Just A - S - K

Preached at All Saints Chapel on 25 July 2010

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son,

And of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Well, some of you will be pleased to know that I started an exercise program about last month. I decided that as I quickly approach 50, I need get back into some kind of shape.

So, the first thing I did was to go out and buy some exercise shoes. Not really expensive ones, just some simple cross trainers. You know, you’ve got to have the right equipment if you’re going to exercise.

The next thing I did was to create a Personal Fitness Diary on Excel Spreadsheet. I got it all set up right, with little fields that will track my exercise, calculate how much weight I’ve lost, and even tell me how far I’ve run. It’s pretty neat. You’ve got to keep some kind of record of progress, right!

The next step in my battle of the bulge was to settle right down to read several articles about fitness and exercise. So with my computer on my lap, the mouse in one hand, and a Little Debbie Cake in the other, I went online and read several really great articles to help me properly understand the dynamics of exercise and fitness.

Then, having read all I could, I put on the old exercise clothes and my new shoes, and set off ready to get back into shape. But needed to eat supper before I set off on the great fitness campaign.

Then it was time to begin…. I did a warm up… you know… stretch out the old muscles and joints… get flexible and all that. Sure don’t want to risk any injuries. After stretching out a little, I then needed to decide if I should do some push-ups first, or do some sit-ups first. To help me decide, I sat down on the front porch with my pipe and a nice hot cup of coffee, so I could properly consider what I should do next.

After a few moments of heavy contemplation, I came to a decision… the next thing that I should do is to take a break. I mean, no point rushing into these things.

So I went to get another cup of coffee and a light snack… after all, I didn’t eat any dessert after supper, and one does need keep up the old energy level for all this exercise I was planning to do!

I was about to resume my fitness program when I realized that I had forgotten to bring in the mail today… so I decided that a good, brisk walk out to the mailbox was in order. It would be a good start for a real walk later.

After completing that, I looked at my watch and realized that I had been at this for almost an hour! Wow! It was definitely time for a hot shower and nice cold drink. After all, an hour was pretty good, and I sure didn’t want to rush into this and risk an injury. So with Tea in one hand, and a popsicle that I just happened to find – completely by accident - in the other, I and sat down to attend to update my fitness diary. Not too much to show for the first day, but after all, it was the first day. Tomorrow I would do even more.

After that, being almost completely exhausted, and conscience of the need to converse energy… I decided I’d better get to bed. So I put my empty tea glass in the sink, put my popsicle sticks in the dust bin, brushed my teeth, stretched and flexed my muscles a little to keep them from getting too stiff, and went to bed.

All in all, a pretty good start to a lifetime of fitness and good health. The only problem with this whole is that it’s been hard to keep up with it since I started. Oh…don’t worry… I plan to keep exercising…but first…I have to find some time. But man, once I do, look out…

I have just described an exercise cycle that many can relate to; and it parallels another kind of cycle with which many can relate…that of prayer.

In the course of learning how to be good Disciples of Jesus Christ, there are many different things we as Christians should do on a regular and frequent basis. Attending mass is certainly one. Reading our Bible is another. But one of the most important things we need to do in order to promote good spiritual growth and development is to pray. But unfortunately, the prayer life of many Christians is like the exercise and fitness cycle so many… including myself! We start out with the best of intentions to get into shape, we may even try it once or twice; but then we stop.

But Prayer is not nearly as difficult as exercise, but we over-complicate it. We think that prayer is some mysterious, mystical thing. We think we need to dedicate all kinds of time and energy to it, that we need to have the right mind-set, buy a new rosary, or read a book or two on prayer before we can begin. But prayer, quite simply, is just talking to God.

Now I know that most people have no problem with talking. We can talk our heads off, given the right material. But when it comes to talking with God, we clam up…we freeze….we panic…or we just don’t do it.

But prayer is really quite simple. It doesn’t require super-human discipline; doesn’t’ require a inordinate amount of time; doesn’t require a lot of effort and energy. However, once you DO begin to pray with some regularity, the benefits of prayer far out-weigh the time and discipline and even energy that one does puts into it. And, just like exercise, you only get out of prayer, what you put into it.

In today’s Gospel, we see the disciples asking Jesus about prayer. They want to learn how to pray. This is a reasonable request. “Teach us to pray” they said, and so Jesus does so.

He gives them a form of prayer that is easy to understand, and simple to use. No lofty words and high sounding phrases…just simple words put together to form what is without a doubt, the perfect prayer. We call it the Lord’s Prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer we can and should use…regularly….every day. In fact, I use it each and every time I pray. Why? Because it sets the tone and gives me a format to follow when making my they rest of my prayers.

It starts out simply enough… “Our Father…” Those of us who have embraced the faith of Jesus Christ have been adopted by the God and Creator of the Universe. We are his children, and he is our Father. This simple phrase puts into focus our wonderful relationship with God. He is not some obscure, far off being, sitting in a cloud with lighting bolts in one hand and a sword in the other. Sure, God is all powerful…but he is also a faithful, caring, gracious Father, who loves us so much that he sent his only Son Jesus to die on our behalf. He wants us to come to him…confident in the relationship that we have with him through Jesus Christ.

