My Life Is In You, Lord
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series I, Cycle B
When we affirm that our life belongs to God, this affirmation includes every aspect of our lives. For the modern person living this way can be difficult at times. We wrestle with how we practice our faith on a daily basis, realizing that for our faith to be vital we need to live it out 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In all that we do, we give glory to God. Declaring our faith in this manner influences the way we interact with other people including our spouse, our children, our friends, our coworkers, our neighbors, and the clerk at the store, as well as a person we might encounter on the street.
Throughout the book of Proverbs there is no distinction or separation made between faith and ordinary everyday living. The wise sage or teacher believed that every aspect of our life belongs to God. We cannot divide or categorize our lives between the secular and sacred as we might be tempted to do, since our entire life belongs to God, including even the most routine and mundane tasks. It is impossible to separate our faith from our ordinary everyday lives.
Like all parents who want the very best for their children, King Lemuel's mother offered guidance in the king's search for a "capable wife" or "woman of worth." From her list of attributes we get the impression that the king's mother had very high and perhaps unrealistic expectations. "A capable wife who can find?" she asks. From her description the answer would have to be "no one" because no such person exists.
To help us in our understanding of this lesson, think for a moment of the American frontier in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries where the family farm was the center of all activity. The "capable wife" had her hands in everything from raising her children, to helping plant and harvest crops, to sewing and mending all the clothing, to feeding the livestock, to buying and selling, as well as handling any emergencies that might arise. The frontier wife was very resourceful, making what little she had to work with stretch to meet the demanding needs of her family. Often times it was a life and death struggle out on the frontier. It's the stuff of legend. The description of the "capable wife" found in Proverbs could very easily fit the frontier wife, "she rises while it is still night and provides food for her household."
The modern equivalent wife and mother might run a business from her home, take her children to their various activities, as well as take care of her family. While she might not weave the fabrics, she is nonetheless a smart shopper who knows where to find a bargain. She might have a garden, but relies on the local supermarket to do her grocery shopping. She is active in the life of her church. She doesn't complain about her many tasks, but finds her fulfillment in knowing she does her best. She is dependable. She puts the needs of her family first. Such a person would make any mother happy, and is "far more precious than jewels."
Such a capable wife always makes her family her number one priority. Maria Shriver tells of the time she interviewed Cuban President Fidel Castro for a two-hour retrospective on the Cuban Missile Crisis. The television network sent a large team of producers and technicians to record the historic interview. Not everything went according to schedule as Maria remembers waiting and waiting for the Cuban President who postponed the interview several times. The weekend was fast approaching and Maria was beginning to get anxious. Monday was her daughter's first day of preschool. Maria had promised her daughter that nothing would keep her from taking her to school. Her first child's first day at school was a big deal. By late Friday afternoon word was that Castro was sick and couldn't be interviewed.
On Saturday Castro called to say he was sick and would not be able to do the interview until Monday. "I can't do that!" Maria blurted out. "I have to go back home to take my daughter to school!" There was silence in the room. Her boss kicked her under the table and asked her to step outside. "Are you nuts?" he asked her, telling her how long he had waited for the opportunity to interview Castro. Her boss shared with her the worst case scenario, telling her if they left they might not be allowed back in the country. There was no denying this was an important interview. Maria understood what was at stake but told her boss that she had to return home. She explained to Castro about her daughter's first day of preschool and how she needed to be there. She said she would immediately return for the interview.
Maria flew home, took her daughter to preschool, and returned to Cuba the same day to film one of the most fascinating interviews of her career. By the way, the first thing Castro asked her was, "How was the first day of school?"
Maria shares, "Even though you may think your job is your life and your identity, it's not and it shouldn't be." At work you are replaceable, but as a parent you are irreplaceable.1
We learn that the capable wife "opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hand to the needy." Not only were family members responsible for each other's well being they also had an obligation to help provide food, shelter, and clothing for those in need. When we claim that our life is in God, we will naturally want to reach out to people in need. If we desire to live out our faith, then we will help others in need. Not only do those we help benefit from our generosity, but also it contributes to our own sense of well being. Several recent studies reveal that men and women who volunteer time helping others are both happier and healthier. Reaching out to others allows us to focus on other people, which takes our minds off ourselves.
