A few days ago there was an item on the Christianity Today website that caught my attention. It was
an article about faith-sharing that started with an account of two women from the writer’s church
going door-to-door in their church’s neighborhood in the suburbs. Their intent, of course, was to try
to spread the gospel and invite local people to church. They came to one house and rang the
doorbell. They noticed a nice plywood goose that said “Welcome” and thought this was a good
sign. Here’s the writer’s account of what happened next: “They were met by a swaggering young
muscle man—body by Nautilus—clutching a can of beer in one hand and a remote TV control in the
other. Clad only in bikini briefs, the suburban chieftain said [brusquely]. ‘Yeah?’”
“We’re from the church,” the tentative women offered. They had intended to say something more
evangelistic, but as they later observed privately, “It’s hard to witness to the nearly naked.” The
young Adonis, framed in his own middle-class doorway, blurted out a string of profanity, telling them
that he wasn’t interested in ‘the church.’” He promptly slammed the door in their faces. Welcome to
the brave new world of suburban evangelism!
Of course, this is an extreme case. But beyond the obvious problem of evangelizing a culture that
has become increasingly distrusting and hostile, I couldn’t shake my mental picture of this man. And
believe me, I tried. This muscle-bound rooster in bikini briefs, with a beer in one hand and a TV
remote in the other. If an interplanetary anthropologist swept down on a UFO with the intent of
observing this particular specimen of earthlings and their ways, or at least suburban Americans and
their ways, what do you suppose would be her finding? What would she scratch in her notepad
about American, suburban priorities? I can think of a number of possibilities, but at least two uniting
themes might be self-absorption and instant gratification. A TV remote, a can of Bud and a full-
length mirror. What more does a man need?
Well, as a matter of fact, our Gospel reading this morning sort of asks a similar question. What does
a person really need? Jesus seems to have had an opinion or two on the matter. At the beginning
of today’s reading he says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Our suburbanite
friend gave some pretty clear clues about where his treasure is. So what about us? Where is our
treasure? What do we place first in our lives?
Jesus’ sermon in Matthew 6, in my opinion, contains some of the most beautiful and comforting
words to be found anywhere. He says, “Don’t waste your energy on worrying!” And he’s not even
talking about the amenities—you know, the price of gasoline, how we’ll pay our health insurance
without going to a higher deductible, what color of roses to buy for the back yard. He’s talking about
the basics—food, drink and clothing. “Don’t worry! God will provide for your basic needs. The
birds of the air and the flowers of the fields, they’re fed and clothed by our Heavenly Father. Will he
not much more feed and clothe you, you of little faith?”
It’s a moving and tender portrait of the great, transcendent, Creator God, loving us so personally
and so intimately that he sees to our basic needs in this life. Jesus calls him “Your heavenly
Father.” This time he doesn’t even say “our heavenly Father”, but “your heavenly Father.” What
amazing words!
But there’s more to this passage than a simple reassurance of God’s provision for us, as wonderful
as this is. Perhaps it’s a little too easy to neglect the other lesson here. It has to do with trying to
serve two masters, and with seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. In response to
God’s provision, His personal grace and His love for us, we have a part in this dance. And it’s a part
that goes right down to the very bedrock of what it means to be a Christian believer. It’s so
fundamental that it comprises the first and most foundational of the Ten Commandments: “You shall
have no other Gods before me.”
We’ve talked about this before. This isn’t just about Molech, or Baal, or Zeus, or Odin. It’s about
anything we place practically as a higher priority than the God who made us and who, moment by
moment, gives us life and sustains our very existence. Jesus is reminding us of this basic truth. “No
one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to
the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and wealth.”
Now, many of us know this passage well enough that we could probably recite it in our sleep. But I’d
like us to take a close look at this for a few minutes this morning. Because whether we’re aware of it
or not, we tend to see things through the lenses of our culture. This is true for all of us, and to a
degree, we really can’t help but do this. To deny this would be like swimming in the Rio Grande and
claiming that we’re not in any way affected by the current. (I could talk more about the effects of
water pollution on us, but I don’t want to unnecessarily complicate the metaphor.) The point is,
our friend Adonis may represent something a little uncomfortably close to home for some of us. It
has to do with the availability of stuff that gives us instant gratification. If we feel a little down we pop
a pill or pop open a can of beer. If we feeling a little down on ourselves, we buy something shiny
and fun to take our mind off it, and at the same time give ourselves evidence of our self worth. [OK?
How many times have you heard in a commercial, “You deserve this product”?]
If we feel a little anxious and maybe even a little empty inside we quickly divert our attention with
some entertainment. TV, or a video game, or some loud music.
