Defining our destinies
Commentary
Object:
During World War II the English government knew that Hitler was planning to invade the British Isles. They encouraged the people to prepare as best they could. They bolstered defenses on the southeast corner. They stationed reserve guards on constant watch. They developed early warning systems and evacuation routes for the people near the coast.
Then they did one more thing. The government passed a law requiring every community to take down all the road signs and every other sign that named any town or village. They knew that the Germans had maps of England, but if the invaders couldn't locate themselves on those maps they would be slowed in their progress toward London. Without points of reference the troops would wander aimlessly.
That's also the way it is in our lives. If we have no plans or hopes or goals, we find ourselves on the road to destruction that Amos warns about in today's Old Testament reading. We go with the flow. We follow the crowd. We get on the treadmill with everyone else and are worn down by the same daily grind. "If you don't know where you are going," says the Koran, "any old road will get you there."
But when we have our eye on the North Star of the Supreme Christ, as Paul reminds the Colossian church, we tread a meaningful path. It's the same road chosen by Mary in our gospel reading, and commended by Jesus himself.
Amos 8:1-12
Amos left his large estate near Tekoa in Judah to travel northward into the territory of its sibling rival Israel around the year 760 BC. He explored the expansive prevalence of social sins in that realm which, he made clear, would soon result in divine judgment upon these people. According to Amos:
* There was a growing economic gap between very rich and very poor, accentuated by the callousness of the wealthy (6:4-6).
* Public worship had become repetitions of superficial liturgical acts (4:4-5; 5:21-23).
* The rich were stealing the lands of the poor through criminal lending practices and repossession when impossible terms caused default (2:6; 8:4, 6).
* Law courts were routinely denying justice to the helpless, simply because they could not pay bribes and had no social standing (2:7; 5:10, 12).
* In the marketplace the poor were constantly cheated (8:5).
* Throughout the nation there was overt conspicuous consumption (4:1).
* Added to these were blatant debauchery and other forms of immoral lifestyle (6:5-6).
All in all, the word from Yahweh through Amos was dark and gloomy and pointedly judgmental. Because of his pithy precision coupled with verbal economy, Amos has become the model of street-corner prophets who rail against their societies in epigrammatic diatribes.
The prophets began to emerge on Israel's scene shortly after its settlement in Canaan. At first they functioned as lingering echoes of Moses' booming voice, now fading in the historic distance. Although they continued in this role, seeking ways to translate the theology and social lifestyle of the Sinai covenant into new and changing circumstances for Israel, the prophets also became a third national leadership team, standing somewhere between the cultic role of the priests and the political venue of the kings. There is little evidence that they considered themselves as providing new revelations for Israel. Rather, they were interpreters of the Sinai covenant, subservient to Moses and the original suzerain-vassal documents. Their authority, while rooted in contemporary visions, was derived from the ancient standards and never ran ahead of Exodus or Leviticus or Deuteronomy.
What eventually coalesced from their common declarations, however, was the rallying point of the "Day of the Lord" with which today's passage from Amos reaches its climax. Increasingly the prophets heard Yahweh declaiming that things were getting so bad, both within Israel and among the nations of her world, that only a direct divine intrusion could set things right again. This impending divine visitation became known as the great and terrible "Day of the Lord."
While God's visible actions in this imminent momentous occasion would probably span a lengthy period of time, the outcomes would be so decisive that it could be termed a single event. Three major things would happen when Yahweh arrived on that "day":
* There would be a catastrophic judgment meted upon all the nations of earth, including Israel/Judah. It would fall as a divine judicial assessment that none were living appropriately to the lifestyle of the Sinai covenant, or changing their behavior toward that direction because of the missional influence of God's people.
* In spite of the conflagration, a remnant of Israel would be spared. This would be evidence that not all of the people had forgotten their God, and similarly that God would never forget the divinely created community.
* After the cleansing of judgment and the restoration of the remnant, a new and vibrant Messianic Age would be ushered in. This would be a time in which all the implications of the Sinai covenant would be lived out with fresh and natural devotion by the renewed people of Yahweh. Furthermore, throughout the world, every nation would actively seek to conform itself to that same pattern of life. The creation itself would be reinvigorated with its Edenic glories, and the Creator and all creatures would find themselves enjoying the harmony and unlimited bounty intended by God at the beginning of time.
