Rev. Bill's Sermons

Mark 1:40-45 Choices February 12, 2006

There may be times in your life when you may feel that you are “stuck” – “stuck” with things that may happen to you – “stuck” with how you may think you “have to” respond to things that happen to you – or “stuck” with how you may think you “have to” respond to people when they may do something to you that upsets you or hurts you. Maybe something horrible happens to you – and you feel we have to respond to it by getting upset or angry. Maybe something upsets you – and you may feel you have no choice but to get angry. Maybe someone says something or does something that hurts you – and you feel you have no choice but to lash out at them – respond to them in a way that makes them hurt the same way you are. Maybe something happens that makes others look down on you – and you feel you have no choice but to sulk and withdraw from the rest of the world and feel sorry for yourself. Maybe you feel “stuck” a lot of times – “stuck” with the way you relate to things that happen to you or the people around you. You may not like the way you respond to the things that happen to you or the people around you – but you feel you have no choice – you feel “stuck”. Coretta Scott King – who died the week before last – had every right to feel “stuck”. Born and raised in rural Alabama – she saw first hand how people treated blacks. Segregated from the whites – not allowed at the same schools – not allowed to take advantage of the same opportunities whites were allowed to take advantage of – she knew what it felt like to be looked down upon and be considered “less than” others. She could have accepted that – like so many others did. Or she could have hated it – but felt there was nothing she could have done about it – like so many others did. Or she could have reacted with violence – like some others did. She could have felt that she was “stuck” with these 3 options – accepting the fact she was thought of as “less than” others – hating it but feeling there was nothing she could do about it – or reacting to it with violence. But – she chose to create another way to respond to the fact that she and her people were treated as “less than” others. She read the writings of nonviolent resistance by people like Mohandas Gandhi – and dedicated her life to working for change – but in a peaceful way. When she met Martin Luther King, Jr. she taught him about how changes can be made for their people – and how it could be done through peaceful means. Together Martin and Coretta worked for change – and even after Martin was killed Coretta continued to work for equality for all people. Instead of feeling “stuck” in the old ways of responding to how she and her people were treated – Coretta chose a new way – a different way – and changes came. My Dad was “on the other side of the fence” from Martin and Coretta in many ways – but he, too, worked for change. A white male in South Carolina – he could have looked down on all blacks – especially those like Martin and Coretta who were working for a change in the status quo. In the early 1960’s Dad was a Municipal Court Judge in Rock Hill, SC. Some students at the local black college decided they would sit in at the lunch counter at the local Woolworth store. This of course was not the sit in in Greensboro, NC that gathered national attention – but was one like it. The students were refused service – and arrested when they refused to leave. Dad was the Judge that heard their case. You have to understand that all a Judge can do is uphold the law - - not change it. You also have to understand that the law in South Carolina at that time clearly stated that an owner of a business had the right to refuse service to anyone – for any reason -- request anoyne to leave -- for any reason -- and have the people arrested for not leaving when asked to do so. Dad had no choice at the time but to rule that Woolworth’s had the right to refuse service to the students -- ask them to leave -- and have them arrested when they did not leave. That’s what the law said. But then Dad got his friends in the state legislature to help him get the law changed. Before long most of the “Jim Crow” laws in South Carolina were changed. Dad could have let the prevailing opinions about black people stay in the laws. He could have let himself be “stuck” with laws he did not agree with. Instead, he chose to get them changed. Maybe you feel “stuck” a lot of times – “stuck” with the way you relate to things that happen to you or the people around you. You may not like the way you respond to the things that happen to you or the people around you – but you feel you have no choice – you feel “stuck”. But people like Coretta Scott King and my Dad are proof that we have choices – can make choices – do not have to be “stuck” with the old ways of doing things or relating to people – but can indeed choose new ways to respond to things that happen in our lives and situations we find ourselves in – new ways to respond to other people – new ways to live our lives. Our Gospel passage before us today is about choosing to respond to situations and people in a way that is different than what was the normal way. The leper in the passage had every right to feel angry – angry at life – angry at others –- angry at his situation. He had the dreaded skin disease – leprosy – that for Jewish people was less of a disease than it was a form of ritual impurity. A leper was banished from towns – had to live in colonies – and could not associate with others. If they left the colony they had to yell “Unclean! Unclean!” to warn people not to come near them. So – the leper indeed had every right to feel angry – angry at his situation – angry that he was not allowed to be with his family – angry that everyone avoided him. But instead of letting himself get “stuck” in this way of responding to what had happened to him –- he chose to respond in a different