
As you can see, this is a
strong passion for our youth and their parents. Our youth grow in who they are
and who they are becoming by meeting these different neighbors throughout their
summers. They are being the change in the world. I challenge all of us to look
in the mirror and to decide to start with ourselves & change the world with
our youth.
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