Am I My Brother’s Keeper?

"Am I my brother’s keeper?" Cain was the first one person to say these words. Cain, the eldest child of Adam and Eve, humankind’s firstborn. You remember the story. The Lord has come to Cain and asked him, "Where is your brother Abel?" And Cain replies, "I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?" Cain’s answer is a lie, of course. Cain knows perfectly well that his brother Abel is dead; Cain has killed him. Cain has murdered his brother for reasons we will never fully know, but probably understand all the same. Yet even more than the murder, the phrase that has stayed with human kind all these years is Cain’s rhetorical question, "Am I my brother’s keeper?" Am I responsible for keeping track of my brother? Am I responsible?

This dilemma, this struggle, about our responsibility for one another has lurked within the human heart ever since there was more than one human being on the earth. Am I my brother’s keeper? Am I responsible for my brother? I cannot imagine that anyone would condone Cain’s murder of Abel, but this broader question of responsibility is trickier, less clear-cut. Cain was talking literally about his true brother, and clearly didn’t think he should be responsible. But in more general terms, what about us? Are we responsible for one another? To what degree? And are we responsible for every other human being? Or are we just responsible for our brothers and sisters and parents and children? And maybe first cousins, but probably not second cousins… Are we responsible for our neighbors? Our fellow Americans? Our brother and sisters in Christ? Am I my brother’s keeper? For whom exactly am I responsible? And in what way, to what degree? It is a concern that has bedeviled human beings ever since human beings first became aware of themselves as individuals distinct from one another.

Today’s Scripture lessons are all about responsibility. And although these readings may not answer our sweeping, broad questions about the nature of our responsibility, these passages from Holy Scripture do give us pretty concrete direction about our responsibility to one another with respect to "the faith." The faith. In its barest bones, I suppose I would define "the faith" as the conviction that God is real and good, and that nothing matters more than our relationship with God. The faith. Today’s readings tell us that it is our responsibility to share the faith with others. We are responsible for sharing the faith with our fellow human beings. No exceptions. No qualifications. With respect to the faith, it is our responsibility to share the faith with others.

Ezekiel is pretty clear that if the sentinel does not tell the house of Israel that their relationship with God is in serious trouble, then the sentinel will bear full responsibility for the "wicked who shall die in their iniquity." The sentinel is responsible for sharing the faith. The sentinel is not responsible for the individual actions of the people within the house of Israel. It is not the sentinel’s responsibility to make the people good or to make them behave or to make them faithful. But it is the sentinel’s inescapable responsibility to share the faith with them.

In Ezekiel, sharing the faith means proclaiming God’s prophetic word of condemnation. In different times and different situations, sharing the faith may mean something quite different. But sharing the faith remains the inescapable responsibility of all of us.

Consider Paul’s words to the Christians in Rome. He is talking about the Christian life. "Love one another with mutual affection." That’s sharing the faith. "Contribute to the needs of the saints." That’s sharing the faith. "Extend hospitality to strangers." Share the faith. "Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep." That sure sounds like sharing.

Sharing the faith. Maybe that’s the best way to think about what it means to be a Christian. Christians are people who share the faith. We often think that "having" faith is what matters most in our Christian lives. But sharing the faith isn’t so much about something we have or don’t have, something we believe or don’t believe; it isn’t so much about the state of our individual souls. Sharing the faith is action, a way of living, something you or I can choose to do. The Christian life is a way of living that shares the faith with others.

The faith. That’s the assertion that God is real. God is good. And nothing matters more than our relationship with God. If those words mean nothing to you at all, I don’t know why you’re here. But if these words mean something, anything at all… then you can live as a Christian. A Christian is simply someone who accepts the responsibility to share the faith. And the marvelous thing is that you can share the faith even if you don’t necessarily deep down believe it 100%. You can share the faith even on those days you only believe 50%. You can share the faith even if you’re not really sure what you believe. Even if you are only trying to figure out if you want to believe. It isn’t about what or how much you believe. The only thing you have to believe is that it’s worth trying—trying to be a Christian. Trying to share the faith with others.

Sharing is the key word. Sharing. Think about it. Sharing isn’t something that just happens. It takes some action, some effort. It’s something you have to work at, put yourself into. Another thing about sharing is that it definitely takes at least one other person. The Christian life is like that. To live as a Christian takes some effort; it is something you have to put yourself into. And you cannot be a Christian all by yourself. The Christian life always involves other people—both within a community of faith and in the broader world. Sharing doesn’t necessarily come naturally to human beings. Children generally have to be taught to share. But absolutely everyone can do it. Anyone and everyone can share, if they choose to. And remember also, sharing doesn’t mean giving up what you have. And sharing doesn’t mean forcing yourself upon others. It means sharing.

Share the faith. Share love in a world cluttered with borders and boundaries and fences. Share good in a world all too familiar with evil. Share zeal in the face of society’s boredom and cynicism. Share acts of service in a marketplace characterized by greedy competitiveness. Share hope with people who are in the midst of darkness. Share hospitality especially with people who are suspicious or withdrawn. (These are all Paul’s ideas from Romans). Share patience when you feel hasty and impatient. Share joy. Share sorrow. Share time. Share blessing and mercy in the face of persecution and bitterness. Share the word of God with people who do not know God’s presence in their lives. Share your voice with others in worship. Share your stories and your personality in parish fellowship. Share your hands to do the work of the church. Share the faith. Everywhere. In all the different times and places of your life. You have no choice really. You are responsible for sharing the faith with others. You are responsible.

But sharing the faith is more than just a responsibility, of course. It is a blessing, not just a duty. Sharing the faith with others is probably the best way to grow in faith in your own heart. Belief often follows action. No one has ever said it better than St. Francis.

"Lord, make us instruments of your peace." Lord, make us people who share your peace with others in the world. "Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love." And here’s the clincher… "For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

Am I my brother’s keeper? No, not really. Speaking personally, I actually have a brother--a younger brother--and I have never considered that I was supposed to be his keeper. But as he and I were growing up, I did often hear the words spoken to me, "Share with your brother." That is my responsibility: to share the faith with other human beings. It’s a lifelong process. God help me, I’m trying.

Sermon Index
Comments are welcome.  Send to krisorr@att.net