Then comes, “Who Art in Heaven.” That phrase does several things. First, it reminds us that God is God over everything. He is the Almighty King of the Universe…and we can still come to him as our Father. Second, it reminds us just where we will end up after this life is over. Once we place our faith in Christ, and establish an obedient relationship with God, we can look forward to the day when we will join Him at his Throne.

Then come, “Holy is your Name.” Psalm 99 is one of my favorite psalms. It says, “Let them praise thy great and awesome Name, for it is holy.” God is holy…righteous and perfect. There is no sin with God. And in Christ, we too are to strive for holiness in our lives. We are called to live a life pleasing to God.

Then we say, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” In this petition, we are asking God to use us to bring about his perfect kingdom – right here where we are. God’s will is already established in heaven. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone on earth did God’s will too, just as they do in heaven? This is a prayer for peace, a prayer for reconciliation, a prayer for obedience, a prayer for cooperation, a prayer for faithfulness, a prayer for justice. It can and should be our prayer…that God’s Kingdom would come in and through us; and that all people might learn of the riches of God’s grace, justice, and peace.

Then comes this simple phrase…. “Give us this day, our daily bread.” This is a petition, we are recognizing God as the one who provides for all our basic needs. Bread has been the symbol of life in nearly every culture and civilization since the dawn of time. It is the staff of life. Every culture around the world, since the beginning of time, has developed some kind of bread. Whether made form corn, oats, wheat, rye, or what ever else, bread is what feeds the world. In Jesus’ day, a man would work all day, just to earn enough money to by bread just for that evening. Imagine….a whole day’s wages just to buy bread. Gravy on our bread is a luxury. Potatoes and meat with our bread is a luxury. When we pray this prayer, we are asking God to give us just what we need in life… not what we want… and to be content for all we do have. And then, God does bless us with other things… like gravy for our bread.

Then comes one of the most important phrases in this prayer… ‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” It is a confession of sin… and a petition that we too can learn to be just as forgiving. Every single one of us needs to confess our sins before God, on a regular basis. 1 John 1:8-9 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the Truth is not it us. But, if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” In confessing our sins each day, we are able to maintain a proper relationship with our heavenly Father.

Also, this petition teaches us our responsibility to forgive others. In the Lord’s Prayer, we are asking God to forgive us in exactly the same way we forgive others. Imagine…if we choose not to forgive others, and we say this prayer, then we are asking God to choose not to forgive us. That’s a pretty scary thought, isn’t it? The reason for it is that if we are harboring resentments, grudges, bitterness, or even hatred towards others… for whatever reason… then we haven’t really repented our own sin, and our confession to God is empty.

The phrase, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” is an important part of this prayer. We are begging God’s protection in all the assaults of life. Particularly, the Evil One….Satan. In fact, in many early manuscripts and translations of this phrase reads, “Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from the Evil One…” Satan is our enemy…and he wants to destroy us. He wants to rob us of the joy of our salvation, and to steal our peace from us. But by begging God’s protection, our souls are preserved safe from Satan’s attacks.

The doxology comes next, ‘For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever…Amen” This doxology is omitted in Luke’s Gospel. In fact, it is taken from the Psalms, and was added during the editing of Matthew’s Gospel. Sometimes, especially during lent and advent, we use the Lord’s Prayer from Luke, without the doxology. There’s a reason for this… during those seasons, we are focusing upon our need to repent. It is during those seasons, that such a doxology is not necessarily appropriate. But at other times, it is an essential part of praying this prayer. God is worthy of all praise and honor and glory. We should just stop sometimes and worship Him. Why…simply because HE IS GOD and HE IS HOLY. Again, Psalm 99 concludes… “Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his Holy Hill; for the Lord our God is holy.”

When you put it all together, the Lord’s Prayer is the perfect vehicle for learning how to pray, and learning the discipline of prayer. And from this, we can begin to add our own petitions and requests. Prayers for our families and friends; for those who are sick; for our nation and the world; for our church and community. The Lord’s Prayers frames OUR prayers, and makes it easier to formulate and guide us in what we want to talk to God about.

What happens then, when we do pray? Does God hear us? Does he answer us? And the Answer is definitely “YES.” Jesus teaches us this in the next section of the Gospel we have read.

First, he says, “ASK”. Just ask God to do something in your life or in the life of someone else. Ask and you will receive. But many people unfortunately stop here at that ASKING part. When things they pray for just don’t seem to be happening, especially as quickly as they would like, they just quit. But Jesus said, “First ASK, then SEEK!” And if you do, then you will find. You have to be serious about this. If it is important enough of an issue to bring to the throne of God, then make sure you bring it with passion and intensity. Actually try to make God listen to you. Try to convince to work and do what ever it is you want him to do. Ask, then Seek and you’ll have an answer.

