the basic message #E298
10/3/04
My wife and I often ride our motorcycle on the weekend, and we frequently stop and take a little break from the saddle. Today we stopped and rested in a church parking lot. Behind the church was a small cemetery, and we were interested to learn about the folks resting in peace there. Cemeteries are often fascinating places- yielding information about their inhabitants, and this one was no different. Most of the folks buried there lived a full life, achieving ages of 80 years and beyond. As we meandered along, one headstone had a bit more of a message than the others, one that was partly obscured by St. Augustine grass. That almost sounds funny- a Saint in a graveyard that isn't a person. Anyhow, this particular fellow's grave marker read, "He told the preacher that he would do the best he could. And he did."
At times like this, I'd like to do some research and learn more about this unknown character named James. Although he is long-departed from this earth, he no doubt left plenty of family that probably knew him well. Although a phone call from me might at first catch some folks off-guard, many would be glad to tell about a beloved father, grandfather, uncle or brother. What was this man's story? Did a lifetime of doing "the best he could" reach out beyond his immediate family? Just how do we define "doing our best"? We could probably debate this issue for hours on end, but may we agree that when Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, he outlined some of the traits he is looking for in his followers?
Was Mr. James meek, as Jesus described? Too often these days we associate meek with being a wimp, but Jesus defined meek as a quality of humility toward God and our fellow man. In other words, a meek man sees himself for what he is, just a speck in this cosmic ocean called the universe. Our society tells us to have self-respect and to be assertive. There is nothing wrong with either, but our American way often takes things to extremes. A meek man wouldn't be likely to engage another motorist in road-rage. A meek man would probably walk away from an argument, and not be ready to engage in a fistfight if provoked.
I wonder if Mr. James was a merciful man. Jesus said that the merciful will be shown mercy, so it's a bit difficult to understand why most Americans show such a lack of mercy. We incarcerate more people in the United States than any other "first world" country. It should be no surprise that we also execute more prisoners than any other comparable country as well. When we engage in war, our bottom-line mentality is to reassure ourselves that "we must do what's needed to win", apparently including murdering innocent people that have little to do with the war. That might anger some of you, in view of our situation in Iraq, and I'm glad. Maybe you'll get angry enough to consider that one day, if you're lucky, you might meet a child in Heaven that will let you know that your nation killed her. Lucky to hear this? No, lucky that even though we did things like this we might still have a remote chance at Heaven. Where is our mercy? Do we even know what mercy is? We love to boast about how Jesus offers us his mercy, yet if we don't extend mercy to others we will forfeit the mercy Jesus provides. Go look it up and see for yourself. If you find out you're right, please email me immediately so my conscience can be soothed for the thousands of innocent people we've murdered in Iraq (I'm serious).
Was Mr. James pure in heart? I suppose we might all define this in different ways, but I think a pure-hearted person will be honest, compassionate, caring, and will express an honest interest in the welfare of others- even people he doesn't know. Perhaps Jesus mentioned "pure in heart" directly after "merciful" to make sure we understood the importance.
As Mr. James did the "best that he could", was he a peacemaker? Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:9 that peacemakers are blessed, and that they will be called "sons of God". That's a pretty nice compliment, don't you think? They're aren't too many instances of people being called a "son of God" in the Bible, so by all accounts, peacemakers are cherished by Jesus. It's funny that a Colt pistol, back in the old west, was nicknamed "the peacemaker". From what I hear, the United States has a major weapon called the "Peacemaker" missile, which is apparently part of the Minuteman program. Do we really believe that Jesus will reward us for creating devices to take life indiscriminately? Isn't it bad enough to invent weapons that kill tens of thousands, but then, to add insult to injury, we name them "Peacemakers". Go figure.
If someone like myself speaks out against the inhumanity in the world, specifically about the inhumanity the United States often propagates, I'm called every name in the book, beginning with "anti-patriotic". Well folks, if criticizing our penchant towards killing innocent people earns me the badge "anti-patriotic", I'll wear it proudly. Jesus talked about that too when he preached the Sermon on the Mount. Let's listen:
Matthew 5:10
"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Mr. James, I have no idea whether or not you did the best you could, so I can only prepare myself for that inevitable day that I meet God and Jesus Christ. If Jesus stands at the gates of Heaven and says, "Were you meek, merciful, pure in heart and a peacemaker", what shall I say? What shall all of you say? May we all strive toward having a headstone that says, "He told the preacher he would do the best he could. And he did."