 |
 |
       |
|
 S
P I R I T U A L F O R M A T I O N |
|
·
CHILDREN'S EDUCATION |
SERMONS The
Sixth Sunday of Easter By David Christian Every year I am amazed by the springtime. One of the wonderful things about living out here in the country is the drive back and forth to and from town. For months there is the brown emptiness of the winter landscape. Then one day there is a faint green aura around the trees. And then, almost overnight it seems, leaves burst forth from the trees, plants leap up from the ground, and the woods fill with the exuberant new life of spring. The life hidden within the earth through the cold and dark of winter flows forth and displays itself in a show of color and light. The branches of vines and trees can't bring forth the new life of spring in themselves. They must be connected to the main body of which they are a part. That body is the source of the life in which they participate and which they display. In order for them to grow and to develop they must be maintain that connection with the source of their growth. Jesus says to us, "I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit." The source of our life is God. It is God who made us and God who sustains us. The notion of the self-made man or woman is not a Christian notion. We realize that all that we are and all that we do comes to us from God. Just as a branch must maintain its connection to the vine, so also it is necessary for us to maintain our connection with the source of our life. That connection for us is primary. Everything else depends upon it. When the connection is strong our lives are filled with life and purpose and meaning. When the connection is not strong the way becomes dark and difficult. It has become almost a cliché these days to talk about how fast our lives move and how full our days are. It is a cliché, but it is also true. For most of us there is more to be done each day than there is the time to do it. We are constantly checking our clocks, constantly setting priorities, constantly deciding what absolutely has to be done and what can be left for another day. Our lives are controlled by the demands of the moment. By what is most urgent rather than what is most important. In the middle of this busyness I have something else for you to do- something that will only take a few minutes, maybe on the drive home this afternoon or during a spare moment later in the day. Consider the things that are most important to you in your life. A list of priorities, but ranked according to value rather than according to urgency. Then make a second list of how you spend your time. What do you spend your days doing? Once you have the two lists made, compare them. How do they match up? Do the things that are most important receive adequate time? Are the things that you spend most of your time on things that you consider important? I have already implied to you that as Christians we understand that the first priority is our relationship with God. All that we are and all that we do flows from this. It is the source of meaning and purpose and joy in our lives. But for most of us most of the time, work on that relationship is not urgent. It is not a time priority. We do not make the time during the day to nurture it. If we think about it at all, we plan to do something later, when we have a few minutes- a few minutes that never appear. What I am suggesting is that if nurturing our relationships with God is important, then it needs to be a time priority in our days. When we do it, where we do it, exactly how we do it, are details that will be different for each of us. But do it we must, not for God's sake but for ours. "Abide in me." What a wonderful phrase. When we take the time to abide in God our lives flourish. Joy returns. It is springtime once more. David
Christian Acts
17.22-31
|
Chapel
of the Cross · 674 Mannsdale Road · Madison, Mississippi
39110 · (601) 856-2593
Copyright © 2001, Chapel of the Cross