friend, why are you here?

from my sermon on Palm/Passion Sunday, April 17,2011 Friend, why are you here? It is a good question. I had read over this verse many times before it really impacted me. The way I first paid attention to this verse came about this way. By a series of events that are beyond me to tell right now, I found myself in the house where Leon Hale lives. He has been a columnist in Houston for the papers there, first for the Post and now the Chronicle. I happened to be in his study, where he strung together the words made up his thrice weekly ritual offering of trying to make sense of the world. There was a plaque on his desk. On the plaque was this verse from Matthew with the question, "Friend, why are you here?" This question is one that a counselor might ask...or a pastor...or a spiritual director...or your best friend. It is the kind of question that gets to the core of your being, your reason for being here, the meaning of your life. Why do you get up in the morning, shave, and shower and fight traffic and go to work? Why do you children do homework and go to school? Why do you pay income taxes? What do you do when you retire? As you near death and do a life review, do you not ask "Friend, why are you here?" Why did you get up this morning and come here to worship? Friend, why are you here? is the question that Jesus asks Judas after Judas kisses him. A kiss is a sign of honor and respect; it is a demonstration of intimacy. Poor Judas.....the betrayer. Look how many times Judas and the words betray, betrayal, and betrayer are used with him in the telling of the passion story. It is as if we have of the family of God have named him the problem child. We have made him out to be the identified patient. As if Judas was the only who failed Jesus. Read the story. Peter will deny Jesus 3 times. All of the disciples desert him. Yet only Judas gets the blame. It is funny to me....today we still name our children Peter, and Andrew, and James, and John....but how many parents ever name their children Judas? As I reflect on this story, I wonder if Judas wasn't trying to force Jesus' hand. I can hear him saying, "Jesus, let's build on the Palm Sunday enthusiasm. We've got the crowds behind us. We've got the momentum. All you have to do is to stand up and say that you are the Messiah. Then we can kick the oppressors, the Romans out. It's there for the taking." I can sense how it must be in North African and the Middle East today with all of the popular uprising of the people against the oppressive rulers today. Maybe Judas is trying to push Jesus into acting. Before we make Judas out to be the only bad guy, consider this: Don't we want God to do what we want God to do? Friend, why are you here? I know I have been reading the text as a question. The Revised Standard Version has it translated that way. The way we heard it read from the New Revised Standard Version has it translated as an imperative, "Friend, do what you are here to do." How is this? I will help you out. I looked at the Greek text this past week. It is a sentence fragment, an incomplete sentence in Greek. It is sort of like the text messages we send. You know how we take shortcuts in grammar and spelling on our mobile devices. You have to read into the phrases what somebody means. I like the verse as a question....penetrating...Friend, why are you here. I am glad it can also be an imperative....Do what you are here to do. You see I can find myself in the story...as a disciple who has failed Jesus...who has fallen far short...who can say "Hosanna" one day and "Crucify" the next. I can see myself as a betrayer, a denier, and a deserter of the Christ. The incredible good news is that Jesus the Christ dies exactly for people like us. He rises from the dead to reclaim people exactly like us. He asks, "Friend, why are you here?" He commands, "Do what you are here to do." We are not stuck forever in guilt and shame. He asks us to Rethink Church. That's what we did last week. We moved beyond these walls and this time to do what we are here to do. Let me share some of the ways we acted on Jesus' claim upon our lives. Austin Pets Alive--we had 38 people go to this institution which saves animals from being euthanized by finding them adoptive homes. This group did cleaning of cages, painting, office filing, etc. Flood buckets--we had 15 persons make 24 buckets which contain items to help people clean up after their homes have been flooded. Each bucket had $67 worth of trash sacks, bleach, gloves, scrapers, etc., in them. They were taken to our storage facility at Mt. Wesley in Kerrville. Our 24 buckets were added to the 12 already there. We need 500 buckets before hurricane season arrives. Handbells--our youth and adult handbell groups, some 20 people went to the Heritage to perform for the residents of that adult care center. The residents sang along to the old favorites. One woman on a walker was determined to go out a door right through the handbell tables. Hearts and Hooves--some 35 persons went to this ranch in Lockhart to much out stalls, pull up weeds, erect a grape arbor, etc. This ranch takes miniature ponies, pot bellied pigs, and dogs to school, nursing homes, hospitals, etc. Many in this group enjoyed eating BBQ in Lockhart. Japan Relief-- this team of 7 went to 2 different Starbucks to witness to those of the church of the brunch. They got 50 persons to contribute $250 to help Japan recover. Greeting cards--this group of 12 stayed here and wrote 63 cards to military service members and homebound folks. Cookies for Mobile Loaves and Fishes--over 50 persons went through 110 cases of donated Girl Scout cookies, putting them into bags of 6, to distribute to those who live on the streets. That comes out to 26,400 cookies, enough to stock 55 truck runs, or 4,125 persons served. Church under the bridge--we had collected a mound of clothes here, a veritable pyramid of pants that a team of 18 distributed to those living on the streets. Stephen who worked on that team would ask those who came through what the person really needed, not what we assumed they needed. Men needed smaller waist sizes, not our 38 and 40 inch, but 32 and 34 inch sizes. They wanted socks. I think we need to have a sock it to you Sunday soon. They wanted shoes, especially size 10 and above. We need to have Holy Moses Sunday soon, where we go with him to the burning bush and take our shoes off in the presence of the Holy One. The women needed underwear. We need to have an Undie Sunday soon. One story from a man going through the line, who looked like he had just lost his job. He said, "You see me on the corner. You blow smoke in my face. You roll up your car window and pretend to talk on your cell phone. But listen, I tell you, you are just one angry boss from being right where I am." The truth spoken to us. Youth prayer team--2 went to East Austin to pray with persons they encountered there. Chancel choir--12 went to Zilker Park Hike and Bike trail to sing and to pass out little oranges. Bags of grace--some 12 people, a class with their young children gave away some 85 bags that have food, water, socks, and a prayer to those in need. Children's class--some 9 kids made paper flower bouquets, 50 of them, enough for the residents of Monte Siesta Nursing Home. Singing Team--just 3 of us went to a South Austin care and rehab center. We sang for 20 residents in their dining room. We sang their favorites. Johnny, who wasn't quite oriented kept talking about how his wife was going to pick him up soon in their Oldsmobile or how he needed to finish baling hay. But when we sang, I'll Fly Away, Johnny got it, and cried. There was one woman sitting at a back table that Tonya helped to find the right page in the songbook. She got her some coffee. She asked what song she wanted us to sing. We couldn't understand what she said. Finally it came out clearly. "Guns 'N Roses," she said. You can't assume you know what poeple want. My closer is Bobby. He sat in his wheel chair. He knew most of the songs without looking at the pages. He said, "I used to sing in the choir. Someday soon, I'll be up there singing, and you will be down here where I am." The truth spoken to us. Friend, why are you here? Friend, do what you are here to do.