“Harvest Hands”
Scripture Lesson: Matthew
Dr. Matthew Brown
In Aaron Sorkin’s popular film,
The American President, lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade, played by Annette Bening, is asked about her social life and she responds by
saying, “Well, Mr. President, it seems that lately I’ve been going out on a lot
of first dates.”
First dates. Just the
thought can evoke feelings of dread, anxiety, insecurity, and fear. Well, there are those whose healthy sense of
self guards them against such fears:
“Mr. Biceps are Us.” But, if you were me at 25 and driving a Pacer
Wagon, you had cause to be concerned about those first date impressions. Blue shirt or white shirt? Gray flannel or cotton khaki pants? Do you go to a movie or a dinner, and if a
dinner, what kind of restaurant communicates what kind of message? Think about it. Your date may get a different impression if
the waiter says, “Would you like to see a wine list?” than if the waiter says,
“Would you like fries with that?” Will
the waitstaff pass out “” to clear the palate between
courses or paper cups for the drink machine?
First dates. First Impressions.
Impressions that have a huge impact on whether there wil
be a second date. The thrill of someone
actually saying yes to going out is mitigated by the panic about the impression
you will make. Does she enjoy the
outdoors? To what kind of music does he
listen? Does she work out? Does he know how to read? Before he pulls in the driveway, before she
answers the door, before they rendevous
at a restaurant, each person has in mind a set of qualifications. Admit it, the banter
of small talk is really a job interview.
Does she have a dog? Is he
needy? Does she have a sense of order? Does he close his mouth when he chews? Low maintenance? High maintenance, etc. At some level you are asking the question of
whether he or she might qualify as a significant other.
In a way, the first date is a form of job interview, which
is why your stomach is turning and churning the same way it does when you walk
through those glass doors and into that marble lobby in your smart little
business suit, resume in hand, Rolaids in briefcase. “Hello, I am here for an interview with Wecan, Maka, and Dollar LLC.”
What qualifies you for a position with our company? There are so many things in life for which we
must qualify. Whether it’s shortstop in
the PeeWee league, Hall Monitor in the elementary
school, Section leader in the band, Student Council, Sorority rush chair, safe
driver discounts, platinum cards, graduate schools, passports, professional
certification, crossing guard at your kid’s school (for which you must have
three references), we are constantly being evaluated in regards to our
qualifications.
And most of us remember those dark days when we were deemed
unqualified. You know what would be a
fun exercise? Going around the room and
confessing the songs we played on our record players, eight tracks, cassettes,
CDs, or MP3s on those dark nights when we wallowed in the agony of unrequited
love. “Feelings, nothing more than
feelings...” I’ll never forgive my
parents for telling Donna about that dark junior high period when I played the
same Gilbert O Sullivan song over and over.
I know some of you can sing it with me now -
Left standing in the lurch, at a church
Where people 're saying,
"My God that's tough, she stood him up!
No point in us remaining.”
May as well go home.
As I did on my own,
Alone again, naturally
Broken hearts and broken spirits, dark nights, depressing days when we are deemed unqualified, unworthy, ill-equipped, unfit, incapable, incompetent, not cut out, unprepared. Cut from the baseball team. Turned down for a date. Passed over for a job.
Black balled from the club.
Not asked to participate. To
quote the great poet Bernard P. Fife, “The tears on my pillow bespeak the pain
in my heart.”
More than we would ever confess, we live with the worry of
being left out. In fact, many times we
will avoid involvement, avoid engagement, because of the fear that we will be
exposed as being unqualified.
And so it is that we come to this curious but comforting
message in Matthew’s text. At its core
is just a simple list of names. Yet, in
that list of 12 names we are told a great deal about the Gospel of Jesus Christ
and the call and work of the church.
Every resume you have ever completed contains a listing of your
accomplishments and qualifications.
Likewise, when we are introducing colleagues we are careful to mention
their achievements.
But take a moment to consider the twelve names listed
here. Though we could not name them, and
though most of us aren’t aware that the list is not exactly the same in the
four gospels, you probably can’t remember a time when you didn’t know that
Jesus had twelve disciples. That factoid
is part of the “very common knowledge department” along with 365 days in a
year; 98.6 regular human temperature; and Paul
McCartney played left handed bass.
Disciples. We may not know the whos,
whats, or whys, but we know there were twelve of
them. Yet, look through the Gospels,
nowhere will you find any mention of their qualifications for the work to which
Jesus was calling them. You’ll find
plenty of hints that they were unqualified, impetuous, thick
headed, and of ill-repute, but you don’t hear Matthew saying, “After hearing
the recommendation of the examination committee, Jesus determined that
Thaddeus, dean of the Jerusalem School of Theology and winnner
of the prestigous
They aren’t qualified.
Jesus qualifies and authorizes them.
What an important message that is for us to hear. It is not our qualifications but Jesus’
authorization that will lead us in the work to which Christ calls us. When we’re not using the “I’m too busy”
excuse in regards to the work of Christ’s church, we are using the “I’m not
qualified/I don’t know that much about the Bible/I haven’t been in the church
long/I’m not that spiritual of a person” excuse. O yeah, you and twelve disciples, long ago.
Beverly Gaventa points out that we
are a gathering of the unqualified. She
says, “On one level, it is true that only the unqualified should present
themselves for the church’s ministry. No
one can be qualified. Everyone who
serves does so as the Twelve did, by Jesus’ authorization given them by Jesus. Recognizing that fact throws us back upon the
central feature of this passage: Jesus
is the one who heals and who sends the never-qualified apostles in his name.”
Every week in worship we gather before a cross and around a
table and the irony/paradox of the Gospel is that the only qualification for
gathering at the table of the Lord is that we acknowledge how unqualified we
are.
It is the grace of Jesus Christ that qualifies us for
fellowship around Christ’s table and it is the grace of Christ that qualifies
us to worship, work and serve in his name, and it is the grace of Jesus Christ
that gives us hands for the harvest. And
this is how it works. You know how on
Christmas morning the kids just can’t wait to tell their friends about the
gifts they have received? In the same
way, when recognize the collision of our unworthiness with God’s abounding
grace, we can’t wait to share with others what we have received, and thus God
uses our hands in his harvest.
Author Mike Yaconnelli writes
that, “What landed Jesus on the cross was the preposterous idea that common,
ordinary, broken, screwed-up people could be godly! What drove Jesus’ enemies crazy were his
criticisms of the “perfect” religious people and his acceptancee
of the imperfect nonreligious people.
The shocking implication of Jesus’ ministry is that anyone can be spiritual.”
My friend and colleague Richard Boyce was laughing about a
question we used to asked confirmation students when
they professed their faith. “Do you
renounce evil and turn from the ways of sin?”
Now, how could any junior high student, or any of us for that matter,
answer yes to that with a straight face?
“Yep, I renounce it. I’m done
with it.” It ain’t
that easy. Life is messy. Faith journeys resemble bumper cars more than
monorails. But, through the grace of
Jesus Christ, the messy becomes the grateful which can then become the
loving. And thus we become workers in
the harvest, the unqualified being qualified by Christ for the glory of
God.
That’s how evangelism happens. It’s not about slick programs and the latest best seller at the religious bookstore. It’s about someone seeing in you the joy of one who realizes he or she has received a gift they did nothing to deserve. Through the grace of Jesus Christ, the messy becomes the grateful which can then become the loving.
Amen.
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