Praying for Time
The
Yorktown United
Pastor Roy Grubbs
May 25, 2008
Isaiah 49:8-16A
2nd Sunday after Pentecost - Memorial Sunday
Matthew 6:24-34
I love summer. Many of you probably already know that. I love the sun, the water, and the warm weather. As soon as it gets warm enough, I love to wear shorts, t-shirts, and flip-flops. OK, so I don’t always wait until summer. But now that Memorial Day weekend is here (the unofficial beginning of summer), let the good times at the beach, the pools, and the barbeques begin! After a rainy, cool spring, people are ready to get outside and enjoy themselves. In fact, millions of Americans will be going to parades, beaches, parks, pools, and campgrounds this weekend. Families and friends will celebrate a long weekend away from school and work sharing stories that help them remember who they are. It is also an opportunity for us to share with our children who we are.
Last Sunday we had the opportunity to witness 3 youth profess their Christian faith, becoming full members of our church. What an honor and privilege it was to journey with them throughout the past year. They shared some wonderful insights, but also asked some very tough questions. Some of our discussions centered on war and the reasons for it. Throughout history, there have been many wars. The First Testament is full of accounts of battles won and lost by the Israelites. So many conflicts; so many lives lost. Throughout time, how many millions of lives have been lost to various wars - and for what reasons? Why does humankind find it necessary to go to war? What are the fruits of war – power, glory, wealth, control?
Today is a particularly poignant day to
think about these questions. Millions
have lost their lives in this country alone just in “major wars.”
Listen to these statistics. They
are evidence of our most persistent plague.
From the Civil War: 526,332
American soldiers killed. From World
War I: 116,516 American soldiers killed. From
World War II: 405,399 American
soldiers killed. Total soldiers
killed in this Great War 35 million. From
Even today, so many different wars rage on.
Just listening to the news can be enough to depress just about anyone.
From the war in
As night falls, thousands of children flee their homes in outlying areas toward “safer places” in town. Many travel 10-15 miles each way, without food, water, or even shoes, just to find a place to sleep. You see, if they do not hide, the Lord’s Resistance Army (otherwise know as the LRA) will be looking for them. This group looks for children every day; when they find them, they capture and/or kill many of them. For those that survive, they are beaten into submission and ordered to pick up rifles, knives, and other weapons. They are trained to fight; they are trained to kill. Specifically, the LRA is a rebel movement working against the Ugandan government. The children who are forced to join the movement are first beaten and tortured; once they have submitted, they are given a quota to kill at least 20 people each time they are sent out.
We saw the footage of many children who had survived the attacks; their scars, wounds, and disfigurements were just the terrible outer signs of suffering. In Gulu, it was reported that every single young girl had been raped. The documentary went on to interview those children fleeing each night as well as some who had escaped the LRA. It was absolutely disgusting to see what these children had to go through. Hundreds, crammed into tiny rooms, lying on top of one another, on wet floors, with no adults around, with absolutely nothing at all. Who is caring for these children? How will these children ever experience peace? How can this or any other act of violence be stopped? How many other battles and wars exist that we do not think about or even know about? How can we begin to salvage the lives that forever have been altered by our world’s lack of concern? Where is Christ’s love in all of this?
There is a song I love from a singer George Michael. It asks us to hold a mirror up to ourselves, individually and collectively. Do we really care about others? Do we really love others as we would want to be loved? So many are suffering; so many need us. What are we called to do? And is there enough time?
Praying
For Time – by George Michael (1990)
These
are the days of the open hand. They
will not be the last.
Look around now. These are the days
of the beggars and the choosers.
This is the year of the hungry man, whose place is in the past,
Hand in hand with ignorance and legitimate excuses.
The
rich declare themselves poor, when most of us are not sure
If we have too much, but we’ll take our chances, ‘cause God’s stopped
keeping score.
I guess somewhere along the way, He must have let us all out to play,
Turned his back, and all Gods children crept out the back door.
And
it’s hard to love, there’s so much to hate
Hanging on to hope when there is no hope to speak of.
And the wounded skies above say it’s much too late,
Well maybe we should all be praying for time
Do you think we have time?
Do you think we have time?
These
are the days of the empty hand, oh you hold on to what you can
And charity is a coat you wear twice a year.
This is the year of the guilty man, your television takes a stand
And you find that what was over there is over here.
So
you scream from behind your door, say what’s mine is mine and not yours
I may have too much, but I’ll take my chances, ‘cause God’s stopped
keeping score.
And you cling to the things they sold you, did you cover your eyes when they told you,
That he can’t come back, ‘cause he has no children to come back for.
It’s
hard to love, there’s so much to hate
Hanging on to hope when there is no hope to speak of.
And the wounded skies above say it’s much too late,
So maybe we should all be praying for time.
Do
you think we have time? Do you think
we have time?
Please give us time.
****************
From our Gospel Reading, we hear Jesus say,
to stop worrying so much about ourselves, where our next meal will come from,
and what latest fashions we need to purchase.
We have plenty. Christ calls
us to “strive first for the
But this doesn’t mean that our work is
done. Christ doesn’t ask us simply
to pray, but also to take action. We
are called to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, as well as to do justice,
love kindness, and walk humbly with our God.
We collected many pairs of flip-flops, water bottles, and money to give
to these “Invisible Children” of
Taking action to show love, creating a way
for reconciliation, working together with God as the hands and feet of Christ -
that is the message Jesus gave us to remember.
We must tear down the walls that divide us, break through the fear that
controls us, and stop being complacent because our lives are just the way we
like them. “This is my Song.”
In
Jesus left us peace – peace to be shared with the whole world. We are called not only to pray for peace, but to take action to serve Christ by creating a way for all hearts to unite, to live as one.
Tomorrow, I plan to celebrate Memorial Day cooking out on the grill, playing ball, and having a great time. We all need time to celebrate our lives together. But while we are enjoying our barbeques and shopping at the sales tomorrow, let us take time to remember those women and men that have gone before us, those losing their lives everyday to the ravages of war, and for the peace of Christ to finally reign. Let us truly open our hearts for God to lead us to action to save all those men, women, and children in such desperate need. Let us learn from our past mistakes and create a future where all the children of God become visible once again, where they are treated as equal brothers and sisters. Let us pray that God gives us the time to create a world where God’s vision of love and peace reign for each and every person on this planet. Amen.
“MEMORIAL DAY”
Memorial Day or Decoration Day emerged from
the shadows of the Civil War. In
1865, days after General Robert E Lee surrendered, a group of women in