Coming Up Short

Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Exodus 20: 1-17, Psalm 19: 7-17, Romans 7: 13-25, John 2: 13-22

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s houses a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Two weeks ago when I last spoke to you here, I presented one method of self reflection; a way to look at our daily activities and perhaps develop a clearer insight into our individual relationship with God. I hope some of you might have tried this, I did. I found that it was not an easy task but it was a very helpful way to focus myself.

 

The method that I presented asks us each to take time to review four areas of our personal life. These four areas will surely shine a light on our attitudes and relationships.

 

First, look at your ideas of yourself. Assess your priorities in your solitude. What are you like when no one else is around? Are you different when no one is looking? What do you keep inside yourself? There is a story of a young monk who joined the monastery and took a vow of silence. (That would give lots of time for self reflection).

 

After the first 10 years his superior called him in and asked, “Do you have anything to say?”

 

The monk replied, “Food bad.” Then he turned around and left the abbot’s office.

After another 10 years the monk again had opportunity to voice his thoughts.

He simply said, “Bed hard.” Then the, by now closer to middle aged than young, monk returned to his contemplation.

 

Another 10 years went by and again he was called in before the superior. When asked if he had any thing to say, he responded, “I quit.”

 

“It doesn’t surprise me a bit,” was the response, “You’ve done nothing but complain ever since you got here.” Self awareness can be the first step toward spiritual fulfillment.

 

Secondly, to assess your priorities in life, look at your relationship with others. A good way to do this is to think about and become aware of your speech. What do you talk about?  Do you gossip about co-workers? Do you seethe best in and speak well of others? Here is a story told about the late Louis B Mayer, one of the partners of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, who as a child got into a fight and came out second best. That night, at his home Louis muttered some hateful words against the other boy and vowed to get even with him. His mother overheard him. However, she said nothing to him at that time. The next day, the Mayer family went on a picnic in the mountains. His mother called Louis over to a little clearing that faced a mountain wall and told him to repeat what he had said the night before. Louis was ashamed, but his mother insisted. He responded quietly, “Damn you.” His mother told him to shout it out like he did last night. Louis did as she said, and from the mountains all around came his words back to him, “Damn you.”

 

His mother then told him to shout, “Bless you.” Louis did as she said and the world seemed to be saying back to him, “Bless you” as the echo of his voice returned to him. Then, his mother reminded him of the words of Jesus “But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you.” What do your words say about your relationship with God?

 

The third area of life to look at is how you use your money. What you do with the assets in your possession can tell a lot about your priorities in life. Would you be embarrassed to reveal your spending habits to a financial counselor? Would you be proud because your spending reflects your spiritual commitment?

 

A middle aged woman was crying as she took a seat on the bus. Without looking directly at or talking to any one in particular she told her story, all the while continuing to cry. She had come to the city to visit her daughter and was now going back home to the country. On her way to the bus terminal, one of her bags had been snatched and stolen from her. She weepingly narrated that the bag contained half of the money she brought with her. The other half had been rolled in a handkerchief and hidden under her blouse so she would have some ready spending cash. The driver and other passengers listened to her tale and tried to sympathize with her but she was not to be easily consoled.

 

A few minutes later an old man in tattered clothes got on the bus and quietly took a seat directly in front of the crying woman. Soon all the seats on the bus were taken and the driver got behind the wheel and got ready to move. The bus conductor took out his ticket book and began asking where each passenger was getting off.

 

When he got to the old man, he became suspicious and asked if the old man had any money with him. The old man said no, but he knew where he was to get off. He has spent all his money that morning when he accidentally got off at the wrong bus station. Upon hearing this, the bus conductor told the old man that he couldn’t possibly ride the bus and ordered him to get off. The old man wouldn’t budge. He was near to crying as he begged the conductor to let him take that ride so he could get back home. The driver heard what was happening, approached the old man and then he too, told the old man to get off the bus.