Sheryl is a young woman who last year earned $200,000. Even though she earned this considerable amount of money, she still felt empty inside. She thought counseling might help her. During one of the sessions she revealed that she had lost her passion for work. Another problem was identified: Sheryl was overly concerned about not being able to pay her bills. She earned six figures but was terrified of being unable to pay the bills -- not next year's, next month's. She was so afraid of loss that she could no longer give and she was shriveling up inside. The counselor suggested that she volunteer at a shelter for battered women one night a week.
Three weeks later Sheryl told her counselor that she had taken her eight- and ten-year-old sons with her so they could play with the other children at the shelter. As she sat and listened to the stories of women who had given up everything just so they and their children could be safe, she began to realize how fortunate she was. Her sons were shocked to learn that there were actually children who had no toys. They began a toy drive at their school.
Those three hours a week Sheryl volunteered made her feel more fulfilled and realize her abundance more than any amount of time she could have spent trying to fill a bank account that would before never have been enough. Sheryl got rich by giving something away.2
The wise mother wanting the very best for her son advises, "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." The Psalmist reminds us that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10). Such a person believes, like the sages of old, that the beginning of wisdom is the belief in God as Creator and Sustainer. Wisdom is not only lived out in the classroom but is also received by divine revelation. We place our lives in God's hands because we love the Lord.
The irony is that the qualities that draw our attention to another person, namely charm and beauty, do not necessarily matter all that much nor do they endure. "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain." Charm and intrigue can be deceiving, while beauty fades with the passing of time. But the person who invests his or her life in the Lord has rewards in heaven.
The capable wife "opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." This wife and mother takes time from her busy schedule to read to her children. She daily affirms and encourages her children. We know from experience how much a word of kindness is appreciated, especially to children. At times when life is unsettled, just having another person listen to us can make a big difference.
With encouragement comes challenge. Myra always viewed herself as a Christian. She took her family to church and Sunday school on a regular basis. One day she received a telephone call that would forever call to question the way she lived her faith. "Mom, something's happened," her daughter Julena said, calling long distance from college. "It's too complicated to explain over the phone," she said. Julena told her mother that she was sending a letter home that would explain everything. Before she finished her conversation she assured her mother that she was okay. Myra did not know what to think. Her daughter was 500 miles from home, on her own for the first time, exposed to all the temptations every college student faces.
Several anxious days later Myra breathed a sigh of relief when she received the letter from her daughter. Julena wrote that she committed her life to Jesus Christ, was attending church, and reading her Bible. She stayed clear of the college "party scene" and joined a Christian student organization called "The Prodigals."
"Happy as her news made me," Myra stated, "I was faced with some disturbing questions." She wondered why her daughter would join a group called "The Prodigals" when she had grown up in a Christian home. She wondered why Julena was only now learning to know Christ when she had attended Sunday school and worship all her life. Her family had always professed the Christian faith.
This allowed Myra to reflect deeply about her own faith. She admitted that while she had never actually "walked out" on God, her words and actions have not always honored Christ. Candidly she said, "It took my daughter's bold admission of faith and visible, ongoing pursuit of a changed lifestyle to make me realize I, too, wanted to become a child of God in more than name only."
In those first several months after reading her daughter's letter, she committed herself to the daily practice of purposeful prayer, and a commitment to read the entire Bible. As she explains, "I realized an intimate relationship with my Lord is the only source of power for lasting change and strength for living the Christian life." Myra grew in her faith as she spent more time in daily prayer and reading her Bible.3
While our lesson from Proverbs applauds the "capable wife," its teachings apply to everyone who seeks honestly to live out his or her faith. May we affirm that all of our life belongs to God and pray that God can use each one of us to God's glory.
