St. Mary Nanoose Bay

September 8, 2019 Sermon

Luke14:25-33 & Psalm 139:1-6,13-18  

A Calvinist dies and goes to Heaven. He sees two doors. One is labeled free will, and the other is predestination. He walks through the predestination door and an angel asks him why he was here. The Calvanist replies, "I saw this door and decided to walk through it." The angel replies, "You can't be here, you chose this." Dejected, he goes into the other door. Its angel asks him why he was here. He replies, "I had no choice"              

One of the biggest complaints I hear from young people is that the older generation is always saying to them, “You can choose to be anything you want to be; or do anything you want to do.” This is overwhelming to them and makes their decision-making an external thing as if their interests, gifts and limitations have nothing to do with their choice-making.            

Of course, at the age most of us are at, we are not looking far off into the future as to what career we might want, or what kind of partner we would like to hook up with. Or maybe we do! But all of us have choices to make every day. What side of the bed to get up out of, what to eat, whether to exercise, when to downsize, and who to reach out to that day. We have decisions to make regarding our children, grandchildren, neighbours, strangers, our money, our possessions, our energy and talents.            

We have the benefit of years of experience, knowledge of ourselves, and hopefully some ability to discern.            

It’s this ability to discern I want to reflect on this morning. Because in our Gospel reading this morning, we hear Jesus challenge the large crowd around him with a huge choice, “None of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.” That sounds like an all or nothing proposition, doesn’t it?  It’s an either / or set up. You’re either going to carry the cross and be Jesus’ disciple, or not. You’re either going to have a family life, or be with Jesus.            

I don’t know about you, but that feels harsh. Like I’m either all in or all out. There’s not process, no time of apprenticeship, no exploring – just jump on the boat or stay on the shore.            

But there does seem to be time for consideration: Jesus tells 2 parables. In the first parable, the person building the tower needs to sit down and consider if he has the resources to do it – the money, skill and labour. If he does not plan carefully, he will be a fool with a ½ finished project.            

In the 2nd parable, the king needing to protect his kingdom from invaders needs to weigh the odds – with the invaders numbering two to his one warrior, would it not wiser to try and negotiate for peace?            

In the one scenario, a man alone has his own reputation at stake; in the other, the king acknowledges the limitations of his power and considers the well being of his people.            

So if we want to manage life on our own, we can. And we can control, to some extent, the outcome of our choices.            

But is we want to follow the wisdom of a leader who has our best interests at heart, that is the one big choice we need to make. The rest of our lives will unfold in the context of this relationship – connecting with Jesus, that divine order, that acknowledges difficulty, struggle and challenge in life and leads the way through life in a manner we could never imagine. Even to death and through to the other side, we will not be, and never have been, alone.            

And now to the psalm for today. The psalm that is infinitely deep and reassuring.            

Throughout the reading we hear how we’ve been known and beheld since before our conception. This deep knowing means we don’t have to waste energy hiding. We can relax and knowing we are loved, just as we are, we can live from that place, of being totally accepted.            

The line that jumps out at me is the one – “You search out my path…”(139:3).  I hear this differently than before. In the past I visualized choosing what I hoped was the right path and sticking to it as it led me into a closer relationship with God. As if God were the light down a long arduous path as something like the reward after a good journey.            

But the words in the psalm propose something quite different. Listen again: ““You search out my path…”(139:3).  In other words, God seeks US out. Not the other way. No matter what path we take, God is directly there, meeting us. And we choose either to walk with divine support, or stumble on in the illusion that we are alone.            

God searches us out. We are pursued and met by God. The choice is not God or no God. The choice is acknowledging the love, support, the being known, or not.            

Why do we struggle with this? Why do we feel constricted, embarrassed, ashamed? God meets us wherever we are. As we are. Can we hear the words “You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me,”(139:5) as words of protection and support, rather than constriction and oppression?            

“You search out my path…” Like many of Jesus’ teachings, these words in the psalm today turn my world upside down. Choice becomes accepting the truth, seeing the truth, resting into the truth rather than huge life decisions that loom outside me with huge consequences dependent on my ability to make the right decision.            

I’ve been listening to a book CD in the car while I travel up and down the island by the poet, David Whyte. Not only his English/Irish accent completely delightful, I am deeply touched by his reading of his own and others poems as he explores that concept of life being a conversation and how we enter and maintain the conversation.            

His suggestion that we start the conversation with the divine “close in” is a helpful one. We start with what is true for us right now, in this moment. It’s not helpful to look far out and make up stories about what may, or may not, happen in the future. We have no idea, we can’t. So if we stop looking down the path trying to make out the shapes of future happenings and instead, feel the ground beneath our feet, smell the aroma of the life around us, and bring our gaze to the light and shadow of our present location……. and then become quiet, let go of our fears and plans and open our hearts to feel the presence of the one who formed our inward parts, and is acquainted with all our ways….. can we meet this presence on the path we find ourselves on today?            

Shall we try this right now? Because this is the only real choice we have… to live in the present moment. Otherwise we living a story in our heads about regrets, hopes and fears.            

So I invite you to close your eyes if you feel comfortable. And hear these words from the psalm today – “You are fearfully and wonderfully made. God knows when you sit down and when you rise up. God is intimately acquainted with you. God created you in your mother’s womb and when you come to the end, you will still be with God.”            

So here you are, in God’s presence, in God’s embrace. Feel the air on your skin, notice the sounds around you, sense the beating of your heart. Right now, in this moment, all is well.            

You sit in community, a group of people who are loved, just as you are, right now. Can you sense that unconditional love that is holding us all here right now? That binds us together?            

Starting close in, as the poet says, what, if anything, do you have to say to the One who is giving you breath in this moment?  I’ll give you a few minutes for that conversation in silence……………….              

Loving God, we praise you, for we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that we know very well. You hem us in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon us.              

Let us follow the One who is just a step ahead of us, on whatever path we take, ready to walk with us, if we so choose.    

Amen.