 

The tearful woman was now listening and observing what was happening. When the bus driver and conductor started to raise their voices at the old man, she intervened. She said, “Stop harassing him. Can’t you se he is just trying to go home?”

“He doesn’t have any money!” the driver told her in a loud voice.

 

“Well, that is not reason enough!” she insisted. “Where will he get off and how much is his fare?”

 

The bus conductor mumbled the fare.

 

“Fine,” the woman said as she reached into her blouse and took out her only remaining money. She gave it to the bus conductor. “Here is his fare and mine. I will pay for him. It’s only money; just stop giving him a hard time. Can’t you see he is old and weak?”

 

All heads on the bus turned to the woman. Minutes before, everyone was watching her cry over the money she had lost and now she was paying for the old man’s fare with what was left of her money. Everyone felt humbled by the woman’s kindness and unselfishness. Not content to pay for the old man’s fare she gave him some of her food. She smiled the rest of the trip.

The fourth and last part of this exercise it to, “keep a clear conscience”. How do you do that? Take a look at your schedule what are your priorities? What do you skip when your schedule gets too full?

 

Our final story is told by a taxicab driver who worked the night shift. “One night I responded to a call from a small brick four-plex in a quiet part of town. I assumed I was being sent to pick up some partiers or someone who had just had a fight with a lover, or a worker heading to an early shift at some factory in the industrial part of town. When I arrived at 2:30 am, the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, and then drive away but I have seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation so I went to the door in case someone needed assistance.

 

I knocked on the door and waited. “Just a minute,” answered a frail, elderly voice. After a long pause, the door opened and a small woman in her eighties, wearing a pillbox hat with a veil and a print dress – like somebody out of a 1940s movie - stood before me.

 

The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled only with photos and glassware.

 

“Would you carry my bag out to the car?” she asked. I took the bag and then turned to assist her. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. “It’s nothing”, I told her, “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.” “Oh, you are such a good boy,” she said.

 

When we got in the cab, she gave an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?” “It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.

 

“Oh, I don’t mind,” she said. “I am in no hurry. I am on my way to a hospice.” I looked in the rearview mirror. Her eyes were glistening. “I don’t have any family left,” she continued. “The doctor says I don’t have very long.” I qu8ietly reached over and shut off the meter. “What route would you like me to take?” I asked.

 

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

 

At the first hint of sun peaking over the horizon, she suddenly said, “I’m tired. Let’s go now.” We drove in silence to the address she had given me. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

 

“How much do I owe?” she asked, reaching into her purse.

 

“Nothing,” I said.

 

“You have to make a living,” she answered.

 

There are other passengers,” I responded. Then without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,” she said. As the door shut behind her I thought, “what if that women had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient at the end of his shift? What if I had refused to take the run or had honked once, then driven away?

 

I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life. We are conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware- beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.”

Self reflection is not an easy thing for many of us, even Paul in his letter to the Romans is shown to be agonizing over his own inabilities and short comings. One of the pillars of the early Christian church shows us that he, as well as we, are unable, by our own actions to maintain what is “right” or attain “holiness” and need to remain connected to God.

 

The connection between God and God’s people is passionately expressed in today’s passage from Exodus. We are show how much God desires to have a relationship with us in the giving of the Commandments. These aren’t just rules of a stern parent, they are terms of a relationship for God’s people who are loved and cared for by their creator. It is almost as if God was saying, “Look, I know what will make you miserable, and here are then things to avoid that will help keep you from misery.

 

By the time of Jesus’ ministry, whole systems had been put in place to uphold these simple Laws and help people who break it and a sacrificial system had been implemented so people could have their relationship with God restored. Jesus saw this as an unnecessary barrier between God and God’s people. Jesus’ passionate response in the temple foreshadowed his sacrifice to remove completely the barriers to a personal relationship with God.

In our relationships with others, do we try to remove barriers? Do we by our actions and speech imply that we have achieved a place that might not be open to others? If we understand our own shortcomings, then we can be strengthened by our reliance on God. We can then be supported by the people around us and also support them in their personal quest.

Amen