You Can Live Your Life to the Max - Its A Matter of Forgiveness

Anger, resentment, hate have tremendous power to affect our psyche, to affect our minds, to affect our bodies.
Seemingly, in and of themselves, they have an ability to cripple, maim, and kill.
They are insidious, self-destructive killers.

And, curiously, a proven antidote to these killers is forgiveness.
In point of fact, forgiveness is often the only antidote with long-term affect.


From the Ancient Texts:  Daniel 9:4-7a,18-19
From the Early Church: Matthew 18:21-35

I miss Calvin and Hobbes.
It has been twenty years since Bill Watterson stopped drawing the comic strip.
But, I still love to read it – and undoubtedly find something to support a sermon idea every time I look at some.
You remember: Calvin is a little six-year-old with a very vivid imagination whose purpose in life seems to be to drive his parents batty –
in fact, he seems driven to drive all adults batty.

Calvin has a stuffed tiger he has had for a long time, ever since he was a kid.
He calls his stuffed tiger Hobbes,
and in his imagination Hobbes comes to life and is, in fact, his best friend and accomplice.

In one memorable episode, the mother of the little girl across the street has arranged for Calvin's mother to watch her for a couple of hours after school one day.
Well, being six years old, Calvin has fits that this "girl" is coming into his domain.
And, he is simply outraged that his stuffed tiger doesn't do something about it.

After reading Hobbes the riot act, they go downstairs and discover Suzie sitting at the table with a pencil, and paper, and a book.
Calvin looks puzzled, and asks, "What are you doing?"

Little Suzie replies, "My homework."

Calvin says, "What?   Your homework?
We just got home from school.
There's lots of daylight left.
We haven't had dinner yet.
We haven't watched television yet.
We haven't been told its bed-time yet."

Little Suzie says, "I know. I like to get my homework out of the way, and do it right after I get home from school while things are fresh in my mind."

The last scene has Calvin walking away with his stuffed tiger, shaking his head, and mumbling,
"I used to think she was smart."

In one of my all-time favorite episodes, that was repeated at least twice, Calvin is playing some kind of game in the driveway with his make-believe friend, Hobbes.
After a while, Calvin stops and says, "You know we would have much more room to play if this car wasn't here."

Hobbes says, "Do you think you could get your mother to move it?"

Calvin says, "Naw. Now why would I bother her with a little thing like that?
We would just be a bother to her. I can do it."

Calvin opens the door of the car, climbs in the front seat, and manages to put the car into neutral and releases the emergency brake.
He then gets out of the car, puts his little six-year-old body in front of the car and pushes with all his might.
In his imagination, he gets his tiger Hobbes to help.
And, much to their amazement, the car starts to move.
They are ecstatic as the car begins to slowly roll down the driveway.

Then, suddenly, they realize they haven't figured out a way to stop the car.
And they stand there watching the car slowly roll down the driveway,
into the street,
across the street
and into a ditch alongside the road.

Well, Calvin is mortified.
His mother is surely going to kill him for this. Together, they can only think of one solution: run away from home.
But, before they go, they sneak around the house, run through the back door into the kitchen, and make a few peanut butter sandwiches.

Meanwhile, his mother, in the front room, looks up and notices cars stopped in the street, and people milling all around, and she wonders what all the commotion is all about.
Then, she notices a car in the ditch,
then she realizes it is her car in the ditch,
and runs out the door screaming, "Calvin!!!"

He's nowhere to be found.
She looks everywhere: in the car, under the car, behind the car.  No Calvin.
Nobody's seen a little boy.
She is beside herself.
And begins to expand her search to the yards of neighbors.
Meanwhile, Calvin sneaks out the back door of his house with his peanut butter sandwiches and his stuffed tiger, and runs to the park.

There, he decides he is far enough away, and besides he is tired and hungry.
So, for safety's sake, he climbs a tree and starts to be afraid of the situation he has gotten himself in this time.
His mother has every right to clobber him on the spot.

His mother finally gets to the park and notices him sitting on a branch about five feet off the ground, with tears streaming down his face.
She runs over and says, "Calvin, are you all right? Are you OK? Are you hurt?"

Calvin responds, "I'm not hurt. Why should I be hurt?"

His mother says, "Thank God, come on down out the tree, and let's go home."

Calvin, stops sobbing long enough to pause and with some apprehension in his words, says,
"Before I come down, first I think I would like to hear you say you love me."

Forgiveness is something we all need to hear sometimes, isn't it?
[Maybe some of us, more often than others, huh?]
And forgiveness is at the heart of our faith, isn’t it?

The story of Jesus is the story of forgiveness.
In Christ all barriers between God and us are broken down, and makes possible for our adoption as children of God.
Jesus said, "I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly – a fuller life, a max-life."
And the practice of forgiveness is one crucial element that contributes to that max-life – that abundant life.
There is healing power in forgiveness.

We know some of the causes of many of our illnesses today.
Many of the illnesses which plague our world: stroke, high blood pressure, heart disease, some cancers,
many of the psychological disorders,
are linked to things like anger, hate, resentment, even jealousy.

Anger, resentment, hate have tremendous power to affect our psyche, to affect our minds, to affect our bodies.
Seemingly, in and of themselves, they have an ability to cripple, maim, and kill.
There is no mistake about it: anger, resentment, hate, and jealousy are insidious, self-destructive killers.

And, curiously, a proven antidote to these killers is forgiveness.
In point of fact, forgiveness is often the only antidote with long-term affect.

Aside from an abundance of antidotal evidence, we now have hard cold facts that prove that forgiveness has great value in physical and emotional health –
and forgiveness training can be effective in reducing hurt and stress.
Researchers at Stanford University's Center for Research in Disease Prevention are currently involved in a large study on the implications of forgiveness for health care and education.
The director of the Center suggests that the time will come soon when forgiveness will be offered as part of primary health care programs.

The health care professionals are coming to realize what we have known for a long time:
There is healing power in forgiveness:
in forgiving yourself,
in forgiving others, and
in being forgiven.

Professional counselors know that often for psychological healing to take place, a person needs to identify, or name, a particular problem, and then to forgive themselves.
There is real therapeutic value in forgiving yourself.

