Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator and Sustainer, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit that abides in each of us!

A couple of years ago, a young woman from my congregation called me and asked me if I would have time to go over to the hospital with her to visit her sister and brother-in-law.  You see, her sister had been pregnant with twins and had gone into labor the night before.  They were filled with excitement as they drove to the hospital.  Shortly after arriving, though, the medical staff informed the young couple that they could only detect one heartbeat.  In an instant, their world changed.  A short time later, they experienced the joy of the birth of their healthy son and the anguish and pain of their stillborn daughter.  The nurse quickly took their beautiful daughter away.  For the rest of that night, the young couple, their parents, and the young woman from my congregation sat together, mostly in silence.  Now, as the family was ready to see that beautiful little girl again, they asked if I would come and be with them when they did.  It was an incredible scene to witness.  The medical staff had cared for this child with love and dignity, and when they brought her in she looked absolutely beautiful.  The young parents cried and laughed as they held their daughter.  They caressed her and kissed her as they expressed their love for her.  I watched as all the grandparents held their granddaughter, and as they shook in fear.  This family was suffering and experiencing a pain that they had never anticipated, and I was asked to be a part of this experience.  The young couple did not want to be alone.  They needed their family and me around to be part of this and to experience their pain and suffering alongside them.  In their misery, they needed company.
 
In a very different way, this weekend, our youth experienced the debilitating hunger that millions of people experience every day.  For 30 hours, 18 youth gave up food and entered into a time of fasting.  They didn’t just sit around during that 30 hours, either.  No, they spent time in worship, they spent time learning about the needs of the world, they spent time working at the Veteran’s Hospital, and they spent time in fellowship with each other.  They sacrificed an entire day of their weekend to participate in and experience the pain and suffering of millions of other people.  For a brief instant, they experienced what it must be like to go without food.  Why would they do this?  Well, hopefully they learned what it is like not to be able to have food at any time.  Hopefully they gained a little knowledge of one of the biggest, unnecessary causes of premature death in this world. Hopefully they gained a great desire to be part of the solution to this hunger crisis that exists and not to be those that choose to ignore it.  You see, sacrificing is not about entering into the pain for our own sake; being willing to sacrifice is about allowing ourselves to experience something that we normally would not and then coming to understand how others live and the needs of others.  You see, when we are willing to sacrifice and enter into the suffering and misery of others, we are more likely to become part of the solution and not those that ignore the problem, or worse yet, add to it.
 
Our Gospel story today begins with the words, “At that very hour…” (13:31).  What hour?  Well, had we been reading this story straight through, we would have realized that Jesus and his disciples were on their way to Jerusalem.  As they were traveling to Jerusalem, the place Jesus now knows where he will suffer and be put to death, Jesus has been a busy guy teaching and healing along the way.  At the very hour that our story begins, Jesus had just warned many of the faithful followers that had been listening to his teaching, many of which were leaders, Pharisees, in the community that just because you profess your faith with your lips does not mean you will make it into God’s Kingdom.  Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.  (13:24)  In these words, I hear Jesus saying that as we journey to God’s Kingdom we must learn to journey with those children of God who are suffering, who are in need, and who need others to be with them in their misery, not to pity them, but to be a change agent in their miserable lives.  There are millions of people in this world living lives that God did not intend for His creation.  There are millions of people in this world who cannot change their lives because no one will journey with them.  They are alone in their misery. 
 
When the leadership heard Jesus basically say that they might not be those that were living as God desired, they were not only insulted, they were downright mad; mad enough to kill Jesus.  They knew God’s Law, and they followed it to the letter.  The problem was that they forgot the law was to be life-giving and not life-taking.  They were ignoring the world around them that God so loved.  They did not want to hear his words anymore.  When faced with the certainty of death, Jesus didn’t run away, he went forward.  He continued on the road to Jerusalem to be with those in need.  By now he knew he was the sacrifice that the world needed.  He would be the one to experience our pain and suffering and change the world.

On Ash Wednesday, I spoke about the need to practice the disciplines of our faith this Lenten Season, and last week I introduced this notion that as Christians we are called to imitate Christ.  But why would we want to practice something that could get us killed?  I thought the gospel message was one of love and mercy, not pain and suffering.  I thought if I followed Christ that everything would be awesome.  Isn’t that the message many of us hear from so many preachers?  So many proclaim that when you “find” Jesus, your life will be “perfect” and you will receive everything you desire and be filled with joy. 

But the message Jesus gives us today is, “Follow me onto the roads of pain and suffering, be willing to sacrifice your comfortable life, so that you may experience and participate in the lives of my brothers and sisters who need you.”  In his actions and words, Jesus calls us to be God’s agents in this world that bring about change, that bring about God’s Kingdom that is so near.  When we are willing to enter into the misery of others, we can become the healing agents they so desperately need.
 
But for so many in this world, instead of entering into suffering we would rather ask, “Why does God allow such suffering?’  I would say if we asked Jesus that question He would say, “Wrong question!”  The question is, “Why do you allow such suffering?”  I believe Jesus would say, My Father has created this world with abundance and He desires that you make sure all can participate in His abundance, enter into the pain and suffering that has been created by humankind and make a difference.
 
Brothers and sisters, we can join Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem.  We can join him on his journey to the cross.  We can be those that joyously give of our time, our talents and our money to feed those who go hungry every day in our own city.  On March 20, as you heard earlier, we are asking about 75 of you to somehow experience the pain and suffering of the hungry by cooking food or by going to the Soup Kitchen and serving the food to those in need.  We can monetarily support World Vision and others who seek to feed children around the world.  And we can make sure we are always willing to join those in misery, whenever they need us.  Some of those suffering now may be sitting right here in these pews.

You know, I have only seen that young couple a few times since that afternoon in the hospital.  I know they are doing well, although they still suffer their daughter’s death, but they do not suffer alone.  They have a faith community around them who suffers with them.  There are so many who are suffering all over this world and our call is to be present when we are needed.  Misery does love company, and may the company we provide always be filled with love.  Amen.