The Senior Sermon of John A. Lee III, Class of 2005 from the United Methodist Southwest Texas Conference, delivered on March 30, 2005, in Christ Chapel

What are we to make of this story? Is it a ghost story? It seems to have all the elements.

Two men are walking into the sunset. They encounter a "stranger" with whom they converse. They had recently lost their leader to a violent end. Some strange things had happened at the graveside but it was just hearsay, and it was from women. The man who went to check things out found the body missing but he didn't see the "angels", besides, he had been off his game lately. The stranger has greater knowledge than the two men, even though he ostensibly didn't know what was going on. He accompanies them and even takes a meal. Suddenly, the stranger is the missing corpse but is very much alive. Then he disappears. Its almost as if Alfred Hitchcock was the author of the story.
What can be learned from this curious narrative?

¿Le gustan los cuentos de fantasmas?

Ésta es un cuento que me pone nervioso. Dos hombres estaban caminando por la noche. Se encuentran a un hombre extraño. Habían matado a su líder. Habían oído reportajes curiosos de eventos que habían ocurrido cerca su tumba. Los informes vinieron de mujeres pero un hombre fue a verificar los reportajes. Él no vio los ángeles pero tampoco pudo encontrar el cuerpo. El hombre extraño tiene mas información que ellos; aunque que él no estaba al corriente de los eventos. El extraño va con ellos y come con ellos. De repente, el hombre extraño es su lider y está vivo. Él desapareció. Es como una película de miedo.

¿Qué podemos aprender de este cuento?

Here is another story but this one does not come from the gospels.

A few years ago, there was a young engineer who had just been promoted to head engineer. He was full of himself and his own ideas and outlooks. His pocket was full of his first paycheck. He had gone with his family to the River Parade in San Antonio. It was over and the crowds were clearing out. He stops at a street vendor to buy some treats for the kids. As he is paying, a stranger approached him. The stranger was a bum. He wanted to know if the engineer would buy him a hot dog because he was hungry.

The young man did not have a high opinion of bums. He replied that he would not give him a hot dog but that he would give him a job. He even offered health and insurance benefits. He wrote down an address, phone number and even gave bus directions to his company.

The bum said he would be there in the morning but that he was hungry now. Still the young engineer would not budge. He turned to pay his tab. Suddenly, he wondered how the bum would get to work and turned back to work this out. The street was almost deserted. His family was by this time almost a block away. There was no one else in sight. The bum had disappeared.

A chill ran down the man's spine. He remembered suddenly the words "I was hungry and you fed me." He was devastated. He was deflated. He was frightened and nervous. This was all the more true since the street vendor had not noticed the bum.

Escuchen este cuenta de mi iglesia.

Tenemos un banco de comida que está abierto los sábados. Creo que hacemos buen trabajo en nuestra comunidad y ayudamos a muchos. Algunos dependen del banco de comida por mucho tiempo. Otros solamente necesitan la ayuda por poco tiempo. Una viejita que se llama Eva siempre necesita la ayuda y siempre quiere más.

Eva siempre me llama todos los sábados. Llama porque soy el pastor y es mi iglesia que opera el banco. Normalmente llama a las 5 de la mañana. Era mejor después de que salí del hospital. Esperó hasta las 6 de la mañana para llamarme. Siempre quiere algo extra en su caja. Cada semana le digo la misma cosa. Ella necesita hablar con la directora del programa para recibir más. Ella ha hablado con la directora pero ha querido que yo la señoree. Yo me niego.

Yo pensaba que ella aprendería después de unos meses. Ella nunca aprende. Aprendí que ella ha hecho la misma cosa por muchos años. Decidí hablar con ella sobre esto. Ella estaba intentando tomar ventaja.

Con la ayuda del director del programa y unos otros, yo la confronté. Ella escuchó. Ella sólo dijo una cosa antes de que se alejara. "Recuerde que cuando ustedes miren mi cara y las caras de otros, ustedes están mirando la cara de Cristo."

Eva todavía me llama muy temprano. Todavía quiere más. Todavía consigue su porción pero raramente algo más. Para ella, la situación es el mismo. Para nosotros, es todo diferente.

I think there are 4 things we can learn from any of these stories.

The men on the road encountered Christ. We can encounter the living, breathing Christ.
When we say we are the body of Christ, it is more than just a metaphor. It is a metaphor but it is also truth in the same way that Christ is present in the sacrament or in the proclaimed scripture.
Paul used the Body of Christ as a metaphor when he told us that it is made up of discrete components. Some act as the heart, some as the mind or the arms or legs.