Often when a person feels deep and massive guilt for his or her own shortcomings, or mistakes, or transgressions,
we simply do not hear words of forgiveness from God or anyone.
Sometimes this guilt literally cripples a person.
No matter what you may have done to another person, or yourself, one of the crucial ingredients for healing is to forgive yourself.

One of the twelve steps of recovery programs is the forgiveness of oneself after confession and affirmation of faith,
and willingness to let go and let God.
We see on a basic level, there is healing power in forgiving yourself.
And this is one of the things you are taught to do in church, isn't it?

There is therapeutic value in forgiving others, too.
This is overtly a basic part of Jesus' message to his followers.
No less a stellar apostle than Peter asked Jesus, "Lord, if my brother keeps on doing me wrong, how many times do I have to forgive him?"

A fair question, isn't it?
A question we ask all the time –  in one form or another.

Often we say, "I just can't forgive that person, don't even ask me."
Often we feel that we can't, or don't want to, forgive even one time, don't we?

Jesus told a story about a certain person who had a certain debt forgiven,
and then went on to confront another person who owed him a debt which he just couldn't forgive.
That person was sentenced to horrible punishment. And Jesus concluded his story with this tag line: "That is how my father in heaven will treat every one of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from the heart."
He couldn't have been clearer on this.
The Kingdom of God is available for you ...
You who forgive.

"Fine, Lord, but just how many times must I forgive this person who keeps sinning against me?"
It's hard enough to do it once, isn't it?
But, for a repeat offender ?

Notice what Jesus does not say.
Jesus does not say, well forgive him once and give him a warning.
Forgive him again.
And, if he does it again, all bets are off.
Three strikes and you're out.
Jesus did not say that, did he?

How many times am I to forgive this Bozo, anyway?
Once, twice, three times, five times, seven times?
Jesus said, "No. Don't be absurd.
You must forgive him not one time, not two times, not three times, not five times, not seven times,
but seven times seventy times.
If you fail the test of not being able to forgive a person an infinite number of times, you simply do not get it.
You simply do not know.
You simply will never know the Kingdom of God."

Now, that's a radical concept –  that simply can blow away everything you may have worked for all of your life,
blow away everything you may have saved for,
blow away everything you may have believed.

You won't find this in the political debates in Washington.

You won't find this in the President's Crime Bill.

You won't find this in welfare reform.

You find this in the Gospel of Jesus the Christ.

You find this in the Kingdom of God.

You find this in the Body of Christ –
this church in Drexel Hill,
in churches throughout the Delaware Valley,
in churches all over the world.

People who forgive others live healthier than those who don't.
People who forgive others live longer than those who don't.
People who forgive others experience the abundant life Jesus talked about – a fuller life, life to the max.

There is healing power in forgiving yourself.

There is healing power in forgiving others.

And there is healing power in being forgiven...

A leading theologian of the past generation wrote about the overwhelming power a person experiences at the moment that the realization comes that he or she is fully, and unconditionally, accepted by God –  accepted just for being who they are, and what they are.
In our service each week, we try to recreate that moment –
after our corporate and personal prayers of confession we hear an assurance of our acceptance,
an assurance of our forgiveness.
And many people actually feel that that is the liberating moment for them during the entire worship service.
No matter what I may preach about,
no matter what we may sing,
no matter what we hear,
nothing is more important than that one moment.

That one moment when you may realize that no matter what has happened in the past,
no matter what you may have done,
no matter what you may have said,
when you sincerely ask for forgiveness, you get it.
It's a whole new ball game.
There is a whole new slate to write on.
A whole new world begins.
There is a whole new life ahead.
And, more than any other, that kind of healing is what we are about here at Christ Presbyterian Church in Drexel Hill.

A best selling book a while back is called: "Forgiveness: the Key to the Kingdom."
He talks about the power of forgiving someone, and of the power of forgiving your self:
He says, "that's really the key to the kingdom.
It not only opens the door,
it's the hinges on the door,
it's the key to the door,
and it's also the little bell that rings and lets you know that door has opened."

Paul wrote to the Ephesians that one of the marks of the true church,
one of the marks of a real Christian,
one of the marks of an authentic soul,
is forgiveness.
In the midst of one of the most horrible miscarriages of human justice, entrapped in the bonds of sin, captured by the throws of death, Jesus uttered those words that haunt today: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.
Our God forgives us, even when we do not know what we do.

Our God forgives us, even when we do know what we do.

Our God forgives us, period.
Paragraph.
End of story.
The beginning of a new story.
The first day of the rest of your life.

As some of you well know, there is real authentic healing power in forgiveness.
Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

When you pray, say, Our Father, ...forgive us our wrongs, as we forgive those who wrong us.
Forgive your brother and sister from the heart ... seven times seventy times [if need be]...and you will know the Kingdom of Heaven.

Friends, a key to abundant living,
a key to a full life,
a key to life to the max,
a key to the Kingdom of God,
is forgiveness.

May you know it.

May you experience it.

May you express it.

Amen.

The congregation of Christ Presbyterian Church in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, USA, experienced this sermon during a regular worship service November 6, 2011. 

You Can Live Your Life to the Max - It's a Matter or Ritual

Researchers tell us that there is a universal rhythm to all life. 

All life seems to share an internal clock that is in tune with the whole creation –
and in sync with some cosmic clock. 

There seems to be a basic human need our whole species has,
that is the need for periodic time of rest – daily and weekly.

We ignore our God created rhythms at our own peril.

We may not fully understand what happens when we stop daily and weekly, and meditate and pray and experience the community of Christ, but we are better for it.


From the Ancient Texts:  Ecclesiastes 3:1-13
From the Early Church: Revelations 21:1-7

Jesus said I have come that you might have an abundant life – that you might live a full life – that you might live it to the max – being all you were meant to be (which is so much more than you ever thought possible).

Each of us can live a fuller life.
In the weeks past we have seen how:
It’s a matter of choice: and we are exhorted to choose now.
It’s a matter of allegiance: all or nothing.
It’s a matter of finding community.
It’s a matter of focusing on others.
It’s a matter of attitude.
And, today I hope to show how ritual contributes to a fuller, more abundant, life.

