I remember very clearly seeing and iconic poster as a child.  It hung in the home, on the refrigerator door of some dear friends who were two of the most remarkable people I have ever known.  The poster was a photograph of a kitten in a tree with a look of determination and horror as it hung by its two front paws from a tree branch.  The inscription read “Hang in there”.  This iconic image is a visual reminder that when life gets tough we must find the strength to hang in there to simply make it through.  Two quick observations come to mind when thinking about this poster.  The first when I picture this image in my mind’s eye a smile crosses my face.  Now it is no secret that I am not a cat lover and before those of you who are cat lovers and I know there are a bunch of you in the congregation this morning; before you get mad at me let me explain that it is not because I wish the kitten any harm that I smile.  I smile as I suspect most people do because we have all been there.  We have all found ourselves hanging on in a predicament that we didn’t want to be in and I think better that kitten than me. 

The second observation is the inscription on the poster is based on the assumption that there is something for which it is worth hanging in there.  What is the use of hanging in there if no one is coming to rescue the kitten and all hanging in there can do is prolonging the inevitable?  Hanging in there only works if there is something better on the other side, if there is help on the way, or if it simply buys you some time so that you can take action to save yourself. 

While good advice in certain situations there are certainly situations where hanging in there simply will not do.  When your boat is taking on water it is not a time to just hang in there, you need to take action and start making your way to shore, bailing water, or getting ready to swim.  When your neighborhood is changing for the worse it is not a time to hang in there.  Something needs to be done, things need to be corrected before they get too far gone and there is nothing at all that can be done.  You can be working to keep things picked up and cleaned up.  Work groups can be formed to repair houses that are falling in on the occupants who are unable to afford home repair.  Action must be taken to fight the infiltration of drugs and gangs and other behaviors that will further detract from the neighborhood. 

When racism or sexism or ageism rears its ugly head it is not a time to simply hang in there.  When people’s God given self worth is being diminished by others something must be done to challenge it.  Someone must speak out, work toward solutions, and help people to think in new ways. 

We see this type of action modeled in the work of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ in the passages we read from scripture a few moments ago. Human beings had messed up big time.  In fact right from the start they had messed up and despite God giving humans a way to redeem themselves humans only continued to mess up even more.  The relationship between humanity and God had been damaged severely; in fact such a chasm existed between humanity and God that it was no longer within human ability to bridge the chasm and restore God’s relationship with humanity.  By this point in human history the chasm was so deep only God could bridge it.  So Jesus came to bridge the chasm that we created.  We say that God sent his Son but we know that Jesus is God in the flesh so more to the point we know that God came to bridge the chasm between God and humanity and to make up for our sin. 

God’s plan to do this was predicted or prophesied long before it ever happened in the prophecy of Isaiah, the 50^th chapter, the passage we read a few moments ago.  We believe that Jesus actions as he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and the events that unfolded through the rest of that week are the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophesy.  We believe Jesus is the one Isaiah predicted would come to save us.  You have to look carefully at the action Jesus takes because it may seem like all he did was hang in there; literally at times, but what Jesus did went far beyond hanging in there.  When he is accused he does not mount a defense.  Though he possessed the power to do away with his accusers he instead gave his back to those who struck him.  Instead of cursing those who attacked him he turned his cheek to those who pulled out his beard.  Instead of damning those who accused him wrongly he did not hide his face from the insults and the spitting so that we whose sin was insulting to God might be saved.  Jesus sets his face like flint toward going on to do what he knows must be done so that we who deserved God’s punishment might be saved.  It may seem like all Jesus did was hang in there as if he is passive and helpless to change the course of events befalling him.  But what is really happening is… Jesus out of his strength is choosing not to fight back but to give himself over as the suffering servant Isaiah prophesied; suffering to serve God and those whom God loved, us.  Assured of God’s purpose and continual presence Jesus sets his face like flint with steely determination to see God’s plan through to the end from the moment he triumphantly entered Jerusalem all the way to the cross and to the empty tomb.  Jesus didn’t just hang in there he actively took our place, took the punishment we deserved so that we could be made right in our relationship with God. 