____________
1. Ten Things I Wish I'd Known, Maria Shriver (New York: Warner Books, Inc, 2000), pp. 80-81.
2. Jesus, Inc., Laurie Beth Jones (New York: Random House, 2001), p. 231.
3. "Reality Check," Myra Langley Johnson, Today's Christian Women, January/February 1999.
Throughout the book of Proverbs there is no distinction or separation made between faith and ordinary everyday living. The wise sage or teacher believed that every aspect of our life belongs to God. We cannot divide or categorize our lives between the secular and sacred as we might be tempted to do, since our entire life belongs to God, including even the most routine and mundane tasks. It is impossible to separate our faith from our ordinary everyday lives.
Like all parents who want the very best for their children, King Lemuel's mother offered guidance in the king's search for a "capable wife" or "woman of worth." From her list of attributes we get the impression that the king's mother had very high and perhaps unrealistic expectations. "A capable wife who can find?" she asks. From her description the answer would have to be "no one" because no such person exists.
To help us in our understanding of this lesson, think for a moment of the American frontier in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries where the family farm was the center of all activity. The "capable wife" had her hands in everything from raising her children, to helping plant and harvest crops, to sewing and mending all the clothing, to feeding the livestock, to buying and selling, as well as handling any emergencies that might arise. The frontier wife was very resourceful, making what little she had to work with stretch to meet the demanding needs of her family. Often times it was a life and death struggle out on the frontier. It's the stuff of legend. The description of the "capable wife" found in Proverbs could very easily fit the frontier wife, "she rises while it is still night and provides food for her household."
The modern equivalent wife and mother might run a business from her home, take her children to their various activities, as well as take care of her family. While she might not weave the fabrics, she is nonetheless a smart shopper who knows where to find a bargain. She might have a garden, but relies on the local supermarket to do her grocery shopping. She is active in the life of her church. She doesn't complain about her many tasks, but finds her fulfillment in knowing she does her best. She is dependable. She puts the needs of her family first. Such a person would make any mother happy, and is "far more precious than jewels."
Such a capable wife always makes her family her number one priority. Maria Shriver tells of the time she interviewed Cuban President Fidel Castro for a two-hour retrospective on the Cuban Missile Crisis. The television network sent a large team of producers and technicians to record the historic interview. Not everything went according to schedule as Maria remembers waiting and waiting for the Cuban President who postponed the interview several times. The weekend was fast approaching and Maria was beginning to get anxious. Monday was her daughter's first day of preschool. Maria had promised her daughter that nothing would keep her from taking her to school. Her first child's first day at school was a big deal. By late Friday afternoon word was that Castro was sick and couldn't be interviewed.
On Saturday Castro called to say he was sick and would not be able to do the interview until Monday. "I can't do that!" Maria blurted out. "I have to go back home to take my daughter to school!" There was silence in the room. Her boss kicked her under the table and asked her to step outside. "Are you nuts?" he asked her, telling her how long he had waited for the opportunity to interview Castro. Her boss shared with her the worst case scenario, telling her if they left they might not be allowed back in the country. There was no denying this was an important interview. Maria understood what was at stake but told her boss that she had to return home. She explained to Castro about her daughter's first day of preschool and how she needed to be there. She said she would immediately return for the interview.
Maria flew home, took her daughter to preschool, and returned to Cuba the same day to film one of the most fascinating interviews of her career. By the way, the first thing Castro asked her was, "How was the first day of school?"
Maria shares, "Even though you may think your job is your life and your identity, it's not and it shouldn't be." At work you are replaceable, but as a parent you are irreplaceable.1
We learn that the capable wife "opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hand to the needy." Not only were family members responsible for each other's well being they also had an obligation to help provide food, shelter, and clothing for those in need. When we claim that our life is in God, we will naturally want to reach out to people in need. If we desire to live out our faith, then we will help others in need. Not only do those we help benefit from our generosity, but also it contributes to our own sense of well being. Several recent studies reveal that men and women who volunteer time helping others are both happier and healthier. Reaching out to others allows us to focus on other people, which takes our minds off ourselves.