The "Day of the Lord," thus, was to be no less than re-creation itself. It might take a direct intervention of God into human history to bring about, but when it happened, everything would be set right.
On this note the Old Testament closes. The Creator remains on a mission to recover the lost citizens of the kingdom of heaven, as well as renew the painfully twisted elements of nature. In order to make this restoration happen, the family of Abraham was enlisted as a witnessing partner. Unfortunately the nation of Israel proved to be unequal to the task, and the divine redemptive enterprise limped toward an inglorious demise, even while the prophets were seeing and stating grander visions of the coming age. In the end, a muted but stirring prophetic voice charmed the hearts of all who waited in longing for the imminent "Day of the Lord."
What everyone in the covenant community anticipated actually was about to happen, but in a way that none had expected. Yahweh finally did show up but appeared as a weak child rather than a mighty warrior. Moreover, the "Day of the Lord" itself was split in two, so that the beginnings of the Messianic Age blessings arrived in whispers long before the warning trumpets of judgment would be sounded.
Colossians 1:15-28
Sometime near the end of 58 AD a series of events took place that eventually elicited a collection of letters from Paul that we now call his "Prison Epistles":
* Onesimus, a runaway slave from Paul's friend Philemon, came to Rome and found Paul. Perhaps he was overwhelmed by this alien environment and heard that Paul, someone he had met a few years earlier, was in town. Or maybe Onesimus came to the city specifically because he knew Paul was there, remembering how kindly Paul had treated him while the itinerant evangelist was staying at Philemon's home. In any case, Onesimus and Paul had a joyful reunion, and for a time Onesimus lived with Paul, acting out the true value of his name, which meant "useful."
* After a while, though, Paul began to have qualms about ignoring the property rights that bound Onesimus to Philemon. He was sure that he would sometime soon run into his old friend again, and this secret would not come to light without great damage to their relationship. In fact, Paul was beginning to make plans for his next travels after being released from prison and wanted to see Philemon as one stop on that journey. Evidently Paul had received word that his case was soon to be on Caesar's docket and knew from Herod Agrippa's testimony (Acts 26:32) that royal judgment would clearly be in his favor.
* Probably in early 59 AD, Paul made plans to send Onesimus back to Philemon, accompanied by a trusted friend named Tychicus. Paul penned a short note to Philemon, explaining Onesimus' circumstances, and pleading with his friend to treat the young man well.
* About the same time, news had come to Paul regarding a doctrinal controversy threatening the church in Colossae. This congregation had been established under the ministry of Epaphras (Colossians 1:7-8), who was from that town (Colossians 4:12-13). Epaphras most likely heard the gospel about Jesus from Paul during Paul's stay in Ephesus, just down the Lycus and Maeander river valleys.
* Since Colossae was very close to Philemon's home, Paul decided to send a letter to that congregation, addressing the concerns he had heard. Tychicus would deliver this letter as well (Colossians 4:7-9).
* While in the writing mood, Paul also dictated a third letter to be sent in the same direction at the same time. It was less personal and more general in the themes that it expressed than either of the others (Philemon and Colossians), and may well have been intended as a more generic epistle of encouragement to be circulated around the area churches. Because Ephesus had been the launching pad for mission efforts throughout the region, the Christian congregation in that city was the "mother church" of the rest, enjoyed leadership under key figures of the early expansion of Christianity (Paul, Timothy, John), and probably came to be the repository of important documents. In that way, this circular letter from Paul eventually became called "Ephesians."
Paul's letter to the Colossians celebrates both their widely recognized faithfulness as disciples of Jesus, and also the great majesty and power of the one they serve (Colossians 1:1-23). After a short testimony of Paul's immense care for the Colossian congregation (Colossians 1:24--2:5), he addresses the problem that was beginning to divide them (Colossians 2:6-23). While it is difficult to know what were the specific elements of the false teaching that some were embracing, it appears to have included the worship of angels, certain forms of asceticism, and possibly a unique version of how the commands given through Moses were to be kept. These slim details suggest to some that an early form of Gnosticism was taking root. Others find the Jewish connection, pushing for a Palestinian ritualistic legalism of the kind that Paul had reacted against so strongly in his letter to the Galatians. Whatever the case, Paul's response was to urge the congregation to focus on the superlative transformation brought by Jesus that did not need to be supported with secondary rules and regulations.
