The Luckiest People

Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10

1 Corinthians 12:12-30

Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21

Divine Inspiration

While it is very tempting to focus on the reading from the Old Testament – the part in which Nehemiah tells the Levites to go eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks – what I felt God talking to me about was the second reading – Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.  I know, you’re probably think the same thing I was when I read it – really?  How many times do we need to be told that each body part needs the other?  In fact, at one point as I was reading it, I said to myself, “Ok, God, I got it!”  But, in truth, I really hadn’t.  It wasn’t until after I had read all the readings that it occurred to me that this really isn’t about a foot or an eye or an ear.  It’s about us needing each other.  Each of us is a part of the Body of Christ, and each of us is needed and needs others.

In the past few weeks, this message has really come through loud and clear for me.  The first was a plea for prayer from a young woman in my hometown in Pennsylvania for her premature (4.5 month old) newborn baby.  She put a message out on Facebook asking for help, and the response was amazing!  So many people offered prayer, support of all kinds and encouragement.  The second example was just yesterday when a friend of mine asked for help for her sister.  Her sister had recently lost almost everything in a random act of violence.  In both instances, I jumped at the opportunity to help, and many others did, too.  Who doesn’t want to help when the opportunity arises?!?  So, if that is really the case – that everyone wants to help when asked – why are we so unwilling – in general – to ask for help?  Why do so many of us feel we must “suffer in silence,” not wanting to burden others with our troubles?

This is a question I have asked myself for more than half my life.  Admittedly, I am one, and my husband will overwhelmingly attest to it, who hesitates to ask for help, if I ask at all.  I could offer a lofty excuse such as my problems aren’t as big as other peoples’ or that I don’t want to burden others.  But, if I’m really honest with myself, it’s probably more along the lines of worrying about what people will think.  I don’t want people to think that I’m a failure or stupid or inadequate.  But, this is just the ego talking, and the ego has no ability to help us.  In fact, I would say that the ego has more ability to harm us.  We need each other, whether we admit it or not.  That’s what the second reading is about today.  And, in case you don’t get it on the first or second or third example, Paul is going to give a few more to make sure you really do get it! 

I think it was Barbara Streisand who sang, “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.”  I would modify it just a bit because all people need people.  But, people who recognize that they need people are the “luckiest people in the world.”

I’ll close with one last example.  A dear friend of mine recently experienced Bell’s Palsy, the short-term illness in which half her face was paralyzed.  It has passed now, but she’s still experiencing some lingering effects.  Last week, as she and I and another friend were painting, she blurted out that since her Bell’s Palsy, her painting has suffered and she fears her painting skills are gone.  I admired her for sharing her fear.  Would I have done this?  Probably not.  I would have suffered in silence.  But, by my friend expressing her fear, it gave me and our other friend a chance to encourage and pray for her.  My point here is that no trouble is too small to share; no fear is beyond help from others.  We just need to set our egos aside and ask for it.

Amen.

Readings and Inspiration from Sunday, January 24, 2016.