Luke 12:32-40
August 12, 2007
Purpose: To
encourage people to depend upon the Gospel in such a way that others are led to
know its enduring power to give life.
Today it seems everything gets thrown away now – even faith – largely
because faith tends to be in things that are fleeting rather than in the
dependable. There was a day when we held on to things and faith because we had
invested in them and we knew we had something made to last.
People are starving for that which endures. Two Sundays ago I was in a sea of 75,000 people who came out
to honor two men whose careers were a mark of enduring integrity in a world
tainted with falsehood. We are
longing for that which holds up to the test of time; not that which is fake, but
is real and dependable.
We are looking for the real lifetime guarantee.
Which reminds me of how I loved watching the slicer dicer demonstrations
at the county fair that always included “absolutely guaranteed for life”.
But were these guarantors dependable?
Where were these vendors in six months?
And if you bought the product were you even using it in six months?
Not likely, because it never worked for you like it did in the
demonstration. But how would you
like a lifetime guarantee with no fine print on what matters most in this short
life? I can’t give you that, but
God can and God offers it for free in the life of his own Son.
Are we ready? Is this the guarantee we are seeking?
The key is in knowing what our real treasure is.
Is this truly where our heart is? Where
do we have our hearts invested? Is
it in a purse that does not wear out?
Do we have our lamps trimmed and burning?
Are we standing on tip-toe waiting for Jesus?
Is he our joy and passion? I
think a lot of this depends on who we believe in our hearts Jesus to be.
Is he the God of the universe; the Savior of the world?
Is he really everything we could ever need?
Jesus offers life and passion and the meeting of our true needs in one
place – relationship with himself. But
it is our fatal flaw to say, “Yes that’s good, but let me try to make it on
my own; with this accomplisment or acquisition or experience and if it doesn’t
work I’ll come back.” But we
don’t. We keep looking for one more answer of our own.
It’s like something I love from Thomas Merton quoted in Annie
Dillard’s “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” where Merton says, “There is always
a temptation to diddle around in the contemplative life, making itsy-bitsy
statues.” He is describing all
the trivia of thought and hand; of how we get spent and end up with nothing.
And Dillard says of this, “There is always an enormous temptation in
all of life to diddle around making itsy-bitsy friends and meals and journeys
for itsy-bitsy years on end. It is
so self-conscious, (which is exactly what Jesus warns against!), so apparently
moral, simply to step aside from the gaps where the creeks and winds pour down,
saying I never merited this grace, quite rightly, and then to sulk along the
rest of your days on the edge of rage.” “I
won’t have it,” she writes, and neither will Jesus.
We are trying to make our own guarantees with playing it safe and
thinking ironically of ourselves when the very message Jesus lived was that if
we really want a lifetime guarantee we need to be willing to give him our life
in exchange. Annie Dillard
concludes, “I won’t have it. The
world is wilder than that in all directions, more dangerous and bitter, more
extravagant and bright. We are
making hay when we should be making whoopee; we are raising tomatoes when we
should be raising Cain, or Lazarus.”
And this is exactly the life to which Jesus Christ the God of the
universe is inviting us with his own extravagant approach to be poured out for
God; to discover that the greatest guarantee of knowing life in its truest
fullness comes from giving it away in his name and being prepared all
the time to show this to the world.
Jesus calls us to be dressed for action.
If I am running it means my best running shoes.
If I’m on my motorcycle it means wearing my helmet.
If I’m on my bicycle it means wearing my Nevada Battle Born jersey, and
if it means living the Gospel it means wearing the covering of Jesus Christ that
is grace and forgiveness and understanding and compassion for every person who
comes into my life. It means having
my lamp lit as I reflect the hope that has been poured into my life by the ONE
who gave and gives me life every day in new and redeeming ways.
The key to receiving this lifetime guarantee is in being open and ready.
Last Sunday I called Alan just before worship began to tell him I was in
NYC and that I had just run the NYC Half Marathon (13.1 miles).
Now I know most of you think the idea of running, particularly on
vacation is a warped sense of pleasure, but indulge me this metaphor.
I didn’t know I was going to get to run in this event.
I hadn’t planned on it. I
was running in Central Park a couple of days before and as I jogged back to our
hotel past 5th Avenue Presbyterian Church I saw a sign that announced
that in two days the event would take place.
And I said, “I’m here. I
should do this.” And I did.
With 10,000 other runners I looped 7 miles through Central Park, up 7th
Ave. and down Broadway through Times Square along the Hudson River ending at the
Statue of Liberty. It was glorious
and I felt great. Do you know why?
Because I was ready. I run
all the time. I’m always staying
ready to run. And that’s the
point Jesus is making; always be ready to take part in whatever the event is
that he puts before us because it we aren’t ready the thief; which is evil
himself will break in on us.
Getting ready for Jesus is a lifetime endeavor.
It opens us to a lifetime guarantee of knowing the pleasure of being his
servant by calling others to the banquet; the marriage feast of eternity with
him. Jesus says it is his PLEASURE to give us what we need most;
what the world needs most. God
wants to give us his kingdom, yes, GIVE!
For this to happen Jesus calls us to get rid of the stuff that is keeping
us from receiving it; from having room for it.
He says we are to have a life that contains the ONE THING that doesn’t
wear out – life in Christ. No matter how much I run, my body will wear out.
In fact while I was running in Central Park on a hot afternoon a man said
to me, “You want that you should have a heart attack?” Yes, the things of this life will wear out, that is a
guarantee, but a life in Jesus Christ will never wear out. The person whose life is lived in and for Jesus Christ will
NOT wear out. We all have
reasons why we don’t let relationship with Jesus Christ be our treasure, but
we know they are hollow, especially when we consider what and WHO it is we are
missing.
It’s all a matter of knowing the ONE who is offering us life and being
willing without excuse to follow him. Dr.
Paul Brand is one who knows. He
once said, “I remember well when I was at my physical peak. I was 27 years old
and had just finished medical school. A group of friends and I were mountain
climbing, and we could climb for hours. For some people, when they cross that
peak, for them life is over.
I remember well my mental peak, too. I was 57 years of age and was
performing groundbreaking hand surgery. All of my medical training was coming
together in one place. For some people, when they cross this peak, for them life
is over.
I'm now over 80 years of age. I recently realized I'm approaching another
peak—my spiritual peak. All I have sought to become as a person has the
opportunity to come together in wisdom, maturity, kindness, love, joy, and
peace. And I realize when I cross that peak, for me, life will not be over; it
will have just begun.”
Today we don’t have to make any more excuses. Today is the day we get to let Jesus be our treasure and be the ONE who leads us in leading the world to experience the love that makes us ALL whole. Today can be a beginning for each and all of us. And it is as simple as saying, “Yes Jesus I want to be ready for you right now. Show me the way.” And with this simple prayer said candidly, vulnerably, Jesus Christ will have room to work in us and through us to change how we see life. He offers to change EVERYTHING that our lives include. All of this he has guaranteed with his life. May we accept this and share it for his sake with others today. Amen.