The Most Important Thing In Life
Sermon
We Walk By Faith
Gospel Sermons For Sundays After Pentecost (Middle Third)
When she was a little girl her parents bought a cottage by the lake. It was a small and humble place, but it would soon be filled with many memories. Each summer the family would go to the lake. She and her brother and sisters went swimming almost every day. On special occasions her father would rent a boat and the whole family would paddle around the lake. She learned how to fish and even tried her hand at water skiing. Vacations were a constant source of joy because of the little cottage by the lake.
When she grew a little older and entered high school, other interests were found besides the cottage by the lake. Clothes, parties, and especially boys occupied the majority of her time. She went to summer school to improve her mind but also to enhance her social life. The few times that she did go to the lake were with her friends. Horseplay, long walks along the shore of the lake, and roasting marshmallows over a dying campfire were memories which she collected.
As time passed she graduated from high school, went to college, and got a job. She became successful and married the man of her dreams. She was far too busy to go to the little cottage by the lake. Even when her parents died and left the house to her she could not muster the energy or resolve to go to the lake; it no longer seemed to fit her taste. After all it was small and inconvenient due to its location; it would take lots of remodeling to satisfy her tastes. The lake was more like a big pond; it was hardly something of which to be proud. When she had children they convinced her to go to the lake a couple of times, but her attitude rubbed off on them and no one had a good time. In the end she abandoned the cottage completely. She was a successful businesswoman who lectured and traveled widely and thus did not have any time for the cottage. Besides, she had all that was needed: a fancy car, designer clothes, and a palatial home.
One day while at work she received a message from her secretary. Vandals had broken into the little cottage by the lake and burned it to the ground. It didn't matter to her, but for some strange reason she felt compelled to go to the lake. When she arrived she stood in the ashes of what once was the little cottage by the lake. Surrounded by the charred rubble, she remembered and began to cry uncontrollably; she couldn't stop. At that moment she came to a stunning revelation. If all the fancy things she had -- the car, designer clothes, or palatial home -- were lost she would not cry as hard as she was now for the little cottage by the lake. The place had become part of her and she never realized it. That day when she left, the lake looked bigger than it ever had before. Her tears had made it so.1
What is truly important in our lives? What occupies our time, energy, thoughts, and resources? What value do we place on the various things of our life -- our opportunities, our health, our material possessions, our relationship with God? In today's Gospel passage we hear several short vignettes, images of the kingdom of God, which tell us that there is nothing more important than our relationship with the Lord.
Jesus uses the parables of the mustard seed and yeast to tell his followers and all of us that there is nothing too small, seemingly insignificant or unimportant in the sight of God. The Lord can make even the smallest seed produce something large enough for the birds of the air to build their nests. It is the yeast, which seems so unimportant because of its small size, that makes the dough rise and thus useful to us. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is insignificant to God.
Jesus tells us that the reign of God is like a dragnet cast into the sea by a fisherman. It collects all sorts of things, some of which are good and useful and other items which bring us no benefit at all. We live in a world of dynamism that becomes increasingly busy each day. Along the path of life, with all its twists, turns, and changes, we accumulate all sorts of things -- experiences, relationships, and material possessions. Periodically we need to sort things out, like the fisherman who examines his dragnet. Those things which help us move closer to God should be kept, promoted, and improved, and that which is not productive must be discarded. Once we sort out and order our lives, then we must move one step further and be willing to give up all to capture the one truly important prize -- our relationship with God.
Jesus illustrates this latter point with the parables of the pearl of great price and the buried treasure. We will find many things along life's journey which will make us more productive people in our contribution to society, but when we find the buried treasure in the field or the one great pearl that shines brighter than all others, in other words when we discover our relationship with God, we must be able to divest ourselves of all other things in order to obtain this greatest of all gifts. Nothing is so important that it cannot be sacrificed to obtain what is truly needed.
The woman in John Aurelio's story was like most of us. As a child she was free enough to enjoy the moment -- what was simply present, natural, and readily apparent. As she grew older and matured she encountered many things, ideas, and people which vied for her attention, things which served as competition for what she was first given. Her situation only grew more complex with time. She became successful, held a good job, and gained many material possessions; she no longer had time for the little cottage by the lake. It did not attract her anymore; it seemed insignificant.
Like the woman in the story we lead busy lives that are filled with many things. We become cluttered with activity and what was given us at the outset, what we have always had -- our relationship with God -- seems insignificant or unimportant. We don't have time to encounter the presence of the living God. The woman only discovered the error of her way through tragedy. Let us not follow her lead. Rather, let us sort out our lives as the image of the dragnet suggests and rid ourselves of anything that does not bring us closer to God. Let us be willing to sacrifice all to find what is truly important in life, as we learn from the parables of the pearl and the buried treasure. Let us firmly believe, as we hear in the images of the yeast and mustard seed, that in God's eyes there is nothing that is too little or insignificant. Let us not write off individuals, groups, or ourselves; let us not shortchange anyone.