In an almost counterintuitive move, Paul goes on to give what might be termed "rules" for Christian living. But these commands are more an explication of the social outcomes that emerge when the focus remains on Jesus (Colossians 3:1--4:1). A few personal notes and many personnel reports bring Paul's letter to a conclusion (Colossians 4:2-18).
It is helpful to keep both the historical context and the flow of Colossians in mind in order to understand more fully the rich paragraphs of today's lectionary reading. In verses 15-20 Paul anticipates addressing the "Colossian Heresy" of chapter 2 by asserting Christ's sole place as Lord of the cosmos and head of the church. With verses 21-23, Paul turns his attention to the ethical implications of living as a community of Christ's light in a dark world, which is the theme developed more fully in Colossians 3. And in verses 24-28, Paul combines both these themes in a testimony designed to nudge the Colossian Christians back to their first passionate love of Jesus, by reminding them of their original encounters some years before.
The result is a marvelous confession that "Christ rules!" and "You are great!" all wrapped up in stirring poetic prose.
Luke 10:38-42
The message of today's gospel reading is clear. We all make choices, and those choices become the outline of our characters. It is not that Mary is a better person than Martha or that household work should be neglected. But when we have determined our own destiny, according to Jesus, our destiny begins to determine us. When we choose a future wisely or foolishly, our future begins to confirm our choice, for good or ill.
And somehow, in the great grace of God, when we find ourselves on the road to his house, to his glory, to his love, he is the one who makes sure that we go all the way. In the end it is his strength and power that take us by the hand and lead us along the path to the kingdom. The old hymn put it so well:
I sought the Lord and afterward I knew:
He moved my soul to seek him seeking me!
'Twas not so much that I on Thee took hold,
As Thou, dear Lord, on me, on me!
I find, I walk, I love; but O the whole
Of love is but my answer, Lord, to Thee!
For Thou wert long beforehand with my soul;
Always, always, Thou lovedst me!
Donna Hoffman, a young Christian mother who battled cancer for a number of years, wrote this poem in her journal. She was in the hospital at the time, and the cancer seemed so strong. She calls her poem "Journey."
My soul runs
arms outstretched down the corridor to you.
Ah, my feet may stumble
but how my heart can stride!
That's the testimony of those who know their futures. That's the strength of those who have determined their destinies. That's the heart of those who know their goals, and who make their daily choices. It is God's grace that sustains them, even when their feet stumble, and even when the journey seems too long. "My soul runs," they say. "How my heart can stride!" For the goal of my life, the glory of my God, has taken hold of me!
Application
A woman once came running up to Artur Rubinstein after he finished another spectacular concert. "Oh, Mr. Rubinstein!" she said, "I've always wanted to play the piano! I'd give anything if I could play like you did this evening!"
"No, you wouldn't," he replied. "I know what I've had to give up to be able to play like this, and if that's what you really wanted, you would have done the same."
It's true. He knew his goal. He knew where he wanted to be in life, and then he kept making the necessary choices. He practiced his scales. He put in his hours at the keyboard. He did what he had to do.
There is a powerful scene in Shakespeare's drama The Merchant of Venice. Portia is a beautiful woman and also very wealthy. Men come from all over the world begging to marry her. They have a goal in mind, but if they want to win her hand they must first make a choice.
Portia knows that talk is often cheap, so she has had three large caskets created, and she uses them in a test of values. Whoever would win her hand much choose the casket that contains her portrait.
Each casket is very different from the others. One is made of silver, with an inscription that reads: Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves! Those who are attracted to the shine of that fair vessel open it, only to find the head of a fool. That, according to Portia, is what seekers of treasure deserve.
The second casket is even more spectacular than the first. It is gilded and studded with baubles and gems. The inscription on this glittering icon reads: Who chooseth me shall get what many men desire! The suitors who nod for this prize open it to receive a dry and lifeless skull. Riches are dead. They have no life in them.
