WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY
Matthew 25:35-40

I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me; I was naked and you gave me clothing; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.

Jesus is known for his radical sense of love. Love not only those who love you, love your enemy as well. Love everyone as God loves you. Sometimes Jesus’ parables and stories help us understand what he wants us to do. Sometimes they are opaque to our modern eyes and lives.

In the passage from the Gospel of Matthew read for us a few minutes ago, Jesus is very clear about what it means to love one another. Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, visit the prisoner. These are concrete actions. There is no ambiguity.

Let me tell you a couple stories about my mission trip to rebuild homes in New Orleans in September. Fourteen people from five United Church of Christ congregations in the Chicago area, including Glenview Community Church, traveled by car to the Gulf of Mexico – driving two days down and two days back. Our ages ranged from eighty-two to eighteen.

While Chicago is somewhat temperate in September, New Orleans is not. Everyday the temperature was in the upper 80’s lower 90’s and the humidity was right up there too. One day as we traveled to our worksite, the announcer on the radio told us that the humidity had dropped to 87%. All you had to do was breathe and you were sweating!

The only source of power on our work site was a generator that ran two lights, a fan, and three saws: a chop saw, a wet saw, and a table saw. The lights dimmed every time a saw was started.

Most of us on our crew were learning new skills. We were all laying tile or installing hard wood floors. We were measuring, cutting, gluing, grouting. Some of us were installing doors and floor boards. It was hot work in a hot and humid climate.

On Thursday, the owner of the house came by. For now, he lives in another community with his family. He wanted to thank us for making it possible for him and his family to return to their home. They wouldn’t have been able to recover their home if it hadn’t been for the work of the United Church of Christ Disaster Relief program in that area and the many volunteers who take the time to do the work.

It was clear that it wasn’t just the work we were doing that mattered to Percy. It was our presence in his loss -- our witness to the devastation that followed in the wake of Katrina. It was our willingness to stand with him.

On Monday night, those who journeyed from Chicago were fed by members of Beecher Memorial Church in New Orleans. Beecher was one of the buildings that the UCC Disaster Relief crews worked on. Now these folks were able to worship in their sanctuary once again. They were grateful to us and showed their gratitude by serving us a delicious meal of red beans and rice, chicken and greens.

That night the members of Beecher met one of the two men who turned on the lights in their church so that they could worship there. They were already excited and filled with enthusiasm. When they realized that Ron was present, everyone of the two dozen people who cooked and served approached Ron to shake his hand or give him a hug.

We aren’t always aware of the impact of what we do. Seeing these people approach Ron made their gratitude palpable. They had been worshipping in another place for two years. And then Ron and Tyrone turned on the lights for them. They were seeing with their eyes and with their hearts.

I know there are lots of people who can measure, cut, lay, and grout tile much faster and with greater skill than I have. But that’s not the point. The point is that volunteers are able and willing to be present in the face of this devastation, helping people return to their homes.  They measure, saw, hammer, caulk, glue, grout. And they are present. In the face of overwhelming loss, volunteers are present.

I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me; I was naked and you gave me clothing; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.

Sometimes the gift of presence, the gift of witness is not just a subtext. Sometimes it is the primary act of kindness. And it is powerful. Seven weeks ago I returned from a three month sabbatical that helped restore my call to ministry. In those seven weeks I have spent a lot of time with members of GCC, catching up with them about their lives. A theme I hear frequently is the power of witness to the reality of our lives.

Several people told me how much lighter they felt when they were able to share with their family and friends some of the concerns that had been weighing them down. They knew that no one could make the problem go away. But they also knew that they were not alone in facing these challenges. This notion of shared burden certainly connects with one of Howard’s recent sermons.

This summer my daughter Jenna moved back to New Orleans for graduate studies in Public Health at Tulane University, her alma mater. Jenna and her boyfriend have become evacuation volunteers. New Orleans, like many coastal cities, requires evacuation from time to time. It is more effective when it is well organized and volunteers are trained. Jenna and Kiril spent a day in the training, half of which was on emotional response to evacuees. The organizers believe that volunteers must be prepared to listen to people and affirm their feelings before they advise them on the best way to get out of town. That is at the heart of being present to the other, witnessing to their experience.

I too have been the beneficiary of that kind of witness, that kind of presence. One of the things I was made aware of when I returned from sabbatical on August 16, was that five days prior the Personnel Task Force made its recommendations to the Executive Board. The Personnel Task force was appointed last spring to identify ways to balance the 2010 budget through personnel adjustments. The first recommendation was to vacate the position of Minister for Mission and Ministry. That’s the position I have held for six years at GCC. This recommendation requires a congregational decision and three months’ notice. The timing was critical.

I was not particularly enamored of this idea. Since returning from sabbatical, I have felt like a walking target. That can be a very lonely feeling. Fortunately, there have been many in the congregation who have reached out to me and my husband in supportive, caring, loving ways. Jim and I are grateful for that.

I was surprised however, by another source of support. In retrospect I shouldn’t have been. A month ago I was having coffee with a colleague who serves another suburban church. We have known each other for twenty years. I was telling her what was going on at GCC. Toward the end of my tale of woe, she asked when the congregational meeting would be held. I told her. She said she would be here, if that would be all right with me. This was something I hadn’t even considered.

What a wonderful idea. When GCC gathered last Sunday night, a number of my family members, friends, and colleagues joined me. What a testimony. What a witness. None of them had ballots – they are not members of GCC. None of them was here to make a statement – they are not members of GCC. They were simply here so that I would know that they stand by me.  I have experienced the power of silent witness.

There are many ways to care for the other. Cooking meatloaf and chili or delivering and serving it at Good News Community Kitchen. Making boxes or packing beans at Greater Chicago Food Depository. Attending a Peace Vigil. Participating in a Health Care March. Building homes with Habitat for Humanity in Lake County. Working with Native Americans on a reservation. Packing lunches so the Night Ministry has food for the homeless. Joining in the Crop Walk. Creating an environment for teenagers from the Middle East to learn and dialogue with each other about what divides them. Raising money. Donating money. Praying. Standing in witness.

Today is World Communion Sunday. Christian churches throughout the world observe this occasion. We are reminded of our unity. We are reminded that we are fed by this bread of life and this cup of the new covenant. We are reminded that we are one. And as we are fed at this table, we are nourished so that we may go out and care for the other. Care for the other with the work that we do. Care for the other through our presence. Care for the other by our witness to the reality and needs of their lives.

I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was afraid and you stood by me. May we find inspiration to love as Jesus loved – in actions small but essential and significant. Amen.