Community Church Sermons
Year C
July 18, 2010
Pentecost 8
What We Leave Behind
Psalm 15
Philippians 3:12-14
Rev. Dr. R. Tim Meadows
Perhaps the only thing worse than having to attend a meeting is missing a meeting in which you have to deal with the ramifications of that meeting. Recently, I missed the WednesdayChurch! worship planning meeting and returned to find that those present had chosen the theme Left Behind for the next period of WednesdayChurch! worship services. The theme as you know is a blatant rip-off of the popular novel series by the same name. Fortunately, the worship series is not designed to go in the same direction as the novel series. Interestingly, one of you from Sunday worship when you heard about the series offered a visual aid for the series which sadly, I must tell you, we cannot use. Luckily, the theme fits our purpose here today which is to celebrate Scholarship Sunday ------ one of those days that reminds us why we exist as a church in this community -------- we exist here to leave behind a legacy of good works from the goodness with which God has blessed us. Our scholarship program is one of the ways we seek to do that by investing in the future of young people throughout Loudon and Monroe counties.
Today, as we celebrate leaving behind this legacy let us also think together about some other things that we need to leave behind. Drawing from Paul’s words to the Philippians which were our New Testament reading for today, we find that we should leave behind the following:
- Past Failures: Mistakes, Bad Choices, Bad Habits, Sins. Whatever we choose to call them in whatever combination this is a part of our journey we must leave behind. If we do we can learn from these things and become better people, if not we are defined by our failures which is not God’s intention. What past failures do you need to leave behind?
- Past Success: Achievement, Reward, Accomplishment. The things that cause others to take notice of us. Things that we think the world ought to appreciate. If we can keep our past success in perspective and leave it behind it can make us and our world better, if not we are defined by an attitude of accomplished complacency in which we feel we have done enough and that is not God’s intention. What past success do you need to leave behind?
- Difficult People: Those who hurt us, those who took from us, those who made our lives difficult. All of us have dealt with these people. If we can leave them behind we can learn not to do these things to others, if not their hurt, diminishment, and difficulty, define our lives which is not God’s intention. What difficult people do you need to leave behind?
- Significant People: Those who support us, Those who shape us, those who give us life. The opposite of the difficult people. All of us have had the good fortune to experience these people in our journey, but we must also leave them behind, and share with the world the gifts they have invested in us. If not, we find ourselves simply living in their shadows and not sharing their gifts which is not what they or God intended. What significant people have you left behind?
- Our story: is something we all leave behind. Our story joins the stream of other stories as a part of the human drama we call life. It is up to us to leave a good story that will shape the human drama for the better. We can do that if we leave behind the things that hinder the goodness of our story and reach forward for the things that will strengthen our story. What story will you leave behind? How will your story shape and change the human drama? May God give us the grace to leave behind our past and focus on what lies ahead! AMEN!