Why Are You Worrying?

So, what are you worried about today? Anything? Why? Jesus clearly tells us not to worry about things. Sure... that's easy for him to say! Actually, with a little bit of practice, we can learn to control our worries, too. If you choose to read my sermon, I have some suggestions for doing just that. I hope they're helpful to you!

Just about a month ago, many of the women of the church participated in a one-day retreat. To make conversation easier, the women were divided into small groups. At one point during the day, I asked each group to dramatize one way that we fill our lives with things that leave no room for Jesus. One of the groups presented a wonderful skit about worrying. A member of the group was invited to walk in the garden and enjoy the flowers; and to eat some tasty candy. But that woman was worried about so many things that she turned down all the invitations! The sunlight in the garden was bad for her skin; the weather might turn suddenly nasty; and who wants to eat candy with sugar that rots your teeth? In the end, her worrying took all the enjoyment out of her life. I imagine everyone worries about something. The opinion of physician and author Lewis Thomas was, “We are, perhaps uniquely among earth’s animals, the worrying animal.” Now, I have no idea whether other animals worry or not; but I know that all humans worry about something at some time in their lives. It’s human nature. And it’s a tragedy.

Did you know that the word “worry” comes from the ancient Anglo-Saxon word wyrgan? Wyrgan meant “to strangle.” Worry can do the same thing to us. Worry puts its hands around our necks, and it squeezes the life out of us until we feel cold and dead. Worry can strangle all the enjoyment out of our lives until we are wearing dark glasses that make the whole world look grey and overcast. Sometimes, worry can even physically kill us! I know of people who have been told by their doctors that they must reduce stress in their lives or they are headed for an early grave. What is one of leading causes of stress? Worry. And worry is a byproduct of fear – fear of the future and what it might bring! We don’t have any control over the future, after all. And because we don’t have control over it, we worry about it.

Take a moment and think about how you would fill in the blank in this sentence: “What frightens me about the future is ______.” If you’re a typical worrier, what came to mind is money. Will I have enough to live on, and to continue to do the things that I enjoy doing? Or you might be worried about someone’s health – yours or that of a loved one. Or maybe it’s the election. Lots of people are worried about that! Those are scary things, all right! Our finances… our health… our country. But Jesus’ disciples worried about the very same things, and you know what Jesus told them (Luke 12:22-31). “Look at the birds and the flowers. God takes care of all of them! Why do you think that you are the one part of God’s creation that he’s going to ignore?” Now, we all know that nasty things are going to happen to us now and then. That’s the way life works. But if you worry about all those nasty things, then you must secretly believe that whatever causes them – bad karma, or Satan, or the chaos monster; whatever you want to call it – you must believe that it’s bigger than God is! And the last time I checked, the Bible was pretty clear that God is bigger than everything. Whatever happens in the future, God’s got it covered!

But I suspect that we’re going to worry, anyway, regardless of what Jesus said. At least, we’re going to worry unless we learn how to deal with our fears about the future. I have a couple of suggestions about how we can do just that. The first suggestion is that we pray. Too many people use prayer as a last resort, and when they’re at their wits’ end, they send up “911 prayers” like Dennis the Menace throwing snowballs at Mr. Wilson. So let’s use prayer first. And what do we pray for? Well, of course, we pray about the situation that’s worrying us. We pray that, whatever it is, God will take care of it. But we mustn’t stop there. We need to pray for discernment – for the wisdom to understand what it really is that frightens us. That’s not as easy as it sounds. When we worry about our health, maybe we’re really worrying about who will care for our loved ones if we become seriously ill. Trying to pinpoint our fears is sometimes like playing a game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. You think that you know where to put that tail; but when you take off the blindfold, you find out that you’ve attached it to the nose instead of the other end. We’re often just as blind when we try to figure out what it is that we’re afraid of. So pray about it! Ask God to show you what you’re really afraid of! I’m pretty sure that God will help you with that. My second suggestion is to ask for help. Now, I know – we’ve already asked God for help. But other people can help us, too. If you’re worried about money, find a financial adviser. If you’re worried about your health, go to a doctor! If you’re worried about being able to cope with life, go to a therapist! If you don’t know where to start looking, ask a friend or a colleague. You can even ask me! I’ll bet that I will be able to point you in the right direction. My third suggestion is to do what you can. You can’t control everything, but you can influence some things! When my daughters were teenagers, I worried about them all the time. What was I afraid of? That they would do something stupid and get hurt. So I did what I could. I tried to teach them to make good decisions. I kept the car that they drove in good repair. I made sure that I communicated with their teachers and coaches on a regular basis. There’s always something that you can do about your worries. Beyond that, we need to admit that the future is simply out of our control.

