May 1, 2016 The Herring Run John Wesley United Methodist Church
I John: 3:11, 17-18, 4:7-9, 11-13, 20-21 Rev. Rebecca Mincieli, 508-548-3050
Last weekend we went to Brewster and took our grandkids to the Stony Brook Herring Run. Have any of you ever been there? It's a great spot, because the stream runs through the woods from an upper pond near Satucket and Stony Brook Roads down to Cape Cod Bay. So there are lots of waterfalls and pools the herring have to navigate in order to get to that upper pond. Now for those who might not know, each spring, millions of herring migrate back to our Cape streams and rivers, on their journey to go back to where they were born, in order to spawn, and create a new generation of herring. So these herring, trying to get to the upper pond, are essentially, going “home.” And let me tell you, being there with the grandkids was like déjà vu, time repeating itself. Because watching Cora and Ollie at the herring run, reminded me of the first time we took our kids, Matt and Lisa, to the herring run, over a quarter of a century ago. Time does go fast! But watching herring run upstream is truly a fascinating thing to witness. Being from Indiana, I’d never seen anything like it. The fish have to swim upstream and go up and over the waterfalls and around the rocks and other obstacles in their path. You can see the fish all line up in one of the many pools along the run; their tails flapping a mile a minute against the swift spring current. Then fish begin to dart forward and attempt a jump. Some make it up into the next pool. Others land on a rock and fall backward. Sometimes they just get stunned for a moment from the mishap, other times they die. For some of the herring, exhaustion gets to them and they slip back downstream, losing any progress they struggled so hard to gain in the first place. And in some cases, the current eventually sweeps them away, typically into the mouth of a waiting seagull. I can still picture the awe on our kids’ faces as they witnessed with their own eyes, this phenomenon of nature.
And it didn’t take them long to come up with an idea. As luck would have it, John had a fishing net in the trunk of the car for some reason or other, and before long they had the net and were taking turns trying to gently collect fish in the lower pool, picking them up in the net and carrying them all the way up the hill to the upper pond. Now because it was such a beautiful thing to do, something I’m afraid only children would initiate, we indulged the kids for a period of time before we told them why their efforts really weren’t in the best interest of Mother Nature. And they tried to understand. But it wasn’t long before they pleaded with us, “Please, please, can we help just a few more of them just over this one big jump?!” They couldn't help all the fish, but their efforts obviously made a big difference to the ones they did help. And it was heartwarming to see how pleased they were to take action to help those little fish, one of God’s “other” creatures that couldn’t help themselves, that had to struggle against the forces of this earthly world in order to overcome the obstacles and difficulties in their journey through life.
Yes, as I stood at that herring run and remembered, I thought of how the herring run is a lot like our own lives. We are on a journey to eventually reach the “upper pond” – our “home” in heaven, that place of peace and comfort and joy and love. But along the way we too often run into all sorts of obstacles, difficulties, hindrances, struggles, and disappointments, don’t we? Just look around – in this congregation, in our families, in this community, in the world. There are people who are fighting cancer. There are people who themselves, or loved ones are battling alcohol or other addictions. There are people hurting because of a painful divorce. There are parents saddened by choices their children have made. There are families struggling with emotional, physical and financial problems. There is all kinds of pain and suffering to contend with. And sometimes it makes you wonder, how can we ever get through this life’s journey. Especially when we think we might have to do it on our own.
That’s why, in truth, we're really the lucky ones. Because we belong to a community of faith that believes in the power and teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. A community of faith that offers love where and when it's needed, and shares in fellowship together, and gives of our time and prayers and service. So we know that no matter how swift the current is against us, we don't ever have to go it alone. And think about it – isn’t this body of Christ called John Wesley, a blessing to you? Isn't it? But what about those who don't have what we have. Those who have made mistakes in their lives, and don’t know the power of forgiveness. Those who are bitter and angry at the world, not knowing the peace that Christ can bring to their lives. Those who feel outcast, different, yearning for love and compassion. What about those who don't know Jesus Christ. Those who have no one to help carry them. You see, the danger here is that it's so easy to dismiss certain people as unworthy or unappreciative. But the underlying message in today's Scripture is that we are not to judge or label. We have one simple command, and that is to love.
