“Gracious Awareness”                2012

Psalm 37:1-7          Matthew 16:21-26

 

Psalm 37

1Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers, 2for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb. 3Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. 4Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. 6He will make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the noonday. 7Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices.

 

Matthew 16:21-26

21From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” 23But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” 24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 26For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

 

Tony Compollo tells a story

            about a time he took some youth on a mission trip to Haiti.

 

    Seeing firsthand    such extreme poverty and human suffering

            affected the students deeply and powerfully,

                              especially as they saw what a significant difference

                                    they could make in other people’s lives.

 

    One of the young men that went on the mission trip

            spent most of his time helping out at a rural clinic,

                        and then talked to the group about sensing God’s call.

                 Charlie explained, “I‘m coming back.

                   I’m going to med. school, get my degree,

                          and come back as a doctor to help others for Jesus.

 

Several years later, Compollo ran into Charlie again in NY city.

            To his credit, Charlie had gone to medical school,

                        worked hard, gotten his degree, and he became a doctor.

 

But Charlie was using his medical degree to do cosmetic surgery;

            not the useful kind such as helping burn victims,

                        or people disfigured in a car wreck or accident;

                rather his medical practice catered to human vanity,

                  applying his skill to tweak the appearance of rich people.

 

Compollo was shocked and disappointed, and Tony reminded him,

            “Charlie, you had a dream.  God gave you a calling,

                        but you sold out …

                                    you sold out your dream for a Porsche and a Jacuzzi.

                                                You gave up something very special    of God,

                                                    for mere trinkets and babbles of this world.”

 

In the verses prior to our Matthew reading,

            Jesus had asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”

 

In an incredible moment of divine inspiration,

            Peter had boldly declared, “You are the Christ, the Messiah,

                        you are God’s Son sent to save the world”;

            and Jesus responded,

              “You are Peter, the rock, upon which I will build my church.”

 

Then Jesus talked about his suffering and death in Jerusalem,

            and that discipleship involves sacrifice and struggle …

                                    … to which Peter replied, “No way.”   vs. 22-23

            “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.”  But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

 

Get behind me, Satan!

            It was not that Peter was suddenly evil and demonic,

                        but just as Satan had tempted Jesus in the wilderness,

                                now Peter was opposing the will and purpose of God.

 

Peter, the rock, was becoming a stumbling block,

            and working against the saving-purpose and plan of the Lord,

                        by urging Jesus to sell-out and self-preserve

                                    in favor of the ways and values of this world.

 

It is easy for us to slip into that same snare ---

            to compromise truth for our own comfort and ease,

                        to look longing toward success and glory in this world,

                                    rather than focusing  on God through eyes of faith.

 

Certainly, we would prefer to reduce our difficulties in life,

            for our Christian walk to be easy, simple and smooth,

                and never be called on to suffer or sacrifice for our faith.

 

But it’s not God will or purpose

            to make our journey of faith   always comfortable and easy.

Our destination    is to grow deeper and stronger in our faith,

            which sometimes requires struggle, suffering and sacrifice.

 

A part of that challenge,

   since we can be so easily distracted by the things of this world,

            is that constantly, we need to reconsider the path we are on –

                        are we on the wrong road, heading in the wrong direction,

                                    and are we going toward the wrong destination? …

   … and if we think we are,  what can we do about it,

            especially if we’ve been traveling that path for a long time?

 

Sometimes biblical teaching can be so theoretical

            that it never gets around to explaining what we should do …

                  … so here is how this passage made a difference in my life.

 

Once, when I was at the top of my game in the corporate world,

            two vice-presidents were trying to entice and recruit me

                        to work for them in their respective divisions.

 

Then one of them flew me out to the Chicago corporate headquarters

            to show me the career path he envisioned for me,

                  and even drove me out to see some expensive neighborhoods,

                          --  symbols of the lifestyle I’d be able to afford.

 

When I returned home, I was pretty excited about it,

    promising everything I’d worked for & thought I wanted in life.

