Kahu's Manao

Keawala‘i Congregational Church
United Church of Christ (USA)

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday, October 11, 2009

The Rev. Kealahou C. Alika

“Demanding Call”
Mark 10:17-31

It was a remarkable sight to see.

“We were expecting about thirty guests,” someone said.

As I looked around there were as many as 125 guests at the entrance of the Mālama O Ke Ola Health Center at the old Ooka’s Supermarket building off Nani Street in old Wailuku town. The supermarket has been remodeled into a health center.

Physicians, patients and politicians; nurses, architects, and construction workers; family, friends and neighbors were all there last Wednesday for a blessing of the new center. Mālama O Ke Ola Health Center is a part of the Community Clinic of Maui, a program made possible several decades ago. Like other community clinics across the United States, its mission is to provide health care to “the homeless, the poor, and the underserved.”

Given the current debate among those who engage in health care reform across the US, the center’s existence is a remarkable achievement - one that has been made possible through the dedication and hard work of many for whom Maui is home. I was invited to offer the blessing for the center.

Those who had gathered for the occasion were reminded that the idea of establishing such a center began eight long years ago. It’s difficult for some to appreciate the significance of the center.

There are those who complain that it is their tax dollars going to waste for people who should be working and paying for their own health insurance. The rest of us have to do it; why not them?

Whatever position one may take on the current debate on health care reform, we know that for some a catastrophic illness can crush a family’s sense of well-being in an instant. “My mother-in-law was in the hospital for four weeks and the bill for her stay was over $400,000,” she said.

“Thank God, there was enough insurance to cover the bill.”

Someone else said, “I was charged over $20.00 for a pair of hospital slippers.”

“My husband was in the hospital for a week and it cost $100,000,” said another.

“They called her illness a pre-existing condition,” he explained. “So the insurance company denied coverage.”

As a result of these and other stories that I had heard, the last time I was in the emergency room about a year ago one of the nurses asked if I wanted a warm blanket. Without hesitation, I said, “No!” not certain what the cost would be if I had said “Yes!”

And who among us has not heard it said, “Take the bed pan or slippers. You paid for it.”

What makes Mālama O Ke Ola Health Center unique is its commitment to care for the least among us by providing a wide range of care – whether it is providing pre-natal care for pregnant women or infant care after a child is born or providing health care that includes dental care. The women and men who are a part of the clinic and center are making a difference in the lives of those who may be family, friend or neighbor to some of us and those who are strangers to us but whose health needs are no less significant.

The clinic and center’s commitment to serve the underserved, the homeless and the poor puts a sharp focus on our reading from The Gospel According to Mark. Mark’s gospel deals with what it means for us “to follow Jesus.”

We are told the story of a man who had many possessions. In a similar story found in The Gospel According to Matthew, the man is “young.” (Matthew 19:22). In The Gospel According to Luke, the man is a “ruler.” (Luke18:18).

There are those who are tempted to simplify the implication of the reading but pointing out that if we are to follow Jesus we must, like the “rich young ruler,” sell all that we have. This invitation parallels Jesus’ earlier commissioning of the disciples (Mark 6:8-9). Those who follow Jesus are ordered to take along no money for the journey. (Seasons of the Spirit, Congregational Life/Pentecost 2, Woodlake Publishing, Inc., Kelowna, BC, Canada, 2009, page 62)

Why? Money and possessions convey status, then and now. But the basis for Jesus’ community and the disciples is not status, but love. So to follow Jesus they are called to travel light. (Op. cit.)

That, in part, is his invitation to the rich young ruler – travel light. It may seem that Jesus is condemning the young man because of his wealth. But far from condemning him, the Bible says “looking at him,” Jesus “loved him.” (Mark 10:21)

The Greek word emblepo is used to convey the intense interest or concern Jesus had in the young man. Some have argued that “looking at him” might be translated to mean “looking into him.” In other words, Jesus is aware that the call to follow him is a demanding one.

When the young man realizes what Jesus is demanding of him, we are told that “he was shocked and went away grieving for he had many possessions.” (Mark 10:22) We may be quick to conclude that the man went away sad because he decided it was too much for him to sell his possessions and to give his money to the poor.

But it is also possible that the man may have gone away grieving because he decided to sell his possessions and give his money to the poor. That Jesus should look at him and love him is to say that Jesus understood the significant step the young man would need to take or the step he had decided to take.

Could it be that part of our inability to empathize with the poor is because we are more concerned about our own sense of well being? I received a letter in the mail this week informing me that a retirement account I have through a previous employer experienced a loss of 31% in 2008. Needless to say it was a sizeable loss.

To say that I was overwhelmed by the news would be an understatement. And while I have never felt the need to acquire more and more money, I realize I’ve grown accustomed to its allure. Jesus cautions us with a radical word about the “power” of money that holds us all captive. He talks about camels and needles.

Others tell us about pipe smokers and fishing. The following story comes to us from an unknown source (Celebrating One World: A Worship Resource Book on Social Justice, Linda Jones, Harper Collins, London, 1998, pages 94-95):

The rich industrialist from the North was horrified to find the Southern fisherman lying lazily by his boat, smoking a pipe.

“Why aren’t you out fishing?” said the industrialist.

“Because I have caught enough fish for today,” said the fisherman.

“Why don’t you catch more than you need?” said the industrialist.

“What would I do with it?” asked the fisherman.

“You could earn more money,” was the reply. “With that you could have a motor fixed to your boat. Then you could go into deeper waters and catch more fish. Then you could make enough money to buy nylon nets. These would bring you more fish and more money. Soon you could have enough money to own two boats, maybe even a fleet of boats. Then you could be a rich man like me.”

“What would I do then?” asked the fisherman.

“Then you could sit down and enjoy life,” said the industrialist.

“What do you think I am doing right now?” said the contented fisherman.

Jacques Ellul is a theologian. In his book Violence: Reflections from a Christian Perspective (Translation by Cecelia Gal Kings, Seabury Press, New York, 1969, page 166) he writes the following:

How to overcome the spiritual “power” of money? Not by accumulating more money, not by using money for good purposes, not by being just and fair in our dealings. The law of money is the law of accumulation, of buying and selling. That is why the only way to overcome the spiritual “power” of money is to give our money away, thus desacrilizing it and freeing ourselves from its control . . . to give away money is to win a victory over the spiritual power that oppresses us.

Ellul’s words are troubling. But no less troubling than the words Jesus shared with the rich young ruler.

For many who are unable to secure adequate health coverage here on Maui, the Mālama A Ke Ola Health Center and the Community Clinic of Maui provide many individuals and families with opportunities to meet their health care needs. Before the blessing was offered for the official opening of the center on Wednesday, numerous speakers were introduced by Kathy Collins of Mana‘o Radio. Kathy is a member of the center’s Board of Directors.

A letter from Senator Daniel Inouye was read as well as a letter from the office of Governor Linda Lingle. Greetings were brought from the office of Mayor Charmaine Tavares by one of her staff. Each time a word of acknowledgment or thanks was offered, some would begin clapping spontaneously while others would shout and whistle their approval. It was quite a boisterous crowd.

There was great joy in the crowd over what they had been able to achieve. I came to that moment as a representative of the church. But the great irony was that by their very words and deeds they were the church.

None sold all of his or her possessions in order to give money to the poor. But through their commitment of time and energy each has responded to the call to serve others that was no less demanding than the invitation Jesus extended to the rich young ruler.

Amen.

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