Words for Worship

Ministry Today

 

 

 

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Walking

 

Texts:

 

Luke 10.38-42

Luke 18.18-27

 

 

A professional journal recently pronounced to its membership - we are wired to achieve, to see accomplishment as a sign of our esteem and worth. It is in our blood. Most of us can’t make it through the day without our lists, our mobile phones, or some new technology designed to save time. Ah, the ecstasy of crossing off each consummated to-do. In the end, as Pascal noted, “By means of a diversion, a man can avoid his own company twenty-four hours a day.”

Yet to that overblown author I would respond – Oh get over yourself. Yes the gadgets are different but busying yourself to avoid yourself and what is challenging to yourself is as old as the hills and certainly as old as kitchens.

And to prove my point please read Luke 10.38-42

 

However no matter how old the temptation is to run through life alone rather than walking into it with God is - it is still is a temptation. In fact, Thomas Merton put it even more bluntly, saying that “a pervasive form of contemporary violence is to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything.” In fact – he goes on – I was in a book shop the other day and found One Minute Bedtime Stories, “for parents with not very much time.”

 

Now in my childhood we used to refer those boys and girls who had plenty of material wealth but no time with their parents as poor little rich kids.

And I wonder if the next Bible character we are about to hear about was a time-starved rich kid

let us read Luke 18.18-27

 

 

I came across a very useful website this week and it is one dedicated to quotations. As a result I nodded sagely at Albert Einstein’s remark "Intellectuals solve problems; geniuses prevent them." A motto perhaps for our new Prime Minister!

 

I rather enjoyed also Groucho Marx famous Line - One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know. But then I spotted another of his quotes - No man goes before his time - unless the boss leaves early. And the reason I noticed that one was it reference to time - that totally un-renewable commodity without any known substitute; time that is next only to money as king of our generation. For who can fail to note the modern day sin in an unpublished but authentic quotation from Margaret Thatcher – a day not worked is a day wasted.

 

And it is the sin of not wasting time that drives so many of our lives and forces the pace of modernity to almost breaking point. Because through the relentless pressure of work, social commitments and recreational interests, no wonder we moan to each other - its July already - where as the year gone. And the answer is - gone via the Martha effect – the result of being upset pleasantly or otherwise, about too many things.

 

and there is an even bigger downside to all this busy-ness.  For a richness of activity, no matter how rewarding we believe it to be, leaves us living in a cocoon.  If our heads are incessantly full of worries, to do lists and ‘what nexts’ they become windowless rooms; if our diaries are packed with events they become barred cells; if our only concern is the family then a ghetto we have made and if our cars are constantly on the road they are chrysalis against the outside. As a result we never stop and sit like Mary and listen to Christ. We are never in touch with creation and its quiet Maker; in fact, we never enjoy our own being because we are too busy doing.  In truth we never have time to walk and smell the flowers.

 

And this seems to me to have been part of the problem with the rich young ruler. Yes – his possessions were bogging him down. But most probably much of his sinking came through his spending time keeping those possessions. Indeed, I bet his filofax was just busting out all over with business lunches, flight times, strategy meetings and power-point presentations. I speak figuratively – of course - instead of anachronistically. Yet hopefully you see my power point. On the other hand, even the briefest of glances at the gospels shows up just how much Jesus walked; he was always walking; always walking in the company of others; always walking through the cities, villages and countryside and therefore he was always in touch with the world around him.  And from that perspective at least we can adjudge he had chosen the better part over the rich young ruler. Because can we doubt that he made flesh the pedestrian advice of Pope John the 23rd:

Do not walk through time without leaving worthy evidence of your passage.

 

A friend of mine was once a mounted policeman in London before he became a Church of England clergyman. Now he was a great believer in the calming effect of walking and talking. And he based his theory on his police experience. For he said many young metropolitan police had to give up through stress. But he suggested that he and his colleagues were more immune simply because after a riot they rode slowly home talking about the incident whilst his compatriots hurtled back to the station in mini-buses and squad cars.

 

Well, he may be right. For there is no doubt that as we hurl through life we loose touch with our surrounds, the greater world and God’s still beautiful creation.  Conversely, if do take the time to slow down, to walk and to enjoy being alive then rather like Mary we become back in touch. Life returns to being multidimensional and we fully sense its scenery. Indeed, once we are back in touch we realize more fully the value of shedding all that we have for a moment of just living – living in fullness – living as a precious creation of God; that valuing beyond rubies that lasts no matter how busy we are.

