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johnhardinsawyer · 2 years

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Loving God by Loving Others

John Sawyer

Bedford Presbyterian Church

10 / 23 / 22

Matthew 9:35-10:1

Matthew 14:13-21

1 John 4:7-12

“Loving God by Loving Others”

(Sacred Pathways[1] – Week 6)

Earle Tryder. There are some of you who will hear that name and your hearts will swell up with love. To know him was to love him. Earle Tryder loved and served God for many years right here at Bedford Presbyterian Church. You would, most Sundays, find him singing bass in the choir or – if the choir wasn’t singing that day – you would find him sitting close to the back, on the parking lot side. When I first came to BPC – almost nine years ago – I don’t remember meeting Earle at church, though I very well may have. I do, however, remember meeting Earle as he sat with his wife, Ella, at the nursing home where she lived. Earle and Ella were quite a couple back in the day. But, in Ella’s later years, it became harder and harder for her to remember things – people’s names, places she’d been, and eventually, how to speak. It became hard to care for Ella at home, and so, she moved to a place where Earle could go visit her every day. When it was my time to meet Ella, I went with Pastor Karen Hagy and, as we walked into the room, there Earle sat across from Ella. And when Karen said, “Ella, it’s so good to see you today.” Ella did not give much of a response, but Earle said, “Doesn’t she look beautiful today?” She did look beautiful.

It takes a special kind of love to care for someone the way Earle cared for Ella. Earle was a humble kind of guy and he would likely shake his head if I said that his love for Ella was unique or special. “Oh, I get more out of caring for her than she does out of me being here,” he might say. Perhaps this was true.

As we have been exploring over the past six Sundays, there are all kinds of sacred pathways that help us connect with God – or, rather, pathways upon which God connects with us. One of these pathways is found in the ways we offer love and care for one another. There is something powerful that happens to us and through us when we care for another person and when we allow ourselves to be cared for, in return. Earle felt this deeply. So did Ella. But they are not the only ones to feel so deeply. This deep feeling is the giving and receiving of compassion.

In today’s readings from the Gospel of Matthew, we see Jesus feeling the same way. In Chapter 14, we read: “When [Jesus] went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.” (Matthew 14:14) And, in Chapter 9, we read: “When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (9:36) In the original language, the word “compassion” literally means that Jesus is moved “in his inward parts, his entrails”[2] . . . his guts. In the time of Jesus, the heart was considered to be the seat of human emotion and the heart was – and is – part of our inward parts. Think about it – if you are moved with compassion – there might just be some physical feeling that you feel in your body – your heart might break a little or melt a little, your stomach might turn, you might be filled with a surge of adrenaline or a sense that something must be done. It’s emotional, but it’s also physical – visceral.

As the text tells us, Jesus sees these people who have followed him out to a deserted place. They are sick, and tired, and hungry. They are “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (9:36) In the original language, the people are “wearied and troubled,”[3] “abandoned and desolate.”[4] Seeing these people, Jesus is moved – in his gut and his heart – to do something. And so he does.

Jesus starts to heal those who need healing and he feeds those who need feeding. How can he not do this? His compassion compels him. Now, this compassion – and all that comes from it – is miraculous, in that Jesus does things that nobody else can do. It is abundant, in that there is food left over . . . enough grace to share and sustain, later. And the people see, and hear, and feel, and know God’s goodness and care and love in the moment because it is Jesus doing all of it.

But then Jesus does a curious thing. Eugene Peterson translates it in this way: “Jesus called twelve of his followers and sent them out into the ripe fields. He gave them power to kick out the evil spirits and to tenderly care for the bruised and hurt lives.”[5] Jesus calls twelve of his disciples – Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot – and Jesus gives them power (authority) over unclean spirits and to cure every disease and sickness.[6]

The thing that is so curious about this is that Jesus’ divine power is given to these twelve human beings – real people with real names and families and occupations and homes. These were people not unlike you and me. Jesus gives them – gives us – both the power to care and the authority to use this power for good. Just to reiterate – Jesus sees hungry people and he feeds them. He sees sick people and he heals them. He sees people who are cast aside and lost and he goes out and finds them and brings them together and offers his welcome and embrace. And then he gives us power and authority to love and care – to feed, and heal, and welcome others just like he did.

Does our care look and feel exactly like Jesus’? Can we give thanks over a couple of loaves and fishes and whip up a feast for thousands? Can we lay our hands on someone and heal their disease, instantly? Well . . . maybe not just like Jesus. I will freely admit that the kind of care Jesus offers might not look exactly the same as the care that we can offer, but the ways Jesus feeds and heals others will often go beyond the physical to the spiritual. Sometimes we won’t see the ways that others are nourished and healed by God – or by us – on this side of glory. In the end, what matters most, is God’s love at work through us . . . God’s compassion at work through us . . . and remembering that it is God who initiates this work within us, and not we, ourselves. Any love and compassion that we offer to another person, in humility and hope, comes from the Holy Spirit and has the fingerprints of Jesus all over it.

