The aroma of eggs and sausage greeted me as I arrived at church this morning - members of our Social Ministry team were preparing breakfast for some homeless folks in Manhattan. In four weeks on Thursday evening the 24th, our bishop will be here to meet with leaders and interested people from Grace and other congregations of our Tappan Zee Conference of Lutheran congregations. As a show of Grace hospitality, we are going to provide a catered dinner. Each Sunday morning we provide coffee and buttered rolls following worship and, as one person has said, "We do food good at Grace." That's why I couldn't really understand when a lady called me some months ago to say she was leaving Grace because, as she put it, "I am no long fed here." Of course, I really did understand what she was saying, and it had nothing to do with our culinary hospitality.

I tried not to get defensive ... because one size does not fit all when it comes to the community we call the church. If people are not being fed, whatever that means to a particular individual, well, by all means ... search for a church that will do the feeding. On the other hand ... there is a bit of defensiveness as I think to myself, "What are people looking for? Do we want the church to be a place where we come in, sit back, and say, "Okay preacher, choir, organist, do it to me. Fill me up. Get me through another week"?

When I think of the sermons and stories of Jesus ... most seem to be aimed at getting people out of the easy chair and into the flow, "Go!" "Do!" "Follow!" Jesus seemed less concerned with feeding his audience and more concerned that his audience go out to minister to a hungry world. Or as our second reading this morning, echoed on our bulletin cover, "Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers ...." For the author James, doing is where the rubber of faith hits the road of reality.

For reasons I can explain, when I read anything from the letter of James, I think of Knute Rockne. Rockne was the football coach at Notre Dame in the 1920s, and his half-time speeches were so stirring, that if assistant coaches were not quick enough to open the locker room doors when half-time was over, the players were so fired up they might run right through the wall!

Now most of you have heard about one of Rockne's most memorable speeches. It had to do with George Gipp, a star at Notre Dame, who died at the tender age of twenty-five. On his death bed, Gipp reportedly said this to his coach, "I've got to go, Rock. It's all right. I'm not afraid. Some time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys, ask them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper...."

The coach saved the story for strategic moments ... and since Notre Dame won about nine out of every ten games under Rockne, his "win one for the Gipper" speech was usually successful. Of course, being a good coach didn't hurt, nor did having good players. But lacking motivation, even the best of teams can have a difficult time of it.

My point is this: what if Rockne told the story of George Gipp at half-time and ended with, "Okay boys, go out there and contemplate the life of the late George Gipp"? People don't run through the walls with that kind of send off. It was always a fiery, "Now go out there and win one for the Gipper." Knute Rockne would have made a good preacher; and since he was Norwegian born, he likely was a Lutheran. So, score one for the Catholics at Notre Dame!

Our second reading this morning is from the Letter of James. James is all about social ministry - that is ministry to society. It's as if James were saying, "Through the teachings of Jesus, and through his life giving death, you have received a script for the godly life. But the strength of the script is in the acting out. "Be doers of the word," writes James, "and not merely hearers ...." As someone once observed, "When all is said and done ... more is usually said than done!" And if the words of the preacher feed the person in the pew, but fail to move their hands and feet, the words remain only words. However flowery - only words. No matter how inspiring the preacher might be, if the sermon does not provoke action - then the preacher's words are - only words.

I've preached a few times in settings where people would shout "Amen!" or, "Right on, brother!" and that energizes me. It's kind of a confirmation that what I am saying makes some sort of sense. But, once the service was over ... did the serving begin? William Willimon, a Methodist bishop in Alabama, puts it this way: "Jesus never asked his listeners, 'Do you agree with me?' or 'Does this sound reasonable to most of you?' He wanted more than agreement. Jesus said, 'Follow me.'" That's a verb, an action word, "follow."

I'm sure as Jesus taught the fishermen, he appreciated the feedback of heads bobbing in agreement. Shepherds flocked to hear him preach. Farmers and leather workers and housewives and young children. Jesus talked about our God in such a way that you felt you could touch the hem of God's garment. And Jesus talked about people in such touching terms that each parable was like a mirror ... in which the listener could see herself, or himself, portrayed. This is all well and good, this expertise with the spoken word. But our Lord wants more than "My God, you preach a great sermon, Jesus!" If the words of Jesus do not provoke action - if the hearers do not become doers - then why bother? And Jesus was dying to change the world ... not merely to change the minds of his listeners, to fill their hearts with warm fuzzies.

"Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers ...." My sister and brother team members, you are here this morning to do more than to be fed. "Fill 'er up, Preacher." You are being summoned by Jesus to go into the world to do wonderful things in his name. Not to listen to "something wonderful," but to do "something wonderful"! Not to agree to "something wonderful," but to do "something wonderful"! Christianity is not a spectator sport, and a needy world beckons. I know we have a great team here. I've seen you in action on the playing field called life. You've done it before - you can do it again.

Let me share story. It was just days following the death of the Master ... crucified at the tender age of thirty-three! But then he was alive again and his last words to his followers went something like this: "Go out there and teach every you meet, far and near.... Teach them to do the things I've taught you. Love each other, forgive each other, speak well of each other, share with each other, feed one another. I will be with you ... I will lead you."

That's what he said, all right, and you can look it up. And now team, like our teammates this morning in Manhattan, go out there and win one for the Savior!