"Starting Over" Sermon Text

09/05/2010 Jeremiah 18:1-11 Luke 14:25-33 "Starting Over"

“…none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.” Luke 14:33

Oh, no! Not that. Is Luke telling me to tell them that NONE of us are disciples of Jesus? Clearly NONE of us has given up all our possessions. That kind of message would make Jesus irrelevant, wouldn't it? A leader for monks and nuns, ascetics and eccentrics. Who would listen to such an invitation to discipleship? Maybe I can find a different nuance in the word possessions.

A couple of translations:
[MSG] Simply put, if you're not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can't be my disciple.
[Wyckliffe] forsaketh not “all things that he wieldeth”
[Cotton Patch Version] If you don’t “throw in your entire fortune, you can’t be part of my fellowship.”

Maybe the best way is: Everything at your disposal. All that pertains to you. So my translation:
You can’t experience real discipleship unless you let go of the illusion that you’re in charge.
Really, it's a message of stewardship! When we take a stance of protecting what's "mine," we miss the freedom of discipleship.

Bob Dylan: My guard stood hard when abstract threats. Too noble to neglect.
Deceived me into thinking. I had something to protect.

One of my goals as your preacher and teacher is to invite you to rethink what you "know" about the Bible, about faith, and about being the church. If you want… Tuesday, 12:30 PM.

Today's lesson says we worship a God who can repent. Think of it! Jeremiah’s image of the potter tells us that God waits to see what choices we make before deciding how to respond. God can have a change of heart and mind. In Jeremiah, God says, "If I'm planning to punish someone or some nation, and they change their ways, I will repent of that plan." And the reverse is true as well… The word used here is "repent." Change heart and mind.

Now, it's a little hard for Presbyteirans to get our heads around this. In our desire to affirm that God knows all, we came up with the idea of predestination. We say God knows from all eternity who’s going to get punished and who’s going to heaven. But here's Jeremiah telling us in this powerful and prophetic scripture, God says, I have to wait and see. And I am always willing to change my mind.

If God believes in starting over, in response to new conditions, can we not do the same?

Starting Over is in fact natural to human beings.

Each September brings a new school year, and children almost always go to a new teacher and make a new start.

People whose messed-up lives hit bottom and are blessed enough to find a 12-step program speak of that moment as a time of starting over, even rebirth.

And the hymn we sang last week included the line:
“The church of Christ in every age, Beset by change but Spirit led,
Must claim and test its heritage And keep on rising from the dead.”

That’s what it means to be the church—to keep on rising from the dead. To practice resurrection. We may feel we've been crucified by events in life, but we can keep on starting over.

We all need do-overs in life, and although we can't "unring" the bells of our past, we can transform the past through positive present action. Even when we have a difficult relationship with someone who has died, it's possible to transform that relationship by changing our own thinking.

The New Covenant, or the New Testament taught by Jesus is a way of reconciliation. If Christianity has anything unique to offer the world, it surely includes this teaching that God's reconciling love has already erased the stain of sin, and we are set free for Starting Over.

The movie "City Island" is a comedy of errors about a family that has been keeping secrets from each other. In a delightful way all their games come to a crashing halt as they discover who they really are. The central character, played by Andy Garcia, says at the end of the film: God has a way of busting you when you most need it…and a way of giving you a second chance to atone for your screwups. That's what I call "Starting Over." It's a PG-13 film that you might enjoy, and it could prompt you to get off the Hutchinson River Parkway and discover City Island which prompts the line: " Every busy city needs an island of peace just like every busy soul needs a place of repose."

One of my spiritual teachers is Thich Nhat Hanh. "Beginning Anew" is a practice of reconciliation. We may call it "Starting Over." He points out, we all make mistakes. Our negative thoughts, words, and actions cause harm to ourselves and those around us. When we hurt others or are hurt by them, often in our pride we make no effort to reconcile or renew our relationships. Without reconciliation, we cannot deepen our understanding and we only cause more suffering.

Starting Over can renew our relationships. It is a practice of reconciliation. Starting Over can be practiced between two people or in a group. One person speaks, others listen without interrupting, allowing that person to speak deeply from the heart.

Starting Over involves three steps: sharing appreciation, expressing regret, and expressing hurt and difficulties.

1. Sharing Appreciation. Recognize and acknowledge the positive attributes of the other person. Every one of us has positive and negative elements. When we express appreciation for the other person's positive qualities, we give them the opportunity to recognize the positive qualities in our own consciousness. Eg: how we treat our children. We can share our appreciation any time.

2. Express Regret. Share with the other person our regrets for the things we have done or said that might have caused him pain. This requires humility and the willingness to let go of our own pain and pride.

3. Express Our Own Hurt with mindful, loving speech, without blaming or criticizing. We speak in such a way that the other person can listen and receive our words. If we blame and condemn the other person, their heart will close and they will not be able to hear us. We ask the other person to help us to understand why they spoke as they did, acted as they did to cause us so much pain. We assume the other person was acting the best way they could think of, so we listen deeply to try to understand. This is the path of reconciliation--of starting over.

Someone who knew this way was Adelaide A. Pollard, (1862-1934) desired to travel and minister in Africa. When she couldn't raise the money, she started to rethink God's intention for her life. She spent several years teaching at the Missionary Training School at Nyack-on-the-Hudson. And she wrote this song:

Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way! Thou art the potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way! Search me and try me, Savior today!
Wash me just now, Lord, wash me just now, as in thy presence humbly I bow.

Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way! Wounded and weary, help me I pray!
Power, all power, surely is thine! Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!

Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way! Hold o'er my being absolute sway.
Fill with thy Spirit till all shall see Christ only, always, living in me! 

--Jack Lohr, Interim Pastor