Don't Just Sit There... Do Something!

Heed the Warning
Ezekiel 33:1-34:31

"If they hear the sound of the trumpet but do nothing, the enemy will come and kill them. They do will be responsible for their own deaths. They heard the sound of the trumpet but didn't do anything. So they are to blame for their own deaths. If they had done something, they would have saved their own lives." (Ezekiel 33:4-5)

There is a portion of an Austin Powers movie where a man is standing in front of a steam roller screaming. This goes on for a while, and then the audience is shown the side view... there is a good 50 feet between the man and the steam roller... not only that, but the machine is moving painstakingly slow. Comic, yes. Why? Because our good common sense would say, "Don't just stand there screaming. Move out of the way, silly!"

But do we? All of the warnings, all of the stories in the Bible where adultery and other sins have led to ruin... but do we pay attention? Do we change? How many years later and people are making the same mistakes? Lord, help me to listen to Your guidance and will for my life... so that I can do something to act upon Your warnings... instead of standing there screaming.

Trust the Word
Psalm 130:5-8

"I wait for the Lord to help me, and I trust his word. I wait for the Lord to help me more than night watchmen wait for the dawn, more than night watchmen wait for the dawn. People of Israel, put your hope in the Lord because he is loving and able to save. He will save Israel from all their sins." (Psalm 130:5-8)

In our lives, there are inherent moments of waiting... as Dr. Seuss would say:

Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

Excuse the digression, Dr. Seuss is one of my favorites. But I really believe it is pertinent here. There are places and moments in our lives when we are waiting. Not an idle waiting, but an expectant, faithful, eager, attentive waiting. And in these instances, it would perhaps prove quite disastrous to stubbornly press on... forcing your own way in the world. I know I've been there. So, I believe the Psalmist teaches that while we need to "do something" with our faith, sometimes the hardest thing "to do" is faithfully, patiently trust in the Lord that His answer is just... to wait.

Live the Faith
James 2:1-26

"My brothers and sisters, if people say they have faith, but do nothing, their faith is worth nothing. Can faith like that save them? A brother or sister in Christ might need clothes or food. If you say to that person, 'God be with you! I hope you stay warm and get plenty to eat,' but you do not give what that person needs, your words are worth nothing. In the same way, faith by itself- that does nothing- is dead." (James 2:14-17)

This is an idea that the Brethren take very seriously, and I am so thankful for the many teachers from my many congregations who have taught me so much. Just one out of endless examples that comes to mind is Stone Church of the Brethren, a very active congregation on many accounts including their partnership with the Colegio San Miguel Angel de Asturias in Xela (Quetzaltenango), Guatemala.

As a brief overview, the philosophy of the centers around Paulo Freire's critical pedagogy or pedagogy of the oppressed, social change through education. This is achieved through "generative themes" based on ecology, human rights, and social justice. Stone has sent several medical and educational delegations to this beautiful school, and I have been so fortunate as to go along on two occasions now, hopefully again this summer. Instead of saying, "I hope you get an education," the members of Stone continue to do something about making education a real possibility for many in the Colegio's community.