A few years ago, a member of our congregation – George Reese – wondered why we kept delivering more and more Thanksgiving Baskets to residents of Bedford. It was assumed by many that Bedford was an affluent place with no food insecurity at all, and yet George was seeing evidence of hungry people here. “If there are hungry people, we need to feed them,” George said. And so he got some people together and the Bedford Community Food Pantry was born. The practicalities of doing such a thing were a little complicated, but the compassionate drive at the heart of such an effort was uncomplicated.

Last year, about this time, several members of our church got a message saying that a family was on its way from Afghanistan. The scenes of the chaotic mass exodus of refugees from that country were heartbreaking and people felt compelled by compassion to do something. Within a couple of days, an empty apartment was furnished, an empty kitchen was fully stocked, toys were even purchased for the two children who were on the way. And, just like that, the Safis were welcomed to New Hampshire. They needed a home, so our church’s Neighborhood Support Team made one for them. There have been some complications over the past year – complications with language, and healthcare, and social services, and finding jobs for non-English speakers – but the Safis are part of our family now and we are part of their family.

I do want to offer a few words of caution here. Caregiving can be so rewarding, but it can be exhausting work – it can deplete us of our compassionate reserves, our spiritual reserves. Talk to anyone who is caring for an aging parent, or someone with cancer, or a sick child and they will tell you that they are doing this out love and duty, but they will also likely tell you how tired they are. Sometimes, they don’t even know how tired they are. And so, caregivers need care – some self-care, and sabbath, and care from those of us who might have some care reserves left. We live in an age of compassion-fatigue. I admit, there are days when I’m about one hurricane, or one mass shooting, or one family crisis away from throwing my hands up in the air and saying, “I just can’t care, anymore.” It just isn’t spiritually and emotionally possible. There is only so much that you and I, personally, can offer. Remember, even if we are juggling multiple crises in your family and in the world that all demand your attention and compassion, you cannot save the world, singlehandedly. Besides, when it comes to saving the world, Jesus has already done this. And Jesus’ compassion never runs out, even if ours might from time to time.

One other word of caution . . . We do have this gift and mission of compassion from Jesus, but I think that we human beings, especially people in the church, can get a little bogged down in the practicalities of how to use this gift. It is so good to have a plan and some kind of structure around how we are seeking to be compassionate, but working through the nitty gritty details of how to actually help people can be the shield we hide behind to keep us from doing much of anything. Some of us really like forming committees and task forces to study a complex problem to death. But, in the end, the compassion that God gives us is really anything but complicated. It all comes down to love – and the way God is at work in and through that love.

If I had asked Earle whether his love for Ella was complicated by her dementia, even though the practicalities of caring for someone with Ella’s illness was very complicated, he would likely say that the love part was not complicated at all. Earle loved Ella, so he cared for her. And she loved him, so she received that care. It was that simple. Oftentimes, it is that simple for us, too.

So, as the scriptures tell us, “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God . . . and since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; [but] if we love one another, God lives in us, and God’s love is perfected in us.” (1 John 4:7, 11-12)

May God’s love be seen and known in all that we say and do – especially in how we care for one another. May we be gentle with ourselves so that we may be gentle with others. And may God be at work – in our guts, on our hearts, and through our compassion in the world.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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[1] Sermon series based on Gary Thomas, Sacred Pathways: Nine Ways to Connect with God (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Books, 2020).

[2] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979) 763.

[3] Bauer, 758

[4] Bauer, 309.

[5] Eugene Peterson, The Message: Numbered Edition (Colorado Springs: NAV Press, 2002) 1343. Matthew 10:1.

[6] See Matthew 10:1-4. Paraphrased, JHS.

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duckiereads · 3 years

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#Miraculous May Round Up Week 1

I saw that @booksandrandomfandoms was hosting a Miraculous May Book Photo Challenge and I thought this would be a really easy way for me to do my weekly posts while I have some personal stuff on top of my thesis. I'm doing weekly round-ups of photos because I can't be trusted to do daily anything. :')

Summaries for Single Books are from Publisher/Author sites. I didn't include summaries for the group photos to keep the post from getting longer than it already was.

If any of these interest you and if you are able, please support your favorite independent bookstores when purchasing these and other books!