Of course, there is the third casket, but it is rather ugly. It is only made of lead and fashioned by a rather crude artisan. It is, however, the one which contains Portia's portrait. The message carved on the front is this: Who chooseth me must give all and hazard all he hath!
This is the way it is on the narrow path to the kingdom of God. If you own this goal, then this goal must own you. There are no shortcuts. There are no detours or safety measures. That is why Jesus pictures the gate as straight and the way narrow -- no one can take along any treasures or safety gear. Choosing this way is a hazard. It's all or nothing.
We choose our houses. We choose our clothes. We choose our friends. We choose our work and play. Even when a tragedy comes our way, something unplanned and unexpected, like a death or a disease or a divorce, we still choose how we will deal with it. We choose to turn it into something we can live with. And in those choices we find ourselves. "The greatest thing in the world," said Oliver Wendell Holmes, "is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving."
In that sense we define our destiny and predict our futures. The choices of our lives become the key to knowing who we are and what we are becoming.
An Alternative Application
Luke 10:38-42. Some generations ago young William Borden went to Yale University. He was the wealthy son of a powerful family. He could choose to do anything with his life. When he graduated from Yale he chose to become a missionary of the gospel of Jesus Christ. His friends thought he was crazy. "Why throw away your life like that?" they asked. "You've got so much to live for!"
But Borden knew his future. He determined his destiny. He made his choices, and his goals laid hold of him. He set out on a long journey to China. It took months, in those days. By the time he got to Egypt some disease managed to make him very sick. He was placed in a hospital. Soon it became obvious that he would never recover. William Borden would die a foreigner in Egypt. He never reached his goal, and he never went back home.
He could have thought: "What a waste! I should have listened to my family! I should have stayed in America! Why did God do this to me?"
Those, however, were not his dying thoughts. His last conscious act was to write a little note. Seven words that were spoken at his funeral. Seven words that summarized his life, his goal, his choices, and his identity: No reserve, no retreat, and no regrets!
Can you say that? "No reserve, no retreat, and no regrets!" Does that describe who you are? Can you see your future? Have you determined your destiny? This is why Jesus commended Mary. In the words of an old Irish blessing:
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm on your face,
...and the rain fall softly on your fields;
And until we meet again,
...may God hold you in the palm of his hand!
Then they did one more thing. The government passed a law requiring every community to take down all the road signs and every other sign that named any town or village. They knew that the Germans had maps of England, but if the invaders couldn't locate themselves on those maps they would be slowed in their progress toward London. Without points of reference the troops would wander aimlessly.
That's also the way it is in our lives. If we have no plans or hopes or goals, we find ourselves on the road to destruction that Amos warns about in today's Old Testament reading. We go with the flow. We follow the crowd. We get on the treadmill with everyone else and are worn down by the same daily grind. "If you don't know where you are going," says the Koran, "any old road will get you there."
But when we have our eye on the North Star of the Supreme Christ, as Paul reminds the Colossian church, we tread a meaningful path. It's the same road chosen by Mary in our gospel reading, and commended by Jesus himself.
Amos 8:1-12
Amos left his large estate near Tekoa in Judah to travel northward into the territory of its sibling rival Israel around the year 760 BC. He explored the expansive prevalence of social sins in that realm which, he made clear, would soon result in divine judgment upon these people. According to Amos:
* There was a growing economic gap between very rich and very poor, accentuated by the callousness of the wealthy (6:4-6).
* Public worship had become repetitions of superficial liturgical acts (4:4-5; 5:21-23).
* The rich were stealing the lands of the poor through criminal lending practices and repossession when impossible terms caused default (2:6; 8:4, 6).
* Law courts were routinely denying justice to the helpless, simply because they could not pay bribes and had no social standing (2:7; 5:10, 12).
* In the marketplace the poor were constantly cheated (8:5).
* Throughout the nation there was overt conspicuous consumption (4:1).
* Added to these were blatant debauchery and other forms of immoral lifestyle (6:5-6).
All in all, the word from Yahweh through Amos was dark and gloomy and pointedly judgmental. Because of his pithy precision coupled with verbal economy, Amos has become the model of street-corner prophets who rail against their societies in epigrammatic diatribes.
