Finding Balance Sermon Delivered on Sunday, March By Rev. Donna L. Martin

Transcription

1 Finding Balance Sermon Delivered on Sunday, March By Rev. Donna L. Martin There is an old joke about a pastor giving the children's message during church. On this particular Sunday, she was using squirrels as an object lesson on persistence and preparation. She began by saying, "I'm going to describe something, and I want you to raise your hand when you know what it is." The children nodded eagerly. "This thing lives in trees (pause) and eats nuts (pause)..." No hands went up. "And it is brown (pause) and has a long bushy tail (pause)..." The children were looking at each other, but still no hands were raised and the pastor was getting concerned. Hoping to provide them with a few more clues, she quickly added "And it jumps from branch to branch (pause) and chatters and flips its tail when it's excited (pause)..." Finally one little boy tentatively raised his hand. The pastor breathed a sigh of relief and called on him. "Well," said the boy, "I know the answer is supposed to be Jesus... but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me!" There is a part of us that wants to have all the right answers. Sometimes we think we know what the answer is supposed to be, but all the pieces and clues don t seem to fit. But the truth is sometimes we just have to do the best we can, take some risks and adjust as necessary. Most answers are not one-size-fits all. But this joke reminded me of the time when Jim and I were taking Disciple Bible Study from Joan Ahrens at University UMC. There was a running joke in the class, that no matter what the subject matter or scripture being studied, the answer to any question she asked was one of two things, either it was balance or the Holy Spirit. I have since come to learn that these two answers are in many respects the same answer, because true balance in life takes a large measure of the Holy Spirit. So even though most answers in life are not one-size-fits-all, balance, based on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, comes pretty close. Over the past month are so, we have been examining John Wesley s General Rules or as Bishop Rueben Job describes them: Three Simple Rules That Will Change the World. These rules were the guidance Wesley gave to those who wanted to know how to best live the Christian life. And it seems 1

2 to me that if we consciously apply these three rules to our lives do no harm, do all the good you can and stay in love with God we will be living a balanced life. Now I am not talking about balance between church and our lives outside of church because as Christians our priority should always be Christ regardless of the setting. No, I am talking about finding balance WITHIN our Christian living and there are several ways to look at this. For instance, through the centuries Christians have struggled with which is more important faith or works. And it is no wonder there is some confusion. In our two scriptures today, it would seem that we are being told two contradictory things. In Ephesians we are told that we are saved by grace through faith, not our works, but then in Philippians we are told to carry out (or some versions say work out) our salvation with fear and trembling. Say what??? Those who have come down on the faith side of the equation have had a tendency to feel their work has been accomplished once they believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Their salvation is secure. They know where they are going when they die. Halleluiah! While those who have a tendency to heavily emphasize the works side of the equation seem to be trying to earn their way to heaven. However, the works-heavy system often produces self-sufficient Christians who forget it is Jesus who saves and it is Jesus who should be the focus of our good works. The truth is both faith and works are necessary, but there needs to be balance between them. In his book, A Blueprint for Discipleship: Wesley's General Rules as a Guide for Christian Living, Kevin Watson says, the most faithful articulation of the Gospel is one that highlights who Jesus is and what he has done to save us from slavery to sin and death, while simultaneously affirming that Jesus invites us into a new way of living. Jesus is not asking us simply to accept a ticket to heaven. Rather, Jesus is inviting us to receive the gift of new life. (Watson, pg. 94) Watson further says the balance needed to live the Christian life, this new life we receive in Christ, can be found in Wesley s three rules because in living these three rules we not only find a balance between faith and works, but balance between personal devotion to God and social action and, consequently, a balance between love of God and love of neighbor. 2