What part of the body of Christ are you? I keep trying to figure out what part I am. On my better days, I sometimes rise above the level of dandruff though I am not sure where. I see some people and say to myself, "There is the heart of the Lord". Others I see and can identify as the arms or legs that get things done. So too have I met some of the great thinkers. I've also met more than my share of mouths.
Is it all just a metaphor? I don't think so. That bum…that man, created by God and beloved of God, is just as much a part of Christ's body as I am. He's not the dandruff. He was the conscience.

We don't always recognize the Lord.

Pienso que hay 4 cosas que podemos aprender de estas historias.

Cuando decimos que somos el cuerpo de Cristo, es más que una metáfora. Si es una metáfora pero también es la verdad del mismo modo que Cristo está presente en el sacramento o en la escritura proclamada.

San Pablo habló del Cuerpo de Cristo. Él asemejó algunos al corazón y a otros a la mente. Yo me he encontrado con los dos tipos y otros también. Necesitamos más gente que son ojos para ver al Señor.
¿Es sólo una metáfora? No. Eva todavía molesta y da lata. También es parte del cuerpo de Cristo como yo. También es parte del cuerpo de Cristo como tu. Hay veces Cristo puede molestar y dar lata. Debemos poner atención a esa molestia y debemos amar a esa molestia.

No siempre reconocemos al Señor.

We can always learn something from Christ.

The men on the road had the scriptures explained to them. The young engineer likewise learned of the scriptures from the hungry man. He learned them viscerally. Eva taught my entire food bank program more about the scriptures than I had been able to teach in 8 months.

Christ is a teacher.

Siempre podemos aprender algo de Cristo.

Las escrituras fueron explicadas a los hombres en el camino a Emaus. Similarmente, el ingeniero joven aprendió sobre las escrituras por medio del hombre hambriento. Él los aprendió visceralmente. Eva enseñó más a mi iglesia sobre las escrituras que yo había podido enseñar en 8 meses.

Cristo es un maestro.

We build community when we follow Christ. The Emmaus pilgrims went back and told of their experience. In doing so, they learned of other's experiences. All were strengthened. The community was strengthened.

The young engineer told others. Some laughed. Most looked at him funny. He changed the way he lived. He changed the way his company worked. In doing so, he changed the outlook of others and changed the lives of more. He is no longer quite the idiot he was. His home and his work community were both strengthened.

Christ builds community.

Construimos la comunidad cuando nosotros seguimos a Cristo. Los peregrinos de Emmaus regresaron y hablaron de su experiencia. Aprendieron de los experiencias de otros. Todos fueron fortalecidos. La comunidad fue fortalecida.

La Iglesia de Parita cambió la manera de como ellos trataban aquéllos que ayudaban. Nunca fueron malos pero ellos mejoraron. Su comunidad eclesiástica es más fuerte. Su comunidad de servicio es más fuerte. Sus relaciones con las personas del área son más fuertes.

Cristo construye la comunidad.

Communion is more than the Eucharist.

The travelers on the road ate with Christ. While doing so, they realized that he was a part of their community and they were a part of his. They had each other in common. Their shared food was more than food. It was a bonding.

I did not eat with the hungry man. Likewise, the pilgrims did not eat with Christ. All that happened was a recognition of the worth of the other. Christ thought they were worth the effort. They made the effort to proclaim Christ. The hungry man was worth the effort. I wish I had realized that then. I realize it now. I hope that is enough.

La comunión es más que solamente la Eucaristía.

Cristo reconoció que los peregrinos eran parte de su comunidad. Ellos reconocieron a Cristo como parte de la suyo. Ellos tenían uno al otro. La oferta de compartir comida uno con el otro los unió.
Los peregrinos no comieron con Cristo. Yo no he comido con Eva. Pienso que algunos de mi congregación comieron con ella pero no sé. Ella cree que valemos la peno. Nosotros creemos que ella vale la pena. Le pido a Dios que no nos olvidemos de eso.

Look out for Christ when you leave here. Be ready to recognize the Lord. Be ready to learn from the Lord. Be ready to build community for the Lord. Be ready to be in communion with the Lord. Don't be spooked and don't let it be a horror story. Be ready.

Busquen a Cristo cuando salgan de aquí. Estén listos y listas para reconocer al Señor. Estén listos y listas para aprender del Señor. Estén listas y listos para construir la comunidad para el Señor. Estén listas y listos para estar en comunión con el Señor. No se pongan nerviosos y no que sea un cuento de terror. Pónganse listos.

Christ has died; Christ has risen; Christ will come again; Christ is here with us now.

Cristo ha muerto; Cristo ha resucitado; Cristo volvera; Cristo esta con nosotros ya.