It’s finally Friday….and I’m Pastor James St. John.
You may not know this, but I’m a world record holder. Well, they don’t actually keep such a record, but I believe I would hold the world record of they did. What’s the world record about which I speak? I’m glad you asked. I believe I hold the world record for splitting my pants in front of a crowd.
There was the time, when I was teaching PE at Faith Christian Academy, that I split my pants while trying to retrieve a ground ball, in front of a crowd of students. Then, there was the time I split my pants while helping do some cleanup around the church in Missouri, in front of a crowd of helpers. Then… well, there are a few more, but I’ll not embarrass myself any more than to share my favorite seam- splitting event.
I had just preached a funeral sermon and was helping prep for the families return from the graveside for a shared meal. The bag of ice we needed to use was frozen together and I was bending over to strike it against the concrete floor of the kitchen. I didn’t hear the rip. I didn’t see the rip. But, I felt the result. My pants had split from the bottom of the zipper in the front all the way down and around to the hem of my belt loop in the back.
Did I mention that I was surrounded by more than a few sweet ladies who always volunteered to assist at such events. I’m not going to mention any names, but I know I heard one dear departed saint exclaim, “Oh!” under her breath and then giggle. I excused myself and found my wife who, then, using her magnificent medical skills, stapled the seam of my pants together. That’s right. She used a good, old fashioned, Swingline office stapler (see above) to staple that seam back together. That was a quick fix in the moment…that lasted through the family meal and until I was able to get home and toss the ruined pants.
Unfortunately, we have all experienced those “coming apart at the seams” moments that are not so giggle inducing. Most of them are emotionally traumatic, at worst, and, often, physically painful. We’ll not rehearse or rehash the content of such moments. We’re all too familiar.
I’d like to speak to the observer of such moments. You know who you are. Or, more appropriately, WE know who WE are, because we’ve all been there, too. The question is, how do we handle those moments? I think we fall into three camps. AND, I do understand we could split a bunch of hairs, here, and I do realize these “three camps” may seem a little simplistic, but here we go…
First, we are the “look away and pass by on the other side of the road” camp. You know, like the scribe and the Sadducee in the good Samaritan story of scripture. It is recorded in Luke 10:25-37. Jesus tells it in answer to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Anyway, like the scribe and the Sadducee, our response is often the “I’m too busy to get involved,” response. So, we look away, pass by on the other side, whisper an obligatory prayer and, within moments, have already forgotten the person, the need, and our responsibility.
Second, we are the “toss a few cliche answers around and really do nothing to help” camp. You may have been on the receiving end of a few of these in the depths of enormous pain or grief. You remember the time, when you were being crushed under the burden and a spiritual superman swoops in to save the day with a pat on the back and cliche like, “God never gives us more than we can handle.” If we’re honest, most of us are never more tempted to punch someone in the face than in those times. Good intentions aside, if all you bring is a spiritual sounding cliche, it might be best to keep silent.
These two camps are representative of the all-too-common responses we have for those seam-splitting moments when someone’s life is falling apart before their eyes. I have avoided the worst expression of us which is the “I’m so self-absorbed I don’t even notice camp.” That one makes me too angry to discuss…and, I don’t want this to turn into a rant, lol.
Third, and finally, we arrive in the camp where Jesus hangs out. It’s the “moved in compassion we bear our neighbors burden” camp. This is best expressed in Galatians 6.
Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
What is this “law of Christ?” It’s also known as the law of love. That not-so-new commandment that Jesus spoke, “Love one another.”
In context, Paul is talking about restoration and forgiveness for one who is caught in the act of sinning. His instruction is to be clothed in gentleness and kindness, refraining from judgment and harsh words (I’m embellishing a little here), and to meet the one, who is most likely filled with shame and regret, with the sacrificial love that Jesus brings…and restore them.
More generally, because I believe this has a broader application for those of us (that means all of us) who suffer in a world that is under the curse of sin, which means we will be met with all sorts of sorrows and trauma, those of us who bear the name of Christ must fulfill the law of Christ and take up the burden of the downtrodden. We must bind up the wounded. We must link arms with the broken and abused. We must perform spiritual CPR on the one who is near death under the weight of the curse.
We don’t pass by on the other side.
We don’t condemn ourselves with spiritual cliches.
We respond. We risk. We love…because that’s what Jesus did and is still doing in and through us.
Pastor Tim is going to share something this Sunday that powerfully illustrates this. I hope, if you are not able to be with us, you will watch the livestream. I’ll place a link to it at the bottom of this page after Sunday.
In the meantime, here’s a video to make you giggle. It’s just a few seconds long, but is part of one of my favorite episodes of “Spongbob Squarepants,” which I find hilarious. Please don’t judge me, lol.
