“First Things First”

Matthew 6:18-38

A Sermon Preached by the Rev. Douglas M. Donley

April 18, 2004

University Baptist Church

Minneapolis, MN

 

            The hymn we just sang represents a story we don’t often hear.  I wasn’t aware of it until I read the bottom of the hymnal.  It’s about a group of people who put first things first.  This was a hymn sung by a group of 38 Native Americans in 1862 as they went to the gallows in Mankato, MN.  It was the largest mass execution in US history.  They sang of their faith in God and in defiance of the power of their captors.

            I was at a clergy lunch on Monday and one of my colleagues spoke about the health problems he has faced.  He then spoke about how he came to realize that life is short.  And when we have our health and even our wealth, we have the luxury of blurring our focus.  But when that comes crashing down, we come to account for how much we have, how much we owe, how we are spending our lives. 

            It reminded me of a poem by Linda Ellis I often use at memorial services.  It’s called The Dash.

          THE DASH

By: Linda Ellis © 1997 www.lindaslyrics.com

           

I read of a man who stood to speak

                                 at the funeral of a friend.

                       He referred to the dates on her tombstone

                             from the beginning...to the end.

 

                     He noted that first came the date of her birth

                       and spoke of the following date with tears,

                          but he said what mattered most of all

                            was the dash between those years.

 

                           For that dash represents all the time

                              that she spent alive on earth...

                            and now only those who loved her

                            know what that little line is worth.

 

                         For it matters not, how much we own;

                              the cars....the house...the cash.

                          What matters is how we live and love

                               and how we spend our dash.

 

                           So think about this long and hard...

                          are there things you'd like to change?

                      For you never know how much time is left.

                            You could be at  "dash midrange."

 

                           If we could just slow down enough

                             to consider what's true and real,

                               and always try to understand

                                 the way other people feel.

 

                                And be less quick to anger,

                               and show appreciation more,

                             and love the people in our lives

                              like we've never loved before.

 

                           If we treat each other with respect,

                              and more often wear a smile...

                           remembering that this special dash

                               might only last a little while.

 

                           So, when your eulogy's being read,

                            with your life's actions to rehash...

                       would you be proud of the things they say

                             about how you spent your dash?

 

Life is short.  We know that.     We know that life is too short to worry about petty things.  It’s too short to waste it away in front of a TV set, in the bottom of a bottle, at the end of a needle.  It’s also too short to not do the right thing.  That’s what today’s sermon is about.  It’s what this service is about.  It’s what we are about.  I want us to talk about putting first things first.  I want us to talk about priorities. 

            I want to start out with asking you what the most important thing in your life is.

            For me, it’s my family.  The next most important thing is God.  I know that sounds selfish, but we need to remember that God is in each of us.  The way my family life is led is the best representation of God’s presence in my life.  Now think of what helps you to live as a faithful and helpful person.  For me, that’s God’s work.  And when we do it right, God’s work happens real well in the church.

            Jesus says in today’s scripture, right smack dab in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount: “Don’t store up treasures on earth where moth and rust consume and thieves break in and steal.  Instead, store up treasures in heaven.  For where your treasure is, your heart will be also.  As if to make it even more clear and plain, Jesus said, you can't serve two masters.  You can’t serve God and wealth.  Instead, seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.”

            You see, our wealth is not ours to begin with.  It all belongs to God.   Our first priority is to God.  That’s why we give a portion of our income, our wealth, our blessings back to the work of God through this church.  If we seek first the kingdom of God, then our other priorities fall into line.

            I told you that we are blessed in our family to be able to increase our pledge by almost 30% thanks to Kim’s new job and us nearing the end of our Capital Campaign pledge.  It feels good to fill out this card.  It feels like the first thing is first.  It’s because this community means so much to us that we do this.  It’s because this church is a part of the movement of God and it helps me to put my own priorities in line.

            An example of this is the fact that as we have been going through this dark night of our American Baptist Region’s soul, you have not let me lapse into cynicism.  Together we have struggled with our response.  We have tried real hard not to demonize our adversaries.  We have worked to stay at the dialogue table.  We have come up with creative and I believe Christ-like responses when the tendency is to match the insult with injury.  We follow one who has overcome the world: the one who told us to seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness—first things first.

            This weekend the Alliance of Baptists is meeting in Dayton, Ohio.  It’s a wonderful organization of which we are considering becoming a member congregation.  The Alliance is made up of American Baptists, recovering Southern Baptists, Cooperative Baptists, Canadian Baptists and even some renegade Baptists.  They co-authored with the Baptist Peace Fellowship this wonderful resource called rightly dividing the Word of Truth: a Process for Congregations in dialogue about homosexuality.  We have bought ten copies of this as a resource that we are offering to our region as we discuss the issues of human sexuality.

            The Alliance holds tightly to Baptists principles of soul Freedom, church freedom, Bible freedom and religious freedom.  Their mission giving is to the defunded groups and congregations of this world.  They’re our kind of Baptists.  But the most radical thing they did was to not become a denomination.  They take seriously Jesus admonition that we cannot serve God and mammon. One of the first things a denomination does is it begins to acquire property.  This is when a movement of the spirit becomes an institution.  Before long, they start making decisions to protect their property and close their eyes to the prophetic word and work. 

            We are a movement like that.  We finally have title to our old building.  We also have the autonomy that this brings.  This old building is the storehouse of our memories and it is also the place where fascinating and exciting things happen.  In here, we get the inspiration and the power to be the movement of Jesus.  By putting first things first, we focus on a power that will bring us to sanity, sometimes over and against the world.

            I think of the things that have happened here in just the past year.  I think of the baptisms of last week. 

I think of the saints that have gone before us that we celebrate each and every All Saints Day.

            I think of the marriage of Sarah and Matt, and the way we celebrated the domestic partner registry of Bruce and John, and Holiday and Robyn.

            I think of the cheering this past fall when the Clerical Workers Union met in this very room and reached a contract settlement.

            I think about Lynn Welton’s ordination council a few weeks ago when we stood by her as she passionately told her faith story and of her call to ministry.

            I think of how we have heard bells and brass and fiddles and flutes and banjos and guitars, dulcimers, voices, organ piano harpsichord, and dance and drama celebrate God’s revelation in our world.

            I think of children young and not so young letting loose with abandon.

            I think of flowers and flags and banners and sound systems.

            I think of all of you and your dogged commitment to the work of God. 

            It gives me pause to remember the privilege and obligation I have to this community.

            In a few moments, you will have the opportunity to bring forward your tithes, you offerings and also your ministry Commitment forms and your pledge cards to place here in the front of the church.  It’s a way of symbolizing your commitment to the work of God through this church.  It is a joyful time.  It’s a time when we say we can even dance a bit and celebrate because of this community which calls us to a higher plane of existence.

            When we do it, think about your priorities.  Think about what is first in your life.  You are here because this community means something.  We are here because we can truly make a difference in the world.  We know that we can only do this together.  May our giving and our pledges be reminders that we are resurrection people—always clinging for dear life to a new reality, a new vision, a new peace, a new community where justice, love, mercy and compassion are the chief mediators, not the ways of the world where greed selfishness, just-us and apathy reign supreme.  We put first things first.  We work together to make a difference and these gifts we offer represent our priorities.  May God continue to bless and guide us in all we do and all we are.