Out of thanksgiving for what Jesus has done we too ought to take action.  God’s redeeming love and grace empower us to not only hang in there and wait till God calls us home but we are so freed by Christ that we are empowered to get in there and make a difference; to like Christ take action towards transforming the world around us.  One summer a man in Jacksonville, Florida spent a day on the beach watching as more than once lifeguards had to descend from their towers to swim out and rescue people caught in the unusually strong undertow that day.  The man had a great deal of admiration for what he saw and went to the lifeguard station to thank the men and women for risking their own safety to save the lives of others.  As he entered the station he noticed a sign on the wall that said in big block letters “When in doubt, go!”  This wouldn’t be a bad thing for us to have printed on the back wall of the sanctuary for people to see on their way out of worship.  When you are in doubt about whether or not you can make a difference go on and try.  When you see a kitten stuck in a tree don’t just stand there and say hang in there do something to save it and if you personally can’t help it out of the tree go and get someone who can.  When you see another human, a brother or sister in Christ who is in need don’t just say hang in there do something, help them, give them something to eat, get them a cup of cold water, give them a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, or an embrace to sustain them.  Again one of the reasons we smile at the poster is because we know what it is like to be there.  Having been there we may know better than anyone what would be of help and it may just be that God has put us in this situation to be of help to someone going through a difficult time similar to the one we have experienced. 

One of the defining characteristics of the suffering servant is that he keeps his ear turned toward God, listening for God’s call, ready to go where God wills.  “The Lord God has opened my ear” says the servant.  I remember a time a few years ago my ear was all clogged up.  It was enough to drive this music major nearly insane.  So I went to the doctor and he opened my ear, by removing the ball of wax that had clogged it.  What followed was an amazing sensation; I could hear as if some one had turned the volume knob in my head all the way to 11.  As I walked to the car I could hear birds chirping in the distance every thing was so clear and I was so happy I could hear.  In my opinion it is rare that we have such clarity in what we hear God calling us to do.  I have to wonder is it because God is whispering or is it because we have clogged our ears so we don’t have to hear God’s call?  Like Jesus we need to pray for God to open our ears so that we might not only hear but do the transforming work to which God is calling us.

In 1983 United Press International published a story about a five year old boy named P.J. Dragen who had leukemia and the friendship he enjoyed during the course of his illness.  P.J. began to receive a series of cheery notes, little gifts and goodies to brighten his spirits; always adorned with a large green bow and signed “Magic Dragon”.  One of P.J.’s favorite gifts was a large green plush dragon that quickly became the embodiment of the gift giver and P.J.’s constant companion.  As P.J. grew sicker Magic Dragon’s attention never waned.  Notes of support and encouragement arrived continuously.  Tragically P.J. lost is fight with leukemia and at his funeral the biggest arrangement of flowers was bouquet of daisies tied up with a big green bow and signed Magic Dragon’s last gift.  I am sure a lot of people felt bad for P.J. and hoped, pleaded with him to hang in there, but the Magic Dragon who remained anonymous did something to serve P.J. and give of him or her self to P.J.   It wasn’t a lot some cards and some gifts but it was something.  As Christians following the example of the one who laid down his life for the ones he loved, most of the time we are called to do more than just hang in there we are called to take action to do something even if it is something small like a cup of cold water.    When in doubt go.  Go and serve those in need so that the former indictment of the church may ring true today… “The acts of your koinonia speak so loudly that we can not hear the words of your kerygma.”  In other words your actions of fellowship in love drown out the word of your preaching and teaching.  Today as we stand with the crowds who shouted Hosanna! (Save us!) may we remember the actions of the one who rode triumphantly into Jerusalem and into our lives and our hearts to save us and go and do likewise.  Amen.