This morning we come to the final sermon in our initial 2007 series, ‘The People’s Choice Sermon Series,’ that has a practical focus and message (Slide 1), ‘Caring, How Do I Do It?’ This sermon is in response to a request, as have the other sermons, about what to say and how to respond to those who are either sick or in a difficult situation.
Those are important moments in a person’s life. Many of us have spent time in a hospital bed as a patient. It is not a place that we enjoyed being in, was it? But a visit by a friend or a family member made the time more bearable didn’t it? Our spirits were lifted and we felt better.
Many of us here have had difficult moments and situations. They have been stressful moments or moments of grief. A visit or a phone call helped. We knew that others were thinking about us as well as praying for us.
Here then are a couple of things to consider this morning about caring:
(Slide 2) The first is that caring is a critical part of our faith. Randy Aly recalls Elton Trueblood quoting in one of his books a letter from a school girl who said, "I’ve been thinking much this year about the importance of caring, of the passion of life. I’ve often realized that it takes courage to care. Caring is dangerous. It leaves you open to hurt and to looking like a fool.
And perhaps it’s because they have been hurt so often that people are afraid to care. You can’t die if you’re not alive. And then who would rather be a stone? I have found many places in my own life where I keep a secret store of indifference as a sort of self-protection."
Perhaps you have seen the picture of our earth from a satellite image in a nighttime setting in which the lights of civilization are clearly seen. A comment has been made that the places where the lights shine the brightest and are the most concentrated are the places where the Christian faith has been the most effective over the centuries.
Christianity has contributed to the health, education, and care of people over the centuries. It has been the Christian church that started schools, hospitals, and service agencies to benefit the health and welfare of humanity. It has been caring, in Jesus’ name, that has been done.
But caring, as the young woman notes, is a very risky business. But, we cannot afford to quit caring because it is too vital to our mission and purpose as followers of Jesus. The command to love God and neighbor and the commission to ‘go’ and make disciples involves caring because it involves people.
(Slide 3) A second thing about caring is that it cannot be done apart from relationship.
In his book, Visiting in the Age of Mission, Kennon Callahan says, ‘Visiting is with persons. It is not to persons, where one talks and the other listens. Nor is visiting at persons. We’re not trying to pressure, hassle, or hustle.’
He continues, ‘Our visits with persons are reciprocal- two-way, inclusive, participatory. Visiting is not vertical and top down. It is horizontal and grass-roots.’
And he concludes, ‘God sends us to visit with individuals, not some impersonal grouping, not simply with the ‘unchurched.’ Now is a good time to give up any preoccupation with this impersonal category. We visit persons.’
But when we visit we often struggle with what to say. We don’t want to say the wrong thing. We want to be helpful. How do we visit, and more importantly, how do we care, well?
Now let’s turn to our main text this morning and see what it has to say to us on how to care.
(Slide 4) So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters.
The first thing we need to notice is how Paul begins his statement. (Slide 5) …don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up… He focuses on the importance of perspective and attitude.
Caring is hard work, Paul says, but don’t give up doing it. Don’t get discouraged in caring and quit it altogether.
As I processed these words I was reminded of the story of Jesus and the Ten Lepers that we read in Luke 17. As Luke reports, ten lepers, who stood apart from everyone else, as they were required to do because of their disease, asked for Jesus to have mercy on them, to care for them.
He told them to go the priest, who was responsible for looking them over and determining if they were ‘clean’ or ‘cured.’ As they went they were healed. But only one of them returned to thank Jesus.
In caring, we often do not hear ‘thank you’ from some we care for and we need to live with that reality. But, it does not mean we quit caring when we don’t hear ‘thank you.’ After all Jesus healed ten men for a disease that was the AIDS of its day. And only one came back and thanked him for that healing.
Why do you care not just about family but about others? In caring we need to care for the right reasons. We need to develop the perspective and attitude of Christ in our caring.
Paul then goes on to say, (Slide 6) ‘Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone… Here Paul moves from perspective and attitude to priority and perseverance.
The priority in this segment is unlimited – everyone should be cared for no exceptions. The perseverance is in the looking for the opportunity ‘to do good to everyone.’
Caring is an unlimited opportunity to share God’s love and grace. If there is a limit, it is often due to our fears that cloud our vision to see opportunities. Yet Paul makes it clear that caring is important, unlimited, and essential.
Then, he makes an interesting qualification to what he has said with the word ‘especially,’ when he says (Slide 7) … especially to our Christian brothers and sisters. Why does he add this qualification?
Let’s look at the beginning of this chapter for an answer. We read at verse 1, ‘Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody.’
Howard Hendricks tells the moving story of a conversation with a former pastor who had had an affair. ‘He said he felt like an exhausted swimmer battling alone in the pounding surf, unable to escape the strong undertow, about to go down for the last time. On shore he could see all the people of his church.’
