“Getting Ready Before Our Train Comes”

Sermon Delivered By Rev. Dick Stetler – April 7, 2019

Centenary United Methodist Church

Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4b-11

 

    This morning we are going to talk about one aspect of our lives that makes all the difference in the world to our happiness and fulfillment.  While having the spirit of love is extremely important, that is not what we will be discussing.  This message is on the value of letting go instantly when something unpleasant confronts us.  It makes no sense to allow anything in the external world to have control over our feelings and thoughts.

    Jesus taught this value but his words have had little or no impact on the choices made by a good number of people.  Here in a greatly expanded version is what he said:

Do not focus your energies on piling up financial assets, on holding on to the attractiveness from your more youthful days, or on becoming dependent on anything for your security and happiness. Rather, develop and fine-tune the qualities that you will find useful when your sojourn on the earth ends. The way to measure where you are, is to examine your thoughts and feelings during the various stages of your life. (Matthew 6:19-21)

    Most of us thoroughly understand such wisdom. Yet, we have known people who constantly worry about their financial security, people who want to remain young-looking for as long as it is possible, or people who cannot move on from an unexpected loss. In fact, such needs may belong to us. 

    In spite of the quality of our circumstances, we all know that sooner or later, our train will stop at our station with our name on it.  No matter what we have done or how important we are to this world, this train will be our ticket to graduate from this life.

    Jesus learned that God was absolutely no help at all in intervening to change his circumstances.  He and he alone made the choice to stay where he was in Jerusalem. (Matthew 26:39) Many believe, because of what Jesus prayed in the Garden, that his death was God's plan.  Was it?  Yes, it was God's plan. Every response that we make within our set of circumstances is the way creation was designed to work.  Jesus was no exception. He made the decision to stay and face his possible death.  However, had Jesus left Jerusalem and returned to Galilee to continue his preaching and teaching, we as followers today would have had a completely different narrative for God's will.   

    Our lesson this morning provides an excellent role model for all of us to follow.  Paul's status in the world was perhaps second to none.  He had everything that a person could wish for while living in his world. He came from a family of wealth.  We know this because his father purchased Roman Citizenship for him. He wrote:

If any of you believe in putting your trust in external circumstances, I have many reasons to celebrate my own success. I am a pure-blooded Hebrew born of the tribe of Benjamin. As a Pharisee, I lived flawlessly in my obedience to the Law.  I aggressively protected my understanding of God's will by guarding against the contamination being spread by heretical believers who call themselves Followers of the Way. (Philippians 3:4b-6)

     What happened to Saul of Tarsus caused him to walk away from everything he once treasured.  He also developed new attitudes that made him hungry for a quality of life that was far more satisfying.  He had an ego-shattering experience while on the road to Damascus.  Paul encountered the same energizing presence of Jesus that occurred when disciples came face to face with the Master after his crucifixion.

    Paul quickly got the message that very little in his physical life ultimately mattered. The wake-up call for Paul was his discovery that he had been investing his energy in aspects of living that did not matter.  Once he learned that there was much more ahead for everyone, he abandoned his successes of this world.  He became fascinated by the implications associated with eternal life and dedicated the rest of his life to spreading the word about his findings. (Philippians 3:10)

    This is the fifth and final Sunday of Lent.  What was Paul's message?  Are we to discard all our creature-comforts and live more ascetic lives?  Jesus claimed that he had no consistent place to sleep at night.  (Luke 9:58) Paul appeared to lay aside his family and the hopes and dreams that his parents may have had for their brilliant son. (Philippines 3:8-9) 

     Historically, there have been a number of significant spiritual teachers who have roamed for a time as beggars. However, there was a more enlightened message that spiritual teachers wanted their pupils to know.  In essence they taught:

Never let the tendrils of your hearts become so entwined around anything in this world that you cannot release your attachment to it in a moment's notice.

    Italy has given the world many notable artists.  One of them bore the name of Caravaggio. (1571-1610) His parents must have recognized some unique qualities in their infant son because his first name was Michelangelo. This artist was not THE Michelangelo, who was born nearly a century earlier. His work, however, was prized in Rome, Naples, Malta, and Sicily for his use of light to accentuate the personalities on his canvases. Caravaggio's art captured people engaged in natural activities that were common among his people.

    His studio was raided by robbers one night.  A number of his fine paintings were stolen but his attitude about the thief was quite unique. His response was:

The robbers took a number of my paintings, but the creator of those paintings will continue painting. I will replace what was taken with new ones that will not have the flaws that I detected in them.  That is why I had separated them from the others.

    He was able effortlessly to let-go of the things of his world and contented himself with creating beauty inside of his life as well as on his numerous canvases depicting ordinary people. 

