How good are you at hiding things that you don't want others to see? Where do you hide the Christmas gifts that you buy early and then stash until Christmas Eve? Have you ever hidden something and then forgotten where you put it? Most of us have done these things. We put something somewhere with the intention of being able to find it again when we want it but then we forget where we put it. We think that we will not forget such an easy thing but then find out that it is often harder to locate lost items than we imagined it to be.
Jesus told a parable about some servants who were given some large sums of money to keep until their master returned from a journey. One servant was given a huge amount, one was given about half of that amount, and one was given a small amount by comparison. The first two servants invested their master's money and made enough interest that they could double the amount they had been given. They were given praise by their master upon his return. The last servant had gotten scared because he thought the master may be hard to please so he buried what he had been given and dug it up to give it back to his master. The master scolded this servant and told him that he should have done what the other two servants had done. He was punished for not using what he had been given and his money was given to the servant who had the most. Jesus concludes the parable with the words, "For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away." (Matt. 25:29)
What an odd story and what an even stranger meaning that Jesus attaches to it. We have heard this story preached upon over the years. It is called the Parable of the Talents. A talent was a unit of money in the ancient world. The servants were given various amounts of money and what they did with what they had been given brings about the conclusion and meaning of the parable.
Some ministers have used the word "talent" as used in the story to mean a specific skill or ability as we normally use the word instead of a monetary unit. I suppose there is a correlation in that whether it is money or skills that we possess, how we use what we have has something to do with how things may turn out for us in the future. Some people have been blessed with great financial reward, possessing many millions and billions of dollars. They have so much money that they do not know how to spend it. Some in this situation have spent their money on very selfish causes amassing much property and living a lifestyle that is very self-centered. Others who have great wealth decide to bless others with it and begin a life of philanthropic or charitable giving so that others can find relief from disease or have a better life through education. So, if one has much financial gain, great responsibility for its use comes with it.
Most of us do not have the quandary of what to do with great amounts of money but perhaps we do have special skills or abilities that we have been granted and we are responsible for how those skills, abilities, or talents are used. Some persons become entertainers, actors, or sports figures and use their skills so that others can see them as positive role models. Others may become involved in those same professions but they choose to live lives of dishonor or rebellion or excess that leads to their ruin and they are remembered for their problems or challenges rather than for their great talent.
I think that Jesus' meaning attached to the parable indicates that as one uses one's talents or wealth wisely, then greater use of those skills or abilities or resources will come about in life but when one misuses what they have then they will soon find that all they have is vanishing. I think Jesus told this parable to emphasize the idea that whatever we have in life, we possess because we are to use it wisely to benefit the world around us. Our wealth is ours to meet our own needs but if we have more than is required for our own use then we should share some of what we have with others through our church or organizations that do good works in the world. Our skills and abilities are given to us to use for God's glory and to benefit others. If we do not use what we have been given, then we may find that we no longer have that ability or skill as a result of disuse.
I am recovering from surgery that I had to correct bone spurs that were pressing against nerves in my spine. I had great pain for months in my left leg and tried not to stand on it or do much exercise with it because of the pain I had experienced. As a result, I have some muscle atrophy in my left leg and even after the surgery I still have to build up those muscles that had gone unused for so long. Our lives are much like the muscles in our bodies. We have to use what we have in service to God and others or risk atrophy of the talents with which we have been blessed. It is exercise that brings life to those muscles and it is exercise of our talents that brings life to what God has given us so that we may be useful servants to our Creator.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
And to Think That I Saw it on the Railroad Track Next Door
We live in a house that is adjacent to a very active railroad track. When we first moved in about 8 years ago, we heard all the trains (estimated at about 25 each day) during the day and night. As time has gone on, we notice them less. Our congregation did us a great favor this past spring and replaced all the windows in our house. The house was built in 1970 and these were the original windows that came with the house. They had begun to be very drafty, rattling when a strong wind came up, and letting air escape from inside the house as well as admitting air from the outside to come in. In April, a work crew installed all 26 windows in one day, replacing the 42 year old windows with new modern ones that are energy efficient and reduce outside noise a great deal. Now, there are times when we do not even notice when a train is passing by.
Last Sunday, we had some dinner that my lovely wife had made and were cleaning up the dishes. I had placed a dish in the sink and looked up just as a train came from the west. At first I did not recognize what was printed on the engine as it made its way through but it sunk in by the time the 3rd to 4th car passed. Each car had a sign that read--"Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus." The circus train was passing through our town! I excitedly called to my wife for her to look out the windows too and she joined me at the kitchen sink and we watched each car go by. There were passenger cars with one having a man standing on the little balcony at the end of it. There were cars hauling freight that the circus needed so as to do its job. There were long ones with automobiles riding on them. There were refrigerator cars perhaps hauling food for humans and animals. There may have been cars containing animals...none were labeled as such but who knows what was in each car. Each one boldly displayed the label of that famous Circus Company though. The entire train was made up of cars carrying something necessary for the circus to be presented somewhere down the line where the tracks go.
Once the last car of the circus train passed, my wife and I just stood there for a few seconds and smiled. To think that what we consider as part of everyday life, and even as a nuisance at times, can bring thoughts of joy and happiness as well. If we had not taken the time to notice this particular train going by, we would have missed seeing all that the circus had to transport and then translating that knowledge into memories of going to the circus in years past. It has been many decades since we took our kids to the circus when they were young but we still remember how exciting it was to see all the participants of the circus and to enjoy the special skills they had. It was thrilling to see the animals, some very exotic ones that we rarely see outside of a zoo, also performing the talents they had been taught.
The railroad track beside my house is a lot like our lives are on a daily basis. It is always there and there are trains going down that track every day, many times a day. We usually do not stop and see what is being carried down the tracks because we assume we have seen it before many times. We do not stop and look because our inner selves tell us that it will be the same as we have seen before so why bother. Every now and then we are surprised by what we see going down tracks, as we were with the circus train, and when that happens it reminds us of how close to us the world passes by daily.
I live in a small town of just over 2000 persons. The town is open and alive during the day but by dark, it is mostly silent with its residents hibernating at home or gone to the larger cities which are only 1 1/2 hrs away. Most of the time there is little excitement to be had in our town but now and then something big happens. When we take the time to look and listen to our lives, we may see "something big" happening even in the smallest of things, something that astounds us as we reflect upon it. It may not announce its hugeness to us in some way that makes us take notice but we may suddenly "wake up" and see with our eyes what we normally do not see.
Take the time to see what is in your world today. Notice the people and the animals and the cars going by. Notice the smiles on faces in your world. Notice those who cannot smile because pain is part of their daily existence. Notice the great diversity that exists even in a town where we may all know one another or we think we do. Notice what you normally do not notice and then think about what you notice. Then, tell yourself that you will do this on a regular basis. I think if you do, then you will be changed by the very act of simply noticing what is around you.
Last Sunday, we had some dinner that my lovely wife had made and were cleaning up the dishes. I had placed a dish in the sink and looked up just as a train came from the west. At first I did not recognize what was printed on the engine as it made its way through but it sunk in by the time the 3rd to 4th car passed. Each car had a sign that read--"Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus." The circus train was passing through our town! I excitedly called to my wife for her to look out the windows too and she joined me at the kitchen sink and we watched each car go by. There were passenger cars with one having a man standing on the little balcony at the end of it. There were cars hauling freight that the circus needed so as to do its job. There were long ones with automobiles riding on them. There were refrigerator cars perhaps hauling food for humans and animals. There may have been cars containing animals...none were labeled as such but who knows what was in each car. Each one boldly displayed the label of that famous Circus Company though. The entire train was made up of cars carrying something necessary for the circus to be presented somewhere down the line where the tracks go.
Once the last car of the circus train passed, my wife and I just stood there for a few seconds and smiled. To think that what we consider as part of everyday life, and even as a nuisance at times, can bring thoughts of joy and happiness as well. If we had not taken the time to notice this particular train going by, we would have missed seeing all that the circus had to transport and then translating that knowledge into memories of going to the circus in years past. It has been many decades since we took our kids to the circus when they were young but we still remember how exciting it was to see all the participants of the circus and to enjoy the special skills they had. It was thrilling to see the animals, some very exotic ones that we rarely see outside of a zoo, also performing the talents they had been taught.
The railroad track beside my house is a lot like our lives are on a daily basis. It is always there and there are trains going down that track every day, many times a day. We usually do not stop and see what is being carried down the tracks because we assume we have seen it before many times. We do not stop and look because our inner selves tell us that it will be the same as we have seen before so why bother. Every now and then we are surprised by what we see going down tracks, as we were with the circus train, and when that happens it reminds us of how close to us the world passes by daily.
