"Whatever You Do, Don't TIPTOE!" (6/15/08, Proper 6A/Ordinary 11A/Pentecost +5)

“Whatever you do, don’t TIPTOE!”
Proper 6A/Ordinary 11A/Pentecost +5
Sermon from 6/15/08
Matthew 9:35-10:8
Holly Springs Moravian Church


I was checking out the Holly Springs website the other day, as I do periodically, to keep up with what’s going on back here, and I was taken down memory road as I looked at Eric Terry’s photos that are posted on there, especially the ones from the Easter Sunrise service this past year. I remember a few years ago driving down Holly Springs Road with NO cars in sight, at some too-early-to-be-counted hour, in complete darkness, arriving in that field ready to see the sun shine. I have great memories of standing there, with my Holly Springs family, as we waited together for the Sun to PEAK out over the horizon and celebrate Easter!

We are a resurrection people. We believe in life after death and Jesus being raised from the tomb. (show DARKNESS EASTER PHOTO on screen) We are the ones who pilgrimage to a graveyard (or field) on Easter morning, before dawn in the cold darkness of death that lingers from Good Friday, (EASTER PHOTO 1-People) to watch and wait for the sun to rise as we proclaim to the whole world, “The Lord is risen. The Lord is risen, INDEED!” (EASTER PHOTO 2-Cross) We believe that God has power over death and that new beginnings are possible.

And yet, we live in a world that needs to hear that hope is here and love arrived in a manger over 2000 years ago, and through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus, God has shown that God does indeed care for us and love us.

I spent this past week at a church conference at Princeton University in New Jersey and was fortunate to hear one of my favorite authors and speakers, Shane Claiborne. In his book, The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical, he takes a look at Scripture and life and has managed to totally change my understanding of how I can live out God’s love in the world today. (If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it, but buckle your seatbelt, hang on, and get ready for an awesome journey!) He writes, “For even if the whole world believes in resurrection, little would change until we began to practice it. We can believe in CPR, but people will remain dead until someone breathes new life into them. And we can tell there world that there is life after death, but the world really seems to be wondering if there is life before death.” (Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution {Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006} 150).

Life before death. An interesting idea and all. But what does that look like? Shane quotes his college professor as saying, “All around you, people will be tiptoeing through life, just to arrive at death safely. But dear children, do not tiptoe. Run, hop, skip, or dance, just don’t tiptoe.” (The Irresistible Revolution, page 225). We hear Matthew’s words today to the disciples in Jesus’ time and they remind me of this same idea. Jesus has gathered a few of his students together to teach them and then send them out to show the world there is life before death. To me this passage in Matthew’s Gospel sounds strikingly similar to the professor’s words. We hear Jesus’ command: “Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons.” (Mt. 10:7-8, the Message). Show life to those in need, share love, and whatever you do, don’t TIPTOE!

The disciples were given the power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. The power from Christ Jesus was passed to His disciples, and we are continuing that work as Christ’s hands and feet in our world today to do the same work here as His student’s today.

So what does it look like today, if we are following in Jesus’ footsteps by bringing life before death into our own neighborhoods? I believe it looks like relationships that we build with the folks around us that don’t stay on the surface but get into each other’s “stuff” and help work together to make life better.

A lady I know has been struggling to make ends meet for months, and at this point is so far in over her head that she can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. The mortgage crisis has hit hard, and for this single working mother of a 10-year-old son, homelessness is knocking on the doorstep. She has been so depressed that she often can’t get out of bed in the morning, which makes working to keep the house that much more difficult. Recently, a couple of business men from our community came over, sat down with her, and helped to create a plan of action to tackle the problems and work together to make it happen. They used their gifts for understanding finances and business to help her see light in her situation. Her son said afterwards, “Mom, I know that God really does love us.” She now knows that God’s love is real, because these disciples came into the neighborhood and raised her from the dead. There is life before death.

One translation of the Scripture we read this morning says, “cleanse the leapers,” but I haven’t seen anyone with leprosy around here, so does that lessen the tasks we are called to? Bono, one of today’s great prophets and the lead singer for the Irish band U2, asks, “Is AIDS the new leprosy?” (quoted in multiple source) I don’t know about you, but I believe so. Who are the ones in our neighborhoods that society has deemed, “Unclean” or “Untouchable” who need to know of God’s loving touch? Folks with HIV/AIDS, additions, and debt? Folks without houses, jobs, or food? By forming relationships with folks, we get to show love through hugs, handshakes, and high-fives. We also get to walk alongside each other on the journey of life, using our gifts and skills to help where we can when their lives seem diseased or dis-eased.

We might hear the Gospel text speaking to us: “As we go, today, following Jesus on our journey, openly proclaim with your actions the good news, “Christ’s kingdom is near!” Have compassion and show grace and love as you work to bring balance and wholeness. Bring hope back to life for those who are beaten down and in despair. Remove the stains and dirt from those who are dis-eased around you. Drive away the breaths of greed, superiority, and consumerism that pervade our society. You all have been given to in abundance. Share that abundance.” And whatever you do, don’t TIPTOE—but show that there really is such thing as life before death.