Final Draft: What Really Matters

Here's my final draft -- what I'm really preaching today. Some of it is a bit less pointed. I don't like to put people on the defensive so they can't hear what God wants to say to them, but I pray God will use me to communicate at least some of what God is saying. If nothing else, God speaks to me as I prepare sermons. Peace. KT

I Corinthians 7:29-31
29I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, 30and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, 31and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

What Really Matters?

The Dog Story: As promised, Bill has gotten me out to exercise every day this week. As we were walking one day through the Spring Lake neighborhood, we passed a house with 5 dogs in the side yard, barking hysterically at us and our dog. It’s a dog’s job, his destined purpose, to bark at any stranger passing by his house. Further, it is his job to tell the world that another dog is infringing upon his property (or at least getting close to it.) My dog ignored the five dogs, but Bill and I watched and began to laugh as two of the little dogs, so excited by the prospect of doing their job, began to attack one another – wrestling and growling and biting and yipping. Within seconds of our approach, they had already forgotten what they were barking about and, instead, turned on one another. They had forgotten their purpose! And instead made a spectacle of themselves! The story would not be complete unless I reported that 5 minutes later we turned around and returned via the same street. The five dogs immediately began barking again, as if they had never seen us. And as we approached, the two again began to attack one another. Somehow, in all of the excitement, those two had forgotten what really matters.

In I Corinthians, Paul has been writing about how important it is to focus on God, and, in the passages prior to today’s scriptures, he has acknowledged that frequently sex and taking care of your spouse can deter your focus upon God. It doesn't preach really well in this day and age. ;o) However, the bigger issue is that Paul is urging Christians to focus all of their attention upon God. In verses 29-31 he sums it up by reminding us that the time we have on this earth is so very short and as such, we should live as though the only thing that mattered was God. If you are mourning, don't let that stand in the way of what matters. If you are overjoyed, don't let that stand in the way of what matters. If you have money to spend, live as though you didn't. Think only about what is important . . . what is lasting . . . what is real.

As I began working on this sermon and thinking about those things that really matter, I realized that God was speaking to me. I had found myself annoyed by pettiness complaints that seemed to consume my time. As I read this scripture and began to focus on God’s call to me as both Pastor and Christian, I realized that God was reminding me to focus on what really matters. Any time we gather together, it is tempting to focus on who-likes-who and who-doesn’t like-who; it is tempting to be drawn into a conversation where we judge one another for what we have said or how we have acted; it is tempting to get on the band wagon and form groups for or against someone or something. But I am reminded that in the big picture, it is not for me to focus on who-likes-who and who-doesn’t-like-who. It is not for me to judge another human being for how he or she has acted. It is not for me to takes sides for or against another individual. These things do not matter. If life on earth is truly as short a period in infinity as it seems to be, why am I wasting precious energy on being angry about the pettiness around me? What really matters?

If we continue Paul’s line of thinking in I Corinthians, we will discover that all that matters is that we have only a short period of time in which to share the love of Christ with our neighbors – with those who are easy to love and with those who are not. The church exists not to exact a bunch of rules and regulations upon people, but rather to care for one another. The church is not a building, but a body – Christ’s body – broken yet healed in resurrection. What really matters? Simply spending our time sharing Christ’s love with others . . . that is the ONLY thing that really matters. We must change our focus from: What matters to me? to What matters to them? When our focus shifts from guarding our own feelings and experiences to nurturing another’s feelings and experiences, we have begun to focus on what really matters. We have begun to be the Body of Christ in the world.

Given the fact that I spent a lot of my early adult years in Nashville, I came to find that country music wasn't quite as bad as I had always been led to believe. In fact, occasionally the lyrics will hit a home run. Tim McGraw sang a song that has stuck with me since I first heard it. The lyrics are right in line with the scripture for today, albeit a bit more "country!" He said I was in my early forties with a lot of life before me when a moment came that stopped me on a dime. And I spent most of the next days, looking at the x-rays, talking bout the options and talking bout sweet time. I asked him when it sank in that this might really be the real end? How does it hit you when you get that kinda news? Man, what'd you do? And he said, "I went sky diving! I went Rocky Mountain climbing! I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu! And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying." And he said, "Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying."On Tuesday, one of my kid's friend's father was diagnosed with cancer. At that point all of the worry about who would get the kids to school, what to have for lunch, when the church meeting would meet, who was wearing what at the game, how clean the house was, what was said or done wrong in the last few days, ALL OF THAT suddenly didn't matter. All that mattered was the realization that life is so very short and we are given but a brief window to allow God's will to be done through us. We have but a brief window to connect our stories to God's stories. We have a brief window to live in harmony with one another, to resist petty divisions and opportunities to be angry and anxious. We have only now.

Yesterday I attended a memorial service for an 8-week-old. At that point all of the worry about who would get up for the midnight feedings, who would change the diapers, where the college funds were going to come from, whether Aunt June and Grandpa Joe would ever get along, ALL of that suddenly didn’t matter. All that mattered was the realization that life is so very short and we are given but a brief window to allow God’s will to be done through us. We have but a brief window to connect our stories to God’s stories. We have a brief window to live in harmony with one another, to resist petty divisions and opportunities to be angry and anxious. We have only now.

Today we will receive the Annual Report of the Spring Lake Presbyterian Church. In it are many blessings where we came together to allow God’s will to be done through us. In it are many examples of the places where our stories connected to God’s stories. You will see names listed of people who gave of their time selfishly, so that others could focus on what really mattered. You will see a list of just a few of the anonymous gifts given throughout the year to keep the ministry of the church vital, even on a bare-bones budget. You will see the approved 2009 budget which looks just like the 2008 budget and the 2007 budget. The budget was not met last year, but we realize that God did not stop blessing us. We also realize that our ministry did not come to a stand still. The budget is what keeps up the operations of the church – it’s what pays the light bill and the pastor’s salary and the Sunday School lessons and the copier upkeep. The budget is what allows us to do God’s work from here at 5887 US HWY 98. But our ministries do not stop with the budget. The Presbyterian Women raise funds to give to missions, to share with other organizations who are doing God’s will. And the deacons use their funds to feed the hungry and care for the grieving and the sick. But our ministries do not stop with PW and the deacons! Because of the worship we are able to share here on Sunday mornings, you and I are encouraged to share the love of Christ that we just can’t contain within our spirits! What really matters? Does a budget matter? Only if it prepares us to share the love of Christ, to live as if all we had was today, to live like we were dying.

29I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, 30and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, 31and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

We have only today. I hope we’ll go sky diving! I hope we’ll go Rocky Mountain climbing! I hope we’ll go 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu! I hope we’ll love deeper. I hope we’ll speak sweeter. I hope we’ll give forgiveness we’ve been denying. For the present form of this world is passing away. Today I hope we take the chance to live what really matters, to live like we were dying. Amen.