1 Samuel 3.1-10; Mark 2.23-28
James Pennyworth found a nickel on the sidewalk one day, when he was but 5 years old. He pocketed the nickel, and with a chuckle in his heart, decided to be a searcher for small change.
And he did just that for much of his life - lost coins, small change - a dime here, a quarter there, even a $5 bill ... and when his life was done, he had a jar on a shelf, with $62.17 in small change.
When Mr. Pennyworth's family came to make the final arrangements and dispose of his belongings, beside the jar of small change, they found a note - it reads as such:
Here is my jar of small change. I had some fun and adventure with it all, but now I realize what I've missed - how many sunrises, glorious and bright ... storm clouds gathering and lightening flashing, sunsets in all their glory ... the smiles of strangers along the way, cups of coffee with my friends, a squirrel gamboling in the park, a hawk wheeling across the morning sky.
Don't let the years narrow your vision; don't fret about that piece of lint on your sleeve, the weed in the sidewalk, yesterday's mistakes, the hole in your sock.
All of that's important, but in a very small way. A small-change kind of way.
In the end, all that's left is jar of small change.
I love you very much, so this I say to you: look up, look out, reach far and wide ... don't collect small change ... collect friends, love, laughter, joy, big ideas ... if you find a nickel on the sidewalk, spend it ... buy an ice cream cone for a friend. Give it to charity, or throw it into a fountain and make a wish.
Sincerely, James Pennyworth.
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote about success, and put it this way:
“To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent
people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest
critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.”
We don’t have to do large things in order to be large-minded …
In our daily work, at school, making a pot of tea or washing the car - the ideas we hold, the values we live, the virtues we practice …
There’s always going to be a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Pettus Bridge, or the scientist who makes a breakthrough study on cancer at Johns Hopkins …
But for most of us, no headlines, just the daily tasks of loving Christ, and loving one another … and that’s no small change!
Jesus and the disciples, out and about for a Sabbath-day stroll … pathways often went through grain fields … there was no question about property, or trespassing, and there were clear rules for allowing those in need to have something to eat …
When the harvest is made, leave some unharvested grain in the corners of the field … when you harvest the olives, don’t take every last one … when you harvest the grapes, leave a few.
In the spring time, heads of wheat have not yet ripened - they’re still green, plump, and rich with protein and sugar - the only time wheat can be eaten raw.
On their stroll through the fields, the disciples strip off the grain, rub it together in their hands, to remove the husks, and then eat the grain …
Some of the group raised the question about “working” on the Sabbath …
The Sabbath Commandment to rest from one’s labor is taken seriously … a little hedge here, a little hedge there, and before you know it, the Sabbath is no longer being kept.
Sort of like watching one’s waistline - it’s easy to eat that second piece of pecan pie with ice cream … and the next day, as well … and before you know it, the pie is gone, and so is the ice cream, and we know where it went … the belt needs to be loosened by a notch or two.
Such rules are not to laughed at … virtues of any kind need to be carefully monitored, worked at, guarded, and practiced …
So, the question is raised:
“How hungry are the disciples? Can they wait a few more hours until the Sabbath Day is ended, at sunset?”
The Sabbath Day begins at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday.
The disciples are not desperately hungry … they’re snacking … Can’t they wait?
It’s a serious question, and Jesus answers it seriously … but the answer itself stretches the truth … not for purposes of malice, but to open wider the mind and the heart.
Jesus tells the story of David and his companions in a rough moment of life … it’s a bit complicated, but David and his companions need bread … they stop by a shrine and ask the priest for five loaves - the only bread available is bread dedicated to the LORD, and only the priests can eat it … there’s a need, so the priest gives the bread to David … the priest breaks one law to fulfill the law of love.
Hunger takes precedence over the rules … and we might add, pleasure, the pleasure of a Sabbath Day stroll, fresh spring wheat, the sun above and the earth beneath.
Jesus makes a point … there are things in life that are important, very important, but sometimes other things are more important.
Jesus offers one of the world’s most important ideas: The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath.
At the center of it all … the common good … not just the few, but the many … not for some, but for all.
What the world needs now
Is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now
Is love, sweet love
No, not just for some, but for everyone
James Pennyworth spent a life time collecting small change … and in the end, what he had was a jar of small change, on a dusty shelf, $62.17 …
Part of what do we here is keep ourselves open to the large realities of life … lots of things are important, and some things are more important than others …
We’re all tempted to collect small change.
Jesus calls us to the large world of faith, hope, and love …
Owe no one anything, except to love one another.
The deep appreciation of another human being.
The admiration we have to see another’s courage.
The wonder we feel when we feel the heartbeat of a child snuggled in our arms.
The glory of a sunrise when we’re up early enough to see it.
The pleasure of the wind ruffling our hair.
The joy of being together … moments of relief and release.
When love flows easy, and hope is strong, and faith is boundless.
Jesus calls us to the great adventures of life …
Faith, hope, and love.
In the end, the jar of our life will be huge … full of the good we’ve done … a jar - full of faith, hope, and love.
And that, my friends - is no small change!
Amen and Amen!
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