“What Is Your Greatest Hope?”


Sermon Delivered By Rev. Dick Stetler – November 27, 2016

Centenary United Methodist Church

Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14

 

    This morning Roy and Marianne have lighted our first candle on our Advent wreath -- the candle of Hope.  What is your fondest hope?  Have you ever thought about it?  This is a major question because the answer can set the tone for what you look forward to in the future. To some people the future is frightening and yet for others the future is a literal cornucopia of wonderful goods, services and opportunities that defy the imaginations of even the most unique visionaries.

    During our New Year's Eve Meditation services, I have used variations of sayings that were written by grandmothers on the theme, "If I could live my life over again . . . "  What they wrote contains wisdom that everyone can use. Of course, all of these were written from the vantage point of hindsight rather than information that they actually used as they were maturing into adulthood.  Here are six of them:

1.  "I would spend more time being me instead of who others wanted me to be."

2.  "I would better manage my fears and take far more risks."

3.  "I would make fewer plans and find joy in all the unscheduled detours."

4.  "I would make life my main adventure instead of pursuing what made me more secure."

5.  "I would learn early that the personal trainers for my character development were mean-spirited people, personal failures and losses, mistakes in judgment and hurt feelings."

6.  "I would have spent my discretionary money on what I needed rather than on what I wanted.  And, I would have started saving for my retirement with my first pay check."

     In my library in Maryland, I have a thick book that is filled with wise sayings from American sages and another thick book that features wise sayings from businessmen and women.  We also need to remember that the Book of Proverbs has been around for thousands of years.  The point is that we have no shortage of "how-to-live by verbal road maps" that will guarantee success if we follow their advice.

    In our lesson this morning from the Book of Romans, the Apostle Paul is listing numerous behaviors that must have existed among the people to whom he was writing.  He listed: "no more orgies, drunkenness, immorality, indecency, fighting and jealousy."   

    If Paul were writing another list for today, he might have written: no more escaping into complacency, eating comfort foods, spending hours in front of a television, partying, frivolous spending habits and enjoying numerous bed partners.  While these "do nots" are somewhat different from those of Paul's original list, they have something in common.  All of them are forms of self-indulgence. What we are celebrating this morning is the arrival of a new hope for human behavior.

    I had an interesting experience at a reception following a wedding I performed. The groom was a high-tech engineer that worked for IBM.  I was seated at a table with three of his friends.  They were among a new group of people that has emerged all over the world.  They were in their mid-twenties, very handsome and single. Each of them was a multi-millionaire after they sold their start-up companies to IBM. This setting was where they met the groom.  

    They were like less wealthy versions of Mark Zuckerberg. Think about this. Mark is the 33 year-old co-founder of Facebook.  He has an estimated net worth of 56.5 billion dollars as of the end of this month. 

    I only had an hour to be with these three gentlemen so I sowed some verbal seeds while I had their attention.  Not one of them had thought about what they would do next with their lives except to enjoy their wealth.  Self-indulgence might become their biggest test.  The potential was there for all of them to be modern versions of having the temptations of the Prodigal Son.

    I asked them what created their instant wealth.  They had various answers, none of which were correct. I responded, "What gave you your wealth was the use of your creative imaginations."  The three of them readily agreed. With the time we had left at the reception, we had a conversation about the invisible aspect of themselves where the products of their imaginations had their origin. 

    The three of them had no background of religious training.  They never considered anything to do with their spiritual evolution.  However, each appeared keenly interested in learning more about this unique source of creativity in themselves. They began asking very insightful questions and the three promised that they would keep in touch with me.  Not one of them has followed through. 

    Sometimes these conversations are like when a person hears a sermon that is meaningful to them. As they are leaving the service, they might say to the pastor, "Your sermon squarely hit a concern that I've been wrestling with!  Would you please send to me a copy of it?"   The chances are good that after lunch, followed by an afternoon football game, they had completely forgotten about what had been so meaningful. 

    This is the way life is for us.  External influences attach themselves to us only when they reinforce a value that we have been developing for years.  However, the world is so full of pleasant distractions that new insights seldom take up residence in our spirits.