 

 

 

 

 

And that rather neatly bring us to the root cause of much of our bustle and being a being out of touch with creation. It was certainly the base cause of Jesus admonishment of the wealthy young man. Because it is easier to look elsewhere for our security and approval other than being a child of God.  

 

That was also Charlie brown’s problem when he stopped at the psychiatric help stand to talk to Lucy. He confesses, "My trouble is I never know if I'm doing the right thing. I need to have someone around who can tell me when I'm doing the right thing." Lucy says, "Okay. You're doing the right thing. That'll be five cents, please!" Charlie Brown walks away with a smile on his face.

In a few minutes, he returns with a frown. "Back already?" asks Lucy. "What
happened?" Charlie Brown says, "I was wrong. It didn't help. You need more in life than just having someone around to tell you when you're doing the right thing." Lucy says, "Now you've really learned something! That'll be
another five cents please."

 

For the truth is when we are out of touch with creation and seeking safety in our own activity then we are also out of touch with God. In fact, we are hurrying away from God rather than walking towards him. However, if once we still our and start walking we will notice the world as it is and will notice God’s voice in it. We will be open to his word at this time; we will fall pray to his companionable solitude and his peace that is beyond understanding. For such walking is neither laziness nor lack of commitment; it is piety and humility. And such walking is made sense of by Francis Schaeffer who proposed that   the Christian life comprises three concentric circles, each of which must be kept in its proper place. In the outer circle must be the activity of the visible church. This is first, but if that is all there is, it is just one more seedbed for spiritual pride.

In the second circle must be good theology. But having only this leads to intellectualism and again provides another seedbed for pride.

In the inner circle must be a humble heart--the daily walking with God. There must be the daily practice of the reality of the God whom we know is there. For that is the seedbed of being in touch with God.

 

The Christian Author Terry Hershey relates the story of having the conversation with someone wondering about his current project

“What are you writing about now?” asked his friend.

 Learning to sit still.” He replied

“Sit still? Why?”

“It helps us to see.”

“See what?”

“You know,” the writer searched for words, “to see the world around us.”

“What on earth for?” – came the bewildered response.

 

Well, why on earth did Jesus want to have Martha’s full attention - certainly not vanity! What indeed did Jesus find on those long slow walks in the Palestinian heat? Ultimately what was the better part he wanted his listeners to be in touch with? Well, the answer to those questions will come to us if we choose to walk and take notice with all our senses. If we take time out to be in touch with creation. If indeed we still ourselves long enough to know our God. For then we will realize an eternal human fact and one that we need also to keep in touch with. We need to grasp that we are in Christ chosen bridges between God and his creation. We essentially must be so that God and his creation will walk together as a conscious whole; conscious of God speaking to humanity and humanity begging to God.  That we must express the mind of God into the mindless rush of this age; we must bring before God all the worries, hopes, disasters and joys of those who have no time to walk let alone with their God. We must in the stillness of Mary be in touch with the essential truth behind the tale of a some what rushed visitor to a Benedictine monastery.

 

For he asked one of the monks, “What exactly do you do here?”

“We pray,” the monk replied.

“No,” the man persisted, “I mean really. What do you do?”

“It is enough to pray,” the monk said.

 

A European traveller was on safari in Kenya. He was loaded down with maps, and timetables, and agendas. Porters from a local tribe were carrying his cumbersome supplies, luggage, and “essential stuff.”

On the first morning, everyone awoke early and travelled fast and went far into the bush. On the second day, they did the same as they did on the third. But on the fourth morning, the porters refused to move. Their behaviour incensed the tourist anxious to do as much in his limited time. “This is a waste of valuable time. Can someone tell me what is going on here?” The translator answered, “They are waiting for their souls to catch up with their bodies.”

It let us then is be still long enough to reconnect with something quietly fundamental to being alive.  Let us reconnect with walking and sensing and smelling the flowers. Let us be in touch with creation; in touch with God and in touch with ourselves as the link between the two. For then our bodies are in the hands of Christ, our minds are his listening to the world and our reunited souls are not just walking but dancing  - dancing in motionlessness – dancing without possession – dancing to the silent music of time.

 

Amen