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September 13, 2009 Success to Significance: A Christian ResponsibilityI've been thinking about the totality of my life the past few weeks. Had to do with turning 50 years old on Saturday, August 29th. I remember looking forward to turning 30 years old; college days and college life, fading as opportunities and possibilities came into focus. Turning 40 was simply a blast; my wife pastor Caroline threw an unbelievable surprise party... even had the wedding couple I married that day involved in her scheming. For some reason... turning 50 feels different. If one's life timeline looked like a 7-day week, turning 50 would be Wednesday; Hump Day. The week's half over. That means there's only three days left until Sunday; the final day of rest! As actor Jamie Lee Curtis has said, "Aging is God's way of letting you know your time is almost up!" It's a statement that made me chuckle the first time I heard it. A few days ago when I wrote that quote down, I didn't feel much like chuckling! I think that's why I've been pondering my life's existence... all 18,266 days worth! I've been going back and forth between two ways of interpreting that quote:
Bob Buford, founder and CEO of Leadership Network, in his best selling book Halftime, has a similar yet contrasting way to understand, "Aging is God's way of letting you know your time is almost up." Buford would say that aging is God's way of moving you from success to significance... from being responsible solely for yourself and seeking responsibility for others. It's a matter of changing one's game plan from living with success to living with significance. He writes: "Success means using your knowledge and experience to satisfy yourself. Significance means using your knowledge and experience to change the lives of others" In many respects his statement describes what if means to be followers of Jesus. To live a Christian life, isn't about success, it's about significance. That's not to say that we as Christians can't be successful, it simply means that living with significance... to change the lives of others... is what God would have us do. Martin Luther, the Christian Reformer and namesake of our Lutheran tradition, understood that a Christian's life is measured by it's significance rather than it's success. In his publication The Freedom of a Christian, Luther talks about living and leading a life of significance: (this translation is not gender neutral and Scripture references are quoted from the old King James version of the Bible) Lastly we will speak also of those works which he performs towards his neighbor. For man does not live for himself alone in this mortal body, in order to work on its account, but also for all men on earth; nay, he lives only for others, and not for himself. For it is to this end that he brings his own body into subjection, that he may be able to serve others more sincerely and more freely, as Paul says, "None of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord" (Rom. xiv. 7, 8). Thus it is impossible that he should take his ease in this life, and not work for the good of his neighbors, since he must speak, act, and converse among men, just as Christ was made in the likeness of men and found in fashion as a man, and had His conservation among men. Yet a Christian has need of none of these things for justification and salvation, but in all his works he ought to entertain this view and look only to this object - that he may serve and be useful to others in all that he does; having nothing before his eyes but the necessities and the advantage of his neighbor. Thus the Apostle commands us to work with our own hands, that we may have to give to those that need. He might have said, that we may support ourselves; but he tells us to give to those that need. It is the part of a Christian to take care of his own body for the very purpose that, by its soundness and well-being, he may be enable to labor, and to acquire and preserve property, for the aid of those who are in want, that thus the stronger member may serve the weaker member, and we may be children of God, thoughtful and busy one for another, bearing one another's burdens, and so fulfilling the law of Christ. Here is the truly Christian life, here is faith really working by love, when a man applies himself with joy and love to the works of that freest servitude in which he serves others voluntarily and for nought, himself abundantly satisfied in the fullness and riches of his own faith. From Freedom of a Christian (1520) All this to say, at least for me... a responsible Christian does all that is necessary to take care of oneself... to succeed; in order to live our the Christian responsibility to serve and care for the needs of others. This summer during worship we have addressed the questions that you, the people of St. Paul's, have asked about faith, theology, and our larger Lutheran church body, the ELCA. Today we conclude this series with the question, "Do we have a responsibility to change the world from what it is to what it should be?" The simple answer today is "YES!" Of course we have a responsibility to change the world from what it is to what it should be. Of course we are God's hands and feet in the world... God's partners in the ever-present task of creating a "new heaven and a new earth." The question is... how? After all, the needs of the world are overwhelming. It is easy to feel discouraged and drained... as if what we do makes very little difference at all. Yet, as Jesus says, "... do this, and you will live" (Luke 10:28). Do what? Live the answer the lawyer gave to Jesus in today's reading from the Gospel of Luke; love God and love the neighbor. This is the law of Christ Luther says we are to fulfil. That's our Christian responsibility; to exercise love that has an impact on the other. As responsible Christians who strive to live their faith everyday, we have a Christian responsibility to:
Will exercising this measure of Christian responsibility... fulfilling the law of Christ... for the sake of the other change the world? A few weeks ago, for whatever reason, I took Ellie with me to visit a few St. Paul's members who haven't been able to get to church because of illness or recuperation, and the like. Each visit ended with Holy Communion. As curious, ever-learning-by-observing toddlers are apt to do, Ellie wanted to help. She opened the communion kit, got out the wafers (which she immediately tried to shove into her mouth). Explaining to her that we had to pray and that Daddy had to say some words about the wafers and wine, she held out her hands like this... that's how we pray at home, holding hands. We four held hands, prayed, heard the words of institution, prayed the Lord's Prayer together and shared communion. To keep Ellie engaged and to keep her from eating all the wafers, I asked Ellie if she would pass out the wafers. She did. Now, of course, she wanted to pass out the "cups." She did. As Ellie helped me put the communion kit back together, the one whom she'd called "papa" during our visit spoke words that will long be with me: "that just made my life, being served communion in my home by Ellie Bo." So what do you think? Do we have a responsibility to change the world from what it is to what is should be? Does living our Christian responsibility... . to love God and love the neighbor... fulfilling the law of Christ... make a difference in the world of the lives of others? What do you think "papa" would say? |
St. Paul's Lutheran Church § 824 N. Lewis § Waukegan IL |
