PEOPLE’S  LIVES  MATTER 

INTRODUCTION

 The title of my homily for this 5^th Monday in Lent is, “People’s Lives Matter.”

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s readings from Daniel and John triggered the following thoughts.

The first reading is the long, long story of Susanna and how these 2 dirty old men first try to seduce her - and then try to have her killed - when she rejects their manipulations. Check out Daniel 13. 

The second story is from the Gospel of John. I used the same gospel as we had yesterday. It’s the story of the woman caught in adultery. Check out John 8:1-11. 

It seems that the compilers of these two readings hesitate to put these stories out there. They provide options and portions that can be cut. 

Another comment to make is that these two texts are not in some Bibles.  I suspect one reason might be because they have sex in them.  Hello! Sex sells. Hello, both these stories have a greater impact on folks compared to many other stories.

LIVES MATTER - PEOPLE MATTER - WE ALL MATTER

As you know the slogan, “Black Lives Matter” - has been appearing on signs at rallies and as headlines in newspapers and magazines - ever since 2013.

Black Lives Matter.

You can see it as a sign on our neighbor church - next door - The Unitarian Church. If you come in their driveway - off Bestgate Road - the entrance without having to use the light - you can spot a sign that says, “BLACK LIVES MATTER.”

In this homily I want to stress all lives matter.

As you also know T-shirts and signs have been announcing for years now - babies, life,  in wombs matter.

As you also know all lives matter - women, men, young and old - all people matter.

I still don’t know why people have objected to the Black Lives Matter movement.

SAVE THE WHALES

It’s been my philosophy through the years to be in favor of all movements that push the value of animals - from whales to snail darters. I like it when I see the sign at the end of movies, “No animals were killed in the making of this movie.”

I’m always hoping that people will then make the leap - if the snail darter is valuable - so too tiny babies swimming in the womb.  In fact, I am in favor of pushing the value of all kinds of subjects and objects - especially when they are connected to human beings and human life.

This would include sensitivity to people’s property - and the earth’s sidewalks - avoiding dumping and littering and graffiti.

People’s cars and property value. The minds and ears and hearts and minds of children matter - in our use of language - especially being aware of their presence - when we’re speaking.

I know I’m a hypocrite in this - because I love shoot-em-up movies.

Still all lives matter.

Comments about people’s weight, height, wrinkles, color, look, religion, matter.

It’s quite a job to practice this value in our everyday life - with the way we treat waiters and waitresses - or if one a waiter or waitress - on how they serve others.

Obviously the Black Lives Matter movement wants to stress, “Enough with the killing of so many black men and women.”

JESUS CHRIST

If there is any message that Jesus is off on, it’s the value of human beings.

Stop to help them when they are wounded or beaten up along the way.

Hear the cries of the poor.

Jesus noticed folks nobody else was noticing - children, the blind, the lame, the deaf, the crippled. He felt the touch of a woman’s hand who tugged on the tassel of his cloak.

Jesus went crazy with the Pharisees who used people to make themselves look better.

Jesus was off on people who were off on the Law  and not off on the purpose of laws [to protect and benefit people].

This is a central message of Jesus.

The Sabbath was made for us - not vice versa.

If you ever feel in your belly that something is wrong with the priest or politician or person at the podium - that they seem to be in this for themselves and not for the others in the room - don’t do a guilt trip on yourself for judging. That happens.  Maybe you’re on the money.

The preacher can be preaching to get “Wows!” or “Attaboys” without any thought about how they are helping the listeners.

The big leader in pro-life work could be in it for enhancing their own life - their own image - their own prestige - and they are not really thinking of  babies at all.

CONCLUSION

Let me close with a story that I heard years ago that taught me this lesson loud and clear.

I attended a workshop on how to work well with people - in organizations.

The workshop used the methods of Walt Disney - that his teams use in their theme parks.

The person teaching us said that it’s the plan that everyone in Disneyworld or Disneyland knows how to jump into any job in the place.  Obviously that’s a broad generalization - but the idea was for everyone to be aware of everyone working on visiting the theme park.

Awareness of people was key. If a customer has a sick Down Syndrome person - each person on staff will know what to do next.

At the workshop I was on they told about a hospital which wanted to have that same awareness - for everyone - from the front desk to the surgeons. Well the volunteers who moved people from the curb into the hospital in a wheelchair or from the hospital in a wheelchair to a car at the curb when the patient was leaving,  the following exercise took place.

All the volunteers were to split up into two’s.  One person was to sit in a wheelchair and the other person pushed his partner all around the hospital. Then they switched from pushing to being in the wheelchair.

Then they met in a big group and discussed the experience.

Well, two people reported that the wheelchair pusher used the person in the wheelchair to open swinging doors. Just pushing them as if they were a bumper.

Oooh.

I would suspect something like that happens all the time - people pushing pictures of their grandkids on us - because they want to prove they are valuable - with no thought of their grandson or granddaughter. Amen.