I live in a small town of just over 2000 persons. The town is open and alive during the day but by dark, it is mostly silent with its residents hibernating at home or gone to the larger cities which are only 1 1/2 hrs away. Most of the time there is little excitement to be had in our town but now and then something big happens. When we take the time to look and listen to our lives, we may see "something big" happening even in the smallest of things, something that astounds us as we reflect upon it. It may not announce its hugeness to us in some way that makes us take notice but we may suddenly "wake up" and see with our eyes what we normally do not see.
Take the time to see what is in your world today. Notice the people and the animals and the cars going by. Notice the smiles on faces in your world. Notice those who cannot smile because pain is part of their daily existence. Notice the great diversity that exists even in a town where we may all know one another or we think we do. Notice what you normally do not notice and then think about what you notice. Then, tell yourself that you will do this on a regular basis. I think if you do, then you will be changed by the very act of simply noticing what is around you.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Rules for Runaways
Have you ever wanted to run away from home? As children or teenagers, many of us perhaps had that feeling now and then. Some did not, but many of us wanted to escape something and considered just running away and beginning again. Some people have done just that. There was a story in the news last year about a young woman who attended Texas A&M University that had disappeared. She had been home for a visit and was supposed to return to the college campus but she suddenly vanished. A search went out for her but no one could find her. Everyone assumed she was dead. The young woman had actually run away from home. She had moved to Kentucky and got a job working at a Sam's Club Store. She used her real name and social security number but the authorities were never able to track her down. Finally, a tip led authorities to where she was living in Kentucky. She and her mother had had an argument over her grades and the young woman decided to just quit school and disappear and start life over. I guess she did not think that anyone cared about her but her mother did not give up. She continued to search for her long lost daughter until she had been found.
The parable that we call "The Prodigal Son" from Luke 15 is very familiar to most of us. It is about a son who decides that he is bored with his present life so she asks his father to give him all that is coming to him and he leaves determined to start a new life elsewhere. The father gives him his inheritance and watches him as he vanishes into the distance. The father most likely thought that he would never see his son again. The son went into a "far country" and wasted his money on "riotous living" (according to the King James Version) which means he had a never ending party. The only thing he did not think about was that when his money ran out, so would his friends. Everyone loved him when he could provide the party, but when he was a loser, no one wanted to be around him.
So, the runaway found work...feeding pigs, which was not a good job for a good Jewish boy but it was honest work. One day when he was watching those pigs slurping up the food he had brought them, he decided to "go back home". Technically, he had no home because he had given up all his rights when he asked his father to give him everything he had coming to him. The boy decided to just ask his father for work, to make him a slave and let him at least have a place to sleep and some decent food to eat. So, as the sun was setting in the west he made his way slowly back to where he used to live.
You would think that his father would have given up on the boy by now but he would stand out near the road each evening as the sun was beginning to set in hopes that he would see that familiar figure coming over the horizon. He had almost given up hope but suddenly on that day he saw that figure he was looking for, illuminated by the setting sun, coming down the road toward him. The father did a thing that good Jewish men of his time would never do....he ran...he lifted up his long robe and ran toward that wayward son. The boy must have been very surprised to see his distinguished dad running down the road toward him but he had time to ask for a job doing what all the other slaves would do that worked for his dad.
Before the boy could say anything else, the father grabbed him and held him and gave him the tightest hug he had ever received. He ordered his servants to bring a robe to replace his worn out rags, a ring that indicates his place in the family, and to begin a lavish party that would celebrate the return of the son whom he figured was dead by now. He could not believe his eyes and hugged his son again and again. The son sheepishly followed his father into the house and love was the order of the day.
Now, we know there is more to the story because there is another son who was not too happy for the return of his brother but we will stop at this point because we do not want to spoil the mood. The father in this story is filled with joy because he thought his youngest son had died and now he was alive and returned to the safety of his home. Just like the shepherd who searched for his sheep until it was found; and just like the woman who searched for her lost coin until it was located; the father in this parable did not give up until the son he thought he had lost had been found. The father in this story seems a lot like God, the Heavenly Father. A parent who never lost hope that the wayward child would come home.
Runaways leave for many reasons...boredom, conflict, anger, despair...but when they have sorted out things they usually go home. They fear the worst when they get the courage to return. The know they do not deserve anything but they hope that redemption and forgiveness await them when they get enough courage to ring the bell or knock on the door. Who knows what will happen when finally the runaway is met at the door of the home he/she left?
Forgiveness is the greatest gift that we can give anyone. It speaks of acceptance and tolerance and overlooking faults. It is not easy but it is essential. It is offered to others who do not deserve it. It is offered to others who have no right to receive it. It is offered to others because we too have received forgiveness and acceptance from a God who gave it freely even when we were not worthy of it. Who do you need to forgive today? Who has run away from your life in the past through anger and conflict? Who has been in the far country much too long and the reward of reunion with them would be the salve for your soul? What will it take for you to speak words of forgiveness and love to them? It may be much too much for you to offer, at least within your own power, but if you ask God for strength and courage it can happen, even for you and for them.
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way..." (Isaiah 53:6)
The parable that we call "The Prodigal Son" from Luke 15 is very familiar to most of us. It is about a son who decides that he is bored with his present life so she asks his father to give him all that is coming to him and he leaves determined to start a new life elsewhere. The father gives him his inheritance and watches him as he vanishes into the distance. The father most likely thought that he would never see his son again. The son went into a "far country" and wasted his money on "riotous living" (according to the King James Version) which means he had a never ending party. The only thing he did not think about was that when his money ran out, so would his friends. Everyone loved him when he could provide the party, but when he was a loser, no one wanted to be around him.
So, the runaway found work...feeding pigs, which was not a good job for a good Jewish boy but it was honest work. One day when he was watching those pigs slurping up the food he had brought them, he decided to "go back home". Technically, he had no home because he had given up all his rights when he asked his father to give him everything he had coming to him. The boy decided to just ask his father for work, to make him a slave and let him at least have a place to sleep and some decent food to eat. So, as the sun was setting in the west he made his way slowly back to where he used to live.
You would think that his father would have given up on the boy by now but he would stand out near the road each evening as the sun was beginning to set in hopes that he would see that familiar figure coming over the horizon. He had almost given up hope but suddenly on that day he saw that figure he was looking for, illuminated by the setting sun, coming down the road toward him. The father did a thing that good Jewish men of his time would never do....he ran...he lifted up his long robe and ran toward that wayward son. The boy must have been very surprised to see his distinguished dad running down the road toward him but he had time to ask for a job doing what all the other slaves would do that worked for his dad.
Before the boy could say anything else, the father grabbed him and held him and gave him the tightest hug he had ever received. He ordered his servants to bring a robe to replace his worn out rags, a ring that indicates his place in the family, and to begin a lavish party that would celebrate the return of the son whom he figured was dead by now. He could not believe his eyes and hugged his son again and again. The son sheepishly followed his father into the house and love was the order of the day.
Now, we know there is more to the story because there is another son who was not too happy for the return of his brother but we will stop at this point because we do not want to spoil the mood. The father in this story is filled with joy because he thought his youngest son had died and now he was alive and returned to the safety of his home. Just like the shepherd who searched for his sheep until it was found; and just like the woman who searched for her lost coin until it was located; the father in this parable did not give up until the son he thought he had lost had been found. The father in this story seems a lot like God, the Heavenly Father. A parent who never lost hope that the wayward child would come home.
Runaways leave for many reasons...boredom, conflict, anger, despair...but when they have sorted out things they usually go home. They fear the worst when they get the courage to return. The know they do not deserve anything but they hope that redemption and forgiveness await them when they get enough courage to ring the bell or knock on the door. Who knows what will happen when finally the runaway is met at the door of the home he/she left?
Forgiveness is the greatest gift that we can give anyone. It speaks of acceptance and tolerance and overlooking faults. It is not easy but it is essential. It is offered to others who do not deserve it. It is offered to others who have no right to receive it. It is offered to others because we too have received forgiveness and acceptance from a God who gave it freely even when we were not worthy of it. Who do you need to forgive today? Who has run away from your life in the past through anger and conflict? Who has been in the far country much too long and the reward of reunion with them would be the salve for your soul? What will it take for you to speak words of forgiveness and love to them? It may be much too much for you to offer, at least within your own power, but if you ask God for strength and courage it can happen, even for you and for them.
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way..." (Isaiah 53:6)
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Lost and Found
When I worked in public schools as a school teacher and counselor, we always had a "Lost and Found" box in the school office. It was usually underneath a cabinet somewhere and when a sweater or shoes or jewelry came into the office and no one claimed it, those items were placed in that box in hopes that the owner would show up and claim them. Many times, items would remain in the box until the school year ended and then if no one claimed them they would be donated to a charity or given away to anyone who wanted them. Sometimes there would be some really nice items in the box, things that people would surely want to find but for some reason no one came forward to claim them so the things would find a new home somewhere else.
Jesus told parables about things that were lost. This week we will think about a lost coin that a woman lost in her house and she could not be satisfied until she had swept the house and searched carefully. When she finally found the coin, then she called her neighbors and told them the good news so they could rejoice with her. Another parable is about a lost sheep that a shepherd lost, one of 100, but the shepherd that one was so important that he would leave 99 sheep behind to go out and search for the one that was lost. He also would call his neighbors and friends and tell them about his find so that they could rejoice with him.
In both parables, Jesus sums them up with "there is joy in heaven" over one person who repents and finds his way even though there are many who have never been lost. The angels in heaven rejoice when this happens.
Many people are lost and do not realize it. They go through life and live each day but there is a feeling that something is missing and they do not know what it is. They think that life is mostly complete but in the course of a day there is always a moment when they realize that a gap exists in their life. They are lost in the sense that something needs to be added and they do not know what it is. Many times people will describe their lives as "like a jigsaw puzzle with one piece missing". They cannot put their finger on what it is but they know something is not right.
Jesus' parables about things that are lost and found emphasize that God is constantly looking for us. When we are like that lost sheep, he values us so much that he will leave everyone else behind just to find us. When we are like that lost coin, he will search everywhere to locate us and not be satisfied until we are found. When finally we are located, then God send out the call for everyone to rejoice because finding a lost one is reason enough for a celebration.
We are so valuable to God that God will not give up on us. God will keep looking until we can be found and then when finally we are in God's view, He comes running down the road to meet us as he sees us in the distance.....oh, that is another parable. We will save that one for next week.
Jesus told parables about things that were lost. This week we will think about a lost coin that a woman lost in her house and she could not be satisfied until she had swept the house and searched carefully. When she finally found the coin, then she called her neighbors and told them the good news so they could rejoice with her. Another parable is about a lost sheep that a shepherd lost, one of 100, but the shepherd that one was so important that he would leave 99 sheep behind to go out and search for the one that was lost. He also would call his neighbors and friends and tell them about his find so that they could rejoice with him.
In both parables, Jesus sums them up with "there is joy in heaven" over one person who repents and finds his way even though there are many who have never been lost. The angels in heaven rejoice when this happens.
Many people are lost and do not realize it. They go through life and live each day but there is a feeling that something is missing and they do not know what it is. They think that life is mostly complete but in the course of a day there is always a moment when they realize that a gap exists in their life. They are lost in the sense that something needs to be added and they do not know what it is. Many times people will describe their lives as "like a jigsaw puzzle with one piece missing". They cannot put their finger on what it is but they know something is not right.
Jesus' parables about things that are lost and found emphasize that God is constantly looking for us. When we are like that lost sheep, he values us so much that he will leave everyone else behind just to find us. When we are like that lost coin, he will search everywhere to locate us and not be satisfied until we are found. When finally we are located, then God send out the call for everyone to rejoice because finding a lost one is reason enough for a celebration.
We are so valuable to God that God will not give up on us. God will keep looking until we can be found and then when finally we are in God's view, He comes running down the road to meet us as he sees us in the distance.....oh, that is another parable. We will save that one for next week.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Busy People are Happy People
"Whatever your hands find to do, do with your might..." (Ecclesiastes 9:10a)
When I was a school teacher, I always thought it was best to keep my students busy, to give them enough work to do so that they would not have a lot of extra time to just sit and decide for themselves how to use that extra time. Some students could finish their work and have extra time for their own activities and they knew how to occupy themselves. Other students, however, did not know what to do with themselves if they had a block of time to use as they desired. Invariably, these last students would get into some mischief or cause a disturbance to happen if they were left to their own devices. Sometimes, students would complain to me that their workload was too great. I would pull out the old motto that I use as the title to this post, "Busy people are happy people, and I want to be sure that you are happy." Usually they would only sigh and frown at my attempt to be funny and return reluctantly to the work that I had given them.
I knew teachers who gave what they called "busy work" to students who finished their assignments. That "work" usually was pages to be colored or word hunts that had nothing to do with the content of any assignments. Many students recognized that such paperwork was only used to keep them busy and out of trouble. I had a third grade student tell me once that she hated coloring because she had to do so much of it during her earlier years of school. Extra work given to students had to have meaning in order for their to be the incentive for students to complete the assignment.
