The Meaning of Life – Matthew 22:34-46
/Lectionary Readings for October 25, 2020 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Reformation Sunday, Year A
Deuteronomy 34:1-12 Moses Dies and Is Buried in the Land of Moab
Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17 God’s Eternity and Human Frailty
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 v8 So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.
Matthew 22:34-46 The Greatest Commandment(s)
Peace Quotes
“Peace is a never-ending process... It cannot ignore our differences or overlook our common interests. It requires us to work and live together.” ~ Óscar Arias
“Even during the worst hardships, when the other things in our lives seem to fall apart, we can still find peace in the eternal love of God.” ~ Armstrong Williams
Any time I preach or lead a group, regardless of age, I start the same way. I’m going to say three short sentences. Please repeat each sentence, with enthusiasm.
God made me. God loves me. God has plans for me.
Preface to Today’s Scripture Reading
Today verses are all about being loved and expressing love. I find it interesting that, during Jesus’ last week before His arrest, torture, and execution, He summarized His entire ministry in just a few words.
I also find it captivating that, when giving a profound answer that has become a cornerstone of Christianity, rather than speaking new words and phrases into existence, Jesus quoted the Torah, first a verse from Deuteronomy 6:5 (a cornerstone of Judaism) and then from Leviticus 19:18. Jews and Christians share the same cornerstone, which makes sense coming from our devoutly Jewish Savior.
Last week I promised to share with you the Meaning of Life as well as God’s “plan” for humanity and the universe. The more I think about today’s verses, the more I’m convinced Jesus gives us just today.
Let’s open our ears, minds, and hearts as we read today’s Scripture.
Read Matthew 22:34-40.
For the last 15 years or so, I have had at least one aquarium. There’s just something cool – and relaxing – about watching fish scoot back and forth. My fish tanks were always far bigger than whatever was recommended. If my fish must live a contained life, I wanted them to be as happy as possible.
If you have ever owned an aquarium for any length of time, you inevitably learned how delicate an ecosystem it can be. If the water gets too cold, fish die. If it gets too hot, fish die. If algae get out of control, fish might live, but you can’t see them so how do you fix that problem without throwing everything else out of whack?!?
One test you can use to check your aquarium’s water quality is called a “Litmus Test.” This is most commonly a strip of paper you dunk in the water. The paper turns a color that tells you if your water is acidic, neutral, or alkaline. Based on that information, you can make adjustments to keep everything balanced and healthy.
The Great Commandments Jesus quotes serve as perhaps the ultimate litmus test for our own lives and communities.
How well are we loving God?
How well are we loving ourselves?
How well are we loving others?
These are not rhetorical questions. In fact, I often think we would do well starting and ending each day reminding ourselves of these three loves as an encouragement, a compass, and a litmus test – a way of determining where we are and what adjustments we need to make to keep everything balanced and healthy.
If the year 2020 was water and we dropped a test strip in it, I can only imagine what the result might indicate! This has been a strange and stressful year to say the very least. Some of us are holding up better than others. Some of us look like we’re holding up better than others.
For the past 7 months or so, perhaps the biggest source of stress has been uncertainty. How contagious or deadly is this virus? What are the symptoms? How should we treat it? Is it safe to meet people? Can I open my business? Under what conditions? Will there be enough toilet paper for everyone?!?
When the answers to those questions seem to change on a daily basis, we feel like life is unstable or even out of control – at least out of our control. After so many months, that uncertainty wears on us. Nevertheless, God created us to adapt and survive.
Since I was a little kid, my favorite kind of fish has been Japanese Koi. They come in nearly every color and pattern you can imagine. Of their many great qualities, they are famously durable. It’s not uncommon for them to survive the winter while frozen in solid ice. They can tolerate very warm water as well as a wide variety of FAR less than ideal environmental conditions.
I share all of this with you today to say this: We serve a durable God who created us in His loving image (Genesis 1:26). Humans are fairly durable creatures, but in many ways, the year 2020 has pushed the limits of what many of us can endure socially and mentally.
How do we deal with uncertainty and stress?
We can remind ourselves of the certainty of God’s love for us and God’s desire to be in relationship with us (John 3:16-17).
We can remind ourselves that God loves us so much that we are commanded to love ourselves, take care of ourselves, nurture ourselves. We are that important, that precious (Matthew 6:28-33).
And we can remind ourselves to share God’s love with our neighbors, which Jesus conveniently defines as any other human being (Luke 10:25-37).
This week I encourage you to share your uncertainties and stresses with God. Invite God to lead you through them. Fearing for his life, uncertain of what the next day held, King David did just that when he said “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You [Lord] are with me…” (Psalm 23). David did not wait for an earthquake to fill the valley nor for a bridge to be built over it. David shared his anxieties with God and, with God, continued forward. David could do this because of his relationship with God. God invites us, all of us, to have the same intimate and trusting relationship with God that David did.
Here’s the Good News that Jesus proclaimed: The Lord, our God, our Creator is indeed with us and loves us more than we can imagine! God’s “plan,” the meaning of our lives, is to embrace that Divine love, share it with ourselves, and let it flow through us to others. That is how we create the Kingdom of God here on Earth.
Amen? Amen!