Don't Just Sit There!

Numbers 32:6-7
Shall your brothers go to war while you sit there? Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them?

My mother taught me at a very early age that you don’t just sit around while other people are working. Whether it was helping bring in the groceries, or cleaning up the house, you couldn’t just sit there while everybody else worked.

Our Nation is in the worst shape that it has been in 35 years. Even Warren Buffett who is normally upbeat about the economy’s turnaround said the other day that he thinks we are headed toward a mild depression. President Obama faces wars and an economic crisis like none seen in our lifetime. The President is counting on a “United” States of America to go with him but there are some people just sitting there on Capitol Hill hoping he fails.

Out of all the years, minorities worked for a country that didn’t work for them, we never just sit there. African-Americans have the moral leverage to ask other Americans to get up and help the President fight for the survival of our country because for decades we have fought for our country when our country didn’t fight for us. My father went to Vietnam to fight and then come back home with post-traumatic stress disorder, Agent Orange side effects, nightmares, and a fractured family only to return to a country that treated him like a second class citizen. We never sit down; even when we had “sit ins” it was to help this country better itself by facing its unjust treatment of the poor and minority.

On a spiritual level, we cannot just sit there while everyone else helps to fight to save our country from economic peril just because we don’t like the President’s plan or his color. The tribes of Gad and Reuben wanted to stay on the other side of the Promised Land without going over to fight to possess the Promised Land. The problem was that they inherited some of the fear of their forefathers who got a glimpse of the giants and spread fear through the masses causing them to wander in the wilderness till they all died. It was the younger generation, the Joshua generation, who was supposed to do what their parents were scared to do. It was the younger generation in America, black, white, Latino, Asian, pacific islanders who went to the polls to bring about change in America. We can’t sit back and allow the fear of racism, the fear of socialism to cause us to sit when we should be fighting.

Moses compromised with them. He said get up and come fight with your brothers than come back and settle down on this side, but if you pretend you are going and just sit here, your sins will find you out.
Instead of sitting you should…

1. Serve. Jesus told his disciples the greatest amongst you shall be your servant. There is something each of us can do to help others through this crisis.

2. Find something to do to help. Find something for your hands to do. Even if you can’t find a job there is something you can do to volunteer to help. Your gifts make room for you. What you do today to help may get you a job tomorrow.

3. Put your differences aside and help us get there. Whether you are a republican or democrat, conservative or liberal it doesn’t matter right now. We are in danger of Global economic collapse, global war, global warming, and we want to sit here and argue over ideology?!

4. Do something for the greater good. There are governors who refuse to take the stimulus plan because it looks like a “spending plan.” There are people in those states who don’t have jobs, don’t have shelter, and don’t have food. Let’s do something for the greater good even if we don’t agree on all the details.

5. Don’t sit there and beg, get up and follow Jesus. The gospel of Mark records a story of Blind Bartemeus who was sitting by the roadside begging until he heard that Jesus was passing by. He started shouting, Jesus Son of David have mercy on me! They told him to shut up but he shouted all the louder. Jesus told him to get up. He stood up threw his garment to the side, and Jesus healed him. He then started following Jesus. How long before we stop sitting here, and throw our differences aside and be healed so we can follow Jesus?

Dear God we can’t sit here while our brothers/sisters, Our President, fight for the very existence of our country. Give us the unity to go out and defeat our enemies, get provision for our families, help our communities, and follow you by faith. WE can take this land; just help us to get up.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.