WHEN JESUS CAME TO CHURCH

Readings: Psalm 112:1-10, Micah 6:6-8, 1 Corinthians 2:1-16, Matthew 25:31-40
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, February 6th 2011

A printable PDF file can be found here

SouperBowl Sunday is a day when youth groups across America raise money for a charitable cause that they wish to support, by asking their congregations to drop a dollar (or more) in a soup bowl as they leave church. The money our youth collect will go to support our local food pantry in Freeport.

In another place I served, Fayetteville, WV, their church was near a main highway that attracted traffic on the way from Ontario to Florida and everywhere in between. Sometimes vehicles would break down or people would find themselves stranded with nowhere to stay. So the church used the ‘Souperbowl’ money to establish a fund to help those who were ‘passing through’ get a room for a night. You never knew who they might be!

I arrived home from a meeting, to be greeted by Yvonne telling me I needed to get over to the church, because there was a man there saying wouldn’t leave till he had seen the pastor.

Arrive I did and found him sitting in the sanctuary. He was wearing denims, quite dark-skinned, almost Spanish in appearance, sitting on the back pew reading a small bible. After reading a few verses, he would close the book, kiss the bible then bow his head in prayer, before returning to another reading.

Some brief introductions and he made his request, “I will sleep here tonight”. “Well, I said (realizing that I had some money from the SouperBowl Fund for just such a purpose), “Let me see if we can get you a room somewhere”

“No pastor” he explained, “I will sleep here, in this special place” pointing at the church around him. I said something about it being more comfortable in places where there were beds, but again he spoke up.

“Pastor, I’m sure you know your bible. Does the Word not say, ‘In my Fathers house’. I don’t want to go elsewhere. I want to be here, in my Father’s house”.

“Hmmm” I thought, this could be a tricky one. The man obviously hadn’t a shower for a while, nor I suspected had a decent meal. It would be a liability to leave him unattended in the church overnight because I knew nothing about this man at all, apart from his own recommendations. He could be on the run, could be an arsonist or an axe murderer. I didn’t know him from Adam. Or he could be totally genuine.

We spoke some more. He explained how God had commissioned him as a church worker and that he was traveling the country taking the Good News with him. He considered himself a bishop appointed to build up the body of the church. He would stay with whomsoever would welcome him and teach them the things of God.

Bishop or no bishop I really didn’t want him camping out in the sanctuary. So after some persuasion he agreed that a night in the Comfort Inn wouldn’t be so bad after all. The poor fellow didn’t have two cents to call his own, so that’s where the fund came in handy. We could also get him a good meal.

When we got up to the Comfort Inn he had to register for a room. He needed some identification.
“Name” the lady asked.
“Jesus” he replied.
Unfazed the lady said, “I need to see some I.D.”
So he pulled out a driving license and sure enough, there was his name, ‘Jesus,’ followed by a Mediterranean sounding second name.

We found him a room and then I stayed to talk with him a while about a whole range of topics. From what he told me he was from a Jewish background, but had converted to Christianity. He’d spent some time traveling in Israel. He had particular views about a whole host of things, varying from the role of the church, Middle East politics and the end of the world.

By the way he spoke and some of his actions, rocking to and fro as he talked, sometimes being a little incoherent, it was apparent that this was a man who had his share of problems. I don’t mean that in any condescending way; he was polite, gentle, reasonable and intelligent, yet at the same time he was someone who needed help.

Driving home I reflected on the situation. Jesus had come to stay at a church where I was the pastor, a place he called ‘His Father’s house’ but I’d thrown him out. In a reversal of the Bethlehem story, there was room at the Inn, the Comfort Inn! Because of the money in the Souperbowl fund, not only did he get a bed for the night but also a good meal inside him as well.

There are always people in our own community and beyond who have material needs. There are those who need food from food pantries, help with bills, help with clothing for themselves and family and numerous other things. The amount of requests for help seems to be increasing, rather than decreasing.

I’m grateful for those who seek to offer support through initiatives such as Souperbowl Sundays.

I can’t help but think of those words from Matthew’s gospel, (Chapter 25) 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' (37-40).

Later today two teams will be battling it out on the football field. One of them will go home knowing they are the winners, they are the champions. They deservedly will have their moment of glory.

Life’s not a football game. Yes, there are those who make it to the top of their personal dreams, there are winners. We rejoice with them. But there are also losers. There are those who never even make it onto the field.

So please be generous in supporting the SouperBowl fund, to help those like the roaming Jesus who wanted to sleep in the church. I realize that whatever we do is but a drop in the ocean. But oceans are nothing more than lot’s of drops of water. Every drop has significance and matters and counts.

With God’s help may we know the privilege of helping others in some practical, Holy Sprit inspired, Christlike way.

And To God’s name be the Glory.