Journeys are amazing things. Each has bends and dips. Each has struggles
and challenges. Each has surprises, even epiphanies experienced along
the way. Some are easier than others. Some more beautiful than others.
Some more painful than others. But we’re each on one, every
one of us as we move ahead as Christian disciples. This morning on
this Scout Sunday we’ll explore what “being prepared”
may mean. Will you pray with me? May the words of my mouth, and the
meditations of our hearts gathered in this place for worship, be acceptable
in Thy sight, O Lord our strength, our guide and our redeemer. Amen.
Kyle
Schleiderer – I’d be willing to bet that few in this room
know that name. Kyle is a young, not yet twenty-year-old who lives
in Ventura County. By May 29, 2005, Kyle had spent six years as an
active Boy Scout in Ventura Troop 103. During those six years Kyle
had earned merit badges in swimming, life-saving, first aid and more.
He was on his way to his Eagle. As he would say, he was preparing
for something he thought would probably never happen. But Kyle lived
the motto – Be Prepared. It was on a somewhat rough and windy
day that Kyle was out with his family on their 34-foot cabin cruiser
just off of Santa Cruz Island. The sea was choppy and white-capped,
the wind strong and freshening. Then came the call.
Two young, inexperienced kayakers had gone missing. Kyle’s dad
got the call that a park ranger needed to be picked up by the Schleiderer
boat for a search. They knew the general area and it wasn’t
long after picking up the ranger before Kyle saw the blue kayaks bobbing
against the vertical cliffs of Santa Cruz Island. Then they saw the
women. Both in their twenties, one yelling, the other not moving.
First they tried to throw lines to the women. That was unsuccessful.
Then they threw life jackets. The women could not grab them. Everyone
knew that the women had been in the 52-degree water for more than
an hour. Hypothermia had set in. The sharp rocks of the cliff had
obviously beaten one of the women. She was unconscious. The other
was barely holding on to consciousness. There was no choice. Kyle
dove in. He kept them together and kept their heads above water. He
stayed with them in the water until the Coast Guard arrived and were
able to move them away from the cliffs and into safety. One of the
kayakers died from her wounds. The other was saved because of Kyle’s
knowledge of water rescue. Kyle was prepared for this day because
of his experiences as a Boy Scout. Kyle was awarded the Honor Medal
With Crossed Palms for his rescue and then received his Eagle Scout
that next November.
One reporter wrote, “Kyle is the consummate Boy Scout. He has
a firm handshake and great manners. He is humble and respectful, and
seems unaffected by either the medals or notoriety.” Kyle simply
states, “I was glad that I was prepared for a day like that.
It was thanks to scouting that I was prepared.”
One
of the things I most respect about Scouts is that they live and are
directed by three things. First they have a clear and concise law.
The Boy Scout Law reads this way. A Scout is to be trustworthy, loyal,
helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave,
clean and reverent. The Girl Scout Law is similar with words like
honest and fair, courageous and strong with respect for self and others,
authority and resources. They both have an appropriate simple oath
to guide them. The Boy Scout Oath reads: On my honor I will do my
duty to God and my country and obey the scout law; to help other people
at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and
morally straight. The Girl Scout Promise reads similarly and talks
of serving God and country, helping people, and living by the Girl
Scout Law. Boy Scouts add to those, two other simple statements: Be
Prepared and Do a Good Turn Daily. Both are powerful in their simplicity
and presuppose a need to do something for someone else out of kindness
or need. They live by an understanding of expectations that go along
with both. So, a law, an oath and clear expectations. They are also
deeply aware that they need help in order to stick to these things.
So, add to that, leaders and guides at every level along the way that
help move each individual scout forward.
As a Scout I certainly had others in my troop that helped me along,
a patrol leader that helped lead my smaller group, a scout leader,
a board, and parents who understood and stayed involved. I’m
sure Kyle Schleiderer would say the same. I can say without question
that Scouting is one of the most effective citizenship and leadership
training organizations on the planet. Think about if for just a minute.
The process of development begins with those just old enough to understand
that life is more than video games and television. Scouting helps
young folks set priorities. There are significant mile-markers along
the way to help each Scout see how they’ve progressed. They
are recognized and the behaviors are reinforced with awards, badges,
pins, and ceremonies that really do mean something. The rules are
clear and the expectation to follow those rules is equally clear.
They have mentors of every age, not just adult leaders, but other
youth whose role it is to keep them motivated and moving forward.
On the chancel this morning we have Kyle McCreight and Grant Olsson.
Kyle is toward the beginning of his scouting journey while Grant is
moving toward the end of his. Michael McCreight led the Children’s
Moment. Michael is a Scout Leader. Without exception, each helps the
others along the way – young Kyle included.
They
learn survival. They learn that others matter. They learn teamwork.
They learn pride in themselves and in those around them. The goals
are both near and far and there is an ultimate goal: Helping others
and earning Eagle. And in this time when nature is all over the news,
these young men and women take nature very seriously. You see it in
all of their materials. They know the power inherent in it because
they spend time getting to know it. They go places where others wouldn’t
dare. You getting all of this? And above all, they are taught to be
prepared – at all times and in circumstances, on any path and
in any situation, to always be prepared. And the other constant –
it is about others – those in need so much more than it is about
individual scouts. We have a ton we can learn from scouts…a
ton.
Like
Scouts, we Christians live by a law, an oath and by an understanding.
This sounds as simple as that of the Boy Scouts and is equally as
difficult to live out. The Law sounds simple. Jesus put it that way.