After asking and seeking, sometimes we have to “KNOCK”. Ask, Seek, and Knock. Keep after God, just like the man in the story who kept pestering his neighbor for bread. He kept pestering and pestering and pestering….and finally the man got up and gave him some bread.

Ask, Seek and Knock…put some effort into it. If you really want God to do something…then keep after him. And if you do, one of two things will happen… God will see how serious you are about a particular issue, and he will grant you your desires…he will answer your prayer. Or, you may come to see just how unimportant or selfish or even harmful a particular issue might be… and then thank God for delaying his answer.

Which brings me to this point…. “Be careful what you pray for…because you just might get it.” If you are going to bother God with something, make sure it’s a something you really want or need want to happen in your life. After all, many of you prayed for church with a strong pastor who would wouldn’t be afraid to make changes and challenge us all to grow in our faith and grow as a community….and look what you stuck with….me! So if you are unhappy about my style or preaching or leadership or even the changes we make, you’ve no one to blame but yourself….because to got exactly what you asked for. So be careful what pray for….because you might just get it.

Finally, don’t let prayer become an excuse for inactivity or indecision. Too often, people use prayer as some sort of excuse for not getting involved, for not making a decision, for not doing something that ought to be done. Many will say, “Well, I’m praying about that.” Or ‘Let’s just pray about that, okay” Sure, we do need to pray…because it’s important….but then when it’s time to do something, do it! God gave us all brains to think and reason with, and do have the capacity for making decisions and taking actions.

Just like the man trapped when a hurricane was blowing in; He prayed and asked God to save him. A few moments later, the fire department came by and offered to evacuate him. He refused stating that he was praying and waiting for God to save him. As the flood waters rose, the police came by in a boat, and offered to evacuate him. Again, he refused, stating that he was praying and asking God to save him. Finally, trapped on the roof, a helicopter came and threw him a rope. He refused, stating that he was going to pray and wait for God to save him. Finally, he was swept away with the flood and died. When he arrived in Heaven, he began to complain to God, asking why he hadn’t answered his prayer and saved him. God replied, “I sent a fire truck, a boat, and a helicopter… what more should I have done?”

Sometimes we fail to recognize just how God is answering our prayers, and we use prayer as an excuse for inactivity. We do need to pray, and pray for the wisdom to recognize God’s answer, and the grace to accept that answer. But when it’s time to act… we need to act.

A true story of this principle is recorded when Dr. Spurgeon, the great English Preacher of the 19^th century, called his parish council together to address a particularly difficult financial crisis the church was facing. They all talked and talked and talked about it… until someone said, “Well, let’s just pray about it and let God solve it for us.” That is often how we respond.

However, Spurgeon responded by placing a basket on the table, and said, “Yes, let us pray…and ask God to show us exactly how WE are to respond…. because God is not going to drop bags of money out of heaven for us.” It is said, that after a short prayer, the members of the Parish Council responded by passing that basket, and collecting more than was needed for the crisis. The lesson here is: Don’t let prayer be an excuse for not doing something that we know we ought to do. Don’t let prayer keep us from making decisions and being decisive in your life.

My friends, prayer is one of the most important things we can to do as Christians… don’t neglect this in your life. Talk with God, share with God, ask God to work in your life, in your church, in your home, in your community… and then, armed with prayer, let us do what God is leading us to do to make a difference in the world around us.

My friends, Let us pray…

Almighty and Eternal God, you invite us to approach your throne of Grace, and cast every care at your feet: Grant us the grace and wisdom to pray as we ought; and grant us those things good things which, for our ignorance we cannot ask, and for our sinfulness we dare not ask, all for the glory of your eternal Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son,

And of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Much Ado About Nothin'

Preached at All Saints Chapel, Dinwiddie, Virginia -18 July 2010

Proper 11C - Saint Luke 10:38-42

"Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.""

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son,

And of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Isn’t it amazing, how we can manage to get ourselves all worked up over the smallest things in life, turning the most insignificant issues into the most gigantic problems? As human beings, we have become very adept at turning the tiny, little mole hills of life into giant, un-scalable mountains, which frustrate, inhibit our progress, discourage our spirits, and rob us of the joys of life. And despite all our technology and wireless devices, it’s getting worse instead of better. We are becoming slaves to the urgent… and we have become convinced that EVERYTHING is urgent.

We rush around in our daily life, hurrying from one place to another, one thing to another, trying to get everything done, fussing about all that we have to do, and in the process, we build ourselves us for great frustration, disappointment, stress, and fatigue… all which leads to emotional, spiritual and physical illness. People are tired, exhausted, depressed, discouraged, stressed out, and more – all because we make much ado about nothing.

I know that Christmas is still some 5 months away, but just think for a moment about the way in which many of us shop for Christmas. For several weeks prior to the big day, we prepare for Christ’s birthday. With list in hand of gifts ideas, we rush from store to store, picking and choosing our expressions of love…or at least our expressions of obligations… lest we forget to get something for so and so… all the while complaining about the crowds, the parking, the lack of time, the lack of money, and the ineptitude of the store clerk.