Salvation has no price, yet its attainment will cost us everything. May we set our priorities straight and center ourselves in the Lord. Our reward in heaven will be great!
____________
1. Paraphrased from "The Lady of the Lake," in John R. Aurelio, Colors! Stories of the Kingdom (New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1993), pp. 40-41.
When she grew a little older and entered high school, other interests were found besides the cottage by the lake. Clothes, parties, and especially boys occupied the majority of her time. She went to summer school to improve her mind but also to enhance her social life. The few times that she did go to the lake were with her friends. Horseplay, long walks along the shore of the lake, and roasting marshmallows over a dying campfire were memories which she collected.
As time passed she graduated from high school, went to college, and got a job. She became successful and married the man of her dreams. She was far too busy to go to the little cottage by the lake. Even when her parents died and left the house to her she could not muster the energy or resolve to go to the lake; it no longer seemed to fit her taste. After all it was small and inconvenient due to its location; it would take lots of remodeling to satisfy her tastes. The lake was more like a big pond; it was hardly something of which to be proud. When she had children they convinced her to go to the lake a couple of times, but her attitude rubbed off on them and no one had a good time. In the end she abandoned the cottage completely. She was a successful businesswoman who lectured and traveled widely and thus did not have any time for the cottage. Besides, she had all that was needed: a fancy car, designer clothes, and a palatial home.
One day while at work she received a message from her secretary. Vandals had broken into the little cottage by the lake and burned it to the ground. It didn't matter to her, but for some strange reason she felt compelled to go to the lake. When she arrived she stood in the ashes of what once was the little cottage by the lake. Surrounded by the charred rubble, she remembered and began to cry uncontrollably; she couldn't stop. At that moment she came to a stunning revelation. If all the fancy things she had -- the car, designer clothes, or palatial home -- were lost she would not cry as hard as she was now for the little cottage by the lake. The place had become part of her and she never realized it. That day when she left, the lake looked bigger than it ever had before. Her tears had made it so.1
What is truly important in our lives? What occupies our time, energy, thoughts, and resources? What value do we place on the various things of our life -- our opportunities, our health, our material possessions, our relationship with God? In today's Gospel passage we hear several short vignettes, images of the kingdom of God, which tell us that there is nothing more important than our relationship with the Lord.
Jesus uses the parables of the mustard seed and yeast to tell his followers and all of us that there is nothing too small, seemingly insignificant or unimportant in the sight of God. The Lord can make even the smallest seed produce something large enough for the birds of the air to build their nests. It is the yeast, which seems so unimportant because of its small size, that makes the dough rise and thus useful to us. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is insignificant to God.
Jesus tells us that the reign of God is like a dragnet cast into the sea by a fisherman. It collects all sorts of things, some of which are good and useful and other items which bring us no benefit at all. We live in a world of dynamism that becomes increasingly busy each day. Along the path of life, with all its twists, turns, and changes, we accumulate all sorts of things -- experiences, relationships, and material possessions. Periodically we need to sort things out, like the fisherman who examines his dragnet. Those things which help us move closer to God should be kept, promoted, and improved, and that which is not productive must be discarded. Once we sort out and order our lives, then we must move one step further and be willing to give up all to capture the one truly important prize -- our relationship with God.
Jesus illustrates this latter point with the parables of the pearl of great price and the buried treasure. We will find many things along life's journey which will make us more productive people in our contribution to society, but when we find the buried treasure in the field or the one great pearl that shines brighter than all others, in other words when we discover our relationship with God, we must be able to divest ourselves of all other things in order to obtain this greatest of all gifts. Nothing is so important that it cannot be sacrificed to obtain what is truly needed.
The woman in John Aurelio's story was like most of us. As a child she was free enough to enjoy the moment -- what was simply present, natural, and readily apparent. As she grew older and matured she encountered many things, ideas, and people which vied for her attention, things which served as competition for what she was first given. Her situation only grew more complex with time. She became successful, held a good job, and gained many material possessions; she no longer had time for the little cottage by the lake. It did not attract her anymore; it seemed insignificant.
Like the woman in the story we lead busy lives that are filled with many things. We become cluttered with activity and what was given us at the outset, what we have always had -- our relationship with God -- seems insignificant or unimportant. We don't have time to encounter the presence of the living God. The woman only discovered the error of her way through tragedy. Let us not follow her lead. Rather, let us sort out our lives as the image of the dragnet suggests and rid ourselves of anything that does not bring us closer to God. Let us be willing to sacrifice all to find what is truly important in life, as we learn from the parables of the pearl and the buried treasure. Let us firmly believe, as we hear in the images of the yeast and mustard seed, that in God's eyes there is nothing that is too little or insignificant. Let us not write off individuals, groups, or ourselves; let us not shortchange anyone.
Salvation has no price, yet its attainment will cost us everything. May we set our priorities straight and center ourselves in the Lord. Our reward in heaven will be great!
____________
1. Paraphrased from "The Lady of the Lake," in John R. Aurelio, Colors! Stories of the Kingdom (New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1993), pp. 40-41.
