Several years ago, a movie called Cocoon came out. In the movie, alien beings came down to earth to reclaim their lost comrades who had been stranded in the sea in large cocoons. The alien beings were far more advanced than the human species. They were technologically advanced and they were physically advanced as well. Their physical being did not really have much in terms of a form. They were more pure energy or light. They moved by flowing from one place to another and they were actually quite lovely. Yet, in an effort to fulfill their mission here on earth, they took the form of humans so they might interact with us and retrieve their kindred. There is a scene in the movie where you see the aliens getting in and out of their human form. It is interesting to watch. The scene led one to believe that taking on human form was fairly restrictive. They had to zip up these body suits and it looked as if the body was a bit tight and uncomfortable. On the other hand, when they were able to shed their human forms, they seemed to feel so much freer and more able to be their expansive selves.

Jesus might have understood what these alien beings were experiencing. The scripture tells us that he took on human form so that he could move among us and show us how to live our lives to the best of our capacities. Jesus told his disciples that God the Father sent him down to us. I wonder what it was like for Jesus, God incarnate, to put on the human suit so that he might walk among us. Was is as constricting as it might seem? How was he able to make himself less so that he could fit in with us so well?

Imagine what it would be like for us to mold ourselves into some other form; perhaps as a bird or a tree. It seems like the stuff of fiction and yet we need to use our imaginations to try to understand just what Christ did in his effort to reach us. We need to understand it so that we too can emulate God’s master plan. No we are not going to morph into some alien beings, but we do need to experience how to mix in with folks of the world while we remain separate from the world. In a sense, Jesus became the first missionary and he asks each of us to become missionaries as well. He told his disciples, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you”. This morning, I would like to take a few moments to think about the blueprint that Christ left us so that we could be built after his example.

Most often when we talk about God’s mission to the world, we focus on the love that God has for us. We are all familiar with John 3:16, “For God so loved that world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have life eternal”. Most of us hear the love word and get stuck there. It gives us a warm and cozy feeling. It is comforting to know that God loves us. It is helpful to think that we are always surrounded by this great cloud of good feelings and it sells well. While the era before us may have gotten converts by scaring folks out of hell, our generation wants to make love not war. We want to have nice warm feelings for God and for each other. And I know that I do not mind being stuck there myself. I know that in a world that is complicated and often discouraging, a little positive message is a great thing. And yet, I think we might simplify the truth a bit if we stay in that place for long.

When I see God taking on the form of man and Jesus taking on the Cross, I see love indeed, but I also see sacrifice. Now this is a message that is not as popular as the love message. This may not sell Hallmark cards. But I believe that the Gospel tells of a God who loves us enough lower himself so that we may gain high ground.

Now we are only one week from Easter so we may find it easy to see how Jesus sacrificed his life on the Cross. But even that is too simplistic an assessment, I believe. It seems to me that God began God’s sacrifice when God chose to take on human form. God in that first moment began a series of choices to limit Godself so that we would find our way home.
God in the form of Jesus, made himself vulnerable to all the physical needs and disease that humans experience. God now had to feed this human body and keep it clean and do all that was necessary to keep in good function. I imagine that it would be like putting the soul of a Jaguar into a Model T body.

And even as humans go, Jesus remained on the humble side. He was born of peasant stock. He lived as an itinerant teacher with no property to his name. He spent his time in service to others and treated everyone with respect and love. He did not restrict his time and attention to those of his class but shared his love and his life with all those who others rejected; the poor, the sick, the outcasts of society. He was certainly a humble king. And even among his followers, those who respected and revered him, he remained a servant. We remember him washing the feet of his disciples on the Thursday before his death. Jesus went to the Cross the same way he lived his earthly life; with humble dignity; sharing his love through his sacrifice.
And this Jesus tells us that we are to be sent out into the world in the same way. Imagine that. You and I are all asked to love each other sacrificially. We are expected to show our love through our humility and our grace. Words like mercy and forgiveness should roll off of our tongues. Acts of kindness and generosity should be the normal pattern of our behaviors. Thoughts of “what’s in it for me” should not be a part of our make up. Wonderments about how God will bless us as if it were our entitlement have no place in our mission and callings. And yet, how difficult it is to live up to this standard.

Jesus often taught that the first would be last and the last would be first. He told us that to those who have been given so much, much would be required. He made sure that we all understood that it is not about us; it is about our neighbor. It is about giving until it hurts and then giving some more.

When Jesus commanded us to be sent into the world, it was not an easy task that we were given and yet it is the mission that it before us. I believe that this message is timely for us here this morning. I know that it is so easy to be so influenced by the world that we get brainwashed into believing the message of the evil one. All those years ago, in the garden Eve heard the same message that we can get caught up in today. Satan will always be close enough for us to think that it is about us. Satan lost his place in Heaven because he thought he was as worthy as God. He wanted adoration. He wanted power. He wanted to be the center of the world. He has not changed his message and it continues to catch many of us unawares. And it is a very different message than the one who has saved us and asked us to go into the world so that others may be saved.

Today, we see fewer and fewer folks at worship. We see fewer and fewer folks who are willing to give up their time to serve the church. How many of us remember to pray and read our Bibles every day let alone trying to share the message with others? Who among us has not rationalized why we cannot give up our money for the church or given ourselves many reasons why we cannot invite the down and out into our homes and our lives? I too have been influenced by the seducing words of the world. It is easier to say I am too busy. I am struggling financially. I am already over extended. I have a hard enough time just trying to do what I can for my own family. And yet those are not the words of Jesus. He said, “Come to me all who are heavily laden. Let the little children come to me. I have come for the sinners”. These are the words that came form our God who was sent here for each of us. These are the same type of words that we should be saying as well.

I remember suffering for years in my role as mom to children who were not emotionally healthy. I remember crying to God to save me from my pain. I had taken on a challenge that I had not counted the cost for and I wanted relief. I wanted a miracle. And as real as those feelings were and as much as I needed God with me in that walk, my suffering was not of consequence. It did not matter if I was tired or emotionally drained. It did not matter if all the petty little annoyances were getting me down. I was given a mission to share Christ with these kids and my sacrifice was what made the love valuable.

How about you? Are there times when you do not think that you can serve God because you are too tired, too busy, or too ill equipped? Are there times when you do not want to forgive your neighbor for the mistake that they made? Do you sometimes get sucked into the inertia of tiptoeing with God because a brisk walk will take too much out of you?

Today, I believe that each one of us is being reminded that the Christian life is a life of sacrificial love. We have all been sent out to share the gospel; living as close to it as we can. We are expected to share our wealth with those less fortunate even when it means we go without. We are expected to spend time with folks that may not be our best friends because they need us. We are asked to allow ourselves to be uncomfortable so that others can benefit. We are asked to live lives that are wonderful and abundant because they are loving and generous, merciful and humble. And Jesus assures us that as we give up more of ourselves, we will be living more fully, more joyfully. But it takes work and it takes persistence and we are likely to fall down a bit while we attempt to live this way. And that is why we need each other. I need each of you to help me pick myself up when I fall; to remind me that this sacrificial way of living is fruitful and to keep me going in the right direction when the world tries to turn me around. I think you need each other to do the same. Yes, God does love us. That is good news. That is great news, in fact. And in God’s love and great plan, we too can be in God’s image as we share our humble, sacrificial selves with God and each other. Amen.