Pricing God on Your eBay
PSALM 111
JOHN 6: 51-58
AUGUST 18, 2024
Most of you may have noticed by now that I have a rather eclectic collection of men’s ties. Frankly, I have lost count of the number of ties that I own but the number far exceeds the number of Sundays in a year and more than likely I have a tie for almost any and every occasion. Cartoon ties, message ties, Buffalo Bills’ ties, Christmas ties, and yes even Jesus ties. Today’s tie by the way is a Philadelphia tie that was probably produced by the city’s marketing folks … and I cannot remember when or why this tie entered my collection, but I am wearing it this morning to celebrate our Phillies Tailgate in the City of Brotherly Love last night. The Phillies won convincingly by the way!
The reason that I own so many ties is due to my former job with the Social Security Administration. Back in the day I had to wear a suit almost every day, which made wearing a tie a requirement … there was a time when lots of men wore ties to work Monday through Friday and then they wore them to church on Sunday’s back in the day when church attendance was a priority for most families … anyhow, being the person I am I wanted to not be overly serious at my job, so I started purchasing cartoon ties. And the collection grew and grew. Colleagues including upper management always wanted to know what tie I was wearing. Ken Apfel, who was the Social Security Commissioner back in the 1990’s, actually came into my office each day expecting to see a new tie before hearing about the work that I had done.
Your average clothing store was not stocking a wide variety of ties to meet my needs but thank goodness I discovered e-Bay. I ended up being a somewhat regular tie shopper on e-Bay and my collection grew to where it is now.
So, you might be wondering how my ties relate to today’s Scripture lesson and to our God. Well, a week ago out of nowhere I received a message from e-Bay that one of my favorite e-Bay marketers was having a sale that I might be interested in.
Believe me, I am not a regular e-Bay shopper … actually, I am not much of a shopper at all and never have been, but I was curious to see what Internet algorithm had led e-Bay to try to suck me in to buy something. I was totally caught off guard when I followed the link and discovered a tie sale … I had not purchased a tie from this site in at least a decade, but they were reaching out to me. Take a look … buy a tie or two or ten … you can afford the price!
So, friends … this morning as we gather here in this church and online, I am wondering if you treat God like an e-Bay purchase that you made once upon a time that is now gathering dust in a closet somewhere. You remember the excitement of the moment when God was new just like the arrival of a new tie … you put on God! Perhaps you even told friends and family members that you had God and Jesus Christ but somehow over time the excitement … the newness … the joy … the connection with your life has faded and the last thing you want to do these days is to tell anyone that God matters although like me and my ties … you’ll pull God out to wear on Sunday’s … at least most Sunday’s.
Our Psalm today begins with a strong reminder of God’s place in the universe. “God’s deeds are majestic and glorious! God’s righteousness stands forever. God’s handiwork is honesty and justice! “
Do you remember that initial moment when God’s majesty… Christ’s saving grace suddenly meant more than a Sunday School lesson to you? You know, that INSTANT in time when you stepped forward or raised a hand in church because God’s majesty touched your heart in a way that you knew you had to make that public decision or maybe you were at home with your parents and God’s reality came to you like a blinding searchlight of love! For some of us the understanding of God’s reality just slowly became part of our life … our parents brought us to Sunday School, church and Vacation Bible School; God’s Word was present in our homes; we noticed our parents valued their faith and we wanted to be part of it and that one day we just knew God was calling.
Do you remember those times? Those moments? Are they just as alive for you today as they were in your yesterday’s? Do they make you want to jump and shout with joy PRAISE THE LORD! Perhaps there are other worship moments that come clearly to mind connecting you with the Almighty … I remember a worship service at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission that was so powerfully Holy Spirit connected that one friend begins every conversation when we are together with ‘Dave I will never forget that Sunday at the Mission.’ And, neither will I.
Do you share your excitement about your God-connection with others as if your first God encounter was the VERY VERY best day of your life?