Two fairly recent longitudinal studies of the physical and mental health of several populations that reveal several factors that seem to affect people's health.

Two of the findings of these studies were of interest to me:

First: People who go to church regularly are healthier than those who don't go to church regularly; and

Second: People who go to church regularly live longer than those who don't go to church regularly.

From other reading and studies, I had some hunches as to why this may be so.

Aside from pious sermons and preachers' platitudes, there seems to be an outpouring of scientific studies recently, in several different fields of inquiry, that help to answer these questions.

Today, I want to share with you some ideas about the power of ritual – ritual, a virtue that will help you live a better life.

Some of knew my Dog, Ike.
Ike was a Basset Hound who lived with us 7 or 8 years after he retired from the show circuit.

One of these days I am going to elaborate on what I have learned from my dog: the gospel according to reverend Ike. [But that's another sermon.]
One of the things that my dog Ike reminded me of, and what anyone who has ever lived with a pet finds out,
is that all living creatures are governed by an internal clock.

Ike would wake up and want to go outside everyday at about the same time.
And, he usually was not in a position to see a clock.
And, I never taught him to tell time.
But he knew.
And, you know, he is completely oblivious to daylight savings time.
Much to my chagrin, he never knew when we changed the clocks.
And he knew when it was time to go bed.
His sleep at night was different from his naps during the day.
During the day, he may have been lying still with his eyes shut, and from all appearances he was asleep, but he apparently was very alert to all activities around him.
When anyone came into the room, he was up instantly and alert.
But, at night, after he decided it was time to call it a day, it would take dynamite to wake him and get him to move.
He was naturally in tune with a rhythm that was somehow beyond our mechanical timekeeping.

Ike reminded me that scientific studies conclude that all creation –  all life on our planet –
all animals, all plants, all mammals, all humans –  seem to have an internal clock that is in tune with a certain circadian rhythm.
Researchers at the Center for Biological Timing say that these clocks are endogenous –
they are developed internally somehow.
They seem to be inherited and do not require, or need, any outside influences.
They have shown that animals raised in total darkness, still have biological clocks that are rhythmic in nature.

Think about it.
 How does that happen?
All life seems to share an internal clock that is in tune with the whole creation –
and in synch with some cosmic clock.

That may not come as a surprise to those of us who grew up in the church and came to know the story of God creating the universe.
But, for scientific researchers from all kinds of fields –  biology, micro-biology, botany, human behavior, and on and on –
for researchers to tell us that there is a universal rhythm to all life,
actually confirms some of what our faith has been telling us.
Not only do we have circadian [or daily] rhythms that we are in tune with.
But we have circannual [or seasonal] rhythms, as well.
And the scientific community knows much less about how these work.
But, work they do.

We seem to be a cyclical people.
We organize our lives around certain rhythms or cycles, don't we?
Some people organize their whole year around a sports season, don't they?
And when something happens, like say, the players go on strike?
and the season is canceled?
We see them get all out of sorts.

Some people used to organize their lives around the television season, remember?

Some people organize their lives around the school season, don't they?

Some people have summer homes, and organize their lives around spending time here and there.
We seem to have a need to create our own rituals that inform and govern how we live.

All of us have daily rituals, don't we?
(Daily rituals that when interrupted, we get all out of sorts.)

One of the basic stories of our faith describes a ritual God used in creating the universe.
You know the story, God created the world in six days.

But, creation is not a six day cycle, is it?

No, it's a seven day cycle, isn't it?

God created the universe in six days, and on the seventh day rested, rejuvenated, enjoyed.

And that is the cycle that we seem to be plugged into.

Indeed, the truth of this has been know from ancient times.
At the beginning of the Hebrew religion, Moses came down from the mountain with the 10 commandments from God.
And the fourth commandment refers to this universal rhythm of life:
Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy....
You have six days in which to do your work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to me.

On that day, no one is to work –  neither you, nor your children, nor your servants, nor your animals, nor the aliens who live in your country.

This speaks to a basic part of our genetic make up. This speaks to a circannual rhythm of life.
This speaks to a basic need that we have to stop,
to rest,
to contemplate,
to rejuvenate,
to enjoy our surroundings.

Our Granddaddys, and Grandmammas in the faith, recognized this some 5,000 years ago.
And we have been told this all our lives.

And now scientific evidence seems to confirm that this cycle is basic to our existence,
basic to our make up,
basic to our well-being.

Again, the times and seasons mentioned in Ecclesiastes acknowledge the cyclical nature of our lives and our basic need for ritual.

Now, we humans have ingeniously developed a myriad of ways to circumvent our internal clock and the natural circadian rhythms.
We invented the light bulb to extend our day well into the night.
We invented the Eleven O'Clock News and Charlie Rose to override our internal clock
and keep us awake well past our internal clock that governs the shutdown of our bodies and minds for rejuvenation.

We invented the alarm clock to wake us up because we don't trust, or don't hear the internal clock that lets us know its time to awake.

We invented a whole host of activities that occupy our weekend time providing conflict with time allotted for worship and education and spiritual growth.

We work hard at our play all weekend, and face the rest of the week unrefreshed, unrejuvenated, unrested.

We read books,
and listen to tapes,
and revere those who teach us to use our time wisely, and efficiently, so we can get more done.

And we honor those who "work the hardest".
But, the latest health studies confirm what our ancestors in the faith knew all along:
when you ignore the rhythms of the universe,
when you ignore the circadian and circannual rhythms,
when you ignore your basic need for ritualistic sabbath time –
a time we all need for rejuvenation, revitalization, rebirth –
when you ignore a ritualistic day of rest,
you experience burnout,
elevated blood pressure,
heart disease, stroke, cancer, sleep disorder, obesity, autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis –
and a host of other related problems.

There seems to be a basic human need our whole species has,
that is the need for periodic time of rest – daily and weekly.

Now, most of you know this.
And this is where this church is different from a lot of churches.
Most of you are here today because you want to be –  most of you are here today because you really would rather not be somewhere else.

I know for a fact, that some of you went through a great deal of pain and trouble and it took a lot of effort to get here.
But you are here.

And the rest of us truly take inspiration from your presence.

Most of you want to be here on Sunday, because it helps you get through the rest of the week, doesn't it?

Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy....
Make it a day of rest, dedicated to me.
You will be better for it.

I really don't know if anyone in this room suffers from sleep deprivation.
But, we all have known people, and have read about people who seem to thrive on only 3 or 4 hours of sleep a day, haven't we?
I can't remember what the medical term is for that, but you know what I mean.

Some of you may have seen the recent article in the paper of a recent study of these people. Actually, several longitudinal studies have shown that these people –
who may supplement their 3 hours of nightly sleep with a brief nap or two during the day –
naps usually of only 10 - 20 minutes duration -- these studies show that these people,
for the most part, show no diminished brain processes, no diminished motor skills,
no diminished capacities what-so-ever.
In fact, people who experience this particular sleep pattern are frequently our most brilliant, our most creative, our most talented people.

But, there is one curious finding of these studies. For the most part, these people don't grow old.

For the most part, these people do not live to be 80 and 90 or 100.
Most don't make it into their sixties.
While these people go through their lives as though they were somehow super-charged,
something happens to their bodies that cuts short the expected life span of most mortals.

It is possible to ignore our internal clocks and to silence the circadian rhythm our Creator endowed us with.

But, when we do, we shorten our God-given time and short-circuit our God-given endowments.

Modern scientific evidence tells us what our faith has passed on for centuries, we absolutely need periodic time for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation. Our bodies and our minds, do in fact experience a rejuvenation during periodic periods of rest:
On a daily basis,
on a weekly basis,
on an annual basis.

We ignore our God created rhythms at our own peril.

We may not fully understand what happens when we stop daily and weekly, and meditate and pray and experience the community of Christ, but we are better for it.

There is healing power in the ritual of observing a sabbath.

There is healing power in the ritual of going to church regularly.

There is healing power in taking time regularly to dwell on things beyond our selves, to cultivate the presence of Christ, to exercise our souls.

Observe the sabbath and keep it holy.
Behold, I make all things new again. ..I am the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
To anyone who is thirsty, I will give the right to drink from the spring of the water of life without paying for it.
 Whoever wins the victory will receive this from me: I will be his God, and he will be my child.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, for sure, there is healing power in ritual.
Many of you in this room already know the truth of this.
And the good news for the rest of us, is that we can test this out.

We are better off, unquestionably, unequivocally, and undoubtedly, when we observe a ritual of going to church regularly;
When we observe a ritual of daily quiet time in prayer;
When we observe a ritual of giving thanks to God for all things in our lives.

There is healing power in ritual.

You know it.

God promises it.

Tell the children.

Tell your friends.

Tell everyone you know.

Something powerful is going on here.

Amen.

The congregation of Christ Presbyterian Church in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, USA, experienced this sermon during a worship service October 23,  2011.

You Can Live Your Life to the Max - It's A Matter of Focusing On Others

A full life, an abundant life, "is measured not by longevity or wealth or honors or power."
No, a full life is measured by service, "by the degree to which we've helped others." 

When you purposely seek out ways of being of service for another,
not only does the other feel the benefit of your service,
but you reap great reward –  experiencing inner peace and joy and healing power and eternal life.

Leviticus 18:1-5,19:17-18
Luke 10:25-37

A lot of people are spending a lot of money and a lot of energy to try and sell us on various ideas of what the good life is, aren't they?

I remember when they promised the good life just by using the correct lard-substitute in your cooking –  don't you?
In fact, it seems that everyone bought in to that particular promise,
and we all used the phrase in our everyday lives: "Now you're cooking with Crisco."

And, the good life was tied to being paged in the lobby of a grand hotel in Havana, and smoking the right cigarette. Remember?
"Call for Philip Morris."

And then, there were the penguins.
Remember the penguins?
I think I was an adult before I knew that penguins didn't coo.
They did on the radio and in the magazine ads. Remember, the male voice said: "Smoke" and the penguins said, "Cools." "Smoke Cools."

Then the good life got tied up with driving the right kind of car,
wearing the right kind of clothes,
hiding B.O.
and smelling certain kind of ways,
even using the right kind of shampoo.

I suppose it has always been this way.
There have always been snake oil salesmen of some kind –
able to make a living because some people are always looking for a way to alleviate their perceived predicament –
seeking the good life,
seeking relief from misery and pain and suffering.

Unfortunately for all of us consumers of snake oil, the alluring promises always turn out to be false. And so it has always been.
Remember Hadacol?
Hadacol promised relief from just about whatever ailed you.
And, of course you all remember why it was called Hadacol (Edith?): they had this stuff and were getting ready to bottle it to sell,
and they had t' call it something.

But, alas, the promises of Hadacol were false, weren't they?
As are all the promises of magic elixir that claim to fix things and make life better for you.

We've learned to be wary, haven't we?
And yet –  we continue to hope –
for a pill or something for a quick fix –
for prince charming,
or for an angel of mercy,
or for John Bersford Tipton,
or to win the lottery,
or for Ed McMahan to show up on your doorstep,
or for a miracle that could bring back the way things used to be,
or for a messiah to lead us into the land of the future.
And it is this hope that makes it easy for us to be suckered.
On the one hand we are wary and cynical about any promise,
and on the other hand we are gullible and an easy mark.

And so it was some two thousand years ago when a student of the scriptures came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what must I do to have eternal life?"
We remember John said that Jesus came that we might live life more fully, abundantly, to the max.

So the question for each of us is, "What do you mean?"
"How?"
"What are we do to have an abundant life? –
to have a full life? –
to have eternal life?"

And Jesus was right to the point, "Well, what do the scriptures say?"
"What do the scriptures say you are to do in order to live life to the fullest,
and truly know abundant living, to have eternal life?

What does it say in the Holy book?
And how do you understand what it says?"

Well, the Bible scholar didn't have to think very hard, he knew,
"Right here in Deuteronomy, it says 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind.'
And right here in Leviticus, it says, 'Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.'"

Jesus said, "That's right! That's it!
That's the secret to eternal life.
That's the secret to knowing how to really live an abundant life – a full life – a max life.
That's what you have to do."

And he went on to tell the story of the Good Samaritan to illustrate that "loving your neighbors" means doing as the Samaritan did to whoever is hurting,
whoever is wounded,
whoever is in need of something we can give.

When coming upon the wounded, hurting, needy man alongside the road,
the Samaritan knew that there was absolutely nothing more important for him to do that day,
but to stop and care for the stranger.
And, Jesus said, the Samaritan –  not the Priest or the Levite – 
the Samaritan knew the meaning of living life to the fullest, abundantly, eternally.

Now listen closely, like the Bible Student, we've heard these words before, haven't we?
Many of you memorized these words long ago in Sunday School.
But, like the Bible Student, we are skeptical of the promise, aren't we?
Like the Bible Student, many of us would like to ask "How can we have eternal life?
How can we know more abundant living?
How can we live life to the fullest?" –
as if we didn't want to believe the words we know so well.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and all your mind. And love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.
Do unto others as you would them do unto you.

Some in this room may remember that I have talked about Greg Anderson before.
Greg Anderson is a cancer survivor.
Greg Anderson was given just 30 days to live after the discovery of metastatic lung cancer.
Some 16 years after this diagnosis, Greg Anderson published a book entitled:
The 22 Non-Negotiable Laws of Wellness: Feel, Think, and Live Better Than You Ever Thought Possible.

One of the chapters of his book deals with today’s subject matter.
He writes that there are actual healing and therapeutic powers that can be tapped by living your life for others – by focusing on being of service to others.
It worked for him.
And he has seen it work for others.
There are practical – as well as philosophical or theological – benefits for focusing, as Jesus described, on the need of another.

He writes that we only really begin to come alive when we start caring for others –
when we start focusing our attention on another.
“There is magic in this law," he says.
"When we serve with depth and sincerity,
we get a glimpse of the essential quality of who we really can become." (169) [A glimpse of Eternal life. A glimpse of Abundant life.]

Everyone in this room knows how this works.
You are sitting alone, lost in self-doubt or mired in self-pity.
Your troubles seem to overwhelm you.
And the phone rings.
It's a friend who's really in need.
Without a conscious thought, you break out of your self-imposed shell of isolation.
You listen.
Perhaps you give words of assurance.
You serve.
When you put the phone down, who feels better?
The friend does, we hope.
But we do, too! don't we?
And when we reflect on what just happened,
we understand more clearly who we really are,
and what we have to offer others.

"The best way we can fulfill –  in fact, the only way of fulfilling –  our highest potential," Greg Anderson writes, "is through service to others."
[Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.]
He reminds us, that a full life, an abundant life, "is measured not by longevity or wealth or honors or power."
No, a full life is measured by service, "by the degree to which we've helped others."

Toward the end of his life, Benjamin Franklin wrote that he owed his happiness and success in life to the philosophy he formulated as a young man and with which he tried to guide his life: "The most acceptable service to God is doing good to man."

And, of course, we all know people who throughout their life showed great skill in accumulating riches and power, and who at the end of their life span, counted themselves as failures.

One author, writing about her search through many spiritual and philosophical writings searching for meaning and truth –  eternal life –  wrote: "It felt as though they led me up a huge flight of stairs to a giant cathedral inside my mind.
But once I reached the top of the stairs, the door to the church was locked."
Then, finally, she found the key that opened the door to the church –  to eternal life.
She writes, "The key, very simply, is other people." [A lot of people pay a lot of money to hear Marianne Williamson say these things in front of huge crowds in auditoriums all over the country.]
But that's it!
She speaks the truth!
It's what Greg Anderson calls the Law of Purpose Through Service.
It’s what Jesus calls the full life, the abundant life.
We find our purpose with others.
[Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.]

Our life takes on fuller dimensions, Greg Anderson writes, when “we make a habit of helping others,
so that the helping becomes for us a natural way of expressing compassion.
The law challenges us to live out life's greatest equation: in Emerson's words, 'You cannot sincerely help another without helping yourself.'"

He wants us to understand that it is a two way street: "We fulfill our purpose through serving the next person."
And the  reward?
He continues, "We enhance our own life through that service.
Note the order: first we serve, then we are enriched. It's a wonderful covenant."

"The law's promise compels us to choose to let our compassion for others come forth in a spontaneous manner because it is our deepest and best nature to do so."

There is a movement afoot, maybe you have read the bumper sticker, to "Practice Random Acts of Kindness".
Through the practice of spontaneous random acts of kindness every day we overcome meanness and cynicism and impersonalization and other demons we experience too much of in modern day living.

When you put a coin in the parking meter of someone you don't know.
When you pay the bridge toll of the person behind you.
When you place a neighbor's newspaper on the front porch so it won't get wet.
When you mow another's lawn, or shovel the snow from her walk.
When you give a coupon to a total stranger in the grocery store.
Or tickets to total strangers at the ballgame.
When you take soup [or pasta] to a shut-in.
Waking up in the morning asking "what can I do today for someone in need?
Making answer in the evening to the question, "what have I done today that's kind?"

Acts of kindness randomly expressed and practiced on a daily basis, are good for your soul.
And lead to what Greg Anderson calls "Wellness", what Jesus calls eternal life,
what John calls abundant life,
what I call a max life.

When you purposely seek out ways of being of service for another,
not only does the other feel the benefit of your service,
but you reap great reward –  experiencing inner peace and joy and healing power and eternal life.

We are reminded, what many of you here today already know, there are countless ways to serve.
I know some of our church spent countless hours over many years involved in Meals on Wheels (which actually was started in this church!).
There's the Needlework Guild –  one of the very first benevolence societies in this country!
There's Dorcas –  whose sole purpose is service for others –  and many of you know the joys that you receive when you come together to work to fulfill a need of someone you will never meet.
There's the Contact Telephone Line providing anonymous help for real hurting people.
You can visit a shut-in.
You can take a meal to a friend who is sick.
You can give someone flowers from your garden.
You can telephone someone and give them a lift.
You can send a card with a note of encouragement.
You can acknowledge a birthday –  anonymously?
The list goes on and on and on.
The possibilities are endless.

