Mark 13:24-37 (click on the scripture to read it)
Green Shirts, Green Shorts, and Green Knee High Socks
My dad was an Eagle Scout and my brother was a Boy Scout too. I was not a Boy Scout, though I was a Cub Scout for a couple of years. Scouting didn’t keep my interest, or at least not enough to compete with the time I devoted to sports. I learned a lot from sports, but I could have probably used a little scouting in my earlier years.
Since I don’t know about Scouting first hand, I can’t really endorse it, but here is what I have learned about the Boy Scouts. (www.usscouts.org)
They have an oath or promise which states:
Boy Scout Oath or Promise
On my honor, I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.
If you look closely you can see that the Boy Scout Oath actually has three categories within this oath.
•Duty to God and country
•Duty to other people
•Duty to self
I like this. We need all three of these focus areas in our lives in order to be balanced and healthy.
They also have the Boy Scout Law:
Boy Scout Law
A Scout is:
•Trustworthy
•Loyal
•Helpful
•Friendly
•Courteous
•Kind
•Obedient
•Cheerful
•Thrifty
•Brave
•Clean
•Reverent.
Although following these laws all the time would be difficult, they sure do sound like great things to strive towards.
There is a Boy Scout Slogan:
Boy Scout Slogan
Do a Good Turn Daily!
I like is too…a reminder of sharing our daily bread…or our daily grace.
As a child I can remember my dad and brother heading off for weekend scout camping trips, so it only makes sense that they would have an Outdoor Code which says,
The Outdoor Code
As an American, I will do my best to:
•Be clean in my outdoor manners
•Be careful with fire
•Be considerate in the outdoors
•Be conservation minded
Though I didn’t know anything about the Boy Scouts Oath, Law, Slogan, or Outdoor Code, I did know about their Motto.
Boy Scout Motto
Be Prepared
The training the Boy Scouts undertake helps them to be prepared. In order to be prepared, to live into what it means to be a Scout, they follow a path outlined for them to guide them in this journey.
The ultimate goal for many Scouts is to reach the top ranking of Eagle Scout.
Reaching the level of Eagle Scout is a huge undertaking and takes an extreme amount of commitment to complete this almost overwhelming goal.
On this path to reach their ultimate goal, they set smaller goals to complete in order for them to grow their knowledge and skills a little at a time. If you simply look at the whole list of what it takes to reach the highest level of achievement you might easily become overwhelmed and give up. These smaller goals are projects that help them better themselves a little at a time.
Here are the steps to begin one of these projects:
Pick A Subject.
Talk to your Scoutmaster and pick a subject that interests you. (It is important to pick something that interests you so that you can stay focused on the project and not get overwhelmed.)
Scout Buddy System. You must have another person with you at each meeting with the merit badge counselor. This person can be another Scout, your parents or guardian, a brother or sister or other relative, or a friend. (These projects are not easy, so you need someone to support you and give you the encouragement you need.)
Call The Counselor. Sign up for the merit badge and the counselor will help you with a plan. (You need a plan! When you don’t know the target, you don’t know where to aim. The counselor points you in the right direction.)
Show Your Stuff. Meet with the counselor to show that you have completed the requirements. (These projects are complex, and you can’t cut corners. The counselor will make sure you have done the work that is required in order for you to obtain the growth the project intended.)
Get The Badge. When the counselor is satisfied that you have met each requirement, he or she will sign your application. Give the signed application to your Scoutmaster so that your merit badge emblem can be secured for you. (Each badge brings with it personal growth and one step closer to your ultimate goal.)
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus is helping his disciples prepare for what lies ahead of them on their journey in Christ. He offers them small lessons to guide them, lessons of sharing his life with them, parables, the witnessing of miracles. Jesus knows that this journey will not be easy, and he knows that they need time to grow into their potential. He knows his followers will experience suffering, darkness and even at times feel like they are without hope. Jesus knows that for them to achieve the goodness they have begun, they will need to stay together, keep alert, stay awake. Jesus knows they have to be prepared for where the path will lead them.
Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the first Sunday of the Church year. This is a special time that we intentionally remind ourselves and prepare ourselves for Christ’s coming. We prepare for the celebration of his birth… the celebration of God incarnate…God in the flesh living among us.
We also intentionally prepare ourselves for the coming year, seeking ways in which we can grow a little at a time, growth that will better prepare us to welcome Christ into our lives on a daily basis.