Now please don’t get me wrong, most of things aren’t necessarily bad in and of themselves. And
especially, there are many good and legitimate uses for medicines and helpful activities to help with
depression and the many other problems we’re prone to as human beings. These aren’t what I’m
talking about. The problem comes when we begin to consistently distract ourselves from God or
begin to anesthetize feelings that may be telling us something important. Some of these distractions
that are good in their place may even begin to take over and become an addiction.
It’s common knowledge that nobody begins to use a chemical or engage in a particular activity
thinking “Hey, I think I’ll become an addict!” Instead, people begin either by wanting to supply
themselves with a good feeling or even self-medicate against some kind of emotional pain or
emptiness. And at first it works. For a short while we feel better. We forget about the distress we’re
in and for a brief moment in our life, we feel great. But here’s the problem. The good feeling is
temporary. We come back down. Then, since the “high” felt so good, we go after it again. But this
time it takes a little more of our drug or activity of choice to return us to the same good feeling. It
needs to be a little more extreme, a little more on the edge. And again we come down. Eventually it
gets to the point where no amount of our “feel good potion” does the job. Now we’re just struggling
to feel normal, and we’ve become completely enslaved—addicted—to whatever it was that originally
gave us pleasure or relief.
And please listen closely because this is very important. Our “feel good potion” can be any number
of things. It can be drugs or alcohol. It can be sex or romance. It can be money. It can be the
consumer goods, the toys we buy for ourselves to help us to feel better. Any one of these things
can enslave us and literally drive our life into the ground. We begin by thinking this will help us to be
happier, to feel more alive. But inevitably, if our energies flow increasingly in these directions, they
will fail us. “No one can serve two masters...” “You shall place no others gods before me.”
Now, there’s a temptation here that afflicts most of us at one time or another, I think. The temptation
is to feel put upon by the commandments. “Come on, isn’t this just a bit patronizing? God telling us
what we should and shouldn’t do, just like a parent lecturing their child?” How easy to forget not
only that it was God who made us, but that the directions He gives us really are for our own good.
At least, that’s what the scriptures say. Shortly after the giving of the Ten Commandments in
Deuteronomy, God encouraged His people to live by the Commandments “so it may go well with
you.”
How many here remember from high school or college Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? Do you
remember that pyramid-shaped diagram which, on the bottom, as a layer labeled as physiological
needs like food, water, and so forth. And the next one up is safety needs. Well, Jesus has a little
revision of Maslow’s pyramid that He offers for our spiritual health. His foundational level is God and
His kingdom. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these other things will
be added to you as well.” Maybe not in a way that always provides instant gratification or a dramatic
rush of good-feeling, but in a way that assures us that we have our priorities straight. God comes
first. This is why in the 12-Step programs the very first step after admitting that we’ve made a mess
of trying to control everything ourselves is: “We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves
could restore to sanity.”
My friends, the point is, until we make God the first priority in our lives we’ll be missing the most
important thing. And without Him we’ll eventually try to find some substitute to give us a sense of
well-being. But this won’t ultimately fill the God-shaped void. Only God can do that. When we give
God the space to love us, to fill us, and to heal us, we find that He gives us all we need in all of
those other areas. He not only supplies our basic needs, but also relieves us from the compulsion
to chase after things which promise instant gratification. He gives us peace and contentment. And
until we’re content with what we’ve got, we’ll never be content with what we get.
God wants us to seek His face because that’s good for us. He wants to give us peace. But this
whole thing can be kind of tricky. If we’re used to instant gratification from other stuff in our life, we
may have to go through a little period of withdrawal. We may need to slow things down a little bit,
and do some slightly less dramatic things, like spending a little time each day reading the scriptures,
praying and meditating. We may have to override our mental default setting of instant gratification
in order to become more mindful of our Lord. To remember Him at intervals throughout the day. To
carry on a dialogue with Him as we’re doing our work. As we do things like this, we start noticing a
difference. In a way this is all kind of like returning to a healthy diet after eating a lot of junk food. It
may not feel totally satisfying at first because it doesn’t jar our senses as much as those things we
often rely on to help us feel alive. But over time we find that our new diet is helping us to feel
healthier and better, and more importantly, in touch with our Creator and Sustainer. All of these
things gradually return us to a new comfort zone where our Lord, who wants a close relationship with
each and every one of us, wants us to be.
This relationship will help us live that God-connected life that’s essential to creatures created by
God and for God. Over time, this will become visible to others, as well. Attentive people will notice a
difference. And who knows, as our lives show evidence of the Lord’s work in us, we may even move
some of the suburban Adonises of this world to put down the beer can and ask a question or two.
“Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these other things will be added to you as well.”
