Compassion (including reflections on Ivan Brown)

 by The Rev. John Motis

Our Gospel lesson from Mark today is located between the Apostles missionary journeys and Jesus’ feeding of the 5000. The Apostles are reporting in, telling Jesus all that they had done and taught. Can you imagine their excitement? First time out on their own. I can picture them talking over each other, interrupting each other, one upping each other, each bragging about their amazing successes! It wasn’t long though, before their excitement turned to a real sense of tired, pure exhaustion! You know the feeling you get when the excitement is over? The adrenaline has gone, all of the sudden you feel drained. Now, what they wanted and needed was Jesus, His undivided attention and His affirmation. However, the crowds were gathering. People wanting to be near this miracle man that they had been hearing so much about. People from all kinds of backgrounds with all different sorts of needs and desires. At the same time Jesus knew that the Apostles needed to get away to a quiet place to finally get the rest that they sorely needed. This was not to be the case today. They did get away, but their alone time was cut very short. The crowd actually beat them to their hoped for, solitary place. When they came ashore, the crowds were already there, the Apostles saw them and so did Jesus.  Don’t you suppose they might have thought, ‘oh no! Come on Jesus let’s turn around and go somewhere else!’  Jesus’ reaction was not what the Apostles were hoping for. The Apostles wanted Jesus. Instead, Jesus turned His attention to the crowds and had compassion on them.

The Apostles training continues! Jesus saw that the people were in need. Like sheep wandering and lost, very much like sheep without a shepherd. Vulnerable, very much in real danger. In need of a shepherd that cared and loved his sheep. A shepherd that would sacrifice, and even die to protect them. Jesus was the shepherd! For us: If we are to lead lives in imitation of Christ, that feeling of compassion is part of the deal. That very deep, sometimes even gut-wrenching response to the suffering we see in others, making us suffer with them; to be willing to step into their situation and do something about their need.

That is what Jesus is teaching His Apostles and us this morning. Jesus is teaching that we are all in this together as family. And, when family is involved, our “needs” need to be in second place. Like the compassion a parent has for their child. When we are living compassionate lives, imitating Jesus, we are doing His will. Then, we are His brother, sister and mother.      

From Matthew’s Gospel we read:  “While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in Heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

So, what is His will, and how do we do it?

Many of you remember Ivan Brown. A life-long member of Good Shepherd since 1956, normally attending the 8:00 service. Ivan was a regular attender; until late in his life, and was no longer able to attend, any time that the church doors were open Ivan was here.

Ivan, a life-long bachelor, lived alone and outlived everyone in his family.  That tends to happen as a bachelor and when you live to 92. He had a small group of friends out at Kissimmee River where he lived in his parents’ former house, and us, his church family.

Ivan wasn’t always easy to help and to serve. I recall a meeting one day here at Good Shepherd, several of us had become concerned about Ivan’s ability to take care of himself. We thought it would be much better for Ivan if he moved to Savannah Court or perhaps Water’s Edge. So, we then needed to convince Ivan. “I will take it under advisement,” was all we got.  Perhaps, we would try again later.

It wasn’t too long when it became apparent that the time had come when someone would have to step in and watch over Ivan’s affairs. Normally the responsibility would come to a family member. Since Ivan had outlived all of his relatives, we needed another solution.

Who should or better yet be willing to be that person? Ivan’s personality challenged me in many ways: there were times, certainly more than one or two when I didn’t respond well to Ivan’s smart aleck remarks, especially when they weren’t asked for or needed.  I shocked my friend Chip Thullbery with my response on one occasion. I am a believer that if we ask the Lord to speak to us, He will! Sometimes with something that we don’t want to hear!

I became that person for Ivan and managed his care until his death back in late May.

Many of us knew that Ivan was an avid stamp collector. Searching for something to talk about one day when I was visiting him, I asked him how many stamps he had. He responded by saying, lots of them. I pressed and he finally said something like thousands. I will attest to you all: “thousands” was an understatement! When I went into his house I discovered stamps on every horizontal surface - stacks of them! One of Ivan’s wishes was that his lifelong stamp collection be donated to the American Philatelic Society (people who collect stamps.)  So, to carry out that wish we spent three weeks gathering, boxing, wrapping in plastic and palletizing his collection. I called the Philatelic Society to find out how this works. The guy said, just ship them up here and we will take care of them, it happens all the time. I tried to explain that he didn’t understand, I had a lot of stamps. He wasn’t impressed, so we shipped them, five pallets, four feet tall and 2500 pounds! A couple of days passed, then the expected phone call came. He really hadn’t understood what I was telling him! He had never seen a collection like this.

Ivan was known for his dry wit and sometimes smart aleck remarks. For many years, before the 8:00 service Ivan would stand in the doorway of the kitchen while we were cooking breakfast. “My job is to harass the troops!” and that is what he did.

As I said, we were Ivan’s family, (in the end the only family Ivan had). And to be honest, we do that really well here at Good Shepherd. At risk of missing someone, I do want to remember a few people for Ivan. First Cyndi Landes. There is no telling how many times she brought Ivan food, cleaned his house, took him shopping, drove him places and just plain worried about him. Cyndi’s final act of love came when she dug the hole in our Memorial Garden for Ivan’s ashes.   Then we have Fred and Sharon Allen. Fred mowed Ivan’s yard for many, many years. Fred and Sharon even volunteered and drove to the Carolinas to bring Ivan back to Lake Wales when he had made a detour that ended up as a road trip that he wasn’t able to complete. Our ever-faithful Lisa Carter, she would look up and Ivan would be standing in her doorway, arms crossed, appearing from nowhere. Lisa kept Ivan busy, folding bulletins and watching to be sure that Ivan hadn’t wondered off. Jack Langford picked Ivan up at Water’s Edge and brought him to Church. He told me several times, “I love that guy.” Mariann Holland who brought Ivan Communion and visited him at Water’s Edge. (to this day, I cannot figure out how to get through the security door into the Memory Unit at Water’s Edge!)  Pat Corwith and Roger Ingley who dealt with the IRS when Ivan had created his own tax issues by filing or not filing his taxes. Father Tom, for his wise direction and guidance over his entire tenure here as Rector; and who knows how many times driving Ivan somewhere.  Father Tim for his support here at the end. David Fisher for legal matters and Jack Brandon, for his counsel in Ivan’s care. Together, we watched over Ivan, we cared for him and worried over him. Even when he wasn’t aware that he was being cared for.

This is what we are to do. To live compassionate lives, imitating Jesus.

God cares deeply for the weak; the vulnerable and the poor. That caring is to be carried out by us. From the beginning, God intended for human beings to be at work in His creation. He gave us dominion. We know that is so because He said it was good. We cannot fulfill that calling by living in the safety of our detached personal religion. Let me say that again, we cannot fulfill our calling living in the safety of our detached personal religion. We have to be involved in the world. We cannot do His will by staying at home.  Perhaps this is the time to return to church. We miss you and it isn’t the same without you here.

We are to engage the world, by doing so we are doing our part to usher in His Kingdom. When we are willing to engage the world, we very well may be the first person specifically called to be the means by which Christ has compassion.  I ask you this morning: who are those around you that are struggling? Laura and I have an elderly widow and widower on each side of our house. Who we could do a better job keeping up with.  Who is it that is no longer able to do the things that you could do for them? Is there a young couple that needs an evening out, that only needs a baby sitter.

Who do you know that needs a ride to the Doctor or the store? The ways and opportunities are endless. “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in Heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Let’s be family!