I think that the writer of Ecclesiastes was telling his contemporaries that there is plenty to be done in this world if we only take the time to look around and identify what is needed and then to set about doing the task at hand. There are jobs that need completion everywhere and many times we are just the one to do the task at hand. Either we have the right skills or sufficient energy or a unique talent that can be used to do what is required. Sometimes it only takes a willingness to serve in order to qualify one for a task.
I love it when people volunteer to do things that they see needs doing. I love for someone to ask if they can do a job that needs doing because they saw that it was unfinished or had never been begun. Sometimes a person will simply identify a need but will not make an effort to get the job done. Volunteering to do the job that has been identified (if one has the skills to accomplish it) brings a task to completion quickly. The writer of Ecclesiastes would agree, I think, that if you find a job that needs doing, then volunteer to do it so that the problem will be solved.
This Sunday I will be talking to the kids during our Children's Sermon about how all of us in the church should work together. There is a kid's song we will sing at the conclusion of the Children's Sermon. It is called, "When We All Pull Together". It is an old song I learned when I was a child. Each person has to have a partner and they hold hands while looking at one another and then pull in rhythm with both hands. The song says, "When we all pull together, how happy we'll be. For my work is your work and our work is God's work, when we all pull together, how happy we'll be."
In God's Kingdom, there is not "my work" or "your work" but there is only "our work" because "our work" is truly "God's work." When we are enlisted in working for God, then we do not care who gets the credit for doing the work. We only want the job to be accomplished so that the outcome will be one of love and grace and peace for all in God's world.
Busy hands are happy hands.....as are busy people. Stay busy, stay focused, stay alert to what is around you so that you can recognize what God would have you to do for God's Kingdom today.
When I was a school teacher, I always thought it was best to keep my students busy, to give them enough work to do so that they would not have a lot of extra time to just sit and decide for themselves how to use that extra time. Some students could finish their work and have extra time for their own activities and they knew how to occupy themselves. Other students, however, did not know what to do with themselves if they had a block of time to use as they desired. Invariably, these last students would get into some mischief or cause a disturbance to happen if they were left to their own devices. Sometimes, students would complain to me that their workload was too great. I would pull out the old motto that I use as the title to this post, "Busy people are happy people, and I want to be sure that you are happy." Usually they would only sigh and frown at my attempt to be funny and return reluctantly to the work that I had given them.
I knew teachers who gave what they called "busy work" to students who finished their assignments. That "work" usually was pages to be colored or word hunts that had nothing to do with the content of any assignments. Many students recognized that such paperwork was only used to keep them busy and out of trouble. I had a third grade student tell me once that she hated coloring because she had to do so much of it during her earlier years of school. Extra work given to students had to have meaning in order for their to be the incentive for students to complete the assignment.
I think that the writer of Ecclesiastes was telling his contemporaries that there is plenty to be done in this world if we only take the time to look around and identify what is needed and then to set about doing the task at hand. There are jobs that need completion everywhere and many times we are just the one to do the task at hand. Either we have the right skills or sufficient energy or a unique talent that can be used to do what is required. Sometimes it only takes a willingness to serve in order to qualify one for a task.
I love it when people volunteer to do things that they see needs doing. I love for someone to ask if they can do a job that needs doing because they saw that it was unfinished or had never been begun. Sometimes a person will simply identify a need but will not make an effort to get the job done. Volunteering to do the job that has been identified (if one has the skills to accomplish it) brings a task to completion quickly. The writer of Ecclesiastes would agree, I think, that if you find a job that needs doing, then volunteer to do it so that the problem will be solved.
This Sunday I will be talking to the kids during our Children's Sermon about how all of us in the church should work together. There is a kid's song we will sing at the conclusion of the Children's Sermon. It is called, "When We All Pull Together". It is an old song I learned when I was a child. Each person has to have a partner and they hold hands while looking at one another and then pull in rhythm with both hands. The song says, "When we all pull together, how happy we'll be. For my work is your work and our work is God's work, when we all pull together, how happy we'll be."
In God's Kingdom, there is not "my work" or "your work" but there is only "our work" because "our work" is truly "God's work." When we are enlisted in working for God, then we do not care who gets the credit for doing the work. We only want the job to be accomplished so that the outcome will be one of love and grace and peace for all in God's world.
