October 30, 2010
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Finding our way when we get lost
I have been really lost a couple of times in my life. I am not talking about finding my way around Dayton lost. I am talking about being in the middle of nowhere with no idea how to find my destination and no clue as to how to get back to where I started. These were for me truly terrifying experiences. The common thread to these experiences was that I had started into strange territory, once was a woods and another was the sand dunes on Lake Michigan, and paid no attention to where I was going until I realized I was not reaching my destination and I could not see either my trail back or my way to the destination. My father was very adept at finding his way around any place he went. One of the first clues I had to his declining health happened when I offered to drive him to his credit union and he got disoriented and could not give me directions to it. He had an incredible sense of compass direction without looking at a compass, he had a very accurate internal compass. His son, that would be me, does not have such a well developed internal compass. Dad taught us to use our compass when we headed into a strange woods because the compass would do us little good once we were lost. I thought about being lost when I read the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus.
Zacchaeus was challenged because he was too short to be able to see Jesus, his view was blocked by the other people between him and Jesus. Zacchaeus had to climb a tree to be able to see Jesus. Jesus said he had come to find and restore the lost. Many of us are in the same position as Zacchaeus, we can’t see Jesus because other people are blocking our view. What is blocking our view may be our friends who tell us we don’t want to see Jesus because it is going to spoil all of our fun. We won’t be able to do the things we enjoy doing because Jesus is going to tell us we shouldn’t have a good time. Our view may be blocked by teachers who tell us it isn’t intelligent to believe in God and certainly not in the Jesus myth. Some people who block our view our the religious leaders who tell us we are not worthy to look on Jesus and we have to change if we ever hope to see and follow Jesus. It is like when you forget to look at your compass before you enter into unknown territory. If we don’t know Jesus we can be fooled by looking at people who aren’t Jesus. Not everyone who claims to be Christian is pointing us toward Jesus. We need to get to know Jesus ourselves so we can determine who is guiding us toward Jesus and who is even more lost than we are.
I have been told by some that they question whether they want to be Christian based on what others in the church have done or said. If we let the behavior of others define for us what it means to be Christian than we are going to be lost. If you are lost and you come across footprints, following the footprints will only help you if you believe the other person isn’t also lost. We must, like Zacchaeus, find a way to see Jesus for ourselves. Jesus is the one who has come to find and restore the lost. It is only when we seek to follow the way Jesus has shown us that we can reach our destination. The world will tell us all sorts of things that we must do or believe if we are to find our way to heaven. They will also tell us a lot of different things about where heaven is and what it is like. The truth is none of them have ever been to heaven and none of them know what heaven is going to be like. I believe there is no short cut to heaven and no one has the only right path to get us there. I think what Jesus was saying to the crowd was that he is all about finding those who feel lost, are lost, and showing them the way back to the path not just taking them to their destination. We still have to live the life, we still have to walk the path and the way we keep from getting lost is for us to follow the guiding of Jesus. I mentioned that Dad taught me to look at my compass when I entered unknown territory and keep looking at it so I keep going in the right direction and, if necessary, I can find my way back because I know what way I traveled into the territory. Dad, however, rarely looked at a compass. He had a strong internal compass. We should have the same goal in our journey with Jesus. We start out by looking for the examples Jesus gave us about how to live into the journey God has for us. As we become more and more aware of the truths Jesus taught us, they should become for us, an internal compass. We need to check scripture, or church teachings, or seek spiritual guidance less frequently. We are able to sense when we are on the right path and when we have strayed.
I have been asked by some of you to preach more about stopping the gossiping, or about how we are to be nice to each other, or that it isn’t right for people to sexually abuse others, or any number of things. I cannot believe any of you need me to be tell you that talking about each other when you haven’t shared your thoughts with the one you are talking about, or complaining about someone when you haven’t brought your complaints to the person, or interfering in each other’s relationships, or forcing yourself on someone who isn’t interested is inappropriate behavior. We are not children, who need a parent to tell us how to behave and to punish us when we behave badly. Each person needs to take responsibility for their own actions. Each person needs to speak directly to those they believe have spoken or behaved inappropriately. I can find no example of Jesus telling the disciples he was disappointed with one of them. I can find examples of when Jesus has directly confronted a person on their behavior. I can also find where Jesus said to one disciple that what Jesus thought of another disciple was no concern of the first disciple. I see where Jesus taught more by example what it means to be just, serving, and loving than by criticism. Jesus taught openly, honestly, and directly and this is what we must do if we intend to be Christ like. When we feel lost, the critical thing we must do is to check our compass and see if we are still heading the way Jesus taught us to go. Amen.
