(Habakkuk
1:1-2,2:2-3) The oracle that the prophet
Habakkuk saw. {2} O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will
not listen? Or cry to you "Violence!" and you will not save? 2:2
Then the LORD answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on
tablets, so that a runner may read it. {3} For there is still a vision
for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to
tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.
Last
week I stated that the point of becoming a Christian is not to reach some
ultimate destination --- ie, perfection, or heaven,
but the point of being a Christian is
to be on a lifelong
Eternally
lifelong
Journey
with Jesus Christ
And
the point of the journey is not reaching some goal (although, those things are
great) the point is THE JOURNEY.
Being a fellow traveler with Jesus and
with each other.
When
we pay attention to our journey in the present, we encounter the living Christ,
and ultimately experience the power of Jesus in what we might call those
"unexpected Holy moments" along the way.
But,
on the other hand, when we see our Christian faith as a means to an end,
·
as
a way of getting from A to B,
·
a
way of getting from this life to eternal life,
·
and
we pay no attention to life in between,
·
life
tends to become miserable
the journey becomes long and arduous
and we cut ourselves off from the many
ways that Jesus is waiting and wanting to touch our lives!
As
we constantly seek to keep before us the notion that Christianity is a never
ending journey
and when we realize that the point of
the journey IS THE JOURNEY
then there are some "RULES OF
THE ROAD" that can help make the journey more profitable and more fun!
I
want to thank the Monday morning Bible Study for their help in coming up with
some of these ideas,
Some
of them are pretty simple and self evident
RULE
# 1 We are in this together, so wear
your name tag!
It
is a lot more fun to know who you are traveling with
If
you don't have a name tag --- then now is a good time to get one!
RULE
#2. If you are not sure just where you
are going --- GO SOMEWHERE!
Too
many Christians never get off the starting blocks in their walk with Jesus
because they are not sure exactly where they are supposed to go, or how they
will get there.
A
young person once said to me:
"I know that God is calling me
to do something, but I don't want to just try anything. I want to make sure that I do the right thing
--- rather than just trying something and finding out that isn't what
God wants of me."
How
many of us have said almost the exact same thing?
I
know God wants me to DO something, but what that is, I am not sure
so I had better not do anything until
I figure out exactly what that is.
I will wait for God to bop me on the
head --- then I will get started.
If
you are not sure just where you are going ---- PLEASE, just go somewhere.
Jesus
tells the disciples to GO --- he doesn't tell them where to go — JUST GO, he
says
Remember
the stories I shared last week about my journey --- the biblical story of God
calling ABRAHAM, telling him to "Go to the place I will show you"
There
is an old Chinese proverb that states:
"A journey of a thousand miles
begins with a single step."
Samuel
Johnson once said:
"Nothing will ever be attempted
if all possible objections must first be overcome."
There
will always be temptations and rationalizations that tell us to seek the safety
of doing nothing --- BUT God calls all of us to GO!
And if we believe the Gospel we also
believe that God will lead us!
That
leads me to my third rule: CONTRARY TO POPULAR OPINION, MAPS REALLY ARE OK!
As
you move along on your Christian journey --- do you consult your map?
And
since the point of our journey is the journey we find ourselves on every day
---- do you consult your map daily'?
WHAT
IS OUR MAP? THE BIBLE!
We
have in our possession, the greatest collection of maps in the world.
Within
that book are maps that will help us along the way on our journey
BUT, how often do we really consult
it?
And
do we really know how to read it?
I
believe one of the problems today is many of us have lost the ability to read
God's map.
How
often do we go through life, assuming we know the Way.
Never consulting our maps --- only to
find ourselves desperately lost and confused.
Take
time to understand this "map" --- the Bible --- that God has given
us.
The
fourth rule is: just when you think everything is going smooth and you want to
shift into fifth gear --- there is always a car doing forty in the passing
lane!
To say it another way: LEARN
PATIENCE.
It
is hard to be patient.
Interruptions
are a part of life!
The
question we must ask ourselves is:
On our Christian journey are we
angered by having to slow down'?
Or are we willing to seek the Holy
moments that can be found in the detours of life.