Sheryl is a young woman who last year earned $200,000. Even though she earned this considerable amount of money, she still felt empty inside. She thought counseling might help her. During one of the sessions she revealed that she had lost her passion for work. Another problem was identified: Sheryl was overly concerned about not being able to pay her bills. She earned six figures but was terrified of being unable to pay the bills -- not next year's, next month's. She was so afraid of loss that she could no longer give and she was shriveling up inside. The counselor suggested that she volunteer at a shelter for battered women one night a week.
Three weeks later Sheryl told her counselor that she had taken her eight- and ten-year-old sons with her so they could play with the other children at the shelter. As she sat and listened to the stories of women who had given up everything just so they and their children could be safe, she began to realize how fortunate she was. Her sons were shocked to learn that there were actually children who had no toys. They began a toy drive at their school.
Those three hours a week Sheryl volunteered made her feel more fulfilled and realize her abundance more than any amount of time she could have spent trying to fill a bank account that would before never have been enough. Sheryl got rich by giving something away.2
The wise mother wanting the very best for her son advises, "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." The Psalmist reminds us that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10). Such a person believes, like the sages of old, that the beginning of wisdom is the belief in God as Creator and Sustainer. Wisdom is not only lived out in the classroom but is also received by divine revelation. We place our lives in God's hands because we love the Lord.
The irony is that the qualities that draw our attention to another person, namely charm and beauty, do not necessarily matter all that much nor do they endure. "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain." Charm and intrigue can be deceiving, while beauty fades with the passing of time. But the person who invests his or her life in the Lord has rewards in heaven.
The capable wife "opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." This wife and mother takes time from her busy schedule to read to her children. She daily affirms and encourages her children. We know from experience how much a word of kindness is appreciated, especially to children. At times when life is unsettled, just having another person listen to us can make a big difference.
With encouragement comes challenge. Myra always viewed herself as a Christian. She took her family to church and Sunday school on a regular basis. One day she received a telephone call that would forever call to question the way she lived her faith. "Mom, something's happened," her daughter Julena said, calling long distance from college. "It's too complicated to explain over the phone," she said. Julena told her mother that she was sending a letter home that would explain everything. Before she finished her conversation she assured her mother that she was okay. Myra did not know what to think. Her daughter was 500 miles from home, on her own for the first time, exposed to all the temptations every college student faces.
Several anxious days later Myra breathed a sigh of relief when she received the letter from her daughter. Julena wrote that she committed her life to Jesus Christ, was attending church, and reading her Bible. She stayed clear of the college "party scene" and joined a Christian student organization called "The Prodigals."
"Happy as her news made me," Myra stated, "I was faced with some disturbing questions." She wondered why her daughter would join a group called "The Prodigals" when she had grown up in a Christian home. She wondered why Julena was only now learning to know Christ when she had attended Sunday school and worship all her life. Her family had always professed the Christian faith.
This allowed Myra to reflect deeply about her own faith. She admitted that while she had never actually "walked out" on God, her words and actions have not always honored Christ. Candidly she said, "It took my daughter's bold admission of faith and visible, ongoing pursuit of a changed lifestyle to make me realize I, too, wanted to become a child of God in more than name only."
In those first several months after reading her daughter's letter, she committed herself to the daily practice of purposeful prayer, and a commitment to read the entire Bible. As she explains, "I realized an intimate relationship with my Lord is the only source of power for lasting change and strength for living the Christian life." Myra grew in her faith as she spent more time in daily prayer and reading her Bible.3
While our lesson from Proverbs applauds the "capable wife," its teachings apply to everyone who seeks honestly to live out his or her faith. May we affirm that all of our life belongs to God and pray that God can use each one of us to God's glory.
____________
1. Ten Things I Wish I'd Known, Maria Shriver (New York: Warner Books, Inc, 2000), pp. 80-81.
2. Jesus, Inc., Laurie Beth Jones (New York: Random House, 2001), p. 231.
3. "Reality Check," Myra Langley Johnson, Today's Christian Women, January/February 1999.