We then take all our packages of Christmas joy, and race to checkout line…only to find that 2,319 other people all had the same idea at the same time; and are all now being helped by the only 2 check out clerks on the entire East Coast... and one of them is trying to get a price check on a pair of socks… while the other one is waiting for a check to process.

So we stand there in line, listening to Christmas Carols over an annoying and obsolete PA system, fuming, frustrated, tired, irritated, and watching the time go by….wondering if we’ll get out of the store in time for Christmas….next year! Sound familiar?

Or how about this… you get up a little late on a Monday morning, and rush to get showered, dressed, breakfasted, and into the car so you can get to work or school or the mall on time. And just as you pull out onto the street, you find yourself stuck a school bus that stops every 100 feet to pick up kids; or worse… you’re stuck behind a little black PT Cruiser that is being driven by none other than that renowned speed-demon of Central Virginia - Father Mark. I say renowned speed-demon because many of you know that I’m very diligent to observe the speed limit. If it says 45… then its 45, and that’s how I drive!

So, after following this school bus or my PT Cruiser for a few moments, you glance look at your watch, then the car’s clock; you listen to the radio announcer give the time, and you feel a sudden surge of anxiety and perhaps even anger. In your frustration and fear of being late, you then start to yell at the school bus, or God-forbid the little black PT Cruiser that’s going only 45 mph…. in a 45 mph zone. Have you ever wondered why we yell at the guy in front of us, with our windows up, knowing full well that he can’t hear us? What good does it do? Chances are that if he could hear us, we probably wouldn’t be nyelling. When you do finally arrive at work, your hot, stressed, frustrated, angry, and everyone knows it when your response to “good morning” is “What’s so blankety-blank good about it!”

Yes, we can get ourselves all worked up over the smallest things in life, turning the most insignificant issues into giant problems? As I said, we human have become very adept at turning the tiny, little mole hills of every day life into giant, mountains.

Each day we rush around in our daily life, hurrying from one place to another, trying to get everything done, fussing about all we have to do, and in the process, build ourselves us for great frustration, disappointment, stress, and fatigue. I myself am guilty of this from time to time, as Pattie can tell you, especially with the start of our Fall activities and schedule looming larger and larger before me. I worry sometimes that I’m not going to get everything done in time. But in reality, everything has always worked out fine, and this year will be no different – all the programs will be ready, and we will hit the Fall running.

We get all frustrated and hot and bothered about the smallest things…things we have no control over. We get all worked up about the news, or the congress, or the president, or the school system, or taxes, or traffic, or television shows, or how much things cost. And the reality of it all is that we have little or no control over any of it! So why do we allow ourselves to get so worked-up? Why do we insist on staying so busy, busy, busy all the time, rushing each moment of our precious life away?

In the Gospel which we have heard today, we see Jesus visiting the home of Mary and Martha. It is a very familiar story and passage, which has been used to communicate some essential truths about what’s important in life…and what’s not important in life.

In this story, Martha is busy trying to get everything organized and perfect for Jesus’ visit. She wants the house clean and spotless. No dust, no tracks on the rug, no clutter in the closets. Everything has to be perfect. She works feverishly on preparing the perfect dinner, and setting a perfect table. She makes Julia Child and Martha Stewart look like amateurs. Busy, busy, busy. Just like the mom who invited the Pastor and his family over for a dinner party. She worked and fussed all day long getting ready… and when it was time to eat, she asked her little daughter if she would say “grace.” The little girl responded by saying she didn’t know what to say; so mommy instructed her to just say what mommy always says. So everyone bows their head, and the little girl starts… “Oh Lord, why in the world did I invite all these people over here!”

That, my friends, describes Martha. Meanwhile, her sister Mary is just sitting in the parlor, listening to Jesus. He’s teaching and sharing thoughts of the Kingdom, and how to live, and how to know peace and joy and love in her life. She is enthralled by his presence and teaching, and just wants to sit and listen.

That creates a problem….not for Mary, but for Martha. She complains to Jesus…and actually scolds Jesus for not recognizing that Mary needs to help. She tells Jesus to tell Mary to get up and get to work…. Help set the table, help finish the salad, get some drinks ready… don’t just stand there… do something….. anything!

But Jesus says to Martha, basically, that she’s made much ado about nothing. Is the salad more important than salvation? Is the perfect dinner more important than the perfect peace that comes from God? Is a spotless house more important that a spotless heart? Is entertaining guests more important that eternal life?

Martha has made much ado about nothing… and we all sometimes act like Martha. We get all wrapped up in the BUSY-NESS of life… in doing and doing and doing. We have become so busy in our lives, so overwhelmed by having to get things done… and more and more things done, that we don’t have time to just stop… don’t have time for ourselves… don’t have time for life. Or worse, we’re so consumed by doing and doing and doing and running and running and running, that we feel really guilty when we do think about taking some time off, or slowing down a bit, or not doing something so we can enjoy our day, our families, our friends. We live by the adage, “Just don’t stand there, do something!”