Amen.
an article about faith-sharing that started with an account of two women from the writer’s church
going door-to-door in their church’s neighborhood in the suburbs. Their intent, of course, was to try
to spread the gospel and invite local people to church. They came to one house and rang the
doorbell. They noticed a nice plywood goose that said “Welcome” and thought this was a good
sign. Here’s the writer’s account of what happened next: “They were met by a swaggering young
muscle man—body by Nautilus—clutching a can of beer in one hand and a remote TV control in the
other. Clad only in bikini briefs, the suburban chieftain said [brusquely]. ‘Yeah?’”
“We’re from the church,” the tentative women offered. They had intended to say something more
evangelistic, but as they later observed privately, “It’s hard to witness to the nearly naked.” The
young Adonis, framed in his own middle-class doorway, blurted out a string of profanity, telling them
that he wasn’t interested in ‘the church.’” He promptly slammed the door in their faces. Welcome to
the brave new world of suburban evangelism!
Of course, this is an extreme case. But beyond the obvious problem of evangelizing a culture that
has become increasingly distrusting and hostile, I couldn’t shake my mental picture of this man. And
believe me, I tried. This muscle-bound rooster in bikini briefs, with a beer in one hand and a TV
remote in the other. If an interplanetary anthropologist swept down on a UFO with the intent of
observing this particular specimen of earthlings and their ways, or at least suburban Americans and
their ways, what do you suppose would be her finding? What would she scratch in her notepad
about American, suburban priorities? I can think of a number of possibilities, but at least two uniting
themes might be self-absorption and instant gratification. A TV remote, a can of Bud and a full-
length mirror. What more does a man need?
Well, as a matter of fact, our Gospel reading this morning sort of asks a similar question. What does
a person really need? Jesus seems to have had an opinion or two on the matter. At the beginning
of today’s reading he says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Our suburbanite
friend gave some pretty clear clues about where his treasure is. So what about us? Where is our
treasure? What do we place first in our lives?
Jesus’ sermon in Matthew 6, in my opinion, contains some of the most beautiful and comforting
words to be found anywhere. He says, “Don’t waste your energy on worrying!” And he’s not even
talking about the amenities—you know, the price of gasoline, how we’ll pay our health insurance
without going to a higher deductible, what color of roses to buy for the back yard. He’s talking about
the basics—food, drink and clothing. “Don’t worry! God will provide for your basic needs. The
birds of the air and the flowers of the fields, they’re fed and clothed by our Heavenly Father. Will he
not much more feed and clothe you, you of little faith?”
It’s a moving and tender portrait of the great, transcendent, Creator God, loving us so personally
and so intimately that he sees to our basic needs in this life. Jesus calls him “Your heavenly
Father.” This time he doesn’t even say “our heavenly Father”, but “your heavenly Father.” What
amazing words!
But there’s more to this passage than a simple reassurance of God’s provision for us, as wonderful
as this is. Perhaps it’s a little too easy to neglect the other lesson here. It has to do with trying to
serve two masters, and with seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. In response to
God’s provision, His personal grace and His love for us, we have a part in this dance. And it’s a part
that goes right down to the very bedrock of what it means to be a Christian believer. It’s so
fundamental that it comprises the first and most foundational of the Ten Commandments: “You shall
have no other Gods before me.”
We’ve talked about this before. This isn’t just about Molech, or Baal, or Zeus, or Odin. It’s about
anything we place practically as a higher priority than the God who made us and who, moment by
moment, gives us life and sustains our very existence. Jesus is reminding us of this basic truth. “No
one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to
the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and wealth.”
Now, many of us know this passage well enough that we could probably recite it in our sleep. But I’d
like us to take a close look at this for a few minutes this morning. Because whether we’re aware of it
or not, we tend to see things through the lenses of our culture. This is true for all of us, and to a
degree, we really can’t help but do this. To deny this would be like swimming in the Rio Grande and
claiming that we’re not in any way affected by the current. (I could talk more about the effects of
water pollution on us, but I don’t want to unnecessarily complicate the metaphor.) The point is,
our friend Adonis may represent something a little uncomfortably close to home for some of us. It
has to do with the availability of stuff that gives us instant gratification. If we feel a little down we pop
a pill or pop open a can of beer. If we feeling a little down on ourselves, we buy something shiny
and fun to take our mind off it, and at the same time give ourselves evidence of our self worth. [OK?
How many times have you heard in a commercial, “You deserve this product”?]
If we feel a little anxious and maybe even a little empty inside we quickly divert our attention with
some entertainment. TV, or a video game, or some loud music.