But we shouldn’t stop there! Have any of you ever read the instructions on a bottle of shampoo? We are told to apply shampoo to wet hair; lather; and rinse. Three steps, just like the three that I just suggested. But shampoo bottles have one more step: repeat. Apply, lather, rinse, repeat. And that’s what we can do, too: pray, ask for help, do what we can; and then repeat! After all, conquering our fear of the future and reducing our worry doesn’t happen in one easy step. No, it’s a process that we have to repeat over and over and over again! And that process is like a spiral. We begin way at the outside, close to all our fears and our worries; but as we progress, we find that we’re getting closer and closer to the center where we’ll find the peace that comes from trusting God with everything – even with our lives. That’s the quiet center where we all want to live, and where God intends for us to live, too! So, don’t worry! Take a walk and admire the beauty of the flowers and the birds. Be reminded that God cares for them; and God will care for you, too. And don’t be afraid! God’s got it covered.

What Credit Is That to You?

"If you only love the people who love you back," asked Jesus, "what credit is that to you? Everybody does that! Love those who can do nothing for you! After all, that's what God does for you!" (Luke 6:32-36, paraphrase) We've heard this so many times that it's old news. So maybe this little parable will help bring its impact home to us once again.

For just a few minutes, join me at a party. Now, this isn’t just any old party; no siree! This is an elegant party; the kind that you might see on Entertainment Tonight after the Oscars have been awarded. The room is beautifully decorated in gold and silver. The tables are draped with spotless white linen; and in the center of each one is a crystal vase with fresh flowers: white lilies, pale pink roses, and baby’s breath. In the far corner, a string quintet offers tasteful renditions of classical compositions – quietly, though so that the music does not disturb the conversations of the guests. The food is elegant: imported caviar, aged cheeses, and shrimp chilled on ice so that they remain the perfect temperature. If the room is elegant, the guests are even more so. The men are handsome in their tuxedos: young men, full of vim and vigor; middle-aged men at the top of their careers; and older men with silver hair and perfectly trimmed beards, their fortunes made and their lives secure. And the women – ah, the women! Each one is more beautiful than the next! Whether younger or older, each one is perfectly dressed in silk and satin, twinkling with diamonds, makeup immaculate.

What is the occasion? A birthday? An engagement? Maybe a wedding? The occasion for this party isn’t personal, but professional. Their business has just come through another extremely profitable year, and this party has been thrown to celebrate that fact. But few of these people are really here to celebrate anything at all. They are here to win. Over there, for example, is Archie Ambitious. Archie is looking to make some money the easy way; and so, he’s flirting with Sherry Spoiled, the daughter of the company president. Sherry is set to inherit half of the family fortune. If Archie can hook up with her, he’ll have it made. On the other side of the room is Carla Creative. Carla has been trying to get her supervisor Mike Middle Management to listen to her ideas. She is being very, very attentive to Mike right now in hopes that she’ll catch his ear… or his eye. Maybe she’ll even get a promotion out of the deal. And right over there by the punch bowl is Oliver, the owner of the business. Oliver is chatting with Elaine Entrepreneur. Elaine owns a little company that she started with her dad about 10 years ago. She doesn’t know it yet, but Oliver is planning on buying her business, whether or not she wants to sell. But it would be so much easier for him if she agrees to the deal. Oliver is trying to charm Elaine into doing just that.

More money… more status… more power. That’s what these particular people want to win. And after the party, they will go home and celebrate their success over a nightcap. Their wallets are on the way to being fatter than they were before; and isn’t that the definition of success? But the answer to that question depends on who you ask. In Jesus’ opinion, the “success” of these folks is thin and hollow. “What credit is it to you,” he would ask, “if you only do good to those who are good to you in return?” In God’s economics, you see, being generous to someone who can pay you back isn’t worth a hill of beans. God doesn’t give any credit to people who love others for their own gain. I can’t help but hear echoes of another statement that Jesus made: “What does it profit anyone if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul?” No, we get credit in God’s kingdom by doing things a little differently.

