Why It is Worth It
A lot of people wonder to themselves if it is worth it, if seeking GodÕs will
in your life, if trying to do right and live by faithful conviction is worth
the constant effort it takes in everyday life to do so.
From keeping your word to your kids or your parents, to extending the benefit
of the doubt to others – to expressing kindness – to using less
water to brush your teeth and watching your carbon footprint – to daily
prayer – to valuing social justice - to striving for personal excellence
– to participating in worship and otherwise taking care of yourself and
extending charity to othersÉ. Is it really worth it? IS IT WORTH THE
STRUGGLE?
I think thatÕs what a lot of people wonder about and weigh in their minds, THE
STRUGGLE PART. For there is no disputing the fact that you canÕt do right
and live a well and spiritually balanced life without the effort. It
cannot be done without the struggle and thatÕs tough on us mere mortals.
In the Christian scriptures of the Bible there is a famous account that a lot
of late 20th
century Evangelical Christians branded as
ÔThe mandatory imperativeÕ for every person to be Ôborn againÕ in order
to know salvation and blessing.
Actually, it is the story of one personÕs struggle with the spiritual
revelations of Christ and his name was Nicodemus and the best translations have
Jesus advising him to be born anew, not again – born anew in spirit.
Now, IÕm not normally great at remembering names, biblical or otherwise, but I
remember Nicodemus because his name reminds me of an anti smoking product from
the late 20th
century (the 1960s + 1970s), a foul tasting green lozenge of a smoking cure
called Nicoban.
NICOBAN – NICODEMUS
And whenever I encounter the biblical account of NicodemusÕ struggle with Jesus
guidance about faithful living, my mind immediately goes to the vivid image of
my wonderful grandmother in her last years of retirement after a long career as
an Operating Room Head Nurse – sitting in her favorite chair at Tea Time
every afternoon – with a Nicoban lozenge in her mouth and an extra long,
100 millimeter Kent cigarette in her hand. TALK ABOUT A LIVING
SNAPSHOT OF HUMAN COMPLEXITY AND STRUGGLE – the grandmother
retired nurse with the remedy and the cancer stick. BUT SHE WAS
STILL TRYING ! SHE WAS STRUGGLING TO DO THE
RIGHT THING AND AFFIRM LIFE AND QUIT SMOKING A FULL DECADE BEFORE MOST.
I remember when she finally had a big breakthrough and turned in her extra long
Kents for a carton of True Blues, a cigarette marketed as somehow safer than
regular butts. One step at a time. One
step at a time.
I say God love her for trying. And I say God love you for wrestling through the
struggles you face to do right and be faithful and affirm life in your
days. ( I confess that I was stuck in a
California airport earlier this week and ordered a Quarter Pounder and a Diet
Coke.) Inconsistency seems to run in the family doesnÕt it. I think it runs throughout the human family.
Now Nicodemus in the Holy Bible was a walking series of contradictions and
struggle too. He was a well respected religious leader in Jerusalem who,
under cover of darkness one night, approached Jesus and confessed that he still
had some big questions about life and faith and what was really needed for
eternal life and present blessing. NOW I HAVE A CERTAIN RESPECT FOR
NICODEMUSÕ POSITION, ESPECIALLY SINCE HE WAS WILLING TO SHARE HIS QUESTIONS AND
STRUGGLES IN CONVERSATION WITH THE CONTROVERSIAL YOUNG RABBI.
Like my grandmother, the professional nurse conversant with medical data about
smoking risks, who held the cure in one hand and the cause in the other, Nicodemus was the professional religious leader ,
conversant with scripture, who that fateful night had the remedy in front of
him in the presence and power of Jesus Christ, YET STILL HELD TOO TIGHTLY to
the conventions of his religious tradition to do himself or the world around
him real good.