Someone has suggested that we should no longer be called Human Beings… but rather Human Doings… because we no longer are Beings that live and breathe and take in life… but rather, we’re always doing and doing and doing, pushing the clock ahead, running out of time… trying to do as much as possible… as life rushes past us….

But isn’t life more than just doing and doing all the time; wearing ourselves down to a frazzle… focused all the time on being busy, on getting things done, to the point that we loose our joy and our peace? Many even convince themselves that they are too busy even for God! My friends, if you’re too busy for God, then you’re just too busy – period!

So… how do we overcome this syndrome… this Martha Phenomenon of being consumed, even obsessed with the BUSY-NESS of life? How do we get past the schedules and work and stresses of life, of striving for perfection in everything we do, instead of slowing down some, and enjoying the life and grace and peace and joy that God has given to us?

It’s not easy, but it can be done. Perhaps instead of living by the phrase, “Just don’t stand there, do something”… maybe once in a while we should adopt the philosophy of, “Just don’t do something, STAND there!”

What does that mean – “Don’t just do something, stand there!?” It means to be still, and listen. Be still and enjoy. Be still and let God’s Spirit quicken us, enliven us, charge us up, and fill us with the wonders of His Peace and Grace. To put it another way, like the title of a famous little book suggests, “Don’t sweat the small stuff … and it’s ALL small stuff!”

The real idea that we see here, especially in Mary, is the idea and concept of Sabbath. We’ve all heard of the Sabbath, in terms of what the Old Testament required, to take the 7^th day off and rest. But Sabbath is much, much more than just not working on the 7^th day… Sabbath is a state of mind, that not only knocks off work one day a week, but actually enjoys life, moment by moment, day by day, and does so from the perspective that sometimes just standing there, stopping to smell the roses really is a wonderful thing… really is what God had in mind when he established and commanded the Sabbath. Sabbath isn’t just a day… it’s a way of life.

Sabbath. The word itself has a comforting sound to it, doesn’t it! Sabbath. Rest. God himself established this idea of Sabbath, then he set the example in the Creation, then he gave it to man as a way to help us not wear ourselves away with BUSY-NESS and the doing and the running around all the time… in order to help us live each day of our short, fleeting lives, to the fullest… not just in doing… but in being… being alive… being aware… being a part of this Creation…. of enjoying the gift of life that God has given to us, and finding the joys and wonders in all God’s work and in his grace.

Sabbath is an important concept, one which took me a long time to really understand, and one of which I have to remind myself from time to time. To help me, and all of us remember that life is more than doing, and business, and stress, and to appreciate the notion not sweat the small stuff, I’ve taken the word Sabbath and developed an acrostic with the goal being to help us incorporate this idea of Sabbath into our lives; of how we really can enjoy this idea of rest and peace… not just on one special day of the week, but every day of every week, for the rest of our lives.

S – Stop: Right in the middle of your day, what ever it is you’re doing, and just STOP. Stop doing for just a moment, close your eyes, open your ears, and listen… think… meditate… and let your senses come back to life, instead of being dulled by the BUSY-NESS and running and doing of life. Just Stop and sit still, stand still, be still. Stopping what we’re doing, even for just a few minutes throughout the day can be very restful, and healthy. Maybe even take a slow walk… or a short nap… or just sit still with your eyes closed for a 5 minute quiet time. What ever form it takes, we need to learn how to STOP if we are ever going to have Sabbath in our lives.

A – Ask: When you’re feeling overwhelmed by the BUSY-NESS of life… ask yourself if what you’re doing right then and there is so important that it can’t wait for just a moment or two, or maybe an hour or two, or even a day or two. Ask yourself… “Is what you’re doing so important that 10 years from now, someone will remember that you didn’t do it right then and there.” Ask yourself if 10 years from now, someone will remember that what ever you are doing wasn’t perfect? I’m not talking about procrastination. Procrastination is the thief of time… it’s putting off till tomorrow things that really do need to be done today. The idea of Sabbath doesn’t promote sloth and procrastination; nor does it mean we shirk our responsibilities; but rather, we ask ourselves if this task, this activity, is so important that it keeps me from appreciating and even enjoying everything else that’s going on around me. So ASK…

B – Breathe: In silence, with your eyes closed, just breathe. Inhale and exhale slowly. Listen for your own heartbeat. Listen to what your heart… that inner person is saying to you. Breathe and let yourself dream, see yourself walking along a sea shore… breathing in the salt air. Close your eyes and breathe… see yourself sitting by a fire with a blanket and a book… Breathe… and feed your brain with oxygen… and feed your spirit with joy.

