When Christianity Becomes A Waste Of Time
Preaching
Lions And Cows Dining Together
And 111 Other Sermon Ideas
Object:
Purpose Statement: Good Christian stewardship demands an efficient use of our time and talents.
So many of the stories of Jesus have interesting little twists to them that strike us as strange, unless we get so familiar with the stories as to render them common and not out of the ordinary. One such story is about Jesus sending out his followers to preach and heal (Mark 6:7-13). There are interesting elements to explain such as the instruction not to take anything, but the one that always intrigued me was that they were not to persist or pressure their listeners. Unlike some telemarketers or door-to-door religious folks who find "No" an unintelligible answer, Jesus seemed to suggest the disciples should move on if there is no initial response in the town. "Shake the dust from your feet and move on to the next town" (Matthew 10:14). My first reaction was: "Jesus, I think you are wrong. We should linger and be more persuasive. Keep trying; after all, these folks are important and need saving." But Jesus had another agenda: we must not waste energy and time. There is only so much we can do when the "harvest is too great for the number of workers" (Luke 10:2). Efficiency is a key stewardship idea.
a. Efficiency in church. As Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us, there is a time to stick to it and a time to give up. Every Christian must evaluate what she or he is doing in the church. Is what we are doing the best use of our talents or more of a waste of our Christian time? Can someone else do this job more effectively, and do we belong in another slot? Conservation of energy is all the rage today and rightly so. We must apply the same criteria and organization to the conservation of our personal energy. Spend it where it is the most effective; where it will do the most good. Be careful: this efficiency evaluation is not to be used as an excuse to avoid unpleasant responsibilities.
b. Efficiency in social action. First, every Christian should find areas of social concern where they can invest themselves in issues that will make better communities, or bring peace and justice. However, this is a difficult area to analyze in terms of efficient Christian service. We need to feel that our efforts are amounting to something. Social action becomes extremely disappointing or depressing when we expend so much time and energy with so little results. If we are unable to realize some tangible change or sense that we have made an impact, discouragement will sap our strength. We can "shake the dust from our shoes" and move on in two different ways: either we change our tactics or we change our activity. If the goal of the social action we're involved in is relatively unattainable or impractical, we change the focus, or change the approach. Instead of standing on the corner with a protest poster, it may be time to give that up and spend the time contacting legislators. Or, after a while, it may be time to find a new cause for our energies.
c. Efficiency in all things. Someone has said that we "should not waste time, it is what life is made of." We need to prioritize our lives, putting "first things first." Examine your daily schedule to see how the time is spent. Is it in activities that serve some good purpose that is constructive, restful and renewing, helpful, enjoyable, or meaningful? We could find we are wasting time on things that are harmful, useless, and entirely unenjoyable. Life is too short and time too valuable. John Wesley, the co-founder of the United Methodist Church, advises us never to spend any more time in any place than is necessary. Methodists "... pick(ed) up the very fragments of.... Time, that not a moment might be lost." We must invest ourselves in productive and helpful ways. Certainly, enjoyment is important and needs to be one of the criteria. My wife asks me, "You don't like coffee; why do you drink it?" I say, "I don't know." Our common complaint is there "isn't enough time in the day to do everything." And yet, most of us haven't sharpened and focused our priorities. We are wasting time and life.
So many of the stories of Jesus have interesting little twists to them that strike us as strange, unless we get so familiar with the stories as to render them common and not out of the ordinary. One such story is about Jesus sending out his followers to preach and heal (Mark 6:7-13). There are interesting elements to explain such as the instruction not to take anything, but the one that always intrigued me was that they were not to persist or pressure their listeners. Unlike some telemarketers or door-to-door religious folks who find "No" an unintelligible answer, Jesus seemed to suggest the disciples should move on if there is no initial response in the town. "Shake the dust from your feet and move on to the next town" (Matthew 10:14). My first reaction was: "Jesus, I think you are wrong. We should linger and be more persuasive. Keep trying; after all, these folks are important and need saving." But Jesus had another agenda: we must not waste energy and time. There is only so much we can do when the "harvest is too great for the number of workers" (Luke 10:2). Efficiency is a key stewardship idea.
a. Efficiency in church. As Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us, there is a time to stick to it and a time to give up. Every Christian must evaluate what she or he is doing in the church. Is what we are doing the best use of our talents or more of a waste of our Christian time? Can someone else do this job more effectively, and do we belong in another slot? Conservation of energy is all the rage today and rightly so. We must apply the same criteria and organization to the conservation of our personal energy. Spend it where it is the most effective; where it will do the most good. Be careful: this efficiency evaluation is not to be used as an excuse to avoid unpleasant responsibilities.
b. Efficiency in social action. First, every Christian should find areas of social concern where they can invest themselves in issues that will make better communities, or bring peace and justice. However, this is a difficult area to analyze in terms of efficient Christian service. We need to feel that our efforts are amounting to something. Social action becomes extremely disappointing or depressing when we expend so much time and energy with so little results. If we are unable to realize some tangible change or sense that we have made an impact, discouragement will sap our strength. We can "shake the dust from our shoes" and move on in two different ways: either we change our tactics or we change our activity. If the goal of the social action we're involved in is relatively unattainable or impractical, we change the focus, or change the approach. Instead of standing on the corner with a protest poster, it may be time to give that up and spend the time contacting legislators. Or, after a while, it may be time to find a new cause for our energies.
c. Efficiency in all things. Someone has said that we "should not waste time, it is what life is made of." We need to prioritize our lives, putting "first things first." Examine your daily schedule to see how the time is spent. Is it in activities that serve some good purpose that is constructive, restful and renewing, helpful, enjoyable, or meaningful? We could find we are wasting time on things that are harmful, useless, and entirely unenjoyable. Life is too short and time too valuable. John Wesley, the co-founder of the United Methodist Church, advises us never to spend any more time in any place than is necessary. Methodists "... pick(ed) up the very fragments of.... Time, that not a moment might be lost." We must invest ourselves in productive and helpful ways. Certainly, enjoyment is important and needs to be one of the criteria. My wife asks me, "You don't like coffee; why do you drink it?" I say, "I don't know." Our common complaint is there "isn't enough time in the day to do everything." And yet, most of us haven't sharpened and focused our priorities. We are wasting time and life.
