September 27, 2015 – “A Big Tent” from John Knox Kirk on Vimeo.
A sermon preached at The Kirk of Kansas City, Missouri, on September 27, 2015.
Mark 9:37-41
and Psalm 19
We like to think things are about us, don’t we?
That’s how Marci Glass once put it
as she reflected about this reading from the Psalms.[1]
I mean, we look around at creation,
and we say to ourselves “Isn’t it great that God
created all of this beautiful world for us to enjoy?”
And that is partially true, of course.
Someone once asked me what life is for,
what is this whole living thing all about?
So deeply philosophical.
Though, when she asked me,
she was being quite serious.
Its one of our basic human questions,
something we ask that makes us unique, as it were.
But when we’re down,
–or when we’re struggling
–or when we’re trying to make big decisions
–what school to go to
–what to do with our lives
–whether to stay in that job
–whether to keep on going with that treatment
–whether to let go
that’s precisely when these sort of questions come into play.
Why are we here?
What is all this about?
And, well, there are a lot of answers to that one—
–to maximize enjoyment and minimize pain
–to propagate the species through diversification of the gene pool
–to lay in wait until the Royals win another World Series? How long, O Lord?
Someone pointed out that its entirely possible
that we’ll have a Cubs-Royals World Series this year.
The whole meaning of existence might weigh in the balance…
And some, truth be told, say that there is no why?
That all of this is just capricious, just there
and we do our best accepting that and ordering ourselves
the best we can to get through.
Suffice it to say there are many answers out there,
but the Christian one stresses this:
the meaning of life is love
and if God is love, then the meaning of life is loving relationship with God.