At one level or another each of us is trying to figure
out this ‘life’ thing. We want to know
why we are here and what we are supposed to do.
Every now and then a clue comes our way.
The Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw provides this valuable insight:
This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose
recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before
you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a
feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the
world will not devote itself to making you happy.
Do you have a mighty purpose in life?
I think Jesus would like this question. He raises it in today’s gospel reading when
he makes three statements about salt.
The first is “everyone will be salted with fire,” which scholars say is
one of the most enigmatic things Jesus ever uttered. And while not entirely clear, it seems to be
related to animal sacrifice. Prior to
being offered on a fire, an animal carcass was rubbed with salt to draw out the
blood. Once this was accomplished, it
was roasted over a fire and offered in sacrifice or served for human
consumption. The salt was useful in this
process, but once used, it lost the properties that made it useful. Hence, the second statement: “How can
saltiness be restored?” The final expression,
“Have saltiness in yourselves, and be at peace with one another,” hints at the
work we need to do to be in proper, healthy relationship with one another.
Do you have a mighty purpose in life,
something at least as useful as what salt does when rubbed on meat and exposed
to fire?
On his blogsite, Brandon Phillips offers
ten signs you don’t have a mighty purpose, but simply are living life as a
feverish selfish little clod:
1. You mostly talk about
yourself and every conversation focuses mainly on you.
2. You litter. It is a way of saying the world is your trash
can and someone else will take care of it.
3. You don’t consider the
impact of your actions on others or, if you do, you don’t care. (I call this the “Shopping Cart Blocking the
Aisle Principle”)
4. You see the world through
“you-colored” glasses and consider only how something affects you personally.
5. You have an entitlement mentality and expect to reap without sowing. For example, if you are somehow
inconvenienced, your first thought is how you can sue and win money.
6. You don’t fulfill the
responsibilities and commitments you’ve made.
7. You only see extremes in
every idea, person, or organization.
8. You think anything causing
you discomfort is bad and therefore you’re entitled to complain, worry, and moan.
9. You think people who are
different from you are the problem with the world.
10. You give only when you
expect to get.
Now, I am confident none of us here this
morning can say to any one of these, “Oh, that is me.” I am also confident each of us knows at least
one person who, by this definition, is a feverish selfish little clod. And sadly, for most of them, once their
saltiness is gone it can never be restored.
Today’s gospel reading begins with what
surely is not one of the Apostle John’s shining moments. He complains to Jesus about a person not in
the group who evokes Jesus’ name to cast out demons. He and the other disciples try to stop the
person because “he is not following us.”
The disciples, in fact, are on a roll.
In last week’s reading we learn they are debating amongst themselves who
is the greatest.
For Jesus, who has largely completed his
ministry and has set a course for Jerusalem where he knows he will die, this
must be very disheartening. He has
invested three years of his life in this group, and now, in the last weeks of
his life, they just don’t get it. He has
offered them an expansive vision of what life can be, which he calls the
Kingdom of God, but they are still trapped in small, me-centered, provincial
thinking.
Their mindset manifests itself as a
competitive spirit, asking who is the most important and fretting over who is
getting credit. No wonder Jesus
reactions as strongly as he does, recommending you cut off any body part that
causes you to stumble. The graphic
imagery and startling teaching tells us Jesus will have nothing to do with the
pettiness of his followers. He is not
interested in cultivating feverish selfish little clods. He wants salty followers who know how to give
themselves to others for the betterment of all.
There is more to George Bernard Shaw’s
famous quote. He offers this as well:
I
am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I
live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.
I
want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I
live. I rejoice in life for its own
sake. Life is no “brief candle” for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have
got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible
before handing it on to future generations.
A mighty purpose. A splendid torch. Salting all you touch and do. Had Brandon Phillips focused on what this
looks like rather than on the clod side, perhaps it would have written
something like this:
1. In every conversation
strive to learn at least one thing you did not know about the other person.
2.
Make it your goal to leave no wake and no foul residue as you move through
life.
3.
As you tend to your business consider how your actions might make life a little easier
for others. (I call this the “Honor the
Turn Signal of the Other Car Principle”)
4.
Imagine how the world looks though the eyes of another person. Ask “What blesses this person?” and “What
challenges does this person face?”
5.
Learn how to let go of privilege.
6.
Keep your word and honor your commitments, especially when it is difficult,
costly, or inconvenient.
7.
When encountering a new or different idea, person, or organization discern
what you have in common and decipher where connections are possible.
8.
Embrace hardship and struggle with good cheer, being grateful for the
opportunities it brings for growth, resiliency, and strength.
9.
Aim to understand how people different from you add richness to the
tapestry of life.
10. Give and give and give of
yourself, expecting nothing in return except for a larger, more generous soul...
and then be open to seeing what happens.
Jesus said, “Have salt in yourself.” Me might take this to mean we should add
flavor and zest to the taste of life.
This may not sound like much, but it is indeed a mighty purpose. Focusing not on what you get but on what you
give, not on how you are treated but on how you behave, not on what you are
owed but on what you can offer is the essence of a salty life, a mighty
purpose, and a splendid torch.