Our
scripture reading from Habakkuk reminds us that we must slow down.
O LORD, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not listen? Or cry to you "Violence!" and you will not
save'? Then the LORD answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on
tablets, so that a runner may read it. For there is still a vision for the
appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry,
wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.
Paul
writes in the book of Colossians: (Col 3:12)
"As God's chosen ones, holy and
beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and
patience."
But,
boy --- is it hard!
If
indeed, interruptions are a normal part of life, then we must learn the lesson
from Paul and the author of Habakkuk.
We
must learn patience — because in learning patience we can experience a fifth
rule of the road. ENJOY THE DETOURS; YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU WILL FIND!
I
hate detours ---- when I am on a long journey, the last thing I want to deal
with is a detour
But,
our Christian journey is filled with detours!
Unplanned
interruptions, circumstances that make us alter our course and take a different
route --- things that cause us to change our plans.
When
we hit the detours we face a choice
·
we
can be miserable and angry about how life is unfair, God is unfair, our friends
our unfair, everything is unfair
·
or
find some joy in the detour.
A
train was filled with tired people. Most of them had spent the day traveling
through the hot dusty plains and at last evening had come and they all tried to
settle down to a sound sleep. However, at one end of the car a man was holding
a tiny baby and as night came on the baby became restless and cried more and
more. Unable to take it any longer, a big brawny man spoke for the rest of the
group. 'Why don't you take that baby to its mother?" There was a moment's
pause and then came the reply. "I'm sorry. I'm doin' my best. The baby's
mother is in her casket in the baggage car ahead." Again there was an
awful silence for a moment. Then the big man who asked the cruel question was out
of his seat and moved toward the man with the motherless child. He apologized
for his impatience and unkind remark. He took the tiny baby in his own arms and
told the tired father to get some sleep. Then in loving patience he cared for
the little child all through the night.
That
man wanted to sleep, he wanted that baby to shut up --- but in the end, instead
of allowing the detour to destroy him --- he allowed the detour to change him.
Detours
are a fact of life.
They
are a part of the Christian journey.
Sometimes we make a wrong turn ---
sometimes the road gets blocked.
At
times I feel overwhelmed with the interruptions that happen in the day I have
planned out, but at other times I find precious God given moments in them.
How
we handle the detours, the interruptions of life says a lot about how we view
and experience our Christian journey.
When
I was a junior in High School, my father got a crazy idea.
He
thought that a trip of just the Conger men was in order.
He
convinced my two brothers and me that it would be a wonderful experience if we
went canoeing in Quetico Provincial Park in Canada.
So
we began the process of getting in shape.
The
hard part about canoeing is not paddling the canoe (although that is not the
easiest task to do for four or five hours every day!)
The
worst part is when you come to the end of one lake and you have to carry all
your "Stuff' to the next lake.
One
of the things that makes Quetico so wonderful is that there are no motor boats
allowed in the Provincial Park.
There are no stores, there are no
bathrooms, there really aren't any campsites - it is primitive, especially once
you get farther into the Park and away from Boundary Waters in Minnesota.
So
everything that you are going to need for your week long jaunt into nature,
must be brought in by you and out by you!
For
a couple of months, we practiced carrying the canoes and our packs around our
neighborhood. I am sure the neighbors all thought that we were lunatics. We
worked hard so that we would be in good shape -- BUT
The
truth is nothing can prepare you for that first portage. We thought that we had
done a good job in limiting what we were taking. After that first day, I was
convinced that half of what we brought was worthless.
From
that trip I learned our 6th rule of the road (I only wished I followed it
better) and that is: When traveling long distances or for a long period of time
--- it is best to pack light.
This
simple lesson is also true for our Christian journey. Too many of us try to
make headway in our Christian lives while still carting around a whole lot of
baggage.
We
over pack, refusing to throw away useless weight, and we find ourselves worn
out and beaten down by our Christian journey.
Unfortunately,
when that happens a lot of people just give up, forgetting that Jesus invites
and encourages us to give up some of that weight.