‘Some were shaking their heads in weeping and despair; others were shouting and shaking their fists in anger and frustration. There were words of encouragement and gestures of good will. There they were, all lined up, watching and waiting for something to happen. Only one man stepped forward and risked everything to plunge into the water and help the victim to safety.’
He then asks, ‘Am I willing to be that man?’
It has been said that the church is the only organization that shoots their wounded. I have been shot and I have also done the shooting. And caring takes a beating.
That is why we need to remember the words ‘gently and humbly’ when it comes to caring. Many of us are wounded and we need to be helped to our feet very carefully.
Caring requires great patience to do well. We choose our words carefully and we act deliberately. Why?
Because all of us are subject to the same temptations and failure as everyone is. So, we care carefully.
For our church, for ‘The Church’ to be at its best we need to care for one another and help one another get back up. I have no doubt that we care because we do and I see it here and there. And I am very excited that as we begin to address the issue of holistic small groups, as part of our church health plan, I believe that our ability to care for not just one another but others outside out church will increase as well.
Everyday we have the opportunity to care and we need wisdom in when to say something and how to say something. This is where we need to consider priority and perseverance.
So here we have a picture of caring as a vital and essential aspect of our relationships and faith. Good caring takes time to develop. We also have to know our limits even though our opportunities to do good are unlimited we cannot meet the need of every person we meet and know. Sometimes then, our caring comes as we refer someone to another person or resource that can help them better than we can. That is not a sign of weakness but maturity and wisdom.
(Slide 8) So then how do we care? Here are three suggestions:
First we need to know the situation. A hospital visit is different from a phone call. A dying person needs to be care for and about differently than someone who had minor surgery. Not all situations can be approached the same way.
Second we need to be respectfully brief. There probably have been times when I have stayed too long with someone or a family. Brevity is the best thing to do. When I have been a patient, just having someone stop by and see me for a brief moment was a tremendous blessing.
Third we need to avoid blanket statements. The most difficult funeral I have ever been to was my dad’s. I don’t remember what most people said to me but I remember what one of his co-workers and one of our pastors said about his good work and his good character. Those comments meant more to me than any other comments made.
I have learned that the best thing to say at a funeral or during a funeral home visit is ‘I am sorry for your loss,’ or ‘my condolences to you and your family.’ I know that people want to say something helpful and spiritually reassuring to those who are hurting but sometimes we unintentionally say something that rings hallow. A simple, ‘I’m sorry,’ is often the best thing to say.
In conclusion this morning I want to briefly share about my trip to Washington DC this past week because it opened my eyes and heart to an avenue of caring that many churches are a part of today. The conference was the annual gathering of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America or CADCA.
I went as a member of the Drug Free Noble County contingent. (Slide 9) We met with our Congressman, Mark Souder, (Slide 10) who in his remarks to the convention earlier that day, used some very Biblical terminology when addressing the issue of addiction. (When was the last time you heard that from Washington?)
But, while meeting with him and a member of Senator Lugar’s staff and having an escorted visit through the amazing underground maze between the various congressional and senate office buildings and the Capitol itself, was fun (and overwhelming), I asked the Lord to help me hear and see what He wanted me to hear and see. What I heard and saw was this… (Slide 11)
… the church needs to be involved in the prevention and treatment of substance addiction. I was moved and amazed at some of the comprehensive ministry that is being done by churches across this country to help people overcome substance addiction.
Now what does this mean? It means that I do not expect all of us to get involved in this important ministry. I do believe, however, that one or two or even three of us here are called by God to this kind of a ministry.
It also does not mean that we are going to drop all of our current ministries and become totally involved in substance addiction ministry. But I think that it does mean that we as members, parents, grandparents, and caring adults do take time to be informed about substance addiction issues and that we need to appropriately educate our kids and teens about the dangers and damage of substance use and addiction.
It is going to take years, not days and weeks, for this kind of caring ministry to take root and really become effective in our county. But we must get involved.
I have also submitted a proposal to the leadership of Drug-Free Noble County to further develop a faith-based network to help those who are addicted. We have a start with the prayer rally last August and there are several other programs that have started as well because of that rally.
So in this area of life called caring, where is the Lord at in this area of your life? Who is God calling you to care for? Who is the Lord reminding you to care for?
We cannot care for everyone but we are to care for someone… May God lead us and direct us in this ministry. Amen
Sources: Callahan quotes are located in Visiting in the Age of Mission. © 1997 Jossey-Bass, page 4.
Trueblood and Hendrick illustrations are from Sermoncentral.com
Power Points for this sermon are available by e-mailing me at pastorjim46755@yahoo.com and asking for ‘021807slides’ Please note that all slides for a particular presentation may not be available.
