Matthew 16:21-28
Living
as a Child of God
I was on my first summer job after my
freshman
year in college and old Dermot, my boss in the scrap yard business, had become
financially very successful over the years. He started as a yard boy,
stacking tiles, sorting and racking timber from demolished houses, pulling out
endless nails. Yet, he has ended up as the proud owner-manager of a chain of lucrative scrap yards.
Old Dermot and his
wife had brought up two daughters. On the profits of his business he had sent
them both to elite private schools. Big mistake. They became snobs and
married “professional men.” Neither of them wanted to have anything to do with
their Dad’s low-status scrap business. Nor were his two grandsons interested.
They borrowed shamelessly from the old man, of course, and hoped they would
feature in his will; but they did not fancy the hard work of the unglamorous
scrap business. One grandson fancied himself as an actor and another had gone
into racing motor bikes.
He took me under
his wings to be a mentor and he said one day to me,“Don’t give them an inch,
but take a whole yard yourself. No pun intended, son. Yeah, take a whole yard
whenever you can. Mind you, son, it ain’t easy. No way. Y’ll have to toughen
up. I was a sucker early on. Fell for a sob story or two. Not now. No more.
I’m tough as an old cast iron pot-belly stove.” I grinned. He went on.
“What do you think
you’ll do when you finish whatever you are doing, you know, after all that
study and stuff?” “Not sure, boss. I never have been sure. Life’s a bit of a
lotto, huh?” I said. “Dunno, kid, I sort of found a gold mine in a scrap yard.
Heh, heh, heh, heh! But jeez, I had to dig hard! Whatever you do, kid, go for
it hard. Don’t let any mongrel get in your way. You must have a mean streak in
you to be a success. If you aint got it, then you had better learn it fast.
It’s more important than the stuff they’ll cram into your skull at the
university.” “If you say so, boss.”
“Yea, I do say so,
kid. Money is the only thing that counts. I know that. You know it. Everyone
knows it. But it don’t grow on trees. And when you get a wad of it, then hang
on to it. And don’t go listening to all them bleeding hearts. There’re too
many of them waste-a-space whiners around. They’ll suck you dry if y’ let ‘em.
If I had my way, they would be all lined up against a wall and shot. Heh, heh,
heh, heh.”
That sounded a bit
rough to me. But I could not think of a suitable response. I looked down at my
shoes. Then I was stupid enough to say: “Boss, would you say that you have had
a good life. Is it all worth it? Are you....well... happy?” “What sort of a
smart-alec question is that? I’m wealthy aint I? I’m me own boss, ain’t I? I
can buy anything I want. Fact is, I can just about buy anybody I want. Heh,
heh, heh, heh. Yea, kid, because I’m sort of happy. Must be. I’m proud of what
I’ve made of myself.”
He then stared at
me and said,” I don't know what garbage they unload on you at university, son.
But you won’t get better advice than I’m givin you. Staple it to your
forehead. Rivet it to your ears: Don’t give an inch, but grab a yard, I say.
Get ‘em before they get you. You got that?” ‘I got it loud and clear, boss.”“I
sure hope so,” he muttered as he went out of the door.” Becos I reckon you
could make something of yourself, if you wanted to.” (1)
I was only 19 when
I worked in that scrap yard. I sort of knew old Dermot was wrong, even then; I
felt it in my gut. He was tough, hard working, prosperous, and yet was a very
sad old man. Something was wrong with his philosophy. Yet the world appeared
to agree with him. Money was what it was all about. And my economics studies
opened up my mind to plenty of ways to make money, most of them within the
law.
It’s taken me 26
years, 2 broken marriages, and 3 maladjusted kids to wake up to myself. It’s
time for me to return to that gut feeling I used to have when I was a student
and see what is left there for me. As I stare at the white ceiling above me
and hear the electronic beeping around me in this coronary ward, I wonder if
I’ve waited too late to change?
A lot of folks get
caught up in this mindset and the years just pass. Too bad he never heard of
God’s way for us. Both of our scripture readings this morning form the
foundation for the way God wants us to live our lives as His children. In the
gospel Jesus reveals to his disciples for the first time God’s plan for him in
Jerusalem where he will be killed. Peter rebukes him. This rock, Peter, now
becomes a boulder in Jesus’ path; and Jesus tells him that he is thinking like
the evil one. He tells him, “Deny yourself and follow me. If you want to save
your life you will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will
find it. For what will it profit you if you gain the whole world but forfeit
your life?”
We hear this stuff
all the time in the church, but what does it mean? It means if you want to
live fully as a child of God, you must embrace the needs of others as well as
your own. God’s value system is giving away rather than taking. It is winning
by losing. It is quieting your ego so you can listen and serve others. This is
not what we learn from TV ads. Our culture says for us to reach for the gusto.
We are the center of life and you must use the right cologne, toothpaste,
make-up, and deodorant; drive the right car, go to the perfect school, and
fully realize your potential. Finally, you must aim for a comfortable life and
an easy retirement. This is what life is all about. No different than for old
Dermot.
Maybe today can be
a wake-up call where you can see the living of your life in all the wrong
places. But don’t waste another minute on regrets. You have God’s forgiveness
and can get on the path of following Jesus Christ your Lord.
OK. What does this
way of life look like? Fair question. Paul tells us in our second reading. Let
me read it to you from The Message translation while you follow along
in the bulletin the same passage from the NSRV.
“Love from the
center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for
dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second
fiddle. Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants
of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the
harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
Bless
your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when
they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't
be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody. Don't
hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with
everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. ‘I'll do
the judging,’ says God. ‘I'll take care of it.’
Our Scriptures tell
us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch; or if he's
thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness.
Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.”
Let me talk
frankly. We are going to die…some of us a few weeks or years sooner than
others. We have lots of distractions in our lives to help us deny this
reality. Many of these distractions get in the way of living the life that God
has planned for us. What is the point of our hurrying to and fro if we don’t
come to terms with how God who has given us life wants us to live? The grace
of God frees us to live life giving away ourselves for others. In this way we
will find our life by losing it.
(1) Edited from a story by Bruce D. Prewer.