B – Bask: What does it mean to bask? Simply relax and bathe yourself in the joys and wonder of this wonderful Creation that God has given us. Enjoy the sunshine… do a little gardening and get your hands dirty… put up a bird feeder and then just sit listen to and watch the birds in your yard. Lie on your back and watch the clouds and try to imagine again what they all look like. Be a bit of a kid again, and enjoy a turtle, or a worm, or a squirrel running across the yard. God has given us a wonderful, colorful, vibrant creation that is full of life… so don’t let it all rush past you…. bask in the joys and wonders of it all.

A – Adore: Take time to Worship God. Make a little time each day, to say “I Love You God… thank you for my life.” Let God know how much you appreciate all the answers to your prayers. Make up a little song, or hum a hymn with praising God in mind. It can really relax and calm you, as well as feed your spirit. Remember this… that the cure for worry is worship and the cure for stress is praise.

T – Take Time for Yourself. Take a bath… take a walk… take a nap… read a book… get your hair and nails done… go fishing without any goal or idea of catching a single fish, but rather of just enjoying the river or lake… or just enjoy doing nothing at all for an hour or even two, sitting on the porch drinking coffee and talking with your spouse or to a friend. Taking time for yourself is not being lazy or selfish, but rather, it’s being sane! Remember, self-love is not as great a sin as self-neglect! So take a little time for yourself…

H – Hear: Hear God speaking… just like Mary did at Jesus’ feet. Mary made the decision to take a little Sabbath… to make a Sabbath moment with Jesus and listen to him speak; to let his words heal her spirit and encourage her heart. Instead of working and busying herself with all the chores of the day like her sister Martha, Mary took a Sabbath moment and was blessed… and that’s why Jesus said to Martha… “She has chosen the most important thing to do.”

Why not follow Mary’s example, and come and sit at the feet of Jesus for a lesson in what’s really important in life. Take some Sabbath this week, and let the peace of God which passes all understand, keep your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ. Let us pray.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son,

And of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Three Views of Life

_________________________________

Preached at All Saints Chapel Free Catholic Church

on Sunday, 11 July 2010

Proper 10-C

_____________________

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son,

And of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The story of the Good Samaritan is one of the most familiar parables in the Bible. We teach this story to our children, with the idea that they too will become “Good Samaritans.” It is cited widely in our Churches and society as the ideal for true Christian expression.

The story begins when a rich, young lawyer, seeking to justify himself and his selfish world view, cynically asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus reminds him of the great Commandments – Love God and Love your neighbor. But the young man, asks the kind of question that only a lawyer would think of – “Who is my neighbor?”

His agenda is to demonstrate that he is really no different than anyone else; that he is as religious as anyone else; that he is just as pious and devout as anyone else. His agenda in this interview with Jesus is to trap Jesus into making a statement about what is really required to have eternal life, so that he can say, “Well, looks like I’m in!”

But Jesus turns the tables on the lawyer, and does not give him a declarative statement about how to have eternal life or even a definitive statement on just who is his neighbor. Instead, Jesus tells the story that we call the “Good Samaritan” and then asks the man, who was the neighbor? The lawyer responds by saying the man who helped the victim of this crime. Jesus then says, “Go and do the same thing.”

We often rehearse the Great Commandments = Love God and love your neighbor; but then we often go on with little or difference in how we actually demonstrate that love – either for God or our neighbor. But Jesus is telling us today… “Go and do the same thing.” And in telling us this, he is actually showing us the path to eternal life; because the path to inheriting eternal life is not in knowing the Commandments, but rather in doing the Commandments.

And we can only DO the Commandments – even the Great Commandments – if we have adopted the proper view of life which directs all our attitudes and actions.

In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus presents for us three basic views of life. These three views of life capture the whole of life itself, and its expression in the lives of ordinary people.

The First View of Life which we can draw from this story is this: “What’s Yours is Mine…So I’ll Take It.” This is View of Life held and demonstrated by the robbers and thieves who attacked an innocent man. These bandits had little regard for the other man’s life, schedule, possessions, or anything else. There was no respect for him at all. They simply saw him as another opportunity to get something for themselves. They saw his gold as their gold…so they took it. They saw his food as their food….so they took it too. They saw his clothes as their clothes… so they took them. They saw his time as their time, so they took that too. They even saw his life as theirs…and almost took that too, stopping just short of killing him in their attack. They had no respect for this man’s property…no respect for his dignity…no respect for his reputation….no respect for his time… no respect at all, for him, or anyone else, or anything else…including themselves! They were only interested in satisfying their own desires, and stopped just short of murder in the exercise of their view of life – “What’s yours is mine, so I’ll just take it.”

This view of life – “What’s Yours is Mine, so I’ll Take It” is the view that most of the world has, especially today. Our society is one of greed and violence, of recreation and self-indulgence, of personal rights over personal responsibility. This view is reflected each and every night on the television News. Wars are fought because nations have no respect for other nations. Crimes are committed because people have no respect for others property. Law suits are filed, many times to shift the burden of responsibility for own stupidity and ignorance and neglect to someone else, and then to seek compensation for those damages. Reputations are destroyed through gossip and slander, fueled many times by envy and jealousy for what another person has or has accomplished.

