25th Sunday after Pentecost
from Haggai 2:1-9
• There are only two times when you should worship God: when you want to, and when you don't want to... When it's convenient, and when it isn't convenient... When you feel like it, and when you don't.
•
Title of message inspired by The Phantom Tollbooth (Norman Juster, 1961)
(“For Milo, who has
plenty of time”) (It's bad enough wasting time without killing it)
…
God is interested in how we handle the resources we're given.
•
Haggai context: 520 BC,
post exile return to Israel, to Jerusalem, to devastated land and
Temple, but Temple remains in ruins as people devote their attention
to their own things.
But
we read in chapter 1:9, “Because my house, which remains a ruin,
while each of you is busy with his own house...” your crops fail,
you remain hungry and thirsty, you lack fullness...
•
The people respond to
the word of the Lord, and they begin to work on the Temple, and we
come to today's reading, where the Lord says, “Be strong... work,
for I am with you... Don't fear... I will fill this house with my
glory... I will provide prosperity in this place...”
God
requires that God be a priority in our lives, not second or
third... and God promises that blessing will happen – shalom,
peace, wholeness is the fruit of God-prioritizing in life.
•
There's something of a
“reap what you sow” feeling in this. If you live your life apart
from God, your life will be lacking something, will be wonky,
off-kilter. You may not be able to fully identify what's wrong, but
you'll know that you're missing the mark somewhere.
But,
if you prioritize according to God, God will be in your life, and
shalom is sure to follow. Keep in mind, of course, that shalom is
not wages... it's not an even exchange where you earn favor by being
faithful – it's more like you grow God-fruit by nurturing
relationship.
•
There's a flip-side to
the “reap what you sow” feeling, and that is that you can't fake
prioritizing God. You can't live by God 80% of the time and expect
100% shalom... you can't hide/deny sin and expect God to pretend it's
not there, too.
I'm in Weight Watchers, have been for a few years. You may look at me and say "Why?" and what you see is the fruit of being in WW for a few years. WW principle: here's a system to help you eat disciplined. Do this faithfully and you'll lose weight. Cheat the program and you're cheating yourself and you won't lose weight.
•
So God is interested in
how we handle the resources we're given, including our time...
God requires that God be a priority in our lives. How do we do that?
Same
way you prioritize relationships in your life. Married folks, when
you first met or started dating the person who would become your
spouse, how much time did you spend thinking about them, or on the
phone with them, or actually with them? A lot. You may even have
sacrificed other things so you could be with that person, may have
given up hobbies or habits because that person was important enough
to prioritize your life around.
If
you have kids, you know that one of the greatest gifts you can give
them is your time, your undivided attention. You can do that by
making sure that you eat one or two meals together (no electronics)
five days a week, or by scheduling 15 minutes one on one every day,
it'll amaze you. Once again, when you nurture relationship, you
produce fruit.
How
do we make God a priority with our time? Spend 15 min a day with God.
Read & reflect, alone and with others. Pray. Worship alone and
with others. Write a “thank” list.
•
God is interested in
how we handle the resources we're given, including our money... God
requires that God be a priority in our lives. How do we do that?
In
the UM church we teach that the tithe – ten percent of income –
is the starting place for faithful giving, that God receive the
first-fruits of our income. It's the first check I write after I
receive a paycheck, ten percent of my pay goes back to God through
the offering plate, and I believe that not only does God use that
offering plate to maintain the church but to fund mission and
ministry and outreach, locally and globally, and that when I say with
my checkbook that God is number one in my life, God blesses me in
spirit, produces God-fruit in my life. It's my hope and expectation
that tithing is something you believe in and participate in, or that
you're actively working towards it.
•
God is interested in
how we handle the resources we're given, including our time and our
money... God requires that God be a priority in our lives, and God
promises that blessing will happen: shalom, peace, wholeness are the
fruits of God-prioritizing in life.
•
John the Baptist says
in Luke 3:8, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance...” That
is, turn to God, put sin behind you, and let the way you live your
life, spend your time and money, show that God is priority in your
life. Make time for God, who promises to be with you, and who
promises amazing things to come. “Be strong... work, for I am with
you, says the Lord... Don't fear... I will fill this house with my
glory... I will provide prosperity in this place...”
•
Into Affirmation of
Faith 889
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