Matthew 21:1-13 “Goals in Lofty Places”
Let me share with you my typical day: I wake up in the morning and think that there is no rain coming and that I should wash the church van as it is getting really dusty. As I think about this, I see that the hose is attached to the sprinkler in the yard and that I really should water the plants first before dragging the hose over to the van. Then, as I think about watering the plants, I remember that I was going to transplant a tree that was given to me. Yes, that should come first. I will need to get the shovel to do that; that is in with the gardening tools in the shed in the dog’s pen. That reminds me that I have to wash the dog. So, I should wash the dog first, especially since I need the same water bucket later then to wash the church van. First, I have to get the shovel to transplant the tree before I water the plants.
Usually about that time I get a call on my cell phone, then the entire thought stream that I had going before is interrupted, and I end up starting a whole other set of goals that have to be done in a certain order. You know, I have to visit this person after talking with that person. While I am out, I need to go to the post and mail a package. Then, I have to stop at the bank. However, I really shouldn’t do that until I wash the church van—and the whole process starts over again.
Usually by the end of the day, I look back at everything I did not get done and wonder where all the time went. I think about this and realize that I did not get everything done because I had really no goals at all. Or, my one goal was simply to get everything done. That is a silly and useless goal because no matter who much one can accomplish in one day, there is always the next day and always more little things that will need to be accomplished. I need to look at my real goals, if I ever want to have that sense of accomplishment in my life.
What are our personal goals? I recall growing up with some rather specific goals in mind for my life. When I was in the fourth grade, our family spent the summer in Washington State because my father was building a refinery up there with his company. For the first time in my life, I saw the Space Needle in Seattle. I thought it was fantastic. I really loved it.
In those days I also loved playing with Lego building blocks. So, I tried as hard as I could to build a Space Needle out of Lego. Of course, with Lego one has to build everything square. It did not look the same at all.
However, my goal was to one day build a house that was just like the Space Needle. I was going to live in the Space Needle. I was going to live in the future that was envisioned by such people as Walt Disney with his “Tomorrow Land” at his Disney theme parks. I was going to have a floating car like George Jetson on the Saturday morning cartoons.
While I had a floating car, I might as well travel through space! I wanted to be like Captain Kirk on Star Trek—but without all those silly love intrigues. He was just always falling in love with aliens! Of course, I did marry a resident alien with a green card after all!
When we were living back in Los Angeles after that summer, I learned that Star Trek was in reruns in the afternoons. The only problem was that it was on Channel Six out of San Diego. It was always kind of fuzzy on the screen. So, I though to myself that if I did not get to pilot a Star Ship at least I would move to San Diego, so I could get better television reception on Channel Six.
None of these rather spacey goals ever panned out of course. I have never even been to a Star Trek convention. These were temporary puerile goals. They changed as I grew. Later I wanted to be a missionary to Cambodia when I read about the genocide going on there. Then, there was the call to regular ministry and a whole new set of goals, which I will talk about at the end of the sermon.
What were Jesus’ goals growing up? Was it his goal to become the King of the Jews? When we look at him being haled as the King of the Jews as he approaches Jerusalem, we have to wonder? Was this his goal? The people there expected Jesus to continue up to the main gates of the temple and to transcend to the Holiest of Holies, to that throne inside the Temple where God was supposed to sit. He was supposed to be taking the throne in Jerusalem. That never happened of course.
If the goal was to just be an earthly ruler, then Jesus really failed at that goal. He was a complete failure. He walks up to the Temple, the doors are closed; he goes back out. I wonder if Jesus had not had the run-in with the moneychangers in front of the Temple if he would have taken that throne?
What stops us from reaching our goals? Moneychangers! People with other goals. You see, back then it was the case that there were people whose goals it was to get rich on people’s faith and gullibility. (Nothing like that going on today?!) The rule was that in order to make an offering, the money used had to be Shekels because all of the other coins had idols on them. Most people took care of commerce with Roman money. So, the moneychangers made a good profit converting the offerings from Roman coins to Jewish Shekels.
If Jesus were really the King of the Jews, he would have had the right to ban the moneychangers. If he tipped the tables, nobody could say anything. However, the drive for profit overrode recognizing Jesus as the true king.
We do not have moneychangers in front of the church today, but we are constantly surrounded by people with other goals in their lives which impact our ability to reach our own goals. Don’t be afraid in any way to tip their tables over! Do not accept their ungodly goals! Stick to the goals in your own life.
What is God’s goal for our lives? Actually, my goals have not changed that much from when I was a boy. I want to live in that house in the sky. I want to soar through the stars! Just like Isaiah says, “I am going to soar on eagles wings.” (Isaiah 40:31) That is why Isaiah is my favorite prophet! I am going to live in that house with God. (John 14) Christ has gone before to prepare that place for me. It is being built for me right now. The Bible only doesn’t say if I get the floating car with it!
On Tuesday night at the Lihue
Christian Church a large group of us from all the UCC churches on the island
were treated to a seminar with noted author Tony Robinson, who flew in to be
with us. He talked about various churches’ mission statements. He had selected
some really good ones from some sample churches. I started thinking about our
own church here: For some reason I thought that our motto could be “Come fly
with us!” I know that sounds strange—even a little flighty perhaps—but in a
nutshell, that is the goal!
There was a story in the paper recently about a ninety-year-old woman who got her high school diploma. I don’t know if you saw it. I am not going to talk about it. Instead, I want to tell you about a similar story that happened in 2007. The headline read back then: “Woman gets high school diploma at age 98, from a high school in Walnut Creek, CA.” Interestingly enough about a year later to the day there was another headline: “Josephine Belasco died at age 99.” Yup, same woman! Getting a diploma was a nice scholastic goal. How is it helping her now? Don’t let your goals die with you! Look to God’s goals over your life!
You see, in the end my personal goals don’t matter. What matter are God’s goals over my life. This was the same for Christ, of course. What mattered for his life was what God was going to do with it for that great heavenly plan to get the rest of us back up into heaven, into relationship with the Father, soaring on eagles’ wings and living in that mansion in the sky!
So, I did take a chance this last week at the Regency Pua Kea retirement center during our time for Bible Study. I asked the question. I did. To a group of senior citizens who have all since long retired I asked, “What are your goals for your life?” For a moment there was a marked silence. Then, one of our former regular church attendees here (who by the way never misses the broadcast of worship on television) came up with a glorious response: “My goal is to continue to grow in the faith until the Lord takes me.” That is what she said.
Just then while I was typing this into the computer, a huge cockroach walked right up to me where I was working. It stopped right there and looked up at me. Squish. I whacked it. Wow, what a reminder that we can be squished out of existence at any time. We never know who is going to get whacked and when. (Especially if you disturb the pastor when he is writing his sermon!)
It is critically important, therefore, that you know the goal that God has for you in your life right now, here today! It is critical that you understand that there will be people with other goals who are going to try to keep you from reaching the goal that God has for your life—call them the moneychangers. You have got to be ready for them. God wants you up in heaven! He sent Jesus to us not to sit on that rock in Jerusalem and take on an earthly kingship. God’s goal was for Jesus to become the true king of heaven and earth. God’s goal for us is that we serve that heavenly Kingdom in our lives.
Come fly with me. . . . .Amen.