“What Makes A Hero: Have, Have-Nots, and the Kingdom of God”

What Makes A Hero? The Death-Defying Ministry of Jesus Christ

“Have, Have-Nots, and the Kingdom of God”

Philippians 4:10-13 (New Revised Standard Version)

I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me, but had no opportunity to show it. Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

The more we have, the more we want, and the more we separate ourselves into 2 distinctive and divisive groups: the haves, and the have-nots.

The haves are those who have it all, think they have it all, or at least appear to have it all.

The have-nots are those who do not and are often stars of “underdog” stories.

The division, while obvious in some situations, can also be not so obvious as we often unintentionally create the these ourselves by our choice of language.

The absolute worst thing we can say to a family that’s grieving is anything that alludes to putting the death on God’s shoulder. Examples include: It was her/his time. God called him/her home. This was God’s will. God was finished using him/her here.

All of these open the opportunity for the bereaved to blame God for the death, whereas we are trying to get them to look to God.

The way we communicate with people can create the very division we are trying to avoid.

Another example is to say we are “thankful” as opposed to saying we are “blessed.”

Changing our language from blessing to thankfulness is one of the ways we can dissolve the divide, and instead helps us better understand how God is working in the world.

In any given situation, you are either a candidate for a miracle or the channel through which the miracle happens.

It is a blessing to give, and it is a blessing to receive. Giving thanks for God’s grace that brings the two together helps us see an even deeper meaning to Paul’s words in our Scripture today.

No matter what “all things” means to us, no matter what this life may throw at us, we go through it choosing to remain connected to Christ.

Living a life in Christ doesn’t mean we are now good at everything; rather, it means that we begin to truly discover what God is calling us to.

Sometimes it appears that some are blessed and others are not, but in God’s kingdom our thankfulness for what Christ is doing reveals that all are blessed when we invite Christ to be the center of our lives.

Jesus was born, literally in the lowest place on earth to reveal that God’s glory knows no bounds.

In Jesus, haves and have-nots come together to reveal a Kingdom of abundant and everlasting love.

There is have, there is have-not, and there is the kingdom of God in which the difference between the two is buried under the weight of a cross, and then rises again in the form of grace.