    This is the essence of what the wise spiritual teachers have told their listeners and readers through the ages. It does not matter what we do, what mastery we bring to our craft, or where our train station is located on the timeline of our physical existence.  What matters is the spirit by which we live.  It is precisely this one quality that we will take with us when we enter the next phase of our continued existence.  Everything else, including our sins, will vaporize.

    The art of letting go of everything in this world truly frees us from moments of disappointment to making judgments of issues in our lives that we cannot change.  Separating ourselves from all attachments to this world will happen automatically.  Why not do so, when it is our choice as it was for Paul?

    There was a time during my ministry at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C. when I was a member of a group that worked to secure a 25-Million-dollar grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, an Agency of the Federal Government.

    We were successful by being awarded the grant.  We built a state-of-the-art community that blended perfectly into the architecture of Capitol Hill.  This housing was designed for people with mixed levels of income. Shortly after the completion of the project, I was appointed to a new church in Bowie, Maryland. 

    Because I was moved and a new pastor had been appointed to Capitol Hill, I was denied the privilege of attending the ribbon cutting ceremony. My replacement represented the role played by my former Church. 

    I remained as the pastor of St. Matthew's for the next fifteen years and then I retired.  After six months of traveling, I received a call from the pastor who had replaced me at Capitol Hill.  He was now a District Superintendent.  He asked me a question that changed our lives, "Would you and Lois like to take a small congregation on the island of Bermuda?"  I said, "Give me ten seconds so I can engage in deep soul searching and prayer and I'll get back to you within the next half-hour.  I needed to discuss the matter with Lois."

    We are in our ninth year in Bermuda.  That District Superintendent gave me an extension of my ministry that had been nowhere on the horizon of my life nor was such an appointment lingering somewhere on the margins of my imagination. My interpretation of becoming your pastor was one of those silent, invisible energy flows that mysteriously molds our lives. No one could have written this script.  

    Helen Steiner Rice wrote a poem about experiences like this.  Here are some lines from her poem:

Together we stand at life’s crossroads and view what we think is the end.  But God has a much bigger vision and He tells us, "It’s only a bend – for the road goes on and is smoother and the pause in the song is a rest. The part that’s unsung and unfinished is the sweetest, the richest, and the best.  So, rest and relax and grow stronger, let go and allow God to share your load.  Your work is not finished or ended; you’ve just come to a bend in the road." 

    A number of people in my experience can hardly wait for their retirement.  In fact, they want it so badly that many of them have retired at their earliest possible opportunity.  I let go of my retirement as a goal just as I let go instantly of being denied participating in the ribbon cutting ceremony at the Ellen Wilson Housing Redevelopment project. 

    Here is the timeless wisdom that Paul gave to people who are now living two thousand years in the future.  This is a message we could take home with us today.

Do not hold on to anything in this world in spite of how bright and shiny it looks. Develop your spirits for what comes next when your train stops at your station with your name on it.

     

CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER

Loving God, from the beginning of time, you have surrounded us with invitations to live in harmony with you and each other.  Your guidance comes in many unique and different forms.  Many of them are only recognized when we are prepared to understand. Thank you for giving our spirits the ability to be drawn into your presence through the harmonies of music, spoken words, and all that happens when we come together to worship. Our spirits yearn to be free from the worries and fears of uncertainty.  Fill us with your Spirit so that through us the world might be blessed.  Amen.

     

PASTORAL PRAYER

Loving God, we thank you for sensing our desires long before we express them.  We thank you that you filled our lives with unspeakable treasures that enable us to remain resilient once we have found them.  When we discover such a treasure trove, turning the other cheek is no longer a chore, remaining flexible during challenging circumstances comes more easily, and being creative in our thinking appears to come more as a natural extension of who you created us to be.  All this happens when our minds, hearts, and spirits are not preoccupied by events that are beyond our ability to change. 

Thank you for leading us during these days of Lent.  We have learned from Jesus as we watched how he navigated through waters that were storm swept.  He helped us observe his skills of displaying a peaceful spirit when his detractors challenged him publicly.  Guide us with a passion to maintain our values when we are faced with others that have values and goals that are foreign to us.  Help us to remember that in every way, Jesus modeled for us the kind of people we can be even when our pride and feelings are hurt.  He was hurt and eventually killed, but his resurrection was always a part of your will. 

In all that we do we pray that our lives will always serve to make your spirit visible.  Help all of us to understand what the unselfish giving of ourselves will do to inspire others. We pray these thoughts through the loving spirit of Jesus, the Christ, who taught us to say when we pray . . .