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“Real
Life”
a sermon by
Thomas L. Jenkins
Text: Matthew 6: 24-34
“So do not worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble
is enough for today.”
Dear Sisters and Brothers, this passage we just read came from Jesus’
sermon on the mount. And
when he finished it, hundreds of people were so astonished that they
were just sitting there in the newest spirit they had ever experienced. Jesus told them the truth which they knew deep in their
hearts, but had never heard words for it.
And one of the first things Jesus told them, and now us, is that in the
heart of who we truly are, the truth of our devotion can only be
directed to one. It cannot
be multiple. Well, what
does that mean for us?
We already have a real life, based in the eternal life of God.
It is deeper within our hearts than even we are. And the very
trouble we have today is that we need to stop listening to what we think
our circumstances are showing us, and put our effort into praying to God
and seeking to really experience our real lives in Christ.
The Apostle Paul had been raised in a very devoted Jewish situation.
He had been highly educated in their religion.
He was a Pharisee and a Sadducee.
And before he was converted by Christ, he was punishing
Christians. That was certainly wrong, but Paul was an intelligent and
educated person. And as a
converted Christian, with passion, listen to what he wrote to the
Ephesians:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4just as he chose us in Christ*
before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him
in love.
Just listen to what Paul is writing; he is not communicating only what
our future will be. He is
expressing what we have already been blessed with. We have already been blessed “with
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”
We may be in wonderful and exciting circumstances, right now.
Or we may be in painful and suffering circumstances, right now.
We may be on both ends, but our circumstances in this world do
not define our lives.
Your real life is hidden in Christ with God.
You and I are actually with and in Jesus Christ at the right hand
of God. Yes we do exist in
this world, but that is not our real life.
The reason why Jesus is telling us not to worry about tomorrow, because
today’s troubles are enough, is because Jesus wants us to spend as
much time as we can, each day, praying for, seeking to experience, and
contemplating our real lives in Him.
I have a friend who is a pastor in Mississippi.
His Dad just retired. He
had been a truck driver, delivering fresh bread to grocery stores.
Also his Dad had always been very present and active in a church. My friend asked his Dad, “Dad, what did your work have to
do with Christianity?” His
Dad said, “I don’t know.”
Then my friend said, “Dad, God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
created this universe, this world, and all its creatures. God feeds
humans through their Lord, Jesus Christ.
So you, Dad, every day at work, were a partner with Jesus, in his
feeding God’s people.”
Our real lives our in our humanity, but not defined by the circumstances
in this world. God became
human in Jesus Christ. God
is not ashamed of humanity. Do
you love cooking? Do you
love pets? Do you love
flowers? Do you love music? Do you love fishing? Do
you love golf? Do you love
making love with your spouse?
My friends, God is not ashamed or embarrassed at any aspect
of good humanity. God is
love. And, when we are
loving some part of God’s creation, God is with us and in us.
I have been educated in two Christian colleges, two seminaries, and
I’m blessed by you to be the pastor of such a loving congregation.
And with all that being said, one of the greatest Christian
influences in my life was my grandmother, Grandma Jenkins.
Grandma went through the 8th grade.
She lived on farms. She
grew gardens. She raised animals. She
cooked wonderful meals. She
did go to church. She was
given awards, sometimes, for the best attendance.
She played the piano at church, but did not know how to read
music.
And what amazed me, so much about her, was that she always loved so many
people, was always happy, and yet, by my standards, she was very poor.
In her 90’s she got cancer. I
went to spend a night with her. That
night, among a lot of talking, she asked me, “Tom, why am I in so much
pain?” I said,
“Grandma, I don’t know.”
I slept at her house that night. The next morning, quite early, I walked into her room; she
woke up, looked into my eyes, and told me she loved me. Then, to me, her face lit up like she had a light bulb under
her skin. Then she closed
her eyes, and they never opened again.
Our real lives are in Christ. Let’s
not be obsessed with our circumstances. Let’s seek Christ in us.
Let us pray…
Amen.
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