Devotional 7-29-11

Scripture: Matthew 16:24-26

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  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?”

Finders Weepers, Losers Keepers

Once upon a time there was a woman who had a beautiful gold bracelet with inlaid diamonds.  Every day, when she woke up, she put it on her arm.  Every night, before she went to bed, she put it on her nightstand.  One day she woke up and realized that her bracelet was missing.  It was not on the nightstand.  She did not remember taking it off her arm the night before.  She tried retracing her steps from the day before, but to no avail.  At the end of her failed search, she sat on the edge of her bed and cried.

Once upon a time there was a woman who went to the grocery store.  While she was shopping, she saw something glisten on the floor.  She reached down and picked up a beautiful gold bracelet with inlaid diamonds.  She placed it on her arm and rejoiced at her good fortune.

Whenever I found something as a child, I used to say, “finders keepers, losers weepers.”  It is a saying made up by finders as a way of laying claim to a find.  It is devoid of compassion for those who have the painful experience of losing.

In Matthew 16:24-26, Jesus says, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”  Jesus’ saying is more like “Finders Weepers, Losers Keepers.”

What does Jesus mean when he says, “those who lose their life for my sake will find it”?  Does he bid us to die?  The short answer is: YES!  Notice that Jesus tells us to take up our cross and follow.  The cross may be for us today a symbol of resurrection, but there can be no resurrection without death.

All of this raises the question: What are you willing to die for?

I have heard people say thing like, “that chocolate cake is to die for.”  However, I have a feeling that any restaurant that sells chocolate cake and demands that the person who orders the cake die shortly thereafter as the price, will discover that no matter how tasty, that particular chocolate cake is not a big seller.

What are you willing to die for?  Family?  Friends?  Your faith? How about a stranger?  Or a murderer?  How about your enemies?  Or atheists?  What are you willing to die for?

In Romans 5:7-8, Paul wrote that, “Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die.  But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.”

Jesus did not die for the Methodists, or the Christians, or people with the right belief, or people who do good deeds.  Jesus died for the best of the best and the worst of the worst, because all are sinners and Jesus died for sinners.

What are you willing to die for?  Jesus says, “those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”  Read that line again, but this time emphasize the word “their.”  How does that affect your reading of the text? 

How many of us are preoccupied with our selves?  Preoccupied with our looks, our success, our wealth, our health?  Oh, maybe we include our families and our friends.  But do we include all the people that God created? 

One interpretation of the text for our day may be that when Jesus calls us to lose our lives, he wants us to die to selfishness so that we can begin to live in a way that focuses not on self, but on others (even our enemies).

Once upon a time there was a woman who found a beautiful gold bracelet with inlaid diamonds.  She wanted that bracelet.  She pictured wearing it on her arm.  But she knew that it did not belong to her and that somewhere there was a woman missing her bracelet.  Instead of placing it on her arm, she went in search of the woman who lost it.  She put a stranger’s pain ahead of her own desire to keep the bracelet.  She put another ahead of her self.

How are you losing your life today?

Prayer

Almighty God,
You made the earth and the sun and set them in motion.
Help us to remember that the earth revolves around the sun.
Break us of the desire to have both the earth and the sun to revolve around us.

Help us to die to our selfish ways.
Help us to live in love that places others’ needs and dreams ahead of our own.
Help us to love those who are easy to love as well as those who are hard to love.
Help us to love the least, the last, and the lost.
Help us to love others, as Jesus loves us.

Until we have died to self.
Until we live for the good of your creation, including all of the people you have made.
Until people can see the kingdom of God through our living.
In the name of Jesus the Christ.  Amen.

David A. Stackpole, M.Div., J.D.

Devotional 7-16-10

Luke 10:38-42

Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."

I had just finished unpacking my office, which had been a major chore. I couldn’t believe how much stuff that I had accumulated in so short of a time. Sally came to my office and looked around and said, “wow! This place is busy.” Busy, I thought, what did she mean? She told me that, “when it comes to decorating, less is more.” “Too much stuff is just clutter… it overwhelms the eye,” she said. “Think of it like your taking a picture. You can’t fit the whole world in it. Decide what is important and focus on it.”

I understand Martha. There always seems to be so much to do and so little time. Step into her shoes for a moment. She has a guest. She is trying to be hospitable. She is trying to get everything ready. She is probably even remembering all the stuff in the Scripture about hospitality and welcoming the stranger. She is trying to do what is right.

And then there is Mary… sitting there doing nothing (are you thinking of the word lazy?). So much to do and Mary won’t even help. Surely Jesus believes in helping others. Surely he will tell Mary to lend a hand. Surely Jesus knows how important servant ministry is.

Jesus, however, does no such thing. Instead he says to Martha, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted about many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” Mary chose the better part? Doing nothing is better? But Mary wasn’t doing nothing was she? She wasn’t passive; Mary was active. She was spending time with Jesus.

But back to Martha… before you think Jesus was harsh, think about his words: worried and distracted. Jesus is concerned about Martha (and all of us Marthas).

I can hear Sally saying, “this place is busy… focus.” If you could only fit one thing into the picture what would it be? Cooking, cleaning, or relationship? We have grocery lists and to do lists and Christmas wish lists. But where is our relationship list? Our lives can become so cluttered and so busy (like my office) that we lose our focus… our sense of what is important.

“Martha, Martha,” Jesus says to all of us Marthas, “you are worried and distracted about many things; there is need of only one thing.” But Jesus, I have so much that has to be done. My list is still full. But somewhere in my heart, I know that my words are correct, but not in the way that I meant them. I do have much to do. Should I start with a visit to my parents, a romantic dinner with my spouse, a bicycle ride with my kids, or an invitation to the neighbor to dinner at our house? Who knows, I might even find time to spend with God?

Rev. David Stackpole