CHRISIANITY 101: THE GOSPEL OF WHAT IF
Some of the most devout and faithful people I have ever encountered are church secretaries. They tend to be loyal, dedicated and true. But they are human, and when they make a mistake – in the church bulletin, for example – their blunders become fodder for exploitation. Listen now to a few of the more noteworthy church bulletin bloopers inadvertently made by devout and faithful secretaries of the church.
- At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be, “What is Hell?” Come early and listen to our choir practice.
- The peacemaking conference, originally scheduled to take place today, has been cancelled due to a conflict.
- This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Jones to please come forward…and lay and egg on the altar.
- Thursday at 5:00 p.m. there will be a meeting of the Little Mothers Club. All those wishing to become Little Mothers, please see the pastor in his office.
- For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
- The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.
- The rosebud on the altar is in honor of the birth of David Alan Belzer, the sin of Reverend and Mrs. Belzer.
- The ladies of the congregation have cast off clothing of all kinds. They may be seen this afternoon in the fellowship hall.
- Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don’t forget to bring your husbands!
- And last but not least, “Don’t let worry kill you. Let the church help.”
It’s that last bulletin blooper that I want to talk about today because the fact of the matter is: we worry all the time. We worry about whether or not we’ll be able to pass all our final exams in school. We worry about whether this girl or that guy will like us. We worry about whether or not our kids will get into the right college. And if they do, we worry about whether or not they’ll be able to pay back all that incredibly crushing debt. We worry about that medical procedure we had to endure because the doctor found a spot that shouldn’t be there. We worry about whether or not our savings accounts will last through our retirement years. We worry about how we’ll survive after the loss of a husband or a wife to whom we’d been married for over fifty years.
We really do have a lot to worry about, don’t we? What’s more, it’s my theory that we come by worry naturally. We tend to abide by the gospel of, “What if?” What if this happens, or what if that happens? What will I do then? For example, both of my parents were raised on farms in Iowa. They instilled within me what I call an old-fashioned Midwestern work ethic. Yet they also instilled what I call an old-fashioned Midwestern pessimism. What does that mean?
Think of this. If you grew up on a farm, you were dependent upon the weather. Good weather meant a bumper crop and ample food for the year. Bad weather meant a poor crop and a long, hard winter ahead. Here’s where my theory comes into play. My parents tended to always expect the worst. You see, when you always expect the worst, you’re never disappointed. Sometimes, you’re even pleasantly surprised. Pessimism – and the worry it entails – thus becomes a coping mechanism. It becomes a coping mechanism for those whose livelihood is dependent upon something as precarious as the weather. Thus, one’s personal narrative comes to be what might be called, “The Gospel of What If.” Keep that thought in mind as we move on.
A number of weeks ago, we noted how – each and every day – we make decisions that move us closer to a life of virtue, or closer to a life of ruin. Though the past may be written in stone, the future is more like wet cement…pliable, soft, and ready to be shaped by the decisions we make. Our goal is to develop a more godly life narrative. Our goal is to discover what it means to live a life of virtue. Our goal is to seek to discern where our deep happiness may truly be found.
We suggested that our deepest happiness is found in the kingdom of God. We noted that the kingdom of God is not just something we hope to attain in the future. As Jesus clearly stated, the kingdom of God is also a very present reality. Thus, the kingdom of God of which we speak is not a place. The kingdom of God of which we speak is an interactive relationship with God…an interactive relationship that brings us peace of heart and mind.
We noted how many of us will not even consider a more godly life narrative – many of us will not even begin to seek out an interactive relationship with God – until we encounter a drought in life…until we come up against something that we cannot control. So what we did was consider a social problem that appears to be beyond human resolution: bullying in the classroom. We postulated that while we may not be able to resolve all the social ills that surround us, God is able to resolve the un-resolvable. What we need to do is recognize that fact, and be open to the movement of God’s Holy Spirit. That, my friends, is where our own transformation truly begins.
Then we got a bit more specific as to how we actually build an interactive relationship with God. The first thing we aimed at was conquering anger. We contrasted anger with Sabbath rest. Anger is a result of our need to control; Sabbath teaches us to trust in God’s strength. Anger is a result of the narrative that we need to be perfect; Sabbath reminds us that we are forgiven. Anger is a result of our fear that God has somehow lost sight of us; Sabbath ensures us that God is watching over us at all times.
