Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders.              Psalm 119:2

“Distinctions”

Last Sunday in the Church Year—November 25, 2007

Malachi 3:18

Malachi 3:18—Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

            I received a forward in my email inbox on Monday morning. To be honest with you, I have always detested forwards that I receive from people. Normally I delete the forwards before I even read them; however, this one caught my attention. Specifically because it arrived at the precise time that I was studying the text for today in preparation for this message. In order for you to understand this forwarded email, I thought it would be best to show you the pictures that came attached with the email.

            NAIROBI (AFP) - A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa , officials said. The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean , then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.

            "It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park , told AFP.

            "After it was swept away and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist added. "The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it followed its mother.

If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother," Kahumbu added. "The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years," she explained.

            This is a real story that shows that our differences don't matter much when we need the comfort of another. We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures of God, "Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together."

            This is an unusual pairing of animals, but as the last line of the email stated, we can learn a lesson from these creatures that God has created. Differences should not matter when it comes to comforting and loving one another.

            These two animals show some similarities and differences. They are similar in the fact that they are both very large creatures. They often live in similar habitats and have similar diets. Both the hippo and tortoise feed on plants and grass. However, there are definite distinctions between these two animals. The tortoise is over a century old, and the hippo is only a year old. The tortoise moves at very slow speeds, averaging approximately 0.1 mph, where a hippo can achieve speeds of that of an Olympic sprinter at 18 mph.

            Ok, so now you are probably wondering what tortoises and hippos have to do with our scripture readings and why I am talking about them this morning.

            When this email arrived in my inbox on Monday, I was studying the texts for this morning. I had zeroed in on the topic of distinctions, as it was brought up in the Malachi passage, specifically the phrase in verse 18, “…then ONCE MORE you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked…”  The phrase ONCE MORE indicates that the distinction should be apparent BEFORE the last day when Christ comes again.  I started thinking about how we as Christians should be distinct.  I opened up the email and found that I was staring at a distinctive pairing. The hippo and the tortoise have adopted one another and were treating each other as family. This distinctive pairing has caught the attention of many around the world. So much so that someone took the time to compile the story and pictures into an email to send off to all their family and friends.

            As God’s children, we should see such distinct and, what the world would consider, unusual pairings within our church and our lives.  As Christians we are called upon to take care of each other, and love one another as Christ loves us, regardless of perhaps what the world would see as significant differences.  Our care for each other should transcend all the unnamed and invisible yet all too present boundaries that our world establishes – for example, those between socioeconomic classes, races, and cultures.  Malachi touches on our all-too-human participation in letting these worldly boundaries distract us from the mission that God puts before us.    

            In the beginning of our reading from Malachi this morning, we hear that the Israelites are complaining that the wicked are prosperous. Malachi 3:15 says, “…Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.” This is a common complaint heard among Christians and probably in our own lives. How often have you looked at a non-Christian friend or neighbor and wonder why their life is so good and yours is so rotten?

            Several weeks ago, Jen, Josiah and I took a road trip to Misquamicut , Rhode Island . As we were exploring, we noticed the palatial, beautiful homes scattered around the area. No doubt the inside of these homes were decked out with all the latest gadgets and gizmos modern man has decided are necessities.

            We found ourselves to be just a little bit envious. Look how easy their life must be. They surely have plenty of money in their bank accounts; retirement and financial planning are a breeze for them. If they want something, they have the means to get it.

            Perhaps you have found yourself having similar thoughts with a co-worker or neighbor in a similar situation.  Or perhaps you find it just a little unfair that you have been inflicted with cancer or some other debilitating disease, when all the “wicked people” around you seem to be healthy and kicking strong. You might be thinking, I have given my life over to God. I have made sacrifices to further the kingdom, and now look what has happened. They don’t have to deal with this devastating disease. In fact it looks like they are living the high life, no complaints, no wants, no needs, and no health problems.

            It is at these times, when we take our eyes off of Jesus and our eternal prize awaiting us and succumb to envy, jealousy and the like, that we become less distinctive.  We can start to blend in with those around us who do not yet know Christ, and be pretty quick to draw boundaries between ourselves and others. Maybe we draw those lines because of money, social status, or race. We are content to care for those that also fit within the boundaries we have erected around us, and to not venture beyond those boundaries. But how is this different from what the world does? 

My challenge to you this morning is this: can the world see a distinction between the child of God you are and those who do not know Him? If a reporter was going to do a comparison story on your day to day life as a Christian compared with the day to day life of a non-Christian, would there be a noticeable difference? Would there be any distinction at all?