The Carmelite monk, St. John of the Cross, wrote, “I saw a wide river over which every soul, every soul, must pass to reach the kingdom of heaven (that upper pond), and the name of that river was ‘Suffering.’ Then I saw the boat which carried those souls across the river, and the name of the boat was ‘Love.’” What a beautiful illustration. Yes, love. But in order to carry anyone in your boat, you also need two oars. The oars of acceptance and forgiveness. We need to put away our judgments, our prejudices, our personal frustrations, our desire for answers. Instead we must accept and forgive, and love. Just like Jesus does for us.
And that’s the point of today's Scripture lesson. You see, as Christians, we're expected to make the effort and take the extra step outside our comfort zone. The apostle John tells us, "Let us love one another (those out there, as well as in here), not in word or speech, but in truth and action." Action! Now John, my husband, really didn't want me to share this next story with you, but I have to. On Saturday March 12th, I received a call from one of the Falmouth police officers on duty, asking if I could offer advice or help. They had picked up a young homeless woman the night before who had nowhere to go, and they brought her to the police station where she stayed overnight. Now John and I like to look at our Saturdays as our Sabbath, a day where we can rest and rejuvenate together as husband and wife. So he wasn't too thrilled when I got that call early Saturday afternoon. But today's Scripture also says, "How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods... and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses to help?" "How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods... and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses to help?" So we obviously had no choice but to go to the police station and pick up Andrea, her name, not knowing what we would really do with her. Well, the first thing we had to do was take her to Wal-Mart to buy her some clothes and basic necessities. While I was shopping with her, John called the Noah shelter in Hyannis and was able to get a bed for her. We drove over there, and then we had to wait while Andrea went through a battery of tests to make sure she was drug and alcohol free. Regretfully, she failed one of the tests because she's an admitted alcoholic. And that typically means you're refused admittance, no questions asked. So I had to call the director and ask him to make an exception in Andrea's case. After interviewing her, he agreed. We gave her some pocket money and left. By the time we got back home it was 8 pm; so much for our Sabbath. Yes, we were satisfied with the result of what happened, but still in the back of our minds we wondered about whether or not our efforts and time spent would make a difference to this woman. Especially given the epidemic of drug and alcohol addiction that plagues our society, with no apparent solution. But then a few days passed and John received this voicemail I'm going to play for you. Let’s listen. How's that for challenging any of our preconceived notions! How's that as a wonderful consequence for giving up your Saturday? Pretty good, uh? And, in fact, talk about a God incident, she just called John last Tuesday, and for the past few weeks, she’s been in the Homeless not Hopeless program in Hyannis and has a job at Dennis East. Yes, indeed, those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.
And I know sometimes it’s hard to think about loving someone we don’t’ know, someone different. But reflect for a moment on that great Biblical truth that we humans are created in God’s image. All of us – in God’s image. That means not only your Christian neighbor, that person sitting next to you in the pew, but also the clerk in the store or the hotel maid, or the kids with tattoos and colored hair, or the homeless walking the streets of Falmouth are all made in God’s image. And because that person is made in God’s image, they are literally the holiest object God will ever put before you. And so you, and so we, are called to embrace that person, your neighbor, and a stranger, with love. Sometimes we think that giving money to a good organization or cause is enough. And certainly it is necessary to help relieve suffering in many cases – like the Famine. But God also calls us to be in relationship with one another. To personally reach out. “Let us love one another, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. So I want to pause a minute and ask you to think of somebody right now who needs you - who can use your love to help overcome his or her suffering, pain and hurt and bring a sense of hope into their lives. Now go offer that help to them this week! Can you, will you, do that?
In the book, My Lady of the Chimney Corner, by Alexander Irvine, the old mother, Anna, says to a younger woman. “Listen dear, God takes a hand wherever he can find it, and just does what he likes with it. Sometimes he takes the (pastor’s) hand and lays it on a child's head in blessing, then he takes a hand of a doctor to relieve someone’s pain, or the hand of a mother to guide her child, and sometimes he takes the hand of an old critter like me to give a bit of comfort to a neighbor. But they're all hands touched by his Spirit, and his Spirit is everywhere looking for hands to use.” Amen.