The story addresses the ridiculousness of those who would place their trust in God not recognizing that God's provision often comes in the form of the hands and the feet and the arms and the hearts of other people around us. It also reminds us that if we're driving the boat or manning the helicopter that we can be undercover agents of God's help, of God's grace, of God's rescue, of God's care.
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This is not from the Bible but it kind of sounds Bible ish doesn't it like sort of Bible adjacent but it's not in there. In fact I suggest that this runs counter to the God of the Bible and to our call from God in in light of how we are to be and treat other people.
[00:03:16]
If we think deeply about our lives, about how God has protected us and helped us in so many and varied ways, we recognize that we've never pulled ourselves up by our own bootstraps. Heck, we weren't even born with boots, were we?
[00:04:31]
Paul is writing to the church at Rome when he says this: you see just at the right time when we were still powerless Christ died for the ungodly. He writes the word powerless—not partially able, not doing our best, but powerless, helpless, unable to save ourselves.
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From the very beginning of our lives we are not pulling ourselves up with our bootstraps but we are being helped by those undercover agents that God sent into our lives.
[00:06:26]
This phrase is kind of a get out of jail free card if you will for helping those who don't seem to be helping themselves and this idea makes us a little uncomfortable perhaps because we want to be this self-made, the master of our own destiny, the captain of our own ship and we want others to do the very same thing.
[00:07:25]
This idea is radically different than the entirety of the biblical canon—this idea that we're working and striving to get to God's goodness and to earn the grace that is actually freely given.
[00:08:02]
Once again from the book of Romans Paul writes this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Now this is not after we cleaned up our act, this is not when we proved that we were serious about changing our lives—while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
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Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: you ready? To look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
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That thief didn't have a lifetime of good works to perform, that thief couldn't do anything to earn that kind of grace and that kind of favor, couldn't help himself there on that cross and yet Jesus said you're going to be with me my friend, you'll be in paradise.
[00:09:45]
God said to Paul, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. So God doesn't wait for us to get strong enough to get our act all together, to kind of rise up above and pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. God specializes in helping the helpless and tending to the broken and meeting us in our weakness more than even meeting us in our strength.
[00:10:43]
You think about all these stories from Scripture, especially the New Testament, when Jesus is meeting people and meeting them where they are in their time of need. You think about the adulterous woman, right? The woman who was called in the act of adultery brought before the people, and they were about to stone her, and he said, what? You without sin do what? Cast the first stone, and they all just dropped their stones and walked away.
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Do you think that woman could have pulled herself up by her bootstraps? She was helpless, and guess what happened? Jesus helped her.
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Or you think about the paralyzed man who couldn't get into the waters because he was paralyzed. He couldn't do it, so what? Jesus helped him.
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Or the tax collector who prayed, Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner. Jesus helped him.
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Learn to do right. Seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless. Plead the case of the widow. He didn't say teach the oppressed to help themselves. He didn't say encourage the fatherless to be more independent. See, this language is the language of advocacy, using our voice, our power, whatever power we may have to help the most marginalized.
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Stand up for those who have no voice. Not God helps those who help themselves.
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We have all been that preacher in need of help. The only difference between us and that preacher is that we recognize help when it comes in the form of so many other people in our lives.
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The second thing it means for us is that we are called to be the boats and the helicopters. To find it in ourselves, to seek out those who need help and do our best to use the resources we have, the arms that we have to hold somebody who needs holding, the voice that we have to speak out for someone who needs some justice. We are those people. The boats, the helicopters. That's who we are called to be.
[00:14:22]
Here's the thing, my friend. We have all had people in our lives who have come alongside us to support us, undercover agents of God's grace and God's mercy. Think back through your life. Some of you, maybe many of you, had loving parents who tended to you and your every need. Some of you had teachers who taught you well and stood up for you. Some of you had mentors or coaches. Who in your life has come alongside you, supporting you, helping you in your time of need?
[00:14:59]
The truth is that God doesn't just help those who help themselves. God helps us all. And God, in turn, calls us to be the helpers.
[00:15:38]
And so your mission this week, should you choose to accept it, is go and be undercover agents of God's help, of God's love, of God's mercy, of God's grace. That's your mission.
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