Deliberate service to others,
and random acts of kindness:
two ways to exercise a life for others, the Law of Purpose Through Service.

It is a powerful law.
It is a powerful principal.
It is a powerful promise.
You help another.
You help yourself.
You find meaning in life.
Your satisfaction soars.
You are happier.
You are healthier.
Your life is more fulfilling.
Your life is more abundant.
Your life is enriched.
You know eternal life.

Amen and amen!

The congregation of Christ Presbyterian Church in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, heard this sermon during the regular worship service, Sunday, October 9, 2011. 

You Can Live Your Life to the Max! It's A Matter of Allegiance

Even in dark times –
especially in dark times –
navigating life with a moral compass calibrated to the ways taught by Jesus,
remembered through our faith,
yields a fuller, more abundant, more satisfying life in so many ways.

Today, it seems that we have so many temptations that come to us in so many ways to violate
the first commandment, to have other gods,
to have other allegiances that take precedence over our allegiance to God.


Deuteronomy 6:4-5, 13
Matthew 22:35-40

Jesus said I have come that you might have an abundant life – that you might live a full life – that you might live it to the max – being all you were meant to be (which is so much more than you ever thought possible).

Jesus told his followers that it was a matter of choice – for them and for us –
echoing Joshua who said: It is a matter of choice.  And you had best choose now!

Jesus referred to this abundant life,
this full life,
this MAXlife,
as the Kingdom of God (sometimes translated at the Kingdom of Heaven).

This metaphor of the Kingdom of God worked for those who heard his words, because everyone knew what a kingdom was.
The Jewish people had had their own kingdom with King David and a whole host of other kings –
and they knew their history.
They knew about kings and kingdoms.
In fact, they had spent many many years living under the rule of foreign kings – to whom they had to pledge allegiance.
And, although it was not called a kingdom, they lived under the aegis of the Roman Empire
with the Caesar, the Emperor, in the role of the king.

They knew about taxes and they knew about the allegiance expected by the king or emperor of his subjects.

Jesus’ talk about the Kingdom of God was about living with a radical reorientation of societal benchmarks:
the least shall be first,
care for others preempts care for self,
peaceful pursuits trump war and violence.
In story after story, point after point, Jesus turned the accepted values of the society on end
in contrast to the values of life in the Kingdom of God.

We all remember the story that appears in Matthew just before the text I read today,
the story where the Pharisee came to have it out with Jesus asked plainly:
So, Jesus, you talk of this Kingdom of God and the all the differences in the way we are to live, and you say that the Kingdom of God is here, so what do you say?
Should we pay taxes to the Emperor, or not?

Ultimately, for them then, and for us now, it was and is a question of and of ultimate authority.
By what criteria or authority are you to make decisions?
By what criteria or authority are you to establish values?
By what criteria or authority are you to find meaning and purpose in life?

Up to this point what Jesus had been saying challenged the listeners' thinking,
challenged their belief system,
challenged their traditions,
challenged their allegiances,
challenged their positions of privilege,
and, yes, challenged their patriotism.

Attention was on edge.

So they put Jesus to the test.
They wanted to get Jesus to comment and say what they thought he was saying,
so they could discredit him,
entangle him in his words,
prove to the audience that he was a revolutionary that should be silenced.
They suspected in their hearts that he was soft on patriotism, so they went after his Achilles' heel.

You can feel the atmosphere.
The air is tense with emotion.
"What do you mean God may take the kingdom away from us and give it to another nation?
Are you suggesting that our faith, our religious values, our leaders are wrong - are misguided -
are leading us down the wrong way?"
Their conscience is pricked.
Their long held traditions are challenged.
They are upset because Jesus exposes their hypocrisy, their idolatry.

So they pick an issue he has alluded to and they try to pin him to the wall.
Let's ask him about allegiance to the empire, to government authority.
That will get people stirred up, divided.
They'll stop listening to him if we can expose his lack of patriotism.
We'll get this radical teacher to say something that will call his patriotism into question.
He's been questioning our uncritical acceptance of those in authority - the status quo - the present world order.

Let's give him a scenario that will force him to reveal his lack of allegiance to the government, to Caesar.

"Teacher - we know you are true and teach the way of God."
Teacher, you don't seem to care what the polls say, what popular opinion is.
You are not that impressed or care what a person's title is or how many degrees one has or where one hails from.
Tell us, is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?

They knew that Jesus taught a way that was in direct conflict with Caesar on many points.
Caesar stood for the sword - conquer, control by violence.
Jesus taught non-violence –  turn the other cheek, equality among the sexes.
They knew that Jesus taught the way of justice, cooperation and partnership.
Caesar stood for power over others,
acquisition of wealth,
dominance over others
and manipulation.

They knew that Jesus was polls apart from Caesar in his teachings about loving one's enemy,
about suffering on behalf of others,
about respecting all people.
There was no doubt in their mind where Jesus stood with regard to Caesar and his politics,
his economics, his warring madness.

So in their crafty manner they plot, "Let's test Jesus to see if he will say it.
Let's bring out the implication of his teachings.
Then they will accuse him of being unpatriotic."

For the questioners in those days,
and for Jesus,
it was a matter of allegiance.

Jesus knew that there is nothing that belongs to Caesar and does not first belong to God.
His disciples knew that.
He made it clear that you cannot serve two masters.
You cannot serve God and money
– God and Caesar -
God and the empire -
God and something else.
You have to choose where your ultimate allegiance is.

Whether we pay taxes (money) to Caesar, we must pass the first test: Does this please God?
Does this enable me to be faithful to my supreme allegiance, which is the kingdom of God?

Does it serve the cause of justice for all God's creation?

For sure, Jesus is not suggesting that there can be two gods for us.
We cannot split our ultimate allegiance in two directions.
Part of me follows God, part of me follows the empire.
Money belongs to Caesar and the Bible stories belong to God.
On Sunday I listen to God and on Monday I listen to Caesar.

As we grapple with life's choices and values, Jesus reminds us that there is nothing, not even taxes or orders from Caesar to go to war, that can escape passing through the test of my allegiance to God, my obedience to my conscience.

