Because when the ending is unclear, unseen or when the way is sometimes dark, Most of us struggle and live life far below our fullest potential.

Transcription

1 Sermon 27b 2015: Trusting in God and Going All In Introduction: Living with the End in Mind Have you ever read the end of a story before you ve finished the entire book; Or enjoyed reading a book again and again or seeing a movie again and again Even though you know what happens in the end? I don t do it often, but I ve found that knowing the end of the story Can sometimes be the greatest help for enjoying a good book or a movie. Now, I m not talking about a mystery, mind you, because that would ruin it But a story whose ending wouldn t be spoiled by us knowing What happens in the end because the book itself is so good. Knowing what comes next in the story in a book or in the story of our lives; Knowing the eventual or the expected outcome of some sort of action or pursuit Can be a tremendous advantage and encouragement; It can help us to relax, it frees us up just enough To enjoy what s going on as it is happening. Because when the ending is unclear, unseen or when the way is sometimes dark, Most of us struggle and live life far below our fullest potential. Most of us would like to know the end of the story from the beginning; Because we re more likely to live with a certain confidence and peace; Every turn of our worlds could be greeted with a sense of faith and hope; Changes in life would be welcomed with the expectation that the best will be ours That in the end all will be well and well indeed. But most of us aren t sure how our life s stories will end; We re unclear and uncomfortable with where Christ s call is taking us; And instead of welcoming each new chapter in hopeful expectation, We hold back in fear about what s coming next and miss the enjoyment all around us. 1

2 Most of us store up all that we can instead of being generous with everyone, For fear that there might not be enough some day; Most of us tighten up and operate at a level far below our best effort, For fear that our best isn t good enough Or that we have a limited amount to give, so better hold back. But if we live in faith and not in fear; If we answer Christ s call and walk with Him in the hope that God is watching over us; That God has an ultimate and good purpose in mind for us now and in the end; Then we are freed to live today, freed to give our all, open to going all in; Freed to enjoy each moment, each person, each challenge To give and to share and to enjoy life with God and one another To their fullest measure every day. And this freedom is ours, when we live in the hope and in the faith of the happy ending. The Command Now some of us don t need to know the end of the story to read it or to live it; We can accept what comes our way on the assurance of God in faith And live life to its fullest measure, And God has given us a lot of instructions, a lot of commandments to do just that. In fact, there are 613 commandments in the first five books of the Bible alone; And Jesus boils these and all the others down into two great commandments Calling us to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves. But the most common commandment in the Bible is not even in these 613 laws; The most often repeated command of God to people like you and me? Fear not! Be not afraid. Don t worry. It s what God tells Abraham and Sarah as they leave for the promised land; It s what God says to Moses when he has to face Pharaoh; It s the promise that Naomi and Ruth hold to as they return home; It s what David knows as he stands before Goliath; 2

3 Gabriel says it to Mary when he visits her to announce Jesus birth; It s what the angels tell the shepherds that first Christmas night in Bethlehem; And it s what anyone within the sound of Jesus voice hears again and again So that they can live in the hope that all will be well whatever happens next. Fear not. In this morning s readings, we meet some people who are trying to live by this command; People who trust that the end of their life s stories are in God s hand; Who have a faith and a hope in God that allows them to trust, And to give all that they have because they are not afraid. The story of Naomi and Ruth is about a widow, Ruth, who has lost her husband And her two sons; With nothing holding her in a foreign land; She returns to her homeland, Israel, but not alone; One of her daughter s in law loves her so much And is so taken with Ruth s God that she leaves her home to go with Naomi. Two women without husbands are in a most challenging place; But with a glimmer of hope and trust in God they journey together And are blessed by God as Ruth finds a new husband and protector; And a Ruth and Boaz give birth to a son; Faith and trust in God win out, even through difficulty. And in the Gospel this morning, Jesus is watching people give their money to God; Most giving out of their abundance or what s left over after they ve taken care Of their own needs and wants; And one widow who puts in two small coins, all she has. The woman gives, not out of her abundance, not with merely a portion; But with all that she has, trusting that God will care for her now and in the end. 3

4 She gives with a faith and trust in God that is so strong; A trust in God that is so profound that she doesn t need to know the end of her story But lives life looking forward in absolute hope that God is watching overall of us; Freeing us to live and go all in with our lives; Be not afraid. Fear not. Don t worry. The End of the Story and Life in God But we don t have to live merely under the command to not be afraid, So that we can live our lives in hopeful expectation and go all in with our lives We also know the end of our story, you and me. We hear it in the prayers and when we celebrate the Eucharist each Sunday, And this morning we hear it again in the reading in the Letter to the Hebrews. Now Hebrews is a letter that s given over entirely to telling and explaining The end of the story and what it means for our lives; Some people have described it as a jewel that looks at the end; From every angle and in every different light. It is a description of what Jesus death and resurrection means for you and for me; And these few verses we read this morning Tell us that because God loves each of us so much, He sent His Son to offer Himself once and for all So that our sins may be forgiven And we may enter into eternal life beyond our deaths. That s a pretty good ending to our stories; An ending good enough to allow us to turn back to our day to day lives in hope; An ending so wonderful that we can turn to this day And to tomorrow and to the next day Trusting that God is with us in our ups and downs, Confident that God is there in our successes and failures; 4

5 Certain that God is walking alongside us; In our moments of greatest joy and deepest sorrow; Calling us to live a life that is truly life. Knowing the end of the story can be a tremendous advantage and pleasure for living Because it can help us relax and free us up just enough To enjoy what s going on as it happens, easy or hard. When my brothers and I were very young, We shared one small room in our house on Lively Lane, And going to sleep and sleeping through the night was often tricky. It was especially difficult for a time because our youngest brother, Brad, Got nightmares pretty often & there was a lot of noise in the room on those nights As my parents tried to calm him down, to tell him not to be afraid. Sometimes it was because of the events of the day; But most of his nightmares came from reading books That had an unseen ending for the hero. As young boys, read a lot of westerns and adventure books, The hero was often in tough situations And as you turned the pages and read about the challenges he had to face, It was easy to get scared that he wasn t going to make it That there was no chance for a happy ending, no hope in sight. And it was these tough situations, these unknown endings That gave my brother Brad such trouble going to sleep at night. This went on for months, until our older brother, James, suggested That Brad read the last chapter first to see if the hero was alive in the end. 5

6 And after a good bit of encouragement and a little pounding, he did just that. The nightmares ended and Brad not only slept through the night more easily, But started to really enjoy these adventure books, even scary books I wouldn t touch And what I remember most after this change is hearing him talk as he read Hearing him encouraging the hero through tough moments Telling him it would be all right and to hang in there, And all because Brad knew the end of the story and could enjoy the adventure again. We know the end of the story; You and I know how our lives turn out in the end. And so I invite you this morning to remember the end of the story I invite you to live in the hope that Christ is calling and is walking with you In a life that has the happiest of endings. Hear God s comforting words to not be afraid And put your faith and your hope in the one who has given His all So that you and I can live each day in the promise of forgiveness And the hope of resurrection. Who knows what the next chapter may bring in your life and my life, Or what God may be calling us to be or to do or to try or to give? Whatever it is and whatever this day brings, Know that you are loved by God and that this call of Christ, This Christian life always leads to life now And more life in an age to come. Amen. 6