way. He chose to seek healing from Jesus. Regardless of how others felt about him – regardless of how Jesus might have become upset at him for approaching him – he chose to seek healing. Others may have chosen to stay the way they were – he was going to seek a way out. So he approached Jesus. “If you will, you can make me clean” he begged Jesus. He had seen Jesus heal others – and knew Jesus could heal him, also. “If you will, you can make me clean” He knew Jesus could heal him. He also knew Jesus could condemn him for approaching him and remind him that the laws said he had to stay in the colony and not come into the public. “If you will, you can make me clean” The leper chose to go against the norm – to try not to be “stuck” in old patterns of responding to the fact that he had leprosy. Jesus, too, had to make a decision. Was he going to going to let himself get “stuck” in the old ways of relating to people with leprosy – or was he going to create a new way – a more loving way – a way that would show God’s love to this man asking for help? “If you will, you can make me clean” Jesus heard the leper say. And Jesus looked at him – and responded to him in a new way – a way that was different from the ways others had. Jesus responded with love. Jesus responded with caring. Jesus responded with showing the leper the love of God. “I will. Be clean.” Jesus responded. The leper chose to not respond to his disease like other lepers did. Jesus chose to not respond to the leper like other people did. Coretta Scott King chose to not respond to racism as others did. My Dad chose to not respond to the laws of South Carolina as others did. Maybe you feel “stuck” a lot of times – “stuck” with the way you relate to things that happen to you or the people around you. You may not like the way you respond to the things that happen to you or the people around you – but you feel you have no choice – you feel “stuck”. Not true. We are never “stuck” with one way to react to things in our lives – we are never “stuck” with one way to relate to people – but we have choices. We can choose how we are going to react to situations in our lives and to people. We can choose to give up to situations that hurt us – maybe diseases or illnesses that make life hard for us – or we can choose not to give up – and find a way to let God bless us and give us new hope and new energy – and help us change our circumstances. We can choose to accept things that happen to us – even if they are hurting us – or we can choose to make a change – and let God show us a new way to live. We can choose to sulk when someone hurts us with actions or words – or we treat them with kindness and love – regardless of how they treat us. We can choose to react with anger when someone hurts us with actions or words – or we can choose to treat them with kindness and love – regardless of how they treat us. We can choose to react to situations in our lives like Coretta Scott King and the leper in our passage – choosing to let God work through us to create change – for us and for others. We can choose to react to people in the same old ways that others do – or we can choose to react in a positive, loving way. We can choose to look at those who are in need – sick – hungry – dieing – homeless – whatever their need might be – in the way some others do – with scorn and putting them down – or we can choose to reach out to them and work for a change in their situations. We have choices. We can choose how we are going to respond to situations in our lives and to people we see every day. Victor Frankl was a German Jewish Psychologist who was put in a Concentration Camp in World War II. He survived – and after the war began teaching about his experiences and how he survived them. He explained that he saw many people give up hope and die – many committed suicide before the Germans could kill them. They chose, he explained, to react to what was happening to them by giving up hope and giving up. Others, however, chose to not let what was happening to them kill them – or kill their spirits. “We can not change many of the things that happen to us” Frankl taught – “but we can choose how we react to them.” We can not change many of the things that happen to us but we can choose how we react to them. I can not change many of the things that happen to me But I can choose how I will react to them. We have choices. Like Coretta Scott King. Like my Dad. Like the leper. Like Jesus. Like Frankl. We do not have to be “stuck” with reacting to things that happen to us in the same way – but can find ways out of situations with God’s help and strength. We can choose to not let situations destroy our spirits – but can let God help us overcome them. We do not have to be “stuck” with treating others in the same old ways – but can choose to find new ways – ways of love and support – ways of God. Maybe you are finding yourself in a difficult – even uncomfortable – situation right now. You can choose to bring it to God – and let God give you the strength you need to live in it – and maybe even change it. Maybe others are doing things that hurt you – or saying things that are hurting you. You can choose to take that pain to God – and instead of responding to them with anger you can show them love. I have to remind myself of Victor Frankl’s statement time and again. I can not change many of the things that happen to me But I can choose how I will react to them. This is on your bulletin cover for today. Let’s read it together. I can not change many of the things that happen to me But I can choose how I will react to them. You might want to take that home with you and keep it somewhere where you can see it when things don’t go as you would have to go. We do indeed have choices of how we react to situations and people. Let’s try to choose to react with God’s love – making a difference when we can – and showing love when we can’t. We have choices. Amen.