God's Losers, a sermon by Deacon Terry

​So I have a small piece of paper on my corkboard hanging over my desk that has been there for years and I think it speaks to our Gospel reading today.
May the Christ who walks on wounded feet – walk with you on the road.
May the Christ who serves with wounded hands stretch out your hands to serve
May the Christ who loves with a wounded heart open your heart to love
May you see the face of Christ in everyone you meet and may everyone you meet see the face of Christ in you.
AMEN
That prayer, in part of which I say every day really helps capture the meaning of this season we call, LENT.
Lent is that liturgical season of the church’s calendar year, whereby we focus on the cost of following Christ.
Lent is a time of penance, prayer, preparation for recollection of our baptism in Christ as we prepare for the celebration of Easter.
Observance of Lent is as old as the 4th century. It begins on Ash Wednesday, the 40th weekday before Easter and it ends at midnight Holy Saturday.
Lent is that time of year, whereby we turn our attention to the cross. We focus on that which God; the father has given us and we are challenged to go forth and do likewise.
LENT is about losing our lives, by giving them to Christ and gaining eternal life by finding Christ within us.
Lent is about loss.
It’s about losing ourselves in order to find our lives. Jesus declares that he who loves his life loses it and he who hates his life will keep it for eternal life.
During this Lenten season, where we are now, in our lives, in our struggles, in our cares, and in our issues, it is all about losing. One can say in fact that this is a season for losers.
Now, a loser by social standards is one who has failed to accomplish any relevant success or significance in life. But by God’s standards a loser is one who has totally immersed his or her life in the way of Jesus.
This is a season for losers. Jesus is looking for losers, those that choose him, not society.
Just a side note about success I once thought – and so wrongly thought.
I was a teenager, when one day my father and I had a heated argument about something. I can remember saying, “ah, what do you know, you just work in a factory, what do you know?” “I’m going to make a ton of money when I get older, you wait and see”. Well, my father never said a word back. And I so wish I could take those words back, because in my mind, he wasn’t worldly successful to me at the time. Now, some 50 years later, I realize how wrong I was, being the son of a man who fought in Korea, wounded twice, raised a loving family in spite of his lack of education and position in life. I now know the true meaning of loser and my ideas of a loser and societies are completely different.
Now many of us maybe saying to ourselves, I’ve already lost so much. What else is there for me to lose? How much more do I have to endure?
How much more can I lose?
A husband or wife, a son or daughter, a job, health, and in some cases peace of mind.
We’ve all lost friends, some of us have lost our sense of purpose, our direction, and our strength to endure.
And now, we worry about losing more- the possibility of losing our children or our grandchildren in potential senseless wars in Europe and in the Middle East.
We are concerned about losing.
And yet, with all that we have lost, God wants us to know still that there is more to lose.
A great deal of the gospel-the good news is about loss.
Throughout scripture we hear about loss. Adam & Eve all the way through the death of Jesus. But with every loss, comes growth.
Jesus said, “everything must die, to grow”. It begins with dying. It begins with the cross.
During Lent, we sometimes struggle coming to church and losing something. We come to get something. We come to get a blessing-be it financial, relational, spiritual. We come to get an encouraging word, some hope for tomorrow, and some assurance that everything is going to be all right.
Many of us come to church to get something.
We certainly did not come to lose.
We pray, “Lord, give me a financial breakthrough. Lord, give me some peace of mind. Lord, give me a better husband or wife. Lord, give me a well-behaved child.” We come to get and not to lose.
We come to fill our wish list
After all, who sets out on a journey to lose? That doesn’t make sense.
We have been told that in this world, it is best to be a winner. It’s best to get all that you can and do all you can to hold on to what you have gotten. No one wants to lose.
But part of following Jesus is a matter of losing. It is a matter of letting go.
Letting go of ourselves, letting God in, letting go of our need for control, putting our faith in God’s hands, letting go of our ego, realizing that we are all a spoke on the wheel, each spoke is needed, but it is not the whole wheel.
Jesus’ words that “we must lose our lives” create for many of us a conflict of interest. And so, this morning, like Jesus, our souls are troubled. We can’t sleep. We are overworked and underpaid. Our minds are constantly going. We are walking on eggshells, looking over shoulders, and waiting for some disastrous event to occur.
We are mentally and physically on heighten alert. Our souls are troubled.
And yet, for the sake of the gospel, we, the Disciples of Christ, must maintain our faith and assurance. Although we are living in a world of loss, we must press on as we go through life; many are watching us and seeking the presence of Jesus in our lives.
We are to be imitators of Christ. We have a responsibility to everyone we see and meet, that when they see us, they see the face of Jesus. We have a responsibility to everyone we meet that when we see them, we see Jesus in them.
As Christian people the world is looking at us. Society is watching us seeking to see Jesus through us and in us. They want to see Jesus. Every day of our lives, in our sittings and risings, at the grocery store, the bank, at the red light, on 91 when someone cuts us off, there are those around us who just want to see Jesus.
We are the face of Jesus.
On the network news, internet and social media all week, we’ve seen bombs dropping in Ukraine and in Gaza, people dying, and politicians lying. But right now show me Jesus.
All week, we’ve seen children treated wrong, fires, snow storms, murders, but right now, show me Jesus.
I need to see Jesus right now.
In many ways, people are coming to us to see Jesus, so that they may believe. That’s why it is important for you to watch what you say.
What you are saying now during these times defines your relationship with Christ.
Think about what you say when confronted with questions about the rising gas prices and the price of steak. Think about what you say, when people question you about supporting this candidate or that.
As followers of Jesus, we don’t support war. We support peace. We pray for those in war. We pray for our soldiers and leaders.
We pray for the opposition and their families but we support peace.
Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall inherit the kingdom of God. So, watch what you say.
Yes, my soul is troubled during this Lenten season, so what will I say? Shall I complain, groan, and moan. Shall I cuss, fuss, and fight? Shall I criticize, scrutinize, and scandalize? What will I say?
We wish to see Jesus,
God has prepared us for this Lenten season.
A few weeks ago, we were asked some questions, which remind us of how we are to answer to ourselves and to others, how we see Jesus.
Here they are:
Celebrant
Do you believe in God the Father?

People
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
    creator of heaven and earth.

 

Celebrant
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

People
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
    He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
        and born of the Virgin Mary.
    He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
        was crucified, died, and was buried.
    He descended to the dead.
    On the third day he rose again.
    He ascended into heaven,
        and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
    He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

 

Celebrant
Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?

People
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
    the holy catholic Church,
    the communion of saints,
    the forgiveness of sins,
    the resurrection of the body,
    and the life everlasting.

 

Celebrant
Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and
fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the
prayers?

People
I will, with God's help.

 

Celebrant
Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever
you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?

People
I will, with God's help.

Celebrant
Will you proclaim by word and example the Good
News of God in Christ?

People
I will, with God's help.

 

Celebrant
Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving
your neighbor as yourself?

People
I will, with God's help.

 

Celebrant
Will you strive for justice and peace among all
people, and respect the dignity of every human
being?

People
I will, with God's help.
 
So, when we or others say “we are looking to see Jesus”, like the Greeks did in this morning’s Gospel,  let us remember what we promised to each other, to ourselves and to God”, and then both they and us will find Jesus.
 
AMEN