Our subsequent goal was to overcome lust. In the words of Harry Emerson Fosdick, “Only by a stronger passion can evil passions be expelled,” and, “A soul unoccupied by positive devotion is sure to be occupied by spiritual demons.” What we sought was what we called the expulsive power of a new affection. We determined that if our new affection was, in fact, the kingdom of God…then lust would simply lose its grip on us. Thus, perhaps the solution to our problem here is prayer.
The next thing we aimed at overcoming was lying. What we determined was that as we move further and further into kingdom living – as our hearts become more and more transformed into the likeness and image of Christ – what we need to do is use our tongues to bless and encourage, rather than to harm or humiliate. We need to learn to build up, rather than tear down. In short, we use our tongues to speak words that bestow the grace of God upon others. While that means, on the one hand, that we do not lie…it also means that our general tone is one of compassion, hope and kindness.
Then we talked about learning to live above the law of reciprocity. The law of reciprocity, of course, is an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Yet as Gandhi once put it, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth makes the whole world blind and toothless.” Jesus proposed a better way. He taught us to trust that God – in spite of the odds – can somehow turn that which is evil into good. Why do we believe this? Because our new kingdom narrative assures us that the kingdom of God is never in trouble.
Then we tackled the sin of vainglory. Vainglory, of course, is defined as the need to have others think well of us. It’s a little like pride, but a bit more specific. The secret to conquering vain-glory is to recognize that in the kingdom of God, we are not playing to an audience of many. We are playing to an audience of One; and that One…is God.
Finally, we considered the sin of avarice. Avarice is a little like greed in that it has to do with excessive desire, yet avarice is more specifically defined as greed for money or for possessions. We noted how kingdom economics have to do with simplicity. In other words, that which we spend, and that which we aim to possess, should have more to do with our genuine need than it does with our insatiable desire. If that were to actually become the case with us, we might finally come to understand the true meaning of generosity.
Today our goal is to try to overcome worry. Worry is defined as a disproportionate level of concern based upon an inappropriate measure of fear. Unchecked levels of worry can actually cause health problems, impact relationships, and sap the joy right out of life. What’s more, if we were to ask Jesus his opinion on worry, I think he’d tell us that it also represents a lack of faith in God.
Consider the passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew. There Jesus says, “Do not worry about your life – what you will eat or what you will drink – or about your body; what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Later he adds, “Can any of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your span of life? So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.”
The point here, I think, is that worry keeps us focused on our own limited resources. Faith refocuses our attention onto God’s abundant resources. Perhaps this is why Jesus seems to indicate that worry has no place in the kingdom of God. Worry happens when we sit on the thrones of our lives. Worry flourishes when we reside in the kingdom of this world...and not in the kingdom of God.
A late 20th century spiritual writer by the name of Henri Nouwen addresses the statement Jesus made here in a book called, Making All Things New. He writes:
Jesus does not respond to our worry-filled way of living by saying that we should not be busy with worldly affairs. He does not try to pull us away from the many events, activities, and people that make up our lives. He does not tell us that what we do is unimportant, or valueless, or useless. Nor does he suggest that we should withdraw from our involvements and live quiet, restful lives removed from the struggles of the world.
Jesus’ response to our worry-filled lives is really quite different. He asks us to shift the point of gravity – to relocate the center of our attention – and to change our priorities. Jesus wants us to move from the many things to the one necessary thing. It is important for us to realize that Jesus in no way wants us to abandon our multi-faceted world. Rather, he wants us to live in it, but to live in it firmly rooted in the center of all things.
Jesus does not speak about a change of activities, a change of contacts, or even a change of pace. He speaks about a change of heart. This change of heart makes everything different, even while everything appears to remain the same. This is the true meaning of Jesus’ words, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” What counts is where our hearts are. When we worry, we have our hearts in the wrong place. Jesus asks us to move our hearts to the center, where all of the other things fall into place.
So just exactly how do we move our hearts to the center so everything else can fall into place? Just exactly what might our lives look like if we took Jesus’ advice? I think Dr. Kent M. Keith paints an intriguing picture in a book called, Ten Paradoxical Commandments. He writes:
1. People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered. Love them anyway.
2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
3. If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
6. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
7. People favor underdogs, but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
9. People really need help, but may attack you if you help them. Help people anyway.
10. Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.
Mother Teresa added a line to the Ten Paradoxical Commandments in a prayer simply called, “Mother Teresa’s Prayer.” She wrote: “In the final analysis, it’s between you and God. It was never between you and anyone else anyway.” That’s how we overcome worry, and that’s how we move beyond “The Gospel of What If.” We come to realize that in the final analysis, it’s between us and God. It was never meant to be between us and anyone else anyway. Amen.
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