It is January 1, 2020. The first day of a new year and a time of making resolutions. I make the same resolution every year: to better integrate what I believe and what I practice.

Back when the iPhone was a novelty it came with a game called The Marble Maze. In order to get the digital marble to fall into the digital hole you had to get it through a digital maze by tilting the iPhone back and forth and getting things lined up just right. Integrating faith and practice is very much like playing the marble maze game. I’m an academic at heart. I love teaching. I love new ideas and chasing their implications. But I’m not the stereotypical ivory tower academic. I think ideas really matter and I especially think what I believe should determine how I live. But, like getting the marble through the maze, integrating faith and life takes awareness, commitment, focus and adjustment. It takes a lot of tilting to get through the maze of life with an integrated faith and practice. This frustration is nothing new.

My wife will be the first to tell you that I watch way too much ESPN. I used to love playing and now I love watching sports and just can’t get enough, whether it’s football, basketball, or weightlifting.

Recently I’ve have been trying to cut back little by little. And I’ve also been observing more and more how our American passion for football has become an obsession for many as they worship at the altar of the NFL. Is there really that much difference between the Greek and Roman religion that worshipped gods represented by animals and heroic figures and the hundreds of thousands of people who pack into a stadium to celebrate and cheer on the Bears, Eagles, Falcons, Panthers, Tigers, and Colts?

Nothing on television is growing as far as ratings are concerned because of the popularization of cable television and all of the alternatives out there. But the NFL ratings have annually increased. The Super Bowl is always the highest rated TV program of the year. I just heard two radio commentators discussing the unstoppable popularity of football in America and how across the country regular people like to discuss the NFL whether at work or home or with complete strangers they’ve just met.

Our country worships football. There is no denying it.

It’s disappointing as a Christian fan, but it’s easier to see since my Falcons don’t seem to understand what post-season play is all about and I have less real reason to be obsessed week to week.

And then there’s Kurt Warner and Tony Dungy. Two men who have made their names in this entertainment sport and who are consistently lauded by non-Christians for their impeccable character. They both have received some criticism for minor issues throughout their career but as these men have retired from active involvment, their career epitaph is completely positive and admirable.

They give me hope for sports in general and football in particular, though it’s not like I was seriously considering walking away from being a fan. Their testimonies are great examples of being salt and light. Admired and respected by the world, yet still standing for Christ and being faithful to the truth.  I am jealous. I hope my life can follow that same path. I hope God allows me to be in the world enough to be a light but not of the world so much that I completely blend in.

I don’t think we realize just how much and how often people need hope – they need encouragement. There are lots of people around us who seem to delight in offering despair!  It is easy to look around and get so overwhelmed with life that we give up on anything we do making a difference and lose hope.  We become so self-absorbed that we’re always thinking about what we need, but we forget to think about what other people need.  I don’t think we realize just how much some people struggle to get through each day.  People need encouragement to make it – they need hope

In his book Winning Life’s Toughest Battles Dr. Julius Segal quotes a report from the National Institute of Mental Health that says

“Many of our daily conversations are actually mutual counseling sessions whereby we exchange reassurance and advice that help us deal with routine stresses.”

We all need our hearts uplifted.  We all need hope and reassurance.  Paul made it his purpose to offer hope to others; it drove him.  How different would our relationships be if their driving force were to bring hope to the other?

Author Muriel Anderson says that four of the most important words in her life are “Of course you can.”  She says that her father always knew how to say those words at exactly the right time.  She had a dream of being a writer and had begun to try her hand at writing articles, hoping maybe the local newspaper would publish them.  She was thinking of all reasons why it couldn’t, and probably wouldn’t happen.  She was young and inexperienced; the local paper was on a tight budget; they rarely bought freelance material.  She told her father, “I doubt I can get this article published.”  He said, “Of course you can.”  And she did — this is what launched her career as a writer. Those simple words from her father were enough to encourage her to keep trying.

It really is that simple. Look for ways you can encourage people.  I’ll bet there’s someone very close to you who needs a good word from you. Maybe it’s your “significant other” or a friend or a someone at work or a classmate.  Start thinking: “What can I say to give them a lift?”  As a parent I can tell you that no matter how old you are (I’m as old as dirt!) your parents need a word of encouragement every now and then.  Call your mom and dad, “I’m glad you’re my parents. I know you’re not perfect, but I love you anyway.”  Mother Teresa said, “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.”  That’s a good habit to get into.

Paul’s purpose was to offer hope by encouraging others. That drove his relationships.  What drives your relationships?

For an unprecedented 3rd day in a row the road to our condo is impassable because of ice and snow.  So it was especially nice to hear these words from the 4 wheel drive Jeep owner next door:  “What can I do for you?”

