Christ Will Strengthen You.
Some weeks ago I ran across a quip where someone said they didn’t want to turn the clocks back an hour this fall because they didn’t want to add an hour back to 2020. Here we are at the start of the church’s new year, the first Sunday of Advent, with a sense of caution. A year ago none of us saw 2020 coming as it has. If I had, I would have gotten you to stock up on toilet paper.
I don’t need to go through the litany of worldwide, national and local disturbances we have endured this year. The personal struggles and losses for many or most of us have been tough, too. In truth, they have been worse. When we go through trials personally and when we endure the loss of dear friends it takes a toll. And all of it stacks up.
Paul wrote to the church at Corinth affirming them as a grace-filled body formed around the testimony of Christ. They have been “enriched in him in speech and knowledge of every kind.”
Paul adds that, “He will also strengthen you to the end…” That is a bold assertion, that even though they exhibit every spiritual gift, their formation in Christ is ongoing. It was bold to have said it then and it remains bold to us today. Good Shepherd is also a grace-filled body formed around the testimony of Christ. We should expect Christ to strengthen us to the end, too.
That can happen in unexpected ways. Jesus kind of snuck up on me a couple of weeks ago. When I say he surprised me, remember that I’m a professional. I think about this stuff the way a plumber thinks about pipes or a lawyer the law or a doctor medicine. I’m a professional. But he surprised me. Meg and I were looking for something to watch on a Friday night. We stumbled across a free trial of the Starz movie channel that we didn’t know we had. I scanned their movies and saw “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” We had been wanting to see it and so we did. I thought was a biography of Fred Rogers. It isn’t. While Mr. Rogers and his show Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood are central to the story, it is actually the true story of how Mr. Rogers deeply affected a cynical and troubled writer who was assigned to interview him.
I could say “Spoiler alert!” because I’m about to describe a key scene in the movie, but it’s been out for well over a year and maybe this description will help you enjoy it even more.
Mr. Rogers and the writer tasked with interviewing him get onto a crowded New York City subway car. (Famous people don’t ride the subway. Mr. Rogers was offered a car service but he chose to ride the subway because, “It’s the easiest way to get around sometimes.”) The writer and Mr. Roges are talking about his show when a young African American girl calls out, “Hey, Mister Rogers.” He acknowledges her with a nod, then she and a couple of friends start to sing, “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…” Soon the entire subway care, which includes all sort of people including a couple of cops, joins in.
Most people probably would see that and think, “How nice.” And it is nice. I had a very strong and emotional response to it, and my emotions were all over the map. Like anyone, I was charmed by this simple and universal expression of goodwill. And for a moment, for just a moment, you see it. You see the fullness of God’s love pouring out through this simple, quiet and faithful man. You see, “Love thy neighbor as thyself enacted.” You see the Kingdom of God enacted, fulfilled.
I was also deeply angry and frustrated that we cannot just do that, do what Mr. Rogers said, just do what Jesus said.
How much better would we be handling all manner of trials right now if we just committed to loving each other despite our differences. It has made me think deeply about my own life and ministry, how I can better exemplify those traits and encourage them in you and all the people I encounter. It is quite a lot to consider.
(This is a link to the scene: https://youtu.be/8-16IUdMNZw)
While the movie makes a clear connection showing how Mr. Roger’s faith influenced his character and shaped his show, they don’t mention that he was actually an ordained Presbyterian minister. Don’t miss that part of it. Everything Mr. Rogers said and did intended to teach children to enact the Gospel in their own being and in the ways they treat others.
Today we launch into the two great preparation themes of Advent: preparing to celebrate the Incarnation and preparing for the Parousia. Preparation includes a lot of intentional decisions that we make as disciples to strengthen our faith.
But remember that it is Christ who strengthens us. He can and will strengthen us through our disciplines. But he is also strengthening us through unexpected means. Be alert to them. Be open. Be ready. He will strengthen you.
None of us know what the coming year may bring. But we do know it will bring unexpected challenges and unexpected blessings. Through all of it, Christ will continue to use every means possible to strengthen us, to shape us for his Kingdom. I pray that we will be alert as individuals and together to looking for him in the midst of all things and to receive him in the unexpected moments.
And he is coming. Come Lord Jesus!
AMEN