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| Anthony is the Chaplain's Aide and gave this talk on a point of the Scout Law for Scout Sunday. |
Through out history the human race has
been endowed with a special gift: the will to help our neighbor.
Lord Robert Baden Powell the, founder
of the Boy Scouts, made helpfulness and duty to God his main goal in scouting.
He describes this goal by saying,
"The Scout, in his promise,
undertakes to do his duty to his king and country only in the second place; his
first duty is to God. It is with this idea before us and recognizing that God
is the one Father of us all, that we Scouts count ourselves a brotherhood
despite the difference among us of country, creed, or class. We realize that in
addition to the interests of our particular country, there is a higher mission
before us, namely the promotion of the Kingdom of God; That is, the rule of
Peace and Goodwill on earth. In the Scouts each form of religion is respected
and its active practice encouraged and through the spread of our brotherhood in
all countries, we have the opportunity in developing the spirit of mutual good will
and understanding.
Lord Baden-Powell then goes on by
saying, "There is no religious
"side" of the movement. The whole of it is based on religion,
that is, on the realization and service of God.
"Let
us, therefore, in training our Scouts, keep the higher aims in the forefront,
not let ourselves get too absorbed in the steps. Don't let the technical
outweigh the moral. Field efficiency, back woodsmanship, camping, hiking, Good
Turns, jamboree comradeship are all means, not the end. The end is CHARACTER with
a purpose.
He
finishes by saying, "Our objective in the Scouting movement is to give
such help as we can in bringing about God's Kingdom on earth by including among
youth the spirit and the daily practice in their lives of unselfish goodwill
and cooperation."
Reflecting on this it is easy to see
the simplest form of help can be something like helping an elderly lady across
the street. Even this basic act fulfills one point of the scout law: a scout is
helpful. However, we are called to be more helpful than simply guiding an
elderly lady across the street. Many people have taken it to the next step,
some remarkably far.
Last year scouts from this troop went
around neighborhoods asking people to donate old coats, which we brought back
to this church who then distributed them to people in need. Even more recently
we held a blanket drive to give blankets to elderly people. Yet, we are called
to be doing even more. Lately, troops in this county have been fortunate to yield
many new Eagle Scouts who, in order to earn their eagle, were challenged to do
a service project that they themselves planned and carried out.
I would like to share with you one in
particular which stands out to me. Recently a 17-year-old scout decided to
carry out an exceptional project. He elected to direct a production of “Beauty
and the Beast” where every single actor was mentally disabled. He went above
and beyond so that people with developmental disabilities would get a chance to
be on stage. His success was spectacular. He followed the words of Isaiah, who
instructed the Israelite community by saying, “If you pour yourself out for the
hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in
the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday sun.” Is. 58:10.
Helpfulness is not simply lending a
hand when convenient, but being willing to offer up a sacrifice for somebody
else. Marriage is a great example because, in marriage, both spouses are called
to make sacrifices for each other in their every day lives. This kind of
helpfulness is the true substance of love.
In Matthew, chapter 25, verses 35-36
Our Lord gives us seven instructions on how to be helpful. These are: to feed
the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, visit the sick,
give clothing to the naked, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. Even if we
cannot do these on as great a scale as the scout whom I mentioned earlier, we
are still called to give as much as we can.
When serving others, we should always
keep one goal in mind. That is the dedication of all we do for the greater
glory of God. By this I mean we must all do every action in such a way or with
such purpose as to give glory to
our Creator.
Even the scout who directed the play
did not achieve the ultimate success. The only person to ever reach the highest
amount of helpfulness is Our Lord Jesus Christ. He says that the greatest thing
we can do is to lay down our life for our brother. In His agony and in the cross,
Christ fulfilled this goal when He died for us so we might have the opportunity
to go to Heaven and enjoy forever the joy of meeting our God.
In the crucifixion, Jesus achieved the
ultimate level of helpfulness and happiness, and every one here, from the
smallest baby to the best Eagle Scout to the holiest man is called, maybe not
to offer up our lives, but to imitate Jesus Christ to the greatest extent we
possibly can, whether that is by becoming a martyr or simply by helping an
elderly lady across the street.
So I challenge you to go
out today and the next day and the next, and find some way in which you can be
helpful for your neighbor. And when you serve that neighbor I want you to offer
up your sacrifice for the Greater Glory of God.
