SPILL THOSE WHINES
Psalm 132: 1-12
JOHN 18: 33-37
November 24, 2024
AS we drove in the car yesterday, Colleen chose a Christmas playlist for our listening pleasure. Bruce Springsteen and Mommy Kissing Santa Claus were amongst the hits. We even Googled to find out Mrs. Santa’s first name. Ah, it is that season and we can easily spot the houses where the lights are already glistening in the night time’s darkness and we are being bombarded with Black Friday sales reminders. The spirit of Christmas past and present … where’s Tiny Tim when you need him? Oh he is disabled and poor … let’s not talk about taking care of him, right?
As most of you know, I love Christmas music and I have never fully understood the long standing liturgical or perhaps traditional rules of some church powers that have dictated that Christmas songs … you know Christmas carols … are only to be sung on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the days following Christmas. Not me … not my celebration of Jesus … I am a “Joy to the world the Lord has come, let earth receive her king” … every day of the year type of guy.
But over these last few weeks I have again started wondering about our focus and our willingness to receive God’s loving gift of Jesus Christ because it seems that over recent times I have heard more whining and complaining and then justification of actions based on whining and complaining more than I have heard in perhaps all of my 31 years on earth.
You probably have noticed the whinnying too! I am sure that, like me, you know people in your circles of life who whine away, and we have even heard more and more strangers just spilling their whines wherever and whenever they can as if by whining, they feel better. Maybe they do.
Perhaps some of you have fallen into the habit as well … identifying reasons to complain about; choosing to go on and on and on about things that bother you that may or may not be in your realm of control other than you can get on the phone, post on social media, or even in these times when we don’t spend a lot of personal interaction moments with others you are utilizing your time with others to complain and rant and point out what’s wrong over and over again gossip a bit … you know … pour out your whines as those listening become worn down and miserable rather than sympathetic because when you whine it is almost impossible to stop … especially when you get into that habit and others do notice your whining habit. It’s frankly, not a good look.
It is ironic that we have created just one official day of the year called Thanksgiving as if the other days in January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, and December and even the other 29 days in November are not worthy of being days of thanksgiving perhaps the powers that be understood the desire to complain seems to override the thankful concept. Well, at least on Thanksgiving most of us get to eat lots of food … but then again, some folks like Todd and Crystal out in the Gloucester County woods this morning or friends of mine will not be gathering with others on Thanksgiving day nor eating a feast surrounded by friends and family… perhaps they can whine about their circumstances.
In a way Pilate was whining while in the presence of Jesus Christ. “Are you the King of the Jews he asks.” Jesus puts Pilate on the spot by being rhetorical. “Do you say this on your own or are others saying this about me?” Their conversation goes back and forth, and I am sure that there was more to the conversation than is reported in John’s Gospel but we hear Pilate whining again, “So you are a king?” Jesus replies, “You say I am a king.” Don’t you have a feeling that as he spoke with Jesus that Pilate was probably texting with friends whining about his encounter with Jesus trying to label Jesus as a king as Jesus argued differently.
Do you struggle to label Jesus Christ in the midst of your daily conversations? Are your daily words and ideals focused in on Jesus’ last reply to Pilate as He said, “I was born and came into the world for this reason … TO TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH … whoever accepts the truth listens to my voice.”
Interesting Jesus didn’t tell Pilate that his sole purpose was to go to that awful cross and Jesus didn’t tell Pilate that he was born so that an annual holiday could be created where fancy wrapped gifts could be opened the morning after even non-going church folks hurry to a service that should not last more than an hour and should always end with candles and where yes, songs about Christmas can be sung. JESUS said that He was born to TESTIFY to the TRUTH and that truth begins with the most appropriate lessons that we need to remember in the 21st century, LOVE GOD and LOVE ALL of our NEIGHBORS!
Yes, “Joy to the world, the Lord has come … let earth receive her king!” But friends are we focused in on Jesus’ testimony … are we hearing our call … are we rejoicing in the Lord always because we are aligned with Christ or do we just enjoy our anticipation of Rudolph’s journey through the night sky?
We absolutely need to be thankful for Easter’s truths … the passion of Palm Sunday … the pain of Good Friday … and the celebration when the WOMEN declared to the world HE IS RISEN <<HE IS RISEN INDEED>> but as we approach our one day of Thanksgiving on the calendar … are we thankful for the truth of God as taught by Jesus or are we more interesting in spilling out our whines into the cesspool of the world’s complaints that frustrate, anger, and cause agita amongst those who have to listen?
