Boxes Marked “Fragile”
John 10:10b
As some of you may already know; my wife and I recently relocated to Boulder. We’ve been appointed to the Mountain View UM Church for a year now, but it took us this long to sell our place and box it all up for our move. Four very strong, baby gorillas, and a truck were hired to haul all our stuff from Centennial earlier this month, and we are left sorting through boxes--trying to locate the telephones, some of my books, and a couple of kitchen gadgets. There are a few boxes marked “fragile”, and I want to see if any of them got damaged in the trip.
I wouldn’t want the neighbors to get the wrong idea about us, from our boxes. Pilling them up alongside the house, I was concerned that they might think we were raging alcoholics, as most of our packing was done into liquor boxes (the free kind) which I begged off a kindly Pakistani store owner.
The bigger issue is that over the years we have accumulated far too much stuff, and with the passive assistance of our grown children, we have filled one entire room of the parsonage with questionable treasures, which are begging to be given away. I believe the technical word for this is “Down-sizing”. Most of you, I imagine have done this, and know what I’m talking about. It is not easy!
It means that although everything we own had a purpose and place in our last home (or at one time), that is not necessarily the case, here. A beloved bureau may not have held up as well as it should have. A hobby enjoyed at one time, may not delight as it once did. A child grew up, but their “stuff” still hangs on…
What you may not have discovered from your own, “downsizing experience” is that everything without a purpose begs to be given away! The challenge to this then is that -- lacking a purpose -- some things still have an emotional pull (like my eldest son’s first ball glove, or our daughter’s “little girl” treasures). And as such, refuse to be given away, no matter how hard we might try!
This passage of scripture is an affirmation of what the faith teaches so clearly to us Christians: that Jesus came into the world, so that persons might have life, and have it abundantly. Are there any here who still believe that Jesus was talking about “abundance”, as acquiring still more stuff?
No, Jesus is trying to get those who are listening to him to understand that abundance has a lot more to do with contentment, simplicity, joy and appreciation, than it has to do with a new car, property or acquisition. That abundant life is more about people, acquiring wisdom, building relationships across generations -- and not at all about things!
An illustration comes to mind about a billionaire, who was given just 3 months to live by his physician. After this prognosis had soaked in, the man went to his doctor, minister, and lawyer, and gave each of them 1 million dollars in cash. To each he said, “You are my friend, and I know you to be trustworthy to carry out my final wishes. When I die, Just to prove them wrong, I want you to put this money in my casket, so that I can take it with me!”
They, each one in turn, agreed to do as he asked and then came the fateful day. The billionaire died, and each one of his friends was at the funeral with their packages. Solemnly, they placed their parcel in the casket as he had instructed, the pastor said the benediction, and then they left to toast their friend at the bar. The conversation drifted to the parcels each of them had placed in the casket.
The doctor said, “I know I promised to put all the money in the casket, but I just couldn’t. I’m associated with this research project to cure cancer, so I gave $500,000 to the Foundation, and put the rest in the coffin.”
The minister said, “I’m glad you said something, Doc. I wanted to build a youth center for our kids, to come and learn about Jesus and to be better people. I gave $900,000 to the church, and put $100,000 into the coffin.”
The lawyer looked at them both in disgust. He said, “I’m surprised at you both. You knew our billionaire friend’s wishes to take it with him, and yet you betrayed his trust! I want you both to know that, I put my personal check for $1 million dollars in that casket!”
How often we get the purpose and priorities of life wrong! How often do we live life for money and things, and ignore the real reason for LIFE: God’s abundance, peace and genuine love?
William Sloan Coffin, a preacher of the last century, famously said: "There are people and things in this world, and people are to be loved and things are to be used. And it is increasingly important that we love people and use things, for there is so much in our gadget-minded, consumer-oriented society that is encouraging us to love things and use people."
Tonight we have gathered to recognize our losses, and commemorate our honored dead. We will leave this place resolved to live life to its very top, or we will simply go on to the next thing scheduled on our iPhones.
Wherever we head from here, I would like to encourage us to look back and then look ahead to how we will leave our legacy for succeeding generations. How will we express our values, beliefs and passions to leave a trail for those who come behind us to follow? How will you and I have lived the ABUNDANCE that Jesus talked about, such that the boxes marked “fragile” will survive the trip?
I have come to believe that part of the answer is to be found in acknowledging our losses, and recounting our blessings; in facing our human vulnerabilities, while embracing our divine resources. For surely, it is LIFE itself, which should be marked “FRAGILE”, and handled with utmost care!
We seek the abundance which Jesus points to as a gift of the life, well lived. How will we resolve to live it out in the days we have left to give? How will you and I resolve to have life and have it abundantly?
AMEN
Steven K. Warren
Frasier Meadows Founders/memorial Service