“What’s Yours is Mine so I’ll Take It” is the law of the jungle…the survival of the fittest….the dog eat dog approach to life and business and personal relationships. It is the mindset that says, “I’ll stop at nothing to be successful…stop at nothing to achieve my own goals, and stop at nothing to satisfy my own desires and agendas….no matter who gets in the way – even God. It is a complete lack of respect for others and even for self; a complete lack of personal responsibility that blames others for our misfortunes and difficulties; and a complete lack of any compassion decency beyond our own little worlds. That’s the way the robbers thought, and that’s the way many in our world today think – including many so-called Christians, who, despite knowing the Commandments, don’t DO the commandments because they have the wrong view of life.

The second view of life is this… “What’s Mine is Mine, so I’ll Keep It.” This is the view of the Levite and Priest, who passed by the injured man. They were too busy, or too important, or too selfish to give a little aid and comfort. What is more, these two men knew better. They were religious men, trained in the Law and worked in the Temple. They were supposedly men of repute, men of character. But they were too preoccupied with themselves and their own agenda to get involved, to make any sacrifice of time, effort or energy. They had people to see, places to be, things to do; and could not let even the ideals of the Commandments get in the way.

This is also a very prevalent attitude in today’s world, and especially among many of the society’s Christians. We are so consumed with our own selves, and our own level of comfort, and our own desires, and our own entertainments, and our own philosophies that we refuse to share ourselves with others – including God. My time belongs to ME… my talents belong to ME… my treasures belong to ME! It is the mindset that refuses to get involved, that sits back and waits to be waited on and served. It is the attitude that complains and gripes and snipes and gossips, but refuses to get involved in a positive way. It is the attitude which says “My Way or the Highway”. It is the attitude that leads many to do something, even for God or the Church, only if their’s something in it for them – especially recognition and appreciation.

What’s mine is mine so I’ll Keep It is the attitude to life that says thanks to God for this plate of food, and then complains that it’s not right… the attitude which acknowledges and even calls for things to change, and then complains because things do change. The attitude which insists that something be done about this or that, but refuses to get up off their own backsides to lend a hand or help get something done about this or that. The attitude which says I’m too busy to help, or I’m too important to help, or I’ve done my share, or you don’t appreciate my efforts. And when others do try to get involved, or make a difference, or be helpful, this approach to life causes some to criticize that it’s not being done right…because that’s not how I would have done it. Never mind the fact that I’m not going to do it…. But it’s not right because if I were going to do it, I’d do it another way…

Unfortunately, this is the attitude we too often see in our Churches and among those who profess to be Christians. Many are so comfortable in their over-fed, over-entertained, over stimulated, air conditioned little worlds looking for Heaven that they can't or won't get up off our behinds and make a difference in our world. We like to talk about all the things that are wrong with our neighborhoods and our world, and we even go so far as to say that something really ought to be done. But we don’t do it. And when someone comes along and tries to do it…. We don’t like how they’re doing it. We don’t like whose doing it. Then, we even go so far as to say, “Why are they doing it?” after we had said, “Someone really ought to do it.”

It has been said, that the first 7 words of the Church are “We Can Do All Things Through Christ.” And that the last seven words of the Church are “We never did it that way before.” Churches are planted and started with the first phrase…. and closed with the second. Sure we can do all things through Christ… just so long as we don’t have to get involved, just as long as we don’t have to make any commitments; just as long as we don’t have to attend every week, just as long as we don’t have to give anything, just as long as we don’t have to make any changes in our lives or attitudes or activities or agendas or way of life…. Just as there are plenty of great programs and wonderful activities and plenty to eat. Sure… it’s easy to do all things in Christ when others are doing it.

What’s Mine is Mine so I’ll keep it is the mindset that sits back, selfishly and comfortably, hanging on to their hope of eternal life, whilst waiting for someone else to do what needs done. This view of life can be summed up by a funeral notice that I read some time ago… which goes like this…

“The church is bowed with grief at the passing of one of our most valuable and faithful members…Mrs. Someone Else. This death creates a vacancy in the life of our parish that will be difficult to fill. Mrs. Someone Else had been a member here for many years, and during all those years, did far more that a normal person’s share of the work. Whenever volunteers or even leadership were needed, everyone looked to Someone Else. Whenever there was a job to fill, no matter how big or small, one name was at the top of everyone’s list – Someone Else. This beloved and faithful member was a wonderfully unselfish person, sometimes appearing super-human. But a person can only do so much. Everyone expected too much of Someone Else… and now she is gone. Gone too is the excuse that so many used for so long when asked to help or do something… “Let Someone Else do it…”

The third view of life is this: “What’s Mine is God’s So I’ll Share it.” This is the view of the so called Good Samaritan. It is the view that says, “I may be busy, I may be in a hurry, I may be poor, I may be tired, but not so much so that I can’t help or get involved or do what God really wants me to do.” It is the view of life that says all that I have and all that I am has come from God, and belongs to God…so I’ll just share what God has given me… including my time, my talents, my treasure, my heart.

