An Acceptable Time...

Welcome to my updated BLOG I'm calling P.R.O.D. for Post Retirement Observations and Delusions. You never know what you may find here, but I AM hoping to write and post regular sermons, for your edification, and to prompt my continued ability to write them! This sermon is called, "An Acceptable Time."

II Corinthians 6:1-13

As we work together with God, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For God says,

"At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you."

See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as imposters, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see--we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. In return--I speak as to children--open wide your hearts also.

What was Paul thinking about when he talked about the "acceptable time"? Was he mirroring the divine voice from the Hebrew Bible? Was he being dramatic like we preachers tend to at least try to do to catch our listener's attention? Or was Paul suggesting that we humans have a tendency to wait, wait, wait for some "ideal" moment to enact the important decisions and/or actions in our lives, often missing the opportunity? I think this is where he was coming from, honestly.

As one who is formally entering retirement on July 1, I can say that I'm a bit concerned with what is happening in the stock market right now. This week it has taken a serious tumble over the threat of inflation. Other than a few shares of stock I bought just to support a couple of companies that did the right and just thing at an "acceptable time," I've not had serious money to invest in the market, so why should I care? Well, like so many of you, my pension funds are invested in the market, and while our excellent Wespath pension people have moved most of my funds into a more "safe harbor" of fixed income investments, still, if the market drops precipitously like it has this week, it will affect the major fund that will be annuitized to form part of my income in retirement. Large market drops could make a difference of $100 a month, or so, in income, and as they say, "That ain't chicken feed." So am I retiring at a bad time? Is this not the acceptable time to take the plunge? For me, faith has had to step in and answer, "YES, it's the right time!" Once one gets trapped into that waiting game or "gamble" that there will be a better time, the wagers can be both addictive and endless. Think of some of the ones people have taken on that turned out to be less than affirming:

"We're not having children now, because we don't think we can afford it."

"I'm not going to college right now because I'm burned out on school, and I need some 'down' time."

"We aren't getting married right now because we don't think we know each other enough, so we're waiting for us to be sure."

"I'm not getting the COVID vaccine because it was created too fast, and I'm going to wait until the right time when they can prove to me it's safe."

You can probably think of many of your own, and may even have a few regrettable waits of your own!

For people of faith, such major decisions are best done with much prayer and reflection. However, once a direction is discerned, and a vector is chosen, it's time to step out on faith. My experience is that God is a loving "catcher" as surely as God is a proactive "pusher." But I will never know either if I just put out the anchor and refuse to move.

I have a female clergy colleague who felt that her heart and her Lord willed that she become a mom and raise a couple of children. As her "biological clock" was nearing midnight, and no promising "traditional" relationship was in the offing, she used medical/artificial means to become pregnant. Twice. The result has been two wonderful and precious children who have been loved by a mom with a heart the size of Montana, and by a handful of congregations. She has also had the support of close friends and colleagues. This journey into the "acceptable time" hasn't been without its challenges, about which she is honestly and inspirationally transparent. Life is not easy for a single mom of two growing children, with their needs and activities. And a clergy mom has an hellacious schedule, makes less money than a guy on a bread route, and has only one income to support her family. If that isn't enough, recently she was chastised by a fellow pastor who told her how it was not God's will for single-parent families to exist. Still, if you were to ask her if she made the right decision at the acceptable time, I believe you would hear a resounding "YES!" 

Hall of Fame hockey great Wayne Gretzky is credited with saying, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." 

When the Apostle Paul said today was the acceptable time for salvation, he was challenging the people of Corinth to not wait to become a Christ follower. Even after detailing the kinds of persecution and hardships he and other Christ followers have had to endure for the sake of the Good News, he still wouldn't have it any other way, and urges them to "open their hearts." So many people believe that waiting for the "opportune" time to take the leap of faith, whether it is in Jesus, or making an important decision about something life is presenting, is wise. In fact, it could be more like sitting on a ticking time bomb. Paul says today is the day of salvation--don't put God off!

This message is not designed to cause us to act foolishly and call it faith. It is designed to challenge us to take important steps in faith so as to not foolishly miss the direction in which God is trying to lead us.

Open your hearts wide, dear friends. Pray, reflect, and act on faith, for today is the acceptable time for all kinds of salvation, for you, me, and the world.