Keeping it simple doesn’t mean keeping it easy. Jesus’ message and call to follow Him is both clear and simple, but never ever easy. The biggest obstacle to fully responding to Jesus is not only loving God, but loving God means we also need to love our neighbor as ourselves. It doesn’t get any more clear and simple as that, but my oh my, it is not easy.
Jesus cited what is known as the “Golden Rule” in Matthew 7:12: "Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God's Law and Prophets and this is what you get. (The Message) When I think of how to live that out, I’m reminded of Robert Fulghum’s little book, Everything I Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten. Among the many lessons he cited, these stand out for me as I consider what it means to put into practice the "Golden Rule”:
- Share everything.
- Play fair.
- Don’t hit people.
- Put things back where you found them.
- Clean up your own mess.
- Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
- Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
- Wash your hands before you eat.
- Flush.
- Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you (refer back to rule 1 cookies and milk)
- Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
- Take a nap every afternoon.
- When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
- Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
“Hold hands, and stick together.” When we help someone in need, we’re sticking together and holding each other’s hand. This past year, we’ve had people use their vacations to travel great distances to hold someone’s hand in Haiti, Romania, and El Salvador. But just as importantly, others have held someone’s hand right here in the Bay area through the Mentoring Alliance, FISH, and Young Life, to name just a few.
Med Share is a place where we hold someone’s hand that we’ll never meet. By taking unused medical equipment, sorting and labeling it for use by someone in need, we touch people around the world. Hundreds of kids at Benjamin Bloom National Children's Hospital, which is the only pediatric hospital in El Salvador, were the recent recipients of a container loaded with medical supplies sorted and packed by people like John and Nancy Schiller. By taking a few hours every month, people like John and Nancy make it possible for doctors in hospitals, just like Benjamin Bloom, to have access to the best resources medicine has to offer. Having toured Benjamin Bloom personally and talked with the doctors, many of whom trained here in the United States, their anguish was profound. They knew what was available in terms of medical supplies, but were forced by circumstances to practice medicine like it was practiced fifty years ago in the United States. Med Share doesn’t completely fix the problem, but every container makes a profound difference.
Where are you holding someone’s hand in the world near or far today?
Now for the other pieces of news on my desk…
4TH OF JULY BURGER BOOTH SIGN-UPS BEGIN THIS SUNDAY
Be a part of this 4th of July fundraiser downtown in the park on the Plaza. Funds raised will help support our mission in El Salvador. There are many areas, in which you can volunteer – set-up, assemble booth, barbecue, food prep, cashier, transport, clean-up, donate and of course, stop by and buy a burger! The sign-up table will be in the fellowship hall.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL – JUNE 27 – JULY 1
We are always looking for volunteers to help at Vacation Bible School! We have a place for everyone. Whether you can stay for one day, or all 5 days, your participation is what makes the St. Andrew VBS a safe and fun place for children. To register go to the front page of our website. www.andrewpres.org and click on “To register as a volunteer click here” link.
With that…you really do know what I know…
Comments