This is the view of life that Christians are called to have. This is the view of life that is unselfish, is kind, is patient, is understanding, is involved, and has respect and love both for God and for others. It’s the view of life that says nothing is too hard, nothing is more important, nothing will keep me from living the way God wants me to live, doing what God wants me to do, and making a real difference in my community and even in the world.

This is the view of life that focuses on MY impact in the world around me, not on MY eternal life in Heaven… and the by product of this view and all my efforts, through Christ, then is eternal life.

Why? Because this is the view that understands what God really wants from us – which is … our heart… our whole heart… and nothing but our heart!

Many of you have heard me say that if the sum total and only goal of Christianity is Heaven, then Christianity is pretty thin. There has to be more to it than just feeling good about ourselves because we got our sins forgiven so we get to go to Heaven. Even in this interview with the lawyer, his focus in HIS place in Heaven and having some smug assurance of eternal life. But Jesus doesn’t give him some 3 point plan for salvation or eternal life; rather, he demonstrates how we should celebrate this salvation by striving to take what we know of Christ, incorporate the great commandments into our mindset, and then apply it all each and every day right here where we are… and that in the end, we will receive the reward, which just happens to be Eternal Life.

However, this view of life, this understanding that what’s mine is God’s so I’ll share it, has to be developed in folks. That’s because for too long, the focus of our faith HAS been this nebulous distant hope of eternal life in heaven… all at the expense of our life and our responsibilities in the here and now on earth. Some folks are so bent on heaven that they’re absolutely no earthly good at all; and that is NOT what Jesus had in mind.

However, once we begin to make that shift in our thinking and view of life, and when we give our whole heart to God, then all the rest gets just a little bit easier to do… even obeying the Great Commandments.

We suddenly find that we DO have time for God…and we stop telling ourselves that we’re too busy. We discover that we DO have time for others…. and we stop telling ourselves we’re too tired. We find that we DO have the capacity and talents to make a difference – be it big or small in the world around us… and especially in our Church, and the “CAN”T” word begins to go away. After all, didn’t God give us our lives and the time and the capacity and talents, so that we CAN be what he wants us to be.

Look… our job is not to build the kingdom of God in Heaven… that’s being done already by none-other than Jesus Christ himself.

After all, he said that he was going to prepare a place for us… and I don’t see anywhere in the Scriptures that He needs any assistants or subcontractors in doing that.

But he did say, “Go into all the WORLD and make disciples…” He did say, “The Kingdom of God is within you…” Our focus needs to be all that’s going on all around us, right here and now… and when we’re finished trying to make a little piece of Heaven right here on earth – in Jesus’ Name, we are then rewarded with eternal life in the place that Jesus has prepared for us in Heaven.

We have to recognize that all we have, our time, talents, jobs, homes, families, and the all the rest come from God, for the Scriptures say in James 1:17 – “Every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes from the Father…” God owns it all…our time, our house, our talents, our money, our cars, our careers, and our very life and existence. Everything! He owns it, he has loaned it to us, and he wants us to share it…

Now, it is at this point, that most Preachers would start waxing lyrical and stress the idea of how God owns your money too, and how you should start getting involved by giving your money back to God. But I’m not going to do that… that’s a matter between you and God. I’m not interested in your money… and by the way…neither is God. I’m more interested in YOU, and God is more interested in your heart; because if God owns your heart, then he also you’re your wallet. That’s why I never preach on money.

Does God own our heart? Have we given him our life? Does the commandment to “Love God with ALL our Heart, ALL our Soul, and ALL our Strength” have real meaning for us? Does it motivate us and control our actions, attitudes and priorities; or is it just a nice little phrase that we can proudly recite – just like the Lawyer – and then go on in our own, selfish, disinterested way whilst singing songs of heaven? If we have indeed place our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then we will recognize God as the owner of everything in our life, and we are supposed to live by the view of life that says, “What’s Mine is God, so I’ll Share it.”

What made the Good Samaritan so Good? He gave of himself to get involved in the life on some else, and didn’t let himself get in the way. Complete appreciation for his position in God, complete appreciation for the commandments of God, and complete demonstration of both… a complete and unselfish Love.

That is the path to eternal life that the Lawyer did not want to explore…. And neither do so many folks today. Do we? Our Faith in Jesus Christ and a surrendering of self to him as Lord and Owner and Savior has got to be more than a nebulous search for eternal life… it has to be a practical demonstration of all that know right here on earth – in loving and serving our neighbors as ourselves and loving God with our whole heart, and making a little bit of Heaven right here on earth.

If we can do that, then maybe – just maybe, someday in the future, when you ARE in heaven, someone here will write or tell a story about YOUR life … as a Good Samaritan.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son,

And of the Holy Spirit. Amen.