 

            But at the same time, something didn’t feel quite right

                        as I thought about the direction my life was headed…

   … and would I really be satisfied in the end

          with what I had done with my one and only lifetime?

Maybe it was the existential angst of an early midlife crisis,

            but I found myself feeling hollow and unhappy,

                        and really questioning    what I was doing with my life …

   … a season of questioning that eventually led me into ministry.

 

As we read, vs. 24-26

            Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.  For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?  Or what will they give in return for their life?

 

I’ve always read that as a challenge & call for deeper commitment,

            more effort and trying harder to please and walk with the Lord

                 through more vigorous and faithful Christian achievement…

… which lead to even more frustration, more guilt and regret,

            since even on my best day, I still fall far short of that text.

 

But I noticed something else about that passage this week…

            something that Jesus said to Peter, vs. 23,

                        you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.

 

It’s not, you’ve got to try harder, but rather, shift your focus,

     reset your perspective to the divine, to what God is doing,

            and join-in with God’s purpose and agenda … …

… which is the same message as Psalm 37:1~5:                     

                        Do not fret … Trust in the Lord, … Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.

 

Trust   that the God who loves you is up to something good for you,

            and we delight in the Lord when we recognize that God

                        is accomplishing far more than just what we can see now…

  or as Paul wrote, 2 Corinthians 5.7     for we walk by faith, not by sight.

 

My call to Christian service and full-time ministry

            was not a call for way more effort and commitment on my part,

                        but it was something that God intended to accomplish … …

it was all grace, as God opened my eyes to see - a new perspective.

 

Though I can look back and see it now,    along the way à

            I was mostly unaware of the process of God changing me …

               … as my faith   became a living-relationship with God

                   through which the Lord affected every aspect of my life.

 

When I am at my most faithful best,   

            in every situation and whatever is going on,

                        I know the right question   to ask always is:

… where can I perceive God in this, what might God be up to in this,

            and how can this serve to fulfill the will and purpose of God?

 

That trip to Chicago became my spiritual-reawakening,

            by making me uncomfortable and hungry for something more…

                   … and creating in me   a desire to grow closer to God.

 

I got back to attending and being active in church more regularly,

            and made myself pray and read my Bible more consistently …

 

… all of which contributed to the process

*        of reforming my worldview, self-understanding & perspective

               to be more God-conscious and notice God present

                   and at work in  more and more areas of my life …

                             … and breaking the hold of this world over my life.

   vs. 4-5         Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.

 

There was a mid-school in Oregon with a growing problem.

            When girls would put on their lipstick in the bathrooms,

                        they thought it cute to leave lip-prints on the mirrors-

-- which was a real hassle and mess

            for the janitors to clean off the mirrors each day.

 

So the principal called some of the girls to the bathroom,

            and explained that she wanted them to see how difficult it was

                        for the janitor to clean lip-prints off the mirrors.

            Then they watched as the janitor

                        dipped a long-handled brush into the toilet

                                    and scrubbed the lipstick-prints off the mirror.

 

There was an immediate and remarkable change in perspective,

      and there were no more problems with lip prints on the mirrors.

 

Yes, a change in perspective.

            Our choices & faithful efforts do matter & make a difference …

                  … but it’s not about trying harder, or accomplishing more. It’s about cooperating with God’s grace,  and letting

            the Holy Spirit guide us to refocus on the works & will of God.

 

It is resetting our minds, self-understanding and perspective,

          away for this world, immediate concerns, and human things,

                   by learning to perceive and notice divine things …

                             God’s gracious presence happening all around us.

 

So as we come to the Lord’s Table today,

            it’s not to wallow in shame, guilt or regret …

                        … but to allow space for healing and hope,

                                    by looking for where God is present and at work.

 

As Helen Lemmel wrote in her poem:

                                    “Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

                                          Look full in His wonderful face.

                                    And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

                                       In the light of His glory and grace.”