I believe, absolutely believe, that people are desperately hungry for an encounter with God. They go through their daily lives sucking in the nonsense of social media, perhaps living in fear because an overpaid TV talking head told them to fear this thing or that person, and neglectful of the obvious signs of God’s presence that if they paused … if we paused to just be still … God would suddenly be there in front of them.
So, on this August Sunday when across the United States of America church attendance is lower than it is in the fall, winter, and spring months because vacation includes skipping church … I want to ask each of us to consider whether we treat our relationship with God exactly like my tie purchases on e-Bay. You know … even if it has been years since that initial connection … God is still reaching out to get each person back because in God’s case … God paid the price through Jesus Christ to make our connection to God even easier.
Did you know that there are more people in church on Christmas Eve and Easter than on any other day of the year … oh I guess you know that. I often wonder why they show up. Are they invited? Did they sense God’s marketing efforts through Santa and the Easter Bunny? Why don’t they come back … the songs at Christmas are pretty awesome you know JOY TO THE WORLD … the LORD HAS COME! And, on Easter … well there aren’t any really popular Easter songs but in churches like this one a pastor stands in front and says, hopefully with great joy, HE IS RISEN <<HE IS RISEN INDEED>>.
I think that we, like most people, have our moments when we are desperately in need of God. Most of us here remember the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks when churches, synagogues, and mosques were filled with every day people seeking God. Our President, a good United Methodist, did all he could to bring us together as a people showcasing the lessons of faith he had learned to LOVE ALL of our neighbors and to LOVE our GOD. People actually hurried with their neighbors to church … but then they stopped.
David Edwards in his book, ‘Encountering God,’ writes about what he calls the “God-shaped void within each of us.” He writes, that this void “was made to accommodate only the Lord God. Trouble, frustration, unsettled news, and constant doubt haunt our lives when we try to fill the voice with anything other than Him.”
And, so I go back to today’s Psalm’s words of wisdom or perhaps for us these are words that can challenge us. “The works of the Lord are magnificent; they are treasured by all who desire them. God gives food to those who honor Him.”
Of course, Jesus declares that He is “the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” Jesus speaks in metaphors, but the act of eating is not just a one-time activity … it’s an ongoing essential life process, which means to be energized we need to actually connect with Christ … treasure God … honor God and live for God.
The entire Word of God actually focuses on a lot of needy people who need God. Lessons in life that are reflected in our 21st century lives when we really think about it. And, the consistent message is that God is calling back to us … God never relents on wanting to bring each and every person back to faith no matter our journey no matter our slips and falls. God’s love exceeds any human practices, but I think those of you with me today know that.
It always sounds so silly … when church leaders from a wide array of churches including myself talk about ‘the start of the church year’ in September. It’s as if we are comfortable putting God’s gift to us aside as if if was a package we received from e-Bay. Church we can no longer worry about a church year’s beginning and then closure in the month of May or June … we need to do all we can to showcase God’s love, the gift for all humanity, in our daily lives and celebrations!
In Job we hear these words of wisdom from God … “LISTEN TO ME … be silent and I will teach you wisdom!” In the Psalms we hear this from God, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you and watch over you.” Jesus says, “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
It is time … it is past time … for the faithful … for the church … to celebrate our faith, to showcase our faith that begins with loving God and loving all of our neighbors not in telling others how wrong we think they are. We are overdue in shaking the dust off of our faith life because we are called to go into the world … to make disciples … and frankly when we connect the dots back to God and the essence of our faith we will rush to the green meadows .. we will treasure the still waters .. we will want to have our souls restored.
God’s Word tells us the benefits of looking for God in our lives, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart. I will be present for you and end your captivity.”
Let’s walk this together … let’s take God off the shelve … let’s stop our captivity to the world’s demons … we have work to do with and for God. And, I hope that you can join me with all of your heart in union with the psalmist to declare with joy … I PRAISE THE LORD! I THANK THE LORD with ALL My HEART in the congregation!