As
Christians we are called to pack light. Yet, still, time and time again I hear
it. Most of us are so very good at storing away our old hurt, our past sins, so
those things become like a mill stone around our necks weighing us down.
There
is the person who says: “Christianity just isn't working for me. I'm just not
loveable.”
Then
there is the person who is consumed by their job, they wake up one day to find
that their children have grown, their spouse has run off with somebody else.
They are overwhelmed with the weight of guilt and shame - burdened by the “woulda,
coulda shoulda’s” of life . . . what
could I have done differently.
To
this Jesus speaks when he says:
(Mat 11:28-30) "Come to me, all
you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take
my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and
you will find rest for your souls."
The
point of our Christian journey is the Journey --- and if we are going to
survive the journey we must learn to pack light!!
Jesus
calls to us --- NO, Jesus pleads with us to drop our burdens at his feet. There
is no need for us to journey with the extra weight, the garbage we walk through
life with - Jesus will take it — and he
promises that he will give us rest!
In
other words --- We must learn to forgive ourselves!
God
has forgiven us long before we forgive ourselves.
Why are we so insistent on clinging
to those old sins?
As
we journey, why are we so insistent on traveling with weight that is unbearable,
unnecessary, and foolish?
Why
do we find it so hard to travel light? To lay our burdens at the feet of Jesus ---
to exchange our yoke of sin and sorrow, which is so heavy, with the light yoke
of Jesus?
If
God is willing to wipe the slate clean and give us a fresh start, we too, must
be willing to accept ourselves, learn to live with the past --- learn from its
scars --- and move into the future with strength and determination.
Face
it, most of the weight that you and I carry on life’s journey is unnecessary
--- and Jesus says to us: "give it up, forgive yourself even as I have
forgiven you."
Pack
light -- Jesus wants not only our stresses and problems in life --- Jesus wants
our old shames, guilts and hurts as well.
Another
rule of the road is: WHEN LOST ON UNKNOWN ROADS, IT'S NICE TO HAVE FRIENDS
ALONG!
Face
it we need each other. As much as I
don't like to admit it, I have found myself lost at times. I hate being lost ---
And I bet most of you can identify with that feeling.
There
are moments on our Christian journey that we feel utterly lost!
We
have no clue as to where we are, where we are going, or how we are going to get
there!
Listen
to what Paul has to tell us from his letter to the Romans:
(Romans 12:9‑21 NIV) Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil;
cling to what is good. {10} Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor
one another above yourselves. {11} Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your
spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. {12} Be joyful in hope, patient in
affliction, faithful in prayer. {13} Share with God's people who are in need.
Practice hospitality. {14} Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not
curse. {15} Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. {16}
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate
with people of low position. Do not be conceited. {17} Do not repay anyone evil
for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. {18} If it
is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. {19} Do
not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is
written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. {20} On
the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give
him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his
head." {21} Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
It's
here.
It's
in this place --- in the Body of Christ --- the church --- that we can in our
times of loss, in our times of doubt, even in our times of joy --- find friends,
and fellow travelers!!!
People
who will help us find our way — people who will be supportive --- people who
will hold out lights in the darkness — people who will help us keep perspective
on our current journey.
Remember,
us who sit here this morning --- we have got to always remember: We are the
Church (I am not the church) and it is to the Church that hurting people come
in their time of lostness and need.
In
my book there is only truly one kind of hypocrisy that the church must really
be concerned about.
And
that hypocrisy is not that we are Christians and yet still sinners --- because
that is the reality of why we are here, if we were perfect we would not need to
come.
No
the hypocrisy that I am concerned about is when we turn our backs on those who
are lost, on those who need love, on those who need compassion and support.
Don't ever forget what Paul says in
Romans: "Be devoted to one another in . . . love."
My
final rule is this and it flows from the previous one: TAKE ALONG SOMEONE WHO
KNOWS THE ROAD!
A
friend of mine tells the story about a time when he and his family were white
water rafting. On this trip there were four boats. Now normally each boat has its
own guide --- someone who knows the river --- knows the best way to get down
the river --- and where all the trouble spots are that need to be avoided.
When
they got ready to go, they were told that one of the guides was sick --- and
they asked if someone would be willing to steer the boat down the river.
They said that this person's job
would be simply to follow the other guides.
Needless to say, my friend volunteered.
And
as he would tell the story, he was a good guide (at least for most of the
trip!)
While
they were heading into some pretty good white water, he was dutifully following
the other guides in front of him and shouting out the paddling orders to the
other members of his boat.
Suddenly,
there was in front of them a boulder that had to be navigated around. Proudly,
he says that is exactly what he did --- yet little did he know, but right after
that big boulder was a second smaller boulder that also had to be maneuvered
over.
He
did pretty well at that too, most of the boat missed that little rock ---
actually the only part of the boat that caught that rock was the exact spot
where he was sitting --- and the result was predictable.
Once
he fell, instinctively he grabbed the rope that encircled the boat --- he said
that the water was so cold that he could not talk, nor even scream.
It
wasn't until the others noticed that he wasn't screaming out orders that they
even realized that he had gone over.
Fortunately
they helped him get back in the boat and get it down the rest of the rapids
successfully.
The
point of the story is this: without a guide to lead us --- someone who is
experienced in the journey that we are taking --- the results can be tragic.
We need someone to help guide us
along the way.
As
Christians that guide is none other than Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God's
chosen disciples.
Have
you noticed how Jesus went about preparing people to become guides?
He didn't say: "Go do it
yourself"
No,
what Jesus always did is say: "Follow me."
And
then, once we have followed we can help others along the journey that we have
firsthand knowledge of.
Paul
always was busy trying to teach others, to show them the way first and then,
and only then to let them become guides along the way, under the direction of
God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
All too often we travel along on our
journeys and we lose sight of whom it is that is our Ultimate guide.
All too often we travel along on our
journeys and we forget to enlist the help of our guide!
All too often we travel along on our
journeys and in our bull headed nature we say --- the heck with the guide, I
know a better way --- and it never fails, but we find ourselves thrown from the
boat!
Christianity
is a never ending journey --- and you and I are on that journey!
It
is impossible to make the journey without a deep relationship with Jesus
Christ.
The
journey that we are on is at times long and hard, and it has far too many
obstacles for us to travel on without an experienced guide!
Jesus
Christ is the only one who fully knows the way, and is the only one who can be
the trailblazer!
PLEASE,
please take someone along with you who knows the journey.
find a prayer partner
find a study partner
find a friend in Christ
This
morning I have shared eight simple, yet I believe profound rules that will make
our journey more successful and more fun.
- WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER, SO PLEASE WEAR YOUR NAME TAG
- IF YOU ARE NOT SURE JUST WHERE YOU ARE GOING ---- GO SOMEWHERE!
- MAPS REALLY ARE OK!
- LEARN PATIENCE.
- ENJOY THE DETOURS, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU WILL FIND!
- WHEN TRAVELING LONG DISTANCES, IT IS BEST TO PACK LIGHT!
- WHEN LOST ON UNKNOWN ROADS, IT'S NICE TO HAVE FRIENDS ALONG!
- TAKE ALONG SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THE ROAD!
Let
us try to remember these rules as we go through our life.
Only
you know what you need at this moment on your journey
courage to start
direction
patience
lessening of the burdens that you
carry with you
friends
Only
you know.
Bring
those before our Lord and receive his blessing and guidance!
Let
me close with this story:
A
college class was graduating on a hot and humid day. As the graduates walked
across the platform to receive their diplomas from the president of the
University, he smiled, shook their hands, and said loudly,
"CONGRATULATIONS!" Then, in a much lower voice, one that was firm and
could only be heard by the graduates, he would say, "Keep moving."
He
was only trying to keep the line moving across the stage, but his words are
good advice for a lifetime -- "Keep Moving."
After
every achievement --- growing up, graduation, marriage, job promotion, even
retirement --- the best advice is: "Keep moving. Don't stop. Don't
stagnate. There is more to life than you have found thus far."
Even
once we have made the decision to become a Christian, God says the same thing
to us:
"This is not the end of the journey,
only the beginning. Keep moving!"