The prophets began to emerge on Israel's scene shortly after its settlement in Canaan. At first they functioned as lingering echoes of Moses' booming voice, now fading in the historic distance. Although they continued in this role, seeking ways to translate the theology and social lifestyle of the Sinai covenant into new and changing circumstances for Israel, the prophets also became a third national leadership team, standing somewhere between the cultic role of the priests and the political venue of the kings. There is little evidence that they considered themselves as providing new revelations for Israel. Rather, they were interpreters of the Sinai covenant, subservient to Moses and the original suzerain-vassal documents. Their authority, while rooted in contemporary visions, was derived from the ancient standards and never ran ahead of Exodus or Leviticus or Deuteronomy.
What eventually coalesced from their common declarations, however, was the rallying point of the "Day of the Lord" with which today's passage from Amos reaches its climax. Increasingly the prophets heard Yahweh declaiming that things were getting so bad, both within Israel and among the nations of her world, that only a direct divine intrusion could set things right again. This impending divine visitation became known as the great and terrible "Day of the Lord."
While God's visible actions in this imminent momentous occasion would probably span a lengthy period of time, the outcomes would be so decisive that it could be termed a single event. Three major things would happen when Yahweh arrived on that "day":
* There would be a catastrophic judgment meted upon all the nations of earth, including Israel/Judah. It would fall as a divine judicial assessment that none were living appropriately to the lifestyle of the Sinai covenant, or changing their behavior toward that direction because of the missional influence of God's people.
* In spite of the conflagration, a remnant of Israel would be spared. This would be evidence that not all of the people had forgotten their God, and similarly that God would never forget the divinely created community.
* After the cleansing of judgment and the restoration of the remnant, a new and vibrant Messianic Age would be ushered in. This would be a time in which all the implications of the Sinai covenant would be lived out with fresh and natural devotion by the renewed people of Yahweh. Furthermore, throughout the world, every nation would actively seek to conform itself to that same pattern of life. The creation itself would be reinvigorated with its Edenic glories, and the Creator and all creatures would find themselves enjoying the harmony and unlimited bounty intended by God at the beginning of time.
The "Day of the Lord," thus, was to be no less than re-creation itself. It might take a direct intervention of God into human history to bring about, but when it happened, everything would be set right.
On this note the Old Testament closes. The Creator remains on a mission to recover the lost citizens of the kingdom of heaven, as well as renew the painfully twisted elements of nature. In order to make this restoration happen, the family of Abraham was enlisted as a witnessing partner. Unfortunately the nation of Israel proved to be unequal to the task, and the divine redemptive enterprise limped toward an inglorious demise, even while the prophets were seeing and stating grander visions of the coming age. In the end, a muted but stirring prophetic voice charmed the hearts of all who waited in longing for the imminent "Day of the Lord."
What everyone in the covenant community anticipated actually was about to happen, but in a way that none had expected. Yahweh finally did show up but appeared as a weak child rather than a mighty warrior. Moreover, the "Day of the Lord" itself was split in two, so that the beginnings of the Messianic Age blessings arrived in whispers long before the warning trumpets of judgment would be sounded.
Colossians 1:15-28
Sometime near the end of 58 AD a series of events took place that eventually elicited a collection of letters from Paul that we now call his "Prison Epistles":
* Onesimus, a runaway slave from Paul's friend Philemon, came to Rome and found Paul. Perhaps he was overwhelmed by this alien environment and heard that Paul, someone he had met a few years earlier, was in town. Or maybe Onesimus came to the city specifically because he knew Paul was there, remembering how kindly Paul had treated him while the itinerant evangelist was staying at Philemon's home. In any case, Onesimus and Paul had a joyful reunion, and for a time Onesimus lived with Paul, acting out the true value of his name, which meant "useful."
* After a while, though, Paul began to have qualms about ignoring the property rights that bound Onesimus to Philemon. He was sure that he would sometime soon run into his old friend again, and this secret would not come to light without great damage to their relationship. In fact, Paul was beginning to make plans for his next travels after being released from prison and wanted to see Philemon as one stop on that journey. Evidently Paul had received word that his case was soon to be on Caesar's docket and knew from Herod Agrippa's testimony (Acts 26:32) that royal judgment would clearly be in his favor.