Busy hands are happy hands.....as are busy people. Stay busy, stay focused, stay alert to what is around you so that you can recognize what God would have you to do for God's Kingdom today.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Where's the weed killer?
I am presenting a seven week sermon series about the Parables of Jesus. Last week we looked at the parable of the sower and how he went out extravagantly throwing seeds everywhere in hopes of a harvest. Seeds were thrown in places where the chances of their growing into plants were small but the sower threw the seeds all over in hopes that something would happen. Jesus said that is what the Kingdom of God is like. It is like that sower, foolishly throwing seeds everywhere hoping that something would grow. Grace is scattered throughout the world to everyone and the persons who receive the word are like those kinds of soil that either accept the word and grow into fine plants or do not allow the word to grow because of the circumstances of life.
But what if you plant seeds to grow wheat and suddenly find weeds all over among your wheat plants? What if someone maliciously planted weeds among your wheat just to be mean? That is this week's parable from Matthew 13 that Jesus tells the crowd gathered to listen. Someone planted weeds among the wheat and when that is discovered it has to be decided what will be done about it. The servants suggest that they go out and pluck up the weeds but the master says that they will pull up good wheat at the same time so he tells them to leave it as it is until time for the harvest and then they will be able to tell the weeds from the wheat because wheat plants bow over with weight while the weeds stand straight up since they have little substance to them. At least that was the situation in the Mediterranean world of Jesus' day.
So, Jesus concludes the parable and explains to his disciples privately what the parable means. The one who does the planting is Jesus himself. The field represents the world. The good seed are the ones who are part of the Kingdom of God while the weeds are the evil persons in the world. Jesus tells the disciples that if they will just be patient until the end of the age, God will sort out things and evil and good will be divided and the evil will be burned even as the weeds in the parable were. Then the righteous will shine like the sun.
So, what does this parable teach us about life? It has something to do with the frustration that many of us feel when we look at the world around us and see so much evil and wonder what can be done about it. We work for peace and justice and we pray that everything will be set right and it seems that evil abounds even more even in the face of our prayers. Those who do evil things continue to do them and even all the forces of good working together cannot completely eradicate them. Jesus words tell us that it is God's work to bring about the end of evil and we have to be patient and trust that God is in control.
There is a movie that began playing in theaters a few weeks ago called, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel." It is the story of a group of retired persons from the UK who decide to move to India to live in what they think will be a retirement hotel and when they arrive they find a run down hotel nothing like the one in the brochures or on the ads. They complain to the young man who is the manager and he tells them a platitude that is the theme of the movie, "All will be well in the end. If it is not well, then the end has not yet come."
I think that is what Jesus is saying to us all. All will be well in the end. God will take care of us and the whole world but we have to trust God to be the one to make things right in God's own time. God's time is called "kairos" while we think in human time or "chronos". We see time much differently than does God. The time we have living on this planet is so small in comparison to the time of human existence that God has witnessed and will see in the future. God will make all things right if we trust God to bring it about. It may not come to pass in our lifetimes but it will happen someday.
The psalmist says it this way: "Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers, for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37: 1-3)
But what if you plant seeds to grow wheat and suddenly find weeds all over among your wheat plants? What if someone maliciously planted weeds among your wheat just to be mean? That is this week's parable from Matthew 13 that Jesus tells the crowd gathered to listen. Someone planted weeds among the wheat and when that is discovered it has to be decided what will be done about it. The servants suggest that they go out and pluck up the weeds but the master says that they will pull up good wheat at the same time so he tells them to leave it as it is until time for the harvest and then they will be able to tell the weeds from the wheat because wheat plants bow over with weight while the weeds stand straight up since they have little substance to them. At least that was the situation in the Mediterranean world of Jesus' day.
So, Jesus concludes the parable and explains to his disciples privately what the parable means. The one who does the planting is Jesus himself. The field represents the world. The good seed are the ones who are part of the Kingdom of God while the weeds are the evil persons in the world. Jesus tells the disciples that if they will just be patient until the end of the age, God will sort out things and evil and good will be divided and the evil will be burned even as the weeds in the parable were. Then the righteous will shine like the sun.
So, what does this parable teach us about life? It has something to do with the frustration that many of us feel when we look at the world around us and see so much evil and wonder what can be done about it. We work for peace and justice and we pray that everything will be set right and it seems that evil abounds even more even in the face of our prayers. Those who do evil things continue to do them and even all the forces of good working together cannot completely eradicate them. Jesus words tell us that it is God's work to bring about the end of evil and we have to be patient and trust that God is in control.