“Love God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength;
and love your neighbor as you love yourselves.” All of the Law
and prophets come together in that First or Greatest Commandment.
As simple as the commandment may sound, it is exceedingly difficult
to live out. You’ve heard me preach on that often. Today I want
to concentrate on the other two: the oath and the promise.
The oath can be found in the reading from Luke – beautiful language
and potentially beautiful if lived out in the every day. Look again
at the statement and notice that it isn’t directed at the crowd.
It is directed at one population: the disciples. He says, “Blessed
are you that are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are
you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who
weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of
the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your
reward is great in heaven.” And then come these very difficult
words, particularly for us. “But woe to you who are rich, for
you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for
you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will
mourn and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is
what their ancestors did with the false prophets.” These are
difficult words but needed especially today.
Friends,
if we are rich while others live in divest poverty, and we don’t
recognize both our role and our responsibility - that’s a problem.
If we are full now and easily ignore or forget those in countries
like Darfur who are ravaged and starving, that’s a problem.
If we avoid situations that place in conflict with those who take
advantage of others or quickly turn the page of the newspaper when
reading about a quadriplegic homeless person dropped off by a local
hospital in the worst part of skid row, or don’t respond –
that’s a problem. If we seek to always live our lives surrounded
by pleasures, comforts, and don’t offer others the same opportunities,
then we have work today. And if we don’t want to hear words
like these from a pulpit – then that too is a problem. God isn’t
just asking us to be concerned about those who are poor, those who
are hungry, those who cannot stop weeping, and those who are stepping
into harms way to do something about it. God is demanding us to get
involved. If you are a disciple then the message we have here in Luke
6 is directed at you. Now the question is why.
What
under-girds it, much like the words central to every Scout, is what
is central to those of us who are Christian. What we are and what
we do is centered on one simple word: resurrection. At the interview
last Tuesday I was asked by the group focused on theology what I thought
eternal life to be. What I found strange was that we had just dealt
with this question Monday evening at my Disciple class. My answer
to the Board of Ordained Ministry was the same as my lesson to the
Disciple class. Eternal life – even resurrection is not simply
about something that occurs after we die. It is about what we do today,
here, and now. It is what Jesus is talking about in this part of Luke.
Ours is to help people become alive again, even alive more fully.
Ours is to bring life to those who are poor, food to those who are
starving, hope to those who are hopeless, accountability to those
who need it and in doing these things – lives will be resurrected
and the kingdom of God will take one more dramatic step forward.
Part
of the challenge is that all too few of us realize how basic a part
of our Christian lives these expectations may be. When Jesus talks
about loving God and loving neighbor, this is what He’s talking
about. We hold a level of compassion for the lives of others so deeply
that we can no longer live without taking appropriate action. Like
young Kyle Schleiderer, we can’t help but dive in to save those
who are struggling or drowning. We do it because we have to. We do
it because we’ve prepared to do it. It is what church is –
that place, like Scout meetings and outings, where we become more
and more proficient and more effective in those acts of bringing resurrection.
As I said, resurrection isn’t just about life after physical
death. It is about life after any semblance of death - death of relationships,
death in the form of hunger, death as hopelessness, death that comes
in our souls when there is no one there to comfort us. That’s
our role as Christian disciples. If we don’t live resurrection,
if it is not a priority, if we don’t take on those things that
surround us everyday – then we die, our souls simply shrivel
up and we become one in need of resurrection. Take the actions –
Be reborn. That’s how it works.
Friends,
like I said to my Evangelism class yesterday, we have good news. No,
we have great news. We have life-changing news, life-healing news,
action oriented feeding the hungry kind of news… Our souls have
been saved and are healthy because we take on providing good news
– not just with words but also in the form of food, hope, clothing,
help, political action, Christ-centered stewardship, and action to
bring resurrection. I love how author and theologian Michael Green
says it. In his book, Evangelism in the Early Church, Michael Green
states, We should be not only shouting the news from the rooftops,
we should be filling the valleys of peoples lives with good things,
needed things, hoped for things. We should be spreading it, defining
it, chattering about it, throwing it, announcing it, and making it
available now, today – both the physical and the eternal. That
is good news. That is the Church.” I absolutely agree.
To accomplish this, we need leaders to show us the way and activities
that result in things that mark our progress as we move ahead. We
need clarity about our role and our ultimate objective – the
fulfillment of the kingdom of God or a world where all are fed, clothed,
have hope and find grace. We need to know, like those in need, that
none are in this alone, but that we’re all in this together
– everyone in the world. We, who are rich, are laughing now,
and who are full now have a significant role based in significant
expectations. And, like Kyle Schleiderer we need to be prepared for
whatever may be coming – and opportunities are coming - where
God is calling us to dive in, no matter the cost, no matter the danger,
and do what needs to be done to save lives. We need to become bolder
in our proclamation of the faith in this community, and bolder in
our actions for the kingdom. We cannot be satisfied with what we’ve
already done but need, with great passion, look ahead at places where
resurrection is needed. We are Christian disciples and that is our
role, the fulfillment of the law that we seek to follow, and the outgrowth
of our oath. That is what makes us disciples of Jesus Christ and expanders
of the kingdom of God. Amen? Amen!
©Brad
Beeman , 2007. Permission is given for brief quotation with attribution.
All other rights reserved.
First
United Methodist Church
1008 Eleventh Street
Santa Monica, CA 90403
www.santamonicaumc.org
(310) 393-8258
Be
Prepared