    To a number of people what Jesus taught appears like the distilled wisdom from one of those grandmothers as she looked back over her life and considered things she would have done differently.  However, Jesus was pointing to a treasure trove of talents inside of everyone.  This is what got the attention of the three young millionaires.  Jesus' hope was that his teaching about the source of our creativity might be understood by all humanity.  He called it the Kingdom of God, or the place where God's spiritual energy awaits our use.

    What is our greatest hope? My hunch is that if people learned early in life to harness this God-given rudder, this inner compass, this highly intuitive source of creativity, the doors of opportunity all around them would open.  All barriers to success would melt away.

    The other day in the Royal Gazette we learned that the CEO of Tyson Foods is retiring with what industry calls "a golden parachute."   For him, this translated into a 24-million dollar severance package.  He was also given a 3-year consulting agreement with Tyson Foods that would guarantee him $5,800 an hour.  We can hardly imagine being given that kind of money.

    What is obvious to the people who know Donnie Smith is that he achieved such a level of success by harnessing what he found within himself.  No one gave him the keys to the corner office. He had discovered the rudder and the inner compass that charted his course in life urging him to pursue what he enjoyed doing.  He wanted to have fun while following his dream.  How many people learn to do that? A lot of people start life without a dream to follow which is a disguised form of hopeful-navigation while living.  Life is more than a good paying job with benefits. 

    If Jesus could use plain English, no doubt he would say:  "Have a good time with what you discover within yourselves.  Keep your creative energy flowing away from you.  No matter what you choose to do, help to make your world a better place."  This is what Salvation looks like while living in our world.  Jesus taught us how to avoid the attractive trap that self-indulgence represents.

    As we look back on our lives, the things that attracted us to people had little to do with their perfection.  What endeared them to us were the unique aspects in their personality that made them quite loveable.  Jesus preferred being with these people.  He chose to stay away from the "holier than thou" leaders of his religious heritage and faith.

          Irene Nobel was a compelling personality when Lois and I visited her.  She was a worry-queen. Once she told us that sometimes she lies awake at night wondering what she will worry about during the following day. She made worrying into an art form. There was no talking her out of worrying; this is what she chose to do.  She felt so strongly about worrying that this was the source of her daily prayers.  We never met her husband, Norman, but his qualities came from pursuing what he enjoyed doing.  We are sorry we never got to meet him.

    Clarissa Woolridge was wedded to serving us tea with napkins, china cups, creamer and sugar bowls, a tray filled with fruit and a plate piled up with cookies.  I said, "All I need is a tea bag and a Styrofoam cup and I'll be good."  She said, "You would not be good in my house."  Again, we laughed and laughed at her countless stories.  She was a walking historian of early life in Bermuda.  This was what made her so loveable.  Her husband, Stanley, was legendary because of what he enjoyed doing while being of service as a taxi driver.  All the movers and shakers in Bermuda knew Stanley.

    There was a time when Effie Ratteray was preparing the hall for a meal.  She had prepared bowls for the tables with red and yellow hibiscus flowers floating on water.  I arranged them on one table with two yellows and two reds in a row.  Then I sat back and watched what Effie would do when she noticed my arrangement.  Predictably she came out and rearranged them so that they were red, yellow, red and yellow. 

    Sometimes I carry to the sanctuary the flowers for our worship service that she has arranged in the hall.  I set them on the stand.  Quite often she will check on how I positioned them and she will turn the vase a half an inch to suit the visual affect that she wants to create. Effie is so loveable as a result and Centenary would be in deep trouble without her desire to get all of us together around food.  I am glad that she is here this morning to hear this.

    What makes a diamond sparkle in the sunlight is the manner in which the diamond-cutter fashioned the stone prior to its sale. Properly cut diamonds will reflect the sun's rays with the colors of a rainbow.  We are attracted to people that radiate what it is that makes them beautiful in the eyes of the beholder.

    It was love that brought Jesus into the world.  Jesus taught his listeners how to embrace the world and how to live in it by giving themselves away to help the world face the needs of its people in the future.  When we learn this message and make it visible in our lives, a more universal hope is that God will greet us with open arms when it is time for us to leave this life. This is our hope for humanity as once again we welcome him into our world on this first Sunday of Advent.