            We may draw lines between ourselves and the world around us; however God does not see those boundaries. God sees everyone in this world as his fallen children. We are all sinful. We have all fallen short of the expectations of God. All people are in need of God’s mercy and grace. Therefore, this is why God did not distinguish between Jew and Gentile when he sent His Son, Jesus Christ into the world as our Savior.

            We can thank God that He did not place the world into camps, already condemning some. One of the most memorized verses in Scripture reminds us of that. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes would have eternal life.”

            Jesus Christ died 2000 years ago for you. It was your sins of jealousy and rage that he took and paid for on the cross. Jesus wasn’t just sent to save the Jews or the elite few. Jesus came to this earth, he lived the perfect life that none of us could ever achieve, and He died on the cross taking on the sins of the entire world—every tribe, nation, language and people.

            As we recall the images I showed you a few minutes ago we remember the unusual pairing of the tortoise and the hippo. They had bonded together and adopted one another—treating each other as family despite the multitude of differences between them. Now, I invite you to look at your bulletin cover where we see another unusual pairing. Our Savior, our Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ paired with two criminals, suffering their same fate. Jesus was definitely different from the two criminals that flanked him.

            One of the criminals testified to this fact as he heard in the Gospel account this morning. One of the criminals who was crucified with Jesus railed at him saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” The other criminal rebuked him saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

            We see a definite distinction in our Savior Jesus Christ. As the criminal stated, our Savior died innocently. He had committed nothing wrong to merit His crucifixion. It was the innocence of our Savior Jesus that saved us all from our sin. Jesus was the sacrificial lamb, innocent, unblemished—without sin. Jesus’ death granted you the pardon and forgiveness that you do not deserve, yet is freely given to you as a gift, no strings attached. And His resurrection gives you the certainty of life eternal with Him forever.

            Jesus Christ was very distinctive. He was a man who stood out in a crowd. He stands out when we see him hanging on that cross, crucified between two criminals. He walked this earth and He stood out from the crowd. He healed the sick, raised the dead, and commanded the wind and the waves. Through it all, though, He never took His eyes off his Father or the mission set before Him.  He never succumbed to envy, jealousy, or any of the sins that distract us from our mission.  He did not pay attention to the boundaries that the world had placed between people, between the “clean” and the “unclean”.  He angered the religious leaders because of His blatant disregard for the boundaries they had placed, and by making it apparent that His love and mercy were for all people.  These are all marks of a very distinctive man—a  man who was not simply a man, but God himself. He allowed Himself to be wrongfully accused, whipped, beaten, and crucified—all with us in mind. All this, your Savior did for you so that you could be with Him one day in paradise.

            Jesus did not differentiate who he died for, or whose sins were wiped clean by His death on the cross. Jesus died for all people, so that all people would have the opportunity to be with Him forever in heaven. Jesus died so that you wouldn’t have to fear death, but you can rest assured that when you die you will be with Him forever in eternity.

            Just as Christ saw no distinction among human beings—ALL were in need of His love when He died on the cross—so we should not allow the boundaries that the world erects, and all too often does with our help, to stand in our way as we seek to share this saving message with all people. This is why we, as God’s children, should seek to share at every opportunity the saving message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This is why we have our three-fold mission here at St. Paul ’s: our international ministry—our partnership with the Bondo parish in Kenya ; our national mission—the vicarage ministry and the training of pastors for ministry across this country and around the world, and the local ministry—our Community Nursery School .

            That is also why a new ministry at St. Paul ’s will soon begin. This ministry, called GRACE, has a very specific mission: to reach out to the poor and needy here in our community. What a distinct way to show God’s love to those immediately around us who so desperately need his grace, mercy and hope!  

How will the world, right now in this day and age, see the distinct difference that defines us as children of God?  God giving us the strength, it will be through our words but more importantly, through our actions and daily lives.  Let us daily ask our Lord to help us to be distinctly His own in everything we say and do!   And let us pray that those around us who do not know Christ see and, like people marvel at the hippo and tortoise, marvel at Christ in us, and in doing be drawn to our Lord and Savior!

            As we end another church year here at St. Paul ’s, we remember all the blessings that God has bestowed on His church here in New Hartford, and we look forward to another year in which we can grow in our service to Him and the community around us. As we look forward to another year of serving our Lord and Savior, we can pray that He will give us the strength and perseverance to stand out in the crowd. May the Lord enable us to be distinctively His own in all we say and do, and that there may be no doubt, to anyone observing, that Christ is alive and working through us!   Amen.