Sixth Epiphany: February 11, 2007

 A fish goes into a bank and approaches the teller.  He can see from her nameplate that the teller’s name is Patricia Whack.  So he says, “Ms. Whack, I’d like to get a loan to buy a boat and go on a long vacation.”

     Patti looks at the fish in disbelief and asks how much he wants to borrow.  The fish says, “$30,000.”  The teller asks his name and the fish says his name is Rainbow Jagger and his dad is Mick Jagger.  He knows the bank manager and assures Ms. Whack that the loan will be approved. 

     Patti explains that $30,000 is a substantial amount of money and that he will need some collateral to secure such a loan.  She asks if he has anything he can use as collateral. 

     The fish says, “Sure, I have this,” and he produces a tiny porcelain fly rod and reel, about an inch long, detailed, and perfectly formed.  Very confused, Patti explains that she will have to consult with the manager.  She disappears into a back office.  She tells the manager, “Sir, there’s a fish named Rainbow Jagger out there who claims to know you and wants to borrow $30,000 to buy a boat.  He wants to use this as collateral.”  She holds up the tiny porcelain rod and reel.  “I mean, what in the world is this?"

     The bank manager looks back at her and says, “It’s a knick-knack, Patti Whack.  Give the fish a loan.  His old man’s a Rolling Stone.”

      Another fish story.  No doubt, that’s one that should have gotten away!

     Today we move away from the seashore, down off a mountain, to a level place where we are taught a life-lesson.  It is a lesson that must be taught and learned by every generation of those who, by the grace of God, call themselves Christians.  It is not an easy lesson to learn; especially in a consumer oriented culture like ours, where in the past two years we have spent more than we’ve earned.  That hasn’t happened since 1933.

     In a movie that has become something of a cult-classic, called The Big Chill, a young woman attorney tells of how she went to law school and then joined the public defender’s office.  She says she did that because she wanted to fight for the poor and oppressed.  But, she was shocked to discover that most of the people she represented in court were rotten people and guilt as all get-out. 

    (When I served as chaplain at the Tazewell County jail I had much the same feeling.  Most are guilty, not very pleasant, and deserve to be where they are.)  The young woman became disillusioned and abandoned her service.  She joined a large corporate law firm and set out to make money.

     Many well-intentioned Christians have shared such disillusionment when sincere efforts to serve others in need backfired or failed to meet their expectations.  Back when many churches stepped forward to help resettle the refugees from Southeast Asia, a church in California was cheated out of money and household items by one such family.  Some of the members of the church were naturally incensed and felt like never helping anyone again, even those in their own community.  The head of the resettlement committee reminded them that service isn’t based on expecting gratitude from those being helped and that people shouldn’t be surprised when those in desperate need turn out to be sinners like everyone else.

     Service is not based on response.  When Jesus commissioned the apostles, he didn’t instruct them to go only to the nice and appreciative.  What Jesus seemed to be saying in today’s Gospel from Luke, from what is known as the Sermon on the Plain, is that spreading the Word would bring them in contact with the nasty and not just the nice.  Not everyone would listen to them, not everyone is loveable, and sharing the message would create enemies.  Those are the very people who would need to be loved the most. 

     Jesus the Christ calls us to service remembering the values of God and not become involved with judging by the values of the world.  If we do that we can be assured of three things.  One, we may live fearlessly; two, we can expect to be absurdly happy; and three, we will be constantly in trouble.  If we take the world’s way, we must abandon the way of God in Christ.  If we take the way of God in Christ, we must abandon the way of the world. 

     It’s great to serve the grateful.  Their smiles and thankful eyes always warm our hearts.  But God calls us to serve the ingrates, too.  The wino who eats out of the dumpster at the rear of the supermarket and whose eyes are so glazed that they have long ago lost the ability to say thanks has a claim on the one who has decided to follow the way of God in Christ.  The white-collared bank executive or company CEO who is found guilty of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars and who feels unforgivable has a claim on the one who has decided to follow the way of God in Christ.  Reaching out to either, or to both, will mean ridicule by the world.  Both are entitled to be served by those who are sent in the name of Christ.  To do less is to look for avenues of service through stain-glass eyes.

     The King described Camelot in the Broadway musical by singing, “The rain may never fall ‘til after sundown; by eight the morning fog must disappear.  The snow must never slush upon the hillside; by nine PM the moonlight must appear.”  Some of God’s people would choose to serve in Camelot, in a world where all those in need are perfectly nice.  There are many well-meaning Christian folk who won’t serve except in Camelot.  But Camelot does not exist, except in our imaginations and we are called to live and live in an imperfect world where the dispossessed aren’t always trustworthy, the poor aren’t always nice, and all too many take rather than receive.  Well, surprise dear children of God; we are called by the Lord of this life and the life that is to come to serve others anyway, in his name.  Such is the way of God in the world.  Amen.