Like the Boy Scouts, we Episcopalians also have an Oath or promise; this Oath comes at our baptism. This is also an Oath that we renew each time we share in the baptism of others.
The Baptismal Covenant page 304 in The Book of Common Prayer 1979
Celebrant Do you believe in God the Father?
People I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
Celebrant Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
People I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
Celebrant Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
People I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Celebrant Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and
fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the
prayers?
People I will, with God’s help.
Celebrant Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever
you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
People I will, with God’s help.
Celebrant Will you proclaim by word and example the Good
News of God in Christ?
People I will, with God’s help.
Celebrant Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving
your neighbor as yourself?
People I will, with God’s help.
Celebrant Will you strive for justice and peace among all
people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
People I will, with God’s help.
If this is our Oath, then how do we prepare ourselves to live into this Oath/Covenant?
Like the Boy Scouts we need a plan of action, and lucky for us our plan is already set for us in our baptisms.
Pick A Subject. Pick a subject outlined for us in our baptismal covenant.
Apostle’s Teachings: Maybe you feel you need to study scripture or church history. If you do, don’t look at all the books in the Bible at one time; it is too overwhelming and you might get discouraged and give up. Pick one, maybe Genesis, Exodus, or Deuteronomy from the Old Testament or Mark, Luke or Acts in the New Testament. Write down your thoughts and then take your thoughts to a study group.
Fellowship: Maybe your focus this year isn’t scripture. Maybe it is fellowship? If you are one who is faithful in worship but then goes home and does not participate in our fellowship events, this may be the subject for you. We experience Christ in each other, and we can’t really know Christ unless we share ourselves in Christian fellowship.
Breaking of the Bread: Maybe this year your focus should be on learning what it really means to live into the breaking of the bread. Jesus only ate with people that he considered close enough to be family…close enough to die for them. Think about who all he ate with…is this the year you learn what it means to you?
Prayers: What about prayer? There are so many types of prayer and if you are going to explore this subject you must remember that every type of prayer will not right for you, but be persistent in your exploration because you will find one or more types that draw you into a deeper relationship with God and your life will be changed.
Now that you have picked a subject the good stuff can begin!
Buddy System. Get a buddy. As a kid at summer camp I can remember swimming a really murky lake. This lake was nothing like that little lake we have up at Nevada’s summer camp (Lake Tahoe). While swimming in that murky water, what seemed like every five minutes or so the lifeguard would blow the whistle, and we would have to grab our swim buddies’ hand and hold it high in the air while they counted us two-by-two. There is security in the buddy system. Jesus knew this and sent his disciples out in pairs. Your buddy can be a neighbor, a brother or sister, a friend…most anyone will do; you just need to get one.
Call The Counselor. Your buddy is to walk with you and the counselor is to be your guide. To find a direction in which to complete your subject task, you must seek advice from someone who knows something about what you want to learn. This person is probably not going to be your buddy. It could be your priest but it does not have to be. There are lay people out there who have been in the God business a lot longer than me… I seek them out too. The key is just to find someone who can guide you…not tell you, but guide you.
Show Your Stuff. We are called to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ. As you learn and grow in your subjects they should form you into something new. When this happens, you should share that growth with others either by helping guide someone else or by teaching them by your example of living.
Get The Badge. The merit badges that Boy Scouts wear are outward and visible signs of their growth. Episcopalians are an outward and visible signs kind of people. We don’t wear a sash with our “badges” like the Scouts, but each time we receive Holy Communion we receive a badge. Each time we seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves, we get a badge. Each time we strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being, we get a badge. We wear our badges on the inside… and with each badge we grow stronger in our relationship with God in Christ Jesus.
We can learn a lot from a bunch of kids in green shirts, green shorts, and green knee high socks. Be prepared.
I invite you into a holy Advent as we prepare for the coming of Christ in our lives.
This is part of why I have Jeremy in scouts. The oath and the law are well thought out and if all a person was to do was to follow those this world would be a better place.
ReplyDeleteIt is so cool the way you have shown how they relate to being a Christian. I am a firm believer in walking the walk and can talk the talk, but I feel the walk is the best way to show and bring Jesus into others lives.
I know the walk is what brought me to Jesus. It was a different walk but my buddy was the most awesomest buddy one could have walking with them. He still walks with me and even picks me up if I'm tired or can't walk for some reason.