10/08/23 – Why by Rev. Tim Mitchell

WHY?

October 8, 2023
19th Sunday after Pentecost
Joshua 3:7-17, Philippians 3:4b-14, Matthew 21:33-46
Rev. Tim Mitchell

Dr. Montgomery spent fifteen years as an Emergency Room doctor at the University of Tennessee Hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee. Dr. Montgomery has seen a multitude of injuries that resulted from simple stupidity. He tells the story of a man who was brought to the ER with severe facial and teeth injuries. Dr. Montgomery was appalled to learn how the man had injured himself. While drunk, this man had been driving around his neighborhood, lighting firecrackers off his cigarette and then throwing the firecrackers out the window. He was having a grand old time until he accidentally threw his cigarette out the window and stuck the firecracker in his mouth. (1) If you saw that in a movie, you would laugh and say, “That’s dumb.” But here is a flesh-and-blood human being–a grown man–suffering immeasurable pain because of an idiotic stunt. Why did he do it?

Do you sometimes ask the question: Why do people do the things they do? Here’s a better question. Have you ever asked why you do some of the things you do?

I can’t help but wonder that there were some Scribes and Pharisees that Jesus talked about in the reading that stopped and asked themselves, “Why do we wear such broad Phylacteries, and Why do we always have to be the first?”. One such Pharisee was Nicodemus, who began questioning and found his way at the feet of Jesus; for you see, using the question of why at the right place and time may help us uncover our true motivations.

A question like Why are you here? The first, why are you here today, meaning? What motivated you to come? Is it because this is just what you do on Sundays? Is it because you feel obligated or duty-bound? Is it because this is just what your family has always done on Sunday Mornings? Is it to catch up on everything happening in your friend’s lives? Only you can answer that question for you. It is an important question.

Why ask? Why?

Because it can connect us to our inner selves. Jesus had a lot to say to the Pharisees about being white-washed tombs on the outside full of dead men’s bones on the inside. We need to be connected to what is happening in our hearts and spirits.

The second meaning of “Why are you here? Why are you on this earth? It connects to finding your purpose in life. And yes, I know the Westminster Catechism equates the why with the question What is the chief end of humanity? And answers it with: Humanity’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy God forever.

What does that mean for you? Maybe we all know the answer to that question, and perhaps we don’t. It would be beneficial to spend some time answering this question so that we come together as a body searching for a new minister to call. You are going to be asked, Who are you? Why are you here? What is important to you? What is your call?

I propose that you can answer your Why, individually as part of the body of Christ and corporately as a member of Westminster Presbyterian.

A man walked into a restaurant and ordered a glass of milk. He took a sip of the milk, then tossed the remainder into the waiter’s face. Before the waiter could recover from the surprise, the man began weeping. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m really sorry. I keep doing that to servers. I can’t tell you how embarrassing it is to have a compulsion like this.”

Far from being angry, the server was sympathetic. Before long, he suggested that the man see an analyst about his problem. “I happen to have the name of a great therapist,” the waiter said. “My brother and my wife have been treated by him, and they say he’s as good as they get.” The man wrote down the name, thanked the waiter, and left. The waiter smiled, knowing he’d done a good deed for a fellow human being.

Six months later, the man was back. “Did you do what I suggested?” the waiter asked, serving the glass of milk. “I certainly did,” the man said. “I’ve been seeing the psychoanalyst twice a week.” He took a sip of the milk. Then he threw the remainder into the waiter’s face. The flustered waiter wiped his face with a towel. “The doctor doesn’t seem to be doing you any good,” he sputtered. “On the contrary,” the man claimed, “he’s done me a world of good.” “But you threw the milk in my face again!” The waiter exclaimed. “Yes,” the man replied. “But it doesn’t embarrass me anymore.”

I don’t want us to be able to answer why so that we won’t be embarrassed but to help us overcome what difficulties come our way. German philosopher Frederick Nietzsche once said, ‘He who has a why can endure anyhow.’ Knowing your why is an essential first step in figuring out how to achieve what God desires for us.

