What Is First?

Zephyr United Methodist Church

Early First United Methodist Church

June 12, 2005

Rev. Eddie Smart

Matthew 6:25-33 (NRSV)

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? ²⁸And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. ³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith? ³¹Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' ³²For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

This Sunday will be the last Sunday in their current appointment for over 90 pastors in our annual conference. By the way, I am not one of them. I’ll be here for sometime to come, but the largest group of ministers to move at one time will be loading up this week.

I have a confession to make. I sometimes forget why I am where I am, doing what I do. During the time of appointments, I sometimes forget why I’m here. Several years ago, a pastor who graduated from seminary with me was appointed to a church that averages 500 people in worship. It was a church for which I have a strong connection. I was depressed for a long time over that appointment. There are times I may still get depressed over it. Those are the times when I forget why I’m here.

This year one of the people to be ordained was appointed to a church with an average attendance of 170. It bothered me that one of the newest elders in our conference would get such an appointment. I forgot again why I’m here.

I am a pastor in the United Methodist Church because I believe that God called me to that task and the board of ordained ministry affirmed that call. I believe that I am the pastor of this church because God has called me to this place at this time. Last year I had every expectation of staying in Moody. The Moody congregations expected me to stay. The district superintendent expected me to stay. But doors opened, God worked through our Bishop and cabinet, and I moved. I am here because this is where God wants me to be.

All those times that I get depressed, disappointed and even angry because someone else is in a particular appointment–it is those times that I fall into asking, “What’s in it for me?” It is when I focus on me that I forget that God has other plans. It is when I focus on me that I can make myself miserable. It is when I focus on me that I forget that God has plans for me, plans for my good–a good that does not include depression, disappointment and feelings of loss.

It is not a new problem. Listen to these words from the prophet Isaiah:

       ^58:1Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. ²Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God. ³"Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?" Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. Isaiah 58:1-3 (NRSV)

¹³If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call the sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs; ¹⁴then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 58:13-14 (NRSV)

It is so easy for us to pursue our own interests. It is so easy to serve our own interest. Today’s text from Matthew calls us to “seek first the Kingdom of God.” So what is this kingdom we are to seek first? A kingdom is an area ruled by a King. In this case the King is God. The Kingdom of God is “God’s rule of grace in the world.” God is the ruler in this kingdom we are to seek. Is God the ruler in our lives? Have we submitted to the authority of our King?

Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done...” To seek God’s kingdom means to also seek God’s will. To live in God’s kingdom is to live according to God’s desire, God’s plan. It means giving up the pursuit of our own interests. It means serving God and others rather than serving ourselves.

How do we know God’s plan, God’s desire, God’s will? This week at annual conference, Rev. Jessica Moffat lead a Bible study each morning. On the second day she shared on knowing and doing God’s will. Her scriptural basis was 1 Kings 3:5, 9-14:

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” Solomon replied “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil… It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, ‘Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind…I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life;”

Rev. Moffat shared a story about the First United Methodist Church of Bixby, OK–the church she serves. They were struggling with moving to a new location. As she was seeking God’s wisdom, she knew that she needed to grab her keys, get in her car and head down the street. There is was 80 acres for sale. She got the name and phone number of the realtor, returned to her office and called him. She explained that she just needed 40 acres of land and wanted to know what they would cost. She explained she was gathering data for a meeting and had no plans to buy that particular acreage.

Some time later the realtor returned her call. He told her that the Dr. who owned the land had a mother in the Bixby church and she loved her church. He wanted Rev. Moffat to know that he would be giving all 80 acres to the church his mother loved so. Wow!

A meeting was arranged for accepting the gift and making plans to use the land for a new location for the church. Before the meeting could happen a member who had been out of town returned and heard about the great surprise. He said, “I thought we wanted to move to Memorial Drive because it would be an excellent location. You have to slow down the thoughts of moving to those 80 acres.” It was at this point in her story I was called out of the room. When I returned Jessica was describing the move to property on Memorial.

Earlier the Bixby church had considered the needs of their community. They realized that their community did not have a retirement home. They set as a goal helping to establish a retirement home in Bixby. Now they had land for a new church AND they had an additional 80 acres. Do you know what would fit nicely on 80 acres? A retirement center.

God said to Solomon, “I will give you a wise and discerning mind...I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life.” God gave to the Bixby church a discerning mind...also land to fulfill God’s plan.

Solomon asked for a discerning mind so he could distinguish good from evil. To discern is to separate a thing mentally from another–for example, to discern one voice among many. To discern God’s voice among many voices.

During the reception following Tuesday night’s worship service, my friend Billy Strayhorn was telling a group of us about a member of his church who was singing in a choir at annual conference several years ago. The choir was made up of choir members of churches scattered all across our annual conference. There were 100 - 150 people in that choir. Billy said that in the middle of their anthem he could hear his friend’s voice among all the voices singing. He could hear clearly that one voice.

Spiritual discernment is about hearing clearly that one voice–the voice of God. In hearing the voice of God we know the will of God, and in knowing and doing the will of God we are in the midst of God’s kingdom.

Prayer

Next week we will look at “How to Know God’s Will for Me”

The following week, “How to Know God’s Will for My Church”