3 How are we to do this? Well, as in all things Christian, all we need do is look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, and to the cross, because in both his life and death we find the perfect example of balance. If we examine Jesus life in the gospels, we find he often spent time alone in prayer with his heavenly Father. He went to the temple to worship. He spent time in the scriptures learning them by heart. He took part in those religious rituals that exhibited meaningful devotion to God. But his time was not spent entirely in acts of devotion; he also helped people by healing them in body, mind, and spirit. He offered love and acceptance to the outcasts of society tax collectors, prostitutes, the afflicted and poor. He taught people about God s love. In Jesus s life we see a balance between personal devotion to God and the kind of social action that exhibited God s love and mercy for all. But it is in his death on the cross that we see his most intentional effort to balance love of God and love of neighbor. Through his death on the cross he exhibited the kind of complete obedience and commitment to God that can only come from deep and abiding love and because of his love for us, his human neighbors, he willingly sacrificed his life so that our sins might be forgiven and we all might be reconciled to God. So the cross is a perfect symbol for the balance he showed and the balance we seek as we follow him. Notice, if you will, there are two parts to the cross. There is a vertical beam and the horizontal arm. The vertical beam illustrates the part of our lives in which we explore and develop our relationship with God. This vertical dimension represents anything we do that helps strengthen our personal devotion to God. John Wesley called these acts of piety and they include things like prayer, worship, reading and reflecting on the scripture, fasting and participating in sacraments like Holy Communion. As we discussed last week, these disciplines and activities help us stay in love with God. But to have a complete cross we need more than just a vertical beam, it also requires a horizontal arm. The cross arm represents extending the love we find in God to those around us in very real and tangible ways. John Wesley called the love we show to others acts of mercy. This means doing no harm and doing good. It means making sure we don t do things that could tear people down like gossip, but it also means we do everything we can, in every way we can, and in every place we can to build people up. 3

4 Acts of mercy are when we feed the hungry; clothe the naked, care for the sick and those in need. It s when we give shoe boxes to Operation Christmas Child, provide a place for the homeless to sleep and food for them to eat on freezing nights; it is providing manna bags for those who need food for the day or a sack of groceries out of the food pantry for those who are trying to make ends meet. Acts of Mercy are when we reach out in love to someone lonely and let them know they are not alone. It is when we speak words of love and patience to young mother who is struggling to keep her sanity as she tends to the daily responsibilities of life. It is when we invite someone who does not know the love of Jesus to come and share a meal or participate in a non-churchy activity at church (like a work day or a senior lunch) so that we can build relationships that later lead to meaningful spiritual conversations. But if we only do acts of mercy we do not have a complete cross either. Do you see that it takes both acts of piety and acts of mercy to have a complete and balanced cross? We need both. Too much of one and too little of the other throws us out of balance. So the question I pose to you today is: Are you living a balanced life? Does God s love burn in your heart, but for one reason or another you have not put that love into action? If that is the case, come talk to me and let s discuss you gifts, your dreams, your passions and I bet we can find a place to put your gifts to good use. Frederick Buechner once said, The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world s deep hunger meet. Want to know a greater level of joy and peace? Put your gifts and your love into action. But maybe you are one of those people who find themselves doing, doing, doing to the point of exhaustion or burnout. Maybe the answer is doing less, but possibly the answer is simply taking time to re-ignite the flame by spending time with God. John Wesley once wrote, "Though I am always in haste, I am never in a hurry because I never undertake more work than I can go through with calmness of spirit." Wesley accomplished a tremendous amount in his lifetime, but he always began the day in prayer. And it is said that if he knew the day before him would be long and difficult, instead of rushing head-long into the day, he spent even more time in prayer. Finding calmness of spirit takes listening for the Holy Spirit. Want to find more calmness and joy in your works of mercy? Take time to stay in love with God. 4

5 Jesus said we are to take up our cross and follow him, but is the cross you carry balanced and complete? Is your particular cross long on doing and short on devotion or is it long on piety and short on participation? My friends, the easiest cross to carry is one that is balanced. In our scripture from Philippians the Apostle Paul reminds us, God is the one who enables you both to want and to actually live out his good purposes. So do no harm, do all the good you can, and stay in love with God. When you do all three you will find balance between faith and works, personal devotion and social action, and loving God and loving neighbor - A balance that will not only transform you into who you are called to be, but that will also change the world as we find balance together. Amen. 5