But there are some other guests at this party. Stella Secretary is there, for example. Stella is on the very lowest rung of the employment ladder at the company; and she doesn’t make much more than the minimum wage. She is chatting with Maria Maid, one of the servers who is offering caviar appetizers to the guests. Stella has discovered that Maria is a single mom trying to raise two young sons; and that her money often runs out at the end of the month. On Monday, Maria will find an envelope containing $500 cash in her mailbox. She won’t have any idea that it came from Stella. Oliver Junior is at the party, too. He’s the heir to the company, and everybody calls him Little Ollie. He’s the one who hired the string quintet. During the musicians’ break, Ollie finds out that the wife of Vinny Viola Player is suffering from cancer. Vinny didn’t want to leave her tonight, but he needed the money to pay for her medical treatments. Ollie sends him home, assuring him that he will be paid for the whole evening. “Everybody is sloshed, anyway,” says Ollie. “No one will even notice that you’re gone. Go home to your wife.” And just outside the front gate is Gary the Guard. Gary’s instructions are to shoo any homeless people away from the gates when the party is over, so that the guests aren’t inconvenienced by needing to step over them on their way out. Only one man is there, bedding down on a steam vent wrapped in a thin, tattered blanket. “That could be me,” thinks Gary; so after the party is over, he goes to a nearby fast-food restaurant and buys the man a meal. Then he takes him to a hotel and buys him a room for the night. He doesn’t even know the man’s name.

Which of these got credit in God’s kingdom with its upside down economics? Was it Archie Ambitious, Carla Creative, and Oliver Owner; or was it Stella Secretary, Little Ollie, and Gary the Guard? Jesus said, “Love those who are not like you; do good to them, and give to them without expecting to get anything back. Be merciful, just as your heavenly Father is merciful.” If that’s the way to get ahead in God’s kingdom, I think that we all know the answer. Stella and Gary and Little Ollie didn’t have an extra dime in their wallets at the end of the evening – in fact, their wallets were thinner than they had been before – but their credit in God’s kingdom was a whole lot higher.

Now, the reality is that we’re all at this party together – both those who are well-off and those who aren’t nearly so fortunate. Even the outsiders who will never make it inside the gate are in it with us, too. But we all have some choices – what are our priorities, who do we pay attention to, and how do we treat one another? We all earn credit by what we do – and by what we don’t do. So, as I bring this little parable to a close, I have just one question. What kind of credit is in your wallet?

Who Are You Looking For?

"Who are you looking for?" Have you ever considered that question? The answer, of course, depends on what you're looking for. Jesus asked his followers that question; and I believe that he asks us, too. It's a question that each one of us must answer for ourselves. This sermon might help you to begin to discern the answer.

The story is told of a Jewish student who approached his rabbi. “Why do you ask so many questions?” he asked. The rabbi replied, “And why shouldn’t I ask questions?”

Asking questions is an old Jewish tradition. Now, the Greek philosopher Socrates has gotten all the credit for it. Using questions to teach is called “the Socratic Method.” But the Jews used it long before Socrates was even a gleam in his daddy’s eye! And it can be a very effective approach! Asking questions opens possibilities and encourages thinking. One of my friends recently posted a Facebook message criticizing our president for not supporting the military. Instead of just offering my own opinion, I decided to ask him “Why do you feel that way?” His thoughtful answer was that the president appears aloof in the presence of military personnel – but maybe, come to think of it, that’s just his style. He ended up thanking me for inviting him to think about his opinion and to consider why he felt that way.

I tell this story not to draw attention to our president and the military (that’s a conversation for another place and time), but to illustrate the power of questions. Jesus asked a lot of them! A recent book by UCC pastor Martin Copenhaver (Jesus Is the Question) claims that Jesus asked over 300 questions in the four gospels.  And how many did he answer? Fewer than 10. Jesus was over 30 times more likely to ask a question than he was to give an answer! It sounds to me like Jesus wanted his followers to do some thinking! If Jesus expected that of his followers then, I imagine that he expects the same thing of us today. So, during this Lenten season, we will be wrestling with a few of the questions that Jesus asked. You’ll forgive me if I don’t have any answers. Like Jacob wrestling with an adversary at the ford of the Jabbok River (Genesis 32:22-30), we receive a blessing not because we win, but because we are willing to participate in the struggle.

