Most folks are seeking a full life and would really like to know if there is (or was) any meaning in it.
I have come so that you might live your life to the max –
so that you can be all you were meant to be.
Our gospel is power stuff.
Jesus introduced a whole life style with values that were in direct contrast with those of the prevailing culture of the day.
And, it changed lives.
Joshua 24:15
John 10:10
These two readings from our holy texts have particular meaning for me:
these words from Yoshua and Yeshua.
Yes, it is of no insignificance that these two people born 1500 years apart bear the same the name.
In Hebrew their names are exactly the same – and carry the meaning Yahweh delivers.
The story is remembered that Joshua gathered the people and proceeded to recount to them the oral history of their ancestors and how God continually was involved in their rescue and in leading them toward a life of full measure – unencumbered by slavery and dictates of masters and tyrants.
It was true for hundreds of years, wherever they went, most of the people tried to fit in.
Life just seemed to go better when they adapted the values and customs of the people where they were living at the time.
Oh, for sure, there was a remnant that kept the faith alive throughout the years wherever they went, but everyone knew life went better for them when they could assimilate and become a part of the culture of the folks around them.
So, now they found themselves back in the homeland again,
Joshua had helped rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and had installed a provisional council to rebuild and restart the infrastructure of the city.
Life was returning to normal again.
And, Joshua gathered the people around and told them:
“folks, we are at a crossroads.
We cannot go any further without acknowledging the elephant among us.
You know what our God has done for us in the past. God will continue to do for us in the days to come.
But, each of us must choose whether to follow the God of our faith – who we already know –
or to continue following one or more of the gods of the culture we once knew and valued among the people who kept us imprisoned and subdued.”
It is always a matter of choice, isn’t it?
Joshua said, each one had to make a choice.
It is best to choose now,
today,
don’t put if off any longer.
In my studies, I was reminded that most of the stories we have about Jesus involve a moment of choice, don’t they?
Some of the most obvious stories include the one about the rich young man who came to Jesus wanting know just he had to do to be a part of this new life that Jesus was talking about – this Kingdom of God.
And, the story is that Jesus told him that the most important thing was to keep the commandments.
And when asked “what commandments?” Jesus quoted the text of the 10 commandments of Moses verbatim.
Of course, the rich young man knew these commandments – as did all faithful people of the day.
And, he said to Jesus, “Yeah, yeah, I know those commandments and I’ve kept them ever since I was a kid.”
That’s when Jesus said, “Well, there is only one thing for your to do.”
“What?” the young man said.
“Sell all you have.
And give all the proceeds away to the poorest among us.
Do this and then come back and you can be a part of the movement – the Kingdom of God.”
Jesus told the man it was a matter of choice for him.
But, as Joshua said all those years before, you need to choose now.
The man couldn’t do what Jesus asked of him.
He could not make the choice that was his to make.
It is a matter of choice, isn’t it?
Do you remember the story about the prodigal son?
We often, and appropriately it seems to me, think of this story as being more about the generous father rather than the prodigal son.
But, it is a parable about the choices we all make.
Not seeing any future him in the village where they lived, the younger son asked for the inheritance his father had for him so he could go off and seek his fortune elsewhere.
Things didn’t quite work out as well the son had hoped for and he found himself down and out with no prospects of a better life for himself.
Having gone through the entirety of his inheritance, now with no job, no friends, no community of support, the younger son came to moment of decision – a moment of choice.
He chose to suck it up,
go home,
grovel before his father
and beg to be taken on as a hired hand.
All that happened after that:
the father’s demonstration of acceptance and welcome,
the lesson the father gave to his older son,
the analogy of the way God works,
none of this would have happened if the younger son hadn’t made the decision to come home.
It’s always a matter of choice, isn’t it?
Do you remember when Jesus was confronted with the question of whether good faithful folks should pay taxes, or not?
This is when Jesus asked for the questioner to get a coin from his satchel – legal tender.
He asked for the questioner to look at the coin and tell whose likeness was etched there in the coin.
Of course, the likeness was of the Caesar.
And, Jesus said it was a matter of choice:
Choose to give to Caesar all that is Caesars.
