1/2 a Sermon and the ending wrapped in a car accident

Some of the sermon was written when I left for a gathering with friends on Saturday afternoon.  The rest was in my head and just needed to be put on paper.  But the events of the afternoon changed that.  I was in a car accident around 5pm and did not get home until after 10pm.  The sermon writing was done for the day.  On Sunday I began with what was written, and finished with emotional words...

We have all seen them...

the cute animal videos or programs where mother animals nudge their babies.

The mother horse who nudges her colt to stand on its feet, to keep trying until the colt is able to stand; The mother elephant who nudges her little one with a nod of the head on the backside, to carry on, to follow the other elephants; the nudge of a mother bear to push her cubs out of the warm cave for the first time; the nudge of a mother bird to force the baby birds from the nest, to try their wings.  Without the motherly nudge, the little animals wouldn’t know to try, they could give up, and for them life would end.

This week at Bible Study I heard the Gospel reading in a new way, with Mary the mother of Jesus being central to the story.  Mary, Jesus, and the disciples are all invited to a wedding.  During the festivities the wine runs out.  So Mary nudges Jesus; John says, “the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ’Mother, what concern is that to you and to me?  My hour has not yet come.’ Mary said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’”

Then I can picture Mary, with a knowing smile, turning around and going back to the party, leaving Jesus standing there in the midst of his newly gathered group of disciples, with stewards looking on, waiting instruction.  “Thanks mom!”   Jesus has been nudged into having to make a decision: to act, to not act, to laugh it off with a joke, to walk away, to save face, or to test the waters and see if he really could change water to wine.  “Thanks mom!”

Have you ever said those words:  an exasperated, “Mother!” or a sarcastic, “Thanks mom!”?

Jesus was correct that it was not his hour, meaning not yet the time when he would choose to give his life for the salvation of the world; this was not the end where he would stand before Pilate and be condemned to death.  But that was not the whole of Jesus’ call and ministry while here on earth.  Mary knew this.  She had been treasuring in heart the words of the Simeon and Anna the prophets from when they took Jesus to the Temple at 8 days old. She had been treasuring in her heart the words of the Magi.  She knew there was more for Jesus to do than die.  So she nudged her son, to be all that God created him to be.  The time was right, the time was now.  Jesus get going, time is short, live, love, be loved...trust me you are ready, you have the gifts, the skills, have faith. Go. Be.

The secular world understands the nudging principle.   Thaler and Sunstein, “choice architects”, have written a book entitled, “Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness”; with an on-line companion, “the Nudge Blog”.  The Nudge, talks about behavioural economics –for instance marketers and advertisers who use the principal of behaviour to sell their product.  So take the highly competitive industry of video game creation, a video game “Dead Space II” used behavioural science –a nudge- by advertising to young males with the slogan, “Your mom hates dead space II.”  And the video game sold like crazy.

Behavioural economics happens when one sits down to watch television in prime time.  If you reflect on the advertising you see, as prime time moves along, more and more fast food advertizes play; nudges...and guess what, you get hungry.  Weight loss councillors council against watching prime time advertisements; suggesting DVRing them and fast forwarding through commercials, or do something else during the advertisements –turn off the sound, don’t look.

...and then I finished with words from the heart about how the world understands "nudging" and uses it to their own purposes.  I briefly, because I started to cry, talked about how I was thankful to still be alive and able to nudge those who had I not nudged.  Yes, sermons nudge people as a group, but I mean nudging individuals to use the gifts I see in them to the glory of God and for the healing of the world.  I wouldn't want to leave this world without my children having been nudged to be all God created them to be.  I feel the same way about people in the congregation.  This week we were reminded that live is short and that we need to act and nudge now, because tomorrow might not come for us.  Go and be all God created you to be, and nudge others to do the same.