In the gospel of John, the very first question that Jesus asked is this one: “Who are you looking for?” You just heard that question in this morning’s scripture reading (John 1:35-39). John the Baptist has pointed Jesus out to some of his own disciples, and named him as “the Lamb of God.” When those disciples began to follow Jesus, he asked them, “Who are you looking for?” Did you notice that they didn’t give him an answer? Instead, they asked, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” “Come and see,” Jesus responded, inviting them to experience what he has to offer – and to decide for themselves whether he is the one they are looking for.

Now, my guess is that those disciples really didn’t know who they were looking for at all. They were searching because they had a big, empty hole right in the middle of their lives, and they needed somebody to fill it. But fill it with what? It’s tough to find what you need if you don’t know what it is. If we have an empty closet, we go to a store and look for a sales clerk; but if we have empty lives… Well, we really don’t know who to search out to fill those, do we? We’re like the guy who gets the munchies during the 11:00 news. He pads into the kitchen, opens the door to the refrigerator, and surveys his options. Cold pizza? No, that doesn’t sound good. Leftover salad? That’s not it. A cheese stick? A cup of yogurt? Maybe… Finally, he shuts the refrigerator door. Nothing is really appetizing; but he’s still hungry. “Come and see,” Jesus invited his disciples; and he invites us, too, to come and see whether he is the one we are looking for.

The answer to what we are looking for will be different for each one of you. And that answer will be different at different times during your life. After all, people search for many things. Some search for security. They want to know that they’re safe from the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” that threaten their safety. Now, if you’re looking for the security that comes from a big house, a fat bank account, and lots of stuff, Jesus isn’t the one you want. He isn’t a cosmic insurance salesman no matter what some people say. But… if you want the security of someone who will stick by you through thick and thin, in good times and in bad – well, then, Jesus is your man.

Other people are looking for love. They want reassurance that they’re acceptable to someone. They aren’t even sure that they’re worthy of acceptance. And if acceptance means having a trophy wife or a handsome young husband, you’ll have to look elsewhere. After all, Jesus isn’t here in the flesh anymore; so he’s not likely to send you a box of candy and a lace-trimmed valentine later today! But… if you’re looking for someone who accepts you for who you are, and loves you because if it (or maybe in spite of it); someone who will help you to learn to love yourself no matter what you may have done, then you’ll want to get to know Jesus a whole lot better!

And some people are searching for fulfillment. They want to know that their lives matter, and that they have made a difference in the world. Now, if that means a career that’s so successful that everybody knows your name, you might as well move along. Jesus refuses to be a reference on anybody’s resume. But… if you want to be fulfilled deep down in your soul by the knowledge that the world is a better place because you were in it, then you’ve come to the right place – and to the right person.

“Who are you looking for?” It’s the most basic question in the world. Who are we looking for, anyway? And it might well take the rest of our lives to discern the answer. So, come – let’s begin together. Let’s take Jesus’ question seriously; and let’s respond to his invitation to “Come and see.” Hopefully, by Easter Sunday, we will have discovered an answer.

A Time for Joy

Is Christianity a joyful faith... or not? That question is basic to our faith and to how we live it. This sermon might help you think about the answer.

If you were asked to choose one piece of art that represents Christianity, what would it be? That’s a hard question, isn’t it? How do you pin down our faith to only one piece of art? Some people might choose Rodin’s sculpture “The Thinker”: the seated figure who is deep in thought. And we do ponder our faith quite a bit. But my guess is that a seminary professor or a clergy person would choose “The Thinker” to represent Christianity. The rest of us… not so much. Other people would choose a photograph of hands: hands reaching out in welcome, hands clasped in friendship, hands serving food or bandaging wounds or building adequate housing. Helping hands. That’s what the essence of Christianity is for many of us. But I’m afraid that for too many people, the Christian faith would be represented by Grant Wood’s painting “American Gothic.” You know that picture even if you don’t recognize its name. It features an older couple standing in front of a farmhouse. The man, who is holding a pitchfork, stares straight ahead; while the woman’s eyes look to the side as if anticipating troubles approaching from that direction. They are dressed plainly in dark colors; and the woman’s hair is pulled back into a bun. Their faces are as joyless and severe as ours are when we are in the midst of preparing a income tax return. Life for that couple is something not to be celebrated, but to be endured.