And also to give to God all that is God’s.
It seems that is always a matter of choice, isn’t it?
It was a matter of choice for the folks of Joshua’s day – some 3500 years ago.
It was a matter of choice for the folks of Jesus’ day – some 2000 years ago.
And it a matter of choice for the folks of our day as well.
And, it is in this reading that is found in our New Testament, that had meaning and value at least to the early followers of Jesus among the Johannine community,
and, I believe, has enormous value to us living in the 21st century.
Don’t you think that most folks are seeking a full life and would really like to know if there is (or was) any meaning in it?
Again, it is a matter of choice.
Anyone can opt to live a more meaning-full,
abundant life.
Anyone can live a life far more worth-while and abundant than ever thought possible.
Anyone can choose to become a part of the “Jesus movement”
and live a fuller life –
a more abundant life –
to be able live life to the max,
to be all they were intended to be.
Really, by not consciously choosing to be a part of the Jesus life, a person is allying themselves with forces contrary to the Kingdom of God that Jesus was trying to convey.
By not choosing, a person settles for something less –
a lesser life,
perhaps, even with catastrophic consequences.
I can’t tell you how many conversations I have had with folks at the end of their life where they have realized that most of their lives were in vain,
the values they lived by led to unhappy results,
and all was for naught.
For them, it was a matter of choice.
For us, it is a matter of choice.
For all people all around us, it is a matter of choice.
Again, the words are so profound.
Believing in them produces profound results.
And, dedicating ourselves to the implications of the words are so empowering.
I have come so that you might live your life to the max –
so that you can be all you were meant to be.
Our gospel is power stuff.
Jesus introduced a whole life style with values that were in direct contrast with those of the prevailing culture of the day.
And, it changed lives.
Folks found it empowering.
And, not only were individuals changed,
but, communities changed,
countries changed,
the whole world changed.
And, through some miracle or another, accounts of that life style have been preserved and are handed down to us today.
And, not only do we have the anecdotal evidence of the words of countless individuals who have experienced life change,
but we have the results of scientific studies over the past 25 years, or so, to confirm that those who do make the choice to be a part of this Jesus movement, this church, experience a far fuller, more abundant life than those who do not choose to do so.
I have such strong feelings about this and the evidence that is being accumulated, that I have a planned series using the umbrella of MAXlife.
I intend to spend time on several topics that explore this MAXlife Jesus evoked.
I will share some of the striking scientific evidence in several areas that speak to the fullness of life lived in faith.
There will be sermons,
there will be handouts,
there will be invitations,
there will be information shared on the internet,
there will be a sharing of research, books, papers and writings.
Each week between now and Advent will be beneficial to you,
beneficial to anyone you know,
beneficial to folks you don’t know yet.
There are many aspects of this full, abundant life:
values, attributes, virtues –
all signs and/or goals to strive for.
I like to point out that it is no accident that there are so many gray heads in this room on any given Sunday.
Studies show that folks that go to church regularly actually live longer than those who don’t.
(And, surprise surprise, Presbyterians actually live longer than any other group!)
Also, folks that worship regularly heal faster from major operations, require less pain medication, and stay in the hospital fewer days than those who don’t.
Let everyone you know that it is a matter of choice – and it is most prudent to choose now.
Next week we will be looking at one of the most common topics addressed in the Bible – both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament:
allegiance.
Probably the number one (and certainly the strongest) element of the whole Bible is allegiance (or lack thereof).
It is a matter of choice, we say.
And it is a matter of allegiance – what really has our devotion, our faith, our allegiance.
It is a matter of choice, Jesus says.
Choose now, Joshua says.
Don’t delay, do it today.
There are reasons to be a part of community of faith such as we have here at Christ Church.
Ritual, prayer, forgiveness, work to let us live fuller lives:
lives of purpose,
mission-driven lives,
lives focused on the needs of others,
lives calibrated with positive attitude.
Full lives,
abundant lives,
meaning-full lives,
lives of significance.
It is a matter of choice. Choose now.
Amen.
The congregation of Christ Presbyterian Church in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, USA, heard this sermon during a worship service Sunday, September 18, 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment