That’s Not all there is
Rev. Bob Coleric, First Christian Church
Friday, May 1, 2009
I’m convinced that sometimes we construct our own prisons. It’s not that life throws us some curves, with illness, economic ups and downs and interpersonal relationships that go south—we expect those ups and downs. I’m talking about when out of nowhere things just go crazy. We begin to believe that everything is out to get us, nothing goes right, and, as a friend of mine caught up in this cycle recently observed, “Life just sucks!” Ever been there? I thought so. Who hasn’t?
Few of us are immune to the symptoms of “the blues.” We don’t need to make an appointment or invite them in, they just come out of nowhere, like a sudden rain-burst or a wrong number. Mariners, familiar with the vagaries of the trade winds near the equator, were accustomed to the sudden calms and light baffling winds that effectively gripped and paralyzed their ships. Their word for this state was the “doldrums.” The doldrums are one type of prison we must endure. There are others, perhaps not of our own doing but still just as toxic. The lack of progress, the dead-ends, the stagnation all combine to make it a miserable time. And it’s hard to break out of this prison into the freedom of life abundant. Sometimes, we just go from prison to prison, trapped by one negative circumstance after another. Where will it end? When will we see the sun again?
Sometimes these prisons go on and on and nothing we do seems capable of breaking us out. We try wealth with all its’ advantages and pleasures, yet still we feel trapped. The darkness settles in again and the hope of freedom from stagnation evaporates.
Sometimes we try knowledge and information, but with the same results. No matter how much we learn and assimilate from the academic life, we still are not freed from the prison of futility that has descended upon us. We try position, power and prestige and are not surprised that these big three bring no relief from the state of inertia that seems to surround us with an invisible yet potent force. Can anything liberate us? Can anything free us? Can anything change this dead-end life?
Peggy Lee asked the same question in a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller entitled “Is That All There Is?” Through life’s exciting events, even as she’s about to take her last breath, she bemoans the futility of life as she sings:
Is that all there is? Is that all there is?
If that’s all there is my friends, then let’s keep dancing.
Let’s break out the booze and have a ball,
If that’s all there is.
Christians know that isn’t all there is. Christians believe that God has made us to live a bountiful life filled with contentment, joy, hope and peace. The Christian Faith is one of wonder at God’s marvelous and stunning diversity that never ceases to inspire and motivate us to greater heights. Some have called this ultimate freedom and I believe they’ve made a pretty good estimation of what God has done for us in and through the life of Jesus Christ.
With this freedom in Christ, we are no longer anchored by the endless search for meaning that never seems to arrive. Christians, of course, don’t have all the answers, and certainly Christians, too, must endure the doldrums of life that seem to come to most humans. Yet, there is an empowerment that transcends petty concerns when we embrace the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s a liberating effect that cuts the anchor line that has tied us to the weight of conformity to the current culture-of-the-week syndrome that has weighed us down. Christians, though certainly not perfect, are freed; the cell doors of our prisons are opened. Gray walls are no longer the norm. The refreshing winds of change and excitement splash over us like life-giving water. Joy and gladness clothe our lives where once the drab and plain ruled. In Jesus Christ we break free. Jesus has the answer to Peggy Lee’s quandary: “I am the bread of life.” Jesus once said. “He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” That works.
• “Sunday Sermon” is a forum for Emporia area ministers to share their sermons, thoughts and observations. This week’s sermon is from the Rev. Bob Colerick, senior minister of First Christian Church in Emporia.