Monthly Archives: August 2019

Big Rocks First

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A Sermon for 11 August 2019

A reading from the gospel of Luke 12:22-34. In this continuation from the gospel reading assigned by the lectionary to last week, listen for God’s word to us.

“Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will God clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. 30 For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, strive for God’s kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.

 

Perhaps you are familiar with a story recorded in the book called First Things First. It goes like this: One day, a time management expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, he used an unforgettable illustration. As the man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers, he said: “Okay, time for a quiz.” Then, he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. The man produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?” Everyone in the class said, “Yes.” Then he said, “Really?” He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Dumping some gravel in the jar, he shook it causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. He asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time, the class was hesitant. “Probably not?” one of them answered. The man replied: “Good!” Next, he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping in the sand and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full” “No!” the class shouted. “Good!” the man said. He grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. The time management expert looked at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?” A student raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you always can fit more into it!” The time management expert replied: “No. That is NOT the point. The truth this illustration teaches is: if you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.” The author of the book where this story is recorded goes on to ask: “What are the big rocks in your life? . . . A project that you want to accomplish? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your finances? A cause? Teaching or mentoring others? . . . Remember to put the BIG ROCKS in first or you’ll never get them in at all.” (First Things First, Stephen Covey, 2002; http://www.worklifecoach.com/Big_Rocks.pdf).

What are the big rocks of your life? If I were to stop right now to give you a few moments of quiet, what would you list as your big rocks? What are the things that are most important to you? The things you want to put in first in your life, whether you’re doing so right now or not, because they are the most significant things to you. Go ahead: take a few moments right now to list your big rocks – the 3-5 things that are most important to you. You won’t have to show them to anyone else. You don’t even have to put them in priority order. You can think about them in your mind or literally list them somewhere right now.

(SILENCE)

There’s another story about an old recipe for cooking a rabbit. The instructions read: “First, catch the rabbit.” First, put the first things first. The big rocks. It is written that: “That’s what we do when we establish priorities – we put the things that should be in first place in their proper order” (http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/p/priorities.htm).

Big rocks – priorities. The things that should be in first place in their proper order.

That’s what Jesus is talking about in the section of the gospel of Luke we heard this morning and the section from last week that precedes it. After telling the parable about a fool of a man whose biggest rocks are himself and his abundant possessions – the rich man who executes the most ridiculous plan by tearing down his FULL storage barns to build bigger ones, for him to keep more stuff for himself. After telling that parable, Jesus jumps into a teaching about what not to put as biggest rocks. “Do not to worry about your life,” Jesus is recorded as saying. “Don’t make your biggest rocks what you will eat or what you will wear” (Luke 12:22 paraphrase). Even if everybody else around us does it, Jesus charges us NOT to make our biggest rocks the kinds of things that give physical security. He lifts up the beauty of the world around us. Birds that neither sow nor reap but always find enough. Lilies of the field. Wild flowers that grow without toil. Without constant effort. It’s a reminder that God knows our needs. The question is, do we?

Do we know the God-sized hole in us nothing but God can fill? Do we realize that the big rocks for followers of Christ have to include things like daily time connecting with God, the constant who always is present. We need priorities around things like prayer, the reading of scripture and creation and all of life to hear God speaking to us through it all. Conversation with others about our faith and what God seems to be up to in our lives. Thought about who God really is to us each day, and why we love the One creating, redeeming, and sustaining our lives every day more and more. If we don’t have enough time because of the hustle and bustle of children or aging parents or demanding jobs, maybe it’s time to figure out a new way to integrate God in somehow with the other priorities that mean so much. I mean, children are naturals at wonder – ask any parent of a two or three-year-old. All they want to know is why? We can see those as conversations about our marvelous Creator. Ask an aging parent or spouse or friend about what is sustaining them. Then listen carefully for the God-tracings all over their lives. Even if they don’t use words like Jesus or God or Holy Spirit, that doesn’t mean that’s not what really is beneath, holding it all. Demanding jobs – paid and unpaid – can be experiences for us to ask God what life-lessons we are supposed to be gaining from the co-worker who seems to push all our buttons, or the boss who keeps piling on more. If we feel we can’t put God in as the first big rock – though that’s exactly what Jesus is saying, and is really the only big rock that ever will be a constant no matter what comes in life or in death. But if we’re not ready honestly to assign God as our first big rock – maybe we can at least make God one of the top 2-3s. Truly – not just in some passing fancy of: o, I attend worship every now and again, except for in the summer when it seems I deserve a break.

Supposedly September is the best time to make New Year resolutions; so August ought to be a time to reflect upon priorities – our big rocks. Those things in our lives that we want and in fact need to put first. Jesus stated it frankly: “The nations of the world strive after the wrong big rocks. As for you, strive instead for God and God’s kingdom” (paraphrase, Luke 12:30-31).

In the quiet of this time, review the lists of your big rocks. If you feel you need to edit, either crossing one out or adding another, do so now. Then in the quiet, lift your big rocks to the One who holds it all.

(SILENCE)

In the name of the life-giving Father, the life-redeeming Son, and the life-sustaining Spirit, Amen.

© Copyright JMN – 2019 (All rights reserved.)

The Metrics of Success

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A Sermon for 4 August 2019 – 8th Sunday after Pentecost

A reading from the gospel of Luke 12:13-21. Listen for God’s word to us.

“Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But Jesus said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” 16 Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then the man said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.’”

This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!

 

There’s a short video out there by the motivational speaker Jay Shetty. It’s called “If you Feel Pressure, Watch This.” A perfect reminder as children, parents, and teachers get ready to go back to school in these next weeks. In the video, a noisy bunch of young teens race into an auditorium for an assembly in a Secondary School in England. All dressed in their school’s upscale uniform, a sea of multi-colored faces follow the leader’s directions to settle down. Someone who looks like a strict headmistress launches into a reminder that the students are about to begin their exams. She says: “These exams are going to define you. The grades you get are going to determine which sixth form (high school), which university, and which job you will be able to get into. These exams are exceedingly important and I want you to take them seriously” (Episode 144, https://jayshetty.me/videos/). As she speaks, the students’ faces grow a little anxious. One girl sits biting her nails. Another’s face shows apprehension. The headmistress continues: “These exams will determine what you become in life” (Ibid.).

Over in the corner, an out-of-place man casually raises his hand. He heads to the stage to begin reading a letter written by a principal in Singapore. He says he wants their teachers, their parents, and the students to hear it. “Dear Parents,” the letter begins. “The exams of your children are to start soon. I know you’re really anxious for your child to do well. But please do remember, amongst the students who will be sitting for their exams there’s an artist who doesn’t need to understand math. There’s an entrepreneur who doesn’t care about history or English literature. There’s a musician whose chemistry marks won’t matter” (Ibid.). The faces of the students lighten. Some even begin to nod their heads in agreement. The letter continues: “There’s a sports person whose physical fitness is more important than their grade in physics. If your child does get top marks, that’s great. But if he or she doesn’t, please don’t take away their self-confidence and their dignity from them. Tell them it’s OK, it’s just an exam. They are cut out for much bigger things in life” (Ibid.) Now if you really value education, you may be taking issue with the message of this video. But as it came to me from a parent of a teen who is struggle with a learning disability, I’m grateful it’s out there.

The video wraps up with Jay Shetty finishing the letter from the Singapore teacher. He reads: “Tell them no matter what they score, that you love them and don’t judge them. Please do this and when you do, watch your children conquer the world. One exam or low mark won’t take away their dreams or their talent. And please do not think that doctors and engineers are the only happy people in the world.” The letter is signed: “With warm regards, the Principal.” Shetty continues: “And here’s my message. Exams are important, but they’re not everything. Grades are good, but they don’t define you. Don’t let one exam or one grade define your whole future. There is so much more potential right inside you. And remember,” Shetty concludes, “as Albert Einstein said, everyone’s a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it’s stupid. Don’t let other peoples’ metrics of success become yours.” The students jump in joy to give a standing ovation.

Don’t let other peoples’ metrics of success become yours.

How often do we consider the metrics of success by which we build our lives? How often do we pause enough to be intentional about what really matters to us and how we will judge the value of our own lives? The world around us is primed and ready to tell us what metrics it thinks equal success. Everywhere we turn, society booms the values it wants us to embrace. Like: youth – no matter the cost. Speed – despite what’s lost. Prestige. Physical power. Wealth. If we’re not intentional, we’ll get swallowed up in it all. Which not only can be detrimental to our health and our relationships. Taking on the metrics of success spouted by society can be disastrous to our souls.

“You fool,” Jesus quotes God in his story about a rich man who had so much, he had nowhere left to put the abundance that came to him. The land, which he certainly was not working on his own, produced such a prolific abundance – which the man was convinced he had to keep for himself – so that all the man could think to do was pull down his already stuffed-to-the-brim barns so he could build bigger places to store his stuff. Never once did that man stop to think about giving away some of that bounty. According to Jesus’ story, the man didn’t reward those working with him with a surprise feast or consider sharing the bumper crop with them. The man never thought to sell what he had so that others might be fed too. Or even allow the fields to be gleaned – according to their ancestor’s practice to leave a little behind in each harvest for those with no land to be able to come behind to have enough. The very way Ruth and her mother in law Naomi finally came to be progenitors of the great King David.

The man in Jesus’ parable thought only of himself. He had some very clear metrics – his description of success. “Relax, eat, drink, and be merry” he literally told his soul (Luke 12:19). Wealth mattered most to him. He himself and his own ease in life seemed to surpass any other concern he had. We’re never even told if he had a family – anyone else in his life for which he sought to do all that work. In the span of two short bible verses, the man refers to himself 6 different times: “I, I, I, I, I, I” (Luke 12:17-19). The problem is not a healthy desire to take care of one’s self. The problem, according to Jesus’ story is that that very night the man’s soul would be demanded of him. All that he stored up on earth, God wondered, “whose do you think they will be?” (Luke 12:20). There’s a kind of selfishness that is blatant in Jesus’ parable aptly labeled “The Parable of the Rich Fool.” Measuring the value of our life. Holding to the metrics of success according to the society around us is, according to God, foolish. Totally devoid of any wisdom.

What does it look like to be rich to God? To measure the value of our lives according to the metrics of God.

It looks like the life of Jesus! Which is why knowing the life of Jesus is so very important. Reading the gospels to hear how he spent his days. What he did when someone in need came across his path. How he was among those who hurt. Who he welcomed into his circle and even went out of his way to find. We never hear of a bank account Jesus had squirreled away somewhere. He didn’t have a Traditional or Roth IRA. Nor a 403b account. As far as we know he never even sought to own his own home. I’m not going to stand up here and say we gotta go sell it all to give to the poor, even though Jesus told a man that in one encounter in his life. Rather, this story from Jesus is here to remind us to consider the metrics of God. The value of Love. Peace. Forgiveness. Justice. Trust. As Christians we need to hear now and again of the charge to be rich to God. To spend our lives – literally pouring out the time, talents, and treasures we have – according to the values of God. Which we see clearly in Jesus, the Christ, our Savior and our Lord. The Teacher who shows us the Way for each of our days. “Take care,” Christ reminds. Be rich to God!

In the name of the life-giving Father, the life-redeeming Son, and the life-sustaining Spirit, Amen.

© Copyright JMN – 2019 (All rights reserved.)