When we know our why, even amid a crisis, energy reserves are tapped, and determination and courage that we didn’t realize we had bubble up. And then our mission becomes more in focus, our potential becomes realized, writes Margie Warrell.

She says: The power of purpose is similar to the energy of light focused through a magnifying glass. Diffused light has little use, but when its energy is concentrated—as through a magnifying glass—that same light can set fire to paper. Focus its energy even more, as with a laser beam, and it has the power to cut through steel. Likewise,  a clear sense of purpose enables you to focus your efforts on what matters most, compelling you to take risks and push forward regardless of the odds or obstacles.

The Church today faces enormous odds and obstacles, and if it is to survive and thrive, it must take this question of Why seriously and be willing to expend time and energy to answer it.

Here are four questions I want to introduce to you and spend our next Sundays together discussing and spending some time and effort answering. These four questions from Margie Warrell will help connect us to our inner selves.

  1. What makes you come alive?

I am not talking about your favorite team. What inspires you and “breathes life into you”? What are you passionate about? Focusing your attention on it brings a fire to your belly. It connects you to God.

As civil rights leader Howard Thurmon once wrote, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive, then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Indeed, they do.

  1. What are your innate strengths?

What are the things you’ve always been good at (sometimes wondering why others find it so hard?)? Can you see patterns and opportunities amidst complexity? Are you creative and naturally adept at coming up with ‘outside the box’ solutions? Are you a natural-born rebel who can identify where the status quo requires a makeover? Are you brilliant in the details, naturally good at executing projects with a precision that some find tedious? Or are you a naturally gifted communicator, technocrat, diplomat, networker, leader, problem solver, or change agent? What are your strengths?

  1. Where do you add the greatest value?

Doing work that you’re good at but loathe is not a pathway to fulfillment. That said, knowing your greatest strengths and where you can add value—by applying your education, skills, knowledge, and experience—can help you focus on where God might be calling you to serve.

  1. How will you measure your life?

An essential part of my Clinical Pastoral Education was to write my obituary. That is a great exercise to help one understand how they may want their life to count. Ultimately, living with purpose means focusing on the things that matter most.

As I said, I will take each of these questions and delve into them much deeper to help us answer our own WHY. It will help us on our journey of a life well lived before a God we love! Remember that no matter how difficult the task or how overwhelmed we are as we endeavor to discover our Why—Jesus is with us.

George E. Knowles, in his book, A World to Love, tells about a pastor who, for years, fought what seemed to be a losing battle with a troublesome temper. Despite his best efforts, he experienced one defeat after another.

One day, after a violent outburst, he buried his head in his arms in absolute despair as he sat at his desk. Emotionally exhausted, he fell asleep. The pastor dreamed he was in his study, and as he looked out the window, he saw a glorious light. As the light approached him, he realized that it was a man who intended to be his guest. The pastor became conscious that his study was untidy and in no condition to receive such a guest.

Frantically, the pastor swept and dusted the room, but the more he worked, the worse it looked. He heard a knock at the door and wondered what to do. “I can’t let him in while the room is in this condition,” the pastor thought.

He continued his efforts to improve the appearance of things, and after a time the stranger knocked again. What should he do? All his efforts seemingly were in vain. When the stranger knocked the third time, the distraught pastor, who had exhausted all of his resources, flung open the door, saying, “I can’t do any more. Come in, if you will enter such a room.” As the pastor looked up, he recognized the stranger as Jesus. The Master entered the room, and strangely, as He did so, the dust seemed to disappear and everything suddenly became orderly. All was bright and clean and joyful. The Master’s presence had done in a moment what all his feverish efforts had failed to accomplish.

God is with us in our Why!

 

 

© Rev. Tim Mitchell, 2023, All Rights Reserved
Westminster Presbyterian Church | 1420 W. Moss Ave. | Peoria, Illinois 61606
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