That question and the thought behind it got me thinking about how much of following Jesus is about helping people.  We see this is in the words that Jesus first spoke to Bartimaeus (I am still pondering this same scene from the Gospels): “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

It seems like this question would have an obvious answer.  What would you expect a blind man to say?  From our perspective, it seems easy: A blind man would ask Jesus to take away his blindness.  From Bartimaeus’ perspective, it was much different.  He wasn’t accustomed to asking for miracles.  He was accustomed to asking merely for spare change.  And he was lucky to get that.  He knew who he was; he knew his role in society.  He was a castaway. Most religious people considered his blindness to be the result of God’s retribution.  As the Pharisees said to the blind man in John 9, they would also have said of Bartimaeus: “You were born in sin.”

And yet, Jesus asked this outcast, “What do you want me to do for you?”  It’s the same question he asked James and John a few verses earlier.  This reflects Jesus’ style of leadership.  It’s not defined by telling others, “This is what you can do for me.”  It is defined by the question, “What can I do for you?”

Jesus calls us to be servants. “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” (Mark 10:45)  We need to understand that we are here for the benefit of others.

Politicians are often referred to as public servants; the best ones understand this role.  They are elected to do the will of the people they represent.  It is much the same for us.  As we see in Mark 10, sometimes a line needs to be drawn: James and John made an inappropriate request, and Jesus responded by saying, “This I cannot do.”  Bartimaeus, however, came to Jesus with an appropriate request — with a need that Jesus had the power to meet — and Jesus put aside everything else to take care of Bartimaeus.

As followers of Jesus we will receive both types of requests. Sometimes people come to us with requests that we cannot meet.  Sometimes they ask us to pay their bills so they don’t have to work.  Others come wanting our approval for a bad decision, such as an ill-advised marriage, or an ill-advised divorce, or involvement in a wrong relationship.  Others come to us asking (sometimes even demanding) that we give them more than we’re able to give in the way of time and resources.   When this happens, we have to answer them as Jesus answered James and John: “This we cannot do.  You’re asking more than you should ask.”

However, most of the time — the overwhelming majority of the time — those who come to us ask for something we’re able to give.  We must always remember that this is our calling and this is our task: we are here to serve God’s people.  The question we must ask of everyone we meet, regardless of class or status is the question that Jesus asked this blind beggar on the Jericho Road: What can I do for you?

This week has been a weird one. Being snowed it is pretty unusual in Georgia.  But it surely has shown me again the value of saying and hearing “What can I do for you?”.  It shouldn’t take a snow storm to make us realize that this is the essence of our call.  What can I do for you – spiritually, physically, emotionally, financially?

I’m afraid it is still easier for me to ask “What’s in it for me?” than “What can I do for you?” but I am resolved to do better.  How about you?  Do you need help meeting the needs of those you have been called to serve?   Are there children who need mentoring and parents and teachers who need help training them in the way they should go?  Do you want to do something about the homeless situation where you’re serving?  A good start is to ask “What can I do for you?”.  

Do you need help in staying encouraged?  Do you need help in teaching others how to resolve conflicts peacefully, how to love one another unconditionally, how to treat one another with respect and dignity? A good start is to ask “What can I do for you?”. 

God calls each of us to get involved.  A good start is to ask “What can I do for you?”.  Jesus calls each of us to serve those who are serving others on His behalf.  The question we must ask — regardless of the distractions around us — is “What can I do for you?”

What can I do for you?

I am still thinking about how Jesus treated Bartimaeus in Mark 10.  We must learn to treat people the way Jesus treated this blind beggar if we want to impact our world.  Jesus was able to hear the plea of a helpless, desperate man even though he was surrounded by his groupies.  The roar of the adoring crowd did not drown out the cries of the needy.  He had the burden of a violent death on a cross ahead of him but it did not prevent him from responding to the plight of the desperate. We must train our ears to hear, and our eyes to see, the needs of those near us — in spite of the distractions around us.

To be honest I have to admit that being surrounded by a crowd is often enough to make me oblivious to the needs of others.  Crowds can be distracting. Crowds have a way of keeping us focused on ourselves, particularly if you are a leader.  One day they’re telling you how wonderful you are, and you get intoxicated by their praise.  You start thinking, “You know what?  They’re right.  What a good bunch of people I have around me. These folks are all I need.”  Then the next day they’re telling you how inadequate you are, and you get wrapped up in self-doubt and you start to think,  “Hmmm, maybe they’re right.”  Either way, you stay focused on yourself, not on others.  At least that is my experience.

We must learn not to listen to the crowd — when they cheer us or when they jeer us.  An important verse in this regard to remember is found in the gospel of John 2:23-25: “Because of the miraculous signs he did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many people were convinced that he was indeed the Messiah. But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew what people were really like. No one needed to tell him about human nature.”