There is a movie that began playing in theaters a few weeks ago called, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel." It is the story of a group of retired persons from the UK who decide to move to India to live in what they think will be a retirement hotel and when they arrive they find a run down hotel nothing like the one in the brochures or on the ads. They complain to the young man who is the manager and he tells them a platitude that is the theme of the movie, "All will be well in the end. If it is not well, then the end has not yet come."
I think that is what Jesus is saying to us all. All will be well in the end. God will take care of us and the whole world but we have to trust God to be the one to make things right in God's own time. God's time is called "kairos" while we think in human time or "chronos". We see time much differently than does God. The time we have living on this planet is so small in comparison to the time of human existence that God has witnessed and will see in the future. God will make all things right if we trust God to bring it about. It may not come to pass in our lifetimes but it will happen someday.
The psalmist says it this way: "Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers, for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37: 1-3)
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Lessons We Learn From Our Dogs
I am very much a dog lover. I love dogs, every breed, large or small. There are some dogs that I like better than others, of course. That is the way life works. We prefer some things over others even if we love or like an entire genre of things. We own two small dogs, one is a Yorkshire Terrier who is about six years old. His name is Bo or his whole name is Mr. Bojangles but we call him Bo for short. He is very small, weighing only about 5 pounds. Our other dog is Bushy, a mixed terrier breed with ears that go up like a fountain and a corkscrew tail that goes over her back when she is happy. She was a rescue dog and her age is unknown but sources who knew her in the past say she could be 20 years old. She is nearly death and somewhat blind but is a happy dog over all. Bushy stands nearby when I eat meals. She is always ready in case a food should hit the floor or in case I should hand her a bit of food. She watches me eat and is ready to try anything in case I should give her a bit of food. Bo is happy to have a small piece of bread and then he goes to lie down until we are finished with our meal. He is content to just be in the same room with us when we eat.
I came across a poem recently that compares humans with dogs and how we relate to God much as dogs relate to humans at meal time. It is written by Rodney Clapp and was published in the February 18, 2008 edition of Christian Century Magazine. I will type it here and leave it without comment so you can read it and then reflect on its meaning for your own life.
Lessons in prayer, from a dog
He assumes his still posture
two feet from the table.
He is not grabby,
his tongue is not hanging out,
he is quiet.
He wants to leap,
he wants to snap up
meat and blood.
You can tell.
But what he does is sit
as the gods
his masters and mistresses
fork steak and potatoes
into their mouths.
He is expectant
but not presumptuous.
He can wait.
He can live with disappointment.
He can abide frustration
and suffer suspense.
He watches
for signals,
he listens for calls
of his name from above.
At hints that
he may be gifted
with a morsel,
he intensifies his
already rapt concentration,
he looks his god
in the eye
but humbly,
sure of his innocence
in his need,
if his need only.
On the (often rare) occasions
when gifts are laid on his tongue,
he takes them whole,
then instantly resumes
the posture of attention,
beseeching, listening, alert,
the posture of hard-won faith
that will take no for an answer,
yet ever and again hopefully
return to the questioning.
I came across a poem recently that compares humans with dogs and how we relate to God much as dogs relate to humans at meal time. It is written by Rodney Clapp and was published in the February 18, 2008 edition of Christian Century Magazine. I will type it here and leave it without comment so you can read it and then reflect on its meaning for your own life.
Lessons in prayer, from a dog
He assumes his still posture
two feet from the table.
He is not grabby,
his tongue is not hanging out,
he is quiet.
He wants to leap,
he wants to snap up
meat and blood.
You can tell.
But what he does is sit
as the gods
his masters and mistresses
fork steak and potatoes
into their mouths.
He is expectant
but not presumptuous.
He can wait.
He can live with disappointment.
He can abide frustration
and suffer suspense.
He watches
for signals,
he listens for calls
of his name from above.
At hints that
he may be gifted
with a morsel,
he intensifies his
already rapt concentration,
he looks his god
in the eye
but humbly,
sure of his innocence
in his need,
if his need only.
On the (often rare) occasions
when gifts are laid on his tongue,
he takes them whole,
then instantly resumes
the posture of attention,
beseeching, listening, alert,
the posture of hard-won faith
that will take no for an answer,
yet ever and again hopefully
return to the questioning.
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