Now as a child I never knew how to tell my grandmother that at some point in
her struggle for life she needed to let go of the problem. Jesus however
did just that for Nicodemus when he told him, ÔListen Nick, your struggle is
appreciated. But you think there is no way for a mature soul
, especially an older adult who is doctrinally and otherwise set in his
ways, to experience newness of life and the EXPANSION OF GRACE FROM God. But
IÕm here to tell you that you need to loosen your grip on the past (not throw
it away, but relax your grip) and let God breathe fresh life into your soul and
open your days to new blessing. You need a spiritual rebirth Nick – a
fresh start with God.Õ THATÕS WHAT JESUS MEANT BY ÔYOU must be born
aNEW.Õ And that is great guidance for any of us who revere tradition for
traditionÕs sake and not for GodÕs sake. BUT>>>>>Jesus, unlike
the late 20th
century evangelicals, did NOT make Ôborn againÕ a required test for every
soul. Every faith journey is different. God in Christ cares enough to NOT
put us all in one box or category BECAUSE God knows you by name and Christ
knows YOU by your particular need and, therefore, has something to help you in
your struggle to keep trying to do the right and loving thing- to grow
spiritually in your own context – TO KNOW SALVATION AND BLESSING IN YOUR
LIFE.
THE POINT IS THERE IS MORE THAN ONE ÔANSWERÕ OFFERED BY GOD AND THE ONE CHRIST
OFFERS YOU MAY NOT THE SAME ONE THAT WILL SAVE YOUR NEIGHBOR.
The bible itself is consistent on this matter. Recall the account of the rich
young man who approached Jesus asking for the key to eternal life. JesusÕ
guidance for him was that he needed to loosen his grip on his money because he
valued it more than God desire for him to share it for the common good.
Remember also the great account of the sisters Mary and Martha wherein Jesus
tells Martha to loosen her grip on the mop, the dishrag, the to do list with
its endless chores AND BALANCE HER BUSINESS BY DEVOTING SOME QUIET ATTENTIVE
TIME WITH GOD.
RECALL ALSO the time Jesus even told St. Peter that he needed to step back and
stop being so concerned about what everyone else would think and be more
focused on what GodÕs will for us is.
In truth it is good to recognize in Lent that you and God are on a unique track
together. In some respects it is a path that only you and your Lord can
fully appreciate or understand. The good news is that God is beside you to
guide you with direction specific to your journey to fullness of life.
SoÉ in the days to come of this Holy Lenten season please devote some time to
approach God on a regular basis. Whether it is under cover of darkness when
nobody is watching like Nicodemus or whether its here in broad daylight, or on
brisk walk, or through prayer or like the thief who hung on the cross next to
Jesus at your 11th
hour, be sure to use this season for what it is for, TO REVEAL THE VALUE OF
TRYING AND TO UPHOLD THE DIGNITY OF THE STRUGGLE – TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR
WAY TO WHOLENESS, TO TRUTH, TO ENLIGHTENMENT AND TO FULNESS OF JOY WITH GOD.
IN CLOSING this week in the church year I am mindful of great examples of
people of faith who kept the faith and upheld the struggle, people LIKE Absalom
Jones the first black Episcopal priest ordained in the US whose day of prayerful
remembrance was this past Wednesday. And the Rev. Nelson Johnson who in 1979
was attacked by KKK AND American Nazi party members and responded by starting a
reconciliation mission in the South because in his words, ÕI realized the God
who loves me is the same God who loves my enemy, so we better learn how live
together.Õ And of course IÕm mindful of our bishop Gene who may not be allowed
to join other Anglican bishops at Lambeth castle this summer who once preached,
ÕEven if they hate you and insult and exclude you ..love
them anyway.Õ And lastly for now our own Presiding Bishop Katherine Jeffords
Schori who reminds us that the Ôgrace of our Lord Jesus Christ is within our
reach to give us the ability to be healers for all humanity.Õ
Is it worth the effort. Oh yes. Is it worth the struggle? No question. Can we do it? / We can do anything good with ChristÕs help, even transform our conflicted selves , even transform this complicated world. Amen