* Probably in early 59 AD, Paul made plans to send Onesimus back to Philemon, accompanied by a trusted friend named Tychicus. Paul penned a short note to Philemon, explaining Onesimus' circumstances, and pleading with his friend to treat the young man well.
* About the same time, news had come to Paul regarding a doctrinal controversy threatening the church in Colossae. This congregation had been established under the ministry of Epaphras (Colossians 1:7-8), who was from that town (Colossians 4:12-13). Epaphras most likely heard the gospel about Jesus from Paul during Paul's stay in Ephesus, just down the Lycus and Maeander river valleys.
* Since Colossae was very close to Philemon's home, Paul decided to send a letter to that congregation, addressing the concerns he had heard. Tychicus would deliver this letter as well (Colossians 4:7-9).
* While in the writing mood, Paul also dictated a third letter to be sent in the same direction at the same time. It was less personal and more general in the themes that it expressed than either of the others (Philemon and Colossians), and may well have been intended as a more generic epistle of encouragement to be circulated around the area churches. Because Ephesus had been the launching pad for mission efforts throughout the region, the Christian congregation in that city was the "mother church" of the rest, enjoyed leadership under key figures of the early expansion of Christianity (Paul, Timothy, John), and probably came to be the repository of important documents. In that way, this circular letter from Paul eventually became called "Ephesians."
Paul's letter to the Colossians celebrates both their widely recognized faithfulness as disciples of Jesus, and also the great majesty and power of the one they serve (Colossians 1:1-23). After a short testimony of Paul's immense care for the Colossian congregation (Colossians 1:24--2:5), he addresses the problem that was beginning to divide them (Colossians 2:6-23). While it is difficult to know what were the specific elements of the false teaching that some were embracing, it appears to have included the worship of angels, certain forms of asceticism, and possibly a unique version of how the commands given through Moses were to be kept. These slim details suggest to some that an early form of Gnosticism was taking root. Others find the Jewish connection, pushing for a Palestinian ritualistic legalism of the kind that Paul had reacted against so strongly in his letter to the Galatians. Whatever the case, Paul's response was to urge the congregation to focus on the superlative transformation brought by Jesus that did not need to be supported with secondary rules and regulations.
In an almost counterintuitive move, Paul goes on to give what might be termed "rules" for Christian living. But these commands are more an explication of the social outcomes that emerge when the focus remains on Jesus (Colossians 3:1--4:1). A few personal notes and many personnel reports bring Paul's letter to a conclusion (Colossians 4:2-18).
It is helpful to keep both the historical context and the flow of Colossians in mind in order to understand more fully the rich paragraphs of today's lectionary reading. In verses 15-20 Paul anticipates addressing the "Colossian Heresy" of chapter 2 by asserting Christ's sole place as Lord of the cosmos and head of the church. With verses 21-23, Paul turns his attention to the ethical implications of living as a community of Christ's light in a dark world, which is the theme developed more fully in Colossians 3. And in verses 24-28, Paul combines both these themes in a testimony designed to nudge the Colossian Christians back to their first passionate love of Jesus, by reminding them of their original encounters some years before.
The result is a marvelous confession that "Christ rules!" and "You are great!" all wrapped up in stirring poetic prose.
Luke 10:38-42
The message of today's gospel reading is clear. We all make choices, and those choices become the outline of our characters. It is not that Mary is a better person than Martha or that household work should be neglected. But when we have determined our own destiny, according to Jesus, our destiny begins to determine us. When we choose a future wisely or foolishly, our future begins to confirm our choice, for good or ill.
And somehow, in the great grace of God, when we find ourselves on the road to his house, to his glory, to his love, he is the one who makes sure that we go all the way. In the end it is his strength and power that take us by the hand and lead us along the path to the kingdom. The old hymn put it so well:
I sought the Lord and afterward I knew:
He moved my soul to seek him seeking me!
'Twas not so much that I on Thee took hold,
As Thou, dear Lord, on me, on me!
I find, I walk, I love; but O the whole
Of love is but my answer, Lord, to Thee!
For Thou wert long beforehand with my soul;
Always, always, Thou lovedst me!