Now please don’t get me wrong, most of things aren’t necessarily bad in and of themselves. And
especially, there are many good and legitimate uses for medicines and helpful activities to help with
depression and the many other problems we’re prone to as human beings. These aren’t what I’m
talking about. The problem comes when we begin to consistently distract ourselves from God or
begin to anesthetize feelings that may be telling us something important. Some of these distractions
that are good in their place may even begin to take over and become an addiction.
It’s common knowledge that nobody begins to use a chemical or engage in a particular activity
thinking “Hey, I think I’ll become an addict!” Instead, people begin either by wanting to supply
themselves with a good feeling or even self-medicate against some kind of emotional pain or
emptiness. And at first it works. For a short while we feel better. We forget about the distress we’re
in and for a brief moment in our life, we feel great. But here’s the problem. The good feeling is
temporary. We come back down. Then, since the “high” felt so good, we go after it again. But this
time it takes a little more of our drug or activity of choice to return us to the same good feeling. It
needs to be a little more extreme, a little more on the edge. And again we come down. Eventually it
gets to the point where no amount of our “feel good potion” does the job. Now we’re just struggling
to feel normal, and we’ve become completely enslaved—addicted—to whatever it was that originally
gave us pleasure or relief.
And please listen closely because this is very important. Our “feel good potion” can be any number
of things. It can be drugs or alcohol. It can be sex or romance. It can be money. It can be the
consumer goods, the toys we buy for ourselves to help us to feel better. Any one of these things
can enslave us and literally drive our life into the ground. We begin by thinking this will help us to be
happier, to feel more alive. But inevitably, if our energies flow increasingly in these directions, they
will fail us. “No one can serve two masters...” “You shall place no others gods before me.”
Now, there’s a temptation here that afflicts most of us at one time or another, I think. The temptation
is to feel put upon by the commandments. “Come on, isn’t this just a bit patronizing? God telling us
what we should and shouldn’t do, just like a parent lecturing their child?” How easy to forget not
only that it was God who made us, but that the directions He gives us really are for our own good.
At least, that’s what the scriptures say. Shortly after the giving of the Ten Commandments in
Deuteronomy, God encouraged His people to live by the Commandments “so it may go well with
you.”
How many here remember from high school or college Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? Do you
remember that pyramid-shaped diagram which, on the bottom, as a layer labeled as physiological
needs like food, water, and so forth. And the next one up is safety needs. Well, Jesus has a little
revision of Maslow’s pyramid that He offers for our spiritual health. His foundational level is God and
His kingdom. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these other things will
be added to you as well.” Maybe not in a way that always provides instant gratification or a dramatic
rush of good-feeling, but in a way that assures us that we have our priorities straight. God comes
first. This is why in the 12-Step programs the very first step after admitting that we’ve made a mess
of trying to control everything ourselves is: “We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves
could restore to sanity.”
My friends, the point is, until we make God the first priority in our lives we’ll be missing the most
important thing. And without Him we’ll eventually try to find some substitute to give us a sense of
well-being. But this won’t ultimately fill the God-shaped void. Only God can do that. When we give
God the space to love us, to fill us, and to heal us, we find that He gives us all we need in all of
those other areas. He not only supplies our basic needs, but also relieves us from the compulsion
to chase after things which promise instant gratification. He gives us peace and contentment. And
until we’re content with what we’ve got, we’ll never be content with what we get.
God wants us to seek His face because that’s good for us. He wants to give us peace. But this
whole thing can be kind of tricky. If we’re used to instant gratification from other stuff in our life, we
may have to go through a little period of withdrawal. We may need to slow things down a little bit,
and do some slightly less dramatic things, like spending a little time each day reading the scriptures,
praying and meditating. We may have to override our mental default setting of instant gratification
in order to become more mindful of our Lord. To remember Him at intervals throughout the day. To
carry on a dialogue with Him as we’re doing our work. As we do things like this, we start noticing a
difference. In a way this is all kind of like returning to a healthy diet after eating a lot of junk food. It
may not feel totally satisfying at first because it doesn’t jar our senses as much as those things we
often rely on to help us feel alive. But over time we find that our new diet is helping us to feel
healthier and better, and more importantly, in touch with our Creator and Sustainer. All of these
things gradually return us to a new comfort zone where our Lord, who wants a close relationship with
each and every one of us, wants us to be.
This relationship will help us live that God-connected life that’s essential to creatures created by
God and for God. Over time, this will become visible to others, as well. Attentive people will notice a
difference. And who knows, as our lives show evidence of the Lord’s work in us, we may even move
some of the suburban Adonises of this world to put down the beer can and ask a question or two.
“Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these other things will be added to you as well.”
Amen.
A Matter of Priorities
Matthew 6: 24-34
Matthew 6: 24-34
May 25, 2008
Fr. Dan Tuton
Fr. Dan Tuton