Today's sermon consists of several readings and reflections with time in between for prayer and meditation:
Invitation to Worship
One: Please join me in our responsive invitation to worship. Please note that there are some parts for just the women, some for the men and some for all of us together. There's a season for everything under the sun,
All: a time to do and a time to be done,
One: a time to laugh,
All: a time to cry,
One: a time to live
All: and a time to die.
MEN: A time for dying and a time for rebirth.
WOMEN: A time for spirit and a time for earth.
MEN: A time for laughter, a time for tears.
WOMEN: A time for courage and a time for fear.
MEN: A time to cling and a time to release.
WOMEN: A time for war and a time for peace.
MEN: A time to talk and a time to be still.
WOMEN: A time to care and a time to kill.
MEN: A time to keep. A time to lose.
WOMEN: A time to be told. A time to choose.
MEN: A time to tear down. A time to rebuild.
WOMEN: A time to be empty. A time to be filled.
MEN: A time to welcome and to send away.
WOMEN: A time to complain and a time to pray.
MEN: A time to share and a time to save.
WOMEN: A time to break rules. A time to behave.
MEN: A time to free and a time to bind.
WOMEN: A time to search and a time to find.
MEN: A time to plant and a time to uproot.
WOMEN: A time to be barren. A time to bear fruit.
MEN: A time of plenty.
WOMEN: A time of need.
MEN: A time to follow.
WOMEN: A time to lead.
MEN: A time to give.
WOMEN: A time to take.
MEN: A time to bend.
WOMEN: A time to break.
MEN: A time to hurt.
WOMEN: A time to heal.
MEN: A time for secrets.
WOMEN: A time to reveal.
MEN: A time to let go.
WOMEN: A time to hold.
MEN: A time to be young.
WOMEN: A time to grow old.
MEN: A time rip open.
WOMEN: A time to mend.
MEN: A time to begin.
WOMEN: A time to end.
One: There's a season for everything under the sun,
All: a time to do and a time to be done,
One: a time to laugh,
All: a time to cry,
One: a time to live
All: and a time to die.
The Paradox of Our Time - a message from the Internet
R 1: The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers;
R 2: wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.
R 1: We spend more, but have less;
R 2: we buy more, but enjoy it less.
R 1: We have bigger houses and smaller families;
R 2: more conveniences, but less time.
R 1: We have more degrees, but less sense;
R 2: more knowledge, but less judgment;
R 1: more experts, but more problems;
R 2: more medicine, but less wellness.
R 1: We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
R 2: We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
R 1: We've learned how to make a living, but not a life;
R 2: we've added years to life, not life to years.
R 1: We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.
R 2: We've conquered outer space, but inner space remains a mystery.
R 1: We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul;
R 2: we've split the atom, but not our prejudice.
R 1: We have higher incomes, but lower morals;
R 2: we've grown long on quantity, but short on quality.
R 1: These are the times of tall people, with short character;
R 2: steep profits, and shallow relationships.
R 1: These are the times of striving for world peace, but domestic warfare;
R 2: more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.
R 1: These are days of two incomes, but more divorce;
of fancier houses, but broken homes.
R 2: It is a time when technology can send this message around the world in an instant,
Both: and a time when you can choose either to make a difference, or to just hit delete...
It's About Time!
Matthew 25:31-46
January 3, 2010
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
Time! For some reason at the turning of the calendar from one year to the next we seem to think more about time than at other times of the year. It's as if there is something magical about the transition from December 31st to January 1st. There is a feeling that we have a clean slate. For some the turning of the year brings hope. Over the past several weeks comments I heard like, "I can't wait for 2009 to be over. 2010 has to be better!"
Time! When you stop and think about it, of all the blessings God pours out and all the gifts God gives time is the most precious isn't it? Without time, that is life, nothing else matters. The 31,536,000 seconds, 525,600 minutes, 8,760 hours and 365 days of 2010 -how will we use them? With what will we fill them?
A Professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So, the Professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook he jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The Professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "Yes."
The Professor then produced two Pepsis from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now", said the Professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life."
"The golf balls are the important things - your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full."
"The pebbles are the other things that matter-- like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first", he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls."
"The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you."
"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out for dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the dishwasher."
"Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
When he had finished, there was a profound silence. Then one of the students raised her hand and with a puzzled expression, inquired what the Pepsi represented.
The Professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room to share a Pepsi with a friend."
What are the golf balls in your life? Do you put them in your jar first or do you try to force them in after the jar is filled with sand? As I read and re-read this story, especially in light of the scripture from Matthew, it seemed to me that this professor left out one essential golf ball. You might call it "spiritual health" or "time spent with God" or "prayer, meditation and reflection on scripture and other spiritual writings." But whatever you call it, however you name it, if we claim to be followers of the One whose birth we just celebrated, it is an essential golf ball, perhaps the most essential one.
Time spent with God, gives meaning to the rest of our time. Openness to the Spirit helps to shape in us a heart of compassion that allows us to respond to the hurts and wounds of the world with love. Then family becomes not just our family, but the whole human family and friends become not just our friends, but all those Jesus called friend. When attention to our relationship with God becomes one of golf balls, if not the primary one in our life, then we find the strength, the energy, the wisdom, and the love to live as an embodiment of God's love in our time.
It's about time. How will you fill your time this day, this week, this month, this year? Amen
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