The ultimate issue at stake here is the first commandment.
You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind.
If Jesus would have suggested by his answer that some things belong to Caesar, no matter what, it would have been in direct violation of the first commandment.

Nothing belongs to Caesar that does not first and ultimately belong to God.

It is about allegiance.
Today, it seems that we have so many temptations that come to us in so many ways to violate
the first commandment, to have other gods,
to have other allegiances that take precedence over our allegiance to God.

Do you remember the story of Daniel in the lion's den?
Caesar, who then was called Nebuchadnezzar, had decreed a law that no one should pray to any other god but him.
The empire needed a sign of loyalty and a gesture of unity from its citizens.
He asked all citizens to give their full allegiance to the empire.
Daniel, however, had a higher allegiance.
So it was again a question of allegiance - Caesar or God,
the power of public policy vs. the individual conscience.

That story of Daniel is pertinent for you and me today.
For you and me, as it was for Daniel, it is and was a question of allegiance.
Where is our ultimate allegiance?

You may be tempted to cheat on your income tax.

You may be tempted to cheat.

You may be tempted to sleep in on Sunday.

You may be tempted to waste your money on the lottery or some other risky venture.

You may be tempted to lie, steal, covet, swear.

But the great temptation,
the one that is the ultimate test,
the one that shapes everything we do,
is the temptation to idolatry.
The temptation to have more than one God, to serve two masters.
The temptation to give part of our ultimate allegiance to Caesar and part to God.
The temptation to bow our knees before two altars - the ways of the society around us
and the ways of our faith.

It is a powerful temptation.
It is real for every one of us.
If we have not wrestled with it, maybe we have already given in to it.
If we do not recognize this temptation with its modern application, it may be a sign that we have not come to grips with what it means to follow Jesus.
Folks today feel the effects of strong peer pressure,
pressure from our surroundings -
pressure from popular opinion polls,
pressure to not rock the boat for financial reasons.
No one wants to be considered different.

There is strong pressure to try to have it both ways.
We want God and we want national security and prosperity.
We want God and we want the benefits of Caesar's policy.
So we try to separate our religion and our politics, our Sundays from our Mondays.
There is strong pressure to delay our decision of ultimate allegiance,
to put off choosing,
to living in the middle of the road,
to being silent,
hoping that somehow we won't have to decide,
you know?
That we won’t have to take sides,
that we won’t ever have to reveal our true master.

The great temptation –  is it God or Caesar that I follow –  comes to the surface for us at special moments in our lives.
It came in a powerful way to Jesus when he was in the wilderness for 40 days just after his baptism.

There are certain moments in life when we are confronted, tested, tempted.

Will our ultimate allegiance be to God and the conscience God has given us,
or will we divide our allegiance and try to live with two ultimate authorities in order to get along,
to avoid conflict.

To be sure, the choices seldom seem to be black and white, right?
We are confronted when we are most vulnerable. And, it's not easy.

But, the fact of the matter is that we have evidence that life is better,
life is fuller,
life is more abundant,
when we align our value system in a certain way:
the way of Jesus,
the way of the Kingdom of God.

Even in dark times –
especially in dark times –
navigating life with a moral compass calibrated to the ways taught by Jesus,
remembered through our faith,
yields a fuller, more abundant, more satisfying life in so many ways.

And, the thing is, this is no secret.
None of us is bound by some sworn sacred duty to never reveal the secrets we talk of in this room.

You and I can experience this fuller life.
And everyone you know can experience this fuller life.
And even those you don’t know –
and those you may not even care to ever know –
can experience this fuller life.

And, that’s the purpose of this series of sermons on the MAXlife.

You can help spread the word around.
Being a part of this fuller life,
this more abundant life,
is a matter of choice –
and it is about allegiance.

It is about aligning yourself with the ultimate power of the universe –
as some in this room will attest,
when you do, all sorts of benefits come your way.
Amen.

The congregation of Christ Presbyterian Church of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, USA, heard this sermon as a part of their worship service September 25, 2011.

You Can Live Your Life to the Max - Its A Matter of Choice

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.

Getting Through Times of Trouble When There's No Money

Do you remember that song the Kingston Trio sang?
It began with the words: “These are the times that try men’s souls” –
they went on to sing about a guy who got stuck on the subway because he had no subway token to get use to get off.

Some may have thought that those were the times that try men’s souls,
but I believe that time has no comparison to today.
Truly, for so many folks, in so many walks of life, in so many ways, these are the times that try men’s souls.

It is during troubled times – such as these –
that some folks turn to their faith for strength to get them through.
And it is during troubled times – such as these –
that us preachers have a particular responsibility to search the sacred writings of our faith,
research specific issues,
and address the issues we face with messages of hope and help and comfort.

And it during troubled times – such as these –
that we have an opportunity to speak to folks outside our fold with messages that make sense and offer hope and help and comfort.

So, this is the background to this series of sermons
I am preparing on Getting Through Times of Trouble.

Today, I am trying to address Getting Through Times of Trouble When There’s No Money.

Next week, I will address Getting Through Times of Trouble When There’s No Work.

And, the following week I will address Getting Through Times of Trouble When There’s No One Who Cares.

We have to go back some 80 years to find a time when so many people face daily life with the reality of not enough – or no – money.

I dare say that this situation is not unique –
and that every single person in this room knows first hand –
or has family that knows –
the experience of getting through times when there is no money.

When you are living through times when there is no money it does little good to hear pundits expound why there is no money.
You know it when you lose your job – and it does little good to know that it is a condition
of our economy and that there are more people unemployed now than at any time in the past 50 years.

You know it when your house suddenly loses its value and you owe much more than you paid for it.

You know it when you receive foreclosure notice on the residence that you thought so secure just a few years ago.

You know it when costs of healthcare exceed your ability to pay.

You know it when decisions have to made between spending for medicine or spending for food.

You know it when credit is no longer available to you.

You know it when no matter how hard you work, not enough is brought home to pay the bills.

You know it when there is too much month left at the end of the money.

