Psalm 146; James 2.1-10
The recipe called for some ingredients I didn’t have … so off to the store, shopping list in hand …
Cook time, 6 to 7 hours … so I began my prep in the morning …
My plan? … to have it done mid-day, then reheat for dinner at night … with some crusty bread and good butter.
When it was ready, it was really good … we had friends over, and they thought it was terrific … a good pot of beans.
I’ve learned over the years how ingredients work, what makes for flavor, what spice or seasoning goes well with seafood, pork chops, or beans.
Donna remembers when I first started cooking …
I threw too many things into the pot, too many seasonings and too many herbs … Donna would say, “You don’t need to throw everything into the pot!” … I learned to use flavorings sparingly, how to pair them with different meats and vegetables …
I’ve learned a lot over the years …
I still read cookbooks, and use Google.
I’m a better cook these days …
When we start anything new, there’s always a learning curve
Jesus says: Come, and follow me!
I’ve worked at it my entire life … I’m still learning …
Ideas once important to me are not quite so important any more … is that a function of age? Maturity? the Holy Spirit.
The quest, not just for new ideas, but good ideas …
By the way, do you know the definition of a good idea?
A good idea is an idea on which we can build … we can add new ideas, fresh perspectives … good ideas always welcome new ideas!
And now you know the definition of a bad idea:
You can’t do a darn thing with it.
A bad idea just sits there, like a stone in your shoe …
a bad idea dominates, demands, irritates, and frustrates
… a bad idea is lifeless and loveless … it tears down, and cannot build up … there’s only way to deal with a bad idea … take the shoe off and get rid of the stone.
It takes time to grow into our Christianity, and we need good questions:
A faith without questions is no faith at all, only a prison …
Faith thrives on good questions:
How shall I live?
What does it mean to love God?
Love my neighbor … love me?
What does the Christian life look like?
I can show you!
If you have a smart phone, take it out … yes, that’s ok … now, go to photos, and flip the camera if needed, take a picture of yourself … now look at it …
The Christian Life looks just like you.
Flesh and bone … the way you live …
The way you live: the values you hold, how you see the world … how you vote … your prayers, your laughter, your tears … your best moments, your not so good moments - your flops and failures, your success and achievements … the stain on your shirt, and the scuff on your shoes … and your brilliance and your goodness … the Christian Life looks just like you.
Some of you have been on the Christian journey for a long time … some of you have recently started … some of you have picked up where you left off years ago …
Doesn’t make any difference …
It takes time to make a good pot of beans, and it takes time to make a Christian life … whether we’re starting out, or have been at it a long time … the best thing we can do is to help each other.
Time and good ingredients …
Think of the Bible as a grocery story - all the ingredients we’ll ever need to cook up a Christian life …
Here’s are some of the ingredients …
Adam and Eve in the Garden …
Sarah and Abraham on the road …
The people in the Wilderness … and Moses on the Mountain …
The kings and the queens and their stories of victory and defeat …
The prophets and their cry for justice …
Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem …
Jesus in the Jordan baptized by John
Jesus and the first disciples …
Jesus on the Cross …
Jesus risen from the dead, ascended into heaven …
The last trumpet, the final day, the new heaven and the new earth.
Time, ingredients, and a plan …
The dream, the hope, the wish …
To live a reasonably decent life - care for those to whom we’re connected, and the strangers who cross our pathways.
Learn to be unhappy … in the best sense of that word … to be discontented, to protest, to challenge … to know there’s something better to be had … that our present social malformations are not set in concrete, but can be changed … to weep with those who weep says the Apostle Paul.
Focus on the empty spaces … places that need something … our own heart, sometimes … a loved one in need of encouragement … a new business strategy … a new attitude … where there’s darkness, let there be light … where something is missing, find it … where help is needed, give it.
Give everything we can … and receive the love of others with gratitude and kindly words … pay attention to the trees, the birds of the air, the lilies of the field …
Work well with others … be patient, be forgiving, be open, be welcoming … it’s ok to be wrong, it’s ok to misstep … we don’t know everything …but we celebrate what we do know, and we know a lot.
Keep on learning, growing, going … seek the better answer; there’s always a better answer just around the corner, yes, use the tried and true recipes, but never be afraid of trying something new; if the only thing I ever make is seafood chowder, again and again … it’s good, but folks will get sick to, and want something else … never settle with one idea too long; there’s a whole world of possibilities to explore …
Whistle while we work … walk on the sunny side of the street … climb every mountain … stay on the yellow brick road … somewhere over the rainbow …
To the glory of God, and the welfare of the world.
And a good pot of beans. … Hallelujah and Amen!
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