Isn’t that what many people think that is what Christianity us? They understand it to be joyless and severe, made up of “don’t and duty,” just like the couple in “American Gothic.” You know what some of those rules are! “Don’t enjoy life,” because it’s our duty to suffer because Jesus suffered. “Don’t look for pleasure,” because it’s our duty to focus on life’s problems. And for heaven’s sake, “Don’t do anything that might bring you joy!” Don’t dance, don’t play cards, and don’t eat rich foods. After all, it’s our duty to avoid any distractions that might put our immortal souls in peril! One of my close friends grew up in the Dutch Reformed tradition. His parents were very strict about what their faith allowed them to do – and what that faith didn’t allow. On Sundays, for example, he was permitted to read the Bible and only the Bible! Nothing else was allowed. No games, no play with friends, no secular amusements of any kind. Sunday wasn’t a day of joy; it was a day of “don’t and duty.”

Can anyone explain to me how Sunday – the day that is supposed to be a joyful celebration of the resurrection of our Lord – was changed into a day of “don’t and duty”? Christianity is, after all, a faith with joy as its foundation. Yes, we go through Good Friday; and yes, there is a cross in the front of our sanctuary; but Jesus isn’t on that cross anymore! Jesus is risen! We keep right on going through the pain and the sorrow and the grief of Good Friday until we get to Easter morning, when we laugh in joy and the world laughs with us! But that joy is a scandal to many people. Some of you may remember a picture from the mid-70s that was titled “The Laughing Christ.” In that drawing, Jesus’ head is thrown back and his face is full of laughter, mouth wide open and eyes crinkled in joy. It appealed to many folks who rejected the Christianity of “don’t and duty,” but it offended many more. “How could anyone draw a picture like that?” they asked. “Jesus never laughed! He was serious!” Gosh, I hope that they’re wrong.

Now, it’s true that Jesus never told a joke that started, “A rabbi, a priest, and a minister walk into a bar.” In fact, Jesus never told any jokes. But Jesus gave us some memorable images. For example, Jesus said that it would be harder for a rich man to get into God’s kingdom, than it was for a camel to get through the eye of a needle. Now, whether that needle’s eye refers to a literal sewing needle, or to the little tiny gate that leads into the ancient city of Jerusalem, the image of a camel trying to squeeze through it is fairly amusing. (At least, I think it is!) I cannot believe that Jesus didn’t enjoy a chuckle or two, and expected us to do the same. After all, Jesus told us that he came so that we might have life in abundance!

Now, don’t misunderstand me. Christianity acknowledges the brokenness in the world. Many situations in our lives are simply not joyful. We are forced to deal with an illness (our own or that of a loved one). We lose our employment; or the weather is bad and the crops don’t grow; and our checkbooks get thin. A cherished relationship is fractured beyond repair. These situations and many others like them are certainly not cause for joy. They are cause for grief; and Christians know that! But Christians also know that joy gets the last word. After Good Friday, Easter morning rolls around.

Right now, we Christians are in a season of joy; and if we lived in New Orleans or Mobile, Alabama, or Rio de Janeiro, we wouldn’t be able to escape it. In all those places, the Carnival season is underway right now. The celebration of Carnival begins on Epiphany (January 6), the traditional day that the Wise Men visited the child Jesus; and it ends at midnight on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. You know Carnival better as Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras isn’t just a day (although “Mardi Gras” means “Fat Tuesday” and is another name for Shrove Tuesday). Mardi Gras is a season, a season of joy and celebration – the season when Jesus is proclaimed to be the long-awaited Messiah, the savior of the whole world. Now, you may not be comfortable with some of the particular customs of Mardi Gras (particularly those that take place in the French Quarter of New Orleans); but at its foundation, Mardi Gras is the celebration of joy that precedes the more subdued season of Lent. Joy… sorrow… joy… sorrow. That’s what life is, isn’t it? It’s an eternal cycle of joy followed by sorrow followed by joy.

Now is the time for joy! Lent will come soon enough; and when it does, we will lift our eyes to the cross and admit that when God’s messiah arrived, we didn’t want anything to do with him. Greed was more important to us than generosity; selfishness was more powerful than compassion; and hate knocked out love with a left hook. Good Friday will loom ominously on the horizon. But right now… right now… it is the time for joy. We’ll have our own little Mardi Gras celebration after worship next week; and I hope that you choose to stay for the festivities. But even if you can’t eat lunch and join in the games next week, I hope that you join in the spirit of Mardi Gras wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. Now is the time for joy; and a reminder that, no matter what happens to us during the rest of our lives, the joy of Easter morning gets the last word!