Donna Hoffman, a young Christian mother who battled cancer for a number of years, wrote this poem in her journal. She was in the hospital at the time, and the cancer seemed so strong. She calls her poem "Journey."
My soul runs
arms outstretched down the corridor to you.
Ah, my feet may stumble
but how my heart can stride!
That's the testimony of those who know their futures. That's the strength of those who have determined their destinies. That's the heart of those who know their goals, and who make their daily choices. It is God's grace that sustains them, even when their feet stumble, and even when the journey seems too long. "My soul runs," they say. "How my heart can stride!" For the goal of my life, the glory of my God, has taken hold of me!
Application
A woman once came running up to Artur Rubinstein after he finished another spectacular concert. "Oh, Mr. Rubinstein!" she said, "I've always wanted to play the piano! I'd give anything if I could play like you did this evening!"
"No, you wouldn't," he replied. "I know what I've had to give up to be able to play like this, and if that's what you really wanted, you would have done the same."
It's true. He knew his goal. He knew where he wanted to be in life, and then he kept making the necessary choices. He practiced his scales. He put in his hours at the keyboard. He did what he had to do.
There is a powerful scene in Shakespeare's drama The Merchant of Venice. Portia is a beautiful woman and also very wealthy. Men come from all over the world begging to marry her. They have a goal in mind, but if they want to win her hand they must first make a choice.
Portia knows that talk is often cheap, so she has had three large caskets created, and she uses them in a test of values. Whoever would win her hand much choose the casket that contains her portrait.
Each casket is very different from the others. One is made of silver, with an inscription that reads: Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves! Those who are attracted to the shine of that fair vessel open it, only to find the head of a fool. That, according to Portia, is what seekers of treasure deserve.
The second casket is even more spectacular than the first. It is gilded and studded with baubles and gems. The inscription on this glittering icon reads: Who chooseth me shall get what many men desire! The suitors who nod for this prize open it to receive a dry and lifeless skull. Riches are dead. They have no life in them.
Of course, there is the third casket, but it is rather ugly. It is only made of lead and fashioned by a rather crude artisan. It is, however, the one which contains Portia's portrait. The message carved on the front is this: Who chooseth me must give all and hazard all he hath!
This is the way it is on the narrow path to the kingdom of God. If you own this goal, then this goal must own you. There are no shortcuts. There are no detours or safety measures. That is why Jesus pictures the gate as straight and the way narrow -- no one can take along any treasures or safety gear. Choosing this way is a hazard. It's all or nothing.
We choose our houses. We choose our clothes. We choose our friends. We choose our work and play. Even when a tragedy comes our way, something unplanned and unexpected, like a death or a disease or a divorce, we still choose how we will deal with it. We choose to turn it into something we can live with. And in those choices we find ourselves. "The greatest thing in the world," said Oliver Wendell Holmes, "is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving."
In that sense we define our destiny and predict our futures. The choices of our lives become the key to knowing who we are and what we are becoming.
An Alternative Application
Luke 10:38-42. Some generations ago young William Borden went to Yale University. He was the wealthy son of a powerful family. He could choose to do anything with his life. When he graduated from Yale he chose to become a missionary of the gospel of Jesus Christ. His friends thought he was crazy. "Why throw away your life like that?" they asked. "You've got so much to live for!"
But Borden knew his future. He determined his destiny. He made his choices, and his goals laid hold of him. He set out on a long journey to China. It took months, in those days. By the time he got to Egypt some disease managed to make him very sick. He was placed in a hospital. Soon it became obvious that he would never recover. William Borden would die a foreigner in Egypt. He never reached his goal, and he never went back home.
He could have thought: "What a waste! I should have listened to my family! I should have stayed in America! Why did God do this to me?"
Those, however, were not his dying thoughts. His last conscious act was to write a little note. Seven words that were spoken at his funeral. Seven words that summarized his life, his goal, his choices, and his identity: No reserve, no retreat, and no regrets!
Can you say that? "No reserve, no retreat, and no regrets!" Does that describe who you are? Can you see your future? Have you determined your destiny? This is why Jesus commended Mary. In the words of an old Irish blessing:
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm on your face,
...and the rain fall softly on your fields;
And until we meet again,
...may God hold you in the palm of his hand!
