Whenever I’m in line at a grocery store waiting to pay my eyes wander to all the magazines on the shelves. There’s always at least some of them with splashy headlines about how to: look good, lose weight, be successful, make tons of money, etc. You know what I’m talking about. And they also promise, or strongly suggest, that by buying their magazine and reading the articles inside that it will all be easy. They suggest that there is some secret that you do not know, but they do! And simply applying it will make all sorts of good things happen.
Now we all know it can’t possibly be true, but it is tempting nevertheless. We ask ourselves is there something important that we don’t know about, but should.
It seems to be deep in human nature to want to do things the easiest way possible. We certainly put that to good use. We make life easy for ourselves. We try to be efficient. It is said that, “necessity is the mother of invention.” I like to say that “laziness is the mother of invention.” By that I don’t mean laziness in a bad way, I mean in a good way as a driving force to make things easier.
But of course it goes too far. People want short cuts rather than earning things. They want to get rich quick rather than putting in the hard time and effort needed to create the value for society necessary to have significant wealth.
Our gospel reading is the final portion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. We’ve been reading through it for the last five weeks. It is the central teaching of Jesus’ ministry. It gives the foundation of what following Jesus is based upon. Here at the end of it Jesus gives final warnings. I don’t think he’s being harsh or mean. He’s being realistic. Following him is not like reading an article from a magazine in a grocery store check-out line that promises fast easy fixes. Following him is going to take work – hard work, and lots of it!
We may not like hearing those words, but we know they are true. We know full well that what the magazines promise won’t work. But would we buy a magazine that tells the truth? How tempted would you be to pick up a magazine that headlines, “Lose weight through seriously eating less, hard work, and a permanent lifestyle change.” Or, “How to have more money buy working longer hours, sacrificing luxuries and conveniences, and doing without.” How about, “Having a trim figure by untold hours of exercise and giving up everything you like to eat.”
I don’t think we are to be frightened by Jesus saying, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” No, I don’t think Jesus is telling his followers that getting into eternal life is nearly impossible. He is just telling the truth, even as that truth is unlikable.
But we know those truths: Weight loss does take eating healthy things in moderation and a lot of physical activity. We know that getting more money involves a lot of work, and quite often sacrifices. (Those sacrifices may or may not be worth it. Is it worth sacrificing too much time with your family in a quest for wealth.)
And here is a truth that I think is almost entirely overlooked in our society today, but fits exactly with what Jesus teaches. Living a fulfilled life is not about getting and having a bunch of stuff that comes easily. Living a fulfilled life usually involves embracing a lot of mundane drudgery. It is doing countless tasks that get little attention and little pay, but is essential to being fulfilled.
No parent likes getting up in the middle of the night to change a messy diaper or deal with a sick or hungry kid. It happens all too often! And it can be frustrating helping a child who struggles constantly with homework, or who is always getting into trouble, or is always making messes or breaking things. These things wear a person down. There is little praise and recognition for it.
When my own kids were young I would hear people generally comment about little kids, “I wonder where they get all their energy?” To which I would reply, “I know exactly where they get all that energy. They suck it out of me!” And I will make the disclaimer that my kids were great overall.
The thing is, while many families may enjoy great family experiences and vacations and the like, real authentic strong and loving bonding is forged through embracing the mundane drudgery of daily life. It isn’t the spectacular. It is doing the ordinary well.
Two of our youth are being confirmed today. Confirmation is affirming the promises their parents made on their behalf at baptism. As they do so they become adult members of the congregation. I suppose I could create an inspiring sermon to tell them to embrace the world and do great and spectacular things in faith. But what I really need them to hear is that God often comes very powerfully in the ordinary. Do not overlook it. Do not look for spectacular or splashy things. Instead, be ready and willing to take on whatever task may be in front of them – be it easy or hard.
It is an attitude of the heart, a fundamental way of looking at the world and life.
Perhaps I go too far to call the magazines at the store false prophets, but I think it basically fits to apply Jesus’ words, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad three bears bad fruit.”
For the most part an honest, hardworking, discipled person will be a trustworthy person. And someone who’s out for their own selfish ends will never be a solid friend or a dependable person. Your relationship with them will always be transactional, and transactional such that it will be in their favor.
Our first reading was the Pentecost reading from Acts. It is the time of the dramatic coming of the Spirit upon the disciples at the Jewish early harvest holiday of Pentecost. We could say that with such an inspirational beginning the disciples were well set to head into the world. We could think that if we ever had such an experience our faith would surely be stronger and more capable; have less doubts, and more confidence. But continue reading through Acts. You’ll discover that the disciples had more then plenty of struggles ahead. Many of them were very routine – like who would do the housekeeping and the accounting. Their effectiveness came from their willingness to embrace the truths of Jesus’ teachings and the less-than-spectacular tasks of witnessing to the gospel.
Here is the good news in all of this. It is not the splashy news of a magazine cover. It is the true and solid good news. Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount with the image of two men who build houses. One, the one who builds his life on the solid foundation of Jesus’ teaching, builds his house on rock. When the floods came and the winds blew the house stood.
The other hears the words of Jesus but still wants a shortcut through life, a life of good things without the necessary work, builds his house on sand. When the floods came and the winds blew the house fell.
Life will always have floods and wind; in whatever form they may take. The life built upon what Jesus teaches will stand and stand strong.
I’m not saying that a follower of Jesus is immune from failure or calamity or anything like that. I’m saying that the core of who that person is, is built on the solid rock of a good heart with the right life commitments. Such a person is indestructible and unshakable.
Jesus’ does not teach his followers to look for the easy or the spectacular. He teaches his followers to embrace the ordinary with purpose, recognizing its value. And then learning and growing with him. Such is the life that leads to true fulfillment, whether society truly sees it or not.
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