05/01: SPOTS ON! - TBR

Books Pictured (From Left to Right):

Comics and Sequential Art - Will Eisner

Ninth House - Leigh Bardugo

Chasing Shadows - Swati Avasthi

On Beauty - Zadie Smith

The Starless Sea - Erin Morgenstern

The Black Veins - Ashia Monet

Mooncakes - Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker

The Good Luck Girls - Charlotte Nicole Davis

Drawing Words and Writing Pictures by

Odd One Out - Nic Stone

On Bottom Shelf:

Isiah Dunn is My Hero - Kelly Baptist

His Hideous Heart - Edited: Dahlia Adler

05/02: Tikki - Bug on the Cover

The Virtue of Sin by Shannon Schuren

Note: the current paperback edition does NOT use this cover

Miriam lives in New Jerusalem, a haven in the desert far away from the sins and depravity of the outside world. Within the gates of New Jerusalem, and under the eye of its founder and leader, Daniel, Miriam knows she is safe. Cared for. Even if she’s forced, as a girl, to quiet her tongue when she has thoughts she wants to share, Miriam knows that New Jerusalem is a far better life than any alternative. So when God calls for a Matrimony, she’s thrilled; she knows that Caleb, the boy she loves, will choose her to be his wife and they can finally start their life together. But when the ceremony goes wrong and Miriam winds up with someone else, she can no longer keep quiet. For the first time, Miriam begins to question not only the rules that Daniel has set in place, but also what it is she believes in, and where she truly belongs. Alongside unexpected allies, Miriam fights to learn–and challenge–the truth behind the only way of life she’s ever known, even if it means straying from the path of Righteousness.

05/04: Plagg - Sly Characters

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

Friends for life. Or death. Spring break. Aruba. Swimming, sunshine, and golden beaches. It was supposed to be the best time of Anna’s life. Paradise. But then the unthinkable happens. Anna’s best friend is found brutally murdered. And when the local police begin to investigate the gruesome crime, suspicion falls on one person—Anna. They think she’s dangerous, and they’re determined to prove her guilt. With the police and media sparking a witch-hunt against her, Anna is running out of time to prove her innocence. But as she digs deeper into her friend’s final moments, she finds a tangled web of secrets, lies and betrayal. Will she clear her name in time?

Note: This book is now published as "I'll Never Tell."

05/04: Sass - Do Over

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last. Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

Note: When I got this book signed, Lauren Oliver looked at me and asked: Have you read this book? And I told her yes. She let out a relieved sigh. "Okay," she said, "cause if you hadn't, I usually give a warning that Sam starts out as a major bitch and sometimes people don't like her because of that and I wanted to make sure you were prepared." Reader, this is your warning. :'D

05/05: Daizzi - Pink Books

Books Pictured (From Top to Bottom):

The Princess Diaries - Meg Cabot

The Merciless - Danielle Vega

Queens of Geek - Jenn Wilde

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

Everything Leads to You - Nina LaCour

Pride - Ibi Zoboi

Only to Good Spy Young - Ally Carter

I'm Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl - Gretchen McNeil

05/06: Trixx - Shape Shifters

Red Hood - Elana K Arnold

You are alone in the woods, seen only by the unblinking yellow moon. Your hands are empty. You are nearly naked. And the wolf is angry. Since her grandmother became her caretaker when she was four years old, Bisou Martel has lived a quiet life in a little house in Seattle. She’s kept mostly to herself. She’s been good. But then comes the night of homecoming, when she finds herself running for her life over roots and between trees, a fury of claws and teeth behind her. A wolf attacks. Bisou fights back. A new moon rises. And with it, questions. About the blood in Bisou’s past and on her hands as she stumbles home. About broken boys and vicious wolves. About girls lost in the woods—frightened, but not alone.

05/07: Akuma - Plot Twist

Plot twist or expert reveal, I don't care. My jaw was on the ground when I finished this one.

Warcross - Marie Lu

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty-hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation. Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

05/08: Fluff - Time Travel

The Girl from Everywhere - Heidi Heilig

Nix’s life began in Honolulu in 1868. Since then she has traveled to mythic Scandinavia, a land from the tales of One Thousand and One Nights, modern-day New York City, and many more places both real and imagined. As long as he has a map, Nix’s father can sail his ship, The Temptation, to any place, any time. But now he’s uncovered the one map he’s always sought—1868 Honolulu, before Nix’s mother died in childbirth. Nix’s life—her entire existence—is at stake. No one knows what will happen if her father changes the past. It could erase Nix’s future, her dreams, her adventures . . . her connection with the charming Persian thief, Kash, who’s been part of their crew for two years. If Nix helps her father reunite with the love of his life, it will cost her her own.

05/09: Xuppu - Yellow Books

Books Listed from (Top to Bottom)

Mirage - Somaiya Daud

Permanent Record - Mary H.K. Choi

The Deadly Sister - Eliot Schrefer

Star Wars: Queen's Shadow - E. K. Johnston

05/10: Pollen - Books and Nature

The Tea Dragon Society - Katie O'Neill

From K. O'Neill, the award-winning author of Princess Princess Ever After comes THE TEA DRAGON SOCIETY, the beloved and charming all-ages book that follows the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons. After discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives—and eventually her own.

And that's a wrap on this week's post! I forgot how fun it was to take book photos! I may even go put these on instagram! <3

#miraculous may bpc #miraculous may #booklr #book recs #book photo challenge #book photography #bookworm #bookblr #jane austen #lauren oliver #katie o'neill #ek johnston #miraculous ladybug #meg cabot #marie lu #leigh bardugo #erin morgenstern

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