· Ezekiel 2:1-5
· Psalm 123 (2)
· 2 Corinthians 12:2-10
· Mark 6:1-13
The theme in this week's lectionary is fairly clear: go preach the word of the Lord, and don't expect any thanks for it.
I think that's pretty much a lost cause with modern Christianity, especially here in the rich world. A third of people here are obese, another third is overweight, and almost no one can tolerate the least criticism. So the odds that any modern, rich-world Christian is going to hit the road with nothing to his or her name and go preach the word of God at the risk of a stoning, forty lashes minus one, imprisonment, or other personal discomfort are pretty minimal. Latter-Day Saints still go on missions, but not without material resources, and not at any particular risk to their person.
Now you might think it's not necessary anymore for Christians to go through all that discomfort, because God's good news has already reached around the world. You'd be wrong. First of all, obviously most people did not hear the part of God's good news that says "sell all you have, give the money to the poor, then come and follow me."
Jesus Christ, if he preached one thing, preached ascetic living. Repentance, sure. But repentance in the midst of self-gratification is thoroughly unconvincing. To repent is to deny ourselves, and we can't very well deny ourselves while wallowing in wealth until it kills us. So it might be a good idea for Christians to get out and preach, if not exactly Mother Theresa-like self-denial, at least simple, non-destructive living. And you're apt to get a pretty bad reception preaching that, I think.
The other thing Jesus Christ preached, if I recall, was forgiveness. And that's another one that nobody seems to be listening to. And when you think about it, forgiveness is another way to deny yourself. Yes, yes, it's a gift to yourself, yadda yadda. But in order to forgive with any kind of sincerity, you first have to accept that your hurt feelings are not paramount after all. And you're not gonna get very far preaching that one either, I can tell you.
But, that's not what I really want to talk about. You're not going to go forth in the clothes you're standing in now, taking not even your wallet, and preach poverty and forgiveness to other overweight egotistical people. Yet there is one thing left out of these three readings that is still accessible to most people. The part where God says to Ezekiel, "whether they hear or refuse to hear, they shall know that there has been a prophet among them."
You can do that without imposing, without risking your personal comfort or your ego, without denying yourself in any way. Or, maybe you can't. Some people can't give any level of service to others without feeling they're denying themselves. But hopefully as Christians, you're not that kind of people. Hopefully as Christians, you love serving others, because you are storing up rewards in Heaven, and whatever you have done to the smallest of these you have done to Christ.
So here is what you do: first of all, wear a cross. And don't just wear it as jewelry or inconspicuously. Find a cross pendant that is unadorned and large enough to be clearly visible. I have two crosses myself, a 3" one and a 1" one. They're made of olive wood on a brown string. Why? Partly because they're cheap and I'm not made of money, but mostly because I think that's the right way to wear a cross. A cross is not jewelry. It is not a gewgaw to adorn ourselves like painted whores. The cross signifies that we belong to the Lord, and yet most of us wear crosses that clearly show we belong to the Beast. So I wear a cross that cannot possibly be mistaken as an ornament, and I wear it so that it can be seen.
Then, wearing your cross so you can be clearly identified as a Christian, go out and serve others. Serve them directly with your own hands, not in some remote manner, like selling raffle tickets or praying for their migraine to be removed. Don't do it in an organised fashion, by joining a group that makes a show of doing good deeds. Find an actual human being in need of some tedious, time-consuming, possibly back-breaking chore, and do that for them. Don't call it "volunteering", count up your hours and get an award. Just make yourself personally useful to a person, without any recognition.
And third, and this is the most important part, let God's love shine through you as you do it.
How do you do that? I can't tell you a method for it. If you're a Christian, and the Spirit is in you, it will come out naturally when you serve others, because that's the very essence of the Spirit. As a Christian, when you are serving others, you are doing exactly what you are in the world for, and it will show naturally, I think. But I suppose it doesn't hurt to smile, make eye-contact, be attentive, joyful and gracious, and treat the person you are serving with dignity.
If you get an opportunity to talk about the Lord as you do this service, great. If you don't, still great. It doesn't need to be said. Whether they hear you or refuse to hear, by your gracious, Christ-like service and by the cross you are wearing, they will know that there has been a prophet among them.
Praise be to God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
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