Jesus didn’t allow the crowd to distract Him.  Neither did He allow the burdens of His mission or the certainty of His impending death prevent Him from hearing the cries of the needy.  This is another way in which we would do well to follow the example of Jesus.

It’s not easy. We all carry burdens.  We all have problems.  But if we are to follow Jesus’ example we have to learn to set aside our needs and our worries so we can attend to the needs of others.  It’s tough to do – when you’re struggling with a financial situation, or a health crisis, or tension at home — and people keep coming to you for help.  There are times when you want to say, “Back off!  Leave me alone.  I’ve got problems of my own to deal with.”

I used to live in a small town in North West Georgia, the kind where everyone knows everyone.  I was at the grocery store one morning, in the meat department, waiting in line to buy some fresh ground beef. One of the doctors in the community was in front of me. The woman behind the counter greeted him with, “Good morning, Doctor. I’m glad you’re here.  I’ve got a question.  There’s this bump on the roof of my mouth — can you tell me what it is?”  She then tilted her head back and opened wide so he could get a good look.  He very politely said, “It looks like a [some kind of medical term].  I can give you something for it if you drop by the office.”

One thing I know about doctors is that they don’t like to diagnose patients over the meat counter at the grocery store.  Something else I knew about this doctor, since Adairsville was a really small town, is that he had recently been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.  He no doubt had a lot on his mind that day, and yet he very graciously responded to this woman’s request.  I was impressed.  Even though he was facing a crisis, even though she had broken protocol, he treated her with kindness. That’s what doctors have to do sometimes.

An others-oriented lifestyle requires that we never lose sight of our mission — in spite of success or setbacks, in spite of criticism or praise, in spite of our problems or our fears — like Jesus, we can’t allow anything to drown out the cries of those we are called to serve.

Evaluate yourself honestly.  Have you allowed the burdens of the day and the noise of the crowd to drown out the cries of those in need?  I hope your evaluation is prettier than mine.  Thank God Jesus has more time for me than I have for others!

Mark 10 recounts the story of Jesus healing a blind man named Bartimaeus.  In the story we see how Jesus responded to the need of one desperate man — a blind beggar whose life had been reduced to sitting by the side of the road outside the city of Jericho, asking people for money.  Jesus healed this man, fully restoring his sight.  In doing so, he revealed a commitment to an others-oriented lifestyle that was the driving force behind his ministry on earth.  This is the same kind of lifestyle — an others-oriented lifestyle — that I believe is one of the distinguishing characteristics of Jesus followers.

Here’s the story: (Mark 10:46-52) Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

This is the last healing story in the gospel of Mark.  Jesus had just told his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem to die; the rest of Mark’s gospel focuses on the events in the final days of Jesus’ earthly ministry.  Jesus is about to make his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, riding into town on the foal of a donkey, greeted by a cheering crowd proclaiming, “Hosanna! Glory to the God in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”  Within seven days he would walk through the streets of that same city carrying his cross piece, beaten and tattered, with a jeering mob behind him, the air still ringing with the echoes of their cries, “Crucify him!”

The movie The Passion of the Christ is a brutally accurate portrayal of what Jesus endured.  He knew what lay ahead of him.  He had already spoken of it.  This was on his mind as he and his band of followers left Jericho that day.

Bartimaeus was a blind man who spent his days begging outside the gate of the city of Jericho.  Somehow he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing his way.  He knew the name; he had heard the stories.  Bartimaeus came to believe that this man was more than just a miracle worker; He was God’s anointed, the chosen one, the Messiah.  He called out to Jesus using a name that appears nowhere else in Mark’s gospel. “Son of David,” he said. “Have mercy on me.”

Bartimaeus called out in faith to Jesus, asking for mercy.  The crowd attempted to make him hush.  They rebuked him for making a nuisance of himself, treating him as society often treats those like him — as one who is expendable, whose needs are irrelevant, whose intrinsic dignity need not be considered.  The crowd no doubt thought that one so great as Jesus wouldn’t want to bother with a blind and helpless beggar.

The crowd, as they so often are, was wrong.  Mark writes that when Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Call him.”  This brings me to the simple point of this blog this morning: To Jesus there are no unimportant people.  If we would follow Jesus our view of our fellow man must be that no one in unimportant. 

I fail at this so often.  I fall prey to seeing people as what they have instead of who they are.  For me it is not so much how much money they have but how much influence they hold that sways me.

How about you?  If a blind street beggar called out to you for help, what would you see?  A worthless homeless man or a man in need of what you have to give? 

There are no unimportant people to Jesus.  On behalf of all us blind street beggars I say “Thank God!”