As we count the days to the official start of the season of Happy Holidays or as some angrily insist Merry Christmas … what image do you think the world needs to have of the collective body called Christian? Perhaps you, like me, have tired of the whining of those who complain about store clerks and others who might be Jewish or Muslim and who say “Happy Holidays.” Is it a good whining opportunity as a Christian taught to love all of our neighbors to SCREAM THEY ALL HAVE TO SAY MERRY CHRISTMAS or fire them or maybe make it a law .. yea that’s the idea … let’s make it a law and jail those who don’t say MERRY CHRISTMAS … that’s the Christian way of doing things.
And, Pilate says more than asks, “So you are a king” and Jesus answers, “I was born and came into the world for this reason: to testify to the truth. Whoever accepts the truth listens to my voice.”
And, that song from my youth that has been going round inside my mind goes, “[1]I was once out strolling one very hot summer’s day when I thought I’d lay myself down to rest in a big field of tall grass. I laid in the sun and felt it caressing my face. Spill the wine.” And the psalmist says, “The Lord is my shepherd … He maketh me to lie down in green pastures … he leadeth me beside the still waters … he restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” SPILL THOSE WHINES friends stop complaining and discover God’s love caressing your very soul through the Son, Jesus Christ.
I began today’s service with a quote from the amazing Tony Campolo. He and Shane Claiborne for the last decade or more have been focused on sharing the words of Jesus Christ … RED LETTER CHRISTIANS … the teaching … the testimony or truth as Jesus told Pilate. As we focus in on our thanksgiving perhaps this story from Tony’s life is a reminder of who we need to be and what it means to reflect Jesus versus celebrating Christmas while complaining about life:
Tony was at a speaking engagement in Honolulu, Hawaii, and because he lives on the east coast his body was six hours ahead of Hawaiian time. At three o-clock in the morning it felt like nine o-clock to him. Awake and hungry for breakfast, he found himself in a “greasy spoon” café in the small hours of the morning. As he bit into his doughnut, eight or nine prostitutes walked in. They had just finished for the night. Their talk was loud and crude, and it was difficult to avoid listening in. He heard one tell the others it was her birthday the following day. “What do you want from me? A birthday cake?” was the sarcastic reply. “Why be so mean?” she replied, “I was just telling you. I don’t expect anything. I’ve never had a birthday party. I’m not expecting to have one now.”
When Campolo heard this he made a decision. When the women left, he went over to the café owner, a guy called Harry. “Do they always come in here?” “Yes,” said Harry. “Including the one who sat next to me?” “Yes, that’s Agnes. Why do you want to know?”
“Because I heard her say it’s her birthday tomorrow and I thought we might throw her a party.”
After a pause, a smile grew across Harry’s lips. “That’d be a great idea.” Half past two the next morning, Campolo brought the decorations and Harry had baked a cake. Word had got out and it seemed as if every prostitute in Honolulu was in the café. When Agnes entered with her friends, she was flabbergasted. Her mouth fell open and her knees wobbled. As she sat on a stool, everyone sang “Happy Birthday”.
“Blow out the candles!” people shouted, but in the end Harry had to do it for her. Then he handed her a knife. “Cut the cake, Agnes, so we can all have some.” Agnes looked at the cake. Then slowly said, “Is it alright … would you mind … if I wait a little longer … if we didn’t eat it straight away?”
“Sure. It’s okay,” said Harry. “Take it home if you want”’ “Can I?” Agnes said, “Can I take it home now? I’ll be back in a few minutes.” And with that she left, carrying her precious cake out the café. There was a stunned silence.
Campolo then said, “What do you say we pray?” And they did. Campolo lead a group of prostitutes in prayer at 3:30 in the morning. When they were done, Harry said, “Hey! You never told me you were some kind of preacher. What kind of church do you belong to?” Campolo answered, “I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for prostitutes at 3:30 in the morning.”
Harry thought for a moment. Then he kind of sneered, “No you don’t. There’s no church like that. I’d be a part of a church like that.”
As I said earlier … I was amongst the fortunate to interview Tony on the radio once upon a time. I am sure he could not remember my name but I remember his passion for the teaching of Jesus … I remember that he took the teaching of Jesus seriously … and I could tell that he was thankful on whatever day of the year it was that I interviewed him for the greatest gift of all because Jesus was God’s gift given as Jesus so clearly stated “born into the world for this reason: to testify to the truth. Whoever accepts the truth listens to His voice.”
It’s easy to spill our whines across the world these days but wouldn’t it be amazing if we shared the teaching of Jesus Christ with the same amount of enthusiasm … if we did don’t you think the world would be thankful every day not just on the fourth Thursday of November when we rush to put a turkey into the oven and watch football while getting ready for Black Friday? AMEN
And, now I have a gift for all of you … actually it is about sharing ….
JESUS NEVERY SAYS TO THE POOR COME FIND THE CHURCH BUT HE SAYS TO THOSE OF US IN THE CHURCH GO INTO THE WORLD AND FIND THE POOR, THE HUNGRY, The HOMELESS and the IMPRISONED.