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"THE WAY TO FULFILLMENT" Dr.
James L. Mayfield Tarrytown
Text: Luke 14:7-14 I am convinced the passage we read today is about a whole lot more than dinner party etiquette. When Jesus made his comments about where we ought to sit at a dinner party and who should be invited, I am convinced he was trying to teach us that the way to fulfillment is not to be found in seeking recognition or climbing the social ladder. Sitting at places of honor or collecting trophies, such as having the "right" people for dinner, give us only a temporary taste of artificial fulfillment. It may taste sweet for a brief time, but it does not nourish us for the long haul, and often leaves us with a bitter aftertaste. I remember Steven Sweet telling his story about the years of arduous training and effort that enabled him finally to be the state champion in one of the long distance races. He said that as he stood on the podium, having the medal hung around his neck and hearing the cheers from the stands, the thought ran through his mind: "After all that work, is this all there is?" In that moment, I think Steven knew something of the truth that Jesus was trying to teach in the passage we read today. One of the songs Peggy Lee recorded years ago contained these lines of haunting emptiness: "Is that all there is? If that's all there is, then let's keep dancing." I suspect that all too often many of us "just keep dancing" the "dance" of seeking recognition, trophies and rewards, not because they give us great fulfillment but because like the song Peggy Lee sang, we just can't see anything else, and so we just keep dancing. It is not that we really expect great fulfillment from our trophies. It is just that we do not know what else to do. We "just keep dancing," living in bondage to the illusion that maybe someday a bigger and better trophy might be just enough to make life worth living. And so, "we keep on dancing" the dance of of the host and the dinner guests at the party Jesus attended. We keep trying to get to the place of recognition and reaching out to those people who can benefit us in some way. Through out the Gospel of Luke, Jesus points to another way of living. It is a way that sets us free from bondage to seeking trophies and recognition. This way of living has various expressions throughout the New Testament. We are to live our lives, loving others as God in Christ has loved us. When loving others as God in Christ has loved us is the focus of our living, places of honor might be enjoyable like cotton candy at the carnival but we are very clear that cotton candy in merely cotton candy and can never give substance to our living. When our focus is on loving others as God in Christ has loved us, our focus is not on seeking recognition. In fact the issues of public applause and trophies are simply no longer issues for us. We are so set free from pursuing them that not only do we no longer strive after them, we are so free from bondage to them that should some trophy of honor come our way, we are free to accept it, enjoy it for a moment or two, then, put it in the trash and move on. It is not the honor or recognition we may receive because we have served others that is important. It is the ongoing desire to love others as God in Christ has loved us that gives our lives meaning and purpose, and enables us to experience that fulfillment Jesus called "the abundant life" and what the Apostle Paul described as "peace and joy." When loving others as God in Christ has loved us is the primary motivation in our daily living, we are set free from the futility of trying to obtain recognition so we can matter. When loving others as God in Christ has loved us is the primary motivation in our daily living, we are set free from the illusion that if the right people will just acknowledge us then we will really be somebody. When loving others as God in Christ loves us is the primary motivation in our daily living, we are set free from bondage to all sorts of social pressures. The question is how can we reach that point where loving others as God in Christ loves us is the primary motivation in our living. I am not wise enough to know the complete answer. To a great extent, how we become faithful men and women, loving others as God in Christ has loved us is a profound mystery of grace. It is the working of the Holy Spirit, the working of God in our lives, and who among us dares to claim to understand fully how God is at work in us and among us? But while I am well aware I do not understand fully, I am also confident I understand a little bit and so do you. A major clue was given when Jesus quoted the Old Testament telling us that one of the two most important expectations God has of us is that we love our neighbors the way we love ourselves. Loving others is related to loving ourselves. The less we love ourselves, the less able we are to love others. And the less we are able to love ourselves, the more we are tempted to try to use others, to make ourselves feel better. At times we wear ourselves out trying to "fix" other people, as if we would be able to love ourselves if we could just make others be the way we want them to be. At other times we exhaust ourselves, trying to take care of other people, as if we thought if we could just do enough for them they would be so grateful, their gratitude would finally make our lives worth living and we would at long last love ourselves. At other times, (when we do not love ourselves) we are tempted to reject the notion that we have anything of worth to offer anyone. We do not exhaust ourselves helping other people. We wear ourselves out trying to be comfortable. We try to make in through the long night of our lives, exhausting ourselves trying to enjoy whatever we can enjoy. Quite often, this leads us into all sorts of overindulgence. So how do we learn to love ourselves? As I said, it is a mystery beyond my understanding. But here are at least a couple of the major factors that make it possible. One is other people telling us, reminding us that God really does love us, helping us understand that the Gospel that declares we are so special as persons God has invested himself in history -- not merely on behalf of humankind but on behalf of us personally. As individual persons, we matter to God. When we are able to hear this message, when the truth of these words begin to sink in and begin to grasp the amazing meaning of this amazing news, we see our lives in a new way. It is a life transforming experience to become aware deep within ourselves that the Lord God of all creation loves me -- even me! This is why it is so important for people of faith to share -- however they are able to share -- the good news of God's love with others. We need others to tells us, remind us of this good news; and others need us to share this good news with them. Another factor in discovering we are loved by God has to do with the Gospel we preach to ourselves. When I was a teenager, low self-esteem was a big problem in my life. It is still a problem for me at times, but it was a major and rather constant issue then. I was given a book in which the author encouraged the reader to repeat throughout the day these words written by the Apostle Paul: "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." I grabbed hold of that advice like a person drowning in floodwaters, grabs hold a log floating by. I did not understand what Paul meant. I did not understand the implications of the verse. I simply repeated it in my head many times a day for a long, long time. And somehow, the meanings in the passage began to take root in my life. And as my self-esteem rose, so did my ability to be genuinely concerned about other people. The point I am trying to make is this: God not only uses what others tell us to help us discover we are loved by God; God can also use what we tell ourselves, when what we tell ourselves is consistent with the Gospel. Let's review what I have tried to say. In the passage we read today, Jesus warned us that the way to fulfillment is not to be found in seeking recognition, collecting trophies, or climbing the social ladder. Throughout the New Testament, in a variety of ways, we are told that our fulfillment in life is directly related to our loving others as God in Christ has loved us. To live this kind of life is the basic challenge for us human beings, and one of the reasons is that our problems with loving ourselves hinders our ability to love others. It is only by the grace of God at work in our lives that we love ourselves so that we are able to love others. Two of the ways God's grace is at work in our lives are (1) through the words and deeds of others and (2) through the messages of grace we preach to ourselves. God, enable us to love
others as you in Christ
have loved us. Pastoral Prayer We are grateful these experiences are not all there is to our lives. We thank You for the many ways we experience joy, the many times we have been especially moved by a kind word, a helpful deed, an experience of beauty, or the delight of laughter. Thank You for all the many blessings that make our living enjoyable. God, in both bad times and good times help us to be sensitive to Your presence and open to Your guidance. Enable us to live at all times the way Jesus was teaching us to live when he taught us to pray: "Our Father ...."
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