You know it when the truth former pro golfer, Doug Sanders, wrote about is not funny,
"I am working as hard as I can to get my life and my cash to run out at the same time.”
Then after some calculation, he concludes:
“If I can die right after lunch on Tuesday, everything [should] be fine."

Now, it may hard to believe, but our faith actually has a lot to say about this situation many of us find ourselves in.
In fact, our Bible has about 500 verses on prayer,
[about 500 verses on prayer]
but over 2,350 verses on how to handle money and possessions!
There are some 126 biblical principles on finances and material possessions in the New Testament alone.

One of the most poignant stories attributed to Jesus is the one we read a while ago from Luke.
We are told that as the crowds gathered by the thousands to hear and see Jesus, he gathered his disciples and told them a story about a certain farmer who had a particularly good year.
It was a boom time for the farmer.
He harvested record crops.
There was so much harvest he had no where to store it.
His barns weren’t large enough.
What to do? What to do?
For him the obvious thing was to tear his barns and replace them with bigger barns – barns large enough to hold all of his stuff.
With that done, the farmer thought he could rest on his laurels –
live off his investment the rest of his life –
enjoying the good life –
thanks to this record year for crop yields.

Sounds good, right?
We understand his thinking, don’t we?
That’s exactly what we do, isn’t it?

But, Jesus said that God called the farmer a fool.
Jesus said that God uses a different set of figures –
God uses a different calculus, a different math.
God said the farmer lacked faith.
Instead of working to fill his barn with stuff,
it would have better if he worked to grow his faith.
For in the end, it is one’s faith that enables and guarantees an abundant life.

Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot."

Life is much more important than food, and the body much more important than clothes.

The message for the farmer, the message for Jesus’ disciples, and the message for us today is: Cultivate your faith.
And the promise is: your life will be enhanced, fulfilled, abundant, even, when you fill your barn with faith.

You may recall a short story D.H. Lawrence wrote that he called “The Rocking-Horse Winner.”

“The Rocking-Horse Winner” is a haunting tale about a family living above its means.
The mother is considered by friends and neighbors to be the perfect mother,
in spite of the fact that deep down she knows she has difficulty loving her three children.
It’s important to the husband to keep up the pretense of success – the large house, staffed with servants – but they are living on the edge, just like many families today.
Listen as D. H. Lawrence describes this family’s life situation:

“And so the house came to be haunted by the unspoken phrase: ‘There must be more money! There must be more money!’
The children could hear it all the time though nobody said it aloud.
They heard it at Christmas, when the expensive and splendid toys filled the nursery.
Behind the shining modern rocking-horse,
behind the smart doll’s house,
a voice would start whispering: ‘There must be more money! There must be more money!’
And the children would stop playing, to listen for a moment.
They would look into each other’s eyes, to see if they had all heard.
And each one saw in the eyes of the other two that they too had heard.
‘There must be more money! There must be more money!’

“It came whispering from the springs of the still-swaying rocking-horse,
and even the horse, bending his wooden, champing head, heard it.
The big doll, sitting so pink and smirking in her new pram, could hear it quite plainly, and seemed to be smirking all the more self-consciously because of it.
The foolish puppy, too, that took the place of the teddy-bear, he was looking so extraordinarily foolish for no other reason but that he heard the secret whisper all over the house: ‘There must be more money!’”


That’s the family backdrop to the story of “The Rocking-Horse Winner.”
Quite an extraordinary picture: “There must be more money! There must be more money!”

I am sure for many people in these troubled times, the same phrase haunts their lives:
“There must be more money!”
The situation is real.
The situation is overwhelming.
And we come to church and hear the words of Jesus:
Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.

Life is much more important than food, and the body much more important than clothes.

The message for the farmer, the message for Jesus’ disciples, and the message for us today is: Cultivate your faith.
And the promise is: your life will be enhanced, fulfilled, abundant, even, when you fill your barn with faith.

A church member came to his pastor’s study one day.
The man looked deeply troubled.
He said, “Pastor, I need to talk. I feel so empty, so dried up inside, I’m scared.”
His voice began to quiver just a bit.
He said “Pastor, I have just come from the doctor’s office, and he told me that I have only six months at best to live.
After I left the office, I realized that I have no spiritual resources, no inner strength to cope with this.
There is nothing to fall back on, to lean against. Many people would be surprised to hear me say that, for I have made lots of money, and people think I am a success not only at making money, but at being a strong, powerful person.”

He then fell quiet, and there was silence before he could go on.
Finally the man said,
“You know I’m poor in the things that count the most. I see it now.
I’ve put my faith in the wrong things,
and the truth is I am destitute, spiritually destitute.
I could pick up the phone and call any bank in the city and borrow any amount of money to do whatever I wanted to.
Just on my name, Reverend, just on my name!
Do you understand?
I could borrow it on my name only.”

The man then leaned forward and put his head in his hands, and said softly through tears, “I guess there are some things you can’t buy or borrow.”

This man’s material bank was full to overflowing, but his spiritual bank was empty.

Jesus said you can count on these things to happen.
We all will have times of trouble.
Every single one of us lives numbered days.
Not one of us can add a single day to our life by worrying about tomorrow.
But, each and every one us can cultivate a faith –
a faith that provides meaning and purpose to life –
a faith that makes living – even in troubled times –
an abundant experience.

Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.

Life is much more important than food, and the body much more important than clothes.

The stuff you have stored is not a reliable investment.
Stocks and bonds and cds and savings accounts are not reliable investments.
Seeking to work for the accumulation of stuff is a risky investment.

The message for the farmer,
the message for Jesus’ disciples,
and the message for us today is: Cultivate your faith.
And the promise is: your life will be enhanced, fulfilled, abundant, even, when you fill your barn with faith.

That’s what we do here at Christ Church.
You may not always articulate it this way, but that’s why you come here.
That’s what we are about.

Here in our worship and our activities we offer ways of cultivating your faith –
the cultivation of a faith that produces a harvest of abundance that always exceeds whatever space you try to put it in –
a faith that enables us to get through times of trouble – even when there’s no money.

Amen.

This a sermon the congregation of Christ Presbyterian Church in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, heard on October 10, 2010.