Dedication

John 10: 22-30, page 760
Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
Sermon
I wonder if the Amish deal with resentment the way I do. It’s so easy for me to become envious of people around me who seem to have more than I have – more house, more money, more cars – or not necessarily more maybe just better – a better house, a better car, a better phone, so I wonder what it’s like for people whose religion demands that they go without so many things that I take for granted.
Last Wednesday I was sitting in the Senior Pastor’s office as my office was being used by a group for their Bible study, and I was sitting on the couch in there and started thinking – this couch sure is nicer than mine, this room is so much bigger than my office – it sure would be nice to just move in here, but I can’t – I am your associate pastor, and while I may function as your only pastor right now, the rules of our denomination prevent me from ever becoming the permanent senior pastor of this church.
There are rules that prevent it, as there are rules that prevent lots of people from doing lots of things, and it’s easy to resent whatever it is that keeps us from doing what we want – so I wonder if the Amish ever get resentful of construction folks who can build houses with power tools, who can lift heavy beams with cranes, and who can put up a house in half the time with half the labor - I wonder if they ever get resentful, look down at their simple hammers comparing it to a nail gun and start to grow resentful at the god who they follow and who they believe would keep them from having the things that everyone else takes for granted.
We all do that I think, and sometimes, when it comes to religion preventing us from doing the thing that we want, it’s easy to resent God. Ultimately if it’s the rules of religion that we resent we end up resenting the God who we believe is the source of those rules.
As though the Shepherd were keeping his sheep from doing what they would like – he’s holding them back from doing what they’d really like to be doing.
In high school that seemed true – what I believed about God and what I believed about how the church and the Bible said I should live kept me from doing a lot of things, that at the time I really would have liked to have been doing.
And to some degree the same is true today – and not just today in general – today, right now today, because I believe that God does call me to give 10% of what I’ve been given back, so I’m faced with thinking about all that my belief in God is keeping me from. Looking at the amount on my pledge card, doing what I believe God would have me do is keeping me from spending a good chunk of money on myself which would be fun, or, if I’m thinking responsibly, doing what I believe God would have me do is keeping me from spending a good chunk of money on Lily’s college education.
But instead I’ll be giving that money to the church and if I’m not careful I’ll get resentful of God because God is keeping me from spending my money the way I would like to be spending it.
Just as today is the day when we dedicate ourselves to the church once again, financially with our pledges, and with our time through the time and talent form, our scripture passage for the day occurs on the Feast of Dedication.
Then came the Feast of Dedication our scripture passage begins – it was winter and Jesus was walking. What was being dedicated isn’t exactly clear, but what we can assume is that it was the time of year when folks began thinking about where their allegiances lie, so a group comes up to Jesus saying, “if you are the Christ, then tell us plainly.”
Jesus isn’t one for plain answers, though his response here in John comes close: “I did tell you, but you do not believe.”
What they wanted I guess was a yes or no answer, what they got was something like – “it’s not what I can say that is going to make the difference, it’s what I’ve been doing. The miracles I do in my Father’s name should speak for me.”
And the miracles that he did in the Father’s name should speak for him, should convince us that Christ is not the kind of shepherd who keeps or holds his sheep back from something – Christ is the kind of shepherd who protects his sheep from harm, who even lays down his life for his sheep.
It was winter at the Feast of Dedication, and while today it’s nice out it is still winter for so many of you. So much is scarce, times are tight, and I know that you can think of a million things to do with whatever amount of money you’ve written down on your pledge card, or maybe you haven’t written anything down as times are so tight you’d rather hold close what you have for fear that there won’t be enough.
But remember this: the shepherd who calls you to follow him, who on this day of dedication calls you to obedience, doesn’t ask for you to give up something to keep you from spending that money as you would like, to keep you from having the financial security that you desire, but like a shepherd, Christ seeks to protect you from danger.
And danger is so truly lurking all around us, tempting us at every turn.
This past week I had the opportunity to attend a preaching conference at Emory University’s seminary, the Candler School of Theology, where one of the great preachers of our time, Dr. Fred Craddock was lecturing. He talked with us about greed by telling us a story.
“It’s good to go to the Waffle House,” he said. “They make a good BLT. You have to take a shower after, but it’s good to go to Waffle House.”
So Dr. Craddock sat down at the table and the waitress comes and says, “Do you know what you want?”
“Coffee,” he says.
She returns to the table with the coffee and Dr. Craddock looks around the table, sees the sugar but doesn’t see the cream. “Do you have any cream,” he asks.
She goes looking for it, patting around, “I can never find anything in this capricious apron.”
“Capricious,” Dr. Craddock says, impressed and thinking, capricious is not a word one often hears at the Waffle House. Capricious is not a word one often hears at the Candler School of Theology for that matter.
Once she locates the cream she puts down 7 on the table.
“But I only need one,” Dr. Craddock says.
“It’s better to not want and have than to want and have not,” the waitress returns.
“Are you a waitress or a philosopher?” Dr. Craddock asks.
“If you only want one then I’ll take the rest of way,” the waitress answers.
Dr. Craddock responds saying, “Yes, please take the rest away. Isn’t it best to know what you want? I know what I want so take the rest.”
The waitress, before leaving then says, “So few have reached such a level of freedom.”
Its only cream, but it’s the truth. And if you want to be free, free from constantly wanting more, free from turning into a bottomless pit that our economy would have you become, then listen to the shepherd, who would not keep you from salvation, but would ensure that you reach that green pasture, will lead you beside the quiet waters.
Do not be oblivious to the danger of holding money too tight.
Don’t be so idealistic to think that you’ll reach a point in time when you will have enough and be able to give away the extra, as our world will see to it that you’ll never feel like you have enough.
Give some of it away now and be free.
Give some of it away now and be free from the worry of not having enough, be free from the insatiable hunger for more, more, and more. Be free.